The servants came to escort the royal couple to the chamber for a council meeting. Dawn was dressed in a long pale yellow silk gown, which was attached on the shoulders with gold brooches and had a golden belt in the center to hold the fabric. The gown pooled on her ankle. The thick line of gold sequins on the hem looked as if it was sending fairy dust with every step Dawn took. The servants had pleated gold threads in her hair and made her wear a lot of gold jewelry. They even insisted that she wear gold mascara and kohl, but she was already so glittery with everything golden that she was finding it garish.

As for Daryn, he had to mandatorily wear white leather pants with a white shirt with gold cufflinks. The servants who were dressing him were pretty dejected when they saw that their would-be king doesn't wear gold earrings. Hence they loaded him also with as much gold as possible.

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By the time the couple walked out of their chamber, they were looking as if they had looted a gold shop and because they couldn't throw away anything, they had to wear the jewelry.

The servants looked at them with so much awe and reverence, it was as if they worshipped the king and queen. Although the same couldn't be said for the couple—they felt like… Pirates of the Caribbean.

When they reached the meeting room, every Ixoviyan who was present there rose up and bowed to them. Once again it wasn't difficult to miss all the reverence in their eyes. However, they also appeared somewhat… afraid. As for Brantley, Ileus and Neal—their eyes had popped out of their heads. Dawn and Daryn's surname should be Gold. Daryn knew why they were staring at him and so he winked at them.

"You never get to wear so much gold always," he said with a grin. He held his wife's hand and they were guided to sit at the head of the table.

The council consisted of ten ministers.

"Good evening, my liege," said Canton with a bow.

Daryn nodded. It was awkward for people to bow at him all the time. However, over the last few days he was trying to get used to it.

Canton introduced him to the council. "My liege, this is the present council. Only the General of the Army is missing because he was killed by a dragon." Canton glanced at Dawn with fear in his eyes. "Other than that everyone is here. If you want changes in the council, you may recommend and we will do the needful."

Daryn pursed his lips and looked at Ileus. They communicated mentally.

A few minutes later he said, "I would like you all to continue in this manner. My people are going to stay here until something permanent comes up."

There was a hint of relief in the expressions of the council members.

It was momentary.

Daryn added, "But— I will be appointing five Lykae of my group headed by Brenda. They will hold the positions of Chief Executive, Chief Legislator, Chief Treasurer and Chief Councilor. Brenda will be heading them all."

The respective council members jerked their heads. They had held the position for so long that giving it up was going to be troublesome.

"My people are going to stay as the Heads, but those who are already in this position will help them."

There was a murmur in the group. Canton got up and said, "Whatever you wish, my liege. Our fealty lies to you and no one else." Hearing him the members became quiet. Canton continued, "Tomorrow you will be crowned as the king of Ixoviya, and after the ceremony you will wed Miss Dawn Wyatt. Only then she will get the title of the queen." He waved his hand around. "Norhall Castle has chosen you as our ruler and already accepted the two of you as its king and queen and so we cannot deny it."

Dawn chuckled.

Daryn raised his eyebrow. "You mean Norhall Castle is a living entity?" He knew that Lore was a crazy place, but he didn't know that even people here were crazed. It was ridiculous to think that the castle had a soul.

Canton looked at him weirdly with an open mouth but then his expressions changed and he became cold. "Norhall Castle is more than two thousand years old. It has seen many rulers and has been spelled over and over again. All the rulers that die are buried in the grounds of the castle and it is said that their spirits roam around the castle and guide the current rulers." He paused and lowered his head. "You should have been raised here by the queen and then you would have come to know the customs and traditions." He bit his lip. "Every ruler is a sorcerer. They used to hold a lot of ceremonies and sacrifices to please our ancient spirits. These customs set the sorcerers apart from the Lore. It's like this castle has a soul." When he looked up he found Daryn viewing him with narrowed eyes. "My liege, you are an extremely powerful sorcerer, one that I have never seen in over a thousand years. I believe you are stronger than your mother. With right practice and training you can do even better."

"What is your point?" asked Daryn.

"Once you get married and wear the crown, you must stay back in Ixoviya and hone your skills."

Daryn leaned back in his cushioned chair. So Canton knew that Daryn wanted to leave or did he guess? He took in a deep breath and said, "Now that you already know, I won't be staying here. That being said, I have plans which entail making my elder brother, Caleb, the king of Ixoviya."

"But the Norhall Castle has chosen you and we also unanimously choose you."

"Why would you do this? Why wouldn't you allow Caleb to be your ruler?" asked Daryn, getting peeved slightly. After all Caleb was his elder brother and he had more right to be the ruler.

"Technically Caleb should be the ruler, but he isn't here. We don't even know if he is a sorcerer. The fact that he isn't here is a big factor in Norhall Castle's decision. And it always takes the right decisions." Canton was certain that Daryn was their king.

"Its decision can be wrong and subjective to what it perceives. And that is why I will wait for my brother."

Suddenly a cold gust of wind whooshed past them making them all feel cold as ice. Dawn had goosebumps. "What is it?" she asked, rubbing her arms.

Canton bowed to her. "Like I said Norhall Castle is alive. It listens to us as we speak, and it is loyal to its ruler, its owner."

A shiver ran through Daryn. He couldn't believe that this place was actually alive. He felt exposed.

"My liege, this castle belongs to sorcerers, and not just any sorcerer, it belongs to the strongest of them. We are people with magic, with very powerful magic. Everything here is darker than what it looks on the façade."

Daryn looked at Canton and then ran his gaze around the council members. They all were staring at him. And when he did that he sensed the kind of power that was circling around them, in them. The air was heavily laden with magic. They all looked like they could kill each other, yet they all sat with utter control. He took in a deep breath. "My decision is final."