A month after the war, in Eisenburg, the capital of Stahl.
Henry sat upon his throne, his gaze sweeping over the crowd that filled every corner of the grand hall. Hundreds of men, women, children, and elders stood before him in tense silence, filling every inch of the grand room. Their clothes were torn and ragged, and frostbite marked their hollow faces, as if they had been left to freeze in the northern cold for days. The children and elders were especially frail, reduced to little more than skin and bone, barely able to stand as they glanced up at the king with hollow, exhausted eyes.
"Are they all here?" Henry asked, leaning forward, his fingers tapping against the iron armrest. Behind him stood his most trusted aides: Leier, Olaro, Luther, and Luke, who was small enough to be mistaken for a child.Â
