King Michul's two guards followed behind as they left the great hall, remaining close enough to protect the king while giving him enough space to speak freely.
Darion walked beside Michul as they made their way through the castle corridors.
Now that the meeting was over, the atmosphere felt significantly lighter.
The tension that had been hanging over the discussion was gone. There were no debts left to negotiate, no requests left to make and no uncertainty about how the meeting would end.
What was left was… conversation.
As they walked, they spoke about small things. The journey from Percvale. The condition of the roads. Farming. Weather. The sort of casual topics that would have felt impossible to discuss naturally an hour ago.
Darion found himself glancing at the king occasionally.
Michul was a tall man, though Darion still had a slight advantage in height. Not enough for it to matter, but enough for him to notice.
