The chandeliers above flickered with soft, golden light—reflected in crystal goblets and porcelain dishes set upon a long, polished table.

  It wasn't extravagant—no trumpets, no waiting servants.

  Just a warm table. Quiet. Private.

  And for once... no guards.

  At the far end sat King Aldric, regal even in his wornness, with one hand resting on a silver cane. Beside him, Queen Seraphine, composed and watchful. On her other side, Prince Luther, eyes sharp with thought but face calm.

  And curled beside him, munching a biscuit with one hand and holding a plush dragon in the other—

  Princess Arienne. No more than eight. Pale curls, big sleepy eyes, and far too observant for her age.

  They rose as Stray Dawn entered.

  The King opened the exchange first.

  King Aldric:

  "You'll forgive the lack of guards. After everything... I figured you've seen enough blades today."

  He gave a small smile. Tired, but honest.

  King Aldric:

  "I owe you all an apology. For my wife's decisions. For my kingdom's fear."

  Queen Seraphine: (voice level)

  "And I owe you an explanation."

  She stood, clasping her hands before her.

  Queen Seraphine:

  "What I proposed earlier... it was not out of cruelty. But desperation. The Marked Ones... your companions... they represent more than you know. The Kingdom fears what it cannot control."

  She paused, her voice quieter now.

  Queen Seraphine:

  "But fear has made me cruel. And for that, I am sorry."

  Prince Luther gave a small bow.

  Prince Luther:

  "You are guests. You should have been treated as such."

  Kristie leaned toward Josh and whispered with a grin:

  Kristie:

  "Weird... this almost feels like a real apology."

  Josh:

  "Maybe we broke the monarchy."

  Queen Seraphine ignored them—used to the muttering now.

  Queen Seraphine:

  "The King and I... if you are still willing... would like to formally offer you a place as allies of Lithrium. Properly this time. No traps. No tricks."

  King Aldric: (gruffly, but sincere)

  "And no damn throne room ice storms. Just an audience. When you're ready."

  Queen Seraphine:

  "The castle is yours until then. Rest. Recover. Decide on your own terms."

  Princess Arienne peeked over the table, staring at Rica's radiant dragon sketching light on the napkin.

  Arienne:

  "Your dragon is prettier than the stained glass ones."

  Rica: (smiling)

  "She's a little more stubborn too."

  The table laughed softly.

  No pressure. No titles.

  Just people.

  ...

  Queen Seraphine had just extended the formal offer of alliance. The ice was broken—literally and figuratively. And what began as awkward silence slowly morphed into lighthearted chaos.

  King Aldric, wine in hand, leaned back with a smile:

  King Aldric:

  "You've piqued my curiosity, Stray Dawn. I want to hear about your adventures. The truth, not the barded-up versions."

  Josh, grinning wickedly:

  "Oh, you want truth? Alright, listen to this—"

  Kristie:

  "Don't start with that story—"

  Josh:

  "Too late."

  He slammed his cup down and stood dramatically.

  Josh:

  "There I was. Alone. Heroic. Hungry. I spotted a lone tuskboar in the clearing—beautiful beast, ripe for bacon."

  Rej, sighing:

  "He thought he was a one-man hunting god."

  Josh:

  "I aimed, I fired, I missed. And then..."

  He spread his arms wide.

  Josh:

  "Fifty. More. Tuskboars. Came stampeding out of the woods. I screamed like a banshee, they chased me—"

  Marian:

  "Led us into it, too. We were on the run for a solid fifteen minutes."

  Cedy:

  "Downhill. Straight into a ravine."

  Kristie:

  "Which shattered Naeva's carriage. The gifted one."

  Josh:

  "Sorry again!"

  Prince Luther:

  "Wait—you're the ones who fell into the Maze of Screaming Ferns?"

  Lily:

  "Oh, you've heard of it too."

  Princess Arienne (whispering):

  "Those ferns yell at you?"

  Queen Seraphine (deadpan):

  "They scream at you, dear."

  The room broke into laughter.

  King Aldric (grinning):

  "That's one way to enter a cursed maze. What else?"

  Kristie, raising her goblet:

  "I'll take the next one. The mines of Moltrenhold."

  She turned to Ren, smiling fondly.

  Kristie:

  "We entered the mines. What we found inside—an Earth Dragon. Suffering. But then—"

  She paused, hand raised like a stage narrator.

  Kristie:

  "Ren said—'Vultherin sync with me, we're doing this in one hit'. HIs voice echoing in the dark: 'Winter's Requiem.'"

  Josh:

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Ugh, chills."

  Kristie:

  "And then silence."

  Josh:

  "The ancient Earth Dragon, breath gone, suffering ended. He gave it peace."

  Queen Seraphine (quietly):

  "...You mercy-killed the dragon?"

  Ren:

  "It was suffering. I just can't leave it rot underground."

  King Aldric:

  "...That move—Winter's Requiem. It'll stick."

  Marian, now beaming:

  "And now... my favorite. Rica and Queen."

  Everyone turned as Marian gestured with flair.

  Marian:

  "Me and Rica broke into the Cult's warehouse—chaos, monster's in cages, the cult appeard before us. And while I was having hard time holding them back ..."

  She glanced at Rica, who sat calm and regal beside her tea.

  Marian:

  "Rica stood in the ashes. One hand raised. The Aether Dragon Queen descended like a star. It didn't roar. It bowed."

  Prince Luther (impressed):

  "...You bonded with a cosmic-tier beast in a warehouse?"

  Rica (sipping):

  "It was efficient."

  Princess Arienne:

  "She's so cool..."

  Queen Seraphine (genuinely curious):

  "And what of the other Marked One? The girl..."

  All eyes turned to Elly, who looked like she wanted to slide under the table.

  Cedy (teasing):

  "Oooh. That story."

  Kristie (grinning):

  "She almost passed out just being alone in that cave ..."

  Josh:

  "But then the sea serpent came. Huge. The cave shimmered like glass."

  Lily:

  "She stepped forward. Shaking. Crying. But she stepped forward."

  Rej:

  "And that serpent? It bowed in acknowledgement. Then it gave her an Egg which is now the Starbeast. Koirin."

  Koirin floating around on Elly's head, proud of her.

  Queen Seraphine (genuinely stunned):

  "...You walked into the presence of a sea spirit and didn't run?"

  Elly (softly):

  "I... almost did. But I knew if I did, no one else would try."

  Queen Seraphine (warm, humbled):

  "Courage is not the absence of fear... It's walking in anyway."

  She raised her glass to Elly.

  Elly, blushing fiercely, raised hers in return.

  Then—

  Kristie (grinning again):

  "And let's not forget how I wrestled Snarl."

  Josh:

  "Literal dogpile."

  Kristie (dramatically):

  "It bite me first. Then I bite back, smaking it down. The ground cracked."

  Cedy:

  "And somehow, she won."

  Prince Luther:

  "You mean the Wargpup I'm seeing under the table?"

  Kristie:

  "Yup. He's mine now. Say hello Snarl"

  Snarl Yipped from under the table.

  Princess Arienne (eyes wide):

  "...Can I pet him?"

  Kristie (grinning):

  "Ask nicely and offer him meat."

  Queen Seraphine, laughing for the first time in full:

  Queen Seraphine:

  "...You are absolutely mad."

  King Aldric:

  "I think I'd rather face another war than have your group in my treasury."

  Queen Seraphine, sipping delicately:

  Queen Seraphine:

  "They'd steal the floor tiles just to see if they were enchanted."

  Kristie raised her hands, mock offended:

  Kristie:

  "For the record, I only took the mirror."

  Rica, sighing beside her:

  Rica:

  "She returned it. Eventually."

  Princess Arienne leaned forward with sudden curiosity.

  Princess Arienne:

  "Miss Rica... your dragon—what's her name?"

  Rica:

  "Queen."

  Princess Arienne:

  "Why?"

  Rica:

  "Because when she roars, people listen. Just like a queen should."

  Queen Seraphine, amused:

  Queen Seraphine:

  "You speak from experience?"

  Rica gave a small smirk.

  Rica:

  "You could say I'm familiar with commanding a room."

  Prince Luther, eyeing her with interest:

  Prince Luther:

  "Are you a noble yourself perhaps?"

  Marian, from across the table:

  Marian:

  "She commands a band chaotic misfits so yeah, same thing."

  Lily, chiming in dryly:

  Lily:

  "We're an orchestra of disasters, Your Highness. But we play in tune... somehow."

  Queen Seraphine exhaled slowly, then leaned forward.

  Queen Seraphine:

  "...You know, for the first time in years, this room doesn't feel like a battlefield."

  King Aldric, smiling faintly:

  King Aldric:

  "No. It feels like a tavern I once sat in during the Autumn Siege. Full of laughter... and trouble."

  Elly, finally speaking up, voice soft:

  Elly:

  "Maybe the difference is... no one's pretending here."

  There was a pause.

  Then—

  Kristie stood, holding her goblet high.

  Kristie:

  "To no more pretending!"

  Josh:

  "To real alliances!"

  Cedy:

  "To stealing from mimics and living to tell the tale!"

  Queen Seraphine, lifting hers as well, smiling despite herself:

  Queen Seraphine:

  "To strange friends in these stranger times."

  King Aldric raised his last.

  King Aldric:

  "To Stray Dawn. May the next battle come later... and the wine come sooner."

  Laughter echoed once more.

  It wasn't peace.

  But it was a beginning.

  And in the heart of the royal castle, far from war drums and frozen throne rooms—

  A shared table meant more than diplomacy.

  It meant trust.

  ...

  The food has cooled. Plates half-cleared. Goblets drained. What once was warm, golden light has now dimmed into a quieter hue—less fire, more ember.

  The echoes of laughter faded, leaving behind a contemplative stillness.

  The highborns had bared their humility. The adventurers had shared their scars.

  But there was still one truth lingering—unspoken but undeniable.

  King Aldric, watching them over the rim of his goblet, finally set it down with a dull clink.

  King Aldric:

  "You've earned my trust. And my respect."

  He looked at each of them in turn.

  King Aldric:

  "But what happened in that throne room... the nobles, the court, the public? They saw a Marked One freeze a Vahlcrest. They won't forget that."

  The Queen's gaze remained thoughtful.

  Queen Seraphine:

  "Fear turns people cruel. And fear... spreads faster than reason."

  Prince Luther (quietly):

  "You've made allies of the crown. But not yet of the people."

  A pause.

  Marian, who had once cracked jokes about dragons in warehouses, now twirled her spoon in silence.

  Iver leaned back in his seat, arms folded, brow tense.

  Even Josh, who had once boasted about fifty tuskboars, now had nothing to say.

  All eyes eventually turned to Ren, who'd been quiet since the last toast. His hand rested over Vultherin's sigil. The frostlight within it faint—but steady.

  He lifted his gaze.

  Ren:

  "Yeah... we know."

  He stood from his chair, stretching his back, then glanced toward the tall window, where the snow kissed the glass.

  Ren:

  "We're not blind to it. No matter how many laughs we share here... out there, we're monsters to them."

  A pause.

  Then, with that same half-smile he wore even when bleeding—

  Ren:

  "But don't worry. We'll think of something somehow."

  Rica:

  "You always say that when we don't have a plan yet."

  Ren (grinning faintly):

  "And we always end up making one, don't we?"

  The King raised an eyebrow.

  King Aldric:

  "No grand speeches? No vengeance or declarations?"

  Ren:

  "We don't need speeches."

  He looked at each of his friends.

  Ren:

  "We just need to keep walking forward. And make sure the world sees who we really are."

  Queen Seraphine, watching him closely now, slowly nodded.

  Queen Seraphine:

  "You believe in changing hearts through action. Not words."

  Ren (quietly):

  "Words break too easy."

  Prince Luther:

  "Then we'll reinforce them with steel and support."

  King Aldric:

  "Whatever your plan ends up being—if it earns the people's trust... the throne of Lithrium will stand behind you."

  He placed a firm hand on the table.

  King Aldric:

  "Let this castle be your stronghold. Rest. Regroup. Prepare. The tides are turning—and you may be the ones to lead it."

  Elly, who had been silent the whole time, finally whispered:

  Elly:

  "...Thank you."

  Kristie:

  "Damn. Didn't think we'd be sleeping in royal sheets after that ice nuke."

  Josh:

  "Do you think they fluff the pillows differently in noble beds?"

  Cedy:

  "If mine smells like lavender, I'm stealing it."

  The room lightened a little again—but the weight still lingered.

  Stray Dawn had fought beasts and cults and fate itself.

  But winning hearts?

  That would be the hardest fight yet.

  ...

  Later — Royal Guest Wing

  The hall was quiet. A servant had just left, the door clicking shut behind him.

  Then—

  A presence in the doorway.

  Kael stood tall in the dim light, one hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed blade—not in threat, but habit.

  His eyes scanned the group.

  And landed on Ren.

  Kael:

  "...I waited until you'd all eaten."

  Kristie:

  "That's either polite... or scary."

  Kael:

  "I owe you more than an apology. But that's all I have to give tonight."

  He bowed low. Not a soldier's bow. A man's.

  Kael:

  "I did what I thought was duty. But I lost sight of what was right. I raised my blade... against someone I should've protected."

  He looked at Ren again—guilt and calm acceptance in his voice.

  Kael:

  "You don't have to forgive me. I don't expect it. But know this—if you ever walk into danger again... I'll be beside you. Blade drawn. Not against you, but for you."

  Josh narrowed his eyes.

  Josh:

  "Talk's cheap."

  Iver:

  "But we heard it."

  Cedy:

  "And if you betray us again—Kristie has a vial of your hair."

  Kristie (smirking):

  "Two, actually."

  Ren stood, finally meeting him eye-to-eye.

  A long pause.

  Then—

  Ren:

  "...You were fast. Strong. And you didn't hesitate. We would've lost our lives that day."

  He stepped closer.

  Ren:

  "You tried to hurt me. You scared them. But... if you really mean it—if this isn't just guilt talking—then earn it."

  Kael nodded.

  Kael:

  "Gladly."

  Then—he turned to leave.

  Then... a hand caught his arm.

  Elly, quiet until now.

  Elly:

  "Next time... don't wait until we're bleeding to see us."

  Kael: (gentle)

  "I won't."

  And with that, he left.

  The room stayed quiet.

  Cedy:

  "Well. That wasn't awkward at all."

  Kristie:

  "Speak for yourself. I was halfway to throwing a fork."

  Ren: (softly)

  "...We're not done here. This is just the eye of the storm."

  Outside, wind howled past the towers.

  And the full moon stared down over Lithrium—

  Unblinking.

  Watching.

  Waiting.