Kingdom of Taratios, main city of Taratios.

  The military detachment had just arrived at the capital together with the lord of House Sungley. The main city of the kingdom rose imposing, surrounded by ancient walls and watchtowers that still carried the scars of the recent war. At the center of everything, dominating the landscape as a reminder of human power, stood the great castle where the king of Taratios resided… the king of the humans.

  This was not an ordinary visit.

  It was a call for an exceptional meeting.

  One of the most powerful houses in the kingdom, one that had maintained order, peace, and control after the events that followed the assassination of King Domen, had summoned the nobles to debate one of the most serious and delicate incidents of recent years.

  The current king, Rowan, was gathered with the nobles on duty in the great meeting hall of the palace. The room was wide, supported by carved stone columns and decorated with banners representing the different houses of the kingdom. Voices overlapped as they discussed specific problems of the country, economic tensions, reconstruction, and territorial control.

  The discussion was interrupted when one of the royal soldiers stepped into the center of the hall and announced, with a firm voice:

  —Your Majesty, the great lord Garbard has arrived.

  Rowan raised his hand, signaling for the murmurs to stop.

  —Please, tell Lord Garbard to enter —he ordered calmly.

  Two soldiers stepped forward and opened the massive doors of the meeting hall. The reinforced wooden doors moved with a deep, heavy sound. Two figures entered the room.

  They were Garbard… and the maid Redda.

  As soon as they crossed the threshold, both bowed deeply before the king. Dozens of gazes fell upon them; the noble houses from every corner of the kingdom of Taratios watched closely, some with curiosity, others with open distrust.

  —I present myself before you, my king Rowan —said Garbard, maintaining his bow—. Thank you for accepting my request and allowing me to present my grievances before this council of nobles.

  Rowan made a gentle gesture with his hand.

  —Please, raise your heads —he replied—. We will always be available to discuss the concerns of the great House Sungley.

  The king scanned the room before continuing, aware of the weight of the moment.

  —Now then, since we are all gathered here in this assembly of great leaders, I would like to hear what your request is… and the reason why you called this emergency meeting.

  Garbard nodded slightly.

  —Thank you very much, Your Majesty. And to all the nobles who make up this great council —he began—. I am glad to know that, when a house makes a request, the others respond with diligence and responsibility in the face of a possible problem that could affect the entire kingdom.

  Rowan rested both forearms on the central table.

  —Of course, great lord Garbard —he said—. Now then… what would be the reason for calling this meeting?

  Garbard took one step forward. His voice did not tremble.

  —I have called this emergency meeting to announce that I will take House Termant… and reduce it to ashes.

  A heavy silence fell over the hall.

  —I will take the head of the lord of Termant —he continued— and place it on a stake in front of the gates of the city of Cautares, not before torturing him and tearing him apart alive.

  The crowd of nobles was left in complete shock. The impact of those words was reflected in pale faces, muffled murmurs, and disbelieving stares. King Rowan himself tensed in his seat.

  Especially affected was the leader of House Termant.

  —You have just made some very serious statements, Lord Garbard —said Rowan, in a severe voice—. I hope you have more than enough reason for these claims to be true.

  —That’s right! —exclaimed the leader of House Termant, standing up—. How dare you threaten House Termant in this way?

  Garbard slowly turned his face toward him.

  —Of course, Your Majesty —he replied without looking at him—. I would never raise my weapons if there were no proper reason. And the stupid leader of House Termant believed he could get away with it.

  Garbard remained firm in his place while dozens of nobles reacted with murmurs, muffled exclamations, and gestures of open discomfort. The air inside the hall grew dense, charged with an almost physical tension.

  —Explain the facts —ordered Rowan, frowning—. This council needs to understand the scope of your accusations.

  Garbard nodded once.

  Then he began to recount, with precision and without unnecessary embellishments, the events that had occurred both at House Sungley and in the city of Cautares. He described the coordinated attack, the presence of armed bandits, the attempt to destroy the city, the direct assault on his home… and finally, the kidnapping of his grandson.

  Each word fell like a heavy blow upon the hall.

  —The events you describe are extremely dangerous and condemnable —said Rowan after a few seconds—. Do you have concrete evidence of what happened?

  Before Garbard could respond, Redda stepped forward. Her posture was firm, though her hands trembled slightly.

  —Excuse my intrusion, my king —she said respectfully—, but I can answer that question.

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  Rowan looked at her attentively and nodded, granting her permission to continue.

  Redda took a deep breath before speaking.

  She explained how, risking her own life and that of her heir, Kael, she had managed to gather documents and direct testimonies from the band of bandits who tried to kidnap the child and destroy both the city of Cautares and the Sungley mansion. She recounted the subsequent raids, the capture of members of the band, and the discovery of documents that directly linked House Termant to the planning and financing of the attack.

  The murmuring among the nobles intensified.

  —This is clearly a conspiracy against our house! —shouted the leader of House Termant—. We would never have committed such stupidity, my king! House Sungley is preparing this methodically with the sole objective of creating a bad image of our family and removing us from parliament.

  Silence fell again when Garbard fixed his gaze on him.

  He did not raise his voice.

  He made no exaggerated gestures.

  But his stare was cold… intimidating.

  —With all due respect, Your Majesty —he finally said—, and to everyone present in this hall. I have given my life to uphold the legacy of the royal family, protecting its traditions and its history. I have always remained faithful to the words of the former king and to his legacy, which was properly passed on to his firstborn.

  Garbard clenched his fists.

  —I will never regret those decisions. I spared the lives of many nobles who, at the time, truly deserved death for betraying their king. They were forgiven to maintain control, stability, and the democracy of the peoples and cities of Taratios.

  He paused briefly.

  —But everything has a limit.

  His voice grew deeper.

  —That limit was crossed… and destroyed by the recent events.

  The silence became absolute.

  —My family was attacked…

  —My servants were murdered…

  —MY PEOPLE WERE ATTACKED!

  His voice echoed powerfully among the stone columns.

  —AND ABOVE ALL! —he roared—. My grandson, my heir, was kidnapped and mistreated! With the sole purpose of torturing him… and killing him!

  Several nobles looked away, unable to withstand the tension of the moment.

  —This goes far beyond all the limits imposed by my family —he continued—. And I will not tolerate, as lord and as grandfather of House Sungley, that my loved ones are trampled in this way.

  Garbard took another step forward.

  —I FORGED AND MAINTAINED THE HEIRS OF THIS KINGDOM!

  The echo of his words ran through the hall, striking the walls like a sentence.

  —So, my king —he said, regaining some control—, I have presented my evidence, both physical and testimonial. It is at your discretion to decide what must be done.

  His eyes hardened.

  —But know this from now on. I have always been a lord faithful to my word, disciplined and respectful of the laws of this kingdom. I demand the heads of the Termant family.

  An uneasy murmur ran through the council.

  —If I do not obtain them by decree of the kingdom… —he concluded—, it will be as an independent lord, detached from Taratios.

  The tension inside the hall was extreme.

  The lords exchanged nervous glances, some leaning in to whisper among themselves, others remaining rigid, fully aware that the course of the kingdom could change at that very moment. No one dared to speak openly.

  Rowan remained silent for several seconds. His expression was grave, focused, as if weighing not only Garbard’s words, but also the consequences of every possible decision.

  Finally, the king spoke.

  —Lord Garbard… —he began—. I have never doubted your commitment, dedication, or loyalty to our kingdom. You have been a fundamental contributor to the reconstruction of Taratios and have always remained faithful to the rules and laws.

  The king took a deep breath before continuing.

  —Please, allow me to take all members of House Termant into custody for high treason and to initiate a thorough investigation into the charges you present. Once we have more evidence, we will be able to reach a definitive verdict.

  Rowan fixed his gaze on Garbard.

  —And if your accusations prove to be true… I will be the one who personally authorizes the degradation and delivery of those responsible for the attack against your family.

  Garbard slightly inclined his head.

  —Thank you very much, Your Majesty —he replied—. Based on the events that have occurred, and considering that my grandson is still in a state of indeterminate unconsciousness, I demand a maximum period of one week for the investigation to conclude.

  Rowan nodded without hesitation.

  —So it shall be.

  The king stood up and raised his voice.

  —Gentlemen!

  The royal soldiers reacted immediately.

  —Take the members of the Termant family into custody!

  Chaos erupted in the hall.

  The leader of House Termant stepped forward desperately, struggling as the soldiers held him firmly.

  —Your Majesty, you cannot do this to me! —he shouted—. I would never have done something like this! Please, believe me!

  His words echoed against the stone walls as he was dragged out of the hall along with the rest of his family.

  The assembly came to an end shortly afterward.

  The members of House Termant were placed under custody, and their residence was intervened immediately. During the investigations, highly incriminating documents were found, evidence sufficient to confirm that they had been the direct perpetrators of the attack against House Sungley.

  After the events, King Rowan requested a private meeting with Lord Garbard to go deeper into the recent developments.

  In a secluded room of the castle, far from the ears of the nobles, the king, his royal guards, and the great lord of House Sungley gathered.

  —Thank you for attending this special meeting, my lord Garbard —said Rowan, breaking the silence.

  Garbard formed a faint, weary smile.

  —Little Rowan… at last, a moment to speak in a more informal and calm tone.

  Rowan lowered his guard slightly.

  —How is little Kael?

  Garbard closed his eyes for a moment before answering.

  —Yesterday I received a letter from Laret —he said—. He mentioned that he had woken up cheerful and happy. He is an incredible child… curious, restless… always with a smile and an enormous desire to explore and drool on everything.

  His voice softened.

  —I felt as if my world was slowly collapsing when Enta reported that he had been kidnapped.

  Rowan pressed his lips together.

  —I cannot even imagine it —he replied—. Especially how Laret and Caria must have felt.

  He paused briefly before continuing.

  —A few months ago, Althea was born… and honestly, if I knew that someone had kidnapped her or done something to her… I swear I would have made the entire kingdom explode.

  Rowan slowly shook his head.

  —It truly hurts me to think about how my friends must have felt.

  The king lifted his gaze toward Garbard.

  —I will never doubt your words. You have provided invaluable service to the kingdom of Taratios, far more than all those damned nobles in the assembly.

  His voice grew firmer.

  —If you tell me that any of them is guilty, I will have no doubts in imprisoning them and investigating them, because I trust your word. You saved me… you raised me… you were like my second father, Lord Garbard.

  Garbard observed the young king for a few seconds. In his gaze there was no pride nor arrogance… only exhaustion and deep understanding.

  —Thank you for believing in me, boy —he finally said—. I always knew, since you were just a baby, that you would become a great king.

  The lord slowly walked through the room, resting one hand on the table.

  —From experience, I tell you… the Demon King was only the foundation that pushed you to this point. The true challenge as king begins now.

  Rowan listened in silence.

  —The reconstruction of Taratios is not finished yet —Garbard continued—. And this reconstruction is not based only on houses, walls, or cities raised from ruins.

  Garbard placed a hand over his chest.

  —It is based on the broken hearts of the people.

  The king clenched his fists.

  —One of the problems has just revealed itself before us —he went on—. The resentment of having forgiven the houses that attempted the coup is now being reflected.

  Garbard raised his gaze.

  —I hope this is the first… and the last time.

  His voice hardened.

  —And I will set the precedent. If another family attempts something similar… they will pay severe consequences. Unfortunately, there will always be innocent people who suffer because of the poor judgment of a few.

  Rowan nodded, fully aware of the weight of those words.

  And so one of the greatest internal conflicts to date came to an end, after the defeat of the Demon King. One family attempting to take revenge on another for a failed coup against their former king, leaving scars that would not fade easily.

  The consequences of these acts almost never fall only on the guilty.

  They always reach the innocent.

  New generations… who end up paying for the stupidity of their progenitors.