3 days later, Prince Julian found himself knee deep in snow, the cold seeping through his leather boots and socks all the way to the bone. One of the men his father had assigned him had offered Julian a hat the previous day but the haughty prince had opted against it. Now, with the wind whipping his hair and skin into a chapped frenzy, he regretted his hastiness in turning down the offer. However, Julian wasn't surrounded by familiar faces he was comfortable with ordering around.
These were not men of the royal guard or his constable confidants. Instead, he was dealing with unfamiliar, nondescript individuals who were loyal to the emperor and emperor alone, a man who was a ruler first and father second.
But far more chilling than the early winter that had set upon the northern regions was the little information Julian's father had given him before they set out on horseback for an unclear destination.
