Chapter 99 - Weight of Choices

As the princes of Arcanis rode through the gates of the palace, their armor was battered, their bodies were bruised, and their spirits were almost broken, the war with Valtheon had exhausted them physically, emotionally, and mentally, their skin was covered in sweat, mud, and blood, their horses were slow, almost collapsing under the weight of their riders. Arcanis would have fallen and they would all have been dead had the Valtheons not retreated at that time. Arman and Kian dismounted with a weary exchange of mute glances of burden and weariness. The fight had been too costly and too close. The echoes of their boots blended with the silent anxiety that pervaded the palace's stone hallways as they moved through them together. Every stride felt more burdensome due to the weight of their armor. When they went inside their father's room, they discovered Alpha Kaveh standing on the balcony, his dark form against the waning dusk light. As a mute witness to the horror that had almost