He dropped to one knee before the sisters, placed his right hand over his heart, and spoke with the utmost gravity. “I will make a knight’s oath.” Brillin and Astina exchanged a bewildered look. “Your Highness!” Mikhail and Dorius cried out in dismay. But Hafen remained steadfast. A knight’s oath was a pledge of loyalty, not something an imperial prince could make to anyone but the Emperor. Hafen had never even sworn such an oath to his father or the Crown Prince. I will protect you with my life. I will never betray you. In return, grant me a path to live. Mikhail and Dorius understood what their lord was begging for. Swallowing hard, they knelt behind him.