[hider=Flashback Sola 29 Morning - While the Ducal Meeting was occurring] [color=lightgray][center][h1][color=red]FLASHBACK[/color][/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/clIHoiY.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/3wGoS7n.png[/img][/center] [color=DDB775]Time:[/color] Morning of Sola 29 [color=a187be]Location:[/color] Dungeon [hr] The dungeon air was cold with the damp breath of stone, and the quiet aroma of regret. Down here, light did not linger... It clung briefly to the ancient walls and then fled, chased off by shadows cast by a lone torch. The silence was deep, broken only by the steady sound of boots striking stone. King Edin Danrose walked alone through the dungeon toward his wife until he stopped before her cell. Alibeth Danrose sat on the stone bench within, back straight, hands folded in her lap like she were seated in court rather than in chains. A thick iron band was around her neck, practically choking her as her hair spilled over it. Her dress was plain, but nothing about her seemed diminished. Edin’s eyes roamed the cell as if assessing a battlefield after defeat. [color=DDB775]“I thought you’d look broken,”[/color] he said at last, his voice low and roughened by a sleepless night. Alibeth lifted her chin slowly. [color=a187be]“And I thought you’d wait longer before slinking down here in shame.”[/color] He flinched, barely, then stepped forward, fingers tightening around the bars. [color=DDB775]“What you did…”[/color] He paused, grinding his teeth. [color=DDB775]“You left me no choice. You understand that, don’t you?”[/color] [color=a187be]“Oh, I understand perfectly,”[/color] she murmured, tilting her head. [color=a187be]“You saw the noose tightening and decided to act like a king once your son shamed you into it.”[/color] His scowl deepened. [color=DDB775]“He humiliated [i]us[/i]... [i]You[/i] humiliated us.”[/color] [color=a187be]“Yes,”[/color] she said. [color=a187be]“Because he needed to understand the problems he'd face because of you.”[/color] [color=DDB775]“You exposed our throne to scandal.”[/color] [color=a187be]“No, Edin,”[/color] she said, [color=a187be]“You did that. You let Marek Delronzo slither his way into power unchecked. You allowed his mage-slave trade to fester beneath your nose because it bought your silence. You knew. And you did nothing. Now you’re shocked that the rot has spread to your own halls?”[/color] His grip whitened around the bars. Alibeth stood. And even from within a cell, her presence expanded to fill the space. [color=a187be]“This kingdom’s magic problem didn’t start with me, or some servant girl. It started with you turning a blind eye while the Black Rose grew bold. You drank, you played king, and you mistook passivity for peace. And now? You’re reaping what you allowed to thrive.”[/color] He opened his mouth, searching for a retort, but she didn’t let him breathe. [color=a187be]“You call magic profane,”[/color] she continued, stepping forward, eyes alight with clarity and contempt. [color=a187be]“But you embrace sin when it benefits you. You pretend I defiled the Danrose name, but in truth, you made it hollow. ”[/color] A bitter smile touched her lips, [color=a187be]“Now you’re left clawing for control in a kingdom that already smells your fear.”[/color] For a moment, Edin’s expression betrayed him: rage, shame, helplessness tangled into a mask of coldness. But it slipped quickly behind his usual frost. [color=DDB775]“You’ll be judged,”[/color] he said, his tone curt. [color=DDB775]“Not by me. Not by Wulfric... [i]By the Church[/i]. ”[/color] Alibeth nodded once, her tone mocking in its politeness. [color=a187be]“Of course. Let the priests decide what kings can’t.”[/color] He turned without another word, his cloak snapping behind him as he walked. But before he vanished into the corridor’s shadow, her voice floated after him. [color=a187be]“If you’d shown half as much resolve with Marek as you do with me, Edin… we might not be here...”[/color] He stopped, and the pause lingered longer than pride would have normally allowed. [color=a187be]“I did what I had to.”[/color] She stepped toward the bars, fingers curling around the cold iron.[color=a187be]“I knew what it could cost. And I did it anyway... Because Wulfric needed to understand. Because our children are walking into a storm and they don't even see the clouds forming.”[/color] Her voice cracked, just slightly. [color=a187be]“I would die a thousand times to protect them from what’s coming. Would you?”[/color] He said nothing. [color=a187be]“Tell me, Edin,”[/color] she demanded, her tone rising now, fierce and grief-stricken, [color=a187be]“Would you bleed for them...? For our sweet Auguste, who still believes the world can be kind? For our only daughter, whose smile you haven't looked upon in years?”[/color] Her chest heaved, but she didn’t relent. [color=a187be]“[i]For Callum?[/i]”[/color] she cried, her voice raw. [color=a187be]“For the son you cast aside like filth beneath your boot the moment he came out of my womb with the same dark hair as your father!”[/color] Edin finally turned. Their eyes met. Hers were wet with unshed tears, shimmering with sorrow and rage all at once. [color=a187be]“Would you…”[/color] she whispered, voice unsteady, [color=a187be]“truly lay yourself bare for Wulfric when the devils you keep feeding finally turn on him?”[/color] She slammed her palm against the bars, breath trembling. [color=a187be]“Because I won't be there next time! If they come for him—or any of them—I won’t be there to stop it. So what then?”[/color] Her voice was rising, cracking under the weight of fear she would never show anyone else. [color=a187be]“Will you hide behind your throne? Behind your pride? [i]Will you watch them burn?[/i]”[/color] He clenched his jaw but did not take any opportunity to answer. [color=a187be]“When I’m gone… when the Church has wrung me dry for spectacle and you have your order again… who will protect them, Edin?”[/color] [color=a187be]“...Will you?”[/color] The silence that followed was deafening as Edin pivoted on his heels and continued his departure from the dungeon. [/color] [/hider]