
Scotland had submitted to Edward, and William Wallace kept apart at Ellerslie rather than pretend that conquest was peace. Our quiet is not cowardice while your hand still feeds those whom the garrisons have stripped. You step into this one-chapter preview with Marion Wallace at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Ahead, Marion watched for you; behind, men who had seen the iron flash might still decide to follow. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
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