The Riverlands had bled, but they had not bowed. The ford at Dunharrow stood as proof that the Phoenix could match the serpent’s host. Word of the victory spread faster than the winter winds.
From hamlets and keeps, from fishing villages and forest halls, men came bearing arms and oaths. Lords who had wavered now bent the knee, swearing loyalty to Cael. For the first time, the Riverlands stood not as scattered tributaries, but as one flowing tide.
Yet Cael knew unity was a fragile flame—one spark could ignite it brighter, or one gust could snuff it out forever.
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The Riverlords’ Assembly
A week after Dunharrow, Cael summoned the Riverlords to Highmere, an ancient hall of oak and stone that had long served as neutral ground among the River families.
The great chamber filled with ban
