The night was spent searching. Roche dodged guards, sprinting all the way to the infirmary where Leinos confirmed that he hadn't seen Verita in a few hours. He joined her in her search, becoming paler and paler as the night stretched on.

The library security footage showed no sign of Verita leaving the library. No one in the castle had seen her either.

Dread and panic encompassed Roche when Leinos gently suggested that they inform the royal guards. Soon a castle wide manhunt had been enacted for the librarian.

Morning came and there was still no sign of the ancient woman. Roche turned up to Tigris' chambers expecting to find the princess in a frantic flurry of activity, ordering knights to find the most coveted librarian in the kingdom.

Instead, she found Tigris fully dressed and next to Lady Eris, deep in discussion with a few other influential nobles.

"-was planning on an interrogation," Eris was saying solemnly, "Seems she's fled."

Roche felt her heart sink as Tigris nodded in confirmation.

"Hopefully she will return," the princess was saying, nodding dismissively at the nobles, "Until then, I'd like word to be sent that I don't want any extra search parties sent out. I don't need more resources being spent on Ala sympathisers."

Roche went numb with shock. She watched the nobles and Eris leave to spread the word to the knights and other nobles. Tigris finally noticed Roche standing there, quivering with emotion, and the princess' eyes lit up.

"Ah, Roche," Tigris greeted, albeit a bit stiffly, "I've been waiting for you. Do you know how late you are?"

The words were teasing, a gentle opening for a difficult conversation. Roche wanted none of the soft segue.

"Was that about Verita?" she demanded to know, slamming Tigris' breakfast down on the study.

Tigris winced slightly, her green eyes fractured with guilt. She nodded.

"I wanted to talk to you before I sent word out, but the knights were already conducting the manhunt. I didn't want to wast- use up their time more than necessary."

Roche's blood boiled at the slip.

"So that's it then?" she hissed venomously, "You're going to let Verita stay kidnapped because of her knowledge of the Ala? I was there too that night, Tigris! You promised her immunity for her actions!"

Tigris flinched at the words. A vindictive part of Roche's mind whispered good and she did nothing to silence it.

"We're not so sure that she was kidnapped, Roche," Tigris said gently.

Genuine shock filtered through Roche, forcing her mind to go blank. She gaped at the princess in disbelief.

"What?" she asked flatly.

Tigris moved closer, hands splayed like she was calming a rabid animal. "I questioned Verita about the Ala's whereabouts yesterday. She lied to me, Roche. I planned to have her gently interrogated today-"

"Interrogated?" Roche couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Gently interrogated," Tigris repeated calmly, even though her eyes were steeped with sorrow, "The timing is just too convenient. She disappeared after we started asking too many questions. Do you understand me, Roche?"

Roche was so gobsmacked that she could barely speak. Tigris seemed to take this as a confirmation that Roche did not, in fact, understand. The princess moved closer cautiously, her face almost apologetic.

"We think that Verita wasn't kidnapped. We think she fled because she's with the Ala and maybe even Finn."

Roche swallowed back a range of fiery retorts. "I saw our chambers, Tigris. It looked like it had been ransacked-"

"She was pretty desperate to leave, Roche. She was fleeing," Tigris said gently. Roche's blood boiled, the exhaustion of the past night catching up to her. She stalked closer to the princess, seething.

"Verita's not a traitor!" she snapped, "She wouldn't flee! She would have told me first."

Tigris closed her eyes like the words pained her. "I know this is hard to hear-"

"No!" Roche retorted, "It's impossible to hear. How could you say this about Verita? She's served you and your father more faithfully than anyone I've known!"

Tigris shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "She wasn't telling the truth during her interrogation."

"Says who?" Roche demanded, knowing full well that Verita had lied on her behalf.

"Roche, we-"

"Who the hell is 'we'?" Roche snarled, spittle flying from her mouth. She didn't care. "Is it Lady Eris? She's a liar! She's the only traitor here, that treasonous bi-"

"Roche!" Tigris exclaimed suddenly, her eyes burning with fury and authority, "Don't say another word."

Roche clenched her jaw and looked away, her chest heaving. Tigris could send her to the dungeons for all she cared, but Roche had to get her point across.

Tigris' eyes softened sensing Roche's resolve. She placed her hand on the maid's shoulder, and her touch made Roche want to scream.

"Please, don't do this," Tigris pleaded softly, "I know this is hard. Verita is dear to me too. But you cannot accuse my aunt who has done nothing suspicious. Verita was the one acting suspiciously, not her."

Roche scoffed loudly. "Has she now?" she asked bitterly, "So you can accuse the woman who might as well be my aunt, but accusing yours is wrong?"

Tigris closed her eyes again, like she was wishing she could be anywhere else.

"Have you considered that letting Verita flee is the least I can do?" Tigris said gently, "If the knights bring her back here, she'll need to face her charges. She'll be on trial and have her name slandered."

Roche laughed at the absurdity. "But she didn't flee," Roche insisted, "She's been kidnapped! She needs help, Tigris!"

Tigris tilted her head contemplatively. Hope buoyed in Roche's chest when she noticed the small gleam in Tigris' eyes, hopeful and listening, like the princess wanted the words to be true.

"Tell me, then," Tigris whispered, "Give me the name of someone who might have kidnapped her. The knights haven't found anyone. Tell me someone who would have wanted harm to come to her, and I'll launch an investigation."

The name bubbled up on Roche's lips easily. Eris. She barely held it back. Tigris had already proven that her love for her aunt would blind her from the truth. There was no point making the accusation.

She remained silent, and Tigris sighed deeply, clapping her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Roche. Truly, I am."

The words were a hollow but genuine show of sympathy. Roche moved away, ignoring all of Tigris' chatter as she worked through her morning duties. Tigris finally seemed to realise that Roche was giving her the silent treatment and left Roche with a list of mindless chores to keep her busy before retreating from the room.

Roche seethed silently as she began to scrub the princess' toilet, her mind buzzing with worry for the elderly librarian. She couldn't count on Tigris to get Verita back.

That meant she'd have to do it herself.

-------

She got to her chambers sometime in the evening. Leinos had stopped by Tigris' chambers to make a plea during the day and had been quietly turned away. The physician shot Roche a worried look as he was escorted back to the infirmary to be kept under observation, lest he too tried to join his ex-wife in treason.

That left Roche to venture back to the library alone. Tigris had let her retire from her duties early. Roche hadn't said a word to her all day. The silence grated on both of them, and Tigris seemed sympathetic but unyielding on her stance.

Roche gritted her teeth as she hovered in the doorway of Verita's chambers. Tigris was wise in many matters, but she gave her heart to those around her fully and completely. And sometimes, that made her stupid. Like now, when she put all her trust in her treasonous, backstabbing snake of an aunt.

Roche pushed open the door, gaping at the mess. Verita would have hated it. Slowly, Roche meandered through the room, restacking pages and reorganising fallen books. It took several hours until the room was tidy and neat again. It was nearly dinner time, but Roche didn't have any appetite. Worry had grated against her nerves. She wondered where Verita was.

She wondered if the old woman was suffering alone.

Her stomach clenched and she heaved a breath, grabbing a large cauldron that she filled with water. Roche gripped the lip of the container, inkblood frothing to life in her palms. She focused on a single name, letting her inkblood carry her intention to the water.

Verita.

The surface rippled instantly, the crests of the gentle waves forming an image. Roche peered excitedly at the sight, glimpsing red sand and large cave paintings. The scene moved through the deep valley, twisting to the left and right. Roche was eager to see an image of Verita, to see if the woman was alright. She was practically dipping her face into the cauldron when the image stilled, resistance pressing up against Roche's inkblood.

"No, no, no," she muttered, forcing more ink into the enchantment. The water rippled for a moment and suddenly the resistance shattered with a gentle pop. Water teemed over the edge of the cauldron. When the water had settled, Roche's heart dropped.

Verita was lying on a bed of stone, her papery skin gleaming with sweat. The old woman writhed in the spot, thick veins protruding from her neck. Her eyes were glazed and far away. In front of her, a slender figure leaned forward, chocolate curls spilling to the side.

Roche couldn't hear anything that was said. All she saw was Finn's lips moving, and then the rogue prince was pressing an inkblood coated finger against the librarian's head.

Roche shouted as Verita's lips stretched with a scream. Her inkblood rose with her emotions, bursting out of her. The cauldron exploded with a deafening boom. Water splattered against the floor, heavy pieces of metal scattered about.

Roche knew she should clean up the mess before it destroyed any of the books, but she couldn't make herself care.

Verita was being tortured by Finn.

Horror rolled through her. Verita was old. She couldn't physically handle torture for long. Roche had to get to her, and fast.

She raced over to an atlas, trying to recall everything she'd learned from the scrying. All she'd managed to note was that Verita was in some kind of deep, red canyon, but there were plenty of those. She leafed through the pages for a few moments before tossing the book aside, growling in frustration.

There had to be a more efficient way to find out where Verita was.

After a moment, Roche realised that there was one other person who might know where the librarian was. The person who'd kidnapped her.

And Roche had a good idea who that was.

She leapt to her feet and yanked open the door, stumbling back when she found a figure already there.

"Roche!" Kai cried out in surprise, leaning forward to steady her when she skittered backwards.

"Kai!" Roche shouted back, trying to calm her racing heart, "Damn it, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

He smiled sheepishly, shrugging. "I learned from the best."

Roche chuckled at that. Kai's smile faltered as his gaze swept over her shoulder, snagging on the shattered cauldron and water on the ground. His gaze returned to hers, steady and uncritical.

"What happened, Roche?" he asked gently.

Roche swallowed, gesturing lamely at the mess. "I was... cleaning."

Kai gazed at her for a moment, his eyes softening. "Need help?"

Roche shook her head. "I actually have to get going. I have a bunch of chores I need to do."

Roche felt bad lying to her friend, but she couldn't waste any time.

Kai nodded slowly, stepping aside to let her pass. "I heard about... everything." he said after a beat.

The words made Roche pause. She could quite hide the bitterness in her voice as she asked, "And do you think Verita's a traitor too?"

It wasn't a fair question to ask him. She knew that. Tigris was his courting partner, and she was pitting him against her. She looked away in shame.

Kai bit his lip, walking her to the library doors. "I think that Verita always had your and Tigris' best interests at heart. I don't think she'd ever try to hurt you or this kingdom."

There was a lot left unsaid, but the words warmed Roche from the inside out. At the very least, Kai wouldn't lie to her.

"Thanks, Kai," she murmured after a beat, "I really have to go. Could you..."

Kai nodded. "I'll watch the library while you're gone."

Roche flashed him an appreciative grin before darting off down the halls. If Kai noticed that she was racing towards the royal wing, he made no comment about it.

-------

Roche wrapped shadows around her body in thick swathes as she crept down the halls of the royal wing. She edged towards Tigris' room, hearing loud voices echoing from within. A quick look confirmed that Tigris was sitting at her study with her aunt. Roche smiled to herself and silently swept past the room.

Aodh's door was firmly closed, light bleeding out from the crack beneath the thick wood. Roche continued forward.

Finn's old room had been locked and sealed, as had the king's. Only one other room was still in use, a room that had been left dusty and unused until a few months ago when Eris had shown up.

Roche pressed her palm against the locked door, glancing at the guards down the hall. They didn't notice her with the concealment charm, but they'd notice if the doors to Eris' chambers suddenly opened on their own accord.

Roche quietly shot bolts of inkblood out, and the guards slumped to the ground into a gentle slumber. She caught their bodies with more inkblood, depositing them with a few flicks of her wrists down the hall. They'd wake thinking they'd dozed off while on duty. By then, Roche would be long gone.

"Ancinda," Roche whispered. She didn't have to say the words aloud anymore, but she still enjoyed feeling the inkblood meld with her tongue and guide the syllables. The wild scent of inkblood filled the air as the door's lock clicked. The wood gave way behind her hand and Roche silently slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.

Eris' room was plain and simple, just as a typical guest room appeared. The bed was neatly done, and very few possessions were littered across the room. A few cloaks hung on an embossed coat rack by the door next to a large, ornate dresser. Roche scanned the room, her gaze drifting past the lavish furniture. The floors were spotless, and the walls were all open and in sight.

She dropped to the ground, peering under the bed. Nothing.

For all intents and purposes, the room was empty of anything but the barest of essential items.

Roche gritted her teeth and began rifling through the dresser carefully. There were nothing but carefully folded garments and underthings. Roche leaned back, scanning the room again, frustration billowing within her. She sucked in a breath, steepling her fingers to ground her thoughts.

What are you aiming to do? she could practically hear Verita coaching her to think of her goal, as any good scholar would.

Roche bit her lip. She needed to find where Verita was. Meaning she needed to find where Eris had been.

Roche's fingers bit into her palms, gazing at the room in a new light. She was pillaging through Eris' fresh laundry. That wouldn't tell her anything regarding where the noblewoman had been. Roche needed to find her used things. Like her boots, her worn cloaks, or her laundry.

Roche knew Eris was probably still wearing her boots and probably still had her cloak on her person. That left the laundry.

Roche glanced across the pristine room, frowning when she saw no laundry basket. Like Tigris, Eris was very particular about who she let into her room, including maids and servants. She handled her own laundry and kept her own chambers clean, as Tigris had done before Roche had come along.

Roche stared at the empty space, feeling the seconds tick by like grains in an hourglass. She scrutinised the floor, frowning when no dust stuck to the toe of her flats. The windows were similarly spotless. There was no way a woman of Eris' rank had enough time to keep her chambers this clean. And where was her laundry basket?

Roche bit her lip, casting out her inkblood. She sensed a few enchantments clustered towards the restroom. They weren't very powerful, but they pulsed with a signature kind of darkness that Roche recognised as Finn's enchantment.

Her heart stuttered in her chest as she approached the small en-suite bathroom, nudging the door open. The enchantment was clustered over the mirror. Roche had read about such a thing in her spellbooks. Reflective surfaces were amazing for scrying and for communicating across large distances. But that wouldn't conceal anything.

Roche turned away in frustration, wracking her mind as she gazed at the room. Eris didn't even have any inkblood enchantments in her room, how was she hiding something as mundane as laundry?

That was when Roche stilled. She was thinking like an inkblood rather than a maid. Eris might not even have inkblood, for all she knew. That meant that the noblewoman wouldn't be thinking like an inkblood either.

She'd be thinking like a regular person who had far too much laundry to do and too much space to clean and wanted to hide it all.

As a maid, Roche knew exactly how to hide dirty laundry from her lady. The best places were the places that no one else wanted to look. Something absurd to rifle through, like a toilet or-

Roche stalked into the washroom, throwing back the shower curtains. The movement immediately threw up thick plumes of dust, as if Eris had swept all of the dirt in her room to this corner. Roche coughed, quickly waving away the plumes. Hung behind the curtains was Eris' drying laundry. Roche scrambled to straighten the sopping wet garments, inspecting the fabric for any telltale stains.

Eris had covered her tracks well. Everything had been washed thoroughly, leaving no trace of where the woman had been.

Roche nearly cried. Verita was counting on her, there had to be something here.

Her foot nudged the pile of dust again, throwing offending red plumes into the air. Roche coughed viciously, grains sticking to her airways.

She paused. Grains? Red dust?

She glanced back at the pile, her eyes widening when she noticed that the dust was tinged red. She carefully scooped up a handful, feeling the coarse grains of red sand slide against her palm. Something dark slicked her palm. Disgust sluiced through her for a moment, but the sludge didn't look like any common liquid she knew of.

It had to be from the valley too.

Roche pocketed the dust and grime, glancing around the bathroom briefly. Time to cover her tracks before Eris realised she had swung by,

Undstrofi.

One of the first incantations she'd used with Verita. She watched the dust return to its neat little pile and the shower curtains straightened out. Roche felt something that felt suspiciously like hope flare in her chest as she crept out of the noblewoman's room, fingering the dust in her pocket.

I'm coming, Verita. Just hold on.

-------

Roche barrelled back into the library. Kai was hovering outside the large doors, fidgeting with his cloak. His face melted with relief when he saw Roche.

"I was worried about you, you were gone a long time," he sighed. Roche squeezed his shoulder.

"Thank you, my friend. I won't forget your help."

Kai's lips twitched. "I just watched the library for you, Roche. It was nothing," he hesitated for a moment, hovering outside the hall, "Did you do what you needed?"

"I did," Roche replied. She didn't elaborate. She knew how close Kai was to Tigris, she didn't want to involve him in her deception.

Kai's lips pressed together. "Is it something I can help with?" he asked, his eyes narrowing on her like he heard her thought. Roche shifted under his scrutinizing eyes and marvelled at just how far Kai had come from his former, shy self who would probably balk at the idea of assisting one of her schemes.

She flashed him a grin and wiggled her eyebrows. "You want to help me? What if I wanted to prank Tigris or something?"

Kai laughed, punching her shoulder lightly, shattering the tension in the air. "Yeah, well if that's what you've been up to."

Roche slid past him towards the door, smiling. She enjoyed the easy banter with her friend, but every second she wasted was a moment Verita was being tortured. "We'll go over prank plans in the morning. You should probably check on the queen, you know how she can get without someone to tuck her in."

Kai rolled his eyes. "She doesn't get tucked in. She gets her bed turned down like every other noble in this castle."

"Same thing. Goodnight, Kai! Have fun with her royal bratness!" Roche crowed over her shoulder, swinging the door shut. Kai opened his mouth to reply, but the thud of the doors cut him off. Roche hurried back to the library chambers, eager to examine the dust sample she got. As she walked through the shelves, anxiety tightened in her gut. Her mind replayed the moment her scrying had captured, the sight of Verita's sweat streaked face stretching, contorting with a bloodcurdling scream of agony.

Roche's breath lodged in her throat. She had to get Verita back. The thought pulsed through her head, overtaking every thought as she rifled through the shelves for geography books, books about sand, stone and ink identification, anything that could help identify the strange red sand she'd discovered. She hurried back to Verita's chambers with a stack of books, shoving the door open with her hip.

A clank sounded from within the darkened chamber, the sound of someone stepping on a shattered fragment of the cauldron.

Roche froze instinctively, nearly dropping all of the books. In her pocket, the sand rustled. Had Eris come to take her away as well?

Roche rallied her inkblood in her veins, setting the books down carefully before lifting a hand.

"I know someone's here," she said quietly, her blood roaring in her veins. "So make it easy for the both of us and declare yourself."

There was a pause. Then a sheepish voice replied, "Ah, well... it's not just the both of us."

Three candles flickered to life, revealing three knights with expressions of varying degrees of guilt and concern.

Roche lowered her hand, gaping at the three knights. Her eyes darted to Ivie and Ruth first. The former was as quiet and placid as usual while Ruth's boisterous features were drawn, her eyes gleaming with pity. Brom sat between them, lounging on the bench like he owned it. He flicked his hair out of his eyes, smiling at Roche languidly.

"Roche! Just the girl we've been looking for!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Roche glanced between them, all three knights still in their armour wedged onto a single bench like scolded schoolchildren. She carefully picked up her books, stalking over to another table. She lit a candle, flipping the first book open.

"What are you three doing here?" she asked as she peered at the page.

"We came to check on you. Kai said you'd be back soon," Ruth answered, running her hand through her short brown locks. Roche didn't know the woman well, but she was usually as cheerful as she was tall and muscled. Now, her voice was gentle and soft. Pitying almost. The sound grated on Roche's nerves. Most of the courtiers she'd interacted with today had used a similar tone or outright derision, as if Verita's 'treason' was contagious.

"Thanks," she muttered, pouring out the dust and sand from her pocket onto a thin sheaf of paper. "But I'm good."

The words were curt and stilted, quiet in a way Roche hadn't been since she'd first arrived in the city. She didn't have time to spare for courtesies, not when Verita's life was at stake.

Ruth approached her, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Roche. We didn't mean to intrude..."

"We just thought you might like some company." Brom finished for her, moving to stand beside the tallest knight.

"I'm a bit busy," Roche replied, "I'll come with you to the tavern later."

"Busy doing what?" a quiet voice sounded beside her ear. Roche jumped, nearly flipping the small test plate she was using to smear the drying sludge she'd found. Ivie stood at her shoulder, her broad lips pressed tight with curiosity.

"Nothing of importance," Roche lied quickly, shifting to hide her samples.

"What are those?" Ruth asked, leaning around her.

"Nothing!"

"Is that... dust?" Brom asked, ignoring Roche's protest. Roche sighed, relenting when she drew three intensely curious stares from the knights. Clearly they weren't letting this go, and Roche had no more time to waste.

"I know that the entire castle thinks Verita's a traitor, but she's not!" Roche snapped, noting how the three knights flinched a bit at the words. She bit back a sneer, instead opting for pinning them all with cool looks. "You're Tigris' knights. I understand if your views lie with hers, but Verita is in danger and I'm not resting until she comes home. I have some work to do."

So please get out.

Roche didn't say the words, but they hung in the air anyway.

Brom leaned around her, carefully holding up the sheet of paper with dust and sand mixed in. Roche stiffened but didn't dare stop him for fear that the sand would go scattering across the floor.

"And you think this dust will help find Eris?" he asked. Surprise filled her when she realised that Brom didn't sound derisive or accusing. Instead he sounded... curious. Contemplative even. He lifted a brow at her, and she nodded.

"It's from the chambers of the person who took her. There's sand mixed in. if I can find out where it's from, I can find out where Verita is." Roche explained, carefully guiding Brom's hands back down to the table. She opened the book on sand identification, scowling at the small text.

Ruth made a small thoughtful sound. "Red sand like that isn't terribly common. Brom and I travelled to a few places that had it."

Roche clenched her jaw. "I need to figure out which place specifically."

"What's that?" Ivie asked, pointing at the sludge. Roche bit her lip.

"I don't know. It seems to be some kind of ink or paint."

Brom stiffened suddenly. Without a word, he dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, round object that he held close to his palm. Before Roche could protest, he lifted the paper with the dust and sand and placed the round object beneath it.

Immediately, all of the sand separated from the dust, as if Roche had used an incantation.

"It's magnetic," Brom announced, trading a glance with Ruth, "And if that goop is too, then there's a good chance this is from the Valley of Mnemoria. That place is empty and full of paintings. They've lasted so long because they're magnetic, ridiculously so. That, and they're enchanted with inkblood. The whole valley is said to be cursed."

Roche held out the slide with the ink. Brom held up the magnet and sure enough the reddish sludge began to drift towards it.

Hope filled Roche's chest like a balloon. She hopped up, scrambling to find an atlas. She finally managed to unfold the book she'd marked earlier, filled with known valleys in the Faultless Kingdom. The Valley of Mnemoria wasn't too far from the Faultless Kingdom, a half a day's ride at the very most. It would be easy for Eris to spirit away Verita in the middle of the night and hand her off to Finn in the valley.

Roche rushed to grab her cloak. Ivie's hand clamped onto her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" the knight asked, her voice as patient as always. Roche squirmed against her grip.

"To get Verita!"

"Alone?" Ruth asked, her eyes darting to Brom for a moment before she added, "That might not be a good idea."

Roche scowled at them all. "The queen says that Verita fled on her own. Surely if we're dealing with a runaway old woman, I'll be fine." she spat.

Ruth's forehead wrinkled with concern. "But you don't seem to think that Verita just fled. And now you've found evidence that someone abducted her. It's not safe for you to go alone."

Roche gritted her teeth. Finn had gone much too far this time. Roche was going to fight him with inkblood, the knights would only hinder her if they insisted on coming along.

"I'll be fine," she said curtly.

Ivie's hand tightened on her shoulder before she could try to escape. "Whose chambers did you find the sand in, Roche?"

Roche stilled. "I've already informed Tigris of my suspicions."

"And she didn't listen to you?" Brom replied, sounding bewildered and furious.

"When does she ever?" Roche grumbled, tearing herself away from Ivie.

The three knights exchanged a weighted glance. Roche didn't care. She had to go.

"Make yourself comfortable. The library closes in an hour. I'll be back by sunrise." she told them quickly. Brom leapt up.

"Roche, we're coming with you," he insisted.

"Yeah," Ruth added, "You're not going alone to a cursed valley. What kind of friends do you take us for?"

There wasn't a hint of doubt in her voice. That took Roche aback. She glanced back at the warriors, noting that none of them seemed conflicted at all. They all stared at her with steely resolve, as if they'd tie themselves to her hands if possible.

They believed her. They believed that Verita was innocent.

Her hardened heart melted a little.

Ivie cleared her throat. "If it helps... I passed through the valley on my travels. I know my way through it."

Roche couldn't help but perk up. From her scrying, she knew that Verita was being held deep within the valley. She had a few cues regarding which way to turn, but the valley was considered a maze according to the book she'd found. Having a guide might help.

Still, she hesitated. "If I'm right about this, we can't leave Tigris alone," she warned, "Tigris needs someone watching her."

"It would help if we knew who we were looking out for," Ivie replied gently.

Roche bit her lip. As much as she trusted her friends, only Ivie was stealthy. Brom and Ruth had a rather 'brute force' method to get their intelligence. Roche couldn't let Eris know of her suspicions.

"Let's see if I'm right first," she said instead, nodding at the knights, "In the meantime, you three need to look out for Tigris."

"Of course we will," Ruth instantly replied, "But who's going to look out for you tonight?"

Roche opened her mouth to reaffirm the fact that she would be fine when Ivie held up a hand.

"All three of us are not needed to protect Tigris," the steady knight interjected calmly, holding Roche's gaze with a sternness that warned her to listen, "What if one of us came with you while two of us stayed behind to keep an eye on things?"

Going alone would be preferable, but Roche could tell that the three knights would tie her down if she left without any protection. And to be honest... she needed a guide in the valley.

She nodded ever so slightly, moving to gather her cloak and supplies while the knights huddled together, organising who would come and who would stay. In the end, they seemed to agree that Ruth and Brom would stay to watch Tigris while Ivie would accompany Roche to the valley since she knew the route the best.

Roche marvelled at their easy belief in her. It was a privilege Tigris hadn't afforded her. She understood why, though. Tigris was a royal. To her, trust wasn't freely given or received. After Finn, Roche had found that trust meant the same thing to her. She couldn't find it within her to blame Tigris for her blatant disregard.

After the quick conversation, Roche led Ruth and Brom out of the library, locking the doors tightly before she and Ivie snuck through the halls to head towards the royal stables. They mounted quickly and rode off into the forest.

The night air caressed her skin, letting her hair stream behind her in a thick clump. Roche found herself smiling as the scent of the sea faded behind her.

Hang on, Verita. I'm coming.

A/N: Alternative title to this chapter: Try to let Roche get a full night of sleep challenge (impossible)!

I know the thing about trust that Roche mentioned seems a bit strange. Like, it's been five years, you'd think that Tigris would have learned to trust her by now. But this is what Roche thinks. Tigris is stuck between a rock and a hard place after Eris voiced her idea about Verita being kidnapped and Roche won't provide a name. But to Roche, it seems like Tigris doesn't trust her enough. Which hurts my writer heart because dammit, they both trust each other but don't know it!

This was the main issue I found with the show Merlin. Arthur grew to hold Merlin's word above all others, but he was often put in situations where trusting Merlin's word would either seem absurd without further evidence or that he couldn't trust Merlin without pitting himself against his family. The family vs. friend debate is very strong with both Merlin and my story.

Whoops, that turned out longer than I hoped it would be! What do you think is going to happen to Verita? What information do you think Finn is trying to get?

As always, happy reading!