The throne room was thick with tension, the oppressive silence broken only by the laboured breaths of the younger assassin. The leader, however, stood frozen, his mind reeling. The dagger had flown true, and yet King Alf remained untouched.
"It doesn't make sense," the leader muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. His steely gaze darted to the dagger still embedded in the back of the throne. "I never miss."
The younger assassin took a cautious step forward, his expression a mix of unease and confusion.
"What... what if..."
"Quiet!" the leader barked, silencing the apprentice. But the words of his junior gnawed at him. What if? What if this wasn't some elaborate trick? What if the king truly wasn't human?
The leader's jaw tightened. His cold sneer returned as he looked King Alf up and down, his composure reassembling itself like shattered glass forced back into place.
