Chapter 162

FELIX

It was Mila’s idea to put Charles and Isabella together again.

“That sounds dangerous,” I said, knitting my brow.

Mila shrugged. “They both have the shackles on and we can bug the room.”

I stared at my wife for a moment, impressed. I had no idea that she had such a devious side to her.

“You’re brilliant,” I told her, in awe.

After putting Charles and Isabella in the same room, however, we were stunned to discover that the feelings between the two might actually be real. I had never heard my brother like that–swearing his love and allegiance to another person.

Truthfully, for a long time, I thought Charles was incapable of loving anyone other than himself. But his conversations with Isabella were proving otherwise.

“What do you think?” I asked Mila over dinner. We had finally moved back into the castle, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders to have my whole family under one roof again.

She chewed slowly, thinking it over. “I think that perhaps we will continue their exile.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

Mila leaned forward. “With one twist.”

After dinner, we called Isabella and Charles into the throne room. Mila sat next to me, a small velvet bag in her lap. The two looked uncertain, yet hopeful.

“We called you here to discuss your banishment,” I announced. “We are proposing some alterations. If you do not agree, you will return to your original forms of punishment.”

Charles shuddered. “Anything is better than the dungeons.”

“You will both be exiled from the kingdom,” I continued, “never to set foot in Fresonia again. There is a small island in the region of the South Smythe Islands that is magically protected. The island is frequently used as a political prison for the kingdoms, but there is a small garden house there overlooking the sea.”

“You will be permitted to live in the house,” Mila added, “together. You can live out the rest of your days in exile, but also in comfort. It may not be the most ideal circumstance, but you will at least be able to see the sun.”

“Will we ever be allowed to leave the island?” Charles asked.

I hesitated. “If one of your immediate family members dies, we will discuss arrangements for you to be able to attend their funeral. Otherwise, you will be bound to the island, never to leave, never to receive guests.”

“I know this may seem harsh,” Mila said, “but–”

“It’s not harsh at all.” Isabella’s eyes were shining. “We get to be together and I get to be free of the Bensons.”

Charles looked slightly more hesitant. “And Hades?”

“Your dragon will be retired from the royal guard,” I told him. “You will not be reunited with him. This is for not only your safety, but his. Dragons are social creatures. He needs to be around other dragons.”

Charles bowed his head. “That is for the best.”

“There is another thing,” Mila said quietly. The two prisoners turned their heads to look at her.

Mila opened the velvet pouch on her lap to reveal two glowing rings. They tumbled into her hand, and she extended them towards Charles and Isabella.

“These rings accomplish the same things as the shackles,” Mila told them. “Any action you decide to take that would harm either Fresonia or any of the magical kingdoms will be impossible with them on. And once you put the rings on, they are impossible to take off, unless by me.”

Isabella and Charles looked up at her, slightly alarmed.

“We will never be able to take them off?” Isabella whispered.

“By chains, no,” Mila clarified. “By the consequences of your own actions, yes. You are free from the dungeons and the servitude, but you will never truly be free from the damage you both have caused.”

“We are grateful for the work you have done in helping us save Fresonia,” I said. “But the scars of your coup are still very much embedded into not only our kingdom, but all of the magical kingdoms. What you did was treason, and it was deadly.”

Charles swallowed. “And I apologize for that.”

“No apologies will ever be enough to make me trust you again,” I said calmly. “What’s done is done and it can never be taken back. Too much was lost.”

I thought of Albert, and my heart ached.

“If it were up to me, you both would be in the dungeons for the rest of time,” I said. “But your Queen is a kind and merciful ruler. Mila is the reason that this new arrangement came to be. She is willing to give you a comfortable end to your days, instead of forcing you to live amongst the rats.”

Isabella looked at my wife, wide-eyed.

“Your cruel actions towards Mila have not been forgotten, either, Isabella,” I told her. “Even before the coup, you treated my wife like she was little more than trash on the side of the road. I have not forgiven that, even if she has.”

Isabella lowered her head in shame. “I was a different person then.”

“We shall see.” I knew I was coming off as a bit harsh, but I was really starting to lose my patience with these two. We were offering them comfort and peace, and they were still pouting about it.

“There is one more thing,” Mila said. “Isabella.”

The former noblewoman snapped to attention.

“Thanks to your investigation, we were able to recover the funds my family stole from me at my adoption,” Mila said. “The full sum will be transferred into an account in your name. It is what you both will be expected to live on.”

Isabella nearly started shaking. “That is a very large sum, Your Majesty.”

Mila shrugged. “You earned it. Consider it your salary for putting up with the Bensons.”

I cleared my throat. “Do you accept this deal?”

Isabella and Charles exchanged a look. Wordlessly, my brother extended a hand for one of the rings.

“I choose exile,” he said firmly.

Isabella put her hand out as well.

Mila stood, placing the rings on each of their fingers.

“We wish you well,” she said softly. “Your families are each in the next room to say goodbye.”

Isabella’s eyes lit up. “Both of our families?”

Mila nodded. Isabella practically sprinted into the next room. I had forgotten that her parents had effectively disowned her after the coup. Perhaps she was still feeling the sting of that rejection.

Mila and I stayed behind to give them both some privacy. I knew that my parents hated to see Charles sent away, but knew it was for the best. They would never stop loving him, even if we all stopped liking him.

“Are you okay?” Mila asked me.

I nodded. Before I could respond, Charles walked back into the throne room. To my absolute surprise, he approached me.

“I, uh, wanted to say goodbye,” Charles said. “To you.”

“To me?” I raised an eyebrow.

Charles cleared his throat. “You will always be my big brother, even now.”

I could tell that it pained him to say that.

“Goodbye, Charles,” I said.

And then I did one thing I had not done in years.

I gave my brother a hug.