The gods give you a sign

For a moment, your eyes fall upon the alcove just behind the altar. There, at the tip of Zolkar's radiant crown, you notice a sort of mechanism. Yes, the one tip was turnable. Slowly you got up, moved there, and turned the stone, covering your satin gloves in grime. With a soft, almost inaudible click, the hidden door unlocks, opening the way into the maze of tunnels and old rooms beneath the castle. It was said that they had been used for bringing unwanted people out of the castle and out of sight. That nobles and others used them to meet their lovers and have their affairs. You frown and enter. There, at the end of the stairs, you noticed a small, a soft ray of light.

Feeling your way through the dim light of the tunnels below, a hand always on the rough stone, you make your way towards it. The air down here is warm, and there is little fresh air. You break into a sweat, and soon your clothes cling uncomfortably to your skin. Down here, everything smells the same, the smell of dust and damp stone, of wooden supports slowly decaying and iron rusting away.

You come across a heavy door blocking your path, and it takes all of your effort to open it. As you throw yourself and your hurting shoulder against the stuck door one last time, you grew keenly aware of your disgusting state and the fact that you were exploring the maze of secret chambers and passageways like the rebellious seven year old you once had been.

Breathing heavly, you clutch the door for support, peeking into the dim lit room beyond. The candle in the lantern illuminating the room was almost burnt down. And there, in a small cage, in shackles and with shaven hair, you notice the small figure of your former court mage and crush. Noticing you, she backs into a corner and stares at you with fearful eyes. "You Majesty, what are you doing down here?! Quickly, leave, I beg you!"

You shake your head and approach her, to open her cage and her shackles with the key you find resting next to the lantern. She is as bare as nature made her, only a small piece of cloth protecting her dignity. You wrap her in your cloak and carry her back to the surface, slowly. She sobs and cries, clutching the fabric of your tunic thightly. Everything is in a haze, and you can't quite clearly remember how you made it to the guard post, then to the medicus' rooms where they started to threat her under your orders immediately. You took a bath, you went to your chambers and discarted your clothes, falling asleep almost immediately after crawling under the covers.

Nobody wakes you in the morning, instead, you sleep until noon. Your room is hot and you feel parched, bruised and exhausted still. Dressing yourself, one of your guards knocks at the door and requests to enter with an urgend request. Something happened, something odd. You call him to enter and give you a full rapport as you dress.

Appearantly, rumors had spread despite all the efforts, and a large crowd had gathered in front of the castle, demanding to see their King and demanding answers. Fear was spreading, and your council was doing what they could to calm the situation down. Also, the Lady Vessa had been asking for her King to visit her, if he was able to. You sighed, took a few gulps from your silver goblet and went out to meet the crowd from the audience balcony.

The turmoil outside is easy to hear, despite the doors. As you pushed them open and greet the crowd.