JADE and Hosun had been given the night to spend with each other. In the morning, the King called on them.
Their denial was gone, replaced with a dull resignation and a heartache that should have been felt by all the people around them. But it only affected Jade and Hosun.
They climbed the steps to the Imperial Palace slowly, carefully, as though they could delay Jade's exile.
But of course, they couldn't. Not even Hosun, one of the most powerful men in the kingdom. No one could go against the Laws.
They were shown straight into the throne room. Jade had seen it once before, when she had been invited with Hosun to congratulate them on their wedding. It was grand, made of pure marble with gold chandeliers hanging from the arched ceiling. And of course, the soldiers that lined the walls, looking stiff and unseeing.
Two people were waiting for them. King Könei Sovranus and Queen Rositi Sovranus.
The king was tall, though not so tall as Hosun, and muscled, indicating his years of training. He had that regal air that most monarchs had, that wonderfully emotionless face and poised figure.
The queen was much smaller, petite and delicate. Her lavish gown and ornaments seemed utterly at home on her, as though she had been born into the role. Indeed, she had been a noble's daughter before marrying the king. Her features spoke sympathy, and sadness, and Jade knew that the queen understood.
Jade and Hosun made their customary curtsy and deep bow.
No one spoke for several moments.
Then King Könei cleared his throat, "General. Lady Bo'ehr. I have heard what has happened."
"Please, Your Highness, can't anything be done?" Hosun asked, his voice near to pleading.
The king sighed, and Jade felt a momentary flash of pity for him. The lines on his face seemed meant for a much older man.
"I am afraid not. I cannot be seen showing favoritism, even to my General. The Laws are the Laws, and even I am bound by them."
Hosun's jaw tensed, and Jade felt dread rising in her heart.
"Then, Your Highness, you shall have to exile me as well."
Jade whirled to Hosun, her eyes wide and panicked. What was he saying? She took in a breath, ready to tell him what was right—
"General, I cannot," the king's voice, smooth despite the tension, flowed through the room.
"I refuse to leave my wife," Hosun said, voice hard as stone.
"Hosun!" All eyes shot to her, and Jade pressed her lips together, "You cannot abandon your post as General, not when the kingdom needs you."
He had told her, time and time again, that he had been raised to put the kingdom first, its needs before his one. He had sworn to that, and Jade was in no way going to let him break his oath for her.
He opened his mouth, but Jade's eyes were determined, "You swore to put Tsuchengko first when you accepted the role of General. And as much as I want you to come with me, I knew, when I married you, that you would hold to that oath. Are you going to break it now?"
Silence.
And then Hosun's sigh broke through.
"Jaden—"
"Hosun, please," she would die before letting him forget his duty to his kingdom. As his wife, it was her job to make sure he performed his duty, and she was going to do it.
His shoulders sank, and Jade knew, through the despair in her stomach, that she had won.
He lowered his head.
Jade felt regret, and guilt—but she would not take back what she had done for the world. Had he left with her, his honor, their honor, duty—it would all be dust.
Jade would have to endure this journey on her own.
The king cleared his throat, "Very well, then. Jade-Lily Bo'ehr, you shall be sent to Arrian."
Of course. Arrian was where they sent criminals whose crime was of very mild nature. Those who were more dangerous went to Qarini, the Kingdom of Snow, and the worst went to Dezhaya. The Kingdom of Deserts, almost unbearable for any Tsuchengko subject.
"Normally, an exiling would take place in front of a large crowd, including all the nobles- but, given the situation, I thought it would be best to do it here."
The king looked towards a soldier at the far end of the room, who had evidently been waiting for a signal. He, and another soldier, opened the doors they were standing in front of, and from them came a group of people that Jade's heart sank on seeing.
Her parents-in-law were first, Hosun's father looking grave, and his mother openly weeping. They had loved her like their own child.
Next were her own parents, and Jade's mother was in absolute hysterics, while she could see even her father struggling to keep back tears.
And last, Jasmine.
Her face was white and drawn, but Jade could see the message in her face, clear as water.
It should have been me.
And Jade shook her head, as if to say no, but Jasmine dropped her eyes. Jade could see her guilt, though it hadn't been her fault at all.
Jade stood numb as her parents embraced her. She met Hosun's eyes, and they were warm, and without them she would have broken down into tears as well. But she couldn't be weak, not now.
Not when she would only have herself to depend upon.
The king strode to them, his face set. The queen accompanied him, her steps much less sure.
Her family moved to the side, except Hosun, whose hand touched her shoulder lightly, and remained there even when she sank to her knees.
She hadn't ever seen an exiling. The only important royal event she'd been to was the funeral of Princess Gloria, King Könei's sister—but she knew the protocol.
And when the king spoke, his voice carried all the authority of his rank, "Jade-Lily Bo'ehr you have broken a Law of this kingdom, and hence must be banished, never to return to Tsuchengko."
"The punishment for this is exile."
"This means, not only will you leave your kingdom, but all relations you have shall be severed. This means, from this moment henceforth, you are no longer Jade-Lily Bo'ehr, no longer the daughter of Lord and Lady Nevin."
"And no longer the wife of General Hosun Bo'ehr."
Jade bowed her head, looking at the white marble at her feet. It was done, then. She knew that the king had skipped some lengthier speeches, and she was thankful. Hearing them would have been unbearable.
She stood up slowly, the hollowness in her chest unfamiliar. Everything she had used to define herself was gone. She was not Jade-Lily Bo'ehr, not Jade-Lily Nevin. She was not Hosun's wife. She was not a subject of Tsuchengko but would soon be a part of Arrian.
Who was she?
She turned towards her parents-in-law, and embraced them for one last time, and then her parents. To each of them, she whispered, "I love you."
With Jasmine, her embrace was tighter, conveying all the thoughts that words could not say. To her, Jade give the only piece of advice she could, "Be happy."
Then it was Hosun's turn. Dimly, she noticed everyone else averting their eyes, and she was grateful. Then, Hosun's fingers gripped her chin, and she lost all other thought.
"I will always be your husband, no matter what, Jaden. I will love you till my death and even beyond that," he promised.
She swallowed, her throat dry, "And I shall always be your wife, with or without your name. My heart belongs to you for the rest of eternity."
Hosun's eyes flashed, and Jade could see, for the first time, tears in his eyes. Hosun, the brave General Hosun who had never cried before her, had now let a tear slip out of his eye.
Jade raised a shaky hand and wiped it off, and she felt Hosun's fingers tremble.
Then their lips collided.
The kiss spoke of despair, of anger, of longing, and regret. It tasted of Jade, and Hosun, and the saltiness of their tears.
It said goodbye.
They had to draw back, finally, and Jade wiped Hosun's tears before wiping her own, but it was useless, for the droplets kept rolling out of both's eyes. Jade took one last look at Hosun's face, haggard and lost, and whispered the two words that she knew would give him a purpose.
"Protect Tsuchengko."
He only gave her a harsh nod, and her lips quivered, because in that moment all she wanted to do was run her fingers through his hair, wipe the moisture in his eyes, and kiss him again.
But it couldn't happen.
She looked at Hosun for as long as she could, even as two soldiers led her out of the castle. Their gaze was heavy with all their promises, and Jade was sure of only one thing in that moment.
She felt it, deep till her bones. The knowledge that no matter what, Hosun would never cease to love her.
And then the castle doors shut, separating them forever.
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