...Piergeiron stood in the Council chamber as he always did, upright in robes of undyed linen, his bearing that of a man who had made choices and stood by them without hesitation. The scribe across from him shifted with discomfort. The Lord's Alliance required sacrifice. Not everyone understood that. Some thought strength was the ability to take whatever you wanted. Piergeiron had learned long ago that true strength was the discipline to choose your principles and enforce them, even at cost, even when the world pressed back.

He signed the order with a steady hand. Another child would be sheltered. Another refugee would find safety. Another stone in the foundation of a city that stood against chaos. That was how you built permanence. Not in grand gestures but in thousand small commitments, each one a pledge that you would not break...