Seraphina paced the length of her chambers, her mind heavy with turmoil. Outside, the sounds of clanking armor and the murmur of soldiers preparing for the coming battle filled the air. It was a night of anticipation, a night before the storm. Her father, Duke Raelis, was determined, his eyes gleaming with ambition as he rallied his army. They were set to march on the capital at dawn, and though her loyalty to her father ran deep, Seraphina couldn't shake the nagging doubt gnawing at her heart.
For weeks, she had tried to convince her father's closest knights, the elite warriors who stood by his side, to reconsider this path. She had pleaded with them, warned them of the disaster that could await them, but they were blinded—blinded by promises of glory and power, by their loyalty to Raelis, and by their own ambitions.