The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

"They are," Thorne said and looked at Cedric with an expression that made the old elder drop his gaze. "Or are you suggesting that i forged them?"

Cedric shook his head and said "Of cause not Your Majesty, I wouldn’t dare."

Thorne turned to face the full council.

"The accused," Thorne said, his voice ringing through the chamber, "did not steal the necklace. Lady Isolde took it from Lady Margot’s chamber. Lady Isolde then planned with her accomplices to frame the accused and have her removed from the palace."

"Why?" Cedric asked, though his tone suggested he might already know the answer.

"Motive," Thorne said quietly, "is always the question in any conspiracy. Why would the accused steal? She had no need. She had no access to anyone who would buy stolen goods. She had no history of theft."

He paused, allowing the logic to settle.

"But why would Lady Isolde frame her?" Thorne continued. "That requires understanding what Morgana represented to her."

His dark eyes found Isolde in the crowd.

"Lady Isolde perceived this as a threat to her own standing. To her own chances. And so, with the help of her conspirators, she orchestrated an elaborate frame that would remove the servant from the palace entirely."

Cedric looked directly at Isolde.

"Lady Isolde," he said, his voice cold and formal, "do you deny these charges?"

Isolde’s face was twisted with rage and fear.

"I deny nothing!" she spat. "And if you’re all too blind to see it, then you deserve what comes when she brings the kingdoms down around your ears!"

The words hung in the air.

And in those words was a revelation that made the entire court understand something more was happening here than a simple conspiracy.

Something about Morgana mattered.

Something about her was significant in ways that even the conspiracy couldn’t fully explain.

***

Cedric turned his cold gaze to Vivienne, Seraphine, and Celeste.

"Did you assist Lady Isolde in this conspiracy?" he asked bluntly.

Vivienne’s jaw tightened. She said nothing.

Seraphine’s carefully maintained composure fractured. She looked away.

And Celeste....young, pale Celeste, began to cry.

"Thorne’s quiet voice cut through the tension.

"I already have testimony from each of you," he said, "I’m giving you the opportunity to admit your guilt here, before this council, It will be noted in the record...."

He paused.

"Or you can continue to lie, and I will present the testimony I have already gathered, and the judgment will be harsher for your refusal to confess."

It was a masterful move. A pressure point perfectly applied.

Celeste broke.

Her voice shattered as she spoke: "Yes. Yes, we helped her. We all did."

"Why?" Cedric asked.

"Because she said..." Celeste’s voice was barely a whisper. "She said Morgana was a threat. She said she was trying to seduce the kings. She said we had to protect ourselves, protect our families, protect our standing."

"And planting false evidence seemed a reasonable way to do that?" Cedric asked, his voice dripping with contempt.

"I didn’t want to!" Celeste cried. "I told her it was wrong! But she said... she said if we didn’t do it, she would turn on us. She said she had information about our families, about things we didn’t want revealed."

She was openly sobbing now.

"I was afraid. I was so afraid."

Vivienne stood abruptly.

"Enough," she said coldly. "Yes, we did it. Yes, we helped her. And I would do it again. That servant girl has no place in this palace. She’s nothing. Less than nothing."

Seraphine said nothing. She simply stared straight ahead, her expression one of icy calculation, accepting her fate with the kind of resigned acceptance that suggested she had always known it might come to this.

***

Cedric stood.

His face was grave, his bearing formal, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority.

"Lady Isolde of House Greythorne," he said, his words resonating through the chamber, "you stand accused of conspiracy, theft, and bearing false witness against an innocent person."

Isolde’s face was a mask of rage barely contained by the guards holding her down.

"How do you answer?" Cedric asked.

"I answer that this is all a lie!" Isolde spat. "All of it! You’re being manipulated by the kings! They want her for something, and you’re all too blind to see it!"

"Your defiance is noted," Cedric said coldly. "However, the evidence against you is overwhelming. Multiple witnesses. Documented proof of your movements. Confessions from your accomplices."

He paused.

"Therefore, the council finds you guilty of all charges," Cedric announced. "You are hereby expelled from the palace. You are banned from the palace grounds permanently. Your family will be informed of your crimes, and House Greythorne will be required to provide compensation to Lady Margot for the trauma of this false accusation."

He turned to Vivienne and Seraphine.

"You are also expelled and banned. Your families will be notified. Compensation will be required."

And then his gaze landed on Celeste.

"You," he said, his voice slightly softer, "cooperated in your confession and expressed genuine remorse. The council will note this in its recommendation. You are expelled and banned, but no formal charges will be brought against you beyond that."

Celeste’s tears flowed even faster, but there was relief in them now. Not joy, there was nothing joyful about banishment, but the relief of someone who understood she might have escaped far worse.

Guards moved forward and began to escort the four noble daughters from the chamber.

As Isolde was being led away, Draeven stood.

The movement was slow, deliberate, and it commanded absolute attention.

The First King descended the dais steps with the kind of predatory grace that suggested barely restrained violence. His golden eyes were burning with barely contained fury.

He positioned himself directly in Isolde’s path.

"You," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "threatened her. You conspired against her. I know what you did to her at the dungeon, what you said to her"

His hand moved to grip her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.