Chapter Twenty-Six

The next morning after I readied myself I was escorted to the dining hall. The servants brought out breakfast without a word and I started to eat.

"Where is my husband?" I asked the servants, but they didn't respond. I stood up but the guards blocked my path.

"What's going on?" I asked. Still no reply. I tried to go around but they blocked me again.

"Why are you keeping me here?" I asked.

"I'm afraid that's my request." I hear and turn around.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked.

"King Thebes." He said.

"Y-Your majesty." I said and curtsey. "What can I do for you?"

"I needed to speak with you."

"Without my husband?"

"About your husband."

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Shall we sit?" I ask.

He nodded and we sat down across from each other. I moved my food out of the way so I could focus on him.

"What do you want to know?" I ask.

"You seem calm." He says.

"I've been in worse situations."

"Like when you were abducted?"

"That was stressful." I say after taking a deep breath.

"Or like when you were kept hostage with the enemy?"

"I wasn't harmed, and they treated me well."

"My brother says you can be trusted."

"What do you think?" I asked as I tried to remain calm.

"Your father was a hero."

"But we're not our fathers, are we?"

He smiled. "You're very clever."

I smile and let the silence fill the room. I let it do the talking for me until he was ready to keep talking.

"Would it be a waste of breath to ask if you were forced into anything?" He asked.

"Only because I already gave you an answer to that question in my letter."

"I want to hear it from you."

"Beyond the kidnapping everything has been my choice – to stay, to marry him, to write that letter, and to speak with you freely now."

"It was all your design…"

"Y-yes." I said, not completely sure what he was saying.

"So, you could get him to agree to something else?"

"King Shaffer's demands were fair." I said nervously.

"That wasn't my question."

I swallowed out of nerves, but my mouth was dry. "If I thought any new terms made sense then possibly."

"Excellent." He said and stood up abruptly. I followed suit.

"I-is that all?"

"You stand by everything in your letter?"

"Y-yes."

"You're a bright girl, if you wanted to go home you only have to ask for it. You know this is your only chance, but you didn't ask. I can only assume you're ok with where you are. If that isn't the case, I suggest you ask to go home before the end of the negotiations." He said and then left the room.

I finally let out the breath I had been holding and turned to the guards.

"Take me to see my husband." I demanded of the guards. Finally, they reacted to what I was saying and took me to Aidan, he was already in the room designated for negotiations waiting for me.

"Where have you been?" Aidan asked, somewhat concerned.

"The servants took me somewhere else for breakfast so the King could bombard me." I said.

"Outside of negotiations?" He scoffed. "What did he want?"

"He didn't say. He acted like he wanted to make sure I was ok but…he wanted something else, I'm just not sure what."

"You are the Queen, maybe he just wanted to see how you'd react under pressure."

"Maybe…"

"He didn't try anything, did he?"

"N-no, he was fine."

King Thebes arrived shortly after and we all went inside to start our negotiations on the terms for a peaceful end to this war.