There was knock. A very loud knock.

It almost sounded angry. The person that was knocking must have really wanted to talk to him.

Still half asleep, Morvran blinked, his eyes wandered through the chambers but his mind did not quite process what they were showing him. For a moment, we was just laying there, eyes falling shut over and over again, his brain wasn't working properly.

Sunlight was falling through the long covers of the windows, spreading a gentle and comfortable golden shimmer, that kissed his face like a lover would.

A soft smile appeared on his face as the general realised what a beautiful day it was.

Then, suddenly, he remembered the knocking. It was a harsh knocking, long and demanding.

Immediately, his head snapped into the air. All of a sudden he was wide awake.

Only one person ever knocked like this.

"The emperor!", he gasped, jumped out of bed and grabbed all of the clothes that he was able to find.

Hastily, he ran around a bookshelf to cover himself, put on some underwear and the simplest of daywear and stepped into his boots. Before unlocking the door, he checked his hair, straightened it as good as it was possible with bare hands and prepared himself for the displeased gaze of the emperor, Emhyr var Emreis, the mightiest man in all of Nilfgaard.

With shaking hands, he turned the key in the lock, waited a moment and opened the door.

"Your majesty.", politely, Morvran bowed, just like the etiquette demanded him to.

Questioning, the emperor of Nilfgaard looked down on him, one eyebrow raised. His head tilted, while he looked at his most loyal man. He did not look pleased. Usually, Emhyr did not talk much. However, when he was staring at someone in silence, he was either judging that person or planned an execution.

"General Voorhis.", he finally said in his deep, cold voice. "May I enter? The corridors of the castle have ears."

"Of course. Please, make yourself comfortable, your majesty."

Morvran stepped aside, allowing his emperor to enter through the door.

Interested, Emhyr let his gaze wander over the many bookshelves, that were filled with books, poetry, letters of all kind and some work of the general, like military reports. His eyes wandered to the bed, messy and unmade as it was before they came to rest on the working desk.
Immediately, he drew his interest towards the letter. He picked it up. But he did not read it.

"May I?", he asked holding up the piece of paper.

Of course, he knew that no one would have ever told him no. He, as the emperor, had all the power imaginable in this country. He did not need to ask another man if he was allowed to read his letters. He was able to do as he pleased. But it was surprisingly nice that he asked for permission anyways.

Agreeing, the general nodded, still a little sleepy.

"You may.", Morvran allowed, closing the door and locking it again.

Thanking him with a nod of the head, the emperor began to read in silence. His eyes wandered over the paper as if there was a secret to unfold, like a treason or a crime against the empire. His face did not move a single bit, not even as he reached the part that stated the possibility of Morvran to become his future son-in-law.

The tension rose inside the generals chest, as he stood there in silence, while the urge to sink into the ground rose inside his chest. Reliefe spread in him as the emperor put down the letter to look at his general. He had always a rather cold way of looking at other people. Morvran was used to that cold stare by now. But the way he looked at him at that very moment was almost frightening.

Obedient, he lowered his eyes and stared at the floor instead. He did not want to dare to test the emperors temper.

"If any words have offended you I shall apologies. The letter was send by a family friend and was only meant for privat eyes.", the general tried to explain as the silence began to test the strength of his nerves.

"I can tell. But this is not why I came here.", Emhyr turned to face him fully, while he had his hands crossed behind his back. "You were missing at the negotiations. Usually you are early to occasions like this, so I figured you were busy otherwise. I wanted to check for myself if those other plans were more important than serving your country and emperor."

Shocked, Morvran's eyes widened. Sweat began to crawl down his back.

He had missed the negotiations?!

Such things had never happened before. He had always been present, especially when it was a matter of such importance. He had been titled the emperors right hand man for a reason.

He wasn't allowed to be missing!

What would his punishment be?

Would the emperor take away his title?

Execute him perhaps?

"General?", sceptical, the emperor eyes the general up and down. "You seem to be in a strange state of mind. Absent... a little dreamy perhaps?"

"No!", immediately, Morvran tore his head up and looked his majesty right in the eyes. "I am perfectly fine, your highness. I couldn't be better. To tell the truth, there was an incident this morning. Just a minor inconvenience but it took all of my time. I regret not attending the negotiations. As your general, it would have been my duty."

Hopefully, the emperor would believe him. But he did not.

Disapproving, Emhyr shook his head.

"You over slept.", that statement send shivers down Morvran's spine. "I shall forgive you the lie. However, I cannot forgive you for being careless. A general must be present and in a perfect state of mind at all times. When the time comes to return to the battlefield, you need to function without the slightest hint of possible failure."

"I am able to, I assure you."

"You don't, Voorhis. You're tried, I can see it in your eyes. You've woken up mere seconds before I entered your chambers.", taking in a deep breath, the emperor closed his eyes to calm his harsh voice. "I will order you to take some time of. I've heard you own a property not far from here. Take a break and spend a bit of time there. I need you in your best condition for the upcoming battles. Soon, the war will end and Nilfgaard will be on the winning side. But right now, general, we would loose every battle imaginable. You're a wreck. I've noticed it more than one time."

Obedient, Morvran lowered his gaze.

"As you wish, your majesty.", he muttered.