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As he neared the tent, Kaeso could make out the dulled rumble of voices from within, echoing with the weighty cadence of an official military gathering.

Good, it seemed he wasn\'t too late then. With a curt nod to the guards flanking the entrance, he swept through the tent flaps into the dimly lit interior.

The first thing that struck Kaeso was the atmosphere - it felt different than the usual councils, heavier with solemnity and tension. The assembled lords and generals weren\'t just muttering amongst themselves but instead sat utterly silent, their eyes straight ahead with expressions of grim focus.

The second realization hit Kaeso like a sack of stones to the gut. There, seated at the head of the long table, were two figures he had not expected - Prince Tavorn and Princess Kyra, the king\'s only children.

Seeing those two prominent people here, seated in the tent, Kaeso immediately froze at the entrance, his boots rooted to the ground.

"Lord Kaeso, we\'ve been awaiting your arrival," came Drasus\'s voice, breaking the strained hush. "Please, take your seat."

Snapping out of his stupor, Kaeso hastily swept into a low bow before the royal siblings. "Your Highnesses, I...I did not anticipate your presence here today. Please forgive my tardiness."

"There is nothing to forgive, Lord Kaeso," Princess Kyra responded in a crisp tone that brokered no argument. "You are here now. That is what matters."

Straightening, Kaeso\'s gaze flickered briefly at the prince, searching for any telling reaction to the man\'s inscrutable features. But Tavorn\'s face was an impenetrable mask, revealing nothing.

With the weight of a hundred eyes burning into his back, Kaeso felt rooted to the spot for a fraught pause. Then, forcing his legs into motion, he crossed the remaining distance to the vacant chair beside Drasus and lowered himself stiffly into it.

His mind raced, struggling to piece together why the prince and princess would grace this council. For the two heads of the royal bloodline to be in attendance, it could only mean matters of unprecedented severity were to be discussed. A lead knot formed in Kaeso\'s belly at the thought.

Leaning towards Drasus, he pitched his voice in a hushed murmur. "Why are the prince and princess here? What\'s happening?"

The older man\'s jaw tightened, and his eyes remained locked straight ahead. "You\'ll have your answers soon enough," he replied, just as softly. "For now, stay silent and show them the respect they are owed."

Kaeso gave a terse nod, lapsing into a tense silence as he waited for the council to commence. His gaze kept straying to the royal siblings, studying them furtively for any hint as to the purpose of this gathering.

Prince Tavorn was the elder of the two, slated to inherit the crown upon their father\'s passing. Even seated, he cut an imposing figure - tall and broad-shouldered, with a physique honed by years of intensive warrior training. His chiselled features were utterly devoid of expression, his hazel eyes cold and appraising as they slowly swept across the assembled lords.

If Tavorn was the anvil upon which a strong military might be forged, then Kyra was the razor\'s edge of that power. She has the same height as her brother and possesses the same royal bearing, there was a predatory, coiled tension in her lithe frame, like a snake poised to strike.

Her emerald eyes, so like her father\'s, were chips of festering jade, glittering with a mixture of determination and thinly veiled contempt as she assessed those around her.

As the weighted silence persisted, Kaeso found himself growing more unsettled by the second. The feeling of anticipation, of something momentous hanging in the balance, was nearly palpable in the still air. He could sense the other lords shifting restlessly in their seats, the undercurrent of disquiet spreading.

Just when Kaeso felt he could barely stand it a moment longer, Princess Kyra cleared her throat and levelled her sharp gaze across the table.

"My lords..." Princess Kyra\'s voice sliced through the tense silence, commanding the rapt attention of every person in the tent. "I have been made aware of grave developments along our eastern borders with the kingdom of Daikirmore."

She paused briefly, her emerald eyes flashing with a mixture of fury and resolve. "Reports have reached us that Daikirmore\'s armies have committed an unforgivable act of aggression. They have seized two of our fortresses - Stoneguard Keep and Eastwatch Tower - and now occupy them with hostile forces."

Gasps, followed by murmurs of shock, rippled through the room as Princess Kyra\'s words sank in. The situation had escalated even further than anyone had anticipated, and the gravity of the threat posed by Daikirmore was now undeniable.

The initial plan was to try and reason with them, if possible, they wanted to avoid the war. It wasn\'t a favourable situation for the Wrescia kingdom.

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Stoneguard Keep, the crucial mining fortress that provided the kingdom with vital trade resources, had fallen into enemy hands. And even worse, the mighty Eastwatch Tower - their strongest defensive bulwark along the border - had collapsed within a mere week under the Daikirmore\'s onslaught.

This was no mere raid or skirmish. Daikirmore had launched a full-scale invasion, seizing strategic assets with alarming speed and efficiency. Clearly, their foes had been planning this assault for some time, biding their opportunity to strike.