The heavy oak doors of the Great Hall Court House groaned as they were swung open, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the sharp and slow click of Alaric's boots against the marble floor. He walked with the predatory grace of a man who knew he was being watched by every snake in the Capital.
The Emperor sat high above on his throne, his golden robes sprawling like a spill of sunlight. He didn't speak. He simply watched his brother with a thin, unsettling smile plastered on his face.
Below him was the row of high judges of the imperial court dressed in black robes, wearing a white sash over their shoulders.
