The great hall finally fell quiet. Torches burned low along the frozen pillars. Servants had already cleared most of the tables. Guards stood far apart near the walls, speaking in low voices.
Edmond Woodland remained on the Ice Throne.
Still, and in deep thought. His elbows rested on the arms of the throne. His fingers pressed together beneath his chin.
Everyone else had gone to bed. But sleep would not come to him. Not tonight. The image of Newton kneeling before him kept returning. The anger in the boy's voice. The certainty.
He placed his filthy hands on Sonia.
Edmond closed his eyes briefly. Then another image followed. Sonia sitting in her chair. The red marks around her throat. "The prince had hurt her. Yet punishing a crown prince might stir trouble."
Edmond rose slowly from the throne. His mind wasn't just racing against the prince, but against Newton and Sonia. "This is my opportunity to stop this incestrous relationship before it gets out of hand."
He walked down the steps of the platform and moved across the hall. His boots echoed against the stone floor. "I will separate them now. That way Sonia will wholeheartedly focus on her vow to the Prince."
Soon he left the chamber and entered the quiet corridor. The castle had fallen into the deep night.
Cold wind slipped through the narrow windows. The torches along the walls crackled softly.
Edmond walked without speaking to anyone. Eventually he reached Sonia's door. He pushed it open.
Inside the chamber, Sonia sat awake in bed. She had not slept. Her hands rested on the blanket, clenched tightly.
The moment she saw Edmond step inside, she straightened quickly. "Newton didn't do anything wrong," she said immediately. Her voice carried urgency. "He only defended me."
Edmond closed the door behind him. "I know."
The two words came quietly. Sonia blinked. For a moment the tension inside her loosened slightly. Then Edmond continued. "But I must punish him."
The relief vanished instantly.nSonia's eyes reddened. Her fists clenched against the blankets. "You know he is innocent," she said, her voice shaking, "and you will still punish him just because he hit the Crown Prince?"
Edmond walked closer to the bed. He studied his daughter's face carefully. Then something unexpected appeared in his expression.
A faint smile. "I am not punishing him because he beat the Crown Prince." His voice remained calm. "He deserved what he got."
Sonia frowned in confusion. "Then why are you punishing him?"
Edmond exhaled slowly. His shoulders lowered slightly, as if the next words carried weight. "I will send him to take the Green."
Sonia's breath caught. "The monastery." The words slipped from her lips like a gasp.
Edmond nodded.
Silence filled the room. Outside, the wind brushed against the castle walls.
Sonia stared at her father.nHer voice came out quieter now. "What kind of a father sends his own son to swear an oath of celibacy?"
Edmond met her gaze without hesitation. "A father who would do anything to prevent his daughter from breaking her oath. A father who would do anything to prevent the name of his house from being ruined."
Sonia frowned. The meaning did not register at first. "What are you talking about?"
Edmond's voice softened. "I know about your romantic feelings for your brother. I know about the Incestrous intent you harbour towards him."
The words fell into the room like a thunderbolt. Sonia froze. Her fingers slowly loosened from the blankets. For several long seconds she said nothing. Then she inhaled slowly.
"So now you know." Her voice carried no shame. "I love him. And it is not incestrous. Is an Ice."
She lifted her chin slightly. "And I wish to marry him. Not Ryli."
Edmond's faint smile returned. "That is not going to happen." The calmness in his voice made the answer even harder. "Newton is my son," he continued, "and you are my daughter. Names do not negate blood. Incest is an abomination in the North."
His eyes hardened slightly. "Both of you cannot end up together. It is incest."
Sonia shook her head immediately. "No." Her voice strengthened. "He is an Ice. I am a Woodland."
Her gaze burned with certainty. "The custom permits it."
Edmond's expression snapped. "In my eyes," he said sharply, "there is no bastard among my children. In my eyes, there are no bastards out there. Every child born by a man deserves a place in his home."
His voice filled the room. "He is as much a Woodland as you are." The air between them tightened. "Kill the dream," Edmond continued. "Before it destroys what this House has ever stood for."
He walked closer to Sonia and touched her forehead. He lowered his voice. "Focus on your relationship with Ryli."
"But…" Sonia tried to protest.
"Enough!" The roar shook the chamber. Sonia fell silent. Edmond's chest rose and fell slowly as he regained control of himself.
"He will join the monastery," Edmond said firmly. "Not because he defended you against the prince, but because of your incestuous feelings towards him."
The words cut through the room. Edmond turned away from the bed. He walked toward the window. Cold air brushed against his face as he looked out over the dark courtyard.
"Your marriage with Ryli will hold." His voice returned to its steady tone. "This is not only about you or me." He clasped his hands behind his back. "It is about the unity of the Nine Kingdoms. The good of the North."
His jaw tightened. "And the oath I swore to his father, and also the oath you have sworn on the day you got engaged to him."
Behind him Sonia's voice trembled. "Please, Dad." He did not turn around. "You do not have to send him to the monastery."
Her voice grew desperate. "I will marry Ryli. I will stay away from Newton, but please, do not punish him for my sake."
The words tasted bitter even as she said them. "Leave Newton alone."
Edmond closed his eyes briefly. Something inside him shifted. For a moment, he wished things were different.
He wished Sonia did not have to marry Ryli. He wished the alliance with the southern kingdoms was not hanging on this union.
He wished Newton had never been born under the shadow of that word.
Bastard.
For a brief moment another thought crossed his mind. Newton and Sonia, together as husband and wife.
He almost smiled at the image. Then he shook his head slowly. Not because Newton was truly his bastard.
The reason was something older. Something darker. The history between their bloodlines. The marriage between a Woodland and a Dragarian had never ended well.
Never.
From the days of Tamara Woodland and Daemon Dragaria. The story ended with Tamara's death.
Maria Woodland and Drexo Dragaria. The same fate. Another Woodland was buried. The pattern repeated like a curse carved into history.
Edmond's fingers tightened.b"No." He whispered the word to himself. "I will not let that happen."
He knew something else too. Leaving Newton in the castle would only feed the fire between them. Their feelings would grow stronger, and bolder.
Sooner or later it would explode into something no one could control. Edmond turned back toward Sonia. His decision had already hardened inside him. "I must send him to take the Green." His voice came out low. "I must."
Even as he spoke the words, something inside him resisted them. He knew Newton did not deserve such punishment. But the alternative frightened him more.
Edmond gave a small nod to himself. "The monastery will also prevent future power struggles if he eventually knows the truth about his bloodline."
The room fell silent again. Only the distant wind answered him.