None of the lords accompanying Zael questioned his decision to accept the duel.
First and foremost, rejecting a challenge from a noble of equal rank was considered extremely dishonorable—a clear sign of cowardice in the eyes of any fellow noble.
Since both Ethan and Zael held the title of Count, Lord Fallenwinter found himself compelled, in the name of his own honor, to accept the confrontation.
Of course, such formalities carried little weight in the Eternal Forest, at least when compared to the significance they held in the Kingdom of Burning Ice, where every Lord's honor was tied to families with thousands of years of history.
Still, Zael was a man of that region, and refusal was simply not an option his conscience would allow.
His eyes fixed on Ethan with a piercing coldness, trying to decipher what sort of strategy the young man might be devising to win the battle.
