Third Person
The council hall had never felt so empty in years. Morgan sat on the floor; everyone had left except her and her father. Memories of the past flooded without restraint. She opened her mouth, but no words, aside from her choking sobs, came out. It had all turned to nothing: years of fighting, scheming, and aiming for a chair her bloodline would never sit on. For two decades she'd considered herself the master of the board game, thought she had control, but today she'd watched the master step out of the shadows, and everything crumbled: all her dreams, her vision, and even her children.
Back in the crown prince's wing, the couple had just walked in when a familiar face stared at them from inside. For a brief moment, Rain's steps paused mid-air, then gradually found their way to the ground.
He remembered him ... he had been the one to give him the missing anklet.
"Alvin..." The name came out shaky.
Alvin nodded and bowed. "At your service, crown prince."
