They waited. No one uttered a single word, not even the half alive guy on the table, breath barely forceful enough to expand his chest. Charlie had to strain her eyes to see if he was indeed still breathing, of course at this point, he would probably rather be dead.

"Is everything alright father? You sent for me?"

Bass' head snapped over to where Connor was standing, taking in the surroundings as his mouth formed a disgusted look.

"Things didn't go as expected and I thought it would be best coming from me that you hear the news. The man named Charlie as the assailant. My hands are tied. I'm sorry son." His voice broke on the last word; unshed tears collecting in his eyes. It took every ounce of willpower Bass could scrounge up to play this role.

He was excellent at putting on a show. Charlie would give him that. She didn't move, she didn't breathe, she didn't let one single sign show on her face that she was shocked beyond reason. But inside her heart rattled against her ribs in protest. What the hell was he doing?

Connor grimly nodded, gulping as he looked over at her. He only stared at Charlie for a few minutes before his shaky voice floated through the air. "I'm rendered speechless and utterly disgusted at the same time. We took you in and treated you like family, and this is the thanks we get. I was just starting to love you," longingly he peered into her eyes before she dropped her head.

Snapping his feet together, he spun on his heels before Bass called out.

"That's it? That's all you have to say upon finding out?" When Connor turned around, he had an unusual look in his eyes as though not understanding the question. "Because if it were me, I'd want all the details. All of the plan. Every excruciating step. How she went about it, how she cut her own arm during the dance, which you claim to have no knowledge of. Never mind that there's a slight tint of blood on your fingertips."

Connor couldn't control his eyes as they dropped towards his fingertips. Sure enough, there was a rosy, dull red color. How could he have been so stupid? He must've touched her accidentally.

His mouth opened on its own ready to invent all these preposterous ideas, but Bass swiftly silenced him.

"Because of your apparent lack of interest, it can only mean a few things. Either you don't care enough about an attempted assassination of your father and king, which is disheartening. Or that you are stupid and foolish and don't fear the same happening to you. Something that could've easily been prevented had you asked how she went about it so that future precautions could be made."

Bass took a step towards him. "The third explanation is my least favorite, but facts are starting to stack against you. You don't want to know how she did it, because you already know. You know how the plan unfolded…and you also know she wasn't behind any of it."

"I don't—"

For a minute, Connor looked distraught, and the sight made Bass' heart ache. Still he remained firm, "so which is it? Unless there's a possibility I missed, another explanation?"

"Yeah, the explanation is he wanted you dead." Charlie muttered under her breath, not aware that everyone's eyes were on her.

Connor snorted, moving his body closer to hers. "It figures a whore like you would speak out against me, taking the side of dear ol father."

Miles instantly sprang into action at the same time that Bass did, but he had a lot more at stake on the line. He loved his son, but there was also Charlie.

She however required no man to defend her. "I am not a whore," she sneered, standing toe to toe with him.

Connor bitterly chuckled, "ah, but you didn't deny the father part."

"What part?" She spat, genuinely confused by whatever he was trying to get at.

"The part where you're in love with him."

No one spoke. No one even breathed, this time Charlie had to check her own breathing to make sure she was still alive. Miles looked from Charlie to Bass, but no one paid him any attention. Hell, no one even looked away from Connor.

Bass stepped forward, "what are you talking about?"

"Don't act as though you don't know. You've been lusting after her since she first arrived. I'd be surprised if you hadn't already fucked her like the whore she is."

In a flash, Bass had Connor pressed up against the metal bars, head colliding as it bounced back.

"Call her a whore one more time," he breathed in his ear, "and I'll cut out your vocal chords. Do not test me."

He let go of Connor's tunic. "Please escort Princess Charlotte back to her chambers."

She wanted to argue that she wasn't a child he could send away when things took a drastic turn. That this was just as much about her as anyone. In fact, she was the target. She deserved to hear.

But once glance over towards her father shut her up. He locked eyes with her, confirming that he stood with Bass on this decision. She said nothing as she turned around, allowing herself to be lead away. Only casting a glance over her shoulder, peering at Bass' rigid form. She could see him practically trembling with rage.

Connor darkly chuckled once she was out of earshot. "Wow she must be really good because you've got it bad."

"Shut your ungrateful, infantile mouth before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

"Why? Don't want me to embarrass myself or you in front of King Miles the Great?"

He jerked his head in the direction of Miles' stoic figure, chin clamped together tightly. He wanted to let Bass handle things because it was his son, but if he didn't stop talking about Charlie in such vulgar terms, he was going to kill him.

"What is your apparent problem with Miles?"

Connor humorlessly laughed, "My problem isn't with Miles. My problem is the demented friendship you two have. You put him before me—"

"So you're mad because I didn't get you enough hugs?" Bass cocked up one eyebrow.

"I'm angry because he has my mother's blood on his hands and yet you happily greet him as though he was a brother. You shake his tainted, guilt infested hand and smile as you're doing it."

Bass recoiled from the surprising revelation, as did Miles. Not many people knew about what actually happened.

"Where did you hear that?" Bass was the first one able to regain the use of their voice.

"It doesn't matter where I heard it, it's true isn't it?"

This time it was Miles that spoke. "It's true that I made some bad choices in trying to acquire another kingdom. It's true that my greed and selfish mistakes cost your mother her life. It's true that half of all the bad shit Bass was forced into was because of me. But it isn't true that I wanted any of that to happen. Emma was a wonderful person, and I cared for her. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I could take it all back—"

"But you can't," Connor interjected. "The best thing for you to do would be to leave us alone, but dear ol father can't function without you it seems. You're like his crutch." Connor chortled, "although he's swapped you out for your lovely daughter it seems."

Bass roared, "I thought I told you to hold your tongue when it came to Charlotte."

Connor ignored him and just laughed. "Even the way you say her name, it's obvious how you want her. How you desire her in ways you shouldn't. It's pathetic; you're old enough to be her father, yet you pursue her. I can't have one thing to myself without one of the Mathesons' grubby hands latching out for a grab."

"The only pathetic person I see here is you. I've given you everything you could've possibly wanted and desired. I've made tough, hard decisions in order to ensure your rule as eventual King of this land—"

"But you don't even value my judgement nor opinion. You let the whore walk all over you and tell you how to—"

Bass' fist colliding with his jaw sent him flying backwards into the bars as he choked on his words. "Test my patience again and I won't be held responsible for my actions."

Connor struggled to regain his balance, using his hands to steady himself. "Even now you chose her over me. Tell me father, how did it feel to think she was actually the one who did it? The one who wanted you killed badly enough that she was willing to do it herself? How did it feel to think the one person you cared most for in the world, hated you?"

This was sick and twisted, even for Connor. His tone sounded as though he was getting off on the idea of putting a rift between the two of them. He wanted to know how much it pained Bass? How much it broke his goddamn heart to think even for the slightest second that Charlie could've possibly done it? He refused to answer any of those questions; he would not show his weakness to the enemy.

"Why?"

Connor rolled his eyes, "why what?"

Bass yanked him to a standing position by the collar of his tunic. "I want to know your motivation behind this. Why did you do it? And spare me the whiny undertones about needing fatherly affection and love. You clearly need more than that."

Connor raised one shoulder in a half shrug. "It's simple really. I grew tired of hearing about Miles all my life, always coming in second to him. You idolize and worship him more than you do your own son."

"Then why bring Charlie into this?" A grumble ripped through Miles' throat as he shot the question towards Connor.

But Connor never once looked at him when he spoke. "I wanted to hurt Miles and you at the same time, figured I could kill two birds with one stone this way. The only person you idolized more than Miles was Charlie. You immediately put her on this pedestal as a goddess or something. I just wanted to knock her off so that you wouldn't yearn for her as much as you did. It was obvious from the first day, though I foolishly thought maybe it would fade away. I didn't honestly think you would continue your pitiful little game. It disgusts me."

Stepping close to Connor's body, Bass' words hit him directly in his ear as he whispered. "I bet it would disgust you even more to know that she fervently played the game just as well as I did, and happily."

Taking a few steps back, he exhaled loudly, not able to take anymore of this. Instead he went in another direction. "There's been enough of that kind of talk. Now I want to know how you did it."

Connor's eyes twinkled in fascination. "Oh, that was rather complicated and took some time. You see," he placed his hands together underneath his chin, "I got the idea when I was visiting a town nearby Gallia just recently. One of those few days when Charlie couldn't be bothered with me, and you seemed slightly more irritating than usual." He shook his head, continuing on with the story before he got off topic again.

"There was this daft, nitwit fool I heard speaking hushed whispers in the streets about some woman assassin or vigilante of some sort. Of course the idiot had no idea she was a woman. How could one possibly make that mistake? It's not as though that can be easily hidden."

Connor rolled his eyes, "regardless of his stupidity, it intrigued me so I made him tell me everything he knew in grave detail. I even made sure to ask him here today incase something happened and you needed an extra push, although it didn't look as though you did. His tale put thoughts into my head about just how easy it would be to frame Charlie for an assassination attempt. Though the man said he didn't know what happened to the woman, she vanished apparently, but those were details that didn't matter. It didn't matter if she was or wasn't, I could mold her to be, pushing you to draw those conclusions for yourself. Plus she helped without even realizing. She's a strong capable woman who put on the pretense of hatred towards you. It was easy, almost too easy."

"Yes but, how did you go about finding someone to actually do the job for you?"

Connor waved his hand, "those are all boring semantics and irrelevant. You're forgetting the most important question of all."

Taking the bait, Bass hissed, "which is?"

"What was I going to do if you had actually been killed?"

His throat closed up, permitting no words from exiting as his body shook. That thought hadn't even crossed his mind, but apparently it was on Connor's.

"Don't you want to know?" Connor prompted again, egging him on.

Bass shook his head, balling his hands into fists at his side, but Connor didn't seem to care. One way or another, he was going to say.

"I was going to painfully mourn your body while taking over as King. Then I probably would've had Miles executed and pinned your death on him somehow." A gleam in his eye appeared as he looked towards Miles, then back at Bass. "And after all that, I would've taken Charlie as my wife, and fucked all remnants of you from her body."

Red filled Bass' eyes, drowning him in anger, wave after wave crashed into him allowing no time to recuperate. He was angered that Connor wouldn't have really felt sad. He was angered that he would've tried to blame Miles. But he was furious about the crude way he talked about Charlie. As though she were an object for his pleasure.

His fist shot out, smashing into Connor's chest, effectively causing him to double over, allowing Bass' knee to bounce off his face. Connor cupped his face as he slumped to the ground, landing with a harsh thud.

Bass said nothing as he stepped over him, addressing the guard instead. "It seems as though light has permitted his hatred to grow, so maybe it's best for him to spend some time down here in the darkness until he can be publically tried and justice be served."

Miles excited behind him, sending one last loathsome, but sympathetic look at Connor's crumbled up form.

"You're just going to leave me here? Father," he spat the word, but Bass was unaffected.

He watched as the door closed, ghost of a smirk on his face. "Believe me, this is me being merciful. If I don't leave now, the next step will be to skip a trial and have you publically hanged, drawn and quartered. And right now at this moment, I wouldn't even bat one eyelash. Son or not, I would revel in the sight of your bones being torn from your worthless body, listening for the snapping sound before air expelled from your lungs."

Bass had to bite the inside of his cheek in order to stop himself from saying anymore. He turned on his heels, quickly striding away as Miles slowly followed behind. There was nothing he could say, nothing he could do. He felt like part of it was his fault again, but this time Bass didn't blame Miles. He blamed himself. They climbed the staircase in silence.

Which was exactly how Charlie remained from the moment one of the knights escorted her to her room. All of the guests began shuffling out immediately, and she was informed that both her mother and brother had left for home. It had been far too much excitement for them, and they requested Miles come as soon as he was finished.

Typical of her mother, leaving without telling anymore and dragging poor Danny along with her. She even took Nora, which wasn't usual, but not surprisingly. Her mother never seemed to like the bond she shared with Nora.

A loud rap at her door startled her, body twitching in shock as she went to answer it. "Yes?"

Another new knight appeared. Charlie was getting a headache trying to keep up with all these new faces. She would be glad when things calmed and the dust settled.

"Sorry for the intrusion your highness, but your presence has been requested down in the dungeon where the interrogation is being held."

Immediately Charlie nodded, thinking that one of them changed their minds and came to their senses. It was a ridiculous decision to being with, but she was just glad to be included again. She wanted to know what really happened, though she had already started to piece together some of it.

After a few minutes of walking, they took an unexpected turn

"Are we not going to the dungeon?" Charlie's curious voice caused the knight to look over at her.

"Yes of course, the other way is just blocked with servants cleaning the area. Dances and festivities can be rather messy you know."

The wheels in her mind started to turn. "But this is the less direct way, plus the other path wasn't occupied at all during the dance. There would be no need to clean that area."

They turned a corner as the knight looked at her, smirk slipping onto his face. "You're more clever than they give you credit for. Pity I prefer my women silent and not asking me stupid questions."

Immediately she began backing up, opening her mouth to protest but something engulfed her face, darkness slowly surrounding her until her body went limp and numb.