King Ivar stood in the center of the grand hall, his piercing gaze fixed on the two guards before him. The flickering torchlight cast long, dancing shadows across the stone walls, but the heat of the flames did little to thaw the icy tension that gripped the room.
"Where is my brother?" Ivar demanded, his voice sharp and commanding.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances, their armor clinking softly as they shifted nervously. One of them, a younger man with sweat beginning to bead on his brow, stepped forward hesitantly. "Your Majesty, we… we don't know. He hasn't been seen since earlier today. He left the castle grounds after speaking with some villagers."
Ivar's jaw tightened as he took a slow, deliberate step closer. "You don't know," he repeated, his tone low and brimming with menace. "And yet you stand here, claiming to guard this castle? My brother, the Prince, is missing, and this is all you have to offer?"
