Oath and Fire
Johnny's chair creaked back against stone flooring as he stumbled upright, his eyes blazing. His voice boomed throughout the council chamber, cold as steel ringing an anvil.
"We vowed our lives to you, my Lord! To allow you to step alone into fire is to betray that vow!
The raw strength of his words rattled the air. His hands, hard and calloused from years of combat, fisted on the table until his knuckles grew white. His breathing was rapid, chest expanding and falling with the rage of his passion.
Ronan's scar jumped as his jaw clenched hard, and he too slowly stood up. His presence weighed more, his deep voice bearing a somber, iron weight that froze the others for an instant.
"You are our Lord. Our King. If you fall, we fall." His hands clenched at his hips, cords of veins rising beneath the surface. "Do not deny us the right to stand beside you."
