"There shouldn't be any problem, yes?" Helios said, smiling down at Lior. It was a gentle smile, warm and reassuring. "I'll keep the child company."
Ezra's chest tightened.
He was torn. Deeply torn.
He wanted to say, It is a problem. A big one. Lior was still shaken, still holding onto Ezra's words from earlier. Ezra could see it in the way his small body leaned closer, in how he stayed quiet instead of curious.
And Ezra didn't want to leave him. Not here. Not now.
Ezra trusted Helios with his life. That had never changed.
But there were too many reasons, too many dangers, for him to leave Lior alone with anyone. Even Helios.
Lior looked up at him, eyes wide and searching. He didn't speak, but his lips trembled slightly, waiting. Watching Ezra.
Waiting to see what he would decide.
'I don't want to do this,' Ezra thought, his heart aching. 'I don't want to leave you.'
"Excuse me, Your Highness?"
Another voice broke in, pulling them all from the moment. They turned to see a maid standing a short distance away.
"Sherry," Helios said, recognizing his expression. He turned back to Ezra. "Ezra, this is my father's head maid. She was appointed two years ago."
Sherry bowed deeply. "Sir Ezra Belloren." She straightened. "His Majesty is aware you are present and wishes to know when you will be entering. He is waiting."
Ezra frowned. "Ah. My apologies. I'm coming in now, I just—"
He looked down at Lior, crouching slightly so they were eye level. "Lior. I'll only be gone for a few minutes, okay? Like when I leave to get supplies. This is the same."
Lior's brows knitted together. "But—"
"We really mustn't keep His Majesty waiting," Sherry said gently, but firmly.
Ezra closed his eyes for a brief second.
'I don't have a choice,' he realized. 'Not here.'
Slowly, reluctantly, he took a step back.
"Lior," Ezra said softly, forcing his voice to stay steady as he turned to follow Sherry. "You behave, okay? It'll only be a few minutes. Just like when I step out to get supplies."
Lior's fingers tightened in his sleeve. He didn't answer right away.
"Don't worry about him, Ezra," Helios said from behind, his tone calm, reassuring. "I've got him covered."
Ezra took another step forward.
Then he heard it.
A small, broken sound.
A whimper.
Ezra's chest clenched. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Lior.
"No… Can I come?" Lior's voice trembled as he spoke to Helios instead. "Please?"
Ezra froze for half a heartbeat.
'This is wrong,' his mind screamed. 'Lior is in distress.'
He wanted to turn back. To scoop Lior up, to tell everyone to wait, to damn the rules and the throne and the king himself. He wanted to say no, to refuse, to protect.
But he didn't.
Because he couldn't.
So Ezra forced his feet to move again, each step toward the palace feeling heavier than the last.
"Don't worry, little one," Helios said gently behind him. "You'll be safe here."
"No!"
The word rang out sharp and loud.
Ezra spun around in shock.
"I don't like you!" Lior shouted, his small body stiff with defiance, fists clenched at his sides.
The courtyard went still.
Ezra's heart dropped straight into his stomach.
"Lior!" Ezra snapped, his voice sharper than he intended.
But even as the word left his mouth, guilt flooded him. 'I taught him this,' Ezra thought painfully. 'But I didn't think he'd yell at Helios.'
Lior's cheeks puffed up, eyes glossy with unshed tears. He opened his mouth again.
"Ma—"
Ezra's breath caught.
'No. No, no, no.'
Time seemed to slow.
'If he says it… if anyone hears it…'
If Helios heard it.
Ezra felt dizzy, his pulse roaring in his ears. Helios was right there. The knights were there. The palace was right behind them.
Everything would fall apart.
"Master."
The word came out small, uncertain, but clear.
Ezra blinked.
For a moment, he couldn't even breathe.
'Master?'
It took him a second to understand. To realize what Lior had done.
A substitution.
A save.
Ezra's knees nearly gave out from the sheer rush of relief. You clever, clever boy, he thought, his chest aching with pride and fear all tangled together.
Helios paused, surprise flickering briefly across his face before smoothing out. "Master?" he echoed lightly, then smiled. "Is that what you call him? How adorable."
Lior didn't answer. He only folded his arms and turned his face away.
Ezra swallowed hard. 'Where did he even learn that word?' he wondered faintly. 'I never taught him that.''
He didn't have time to think about it.
Suddenly, a firm hand closed around Ezra's arm.
Not rough. Not gentle either.
Just authoritative.
Ezra startled, instinctively tensing as he looked down.
The grip on Ezra's arm tightened without warning.
'Who—'
He turned just enough to catch sight of the uniforms, and understanding hit him instantly.
King's knights.
The gold-threaded insignia stitched into their cloaks gleamed under the light, unmistakable. Not Helios's sentinels. Not the guards of any prince.
These men answered to one person alone.
"Sir Ezra Belloren," one of them said, his tone flat and impatient. He was already moving. "You are taking too long."
Before Ezra could respond, they pulled him forward.
Not roughly. Not kindly either.
Just enough to make it clear this was not a request.
Ezra didn't fight it.
He forced his shoulders to relax, his face to remain unreadable, even as his heart slammed hard against his ribs.
'Stay calm,' he told himself. 'Don't make this worse.'
Behind him, a familiar voice cut through the rising tension.
"Easy, little one," Helios said softly. "It's alright. He'll be back soon."
Ezra's steps faltered for half a second.
He heard movement behind him. A small, hesitant shuffle.
Helios was getting closer to Lior.
"Don't worry, Lior," Helios continued gently. "Let's get to know each other, yes?"
Ezra's chest tightened so sharply it almost hurt to breathe.
'Don't,' he thought, panic flaring hot and sudden. 'They shouldn't be near him. Not like this.'
His fingers curled instinctively, the urge to turn back nearly overpowering.
But then the doors rose before him.
Massive.
Towering.
The doors to the Solar Throne.
They dominated the corridor, ancient and imposing, etched with symbols of authority and divine rule. Ezra barely had time to register them before the knights shoved them open.
Light spilled into the hallway.
The doors swung wide.
And Ezra was pushed forward into the heart of the palace, he stumbled half a step forward before steadying himself.
The doors slammed shut behind him with a heavy, final sound that echoed through the chamber.
Silence followed.
Not the quiet kind.
The kind that pressed down on his shoulders and settled in his chest, heavy and suffocating.
The throne room was exactly as he remembered it.
Too vast. Too bright. The golden glow was almost blinding, light pouring in through towering stained windows and reflecting off polished marble floors.
Massive pillars rose toward the vaulted ceiling, each one etched with ancient symbols devoted to the Sun God. Every surface gleamed with wealth, power, and history.
It stole the breath from his lungs.
The first time he had stood here, fifteen years ago, he had been a starving boy with no name. Thin. Dirty. Terrified. He had stood beside Helios then, small and trembling, barely understanding what it meant to be welcomed into a place like this.
Now he stood alone.
This room was exclusive. Sacred, even.
Only the three princes could enter freely. Anyone else needed explicit permission from the king himself. The king alone decided what was urgent, what was worthy of his attention.
Which made Ezra's presence here deeply unsettling.
'Why am I here?' Ezra thought, his fingers curling slowly at his side. 'What could possibly be urgent enough for this?'
A single sound cut through the silence.
Someone cleared their throat.
It echoed.
Ezra froze.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze toward the far end of the chamber.
"Ezra Belloren," a voice said, deep and commanding. "It has been a long time."
The throne dominated the room.
Massive. Overwhelming. Forged entirely of gold, shaped like rising flames frozen in metal. It radiated authority in a way that made Ezra's skin prickle.
And seated upon it was the man who ruled everything Ezra had ever known.
Samson De Luxaelian Sunthyr.
The king.
His presence was suffocating. Absolute. Golden eyes regarded Ezra with calm, measured interest, sharp and ancient, as though Ezra were being weighed, measured, and judged all at once.
Ezra swallowed hard.
Then he moved without hesitation.
He dropped to one knee, the marble cold beneath him, head bowed low in respect.
"Your Majesty," Ezra said evenly, his voice steady despite the storm raging in his chest. "It is an honor to be summoned by you."
'Be respectful,' he reminded himself. 'Be confident.'
Helios's voice echoed in his memory. The king hated insecurity. He despised weakness. Anyone who stood before him unsure of themselves was already doomed.
Ezra kept his posture straight, his expression composed, even as his pulse thundered in his ears.
The king studied him in silence.
Seconds stretched. Each one felt heavier than the last.
Ezra didn't move. Didn't breathe too loudly. Didn't dare look up.
Then the king spoke again.
"We have a lot to talk about."