Chapter Text
I wake up to the sound of somebody knocking at the door leading to the chamber I share with Jude. I open my eyes and notice that my wife is still sleeping, her body pressed to my side, her breath tickling my shoulder.
If she is not awake that can only mean that it is really, really early. Who dares to interrupt their rulers’ sleep? I am just about to get up in order to confront whoever that is, maybe threaten them a little, when Jude snuggles closer to me in her sleep. That makes all the anger evaporate, warmth and comfort flooding me, pulling me back to bed. I make a quick decision that, whatever it is, it can wait a couple more hours or, if it is urgent, there are plenty of people qualified enough to take care of it.
With that in mind I turn to the sleeping figure of my wife, gently pulling her closer to nuzzle in her hair. Even though we have been married for 9 years already, I know that I will never get enough of this, of life with her.
As I am closing my eyes another knock, more urgent this time, echoes through the room. The sound makes Jude lift her head, rubbing her eyes and frowning, clearly displeased that somebody interrupted her sleep. If it wasn’t for the persistent person at the door, I would kiss the frown and the remaining sleep off of her face but instead I have to go and remind them, whose peace they should not disturb.
“I will go check what is so important this early in the morning to require our immediate attention, meanwhile you get some more sleep, love.” I whisper, placing a kiss on her head. Jude nods in appreciation, still half asleep.
I stand up, throwing on a robe and head to the sitting room, closing the door to our bedroom.
I don't even have to pretend that I am furious when I answer the door and face one of the guards, who at the sight of me winces and drops the hand that he was most likely going to use to knock again.
“It better be burning somewhere in here or you can say goodbye to your job.” I hiss through clenched teeth, burning the man with my gaze. In response he shrinks back a little and clears his throat in a nervous matter. Good.
“M-my apology, Your Highness.” He says bowing. “Lady Oriana desires to speak to The High Queen. I made an attempt at convincing her that it was too early to bother her, my King, but she insisted, claiming it couldn’t wait.”
I wave my hand at him dismissively. “Well then, since I am awake I will listen to whatever she claims is so relevant but it better be the last time you wake us up just because someone desires to speak to us. Understood?” Seeing the guard nod eagerly I lift my eyes to meet Oriana’s gaze. She had enough decency not to interrupt my talk with this idiot.
I step back, inviting Oak’s mother to the room. I don't even manage to close the door properly when she twirls around demanding to see Jude.
“I need to speak with Jude. I would appreciate it if you brought her here.” She looks at me expectantly. I put on my lazy smile.
“I’m afraid that I have to refuse. Although whatever is so urgent I will be more than happy to hear it and I can assure you that I will inform Jude about your visit.” I say and give Oriana a challenging look. She always paid very much attention to courtesy, which she tried to push on Jude (with no luck, obviously), so it would be very unlike her to insist further. Family or no family, I am The High King, after all.
I know that by refusing her to see Jude I come out to be a spoiled brat that everybody takes me for but I couldn’t be less bothered. The last couple of weeks have been really hard on my wife. She has the tendency to overwork herself but ever since Oak had disappeared she had barely any sleep, constantly plotting, trying to come up with a plan on how to find him and get him safely back to the palace, away from all the danger of the outside world.
My attempts to convince her that Oak was no longer the little boy she once had to protect at all cost only annoy her. And it is not that I am not actively participating in searching for the young prince but, in my opinion, Oak knows exactly what he is doing. No one bribed, manipulated nor kidnapped him. But Jude doesn’t want to hear anything about it, refusing to believe what is right in front of her.
Instead she is worrying herself to death, leaving me the job of looking after her. And she does not make that task very easy, quite the opposite actually. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes pains me so I was relieved when she has finally settled for rest. So no, I do not intend to drag Jude out of the bed just because Oriana is panicking, which isn’t an unusual sight these days.
“My apologies but it really is urgent. I am positive Jude too would like to hear about this as soon as possible.” She insists and as I was about to ask for further detail regarding the issue a door behind me croaks, revealing Jude’s figure. That would be it about protecting her peace. I let out a dramatic sigh.
“I thought I heard you, Oriana. What is going on?” She asks, entering the room fully. She is wearing one of her robes, a dark blue one with lace on the collar, her hair a mess as always when she wakes up. I adore seeing her like this.
Not wasting any more time, Oriana goes straight to the point. "Madoc is here."
The whole room falls silent. Jude doesn’t even try to hide the surprise on her face.
"Alone?" I ask.
"The soldier of Oaks, Tiernan, accompanied him." The lack of the prince's name in this sentence is impossible to ignore. I can see Jude going through all the possible scenarios, her worry growing by the minute. I frown. Something in this situation is not adding up. I narrow my eyes at Oriana.
"And how come are you informing us about this occurrence and not one of our guards?" Hearing that Jude snaps back from her thoughts, clearly puzzled by this as well.
"I was asleep in my chambers when banging at the door awoke me. I was baffled to find Madoc standing before me when I answered. I hoped that his presence meant that Oak was also somewhere near but the only person that followed him into my room was the guard of his. I attempted to question him but he only managed to tell me that Oak is not with him before knights barged into the room, handcuffed him and escorted him." A knock on the door interrupts her. Jude calls them in and Garret enters the room. He takes our awake figures in, glancing quickly at Oriana and bows.
"What brings you here?" I ask, mostly to let him know that he is allowed to talk about the matter in Oriana's presence. Especially that she had already informed us about it.
Without further courtiers he proceeds to tell us what we already heard just a moment ago.
"We tried to interrogate him but he refused to say anything, claiming that he is only willing to talk to you, your majesty." The Ghost says, looking at Jude, who is already calculating her next move. "We may also turn to more…drastic ways in order to force him to talk."
Knowing their shared history, Garrett would be delighted to torture Madoc. To make him suffer just like the red cap did to him years ago.
Jude and I also have at least a few reasons to not feel merciful towards him.
Oriana must be aware of this too, as her face breaks into panic, her eyes searching Jude's unreadable face. I use all my willpower not to roll my eyes. It is obvious that my wife would never agree to torture Madoc, despite having every right too.
The thing about my wife that I have learned over the past years is that once one manages to earn her love, they also gain her protection. And no amount of pain or betrayal caused by this person will change that. She proved that with Taryn, Madoc, the Ghost and, obviously, with me.
Oriana lets out a breath of relief at Jude's refusal to Garrett's proposition.
"And Tiernan? Did you get any information out of him?" My wife asks.
"I was not present in the room he was being interrogated but I might send one of the guards that was there to you, if that is your wish, my queen."
"I would like to know my brother's whereabouts. Regarding further information I will speak to the prisoners myself." Jude declares, taking the matter in her hands as always. Ghost bows his head again and departs.
We are all quiet for a moment, digesting the new situation before Oriana breaks the silence.
"You do not intend to hurt him, right?" I notice that Jude is trying to suppress a grimace. She confined in me that ever since she was little Oriana thought her to be violent and heartless. It got to the point where she was suspicious of Jude's intentions regarding Oak, being tense when they played together.
Even now after all these years during which Jude has proven her loyalty and love on multiple occasions, including putting her life at stake more times that I would like, she still didn't manage to gain her trust. My blood boils at how unappreciated Jude's sacrifices are. She does whatever she can to keep them safe and yet still gets all the backlash.
"I was under the impression that you wanted to learn about the prince's whereabouts, isn't that right?" I raise the corner of my mouth in a malicious smirk and cock my head to the side, relishing in the fact that Oriana cannot defy me.
"I do not plan on causing any harm on dad." She reassures the squirming woman and fixes me with a pointed look but my smile doesn't falter. She asked for it. "I will convey all the information we manage to gather."
"I thought that maybe you could allow me to be present during the conversation. Madoc might be more willing to talk to me, given your…history."
"I'll manage." Jude says through gritted teeth. Apparently, Oriana is wearing my wife's patience thin as well. If there is anything one has to know about Jude is to never underestimate her and certainly not to her face.
"But-"
"Look, Oriana, the time we are wasting on this conversation could be used on attiring ourselves." I cut her off and it she seems to come to her senses as she nods and heads towards the exit.
"I will notice you as soon as we find out anything important." My wife promises, her voice consoling.
When we are finally alone Jude closes her eyes and a sigh escapes her lips. I make my way to her and close her in an embrace. She lets her head fall on my chest while her arms wrap around my middle.
"Do you think he is okay?" I despise how hassled her voice sounds. There is no need to specify who she has in mind. I break our hug but my hands don't leave her body, softly caressing her shoulders.
"Of course he is. Since we are alerted about every single detail, no matter how insignificant, we would undoubtedly be notified if something happened to the heir of Elfhame. This is highly unlikely that they would decide that broken tableware is more worth informing us than a hurt prince." Jude chuckles at that but her smile fades as quickly as it appeared, making me doubt if it even was there in the first place.
"You're right." She nods but she looks like she is trying to convince herself. She takes a deep breath, gathering herself . "We should get ready." She says and her voice is firm again but I can still feel under my fingers how tense she is.
As I open my mouth to further comfort her, another knock on our door sounds and Tatterfell walks in.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We walk to the interrogation room, Jude's arm hooked around mine. We pass guard after guard that greet us, bowing deeply.
I glance at Jude. She is dressed in a dark green gown adorned with golden flowers and leaves on the whole length, the majority of them placed on her corset, flattering her figure. Her hair is pinned up in a complicated hairstyle with a few loose strands hanging around her face. And on top of her head is, obviously, a crown. She looks stunning as usual.
The relief she felt after talking to Tiernan is gradually evaporating, the closer we get to where Madoc is waiting. I can't blame her. After all she hasn't seen her father in nearly ten years and they didn't part in pleasant circumstances. We stand in front of the door and before I even get to say anything, Jude takes a deep breath and enters the room. Always so impatient.
I follow her to where Madoc is already sitting and I can't help but raise my eyebrows at the state of the redcap. He is covered in bruises and has a patch on his eye. Jude signs the guards to leave.
"Hello, daughter." His lips stretch in a smile. Then his gaze shifts towards me and I can see he is dissatisfied with my presence. "High King." I lift one corner of my mouth. Not the warmest of greetings but I suppose it is better than a knife in the back.
"You look well. The life of a queen suits you." That is what makes their relationship so complicated. Despite all his imperfections and hunger for blood, Madoc truly cares for his children. Jude may have tricked him, exiled him and take the crown right from under his nose and as furious as he is for that, he cannot help the pride as well as respect that his daughter managed to outsmart the grand general himself, gaining all he ever wanted and more. And yet, his desire for power and bloodshed will always be stronger than his love. That is why he cannot be trusted to stay in Elfhame.
"You on the other hand had better days." She retorts. Madoc just shrugs.
"This is what imprisonment at the Court of Teeth does to you." He says in a careless tone but we all know what he is alluding. Jude's expression stays unmoved. The only sign of her distress are clenched fists lying on her lap. I discreetly press my feet against hers to offer some comfort.
"Well, father, you could have just stayed in the mortal like I told you. You would have avoid all the pain and save us the trouble of cleaning up after you." They eye each other for a while before Madoc barks out a laugh, confirming Jude's theory that he had a say in his abduction.
The red cap's eyes flick to me. "You are unnaturally quiet today, Your Majesty. Did your wife forbid you to talk?" We all know that is an allusion to the time Jude had me under a vow. I am not known for letting insults under my address slide but he is my wife's father after all. We have an unspoken rule that each of us makes decisions regarding their family dilemmas on their own.
"And why would I interrupt this family reunion? Your verbal joust is extremely fascinating." I offer him my infamous wicked smile. Madoc looks as if he was about to say something but Jude doesn't give him a chance.
"We don't have time for your games. I want you to describe me the prison layout and where the guards are stationed." She looks at him with her peremptory gaze that would have made anyone rushing to fulfill her command. As expected, it does not have the same effect on the red cap.
"And what will I get out of this arrangement?" He asks.
I snort mockingly. "I see the exile did not change you a bit. Still willing to put your children's well-being at stake in sake of your gain."
"It would be foolish for anyone not to bargain if the circumstances are so beneficial." I cannot disagree with him. This situation feels ideal for him. Suspiciously ideal.
"Is the fact that your still alive despite breaking your exile not enough?" Jude raises her eyebrows although it is obvious that he does not intend to settle on that.
"We all know that you are not planning to behead me." She grits her teeth in annoyance. Madoc is one of the people that understands Jude best, analyzing her and learning on his own skin what she is capable of. He made the mistake of underestimating her before and yet, he is aware of Jude's biggest weakness-the people she loves. That deprives her of one of her strongest advantages. Fear. "I will share the information on one condition. I want you to pardon me from my exile. Let me return to Elfhame, to my stronghold that I know stands uninhabited. Allow me to live my life peacefully in a place I love."
"Dad you are unable of living a peaceful life. The need of war and bloodshed is engraved in you." Jude says.
"I swore myself to the crown, didn't I?"
"It didn't manage to stop many people before. Why would I trust that it will be different with you, given your past?"
"Believe it or not but I am proud of what you've accomplished. Seeing one of my children come so far brings me plenty of joy." And yet if he had the chance to regain the power he would certainly take it. Jude sighs and leans back on a chair, well aware of that too.
"You know I can't do that. Even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be possible." All the will to fight evaporates from her voice. She looks resigned, sad almost. The relationship between them two has always been complicated and a difficult topic for Jude.
There is no need in explaining these things to Madoc, he is well aware of the importance of coming off as strong and dangerous to the folk. Otherwise, there is a high chance that you won't live till the next day. We are all silent for a moment before Jude speaks again.
"I can offer you to stay here until everything settles with Oak but I want your word that during this time you will not scheme against me or Cardan, try to escape or impede our work. You will stay in the palace under the eye of my guards. And don't expect me to allow you to use weapon again because I won't. After Oak is whole and whale, back home, you will return to the mortal world without any tricks or games because I do not have time nor the energy for that. But that will only come through if you keep your part of the bargain. You will tell me anything that might be considered useful about Oak and The Court of Teeth and if I decide on some actions based on what you revealed to me and it will put me in danger you will be thrown straight in The Tower of Forgetting." Madoc watches Jude for a few seconds and then barks out a laugh.
"It's fascinating to see you in action, High Queen."