All the men belonging to their newly kneeling allies dropped to the floor as well. A great ripple ran across the crowd, as if they were knocked down by the hands of the Gods. Those that might have stayed standing otherwise, knelt, pushed by the pressure. From that mere command, in the first instant of it being spoken, ninety percent of those gathered men had collapsed to their feet, and the rest slowly followed, bit by bit, until only one in twenty men remained standing.
Under Oliver's harsh gaze, and those of the rest of the kneeling men, emphatic in their loyalty, those too started to drop down to their knees, one by one, practically forced to do it. Oliver's eyes shone his approval. He turned his glare personally to any who still stood, willing them to their knees. Her recorded their faces, knowing that their loyalty would likely be weaker than the rest – but there was a weight to kneeling that even the most dishonourable of men would not be quick to undone..
