"That is disgusting," Aodh whined, turning his face away from the princess and Kai entangled in one another's arms. Roche smirked at him, thrusting a sword into his arms.

"Get used to it, my lord. And be happy. They both deserve each other." Roche told him, staring wistfully at the couple beneath Medea's tree. It felt almost ironic. Roche's first love and her second were in one place.

She felt a gentle ache within her as she watched Tigris soften in Kai's arms, her face flush with pleasure. She turned away, smiling against the pain building within her. After everything they'd been through, Tigris deserved someone that made her happy.

She was glad that Tigris had someone to love, even if it wasn't her.

The thought made the subtle ache in her chest fade. She sat down, rubbing the root of Medea's tree with one hand before returning to the tedious task of polishing Tigris' sword. She'd been up all night enchanting all of the swords to work against the zombies, especially Tigris' sword. She wasn't sure if it would do much against the inkblood driven undead, but hopefully they would offer some protection.

She stayed there, beneath Medea's tree for several long moments. Tigris' sword laid on her lap as Roche leaned her head back. The grove was busy with life, but somehow it retained its peaceful aura. Roche sighed, running her hands down the length of the bark.

"Roche?"

A shadow fell over her. She looked up to find Tigris standing there, face flushed and hands on her hips. Roche sprang up, her back scraping against the rough bark of Medea's tree.

"Princess!" she exclaimed, a knowing expression making its way onto her face. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, feeling nothing but glee. "I see you and Kai have had some fun!"

"Roche!" Tigris hissed, smacking the back of Roche's head, "Just give me my sword, we have to leave!"

Roche's mirth faded. She didn't want to leave the serene grove, but Tigris' destiny awaited. And for Tigris, she'd do anything.

She held out the sword obediently. Tigris checked the grip, rolling her wrist experimentally. She nodded in satisfaction, sheathing it after a moment.

"You know," Tigris murmured as Roche moved to braid her lady's hair, "Kai and I talked a bit-"

"Quite a lot of talking," Roche muttered, tugging Tigris' braid a bit harder than she should have, "And as his best friend, I'm obligated to tell you that if you break his heart, I will break your sword."

"As if you could," Tigris fired back instantly, grunting when Roche pulled the braid tight, "But as I was saying, we discussed how Finn could have betrayed us so thoroughly. It got me thinking about who I could trust."

Roche felt her heart sink. She stepped around to face Tigris, tucking a few stray strands away. "You shouldn't think about those things now," Roche told her, "Look around. Everyone here has no reason to betray you, they could have simply pledged their loyalty to Finn. But they're here for you, Tigris."

"I know," Tigris said simply, waiting for Roche to meet her eyes. There was steel in her gaze, an assured kind of calm and wisdom that made Roche's breath hitch. "Kai said as much. More importantly, he told me that you were far too loyal to ever betray me."

Roche swallowed reflexively. Would the princess say the same if she knew what ran through Roche's veins?

"I agreed, of course," Tigris said easily, oblivious to the way Roche was suddenly having trouble breathing, "Mostly because I know you're too stupid to ever try treason."

Roche made a noncommittal sound, trying to loosen the sudden tightness of her throat. Tigris' gaze drifted towards the other end of the grove where Aodh was currently talking to Kai emphatically.

"But I also have to agree that you've shown more loyalty to me over these past few days than I could have ever expected," Tigris said, wrapping her hand around the hilt of her sword. She ran her tongue over her teeth, like the words had left a sticky residue behind. "You stopped me from killing my own father. You allowed me to not be deceived by inkblood yet again."

Roche's inkblood bubbled in her veins at the words, like it wanted to boil itself alive. Tears rose in her throat. "Do you think inkblood made Finn do what he did?" Roche whispered.

Tigris shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I can't ignore what he and the Council has done. I don't know if inkblood is as innocent as he claimed but one thing is clear to me now, it is no ally of mine. Everyone who has it has been corrupted and turned against me to some degree."

Roche couldn't breathe. Tigris turned to her then, her face practically glowing with intensity.

"I have you to thank for keeping the influence of inkblood away from me, and allowing me to come to that conclusion," Tigris said, "What I'm trying to say is... thank you, Roche, for all that you've done."

Roche was shaking. She wasn't sure when she'd started. Her inkblood seemed to press against the confines of her veins, begging to be seen and heard. This was the opposite of what was supposed to happen. Tigris was supposed to come around to inkblood. Instead, she was pulling away from it. Her eyes burned, tears pressing up against her will as she stared up at Tigris.

Roche had meant every word she had said to the woman last night. She trusted in Tigris' reign. She trusted Tigris. And now Tigris trusted her back, but it was for all the wrong reasons. Her inkblood seemed to burn. After all the betrayals Tigris had faced, Roche knew that if her inkblood ever came to light, it would be the harshest, most bitter betrayal of them all.

Tigris was staring at her expectantly, and Roche realised she hadn't said anything. She swallowed back the lump in her throat, desperately holding back the tide of tears that threatened her vision.

"Happy to be of service, my lady," she whispered, her voice trembling against her will. Tigris didn't seem to notice. She clapped Roche on the back fondly before walking off to her knights. Roche stared after her, her heart sinking to her toes.

If you knew who I really am, you would never trust me again, she thought grimly, I've fooled you so thoroughly. I need to protect you from the truth of who I am.

Her breath shuddered with the effort of holding back her tears. Suddenly, she remembered Medea's last note, the one she kept folded in her satchel.

I am a monster, my love.

Roche finally understood how Medea had felt.

-------

They left the grove as the last dregs of the morning fog began to fade, just as the sun began its rise towards heights of the sky. Roche could barely look at Tigris after their conversation, guilt curdling her stomach. Tigris looked back at her with nothing but surety and confidence.

Roche knew she was a liar. She was pretending that she was united with the princess against inkblood despite how it ran in her veins. If Tigris learned the truth... Roche wasn't sure what that would do to the princess.

Another betrayal might destroy the princess.

Roche silently promised to never put her lady in that position.

Tigris turned to address their group. Her gaze drifted from person to person,all of them outfitted with swords and weapons apart from Roche, who had given her enchanted blade to Ruth.

"You've all shown more loyalty and strength than any knight I've ever met," Tigris explained. Her eyes latched onto Ivie's earnest face, and she smiled, "You will all be rewarded for your actions."

Ivie's smile widened. "We would do it without any reward, my lady," the noble woman spoke.

Tigris grinned at her impishly, "Spoken like a knight."

"Eh, I'll pass," Brom cut in, rolling his eyes. Tigris ignored the remark, rolling her eyes.

"Perhaps you'll accept a tankard of ale, then," Tigris muttered. Brom tilted his head, like he was considering the words. Ruth elbowed him and signed,

"Don't be ridiculous. You've been drifting for too long. You've got all the skills and you've raved about her for ages."

"Yeah, Brom," Roche added in sign, noting how Brom's smile became slightly strained, "You told me last that you wanted to be a knight for a noble who's worth it. Is Tigris not what you've waited for?"

Brom hesitated. Tigris cast them all a wry look, raising her brows before signing and saying, "I'm flattered."

Brom's eyes bugged out of his head. "You know Faultless sign?" he asked, signing rapidly. Tigris' signs were admittedly slow in response, but they were clear enough.

"Of course I do. I have to communicate with all my people, don't I?" she replied, "Now, you can sort out what reward you would like afterwards. If you'll join me... we have a kingdom to liberate."

For some reason, those words seemed to solidify Brom's resolve. He glanced at Roche first, and she smiled, warmth filling her chest as he turned back to Tigris and nodded.

"I'd be honoured."

Tigris' smile widened ever so slightly. She ran her gaze over them all again. A shiver raced up Roche's spine as Tigris turned, her braid streaming behind her in the wind. She lifted her sword, pointing towards the castle, just beyond the treeline that was packed with the undead.

She looked like every bit of the warrior queen she was born to be.

Roche had never felt prouder.

"In that case," Tigris said, turning back to face them all, "Let's do this."

They prowled forward as one, a silent unit of muscle, brawn, and wisdom. Roche heaved in a breath, the air crackling with tension as they approached the undead. She slowly released her inkblood, more glad than ever that it was invisible as she looped it around the shadows, discreetly stretching the absence of light to mask them from sight without being noticeable.

No one seemed to notice as the wild scent of inkblood filled the air. Tigris held up her hand, and Roche froze, sweat beading on her forehead from the effort of masking such a large group. She braced herself as Tigris raised her hand. They waited for several long moments, watching pair after pair of zombies march past, between them and the forest entrance.

Three.

Two.

One.

Two zombies walked in front of them. Tigris leapt forward, her sword slicing at their withered limbs. Their rotting tendons snapped like rubber bands, and they went down like sacks of grain. Tigris slashed away their weapons belt, tossing it back to Sir Harold. The knight unsheathed the sword, handing it to Roche quickly before darting forward to bind the undead knights to the trees. Roche cast some extra shadows over them. The zombies screeched in protest, thrashing and trying to swipe at the knights as they passed. Brom stuffed an ale soaked rag into their mouths, shooting Ruth a cheeky grin.

They only had a few minutes before the next round of guards came around. Roche hurried to the front of the group, her inkblood searing her fingertips as it gathered, ready for threats. She sprinted forward, throwing out a latent burst of ink to cover their steps as they headed for the forest tunnel entrance. Her breath shuddered as the group behind her paused, staring at the brick wall of the castle.

"Roche, I swear to god if you're wrong about this-" Tigris growled, but Roche ignored her, fingers scrabbling at the brick of the west end of the castle. She peeled away a knot of ivy, pressing her palm against the brick. She paused as she did so, memories making her eyes blur.

The last time she'd been here, she'd been carrying Medea's body.

Roche steadied herself. No one else would die tonight. She turned to the others, nodding.

"Be ready. This will be loud." she ordered, "And be alert. The Council might know about the tunnels already."

Tigris rolled her eyes. "So you've said. Get on with it."

Everyone was coiled with anticipation as Roche turned.

Here goes nothing.

She slammed her palm against the brick, smiling triumphantly as it sank inwards with a click. She stepped back as a deafening grating sound filled the air, the sound of stone on stone. One by one, the bricks began to recess into the wall with numerous clicks and groans. Tigris dragged Roche back a step.

"How the hell did no one find this?" she murmured in awe as the bricks stopped sinking in, leaving a round section of the wall the size of three stacked horses sunken in. The section of the wall swung open with an ear splitting squeal, revealing a dark tunnel.

As expected, the commotion had drawn attention. Roche's eyes widened as she stared over Tigris' shoulder, watching the latest shift of zombies approach, their jaws clacking excitedly.

"Everybody in!" Tigris ordered, shoving Roche into the tunnel before she could react. Everyone sprinted in, charging down the tunnel. Tigris entered last.

"How do you close this thing?" she shouted as the zombies closed in, lifting crossbows. Roche shoved Tigris back a step.

"Leave that to me. Go!" Roche snapped, her fingers already reaching for the tunnel door. Tigris hesitated, but Roche cast her a stern look that had Tigris turning around. The moment the princess' back was turned, Roche held out her hands, letting a wave of inkblood throw the zombies so hard that they sailed through the air, landing in the bushes with enraged squeals.

Tigris turned at the sound, but Roche was already heaving her body weight against the door, blocking the knights out of sight. She slammed the door shut with a loud click.

"Cinda," she hissed, and the old locking mechanisms spurred into motion, locking the tunnel down. Roche turned, racing after a waiting Tigris. It didn't take long to catch up with the group, who were paused at the first fork in the tunnels. Tigris hesitated, and Roche nudged her towards the left path. Everyone seemed to hold their breath, readying themselves to separate.

Tigris nodded, unsheathing her sword again. Aodh pulled out his gun, a dagger held in the other hand. The seconds ticked by. Roche stayed by Tigris' side as they jogged through the tunnels, praying that the zombies stayed away from the warning bells long enough.

The moments felt endless, but it was probably only a few minutes before they reached the tunnel door. Tigris turned to the rest of the group, gazing at all of them questioningly. This was their last chance to back out.

No one budged.

A slow smile spread across the princess' features, feline and promising mischief. She nodded to Roche, who pressed her hands against the brick, feeling for the loosest one. She yanked it out, sticking her hand into a net of spiderwebs. She shuddered but pressed forward until her fingers connected with a smooth shaft of stone. She yanked on it, and the tunnel door opened with a screech, revealing the antechamber to the dungeons.

There was a crowd of zombies standing in front of the empty cells. Their already loose jaws dropped with loud clicks as they turned to see the open tunnel full of the fugitives. One of the zombies' jaws actually clattered to the ground.

For a moment, both groups stared at each other for a moment, both surprised to see the other. Then Tigris leapt out, her leg snapping out with a roundhouse kick connecting with the nearest zombie. With a roar, the other knights charged out of the tunnel, each of them picking a zombie to target. They were outnumbered two to one, but the odds didn't seem to deter the princess.

Tigris knocked a zombie towards Aodh, who sliced at its head with a snarl while Tigris cut out its legs. The pieces of the zombie warrior fell to the ground with a loose rattle of bones in loose skin. The princess stepped back, turning to the next zombie.

On her left, Brom and Ivie were currently slashing through three zombies with their swords. Ruth and Kai had four zombies pinned to the ground and were delivering quick slices to their decaying necks. Tigris shouted in warning as Brom turned his back on the zombie he'd felled, but the bones didn't reform.

In fact, they stayed perfectly still on the ground in a disassembled mess of rot.

Roche mumbled a quick enchantment, letting it pierce the heart of a zombie who swiped at her head. It fell in a rush and didn't get back up.

"Huh," Aodh muttered, pistol whipping the skull off of one of the zombies before using his dagger to stab through its chest. It fell with a screech as he told them, "Maybe the reforming immortality thing had a one day expiry?"

Roche smiled to herself. The enchantment on their blades had held. She was glad it worked, but she could already feel the enchantment wearing thin with the use. Only Tigris' sword had enough incantations laid upon it to last longer than an hour.

"There can be lapses in enchantments, from what Verita told me," she lied as the last of the zombies fell, "Stay on your guard. We don't know how long it'll last."

They exchanged solemn looks, the room silent without the sounds of fighting. Their chests heaved after the brief battle.

"You have your orders," Tigris told them, her cheeks flushed. A halo of stray hairs framed her high, regal features. Her green eyes sparkled. "Thank you, all."

With that, she shouldered open the door to the common cells. The grimy corridor was guarded by a dozen zombies who instantly spun around at the sound of the door squealing open.

There was a beat of silence. The knights in the cells began to roar at the sight of Tigris, pounding against their cell bars with fervor. Tigris' eyes shone with pride and relief. She hurtled forward, her blade cutting through three zombies. She used their bodies as stairs, using them to launch herself through the air. Roche watched in awe as she twisted in midair, tackling a zombie who tried to race for the door, presumably to sound the warning bell. She stabbed him straight through the chest, yanking a key ring off his oozing waist. She tossed it to Sir Harold, who immediately began unlocking the cells. Another zombie began to race for the doors. Ruth looped her enormous, muscled arms around his neck, yanking him away.

Ivie grabbed Roche's wrist. "Come on! We need to get to the warning bells before they do!" she shouted over the sounds of fighting. Roche raced with her, discreetly sending out inkblood to shove the zombies out of the way as the sounds of battle echoed around them.

The clash of swords against bone still rang in her ears as she and Ivie skidded into the hallway. Ivie immediately grabbed her, pressing her into the shadows. Two zombies walked by, chattering to each other in a garbled click of bones.

Roche instinctively pulled the shadows up to shroud them, filling the hall with the scent of inkblood. Ivie's eyes narrowed, but she seemed more relieved that the zombies passed them by without noticing. The moment the two undead warriors rounded the corner of the hallway, the knight was tugging Roche down the corridor and up a long stretch of steps. A few zombies milled about, their dangling eyeballs falling out of their heads as they caught sight of the duo charging through the empty halls.

Ivie turned to fight them, but Roche tugged her up the stairs.

"We'll have the advantage up there!" she gasped. Ivie nodded, and continued to run. At the top of the steps, she spun back around, her sword lofted.

Roche knew they were running out of time. She locked her eyes on the zombie closest to her, at the top of the steps.

Volo.

She wrapped her inkblood around his ankle and yanked. To anyone else, it looked like his ankle faltered. The warrior fell with an unearthly screech, tumbling down the steps. He rolled down, shoved by Roche's inkblood. She and Ivie watched the walking corpse roll into most of the other warriors climbing the steps, like a gruesome game of bowling.

"Well," Ivie murmured, cutting down the zombies who had managed to avoid being hit, "That was easier than expected."

Roche chuckled, slamming the hilt of her stolen sword against one of the other zombies. She shot him with a bolt of inkblood so he wouldn't reform quickly. She and Ivie turned, racing out onto the parapets. The warning system was close, at the top of the castle, overlooking most of the city, just beyond the parapets. Roche burst onto the parapets, glancing out at the castle grounds.

There were no zombies milling around..

She reached out and grabbed Ivie's arm. The knight nearly tumbled over at the sudden stop, glancing at Roche with bewilderment.

"What is it?" she asked, sounding more confused than annoyed.

Roche pointed out at the empty courtyard. "Look, there's no one there."

Ivie followed the path of her finger. The woman's thick brows drew together. She walked up to the edge of the parapets, her fingers clutching the edge of the brick as she leaned out. Ivie frowned. "No one's at the gates." she murmured slowly.

Dread curled up in Roche. "Their forces must be gathered somewhere, waiting for the right moment."

Ivie's face paled. "We need to get to the warning bells," she insisted, "Before the forces realise the princess has arrived."

Roche nodded, and they raced across the thin stretch of stone. Roche got there first, pressing her hands against the doors to the watchtower.

Ancinda.

She shoved the doors open, stepping aside so that Ivie could charge in. Two zombies leapt to their feet, screeching. Ivie stabbed the one closest to the command panel. Roche grabbed the other by the neck and shoved him towards the wide window, using her inkblood to toss him out.

Ivie stared at the array of flashing buttons and switches and dusty pieces of beeping technology. "Why did I think this would be easy?" she groaned. Roche nudged her out of the way.

"I read a manual in the library, once, I think all we have to do is..."

Her voice died in her throat.

"All we have to do is what?" Ivie asked in confusion, following Roche's gaze. She stared out the window she'd shoved the guard out of, into the courtyard. A horde of zombies had filled every inch of the space, led by two living figures.

Wordlessly, Roche grabbed a cone shaped device. She knew it to be an audio enhancer. It was old and nearly crumbled in her hands as she switched it on, which was probably why it hadn't been used recently. She pointed it at Finn, nearly dropping it when his tinny voice blared across the watchtower.

"-knew she would try to get Father. The traitor. How long since she got here?" Finn spat.

"The enchantment did not signal an intruder until five minutes ago, my lord." the Councilman replied.

Roche cursed. She hadn't sensed the enchantment amongst all the zombies and her own inkblood slinging.

"Good," Finn was hissing, "That means she's still there. We can catch them in the act. Sound the alarms and then meet me in-"

They disappeared into the doors of the castle, but it was clear they were headed towards the dungeons. Roche shut off the device with shaking hands, tossing it to the ground as she stumbled out the door.

Ivie followed her without a question, her breath whistling past Roche's ears. "How are we going to get back there in time?" she asked, "He's sure to have posted zombies in the halls."

Roche's mind raced. She skidded to a stop, looking around. There was no route through the halls that would get them from the watchtower to the dungeons in time.

But perhaps there was a more direct route.

"The tunnels," Roche explained, tugging Ivie towards the royal wing. She yanked open the tunnel she'd seen Fake Harold use, waiting for Ivie to stumble through and grab her hand to balance on the uneven surface. She led the knight through the tunnels. Left. Right. Right again. She tracked the movement in her mind, her body damp with anxious sweat. Every second she wasted was another second that Tigris could lose her life.

Finally, Roche stopped in front of a fork in the tunnels. Ivie grabbed her wrist before she could go on.

"The two of us against an entire army is a long shot, Roche," Ivie murmured, her brown eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness.

Roche yanked her hand away. "We don't have time to go get reinforcements."

"Then we need to focus on getting Tigris and Aodh out of there." Ivie said solemnly. Roche quickly reimagined her map. The solitary ward was large, spanning across a large chunk of the castle. Tigris could be anywhere within it.

"We need to split up." she muttered, "You take the left tunnel, it'll take you to the far end of the solitary ward. I'll start at the near end. Between us, we should find the royals."

Ivie nodded after a beat. "Will you be alright on your own?"

Roche lifted her brow. "I've survived this long today."

Ivie hesitated before nodding again, bounding down the tunnel. Roche turned, rolling her shoulders back.

Get ready, Finn. I'm coming for you.

A/N: We're taking back the castle, everyone! Woohoo! Let's see who survives this!!!!

As always, happy reading!