Silence fell. Heavy. Important. Prince Ford stepped forward with perfect grace, placing his hand over his chest in formal greeting. "Lord Agro," he said respectfully. "It is an honor."
My father did not bow. Which made me frown a little, this was so unlike him. He did not kneel. He did not submit. Because he was sovereign here. King in everything but name. But he inclined his head slightly. Acknowledging. Respecting. Equal. Okay, that made me curious, what changed?
"The honor," my father replied calmly, "is Agro's."
Their eyes met. And I saw it. Two leaders. Two men who carried entire territories on their shoulders.
It was measured. Careful. Neither hostile. Neither trusting. Weirdly enough, he was not like this with Prince Althur before.
And there I stood. Between them. The anomaly. The mistake. The human who altered fate.
