"Sierra Bancroft, looks like you’ve saved us the trouble of finding you," the man at the head of the entourage declared with a grin as he came up before her.

Sierra narrowed her eyes, her hand remained on the hilt of her sword as she stood her ground. The gears of her mind were turning, trying to figure out what had happened. Everyone in the entourage were dressed in armor.

It was royal army armor, but the crests they wore were different. It was not the royal family crest that she was familiar with. A new crest was in its place. One that she had seen on occasion, worn by another.

The man who led the entourage was a familiar face too. Ser Tarrick, one of General Cedric’s closest subordinations. Seeing him brought back memories of the past, memories she had wanted to forget.

"Ser Tarrick. What are you-"

"It’s Lord Tarrick to you, Sierra Bancroft." he mused with a grin.

"Well, it’s Paramount Sierra to you as well, why are you here?" she was not about to lose to him.

There was tension in the air, that was clear to all who witnessed this meeting. Sierra could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Something was amiss. But she didn’t know what it could be. For a moment, Tarrick turned to the royal guards and handed them a scroll.

Upon reading through its contents, the royal guard instructed the others to open the doors to the throne room. Sierra was about to retreat to the side when Lord Tarrick signaled his personal guards to grab hold of her.

"What do you think you’re doing?" she threatened coldly, ready to pull out her sword to defend herself. She was not about to let them get a hold of her.

At the same time, the doors to the throne room flew open. Sierra could not help but glance in as that happened. To no surprise, everyone’s attention was on her and what was unfolding. Alistair was not on his throne, he was halfway down the steps, looking straight at Sierra.

When the ministers of the court saw her, their faces were twisted and sour too. Something told her, she might have been the topic of conversation moments prior.

"Arrest her and bring her with us," Tarrick ordered as he walked into the throne room.

He took advantage of the distraction to arrest Sierra and dragged her along into the room with his entourage. Sierra did not resist, not wanting to cause any more trouble than she should. She was still trying to understand what was happening.

Tarrick held his head high as he entered the throne room. He made his way to the front and knelt before King Alistair.

"It is an honor to be in your-"

"Release Paramount Sierra this instant," Alistair warned coldly. He did not even wait for Tarrick to finish speaking.

Alistair’s behavior clearly stunned everyone present. He had forgone all court decorum. His face was twisted in anger and rage. His right hand was balled into a fist.

Tarrick felt a cold shiver slithering down his spine. He had heard of King Alistair’s demeanor, but he had also heard that he had softened considerably in recent months. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The look the King had now, was akin to what people used to gossip about. The look of a menacing demon king about to devour his prey. If he wasn’t in public, perhaps he would have soiled himself where he stood.

In a shaking voice, Tarrick replied, "Your... Your Majesty... I have a warrant here, from King Cedric."

His hands were shaking as he took out the scroll he had kept on him. It had the official royal wax seal on it. Sierra widened her eyes in shock.

A warrant?

King Cedric?

Her gut twisted and turned into a knot upon the realization of what might have transpired. Her mind was swirling with questions. She could no longer hold herself back. She needed answers.

She needed them now.

"King Cedric?! What are you talking about? King Frederick..."

"King Frederick is dead," Tarrick turned to inform her, a sliver of a smirk resurfaced for just a fraction of a second, "King Cedric is now the ruler of Cair."

Sierra could feel as if her legs were weakening, but she refused to crumble to the ground. She needed to know what happened to her father. What happened to the Bancroft family.

But before she could ask anything, Alistair read the sealed scroll. The look on his face said it all. The royal chancellor came up to his side and received the scroll from him, to take a closer look.

Alistair could not look Sierra in the eye, he turned away, trying to collect his thoughts. The royal chancellor gasped in shock at the contents of the scroll. In a fit of rage, he threw it at Sierra’s feet.

It unfurled before her eyes, allowing her to read its contents for herself.

"Paramount Sierra, you’ve been marked a traitor to the Kingdom of Cair." The Royal chancellor spoke in a grave tone.

Sierra removed herself from the grasp of the guards who were holding her. She picked up the scroll in disbelief, rereading it over and over again.

Signed by the newly installed King Cedric, first of his name, Sierra Bancroft was deemed a traitor to the crown. She was to be arrested immediately and transported back to Cair for punishment.

The scroll was addressed to Alistair, from King to King.

Seeing Alistair’s back turned to her, Sierra did not know what to make of it. It almost felt as if he was considering sending her back to Cair.

Had he known this would happen?

Was that why he had kept his distance in the last few weeks?

Sierra did not know, but deep down, she knew there had to be more to all of this than it seemed.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Paramount Sierra?" The royal chancellor asked sternly as he faced him.

"She doesn’t have to say anything," Alistair replied as he turned back around to face them.

His expressionless face was unreadable, but his words spoke multitudes.

Alistair walked over to Sierra and helped her up to her feet. Tarrick’s guards didn’t know what to do, so they retreated back.