The palace courtyard was silent save for the soft murmur of the gathered crowd. As the first light of dawn stretched across Winter's Crown, the tension in the air was palpable. All eyes were on the scaffold in the center of the square, where Vale stood bound in chains, his dark cloak billowing in the soft morning breeze.
Damien watched from the balcony above, his steel-gray eyes fixed on the scene below. He stood alongside the king and Lady Erynn, their presence a symbol of the crown's authority. Behind him, Amara and Carys lingered in the shadows, their expressions a mixture of wariness and resolve.
"This is the moment they've been waiting for," Erynn said quietly, her silver eyes scanning the crowd. "The people need to see that justice is served."
