Show yourself, you coward!

Unease coiled around my neck, tightening its grip with each passing moment. The silence of my room felt heavy with unspoken dread. Questions swirled like a vortex threatening to pull me under, when a sharp knock on the door shattered the suffocating stillness.

Sir Gerald entered, his usual composed demeanor replaced by a guarded concern. My brother, Ethan, trailed close behind, his brow furrowed, his bright eyes full of worry that mirrored my own. 

"Sister," Ethan's voice was tight, "what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I managed as say as my gaze already fixed on Sir Gerald. "Sir Gerald!" The urgency in my tone was impossible to miss.

He bowed stiffly. "Your Highness. Is there something you require?"

I didn't bother with pleasantries. I didn't have the patience for them. "What's happening, Sir Gerald? You must know. Where did Killian go? Why was that soldier injured? Tell me everything."