The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

”Get out,” he said softly in a voice only her could hear, and the softness of his voice was more terrifying than any shout could have been. ”Get out of this palace. Get out of this city. Get out of my sight. And if I ever hear that you have spoken her name again, if I ever hear that you have moved against her again, if I ever even suspect you have thought ill of her at all.....”

He paused, and the promise in that pause was absolute violence.

”.....I will find you. And I will make you understand what it means to cross a king.”

Isolde stared at him, and in her eyes was the first real understanding of what her actions had cost her.

She had not just made an enemy of a servant girl.

She had made an enemy of the crown itself.

The guards pulled her away, and this time she did not fight them. She moved like someone who had been broken, who understood the reality of her situation, who grasped that her life as she had known it was over.

Vivienne and Seraphine were escorted after her, but not before Kaelen stood as well, his pale eyes locked on them with the kind of cold calculation that suggested he was committing their faces to memory, understanding that these women had tried to take something from him, understanding that the debt was not yet fully paid.

And then, gradually, the tension in the chamber began to ease.

The conspirators were gone.

But the trial was not yet over.

***

Cedric turned back to Morgana.

She was still standing in the center of the marble floor, still wearing the chains around her wrists, still looking as if she couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

”Morgana of Ashford,” Cedric said, his voice formal but carrying a note of something that might have been apology, ”the charges against you are hereby dismissed. You are found to be innocent of all accusations. You are cleared of any wrongdoing, and your reputation is hereby officially restored.”

He paused.

”However,” he continued, ”there is still the matter of your position in the palace. You were accused publicly. Your reputation has been damaged by this conspiracy, even though you are innocent. It would be difficult, perhaps impossible for you to return to your previous position as a servant. The other servants would view you with suspicion. The nobles would remember the accusation. Trust, once broken, is difficult to restore.”

Morgana’s shoulders slumped slightly.

Cedric glanced toward the kings.

”Your Majesty,” he said, ”what does the crown recommend for the disposition of the accused...the innocent, rather, Morgana of Ashford?”

It was a test of royal authority. It was an invitation for Draeven or Kaelen to speak.

But it was Thorne who rose.

Thorne stood from his throne.

His dark eyes were fixed on Morgana, and in those eyes was a intensity that made her breath catch.

He descended the dais steps slowly, deliberately, with the kind of measured grace that suggested absolute certainty about what he was about to do.

When he reached the center of the chamber, he stopped a few feet from Morgana.

His voice, when he spoke, carried a formality that was almost ceremonial.

”There is an ancient law,” Thorne said, his words ringing through the chamber, ”one that has not been invoked in over one hundred years. It is called the Law of Crown Protection.”

Cedric frowned. ”Your Majesty, that law was designed for members of allied houses, for...”

”The law,” Thorne interrupted, his voice carrying an edge, ”makes no distinction based on rank or status. It says only this: if a member of the royal family believes that an individual has been unjustly persecuted, they may claim that individual under the direct protection of the crown.”

He turned to face Morgana fully.

”Such a claim makes the individual a ward of the throne,” Thorne continued. ”They become answerable only to the royal family. They are immune to further prosecution. And any who would harm them answers directly to the crown.”

Cedric’s face went pale.

”Your Majesty, you can’t invoke that law for a servant....”

”I can,” Thorne said quietly, ”and I am.”

He moved closer to Morgana.

His dark gaze locked on hers, and in that gaze was a promise that encompassed far more than simple protection.

”Morgana of Ashford,” Thorne said, his voice formal and ceremonial, speaking words that hadn’t been spoken in a century, ”I invoke the Law of Crown Protection.”

The words seemed to resonate through the chamber like a bell.

”You are hereby claimed as a ward of the throne, under the protection of the crown, effective immediately.”

Morgana’s breath caught.

She didn’t understand what this meant. She understood only that something had changed, something fundamental had changed, something that would alter the trajectory of her life forever.

Thorne’s voice continued, carrying an explanation for the entire court to hear.

”You are no longer a servant,” he said. ”You are under our direct authority. You will live in the royal wing of the palace. You will answer to no one but us. And no one....no one can touch you, harm you, or move against you without answering directly to the crown.”

He turned to the assembled court.

”This is the Law of Crown Protection,” he announced. ”It is ancient. It is binding. And it is now invoked on behalf of Morgana of Ashford.”

The court erupted in whispers.

This was unprecedented. This was shocking. This was the kind of move that would reshape the political landscape of the entire palace.

But it was also final. It was irrevocable. It was law.

Cedric stood, his mind clearly working through the implications, understanding that he could not challenge this, could not override it, could only accept it.

”As Your Majesty commands,” he said formally. ”The Law of Crown Protection is acknowledged and accepted by the council.”

Thorne gestured to the guards.

”Remove the chains,” he commanded.