The Royal Council Chamber was a monument to Threian power and tradition. Vaulted ceilings soared forty feet overhead, supported by marble columns carved with the deeds of ancient kings. Tapestries depicting great battles hung along the walls, their colors still vibrant despite centuries of age. At the far end of the chamber, elevated on a dais of white stone, sat the throne of Threia... and upon it, King Aldric III.
The king was fifty-three years old, his beard more gray than black now, his face lined with the weight of two decades of rule. He wore the crown of his fathers... a circlet of gold set with sapphires... and robes of royal blue trimmed with ermine. His expression, as always during council sessions, was one of careful attention and measured judgment.
