Chapter 169: The Weight of Words
The long dining chamber had been cleared, the feasting tables replaced with a half-circle of carved seats, each occupied by a figure robed in the colors of the sea. Thalren's councilors were men and women of stature: generals with scarred faces, merchants heavy with jewelry, priests whose eyes gleamed with devotion. Their voices, however, were anything but harmonious.
Kael entered with Lyria and Fenrik at his side. Thalren sat already at the head, his hand resting lightly on the arm of his throne-like chair.
"Kael of the Hollow," one councilor began without ceremony, a merchant with silken sleeves and fingers weighed down by rings. "We know the king invited you here, but we must speak plainly. You bring with you a reputation of fire and ruin. Some whisper you are no man at all, but a beast cloaked in human skin."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber. Another councilor, this one a priest with a cold stare, leaned forward. "It is said you destroyed an entire kingdom's garrison in your rage. That you became a dragon."
Fenrik shifted at Kael's side, but Kael raised a hand subtly. He had no need of defense.
Instead, he stepped forward into the circle of their stares. "And what if I did?" His voice was calm, but it carried across the chamber like a blade scraping steel. "Would you call it senseless destruction? Or would you look at the army that marched upon my people, intent on burning our homes, slaughtering our children, and see that it was war?"
The council fell briefly silent.
Kael's eyes found the priest. "Yes, I carry dragon blood. Yes, I wield chaos magic. But you mistake me if you think I revel in carnage. I did what I had to do to protect my people. Nothing more. Nothing less."
The merchant scoffed, but softer this time. "And what of trade? What of peace? How can we align with someone who brings such terror?"
Kael turned to him. "You speak of peace as if it is fragile glass. But peace is not something given—it is forged, defended, held fast against those who would break it. My people trade fairly, work honestly, and ask for nothing but the right to live. If you see terror in that, then perhaps it says more of your fear than my actions."
The murmurs grew louder now, some uncertain, some thoughtful.
A general, her armor gleaming even in the dim light, rose next. "If your people are as steadfast as you claim, then why hide behind words? Why not submit to the introduction of kings fully? Why not prove your allegiance by swearing to our kingdom?"
Kael's gaze sharpened. "Because my people are not pawns to be claimed by another crown. We stand as allies, not as subjects. If Thalren seeks an alliance of equals, then he has it. If he seeks a vassal, then he wastes both his time and mine."
The chamber bristled. Whispers turned to sharp mutters, but Kael raised his voice, cutting through them like thunder.
"You question my reputation, but reputation is smoke. What stands before you now is truth. Look at me. Do I stand here as a monster, or as a leader who has bled for his people, who has buried his dead, who has chosen mercy when rage would have been easier? You want to know what the Hollow is? It is survival made into community, pain shaped into strength, grief transformed into hope. We are not perfect, but we endure. And that endurance is the reason we stand here today, offering you trade, friendship, and peace."
The room fell into silence again, thicker this time. No one could meet his gaze directly. Even the priest bowed his head slightly.
Thalren broke the quiet with a slow clap of his hands. "Well spoken, Kael." His smile was faint but genuine. "My council has its doubts—as any wise advisors should—but I have seen enough to know where I stand. You are no monster. You are a man who carries burdens most would break beneath. And I would rather stand beside such a man than against him."
Kael inclined his head, his voice low but steady. "Then let us move forward as equals. Not in fear, but in trust."
Fenrik let out a quiet chuckle at his side. "You silenced them good, Kael."
Lyria's hand brushed his as they turned to leave. Her eyes shone with something fierce, proud, and soft all at once. "You didn't just silence them," she whispered. "You made them see you."
For the first time since setting foot in the ocean kingdom, Kael allowed himself to breathe freely. Words, not claws, had carried the day.