Trumpets echoed in the grand hall as King Aldric proclaimed the new title before assembled courtiers. “For valor beyond measure and service to the crown, we bestow upon Sir Ethan of Carosso the title of Marquis of the Northern Reach,” the King announced. Murmurs swept the hall while Ethan knelt on the marble floor, stunned. Celestia stood at Ethan’s side in formal attire, her face a serene mask that hid her apprehension.Aldric’s attendants brought forth a velvet cushion bearing a silver badge of office. The King himself pinned the badge to Ethan’s cloak. “Rise, Lord Ethan,” he said warmly. “You shall depart at once to oversee the North’s restoration. The borderlands are yours to govern and rebuild in my name.”Ethan rose, bowing deeply. “I am honored, Your Majesty,” he managed, voice stead

Moonlight poured in through the open window of the manor’s small library, casting silver squares on the floor. Ethan found Celestia there alone, standing by a table strewn with scrolls. She had said she was retiring early with a headache, but here she was, gaze lost in the flicker of a single candle. The tension lingering between them all day weighed heavily in the quiet room.Ethan closed the door softly behind him. “Celestia,” he said gently.She turned, surprised but not upset at his intrusion. In her simple nightrobe and shawl, she looked so delicate it stirred his protectiveness. “Ethan,” she replied, managing a soft smile. “Shouldn’t you be resting? Dawn comes soon and you’ve been working since before sunrise.”“I could ask the same of you,” Eth

Sunrise cast a golden glow over the northern fields as Ethan rode along a dirt path, flanked by Nina. Rows upon rows of green potato plants stretched out on either side. Villagers were already at work, tending the rich soil. The air was crisp and filled with the promise of a bountiful harvest.Ethan dismounted near a bustling field. A group of children ran by, giggling, their arms full of freshly dug potatoes. Nina laughed softly at the sight. Her cheeks were rosy from the morning chill, and a smudge of dirt streaked her forehead from an earlier inspection."Lord Ethan!" An elderly farmer approached, wiping his brow. "Look at this!" He proudly held up an enormous potato, soil crumbling off its dimpled skin. "Never seen yields like this in all my years."Ethan grinned and clapped the man on the shoulder. "It’s incredible. This will keep every belly in the North full through winter." He glanced at Nina, who stood shyly by his side. "We have Lady Nina to than

The heavy oaken doors of Northfort’s great hall groaned open, admitting a lone royal messenger clad in Carosso’s colors. Ethan rose from the high table as the man strode forward across the stone floor. Around Ethan, a ring of his closest advisors—Celestia, Nina, and several northern commanders—stood in tense silence.The courier halted and unfurled a parchment scroll emblazoned with King Aldric’s seal. His gaze swept the hall, taking in the stern faces and the silver dragon banners draped on the walls. He cleared his throat. "By decree of His Majesty King Aldric," the messenger announced, voice echoing, "Lord Ethan Blackthorne is hereby commanded to disband all armed forces under his command and present himself at Castle Carosso to reaffirm his fealty. Failure to comply will mark him and his followers as traitors to the crown."A flicker of outrage crossed Ethan’s face. He stepped forward, accepting the parchment from the messenger’s hand. The hall was deathly still as

The midday sun blazed in a hazy sky as Northfort shuddered under the barrage of siege engines. Kaelthorne’s catapults battered the fortress walls, each impact sending stone dust and shards showering down on the defenders. On the ramparts, Ethan wiped grit from his eyes and peered at the battlefield beyond. Enemy soldiers encircled the fortress in a bristling ring—infantry massed behind shield walls, archers trading arrows with the North’s bowmen, and two massive siege towers lumbering slowly forward on groaning wheels.“Brace!” a watch captain bellowed. A boulder struck with a teeth-rattling boom, but the walls held—for now.Nina emerged through the swirling smoke to Ethan’s side, flushed but determined. “They’re moving siege towers to the east wall,” she panted, just as a war horn’s blast signaled a renewed enemy push. “They’ll try to storm us any moment!”Ethan grimaced at the