Drexo walked back into the throne room, but something about him had shifted. It wasn't obvious at first. The guards still bowed. The lords still stood when he entered. The air still carried that quiet weight of authority that followed him everywhere.
But his steps were slower, and measured. As if each one carried more than just his body.
He took his seat, resting his hand lightly on the arm of the throne. The council continued speaking, voices rising and falling, plans being laid, maps being pointed at.
But none of it reached him. Not fully, because her voice was still there.
Clear, and unrelenting. "I am only asking you to fulfill your oath by marrying me."
A pause.
"If you don't, then you are on your own."
Drexo's fingers tightened slightly against the throne. "My family will no longer support your campaign."
The words echoed again, and again. Like something refusing to leave.
"Your Grace?" A voice pulled him back. One of the lords stood before him, waiting. Drexo blinked once, then nodded slightly. "Proceed."
The man continued speaking, but Drexo's gaze had already drifted again. He tried to shake it off. He tried to focus. But every plan they discussed, every move they considered, led back to the same thought.
Ashford, their ships, their men, their strength. And what it would mean to lose it.
The meeting dragged, or maybe it only felt that way. By the time it ended, Drexo rose quickly, almost too quickly, and walked out without his usual pause.
The hall parted for him. No one stopped him. But Havana watched carefully, and when he left, she followed.
The chamber door shut behind them with a soft but final sound. Then Havana moved forward and locked it. The click echoed louder than it should. Drexo didn't turn immediately. He stood near the window, his back to her, his shoulders tense.
"What did you and Friya discuss?" Havana asked. Her voice was calm, but not soft. "What unsettled you?"
Drexo let out a slow breath. Then he turned. No hesitation this time. "She knows." The words dropped between them.
Havana froze. Just for a moment.
"The day I feared the mostz" she whispered.
Drexo didn't respond.
He walked past her and sank onto the bed, his body heavy, as if something inside him had finally given way.
His hands came up to his head..Fingers pressing against his temples. "What is she demanding?" Havana asked.
Drexo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his head dropping slightly. "For me to marry her," he said.
He paused.
"Within the next two months."
Silence filled the room.
"And if I don't," he continued, his voice lower now, "She will inform her father."
He paused again.
"And withdraws his army."
Havana exhaled slowly. Then she walked over and sat beside him. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder. "Then marry her."
Drexo's head snapped up. His eyes widened slightly. "Are you serious right now?"
Havana met his gaze without flinching.."Of course." Her tone didn't change. "She is your fiancée."
She paused and gazed at his eyes. "And we need her father."
She shifted slightly, her hand still on him. "We are even lucky," she added quietly, "that she still wants this marriage."
Drexo looked away. His jaw tightening.
"She has every right to walk away," Havana continued. "To take everything with her." Her voice softened, just slightly. "But she didn't."
Drexo let out a sharp breath. "I love Maria." The words came out almost like a protest. Like something he needed to say just to keep himself grounded.
"I cannot imagine my life without her." Havana chuckled. Not harsh, not kind either. Just knowing.
"Love," she said, "is just a feeling." She leaned in slightly, her eyes searching his'. "And feelings fade."
Drexo didn't respond.
"You think your life ends without her," Havana continued, "but it does not." Her voice dropped a little. "It continues. And it can still be everything you imagined."
Drexo shook his head slowly. "I need to be alone."
The words came out quieter now. "I need to think."
Havana studied him for a moment. Then she stood. "Alright." She moved toward the door, then paused. "But while you think," she said without turning, "remember this is not just about you."
She paused for a beat.
"You are a king." Her hand rested on the door. "And whatever you choose affects the Nine Kingdoms." Then she left.
The room felt different after she was gone.
Quieter, but at the same time, heavier.
Drexo stared at the door for a long moment before looking away. Then he leaned back, his head resting against the wall behind him.
"How did I get here?" he muttered. The question felt pointless the moment it left his lips. But he didn't stop it. "Why now?"
His eyes closed briefly. "Why not after the war?" There was no answer, and his frustration dragged on.
The day dragged on. Slowly, and painfully.
Drexo moved through it like someone carrying something invisible but heavy. Every conversation felt distant. Every decision felt forced. And every quiet moment was worse.
Because that was when the thoughts came back.
Maria, her face, her voice. The way she looked at him in the forest. The way everything else seemed to disappear when she was near.
He exhaled sharply. "That will be unbearable." The thought came uninvited.
Clear, and cold.
Then another followed. Ashford. Their ships, lining on the sea. Their banners. Their soldiers going away. What would be left without them? He pictured it. His army becoming smaller, weaker, and exposed.
Robert's forces crashing against them. No reinforcements. No backup. No second chance. "That is also unbearable."
He let out a quiet, frustrated breath. His hands clenched at his sides.
He tried to push it away. Tried to distract himself. Walked the halls. Watched the soldiers train, ans spoke to commanders.
But nothing stayed. Everything circled back. Again, and again.
By evening, the weight had settled deeper, not lighter. Never lighter. He returned to his chamber slowly, closing the door behind him.
For a while, he just stood there. Doing nothing. Thinking everything.
Then he sat. His elbows resting on his knees again, his hands hanging loosely. "I don't have to decide now," he muttered.
The words felt like relief. Small, and fragile.."I can wait."
He paused.
"A few more days." He nodded slightly. As if convincing himself. As if that alone could buy him time.
But deep down. Somewhere beneath all the noise and the resistance.
He knew.
Time wasn't the problem. And it wouldn't be the solution. Because the choice was already there.
Waiting, and no matter how long he delayed it. It wasn't going anywhere.