The tension between Mikel and Viktor had been building since they returned from the Queen's palace, a silent storm threatening to break at any moment.
They sat across from one another in Viktor's grand but dimly lit living room, the low flicker of a fire casting shadows on the walls. The silence was thick, heavy with unspoken fears and doubts.
Viktor, who had always appeared so composed and regal, looked worn, the weight of the Queen's ultimatum pressing down on him. Mikel, meanwhile, felt the burden of a world he wasn't sure he belonged in.
Mikel stared into the fire, arms crossed as if holding himself together. The warmth of the flames did little to soothe the chill that had settled between them.
Viktor, sitting in a high-backed chair, his eyes fixed on Mikel, was trying to find the right words, words that could somehow protect him without pushing him away.
