CHAPTER 7 — THE GUARD WHO REFUSED TO DIE
Silence swallowed the underground chamber.
Every soldier stared at the man who had just removed his silver helmet.
Queen Helena covered her mouth with trembling hands.
"Commander Rowan..."
The name echoed through the chamber like a forgotten legend.
Twenty-one years earlier, Rowan had commanded the Royal Guard. Official records claimed he had perished in the palace fire while trying to rescue the royal children.
Yet here he stood.
Older.
His hair streaked with gray.
A long scar crossed one side of his face.
But his eyes were as steady as ever.
King Aldric stepped forward in disbelief.
"We buried you."
Rowan lowered his head.
"You buried another man."
He explained that on the night of the fire, he had discovered members of the Order of the Black Crown inside the palace. During the chaos, he pursued them through the hidden tunnels beneath the castle.
By the time he returned, the palace believed he had died.
"I realized the conspiracy reached deeper than anyone imagined," Rowan said. "If I revealed I was alive, the Order would simply disappear again."
"So I vanished first."
For twenty-one years, Rowan secretly hunted the Order across neighboring kingdoms, gathering evidence and rescuing those they intended to silence.
He looked at Elara with quiet pride.
"I watched over you from a distance whenever I could."
Elara's eyes filled with tears.
"It was you..."
"The traveler who left food outside our cottage."
"The stranger who chased away the wolves."
"The man Grandmother Miriam called 'our silent guardian.'"
Rowan smiled gently.
"I promised your mother that I would protect both royal children."
Before anyone could speak again, Chancellor Edmund laughed.
"Touching."
"But promises won't save you."
With a wave of his hand, dozens of masked warriors charged.
Steel clashed against steel.
The underground chamber became a battlefield.
Prince Adrian fought beside Rowan, their swords moving in perfect rhythm.
The king defended the queen while loyal guards formed a shield around Elara.
In the middle of the chaos, Edmund slipped toward the ancient pedestal where the Crown of Dawn rested.
His fingers almost touched it—
But Elara reached the pedestal first.
The instant she placed both hands upon the crown, the chamber shook violently.
The ancient murals covering the walls began to glow with golden light.
Every warrior stopped fighting.
A hidden mechanism rumbled beneath the floor.
The historian stared in astonishment.
"The legends were true..."
"The crown recognizes only the rightful bloodline."
The stone beneath Edmund suddenly cracked open.
He stumbled backward, barely escaping as the floor collapsed into a deep chasm.
His confident smile vanished for the first time.
"This... this wasn't supposed to happen."
Rowan pointed his sword directly at the chancellor.
"It ends tonight."
But Edmund only smiled again.
May you like
"No."
"It has only begun."
