Alaric's personal advisor had arrived at the king's chambers after hearing disturbing rumours spreading across the palace.
Rumours that spoke of instability, erratic behaviour, and a king who had not been seen in proper council meetings for some time.
Concerned and unable to ignore it any longer, he had come in person to check on him, but the moment he stepped into the chamber, it was immediately clear that something was wrong.
Alaric stood in the middle of the room in a violent fit of rage, striking at nothing in particular as though he were fighting invisible enemies only he could see, while the servants and guards around him exchanged uneasy glances, completely confused and unsettled by the state of their king.
Without warning, he grabbed an expensive ornament from a nearby table and threw it violently to the ground, where it shattered instantly, the sound echoing through the chamber as though it marked something breaking inside him as well.
