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"The Strongest Warrior in the Kingdom Failed — Then a Barefoot Boy Touched the Sword and Changed Everything " / Chapter 7 / 15

Chapter 7 - The Messenger in the Woods

"Halt! State your business or face the wrath of the crown!" Gawain shouted, stepping in front of Arthur with his broadsword half-drawn.

The woman did not flinch. She kept her piercing blue eyes fixed on Arthur, ignoring the towering knight entirely. "You ride into a graveyard, boy king," she called out, her voice raspy from the cold. "Lord Malaphar knows you are coming. He has salted the earth, burned the granaries in the outer ring, and laid an ambush at the Iron Pass."

Arthur stepped past Gawain, his calm demeanor halting the knight's aggressive posture. "Who are you? And why risk your life to warn us?"

"My name is Lyra, of the Mountain Clan," she answered, stepping closer into the flickering campfire light. "Malaphar promised our chieftains protection, but he has taken our children hostage to ensure our obedience. He uses us as shields. If you march blindly into the Iron Pass, your men will be slaughtered, and our people will be blamed for the treason."

Gawain frowned, skepticism etched into his weathered face. "How do we know this isn't a trap set by Malaphar himself? Send a spy, and lead us into a gorge?"

Lyra scoffed bitterly, pulling back her fur hood to reveal a jagged scar running down her cheek—the mark of Malaphar’s enforcers. "If I wanted you dead, knight, I would have stayed silent, and let Malaphar’s mercenaries finish you in your sleep. The northern clans do not love the southern lords, but we hate tyrants more."

Arthur studied her intently. He felt no deceit in her words; instead, he sensed the same heavy burden of survival that he had carried all his life in the slums of Pendragon. He reached out and touched the hilt of Caliburn at his side, feeling a warm pulse of energy reassure him.

"We change our route," Arthur announced decisively.

"Sire!" Gawain protested. "If we bypass the Iron Pass, we lose three days. Malaphar will have time to prepare his main fortress."

"We do not bypass it; we flank it," Arthur corrected, looking at Lyra. "Can your people guide us through the high ridges? Paths the mercenaries don't know?"

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Lyra’s lips curled into a faint, respectful smile. "The high ridges are treacherous, King Arthur. One false step means a fall into the abyss."

"Then we watch our steps," Arthur said firmly. "Lead the way, Lyra."

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Chapter 8 - The Ascent of Shadows
Chapter 9 - The Siege of Frosthold
Chapter 10 - The Reckoning of Malaphar
Chapter 11 - Whispers from the Capital
Chapter 12 - The Shadow over the Southern Duchies
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