As the sun climbed higher, its golden rays spilled into the meeting room, painting the space in a deceptively warm light. Eko stood at the edge of the room, her breath steady but shallow, her slender fingers gripping the soft folds of her silk robe. Her eyes, typically serene, now burned with an intensity that betrayed the storm beneath her composed exterior.

Matthew stood in stark contrast to the morning's golden glow. Once the embodiment of strength and resilience, he was now a harrowing sight. His clothes clung to his body, not just soaked in blood but saturated, the deep stains speaking to the brutality he had endured. The fabric hung in tatters, matted and torn, exposing dark, angry bruises that marred his skin like unwelcome confessions.

The atmosphere was thick with unspoken concern and curiosity as all eyes were fixed on his battered form.

Eko was the first to break the silence. Her voice, trembling yet resolute, cut through the oppressive quiet like a blade. "Where have you been?"

Matthew's jaw clenched, his sharp gaze locking onto hers. Her sudden appearance felt like a punch to his already battered body, a force he hadn't anticipated. Anxiety flared within him, coiling tight in his chest, the emotions he'd been suppressing for weeks rising to the surface with brutal intensity.

Her voice hit him harder than any blow he'd taken. He had told himself he could forget it, could steel himself against the way she made him feel. But now, hearing her again, he realized the futility of that thought. Her words struck a chord so deep it left him reeling. His heart pounded in his throat, his stomach twisting with nerves he hadn't felt in years.

This wasn't part of the plan. He hadn't expected her to be awake. He hadn't accounted for the possibility that a servant might summon her. His plan had been simple: slip in, fulfill his obligation, and slip out before anyone could ask questions. But here she was, her presence pulling every buried memory and emotion back to the surface, raw and unfiltered.

Matthew had spent the past six weeks trying to outrun this moment.

"Answer me! Where have you been?" Eko demanded, her voice sharp and cutting as she stepped forward, her gaze locking onto the fresh scars marring his face. But as she closed the distance between them, she noticed his hesitation—a subtle retreat that made her stop cold.

His reaction hit her like a blow. It wasn't just avoidance; it was rejection, a withdrawal that made her feel like an unwelcome intruder in her own court. Her hands gripped her robes tighter near her chest, her breath catching in her throat as his gaze, heavy with dismissal, refused to meet hers.

Matthew's voice was low, measured, and devoid of any warmth. "I will not be here for long, Your Highness. I'm here only to brief your high guards."

Then, turning to the assembled guards, he continued with a clipped tone. "We'll move this conversation to the war room."

As he moved to leave, Eko stepped into his path, her body blocking his way. "No," she snapped, her irritation laced with the exhaustion of sleepless nights. "You'll speak here."

The room grew tense, the guards exchanging uncertain glances as the charged silence stretched between them.

Matthew clenched his jaw, his frustration barely restrained as he stood rigid before her. "We just encountered Isis and Cid. Phase II of SIO is now active. Your guards need to be briefed on the next protocol."

Eko's breath hitched, her chest tightening as though the air had been knocked from her lungs. "Wait, what?" she gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief. "I thought you killed them. There haven't been any disturbances—no warnings, nothing."

His expression remained stoic, his posture unnervingly perfect, like a soldier standing at attention. He didn't look at her, didn't offer any reassurance or explanation.

One of her war generals, sensing the brewing storm, stepped in. "Your Highness, there have been minor disturbances. Allegiant has been handling them before they reached public awareness. Xero has been coordinating operations on the ground. The blast eliminated their armies, but the leaders from our intel survived."

Eko's anger surged, her fists trembling as she turned from the general to Matthew. "And no one thought to inform me?" she demanded, her voice rising with frustration. "I'm not just the public! We're supposed to be a team in this!"

Still, he didn't meet her eyes. The room seemed to hold its breath as Eko's words echoed off the walls, demanding a response he refused to give.

"Matthew!" she snapped, her voice cracking with the weight of her fury.

Finally, he answered, his tone cold and formal. "Your war generals were informed. It is their duty to protect you."

A second war general stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "Your Highness, Isadora remains secure. There was no immediate threat to you, no cause for alarm. Allegiant is managing the situation with precision."

Eko's hands trembled at her sides, her anger giving way to something deeper—hurt, betrayal. "No cause for alarm?" she repeated, her voice trembling. Her gaze bore into Matthew, willing him to look at her, to explain, to say something that would make her feel less like a queen kept in the dark and more like the partner he once swore she was.

But he stood there, unmoving, his silence a wall she couldn't breach.

The seasoned war general in the room  exchanged a brief glance one of the younger generals that had just spoken. Both nodded in silent agreement. The elder had served long enough to understand the weight of unspoken words, the way power could shift and settle in a room. He had been loyal to Sera's mother and now served her with the same unwavering commitment. Yet even he could see the volatility simmering between Sera and Matthew, two forces colliding in a way that felt less like a meeting of equals and more like an impending storm.

Rumors had swirled about their arrangement, whispers of a contract rather than a bond, a marriage of necessity to shield Sera until the right time. The general didn't indulge in gossip, but the tension before him lent those whispers a troubling plausibility.

"If there's nothing further to address?" Deuce, the senior general, broke the silence, his voice calm but firm. He looked to Matthew for confirmation.

Matthew inclined his head in a curt nod. "You will receive the full briefing for Phase II. Allegiant's commander will arrive in several hours to answer any remaining questions." His tone was as measured as his movements as he turned toward the door, the faint flicker of magic sparking at his fingertips—an almost subconscious signal that he was ready to leave.

But he didn't get far.

"Do NOT move, Headmaster!" Eko's voice cut through the tension like a blade, sharp and commanding, the weight of her words freezing Matthew mid-step. It wasn't a request—it was an order, one he was compelled to acknowledge. The title, spoken so firmly, carried a power she didn't realize had long since been stripped from him. His frame stiffened, the smallest flicker of tension betraying his otherwise rigid composure.

Around the room, heads turned toward her, expressions shifting from confusion to alarm. Her words landed heavily, rippling through the air like a stone dropped in still water. Every soul in the room knew the truth: Matthew was no longer Headmaster, no longer allowed to carry that mantle, and certainly forbidden from being alone with her. And yet, she had invoked the title as though it were still his to bear, her ignorance hanging in stark contrast to the unspoken reality pressing down on everyone else.

"Generals, soldiers, staff—leave," Eko commanded, her voice a steady drumbeat of authority. Her gaze swept across the room, leaving no room for hesitation. "Now."

The room shifted as her words took root. The generals, seasoned and battle-worn, exchanged glances but moved first, their steps measured and deliberate as they filed toward the door. Soldiers followed in practiced ranks, their disciplined movements betraying a flicker of unease. The staff—advisors, aides, and assistants—trailed behind, slower and more hesitant, casting furtive glances over their shoulders as they exited.

Eko remained oblivious to the silent tension, her focus fixed solely on Matthew. But he noticed. He noticed every wary glance, every subtle shift in posture, and the way their steps quickened as if eager to escape. He also knew what they were escaping from: not just this conversation, but the consequences that would follow.

They all knew like Matthew had that he was not to be alone with her, that was a strict implantation of the rules that he needed to follow. and he knew someone in the room would tell. That was inevitable.

The room gradually emptied, the sound of footsteps and the rustle of clothing fading into silence. Matthew turned slightly, his voice low and steady as he addressed the last of the exiting soldiers. "Leave it open and wait outside. This will be brief."

Eko's jaw tightened, her eyes burning with disbelief as her tone sharpened into a whip. "Close the door and get out," she snapped, each word landing like a hammer. "Now."

The servants hesitated, their gazes darting between her and Matthew, caught in the tension that threatened to suffocate the room. It took only one fierce glare from his future queen to send them scrambling, the door clicking shut behind them with a finality that would kick off the weight of the next war in that overly charged room.

Matthew exhaled audibly, his gaze flicking briefly to the closed door before returning to a neutral point just beyond her shoulder. He knew what he had just allowed to happen. A breach of protocol. A direct violation of the rules laid down by the council. There would be hell to pay for this, yet he remained still, his stance as rigid as a statue, his control holding him together like iron bands.

She didn't know. Not about the orders. Not about the last few weeks. But why would she? Those matters had always been deliberately kept far from her purview, matters the people around her  would likely deem beneath her—trivial logistics about who controlled Allegiant's academy bases, the inner workings of its chain of command, no-one would bother to tell her that.

Matthew straightened, his body a picture of forced composure, and bowed stiffly, a hollow gesture of respect. This conversation had to be brief, he reminded himself, his voice steady as he finally spoke. "Your Highness."

The title stung like a slap, its calculated detachment twisting in the air between them. Eko's lips pressed into a thin line, her patience thinning under the weight of his cold formality. Her gaze was sharp, cutting through the invisible armor he wore.

"What is going on out there ?" Her words tumbled out in a rush.

Matthew's posture stiffened further, his face an impassive mask that betrayed nothing. His voice was clipped, calculated, every syllable designed to keep her at arm's length. "Your Highness, I have relayed all necessary information to your war generals. They are fully capable of providing the details you require. My duty is to them. If that is all—"

"That is not all," Eko interrupted sharply, her voice cutting through his monotony like a blade. Her chest rose and fell with measured breaths as she tried to temper the storm of frustration roiling inside her. "Talk to me, please, Matthew.

For the briefest moment, his jaw tightened, a flicker of something unspoken flashing in his eyes before he forced it away. "Everything you need to know has already been conveyed through the proper channels," he said, his tone cool and unyielding. "You placed your trust in them to handle such matters. They have done so. I will not circumvent their authority."

"No!" The word burst from her, raw and unrestrained. "You speak to me!" Her voice trembled, and she hated how exposed she felt in that moment, her anger spilling out despite her attempts to keep it contained.

"I report to the council," Matthew said evenly, the steel in his voice unmistakable. "I report to your war generals. My duty is to advise and implement the decisions of the crown, as I did for your mother before you. The information you seek is with those you entrusted to protect you. Now, I need to take my lea-"

"-Why are you doing this?" Eko's voice softened, asking about the widening chasm between them.

"It's my job to do this," he said flatly, the words mechanical, as though they cost him nothing.

She stepped closer, her voice trembling as her eyes searched his. "I meant us."

His eyes flicked to hers, guarded but not empty. "Us?" he repeated, his voice devoid of warmth. "We have a professional tolerance for one another—"

>>>>

"Tolerance?" The word came out like a hiss. "You are my goddamn husband, Matthew!"

"I am nothing to you," he snarled at her, "and the fact of the matter is that right now I can't stand to fucking look at you. Being in this room is insufferable, your highness."

Eko's teeth gritted Because the hatred in his bones was seeping through, and she was truly afraid of the amount of damage that she caused him, for he was being the ruthless cunt he was known to be, unyielding and detached. So very, very detached.

"You won't let me apologize properly so we can fix this."

"There is nothing to fix!" He hissed. "You are merely incapable of leaving it alone."

"That's because I lo-"

"Stop!" He barked raising his hand almost to silence her, "do not even consider finishing that sentence!"

Eko's voice was lost in his uproar when she tried to reconfirm to him that she loved him.

"Matthew..."

"-Let me make this 100% crystal clear to you so you understand the expectations here." He continued in his defiance on the tone he took with the generals that pissed him off, the tone she heard him scold the soldiers with. "Going forward I want you to stop emailing me, texting me, leaving me voicemails. I want you to stop sending back the divorce papers. I want your name off my land titles. I want you to stick your nose out of Allegiant's affairs. The moment I leave here, you will address the press and the media outlets and confirm that you and I were a plan of action and we fabricated this whole thing. This was planned in order to protect you and it was a stratgedy that meant your survival. We played our parts and we played them well, that's all this was. But there is nothing else between us, there will be nothing else ever between us."

"You .. can't believe that," she touched the top of her chest, fingers over the long chain that slipped down her bodice Becuase that's where she's kept her wedding rings that were tucked into her satin night gown. The same rings he had demanded back quite furiously weeks ago, and the same rings he emailed her to tell her to stop wearing in public or he would go there and take it from her himself and throw them into the depths of the deepest ocean just like he had done of his own.

She doesn't know if he actually did it, but that hurt a lot that day when she read that line.

"I believe your highness that it would do everyone a world of good if you stopped with this charade. I want this all to fucking stop!"

"How can you say that!?" She screamed at him, her patience gone, he knew how to press her bottoms and he had done it so effortlessly with his cowardice. "I love you Matthew! I have loved you the moment I have known you!"

" I said shut the fuck up!" He roared pointing at her. "SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THAT!"

"WHY THE FUCKKKK ARE YOU BEING LIKE THIS FOR!?"

Suddenly over their violent screams they begun hurtling words of abuse at each other and it was enough of a screaming match that the doors flew open and two of her personal guards had run in. It was their duty to protect their future Queen, and what they heard did not bode well for any of them.

"Skarsgard enough!" Deuce intervened, "you will not ..."

"GET OUT!" Eko roared to the guards as she turned on them, "this is between me and my husband!"

"FOR FUCK SAKE!" Matthew roared at her, for he had been ready to take off. "I AM NOT YOUR FUCKING HUSBAND! I AM NOTHING. WE ARE NOTHING!"

"YOU ARE BEING A CUNT RIGHT NOW!" She pointed her finger at him vehemently, "YOU ARE MY HUSBAND AND I AM YOUR WIFE! WE ARE DISCUSSING THIS!" She breathed in deep her whole body trembling. "We are not going to do this through emails and texts and fucking Chinese whispers! We are talking about this face to face! I have not seen you in nearly seven weeks!"

"THATS BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO FUCKING DISCUSS!" He roared in wrath.

"JESUS CHRIST!" She screamed vehemently at the end of her wits. "JUST STOP!"

"DO NOT JESUS CHRIST ME! YOU DID THIS! YOU FUCKING DID THIS TO US!" And his powers crackled subconsciously because he was losing control. "AND I CANNOT STAND HERE A MOMENT FUCKING LONGER LOOKING AT YOU!"

"Skarsgard back down!" Another soldiers voice interrupted. "Enough!" For the saw his magic swirling.

"DEUCE, RICKARD!" Eko screamed at them Becuase Matthew didn't scare her, his emotions were just getting the best of him and she was the cause of his absolute pain at that moment, "JUST GET OUT! GET OUT!"

"No! I will fucking leave!" Matthew snapped.

"DO NOT EVEN FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT!" With her chest rising and falling, she felt the nausea creep into the back of her throat. She had barely slept as it is, and looking at Matthew, he looked the same way she had, the world had tired them out, exhausted them. The pain of being apart had tested them and torn them down.

Her guards nodded disgruntled and as much as they didn't want to, they obeyed her command and left with the doors clicking behind them.

The air between them was still volatile, and yet she watched as Matthew run his hands through his hair.

"Why are you fighting against this?"

"Why are you?" He snarled. "I don't want to be with you, I don't want you! I don't to hear you! I don't want to see you! I fucking hate you to my core right now," and he bested his fist to his chest. "NOTHING! NOTHING WILL EVER, EVER FIX THE SHIT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME!"

"I-I?" Eko trembled, "w-what?"

He groaned out, "you heard me, Sera. Jesus Christ, so don't stand there and look at me like I'm the crazy one in all of this."

She was unable to speak as his powers clicked at his fingers again, and he exhaled psyching himself up to speak again."

"The very fact of the matter, your highness, is that I would rather suffer through all of my childhood again, all that fucking pain and abuse then ever, EVER, be with you again! That's the damage you caused, that's what you've done to ME!"

Eko gasped out feeling the raw pain, that on the scale of his pain, she had hurt him the most.

"So ..." he struggled to find the words as he indicated between them with his hands. "Whatever the fuck this was, a means of distraction, something to feel better about, I don't know, but I don't fucking care to spend any more time thinking about. For the love of god, I just want you out of my fucking life! For good. For-fucking-ever."

Eko's bottom lip trembled, Becuase the implications of her actions were a lot deeper then she had ever expected. Never had she thought she could lose him like this.

"B-but  you love me? So h-how can you say that? Love ... love can fix us, please?"

"You know," Matthew scoffed shaking his head, "it's funny to think about how a few months ago I would have let you kill me."

"What?" Her face scrunched.

"I don't mean this figurativeily, you've already killed what was left of my fucking soul. I mean that if you had a knife in your hand, I'd bare my neck without a fucking thought. I would sit obediently with your shotgun to my skull. I wouldn't even bring up my hands to stop the blows to my ribs. I would let you do what ever the fuck you wanted to do with me, and I wouldn't flinch."

Eko's lips quivered at the rawness in his voice, at the hatred and the unbridling tears in his eyes, the tears that told her of the pain she had caused him.

"It makes me feel like the weakest and most stupidest fucking child again. It makes my skin fucking crawl, and then I remember that I love and have always loved like a stupid fucking dog, haven't I?"

Eko let the tears slip down her face.

"Just a stupid fucking idiotic, worthless dog," he clenched his fists together.

Thats when the room fell into a heavy silence following that statement, and Matthew took a step back contemplating the words he had said.

The raw viscosity of his statement stole the words from her.

Just it was for Matthew that the very truth of it all was that everything that he had with her had died, everything he thought he had wanted, was stripped for him.

He had lost so much in those moments and he was losing more as the days turned on him.

The worst of it all was that Eko had ruined him for the rest of his life Because of her and no one he knew was ever going to compare to how he fell in love with the super nova that was their Queen, no one would ever dare to come close to her.

He didn't look at any other woman like he looked at her, didn't even want them touching him the way Eko had laid claim to him. He was irrevocably ruined.

Eko let the tears slip down her face, biting her bottom lip as she watched him now begin to pace back and forth.

Eko then hugged herself tightly and turned her attention to the open floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed the breathtaking golden sunrise to flood the room. The warmth spread through their bodies as quickly as the sunlight illuminated the world of Isadora. As she gazed out at the skyline, Eko suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over her, and she bit her bottom lip harder to suppress it.

She could hear him talking about leaving or something, but it was all garble and English that didn't sound like English, and it's then that she pressed her hand to her forehead, noticing how sweaty she was and how her migraine had intensified; it seemed to grow worse with each passing moment. She attributed it to the glaring sunrise or perhaps the fact that she hadn't eaten properly in days or was it weeks now since he had left an absence in her life.

"Your highness?"

She then realized that the throbbing in her head was likely a result of the relentless stress she was facing: her husband's stubbornness, the ominous return of Isis and Cid, and the multitude of other burdens weighing on her shoulders. She hated how the ground seemed to shift beneath her, the room spinning in a dizzying dance. Eko tried to shake off the unsettling sensation, but then she stumbled back and felt arms wrap around her.

"Hey, hey! What's happening?" Matthew's voice was laced with alarm suddenly, but Eko was at a loss for words. The deafening noise surrounding her felt like a vice, making it difficult for her to breathe. His face blurred before her eyes, but his familiar scent lingered, as if it had enveloped all her senses

"Sera?" Matthew's voice trembled as he saw Eko's eyes roll back, her consciousness slipping into the dark grasp of unconsciousness.

Panic surged through Matthew as he held Eko's limp form, feeling her grow heavier in his arms. "SOMEBODY!" he shouted in desperation, his voice tinged with hysteria. Clutching Eko tighter around the waist, he lifted her closer to him, yelling, "Get in here now!"

The room was a hive of activity, but for Matthew, it all blended into a haze. His attention was entirely on Sera, her skin unnaturally pale and her breaths shallow. As he looked around, he saw the concern written on the faces of the guards and servants.

"Bring her doctor here immediately!" His voice boomed in desperation. "I want to know what the fuck is going on! Why is she losing weight. Why the fuck does she look so sick for? Get him here now!"

The servants and maids quickly scattered to follow his orders, while the soldiers remained, watching as he cradled their princess in his arms.

"Deuce, get Mya here, now," he commanded, fixing his gaze on the lead soldier, who nodded in response.

"She's been notified," the soldier replied, and soon after, Mya arrived, her face a blend of confusion and concern as she assessed the situation.

"What happened?" Mya snapped in worry for her friend, glancing between the guards and Matthew that held Sera tightly to him.

"She fainted. What does it look like? How long has this been happening?" Matthew snapped back.

"This is exactly what I was trying to tell you earlier with your shitty attitude that you didn't care!"  Mya shot back sharply.

"I never said I didn't care; I said it wasn't my fucking business!" Matthew shot back, his own frustration mounting. "This isn't any of my business, Mya, you know it can't be!"

"Well....Now it is, Matthew! This! This is what we need to be discussing!" Mya snapped at him not wanting to give to much away. Becuase no one in that room knew she had a crystal either and they planned to keep it that way, but it was also a concern since her main crystal had been draining her since it was activated, since her kidnapping and time compression defense weeks ago.

Matthew glanced around the room, conscious of the prying ears, and shook his head at Mya. He knew he would get his answers soon, but for now, all he could do was watch helplessly as his queens condition worsened right before his eyes and be helpless and unable to stop it. Not that it was ever his place to do that, but if answers was what they needed, answers is what he would get.