The knights pushed the door open.
As the royals all stepped inside, every knight in the room bowed at once.
Arel sat in the middle of the chamber, bound to a chair. The bruises Alaric had left on him were very much visible. He had dark marks along his jaw, a split lip, and one eye slightly swollen.
Yet he smiled.
His gaze went straight to Daphne, "My flame," he said calmly, like they were alone.
Alaric's grip on Daphne tightened immediately.
Before Daphne could even respond, Aidan moved quickly to her side. "Are you alright?" he asked, scanning her face.
"Yes," she nodded, squeezing his arm lightly.
Only then did she turn back to Alaric. "I'd like to talk to him," she paused, "Alone."
"No," Alaric said.
Finn echoed him at the same time. "Absolutely not."
Aidan shook his head. "Daphne, this is a terrible idea."
She took a breath. "I need answers, and I need to hear them without a crowd. Please."
"You're not doing this alone. Not with him." Alaric insisted.
