THE CROWN'S SHADOW

Episode 10

Episode 10: The Sovereign’s Key

The heavy iron door at the rear of the King’s bedchamber swung open, revealing the grand archway to the Regent’s private study.

Emerging from the shadows was Lord Regent Cassian himself, flanked by four heavily armored elite guards carrying heavy tower shields and short-swords. Cassian wore a tunic of dark purple velvet lined with white ermine fur, his sharp, angular features twisted into a smug, arrogant sneer. At his neck hung a heavy silver chain bearing the Royal Master Key—the sole key capable of opening the King's hidden apothecary vault.

"I wondered when the wild dog of the family would crawl out of the gutters," Cassian purred, his voice dripping with condescension as he stepped over the threshold. "Look at you, Julian. Dripping in filth and peasant blood. You arrive just in time to watch our dear father draw his final breath."

Julian didn't move an inch. He stood between Cassian’s men and the dying King, his stolen broadsword resting loosely at his side, blood still dripping steadily from the tip onto the lush velvet rug.

"Give me the key, Cassian," Julian growled, his pitch-black eyes burning with lethal intent. "Give me the key, and I’ll make your death quick."

Cassian let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Always so crude. So violent. You think a sword can reclaim a kingdom? The High Council has already pledged their allegiance to me. By sunrise, I will wear the crown, and your little florist friend down in the Queen's Wing will be hung for treason, right alongside her dead grandmother."

At the mention of Clara, something snapped in Julian’s gaze. The cold, calculating air around him evaporated, replaced by a raw, overwhelming savagery.

"Shields up!" Cassian shrieked, stepping back as Julian lunged forward.

The lead guard slammed his heavy iron shield down, but Julian didn't try to flank it. He drove his shoulder directly into the steel boss with terrifying physical power, shattering the guard's stance and knocking two of the men backward. Before the lead guard could recover, Julian’s broadsword swept upward, catching the man under the armplate and driving deep into his ribs.

The second guard lunged with a short-sword, but Julian caught the blade with his bare, leather-wrapped hand, ignoring the bite of the steel. He yanked the guard forward, driving his heavy pommel directly into the man’s faceplate with a sickening crunch of shattered bone.

"Kill him!" Cassian yelled, his smug face suddenly pale as he scrambled backward toward the study door. "Kill him now!"

The remaining two guards pressed forward together, but Julian was a hurricane of iron and instinct. Parrying a wild s***h, he sidestepped, driving his knee into the third guard's kneecap before spinning behind him and slit his throat in one fluid motion. The final guard threw down his shield to run, but Julian threw his heavy dagger straight into the back of the man's neck, dropping him instantly to the floor.

Silence returned to the bedchamber, save for Julian’s heavy, ragged breathing and the soft, terrified whimpers of the Regent.

Cassian backed into the corner of his private study, his hand fumbling uselessly for a ornamental dagger at his waist. Julian stepped through the doorway, his massive frame blocking out the torchlight, his pitch-black eyes locked onto his cousin like an apex predator cornering its prey.

"P-please... Julian," Cassian stammered, his regal composure completely shattered as he backed against the wall. "We are blood. We can share the realm... I can give you the Low Quarter... I can give you whatever you want..."

Julian didn't utter a word. He closed the gap in two broad strides, his large, blood-stained hand closing around Cassian’s throat with crushing force. He lifted the Regent off his feet, pinning him against the carved wooden wall paneling.

Cassian choked, gasping for air as his legs kicked uselessly against the floor.

With his free hand, Julian reached up and ripped the heavy silver chain—and the Master Key—from Cassian’s neck.

"You touched her life," Julian growled, his voice a low, terrifying whisper against Cassian’s ear. "You poisoned her bloodline. You don't get to share anything."

Julian slammed Cassian violently into the floor, knocking the wind completely out of him, before driving the hilt of his sword against the Regent’s temple, knocking him senseless.

Turning on his heel, key in hand, Julian sprinted back toward the Queen's Wing. The antidote was finally within reach, but the sand in Martha's hourglass was rapidly running out.