The bitter wind swept across the cracked earth of the plateau, setting the sparse grass and plants rustling as they bowed before this cold and stern monarch... Fawaz extended his snow-white paw and caught a snowflake falling from the sky. Fine, sharp claws protruded from beneath the fur, glinting with a trace of icy light. It raised its head, and its sea-blue eyes reflected the scene across the northern sky and land. It was a magnificent sight: the northern mountain range of Anzeruta was like a colossal gate spanning the edge of the horizon. Across the broad alluvial plain, rivers flowed like shining ribbons into the distance, merging beneath the undulating mountains. Layer upon layer of gray shadows and winding curves ultimately converged at a single point.
There stood a fortress, the final gateway to the Evergreen Corridor.
Fawaz silently gazed in that direction, his thoughts impossible to read. The cold wind stirred the snow-white whiskers of this King of Beasts, each bound with a brass ring. It turned around, and the heavy armor draped over its body clattered sharply. "Change the flags." Behind this mighty and wise lion king stood two rows of tall Golden Mane guards. Among them was an aged lionman holding a staff and clad in a red robe. It bowed and bent its knees, trembling as it asked:
"Now? Your Majesty?"
Fawaz raised one finger, its sharp claw flashing with a keen icy gleam. It gently wagged the finger. "Do not call me Your Majesty, Naz. Only that person can be called Your Majesty. She is the Ruler of a Thousand Realms, the King of Kings. She is the Light of Day and the Hue of Night. The poems foresaw long ago that she would rule the world. Now she has returned, bearing the gospel