The stone walls of the castle feel colder than usual as I make my way to the council chamber. My silk gown brushes against the flagstones, the fabric whispering secrets only textiles know. The air carries the scent of burning herbs and something else—something wild and untamed that doesn't belong in the polished halls of royalty. Guards stand at attention, their armor reflecting the flickering torchlight that casts dancing shadows across the tapestries. I hear raised voices ahead before I reach the door, my father's authoritative tone mixing with sounds of protest from his advisors. As I pause outside, a shiver runs down my spine, not from the draft that sweeps through the corridor, but from an instinctive sense that my life is about to change forever. The topic of their discussion reaches me in fragments—mentions of border attacks, strange disappearances, and a creature that defies explanation. When the door suddenly opens, I find myself face-to-face with the very subject of their deliberations, and time seems to stop as our eyes lock in an eternal moment of recognition that defies all logic and safety.