It was well past midnight when the heavy doors leading to the castle dungeon groaned open.
The Crown Prince was led inside, flanked by guards at his front and rear. Their armored footsteps echoed through the damp stone corridors as they descended deeper into the prison.
At the end of the passage, one of the guards stepped forward and produced a large iron key. With a loud scrape, he unlocked the cell door.
Leonard entered without protest.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Standing with his back to the iron bars, he listened in silence as the guards began to leave. One set of footsteps faded into the distance, then another, until only a single pair remained.
He slowly turned.
One guard still stood outside the cell, exactly seven feet away.
The man stood perfectly still, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword while his chin remained lifted in disciplined silence.
Neither of them spoke.
