The council chamber filled quickly.
Stone benches scraped. Heavy, fur-lined cloaks settled. Voices overlapped before the doors had even finished closing—fear sharpening every word, urgency turning manners brittle. Maps were unrolled. Ink pots rattled. The fire was stoked to create warmth. Soone knocked over a cup and did not bother to apologize.
Juno waited until they were all present.
Only then did he sit.
That, more than any call for silence, stilled the room.
Lord Harvek, a Lord from one of the older Houses, spoke first, as he always did when tension rose. "The borders must be reinforced imdiately. Every pass, every river crossing. Double patrols—no, triple them."
"Agreed," Juno said at once. "Issue the order."
A murmur of approval rippled through the benches.
Lady Ysra leaned forward. "We should call the Northern Houses. All of them. n, grain, coin. This cannot be handled by standing forces in Vetasta alone."
"Yes," Juno said. He turned to the scribe. "Send the summons tonight. Seal it with my mark."
Another ripple. Faster this ti.
"Won and children should be moved inland," another Lord added. "To Vetasta, to Skeld, to the higher cities. If the West pushes—"
"They will be protected," Juno said calmly. "Prepare transports. Do not empty the villages, but secure those who cannot fight."
More nods. More voices chiming in now, emboldened.
"We must fortify the capital."
"Stockpiles redistributed."
"Healers stationed along the trade roads."
"Engineers to the eastern bridges."
"Yes, yes, and yes."
Juno absorbed each suggestion without hesitation, weighing them with the sa steady economy Aya had once drilled into him. When sothing was sound, he accepted it. When it was redundant, he folded it neatly into what had already been approved.
The council began to relax—just a fraction.
Then Lord Brenn, a Lord from a military House, cleared his throat.
"There is one matter left unaddressed," he said carefully. "In tis such as these, tradition allows for the appointnt of a temporary warlord due to the lack of it. Our Lord Commander and our High General are not here. Soone to unify command until—"
"No," Juno said.
The word was not loud. It did not need to be.
A few Lords exchanged looks, surprised.
Lord Brenn tried again. "Warden, no one questions your authority, but this is war. The North has always been—"
"Strong," Juno said, and this ti he stood. "And it is still a no."
He was smaller than many of them. Younger by far. His boots did not yet bear the wear of long campaigns, his hands the scars of a blade. But his face and stature mirror those of his older brother and sister.
And when he looked at all of them, the room felt suddenly smaller.
"My Lords, truly, I understand what you are saying. But I was not appointed because I was convenient," Juno said evenly. "Nor because I was unthreatening. I was appointed because House Svedana does not fracture when pressed."
Silence spread, deliberate and complete.
"My sister, our Ruler and Sovereign Lady, did not bleed for this House," he continued, voice steady, "so that I would hand it away at the first sign of fear and threat. She did not place the Wardenship in my hands because I needed supervision."
He let his gaze move across them—one by one.
"I am Warden because I was raised to be," Juno said. "By the Commander of our armies. By the General of the North. By the Ruler you all swore yourselves to."
A few Lords shifted uncomfortably now.
"The appointnt of a temporary warlord suggests uncertainty," Juno went on. "It suggests division. It suggests that the North doubts its own blood."
His jaw tightened—not in anger, but in resolve.
"We will not make that suggestion to our enemies."
He drew the letter from his sleeve then—not opening it, rely placing it on the table before him, palm resting atop the seal.
"The true Ruler of the North speaks through ," Juno said. "She is alive. She is moving. And she will send aid."
That landed harder than any raised voice.
"Until then," he continued, "we do exactly as instructed. We hold our borders. We protect our people. We feed our soldiers. We do not chase glory, and we do not invent crowns where none are needed."
His eyes hardened, just enough.
"Please be patient," Juno said. "Be loyal. And think of nothing beyond the survival of our people."
No one spoke.
Finally, Lord Brenn inclined his head. "As you command, Warden."
One by one, the others followed.
Juno sat back down only after the last assent was given.
The council bent itself to motion again—orders issued, ssengers dispatched, the great machine of the North turning not in panic, but in purpose.
And at the center of it all, a boy shy of puberty held the line—steady, unyielding—speaking with a voice that was not his alone.
***
The corridor outside the council wing was warr than the rest of the keep, lit by late-night lamps and softened by woven hangings ant to keep the mountain cold at bay. It slled faintly of beeswax and ink—comforting, dostic, almost out of place with the weight of war settling over Vetasta.
Princess Silene had made herself comfortable in a large chamber near Juno’s private quarters in defiance of every lesson ant to shape her into a proper lady of court.
She sat sideways on a cushioned bench beneath the window, one leg tucked beneath her, the other swinging freely as she talked animatedly with a maid who was clearly losing the thread of the conversation but smiling anyway. A length of embroidery lay abandoned beside her, half-finished flowers blooming crookedly across linen.
She looked up the instant Juno stepped into her room.
"Juno!" she said brightly, hopping down at once. "You disappeared again. Your Lords looked like they were about to swallow their own beards."
He couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at his mouth. "That’s usually a sign they’re thinking too loudly."
Her grin widened. "Mother says that ans they’re afraid."
"She’s usually right," he said as he nodded at the maid, who wordlessly bowed in respect and excused herself from the room.
Silene took a step closer, studying him with a seriousness that sat strangely on her soft, youthful features. "You look tired."
"I am, my Lady," Juno admitted.
She opened her mouth to say sothing else—but then he spoke first, and the words shifted the air between them.
"My Lady, I need to send you back to Peduviel soon."
The light dimd in her eyes instantly.
"Back?" she echoed. "Already?" Her brow furrowed, then her shoulders slumped. "Did I do sothing wrong?"
"No," Juno said imdiately. "My Lady—no."
She clasped her hands together anyway, twisting her fingers. "Because I can be quieter. Or I can stay out of the way. Or I won’t ask questions anymore, I promise—"
"Silene," he said again, gently but firmly this ti.
She stopped.
Juno gestured toward the bench. "Sit with ?"
They did, side by side, their shoulders nearly touching. Up close, the contrast between them was impossible to miss.
Juno looked every inch a son of House Svedana—tall already, like Elex, with the sa dark hair and storm-gray eyes, the sa sharp cheekbones and quiet intensity that marked the true blood of the North. But where Aya burned and Elex commanded without effort, Juno held himself inwardly. Thought before motion. Calculation before voice. He was handso in a restrained way, his expressions asured, his presence calm even now. Gone was the mischievous princeling as Asta had called him many tis in the past.
Silene, by contrast, was warmth given shape.
Light brown, wavy hair spilled loose down her back, catching the lamplight. Her eyes were bright and expressive, her smile quick and unguarded. Eastern beauty—soft where the North was sharp, colorful where Vetasta favored steel and stone. She was undeniably beautiful, perhaps even out of place here... and utterly unbothered by it.
The ladies of the court adored her. The Northern families welcod her easily. And House Svedana had already, quietly, made room for her.
"I’m sending you back because I need you to do sothing for ," Juno said at last.
She blinked. "?"
"Yes, my Lady."
Her worry shifted into surprise. "Why ?"
"Because you can carry a ssage no one else can," he said. "One that will be believed. One that won’t be delayed."
Her fingers tightened on her skirts. "Is it about the war? I heard the maids and so of the guards talking about it."
"Yes."
She swallowed. "And... is it about Aunt Aya?"
His expression softened despite himself. "Yes."
Silene’s hesitation vanished in an instant. "Then of course I’ll go," she said, as if the decision had never been in doubt. "She’d need help, right?"
"She would," Juno agreed.
"What about you? Don’t you need here?" Silene looked down before looking back at him expectantly.
Juno held back his reply and just smiled fondly at her. He reached into his sleeve and withdrew the letter—sealed, heavy with wax and sigil. He placed it carefully into her hands.
"This goes directly to your parents," he said. "No interdiaries."
Silene nodded solemnly, clutching it to her chest. "I won’t lose it. I swear."
"I know."
She studied him for a mont, then tilted her head, mischief creeping back into her eyes. "You know," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "I was told I would be your wife soday."
Juno startled—just slightly. Then he laughed. A quiet sound, surprised and genuine.
"Yes," he said, warmth creeping into his voice. "I know."
She bead at him, clearly pleased by the answer. "I’d like that very much. Mother says that ans I should practice being brave since your family is full of strong and brave people."
"You already are," he told her as he patted her hand.
Juno watched her fingers curl around the seal and felt the familiar pull in his chest—not fear, not doubt, but care. Real, steady, and inconvenient. If danger was closing in on Vetasta as his sister’s missive had said, then the Princess of the East had no place here. He would want her ho, laughing, untouched by war—no matter how much he would miss her bright and welcoming presence.
She leaned closer, bumping her shoulder lightly against his. "You’re very serious today."
"I have to be," Juno replied. "The Council really was tireso today."
Silene humd thoughtfully. "That’s all right. I’ll be cheerful enough for both of us."
That earned her another smile.
She stood then, sudden and decisive, tucking the letter safely into her dress. "I’ll make them listen," she said.
Juno rose as well and inclined his head, every inch the Warden despite his youth. "I have no doubts, my Lady."
She grinned. "I’ll miss you, Juno."
As he sat and watched her prepare for the journey east—sunshine in her wake—only then did the weight settle back onto his shoulders.
He squared them anyway, bid her goodnight after so ti, and went back to the council room to continue working and studying.
Aya and Elex had trusted him.
He would not fail them.
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