The Three Who Reached for a King, Part II
The guard froze.
"Your Majesty…?"
Leon turned his head only slightly—just enough for the gold in his eyes to catch the torchlight and pin the man in place. There was no anger in his face, no raised voice… just an unblinking authority that made refusal feel stupid.
"I said," he repeated, calm as a blade resting against a throat, "open the gate. I want to go inside."
The guard swallowed so hard it echoed. His throat clicked, his lips trembled.
A beat.
Two.
Leon's expression didn't move.
But inside?
He felt it—the guard's hesitation, a tiny ripple in the air. Not fear of him. Fear of something else. Something about this cell.
Interesting.
Leon let that thought settle and tilted his head, meeting the guard's eyes directly. "Don't tell me you didn't hear me."
The guard jolted as if slapped.
