The Stormcloud Lord had no idea whether the new Warden had already been chosen. He only knew that one of his ancestors had been chosen and would serve as the Warden's maid, a tale passed down by word of mouth through the generations.
While most maids came from concubines' daughters or women of low status, serving the Warden ranked among the greatest honors in the realm. Stormcloud lords, no matter how dire their troubles, clung to that hope and worked tirelessly to prove their worth, trusting the new Warden would read of their deeds in the annals of history.
Lady Eleonora's future, they believed, would blossom through both her service and the Warden's favor. For that reason, the current Lord told his people their honor, blood, and sweat would live on. Even if he fell today and the dukedom collapsed, their efforts would pave the way for a comeback.
