"King Alexander is sick?" Maxim asked to confirm. He wondered why the timing was so bad. "Can we see him?"
"You are not allowed to enter..." the man replied. "You have killed two of the gatekeepers. My superior will soon come and deal with you."
"It was a fair fight and you all attacked us first. We were just defending ourselves," Maxim replied. He kept his cool and didn't respond aggressively. He knew the guard in front of him was just doing his job. "You only did your work, keeping the gate closed to outsiders, but we don't come here to wreak havoc."
"Still... Myreen is not open to outsiders," the guard said again. "I can't let you get in."
"I promise you the king will want to see me if he knew I came," Maxim insisted. "My mother is Maude Ashborn. She was friends with the late queen, Aunt Catalina Leoralei."
At the mention of their late queen's name, the guard suddenly looked shocked.
