Silence settled over the council chamber after Lord Oman's proposal, but it was not the quiet of agreement. It was the kind that comes before something breaks.
Drexo did not move for a long moment. Then his jaw tightened. "You are asking me," he said slowly, each word edged, "to send my pregnant wife into enemy territory?"
No one answered immediately. Even Oman seemed to weigh his next breath. Then he nodded. "The North may be your enemy."
His tone remained calm. "But not Maria's." He stepped forward. "That is her home." The words drifted through the chamber, but Drexo's face only hardened.
"What about Edmond Woodland?" His voice sharpened. "He lost his men in the last war."
His fist curled.
"Men killed under Maria's command." His gaze locked on Oman. "Do you think he forgives that?"
Oman gave a small smile, the kind old men wear when they believe experience outweighs fear. "They are siblings." He spread his hands. "And siblings do not kill each other."
Something dark flickered across Drexo's face. He went silent. But it was not surrender, it was restraint.
Then he shook his head. "Edmond is a man who keeps his oath." His voice dropped lower. "I do not intend to test how far he can go."
A beat.
"Using the life of my wife and unborn child as bait."
No one spoke after that. The room went still. Because everyone knew the king's tone. That tone ended arguments. Yet Drexo was not done. He looked around the chamber. His disappointment sat plain on his face. "None of your suggestions appeal to me."
He rose slowly. Authority filling the room again. "I will not endanger my wife." His hand rested on the table. "Nor will I disinherit my child before he is even born."
That was final.
The council understood.nOne by one they rose. No further pleas, no debate, only bows, and retreat.
The chamber emptied. Leaving behind maps, torch smoke, and a king carrying too much.
By the time Drexo returned to his chamber, night had begun to gather against the windows.
Maria sat on the bed waiting. She had not been allowed in council anymore.
Drexo insisted too much strain was dangerous. She hated it, but she said little. She looked up the moment he entered. "Were you able to get solutions?"
Drexo loosened his cloak and shook his head. "No."
A pause.
"They offered nothing meaningful."
Maria watched him carefully. She knew his voice. She knew when he was withholding. "What did they suggest?"
Drexo waved it off. "Nothing worth hearing." But she did not let it go. "I want to hear it." His temper flashed unexpectedly. "Forget about it."
The sharpness startled even him. "It is better to do nothing than choose those options." Maria fell quiet, not wounded.
Thinking.
Then she spoke carefully. "Doing nothing is not an option." Her voice was soft, but firm. "Robert will attack the moment he smells weakness."
Drexo gave a tired shrug. A king's shrug. Heavy with defeat. "I suppose we fight with what men remain."
Maria forced a smile, but she saw what sat beneath his bravado.
Fear.
Not for the throne, but for all he stood to lose. She said nothing, only watched him. And began making a decision.
That evening, when darkness deepened and the castle quieted, Maria slipped from their chamber.
Barely a whisper. A queen moving like a thief. She found Cedric in the lower hall. He looked startled. "My lady?"
"I need to know what happened in council." Cedric hesitated. Then told her everything. The two choices. Win back the Kenwools by disinheriting her unborn child, or go north.
Return to Snowland, win Edmond, and the North to the King's side.
Cedric finished, and Maria stood still. Very still. Her fist tightened slowly. Her mind drifted, not to war, but to childhood.
To Edmond.
She saw again the irritation in his face when she shattered his army.
But other memories rose stronger. A brother teaching her sword forms in winter frost. A brother lifting her after she fell. A brother standing like father and shield after their parents died beneath King Derion's wrath.
She whispered almost to herself. "Edmond hates me now."
She paused, and exhaled sharply. "But he still loves me." The words sounded less like hope. More like faith. And in that instant, her mind was made.
She turned and left. Fast, and with purpose.
She found Helen in the women's quarters. The girls gathered around at once. There was warmth in their embrace.
Comfort.
But Maria had not come for comfort. She drew back. "I need a favor."
Helen paused immediately. She knew that tone. Requests spoken that quietly were never simple. "What does the queen want," Helen said with a faint smile, "from a mere servant like me?"
Maria smiled despite herself. She still had not grown used to her new status as queen of the nine kingdoms. It sat strangely on her, like borrowed silk.
Then she said it. "I need you to arrange a small boat for me."
Helen's smile disappeared. Maria held her gaze. "I am going back to Snowland."
Silence fell.
The girls looked at one another. The air shifted. Then Helen spoke first. "No."
It was flat, and hard. "I will not allow it."
Maria stepped closer and touched her shoulders. "With the Kenwools gone."
She held her eyes. "We need the North." Helen gave a bitter laugh. "You think Edmond will betray Robert?"
Her brows rose. "His closest friend?" Maria let go and turned away. Her voice came quieter. "I do not know if he will accept me."
A beat.
"Or join us." She looked toward the dark window. "But he is my brother." She turned back. "My only blood." There was something in her face now.
Not the queen, not commander, just a sister. "Family comes before friendship." She stepped closer again. "And I have to force that truth to live."
Helen said nothing. She knew Maria too well. The kind of silence before surrender. Then she asked. "If I refuse…" Her eyes narrowed. "Will you abandon this?"
Maria shook her head immediately. "No."
Simple, and certain. "I will find another way." Helen stared at her. And in that look she understood. Refusal changed nothing.
Maria would go. With or without help.
Helen exhaled: long, and defeated. Then she nodded. "The boat will be ready."
Relief flashed across Maria's face. She smiled: a dangerous smile. The kind people wear when they have chosen risk. "I leave tonight."
She lowered her voice. "At midnight." The girls exchanged uneasy glances. No one liked it. No one believed this would end simply. But no one tried stopping her again. Because once Maria decided something, it was already done.
And somewhere beyond the castle walls, the sea waited: Dark, and cold. And full of consequences.
The brother she had betrayed for love, has become the only one capable of saving the same man she had betrayed him for. But will Edmond let go of his honour and help his sister? Or will he cling to the very honour that describes the motto of his house?
A Woodland never breaks his or her vow.