Chapter 90 - 89: Forced Alliances

After what felt like a death march through miles of echoing corridors, they arrived at one of the king's private study. Ares vaguely remembered the times he'd spent in this room as a child, playing with wooden swords and toy soldiers, the air filled with the scent of polished oak and the faint sweetness of his mother's perfume as she watched over him. Back then, the study had been a sanctuary of warmth and simplicity, with its sturdy wooden furniture, soft amber drapes, and shelves lined with well-worn books. The walls had been painted in muted earth tones, and the fireplace crackled with a comforting glow that seemed to chase away the shadows of the world outside.