By dawn, the castle no longer felt like stone instead it felt like a trap.
The corridors were quieter than usual, but not peaceful. Guards stood at intervals too precise to be coincidence, their eyes followed me as I walked, not openly hostile, but watchful.
I had see this look before in Aurelia, when suspicion was already judgment.
Liora walked with me, her hand clenched in her sleeves. "They are talking, the guards, the servants and everyone", she whispered.
"About what", I asked even though I already knew.
"About you", she said.
I stopped.
Two nobles across the hall stopped talking when they saw me. One bowed his head, the other just ignored me.
I exhaled slowly. So it has begun.
The council chambers doors were open. People inside were shouting, angry and scared. They were losing control.
I entered without invitation. The room froze.
Maps were on the table again. This time, there were new red marks. Too many.
Dane stood apart from the others, his arms crossed, his expression carved from stone.
"Explain," I said calmly.
Lord Varek turned first. His lips curved slightly, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"Your Majesty," he said, "we were just discussing the… unfortunate timing of certain information reaching Aurelia."
My heart stopped racing. "What information?"
"That Stonehaven troops were sighted near their borders," he replied. "Information that only a handful of people in this room were aware of."
Silence pressed in.
Slowly, Varek looked at me.
"You were among them."
I laughed once, sharp and incredulous. "You think I warned my own council?"
He said, "Aurelia got scared really fast for a kingdom that's supposed to be reassured by marriage.
"That panic is justified," I said. "Your troops had no business being there."
Dane finally spoke. "Enough."
Varek inclined his head. "Of course, my king. But questions remain."
I turned to Dane. "Tell them."
He didn't respond immediately.
There was a pause.
"Aurelia believes I am complicit," I said. "They are questioning my loyalty. If you stay silent now…."
"I am trying to prevent war," he said.
"And I am trying to prevent my people from calling me a traitor," I snapped.
Varek folded his hands. "The question before us is simple. Did the queen act independently, or is Aurelia already positioning itself against us?"
I got angry. "Are you accusing me".
"We're considering possibilities," he corrected.
I looked around the room but no one met my eyes, except for Dane and even his gaze was unreadable.
"You married me for peace," I said quietly. "Now peace is fragile, and you look for someone to blame."
"This council answers to Stonehaven," Varek said. "Not Aurelia."
"And I answer to my people," I said. "Whether you like it or not."
A guard entered suddenly, breathless. He bowed to Dane.
"Message from the eastern watch", he said.
Dane took the parchment and read.
Something shifted in his expression.
"What is it?" I asked.
He hesitated.
His hesitation told me everything.
"Dane," I said, my voice low. "What happened?"
He looked at me then, truly looked.
"Aurelia is getting ready for war," he said. "They're standing along our border"
The room erupted.
"So they are preparing for war," Varek said sharply.
"They're afraid," I replied. "Because you put them in a corner."
"And who told them we were there?" another lord demanded.
I slammed my hand on the table.
"I did not betray Stonehaven," I said. "But if you continue like this, you will create the very enemy you fear."
The room fell silent again.
Then Dane spoke, each word measured.
"Until this is resolved," he said, "Queen Amara will remain within the castle."
I stared at him.
"Say that again."
"For your safety," he added.
"For your convenience," I corrected. "You're confining me."
"I am containing a situation," he said.
"By imprisoning your wife?" I asked softly.
A murmur rippled through the council.
Dane's jaw tightened. "Do not force my hand."
I stepped back.
"You choose them," I said. "Every time."
"This is not personal," he said.
"That is the problem," I replied.
I left before he could stop me.
By midday, my guards were reassigned, my movements restricted, not announced and not even declared just enforced.
The castle had turned against me without ever raising a sword.
That night, Liora returned pale and shaking.
"They're drafting a formal charge," she whispered. "They're calling it preventive questioning."
I laughed softly. "They've already decided."
She grabbed my hands. "You need to leave."
"I can't," I said. "Every gate is watched."
"Not all," she whispered. "There's an old passage beneath the west tower, it is hardly used."
I closed my eyes.
Fleeing would confirm their accusations but staying would destroy me.
Before I could decide, another message arrived.
This one did not bear Aurelia's seal but Stonehaven's.
By order of the council, Queen Amara is to be questioned at dawn.
"Questioned", I said to my self.
I looked up slowly.
This was no longer about peace but about power.
And if I stayed, I would lose more than my crown.
I would lose the truth.
As the candles burned low, I made my choice.
If Stonehaven would not hear my voice…
Then they would chase it.