Inside, the great hall blazed with candlelight—hundreds of wax tapers flickering in iron chandeliers overhead, casting dancing shadows across the long banquet table.

Courtiers in velvet and furs murmured in clusters, their breath misting in the cold air despite the roaring hearth.

In the doorway stood a young man—pale as marble, with sharp brown eyes and dark, tousled hair that fell across his brow. A single dark mole sat beneath his left eye.

He wore black velvet trimmed in silver, a fur-lined cloak draped over his shoulders. Snow dusted his boots.