Dawn broke over a kingdom forever changed, the early morning mist curling around the castle towers like ghostly fingers.
News of the king's death spread through the land like wildfire, racing through city streets and countryside alike, carried by hurried whispers and urgent messengers on horseback.
The golden rays of morning illuminated a world where power had shifted dramatically in the span of a single day, where old certainties had crumbled and new possibilities bloomed. Those who had once plotted Jamie's death found themselves dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events, their carefully laid plans crumbling like sand castles before the tide.
