Chapter 34

Tharx sat in the council chamber, his jaw clenched as he listened to yet another of his advisors suggest that Aeliana should be sent away. The suggestion was laced with veiled implications-that her presence was a stain on his authority, that she was nothing but a human distraction weakening his resolve. It had been the same argument for weeks now, ever since he had ordered her confined. But instead of easing his problems, the distance had only intensified the pressure from the council and stoked the growing discord among the nobility.

"Isolating her was a good first step," Advisor Kadrin intoned, his expression severe. "But keeping her within the fortress is seen as a sign of indecisiveness, my king. Why keep her here at all?"

Murmurs of agreement circled the room. Tharx's gaze swept across the faces of his advisors, their features etched with skepticism and even faint disdain. He could feel their judgment settling on him, their belief that he had become compromised.

Kadrin leaned forward, his voice lower now, yet still audible to the entire council. "Perhaps a decisive action is needed, my king. If you were to send her away, it would show strength, that no human-no outsider-has sway over your rule."

Tharx's temper flared, a wave of frustration rising within him as Kadrin's words hit closer to the truth than he wanted to admit. The very thought of sending Aeliana away was intolerable, an action he could neither fully justify nor wholly explain. His attempts to protect her by keeping her out of sight had only fueled suspicion and criticism, eroding his authority rather than reinforcing it.

"No one has sway over my rule," Tharx replied, his voice sharp, his gaze cold as he held Kadrin's stare. "I make my decisions for the benefit of this empire."

"And yet," Kadrin countered, "the empire has begun to question those decisions. The longer she remains here, the more doubts arise."

Tharx felt his patience slipping. He rose from his seat abruptly, the weight of his authority pressing down on every advisor in the room as his gaze swept over them. "Let me make one thing clear. Aeliana is under my protection, and her presence here is my decision. Any attempt to undermine that decision will be dealt with accordingly."

The council fell silent, his words reverberating in the room. But Tharx knew that while he had temporarily silenced their voices, their doubts and suspicions lingered. And with each day that passed, those doubts grew bolder, threatening to destabilize everything he had fought to build.

Back in his chambers, Tharx paced restlessly, his mind clouded with the weight of his conflicting emotions. Every attempt he made to keep Aeliana out of sight, to keep his feelings in check, only seemed to pull her closer into his thoughts. He could see her as clearly in his mind now as if she were standing beside him-the defiance in her gaze, the quiet strength that had drawn him to her against his will.

He had believed that confining her would ease the turmoil she stirred within him, that it would restore the distance he needed to remain focused. But instead, the distance had only made his longing more potent, his emotions harder to suppress. And his decisions were beginning to suffer as a result. His temper had grown shorter, his patience with the council fraying with each passing day, his once unshakable resolve now vulnerable to cracks.

A part of him knew that he had made a mistake. He had allowed his fear-fear for her safety, for his vulnerability-to control his actions, and it had left him teetering on the edge. He could feel his judgment slipping, his decisions clouded by the very emotions he had tried to deny.

But now it was too late. The council's mistrust was spiraling out of control, Draxis's influence was growing stronger, and the empire's stability hung by a fragile thread.

Aeliana sat alone in her chambers, staring at the cold walls that had become both her sanctuary and her prison. She was tired-tired of waiting, tired of feeling trapped and powerless, tired of being nothing more than a pawn in Tharx's world. His decision to confine her, to shut her away like a secret that couldn't be allowed to see the light, had cut deeper than any blade.

But she would not remain idle any longer. If Tharx thought he could lock her away, keep her in the dark while the council and Draxis plotted around her, he was mistaken. She would not let herself be erased so easily.

A quiet resolve settled over her. She would find a way to navigate this fortress, to understand the power dynamics that surrounded her, to identify those within the fortress who might be allies-or enemies. If she were to survive in this world, it would be on her own terms.

Aeliana began to formulate a plan, a way to gather information. She would observe, listen, find opportunities to navigate the fortress unnoticed. Her isolation would no longer be a weakness; she would use it to her advantage, to learn everything she could about Tharx's world and the enemies within it. If she were forced to act, she would be ready.

Later that night, Tharx stood outside Aeliana's quarters, his hand hovering over the door handle. His advisors' words echoed in his mind, along with the doubts and accusations they had leveled against him. They were right about one thing-Aeliana's presence had complicated everything. But what they didn't understand was that her absence would be an even greater burden, one he wasn't sure he could bear.

He took a breath, steadying himself, before finally entering.

Aeliana looked up from where she sat, her gaze steely as she met his eyes. He could see the anger and hurt in her expression, and a pang of guilt twisted in his chest. He had expected her anger, but the sight of it unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

"I see you're still standing," she said, her voice laced with bitterness. "I'd almost forgotten what you looked like."

Tharx ignored the barb, closing the door behind him. "Aeliana, I am trying to protect you," he said, his voice firm but strained. "Your presence here-"

"Is a liability? A distraction?" she interrupted, her gaze sharp. "I've heard it all, Tharx. But I never thought you would be the one to throw me away the moment things became inconvenient."

He felt a flash of frustration, his pride flaring as he met her gaze. "You think this is easy? That I enjoy seeing you confined?"

Aeliana's expression hardened. "What I think is that you're more concerned with what others think of you than with my well-being. I trusted you, Tharx. I thought... I thought I was something more than just a prisoner to you."

Her words struck him like a blow, and he felt the anger boiling beneath the surface, the anger he had been holding back for days. "I am the ruler of this empire, Aeliana. I cannot afford to be weak, not for you or anyone else. I have to maintain control, even if it means..."

"Even if it means betraying the few people who actually care about you?" she finished, her voice tight with emotion.

Tharx's jaw clenched, his gaze dropping to the floor. She had seen through him-seen the fear that lurked beneath his cold exterior, the fear that he could lose everything if he let his guard down. And for a moment, he felt the urge to reach out to her, to let her see the conflict that tore at him.

But pride and fear held him back. He could not afford to show weakness, not even to her.

"You don't understand," he said finally, his voice cold and distant once more. "I am doing what is necessary. You will stay here, out of sight, until the threat has passed."

Aeliana's expression was unreadable as she stared at him, the anger in her gaze replaced by something else-something colder, more final. "Then go," she whispered. "If I'm truly nothing more than a prisoner to you, leave me to my fate."

For a moment, Tharx hesitated, his resolve faltering as he took in the resignation in her eyes. But he forced himself to turn away, to walk toward the door, even as his chest tightened with a sense of loss he couldn't fully comprehend.

Back in his chambers, Tharx received a report from his most trusted informant, detailing a disturbing development. Draxis's forces were mobilizing, preparing to make a move. The details were scarce, but the threat was clear-a confrontation was coming, one that could determine the fate of his empire.

But as Tharx studied the report, his thoughts drifted back to Aeliana, to the bitterness in her voice, the hurt in her gaze. He had pushed her away to protect her, but his decision had only created more pain, more danger. And now, with war looming on the horizon, he felt more alone than ever, his own fortress crumbling from within.

The cost of his distance, he realized, had left him vulnerable-not just to Draxis, but to himself.