After three days, they arrived at the city. And there, Theon Kendrick was crown the Warden of Cliffland by lord William, hand of King Robert Rendell.
A month later, the messages spread quickly across the nine kingdoms of Astarous. Riders moved through the Nine Kingdoms, carrying sealed letters, stamped with royal command. No lord ignored them. No house dared.
A wedding, not just any wedding, but the wedding between King Robert Rendell, and Friya Kenwool.
An alliance forged in blood and brutality.
The capital prepared, and they came. From every corner.
Edmond rode south too. He didn't arrive with the composure of a king, his home has become a chaos since the birth of his daughter Sonia who came out as a cripple.
He didn't announce himself, he simply appeared. And the weight came with him.
It showed in the way he walked. In the way his eyes lingered on nothing. In the way he avoided certain faces without making it obvious.
He was mourning Maria, he was still begging for Bianca's forgiveness. And above all, still searching for a solution for his daughter's crippled legs.
Each thought sat heavy, unwelcome, and unavoidable. The palace was alive with sound. Laughter. Music. The clink of cups. The rustle of silk and steel moving side by side. It should have felt like a celebration.
To Edmond, it felt distant. Like he was watching it happen from somewhere else.
He kept to the edges, he avoided Robert. Not out of fear. Out of something harder to name. A part of him blames Robert for the death of Maria.
Then, he heard the voice. "Lord Edmond.".The voice pulled him back. He turned, it was lord Ezion stood nearby, a cup in hand, his expression off. Not quite sorrowful, but not quite amusing either.
It was something in between.
"You look sad, this is not the joyful you." Edmond said, studying him.
Ezion nodded once. "My wife just gave birth."
Edmond's face lighten up. "That is good news," Edmond commented, shifting a chair for him to sit beside him.
"To a dwarf," Lord Ezion spat. The words came flat, and unadorned.
Edmond froze. Not because of the words, but because of the way they were said.
Then, Ezion laughed. Sharp, and sudden. "The gods are mocking me." The sound didn't match the room around them.
It cut through the celebration like a crack in glass.
Edmond stepped closer and sat beside him. For a moment, he said nothing. "Well," he muttered, lifting a cup from the table nearby, "I guess the gods are mocking the both of us."
Ezion glanced at him. "Why us?"
"My wife gave birth to a cripple a month ago." The words settled between them. Heavy, but real.
Then, they both burst into laughter. Not because it was funny, but because it wasn't. The kind of laughter that came when there was nothing else left to do.
Around them, the wedding carried on. Wine flowed voices rose, music played louder.
King Robert moved through the crowd, greeting lords, accepting praise, carrying the ease of a man who believed this was a victory.
Then his eyes found Edmond, and he came. No hesitation. He closed the distance quickly and pulled Edmond into an embrace. "I am sorry about Maria," Robert said, his voice lower now.
"I didn't give the order." He pulled back slightly, meeting Edmond's eyes. "I would never give such an order."
Edmond held his gaze. For a moment, something flickered behind his eyes. Then it was gone. "It is in the past now," he said, forcing the words into place. "We have to put it behind us."
Robert studied him for a second. Then he nodded. And reached for Edmond's hand. "To the gods, I swear," Robert said, his voice firm, carrying weight now, "my first son will marry your first daughter."
Edmond blinked once. Then a low chuckle escaped him. "You will regret saying that."
Robert frowned slightly. "Why would I?" Edmond leaned closer. Close enough that no one else would hear.
His voice dropped. "My first daughter…" He paused, the words hooked in his throat. But he forced it out "…has come out a cripple."
Robert stilled just for a moment.
Then, Slowly, he smiled. Not wide, but Not careless.
"Giving birth to a cripple shouldn't be a bad thing for you, Firstmen. After all, your ancestor, Iver the boneless was a cripple."
Edmond shook his head. "Ivar was divine, he was the reincarnation of Odin. But this is a woman without divine powers."
Robert smiled. "My oath is my oath." The words came steady, and unshaken.
Edmond watched him. Then nodded. He also raised his hand. "To the gods, I swear," he replied quietly, "my first daughter will marry your first son."
They held each other's gaze for a moment longer. Then, they embraced again.
Wine followed. The palace roared with life. Laughter rose higher. Cups clashed. Voices carried into the night. To them, it felt like an ending.
A closing chapter. The fall of something ancient and powerful. The end of the Dragarian dynasty. And the beginning of the Rendell dynasty.
But far from the music, far from the light. Far from their certainty, the truth moved quietly.
Unseen, and unfinished. The story of Maria and Drexo has not ended. Not even close, If anything, it had just begun.