Laurice stepped forward without hesitation, drawing the gaze of the court.

  Even the smallest movement now seemed loud in the wake of the king’s command.

  He bowed toward the raised platform.

  “My lord,” he said, “as requested, I present Dwight, known among us as Fallen. He has come from the other realm at Eithna’s invitation.”

  The title travelled through the chamber in a low ripple.

  Fallen. Just what did it mean?

  It sounded less like description and more like judgement.

  I resisted the urge to check whether someone else might step forward to claim it.

  No one did.

  The King regarded me.

  His expression remained composed, distant, impossible to read.

  I tried my best to stand firm under his scrutiny, feeling every ounce of the weight of his presence. I felt my hands tremble, just a little, but enough.

  Then, instead of speaking to me, he turned his gaze toward Eithna.

  I was confused for a moment, then let out a breath that I hadn’t realised I’d be holding in.

  “I can sense his uncertainty. How much has he been told?” the King asked.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The shift in attention was immediate.

  I felt it move away from me, but not release me.

  If anything, the scrutiny sharpened.

  Eithna rose. If she had any nerves at this moment, they were not visible.

  “Very little, my lord,” she said. “I wished for him to arrive free of influence when the time came for him to choose.”

  Murmurs spread across the tiers.

  Some offered sounds of approval. Others did not.

  The King listened without interruption.

  For a moment, I thought I saw something behind his calm. Conflict, perhaps, but it vanished almost at once.

  A voice broke in from one side of the chamber.

  “Then he should not be allowed to remain.”

  “The court must be able to deliberate without restraint.”

  Another followed.

  “He cannot hear what is debated.”

  “If he is unprepared…”

  The King raised a hand.

  Silence returned instantly.

  “He stands in uncertainty,” the King said.

  “We will not shape his understanding before the time comes.”

  I had absolutely no idea what that meant.

  But it didn’t sound small.

  The King’s eyes found me again.

  Not cold.

  Not kind.

  Deciding.

  “Dwight,” he said, “there are matters before this court that cannot unfold in your presence.”

  My stomach dropped.

  “You will withdraw,” he continued, “and you will be informed when our decision has been made.”

  Withdraw.

  I had not realised staying had ever been an option.

  Laurice bowed deeply.

  “As you command, my lord.”

  Eithna touched my arm, a quiet signal that we were moving again.

  Around us the court was already turning inward, returning to business I was not meant to hear.

  The doors were already beginning to open. Whatever was going to decide my future was going to happen without me.

  And just like that, I was leaving the centre of everything.

  Without understanding any of it.