Loreen's POV
Sairis did not look convinced, but he stepped forward anyway, falling into step beside him as they moved toward the doors, and into the king's private room.
When they entered, everyone looked up, but Loreen stopped in his steps.
The sight before him hit harder than anything he had prepared for.
His father lay motionless on the bed, his chest rising faintly, his face pale in a way Loreen had never seen before. For a moment, he could not breathe.
He was not sure he could take another step or see his father like this.
The room blurred at the edges as something old and painful rose up inside him. It felt too familiar. Too close to something he had buried but never truly escaped.
His mother.
The memory came without warning.
