A crimson dawn reigned in Stone Roll's sky the following morning.
Snow was confused when called away from tending his horse and escorted into a private chamber with several members of his father's court. The pitiful looks on their faces told him that they knew something he didn't. Some even apologized to him yet refused to elaborate. He saw Ophelia, and her cheeks were stained red from half-dried tears. As he took his place beside her, two very distinct things stood out to him. No one from Nayzaria was there, nor was his father.
"I've had about enough of this. What's happened? Why have we called a meeting without Father? Where is he?" Yet no one answered him until Doctor Allwissend, the royal physician and chemist, stumbled into the room, hunched over himself with a short cane for support. Everyone was silent and turned their attention to him. The air in the room fell heavily on them as the old man adjusted his glasses.
"Thank you all for gathering like this. It is not easy to have so much privacy when guests are visiting."
"If we should ever call them that, now," one member of the court spat.
"Filthy rats."
"Please," Snow snapped, glaring at the portly man who'd spoken. "I will not have you talk about our allies in such a way."
Once more, the room was silent, and everyone stared at Snow.
"If there's something you want to say, then say it. Stop looking at me like I'm a fool for not knowing what no one tells me. Now!"
Doctor Allwissend shook his head and crawled forward to Snow. "My boy, there are some things that cannot be said so boldly as this. I'm disheartened to tell you that, well…" There was a pause. The suspense of the room sharpened, and then the blade came down in a flashing bolt. "You're the king now, Snow. You are the king of Stone Roll."
Time froze. For the first time in his life, Snow felt a shiver run down his back. His body buzzed, and then he felt like he was floating, like the room was stretching, and he was vanishing. "What?" He forced out as though even the smallest bit of denial of what was being said would ground him again.
"No. No, that's impossible. Father is king. Arthur - father is the king of Stone Roll! I'm not to be king until after I marry." He was panicking and began to speak faster. "That can't be. The only circumstances that allow an early ascension are…"
Everyone lowered their heads. Ophelia choked to hold back tears as she spoke up. "Snow… Arthur, your father, has—"
To Snow, the room fell silent. Or, rather, Ophelia's last word and comments from the court sounded muffled and faded, like he was hearing them from behind a wall. His vision blurred. Last night's memories from the dinner table dripped word by word in his head. He couldn't comprehend reality. He couldn't accept it, and yet he was clinging to every word his father had said to him a mere few hours ago.
His heart raced, and anger boiled deep inside him. "Show me," he snapped, glaring at Doctor Allwissend. "Show me my father!" he forced out, choking on his words.
Snow was led from the meeting room to Doctor Allwissend's private chambers. His father's corpse was on a table, half-naked, pale, and cold. His face was charred with burn marks covering the left half, and his ear seemingly hanging on by severed, melted flesh.
Once again, Snow felt himself disengage from the world around him. The sight of his father's corpse ejaculated him from his body.
"We don't know what happened, but we have a few testimonies of who saw him last. And we've already extracted samples from the burned area. It'll take some time to figure out what happened."
Doctor Allwissend's voice was like a distant, haunting echo.
"Your Highness, I know this is a very drastic and tragic turn of events, but you know what this means. You are the king of Stone Roll now and must address your subjects as such, starting today."