The morning sun rose over the walls of Baldor Palace, sending its golden rays over the stone corridors that had regained their calm after a bloody night.
The cold morning breezes passed between the trees and gardens, while the birds began singing again, as if nature had never witnessed what happened hours before.
Throughout the palace, the servants returned to their usual work, and the guards moved in their positions as usual, but their faces weren’t as they had been yesterday.
Sorrow hung over the place after losing a number of their comrades in the night attack, and the traces of the battle were still clear at the gate, where soldiers worked to repair the cracked stones and clean the blood left behind by the beast.
In one of the quiet rooms overlooking the palace gardens, King Leon Baldor sat before a round wooden table, wearing his formal royal attire.
He held a cup of hot coffee, light steam rising from it mixing with the aroma of coffee that filled the room.
On the opposite side, Prince Adrian sat with equal calm, having replaced his blood-stained clothes with a clean outfit befitting a prince of the kingdom.
Nothing remained of yesterday’s battle except the small bandage covering the wound above his right eyebrow.
Leon Baldor raised his cup, took a calm sip from it, then set it down before him and looked at Adrian with a gaze combining satisfaction and seriousness.
“What happened last night…
was shocking, my son.”
A short silence fell, then a faint smile formed on his face.
“But I cannot deny that you did well.
You protected the palace, saved many lives, and acted as befits a true knight.”
He fixed his gaze on his son, then interlaced his fingers over the table.
“Now…
is there something you want to discuss with me?”
Leon furrowed his brows slightly, and watched his son’s features with interest.
“Strange?”
He leaned his body forward slightly, then said calmly
“And what is this matter?”
Adrian gently set the coffee cup down on the table, and interlaced his fingers before him as he recalled what happened.
“Two weeks ago…
we went out on a campaign to inspect the forest surrounding the palace.”
He raised his gaze toward his father, and added in a confident tone
“And I’m certain we eliminated all the beasts that were there.”
“That’s why I can’t understand how that beast suddenly appeared within the palace grounds.”
Leon nodded slowly, and seemed to understand his son’s point of view.
“True…
what you’re saying raises suspicion.
It’s indeed strange for such a beast to suddenly appear after the purification campaign we carried out.”
He raised his cup and took a small sip, then continued calmly
“But don’t forget something important.”
He set the cup on the table, and looked at Adrian directly.
“That creature wasn’t an ordinary beast.”
His words paused for a moment, then he continued
“It was exceptionally fast, and even managed to get past a large number of guards before anyone could stop it.”
Leon crossed his arms before his chest, and added
“It’s not unlikely that it exploited its speed to sneak into the palace grounds without anyone noticing, then waited for the right opportunity to attack.”
Silence fell for a moment, while Adrian kept looking at his cup before raising his gaze toward his father.
“Yes, Father…
I don’t want what happened last night to happen again.”
His hand paused above the table, then he continued in a calm but firm tone
“If we allow a beast like that to sneak into the palace again, our losses next time could be far greater.”
Leon’s features hardened, and he straightened in his seat, the calm smile vanishing from his face.
He interlaced his fingers over the table, then fixed his gaze on his son.
“So…”
He paused for a moment, as if weighing the matter in his mind, then asked seriously
“Are you proposing a specific plan?”
Adrian lowered his head for a moment, then said in a calm tone
“I propose we double the number of patrols around the palace, and that they not be limited to daytime only, but continue throughout the night as well.”
“The surrounding forest should also be divided into sectors, and reconnaissance teams sent to inspect it regularly, so we don’t wait for a beast to approach the walls.”
He paused briefly, then added
“As for the guards…
they should be trained to face regenerating beasts.
What happened last night proved that many of them didn’t know their weak points, and that’s what increased the number of casualties.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Then Adrian raised his gaze toward his father.
“These measures may not prevent all attacks…
but they will prevent a repeat of the disaster we witnessed last night.”
Leon kept looking at him for seconds, then a satisfied smile formed on his face, and it seemed that his son’s suggestions were well thought out and not merely a reaction to what happened.
Leon kept looking at his son for a few moments, then took a calm sip of his coffee before saying
“Alright…
I’ll think about it carefully.
Actually, the same thoughts have occurred to me since last night’s events.”
He set the cup on the table, then added in a calm tone
“And when I reach my final decision, you’ll be the first to know.”
A faint smile formed on Adrian’s face, then he rose from his seat and bowed respectfully to his father.
“Thank you very much, Father.”
He raised his head, then said
“I’ll take my leave now…
I’d like to walk around the palace a little.”
Leon smiled a calm smile, and nodded his head.
“Alright…
but be careful, my son.”
Adrian nodded respectfully, then turned and left the room with calm steps, while Leon remained seated in his place watching his son with a thoughtful gaze, before returning his gaze to the coffee cup, lost in contemplation of what the coming days might hold.