Elara raised one eyebrow. "Go on."
"We're not saying you were wrong," he continued, knights nodding behind him. "But it wasn't right either. We're your guards. You don't need to treat us like... people who need coddling. We're swords. Wield us to protect or strike. We don't break easy. Throw us away if needed. Knights are replaceable. Your safety isn't. Even if we all died here, it wouldn't equal one scratch on your finger."
Elara set the plumbing tools down with deliberate calm. Her eyes turned icy—cold enough that several knights visibly shivered, heads ducking.
"Enough."
The word landed like a blade. Silence swallowed the hall.
She scanned the group, noting the ones who wouldn't meet her eyes. "You think I'm weak? Fragile? Need your expendable bodies as shields?"
Fox knight swallowed but held position.
