"Shall we resume negotiations?" Thebes asked.
"I need a word with my wife before hand." Aidan said sternly.
"King Shaffer, we're here to negotiate a peace between countries – not your marriage." Thebes said, it was the closest thing to a joke I had seen him make.
"We should just continue." I said.
"Fine…let's take a seat." Aidan said. "What is the next item to be agreed upon?" Aidan asked after we had all taken our seats.
"A newly introduced term." Victor said.
"What would that be?" Aidan asked.
"One of our specialists speaking to your wife."
"It isn't enough you keep us apart, you want to interrogate her as well?" Aidan asked, very annoyed.
"Given your outburst earlier-" The advisor started to say but Aidan interrupted him.
"Outburst? You were listening to our private conversation?" Aidan asked.
"Private." Thebes scoffed. "The whole fort heard your outburst. I won't leave one of my citizens and a dear friend of the crown in your hands until I'm satisfied she's being treated as she deserves."
"You're one to talk about treating those in your care." Aidan said and scoffed.
It was a tense moment – clearly something happened between the two of them when Aidan was held captive at the Cordova palace. I reached over and held his hand. He let out a sigh and held my hand in return.
"Once you're satisfied she's being treated well, I demand she be allowed to share a room with her husband again." Aidan said.
"If that is her wish." Thebes said.
"It is." I said.
"If that is still your wish after you speak with our specialist."
"When will this specialist be here?" Aidan asked.
"He can be here within the hour." Thebes replied.
"Then we should continue negotiating in the meantime." Aidan says.
"Might I suggest a break for the lady? To prepare for the conversation." Thebes suggested.
"Her Majesty is fine." Aidan grumbled.
"What is our next topic then?" Thebes asked, not skipping a beat.
It was a brutal hour until this 'specialist' arrived in the fort. The group decided to conclude negotiations for the day since we hadn't made any progress and tensions were starting to rise.
"He was searched for weapons already?" Aidan asked the guards.
"You think we would harm one of our own citizens?" Thebes asked, disgruntled.
"I only want to be thorough for my wife's safety."
"You only want to accuse-" Thebes started.
"I'm sure he was searched before entering the fort just like we were." I said and turned to the specialist. "I'm ready to begin."
I went into the room they had designated for us and the 'specialist' walked in after me.
"My name is William, Your Majesty. It is an utmost pleasure to meet your acquaintance. It is my hope that this will be an easy and open conversation." He said.
"Yes…let's sit." I say and so we sit. "What do you want to know?"
"What is life at the Britanian castle like?" William asked.
"It has been good. I'm treated well."
"What do you do during the day?"
"W-well I was wedding planning for a while."
"And before that?"
"I would read in the library and spend time with Aidan."
"So you have free roam of the castle?"
"For the most part."
"And what else would you like to do?"
"Mm…I guess lessons would be nice."
"Lessons on what?" William asked.
"Um w-well I'm taking e-etiquette lessons b-but strategy, interior design, other topics that would be helpful to palace living for royalty."
"Topics you took lessons on at the Cordova palace?"
"Y-yes somewhat."
"But the palace in Britania is different than the palace in Cordova?"
"W-well yes."
"Tell me about that. The differences."
"Britania is…less stressful, less chaotic."
"And?"
"A-and what?" I asked.
"What aren't you saying?"
"It's…complicated."
"Explain slowly then."
I sigh. "There's no one judging me there. I'm…respected there."
"And you weren't in Cordova?" He asked.
"No." I say plainly.
"I recall citizens speaking of you fondly after your disappearance."
"I rarely left the castle…" I say, my voice trailing off towards the end.
"Meaning those inside were the ones judging you – the royals, the nobles, the advisors. Did it have anything to do with that rumor about you and your…virtue?" He was uncomfortable asking but still he spit it out.
"So you've heard it too, that makes sense. It was a favorite "story" of the castle snobs. Whatever entertained them, even if it was cruel or preposterous."
"There was no truth to the rumor then?"
"Is there truth to any rumor?"
"They typically start with a cornel of truth."
"I was attacked as a girl, that is the cornel. But you can talk to our servants, they cleaned up the sheets after our wedding night – I wasn't missing anything."
"Do you often have problems answering questions?" He asked.
"Only stupid ones."
He laughed. "Let's shift back to your life in Britania. What do you like most about your time there?"
"Hm…feeling loved, feeling like I belong somewhere again."
"What about that?"
"It's…I haven't felt that way since my family died."
"And what makes you feel loved there?"
"Aidan." I say and feel my cheeks get hot.
"What does he do to make you feel that way?"
"H-he tells me all the time. He's very busy, gets too little sleep, but he always makes time for me and he's always doing things to make me happy and show he loves me."
"Such as?"
I felt like our relationship was on trial, it sort of did feel like an interrogation but with pressure instead of torture.
"W-well he buys me things he knows I like f-from our time together when we were young – like hair pins and my own horse. A-and he plans surprises like a picnic or a walk in the garden. O-oh and he filled a whole library full of books he knows I'd love to read."
"And what's one thing you would change if you could?"
"This war…" I say and look down.
"About Aidan?"
"Oh um…I guess he has a temper when it comes to me." I say without really thinking about it.
"He has a temper? What has he done to you?" He askes.
"O-oh not towards me," I say and look back up, "about me."
"I don't follow."
"He gets very angry if people say something negative about me or try to separate us."
"That is…an interesting observation of him. Where do you think that stems from?"
"We were separated before, six years ago."
"And then he started a long search for you."
"Y-yes."
The conversation seemed to go in circles – he asked the same questions just in different ways to try and trip me up. I wasn't sure how to think after the conversation was over. He thanked me for my time but he wouldn't tell me what he was thinking.