TW: Coarse language, v0mit

She sank back against the damned tree, pressing her shaking hands to her face. Roche crashed through the forest, sprinting straight out of the grove and into the darkness. Kai and Aodh's shouts chased her, echoing against the trees.

Tigris sucked in a shallow breath, feeling it hiss between her soft fingertips, so unlike Roche's calloused hands. She couldn't believe she'd let that woman touch her, brush her hands down her back, help her into gowns, card through her hair-

Tigris shuddered through a rush of furious heat that bloomed in her stomach like a flower at the dawn of spring. Her cheeks flushed red as she choked on a foreign tightness in her throat.

Suddenly, Aodh was kneeling beside her, his eyes wild.

"What the hell did you just say to her?" he demanded, giving her a rough shake.

Tigris managed to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. "I... banished her."

Aodh's eyes bugged out of his head. "Banished her?"

Kai came rushing back from the edges of the bushes, his eyes wide and frantic.

"She's gone!" he gasped out. Tigris closed her eyes, trying to hide the traitorous relief that coursed through her.

Roche was gone.

That meant she wouldn't be burned on a pyre, as the law demanded.

As Tigris should have demanded.

Aodh cursed loudly, running a hand through his cropped hair. He glared down at Tigris through slitted eyes.

"Is this about the man she killed?" he demanded.

The words took Tigris aback. "What?" she gasped, shock smacking her in the face.

Aodh groaned, shaking Tigris by the shoulders. "Look, he was an assassin. He was going to kill you, she had no other choice. I don't even like her, but she saved your goddamn life. You can't be mad at her."

Tigris' jaw dropped. "Roche took down an assassin?"

Roche had saved her life.

And she'd hidden it from her.

Tigris' mind whirled. She braced her head against the tree, feeling the coarse grate of the bark against her scalp. She thought she'd known Roche. It was why she'd let the woman into her life, let her be her maid and... her friend.

She'd thought Roche was her friend.

But she'd lied to her. She'd been using inkblood, practising with it, using it to take down assassins and god knew what else.

"You didn't know?" Aodh pressed, his eyes glowing with concern. "What was it then? What could make you banish Roche of all people?"

Tigris opened her mouth to answer when Kai interrupted, his eyes gleaming intently.

"Was it the creatures she used to get you here?" he asked, his voice strangely tense.

Tigris opened her mouth to deny it, to tell them what she'd learned. But her tongue stuck in her mouth with a painful snag. Because if she told Aodh what Roche truly was, he'd hunt her down as the law demanded.

He'd kill her.

And Tigris would need to support him after letting an inkblood stay close to her for many years. She'd need to stand there and watch Roche be tied up to the pyre. She'd need to watch Roche thrash and struggle, crying out and straining against her bindings as choking dark smoke filled the air. She'd need to watch as Roche's skin began to crack and bubble, burst in a smoky flare of red-

Her breath lodged in her throat, the thought so horrific that she nearly vomited.

She met Aodh's inquisitive eyes and murmured, "Yeah. That's why."

Because even if everything she thought she knew about Roche was a lie... she couldn't stand to see her killed.

She silently hoped that Roche had fled far, far away to the edges of the kingdom where no one would find her.

Where Tigris would never have to see her again.

Her heart bleated with an aching pulse. Aodh's fingers bit into her shoulders.

"Are you insane?" he hissed, "She could sic one of those creatures on us. She has a Striga, Tigris!"

"Roche wouldn't do that," Kai argued, irritation leaking into his tone as Tigris sank back, her lungs seizing.

An inkblood with a Striga at their disposal?

It was no wonder Roche was so powerful.

The thought was so strange. Her maid, her quiet, bumbling maid had a power that rivalled a Councillor.

A mad laugh rattled out of Tigris. Aodh shook her again, concern bleeding into his features.

"It doesn't matter," he growled, "Like it or not, she got us out of there. Believe me, she'll have hell to pay when we get the castle back, but she knows the way to this damn grove. We'll need her to lead the knights here."

Tigris remained quiet. It felt like the ground had turned soft beneath her, dragging her down towards the center of the earth with the weight of all her failures.

Eris had betrayed her.

Her kingdom was overtaken.

Roche had lied to her.

The last one stung the most, making her eyes prickle. She pressed her lips together and turned her face away before Aodh could see her crumbling mask. He released her with a disgusted sound, shoving a sword into his sheath with an ear splitting metallic shriek.

"I'm going to see if I can find her before the uska do," he muttered. Tigris nearly snorted. Chasing after an inkblood who didn't want to be found was damn near impossible. He would never find her.

Kai nodded, running to the fire he'd sparked at the edge of the grove. He handed Aodh a torch. "Here. They don't seem to like flames much according to the kitchen maids."

Aodh nodded, tossing Tigris a furious glare before disappearing into the forest.

Tigris could feel Kai's probing stare tracing her face. She would have gotten to her feet and moved away, escaped his inquisitive honeyed eyes, but the strength had been drained from her body.

A warm body nestled beside her. Kai sat a bit stiffly, nudging her with his shoulder.

"What was the real reason?"

Tigris' head whipped towards him. Her heart pounded. "What?"

Kai met her gaze evenly, his eyes a bit sad. "I know you wouldn't banish Roche over saving us through unsavoury means. So what's the real reason you banished her?"

Tigris pressed her lips together, biting her cheek hard enough to draw blood. She let the coppery taste wash away Roche's secret before she could blurt it out.

Kai seemed to notice her reluctance. He leaned closer, his eyes gleaming under the ethereal glow of the strange tree.

"Was it... her inkblood?" he asked, his voice as soft as a nightly breeze.

Just the damning word made Tigris suck in a breath. Something in her expression must have confirmed it because Kai sank back with a stunned expression, his hands releasing her elbow.

"Oh gods..." he mumbled mournfully, rubbing at his eyes, "Roche..."

"She's an inkblood," Tigris whispered. Then louder. "Kai, she's an inkblood."

Kai pulled in a heavy breath that ruffled the fabric of Tigris' blouse. He nodded, slowly lowering his hands from his face. It was then that Tigris noticed that he didn't look terribly shocked. He merely looked... devastated.

"You knew," Tigris realised aloud.

Kai seemed tempted to look away, but he held her gaze almost stubbornly. "Not for certain," he admitted, "And I didn't think her secret was inkblood at first. But there was always something about her. Something so..."

Wild.

Free.

Unbound.

Tigris swallowed painfully because it was the parts of Roche that she had loved that had set her apart from every other maid she'd ever known.

She scrubbed at her cheeks like tears should be staining them. "I trusted her." she said hoarsely, the words an echo of what she'd told Roche earlier.

Kai's hands found hers, tightening. "I know."

"I... I..."

"You liked her," he said gently, even as his own eyes glistened with pain, "You still do."

She scoffed faintly. "I could never like an i-"

"Don't finish that sentence," he warned, squeezing her hand with surprising strength, "It was words like that which turned Finn against us."

"She's already turned against us," Tigris muttered sourly. Kai cast her a sharp look.

"Don't say things you don't mean." Kai cautioned firmly, "She has inkblood. That's all."

"She lied-"

"She did," Kai told her firmly, "But who wouldn't, in her shoes? If your father had known, she would be strung up on a pyre, Tigris."

They both cringed at the thought. Tigris cleared the tightness out of her throat.

"She still could have told me."

"Could she?" Kai asked softly, "Or would you have acted just like you did now?"

"How could I not?" Tigris burst out, her hands curling into fists unbidden. "You didn't see her, Kai! She didn't look like Roche when she used it, she looked so cold. So cruel. I thought she was Finn!"

Kai's face paled at the thought. "Roche would never-"

"Wouldn't she?" Tigris asked bitterly, shaking her head at the horrific thought, "We would have said the same about Finn once."

Kai was quiet for a few moments. Then he whispered, "Finn didn't change overnight, Tigris. We just pretended not to see how bitter he was getting. How angry. How vengeful. He was pushed to become what he is. Can you say the same about Roche?"

Tigris bit her lip. "She has every reason to hate me, to become just as monstrous. My father persecuted her kind. Hell, so did I." she drew in a shuddering breath, "For all I know, she could want me dead, just as Finn does."

Kai inhaled sharply. "Are we talking about the same Roche? The one who shares her rock collection with the children, helps Leinos on his rounds, and refuses to let Verita strain her back with the tall shelves? The same Roche who stood by you, even after you ignored her claims about Eris?"

It sounded ridiculous when he said it like that. But Tigris still shook her head.

"You didn't see her, Kai. She's not the woman we know. She's something else," Tigris' breath hitched involuntarily, unease constricting her throat, "You should have seen her. Even Finn feared her, Kai. And the way she looked..."

"I don't need to know," Kai said curtly, the harsh tone of his voice drawing Tigris' eyes to him. His gaze was hard and unyielding, firm as he informed her, "I know the important parts about her. I know that Roche is a good, kind woman."

"She's an ink-"

"You and I both know that inkblood isn't what corrupted Finn," Kai interrupted her, his eyes practically glowing with intensity, "You've been rallying to right your father's wrongs since he revealed the truth. You know as well as I do that inkblood isn't what drives people to evil. Think of Orpheus. Of the librarians. Of Verita and Leinos. Inkblood doesn't mean a thing anymore."

A headache formed behind Tigris' eyes. "I know," she breathed after a moment, a soft admission that took her breath away, "I don't care that she has inkblood. I care that she lied about it so easily. Her candor was what I respected. I thought she was an open book." She laughed a little, a wretched sound, "I thought she was a fool."

Kai cocked his head. "You should have known better than to think Roche as a fool," he pointed out, "She's always been wise."

"Like you," Tigris murmured. Half a smile lit up Kai's face. He dipped his head in concession.

A few moments of tense silence filled the air. Tigris flinched as the fire crackled and popped loudly, forcing back some of the chill in the air. Kai laid a hand on her thigh, his thumb rubbing small calming circles.

"Roche stood by me when your father accused me of having inkblood," he said quietly, avoiding Tigris' gaze, "She was my friend before any other. She still is my best friend. I won't let fear and hatred push her to corruption like it did Finn."

Tigris startled at that. "Are you going to find her?"

"She'll be back," he stated, like there was never any doubt, "I know she will. And when she does, I'm going to ensure that she never feels as lonely as Finn did."

Tigris gaped at him. "But- she... Kai!"

"What?" he asked, his eyes darkening ever so slightly, "Tigris, do you want me to shun her like you? Do you even know if she has a place to go right now? A place to sleep? She's lived in the Faultless Kingdom her entire life and you banished her!"

Tigris spluttered at the accusation in his voice. "What was I supposed to do? If she stayed, I'd be forced to burn her alive! I'm the queen, it's illegal for me to let her stay alive in this kingdom. The only way she'll live is if she leaves Faultless lands."

Kai blinked at her, his eyes widening. "So that's why you banished her," he breathed, a small smile tucked into the corners of his lips, "You're protecting her."

"No- yes- I mean," Tigris growled, "God, Roche is so bloody complicated!"

"She was complicated," Kai corrected, lips twitching, "Now we know why."

Tigris threw her hands up in the air, "Kai, she can't come back to the castle with us!"

"Why not?" he challenged.

"Because she'll die!"

"No," Kai moved back abruptly, and Tigris felt the loss of his warmth keenly. He held up a shaking, accusatory finger, "You're queen now, Tigris. She'll only die if you say so."

Tigris' jaw dropped. "You're asking me to break one of my laws-"

"An unfair one, and you know it." Kai said smoothly, his eyes narrowed. His voice dipped dangerously, "You do realise that the alternative is her death or her leaving the only home she's ever known, don't you?"

Tigris; throat went dry. She traced the roots of the glowing tree, focusing on slowing her rapid breaths as she followed the whorls with her fingertip.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted, her heart writhing in her chest.

Kai stood slowly, something like disappointment flashing across his face. "Well, regardless, we'll need her help. I'm going to stand by her, Tigris. She's done that much for me. She's done much more for you. We both owe it to her to give her a fair chance to figure out who she truly is, unhidden and unafraid."

Tigris watched him turn away, her chest tightening as he paused expectantly. Some of her turmoil must have shown on her face, because his honeyed eyes softened like melting amber.

"All you need to do is be merciful, Tigris. That's the queen I know and love. Be kind to her, and the rest will sort itself out." Kai advised her gently before retreating to poke at the fire, showering the ground with embers. They remained in silence, even when Aodh returned hours later with twigs in his hair and a defeated expression.

He hadn't found Roche anywhere.

Part of Tigris was relieved.

The other part of her wished desperately that Roche could return so she could see if Kai was right. If her closest friend was still somewhere within the stranger she'd seen fighting her brother.

Tigris fell asleep staring out into the forest, not noticing the figure hidden in the shadows behind her, watching over her as if in silent vigil.

-------

She woke to the sound of soft footsteps by her head. A familiar, calloused hand tapped her wrist hesitantly.

"Wakey wakey, your Majesty."

The words were tremulous and tentative, barely there. Tigris grunted, rolling to the side, ignoring the quick flash of pain that ran through her limbs as she did so.

"Shut up, Roche," she grumbled. Then her memories caught up to her. She shot upright, gaping at the woman silhouetted by sunlight and the silver glow of the strange tree.

Roche offered her a tiny smile, a shadow of her usual exuberance. Darkness stained the space beneath her eyes. Mud streaked her ripped gown. Tigris dragged her gaze downwards, noticing with a flash of guilt that the woman's torn gown meant she'd been left exposed to the elements for the entire night.

"I have your breakfast, my lady," Roche announced placidly, the perfect picture of a maid. She curtsied before depositing a handful of berries and nuts before her.

There was a grunt across the grove. Tigris looked up to see Aodh stirring, groggily rubbing his eyes. He froze as his gaze landed on the exhausted looking Roche.

"Roche!" he shouted, surprise and relief flitting over his features. Roche looked absolutely stunned as Aodh leapt to his feet and stormed closer, "Do you know what kind of a heart attack you nearly gave us? Honestly, running into the forest when the uska are roaming, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Roche glanced at Tigris, some kind of realisation dawning on her features. She smirked at Aodh. Tigris couldn't help but marvel at how quickly she traded her despondency, hiding it behind a mask of exuberance, the face Tigris thought had been her true one.

"Aw, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried," she teased lightly. Aodh squawked indignantly.

"Of course not! I just didn't want your weird pets coming after us," he huffed, crossing his arms.

Roche's smile faltered. "I wouldn't call Moriean or Circe 'pets' if you like your head attached to your shoulders."

Aodh cringed, genuine fear bunching his shoulders. "Duly noted," he muttered.

Roche straightened. "I saw the knights. They're camped out to the northwest, about a half a day's walk. If we leave now, we can find them and reach the castle by sundown."

Relief flooded through Tigris so viscerally that she had to lean back. "They're all alive?" she pressed, forgetting her ordeal with Roche for an instant, "All of them?"

Roche nodded, "From what I could tell. All of the knights weren't there, but those that were didn't seem terribly shaken. I think they've split into groups."

Aodh nodded, meeting Tigris' eyes. "That's what the new protocol demands. At the very least, it's saved some of them. If we spend the day, we can find them all and rally our forces."

Kai joined them from the perimeter where he'd been on watch, a displeased frown spreading across his features.

"All the soldiers in the world won't matter if we can't defeat those uska," he pointed out, hesitating for a moment before adding, "And Finn."

Roche chewed her lip. "Circe told us that if we can kill Finn, the uska will be unbound from his will. They'll return to the land of the dead."

Tigris blinked, flexing her stiff fingers. Thoughts raced through her head, so many plans and strategies that she felt dizzy just thinking of them.

"Alright," she muttered, steepling her fingers in thought, "So we'll need to draw the uska out somehow. Then we'll need to get to Finn. We'll need a large number of knights if we're going to distract all those uska."

"So we'd better get moving, then," Aodh surmised, already retreating to the edge of the grove, "Pack up quickly. I'll scout ahead and make sure there's no surprises."

He shot Tigris a knowing look, his eyes darting to Roche for a moment before he disappeared into the underbrush.

Awkward silence permeated through the air. Roche shifted on her feet as Tigris and Kai turned to stare at her. The maid slowly lifted her baleful eyes to Tigris.

"So. You didn't tell them?" she asked quietly.

Tigris' throat ached with pent up emotion. She shook her head tightly. "Aodh doesn't know."

Roche smiled a bit ruefully. "But Kai does?"

"I do," Kai agreed, his eyes narrowing at his friend. He stepped closer.

Roche flinched, her eyes flashing with a mix of fear and something else for a moment. Her hands twitched upwards, and Tigris' heart jerked in her chest at the threat that movement carried.

Kai's steps stuttered to a halt for a moment. Then he moved forward, grasping Roche by the shoulders sternly.

"You," he said grandly, giving her a small shake, "Are an idiot."

Roche blinked in surprise, her face pale and flushed all at once. "Me?"

"Yes you. Inkblood! In Romulus' kingdom! Are you trying to die?"

Roche looked genuinely bewildered. "You don't hate me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Kai's indignation melted away into something devastated. He shook his head, tugging Roche forward into a hug. Roche needed a moment before she could wrap her arms around Kai.

Tigris turned away, the sight burning her soul.

"I could never hate you," Kai said gently.

Roche pulled away, her face darkening. For a moment, Tigris saw a flash of the feral, stone cold woman that had fought Finn and nearly won.

"You don't know what I've done, Kai," Roche murmured, kicking the ground slightly, "I've done horrible things."

Tigris lifted a brow. "Like killing? Aodh told us about your little assassin problem."

She watched Roche's face carefully, gauging her reaction. To her ultimate horror, Roche barely looked fazed.

"That's not even the worst thing I've done," the woman admitted, turning to face Tigris fully. Her hazel eyes, once warm and innocent, were now empty and lifeless. Roche's jaw clenched. "You're right to hate me and banish me. I know you're furious, I know you want me out of your kingdom. I understand. But I made you a promise. I'm your maid. I'm going to stick with you until you're safe and in your castle again. I'll see you back onto your throne and then you can do as you will."

Kai was glaring at Tigris, and unease tightened Tigris' chest as the flat, monotone drawl of Roche's words. Before she could think of anything better to say, she blurted out, "I don't need your help."

Roche's lips twitched as if she'd made a joke. "You do. You need the uska gone, Finn gone, and Eris gone. I'm the only one who can do all three."

There wasn't a hint of smugness in the words. They were purely matter of fact, like Roche was reading a statistic from a book. Not at all like the bumbling, unassured mess Roche usually was when she presented a plan or story.

The hair rose on the back of Tigris' neck. She recalled Roche's spine lengthening as she stared down Finn, hissing.

"I was fighting you just fine without even needing to reveal myself. That was me going easy on you."

Roche hadn't been lying.

Goosebumps rose on Tigris' flesh. She tilted her head.

"I never really knew you at all, did I?" she murmured, watching Roche accept the words with cool ease.

"I suppose you didn't," Roche said lightly, the words utterly emotionless, "Neither does Finn, though. That will be to your benefit."

"That doesn't matter," Kai cut in, throwing them both stern glares, "Roche, you're not fighting on your own. A lot of people want to beat up Finn, and you'll have to get in line."

Roche smiled then. It was an eerie thing, all teeth and no warmth. "And how are you going to stop me?" she asked flatly, toying with a strand of her hair. When Kai blanched, she added, "I'm not letting Tigris die, which is what will happen if she faces Finn without me. Unless the queen has her own little inkblood stash, I'm the only one who can fight the Councilwoma- Eris and Finn and the uska. You two need to join Aodh and find the knights while I deal with this."

Tigris spluttered. "You?" she pressed disbelievingly, "You're going to fight three inkblood threats alone?"

Roche's lips flattened. She regarded Tigris with a cool glance before turning to gather their meagre supplies from the ground. "This is what I've done behind your back for five years, Tigris. Let me fulfil my destiny, and you'll fulfil yours."

"Destiny?" Tigris repeated as Roche walked away, towards the glowing tree. She whirled to Kai, "What is she talking about?"

Kai barely acknowledged the question. He stared after Roche, a calculated gleam in his eyes. "Forget that," he mumbled, "She's going to die."

Tigris' shoulders immediately tightened with tension. "What?"

"She's being careless. I don't care how powerful she is, fighting Finn, a Councilwoman, if that's what Eris is, and the uska will drain her. She was exhausted yesterday. She can't fight them again, she'll die."

He turned his gaze towards her expectantly. Tigris blinked at him, holding out her hands. "What?"

He gestured wildly at her, exasperation filling his features. "Talk to her!"

When she hesitated, he groaned and grabbed her breakfast. "Hey!" Tigris yelped. Kai cut her a droll glance.

"Roche collected this. It's her breakfast now," he said, stalking across the grove. Tigris had no choice but to watch Kai shove the stolen breakfast towards Roche. Tigris was too far away to hear much, but she saw Roche shaking her head tightly. At Kai's insistence, she plucked a few berries from the assortment and tossed them into her mouth before turning away. Kai tried to offer her more, but Roche refused.

Tigris felt a stir of worry that she forced down. Kai shrugged at her helplessly, retreating to the smoking remains of the fire. He shot Tigris an expectant glare.

It was her turn.

Tigris turned to Roche, surprise shooting through her when she noticed the maid calmly stalking into the bushes. She followed at a distance, careful to keep out of sight. Roche moved stiffly, robotically. Her face was a perfect mask of confidence and determination. Perhaps that was why Tigris was so surprised when Roche stilled abruptly, folded over, and vomited out a thick black sludge.

Tigris nearly turned away in disgust, but she couldn't help but feel pity as Roche practically convulsed, stringy drool and dark bile spilling from her lips. The maid choked and growled with frustration.

Tigris' pity and worry won out at the pathetic sound. She marched closer, noting that Roche didn't seem all that surprised at her approach.

"Here," Tigris grunted, shoving a waterskin at the maid.

Roche's back shuddered. Her hair began to slip out from behind her ears. Tigris instinctively twitched forward, gathering back the hair before it could dip into the foul mess Roche was expelling.

The maid's lips twitched. "Thanks," she muttered, spitting out a glob of something dark. Tigris turned her gaze as her own stomach lurched at the sight. The fit passed after a moment, and Roche leaned back, her face a nauseated shade of green. She wordlessly accepted the waterskin, rinsing out her mouth with a twisted, irate expression.

Tigris glanced at the mess on the ground. "That doesn't look normal," she mumbled.

Roche smirked at her. It was such a strange expression on Roche's usually innocent features.

"You can thank your aunt for this," she hesitated before adding, "The Councilwoman. She's smart, I'll give her that. She planned it out so goddamn perfectly."

Tigris' mind whirled. "Eris did this to you?" she asked incredulously, "How?"

Roche grimaced, drawing another sip from the waterskin. "Poison," she said flatly.

"When?"

"The summit," Roche muttered, kicking dirt over the noxious dark sludge on the ground, "She crept up on me while I was looking for the assassin. Knocked me out before I could fight her." Roche looked away with a sour expression.

"So you knew she was betraying us," Tigris replied, her mind spinning, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Roche frowned. "I tried," she muttered, "I let you know when Verita was kidnapped, but you completely ignored me!"

Tigris blinked at her. "I would have changed my mind if you told me she'd poisoned you."

"Right," Roche snorted slightly, "And if you didn't believe me? What then? Would you interrogate me like you tried to do for Verita?"

Her accusation was harsh and bitter, like a burr against skin. Tigris looked away, discomfort tightening her chest.

"I trusted you," she mumbled, "I would have investigated if you'd made such a claim."

Roche lifted a brow. "Maybe," she conceded, her disbelief evident, "But it didn't change the fact that I tried to tell you the truth once, and you completely ignored me. I didn't know what Eris would do to try and convince you of her innocence. Who knows? She might've framed Leinos next. Or Kai."

Tigris flinched bodily at that possibility. "I would have never-"

"You already did."

Roche's flat disappointment cut through her weak protest. Tigris swallowed and looked away, shame bubbling within her.

"I'm sorry," she said into the chafing silence that spawned within them, filling the still forest with a shifting kind of energy.

Roche sighed, her shoulders slackening. She avoided Tigris' eyes. "I don't blame you. She's your family. It's only natural to trust her. I just wish you trusted me as well."

"I did," Tigris replied, ignoring Roche's wince at the past tense, "I didn't listen as well as I should have, but I did what I thought was right for a claim of your nature, one with no proof. I put preliminary safeguards in place. The knights were monitoring her."

Roche crossed her arms over her chest. "And how did that work out for you?"

Tigris glared at her, but she couldn't deny that Roche was right. Here she was in the middle of the forest without her knights, without her people, and without her throne. Her backup plans had hinged on at least one of her trusted knights staying behind. Eris had picked the perfect time to stage a revolt, when Tigris had gone for a hunt with her most trusted knights. They'd thought that Kai's presence in the castle with the rest of the knights would deter an attack.

Clearly, they didn't account for the possibility that Eris would feign Tigris' death.

Tigris had never truly believed that her aunt had betrayed her. Logically, she knew it was possible. But her heart hadn't agreed. The price she'd paid for her foolishness was... everything.

Tigris rubbed her aching temples. "You're right," she mumbled, "I trusted too easily. It won't happen again."

"Tigris," Roche moved closer, her eyes lit with their usual warmth for a blissful moment, "I'm not blaming you. Your success as queen comes from keeping your heart open. It makes you a powerful leader, stronger than any other. No one faults you for your trust. It is your strength."

Tigris closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of Roche's earnest expression. "All I've done is be wrong about who to trust."

"Just because Eris and Finn-"

"I'm not just talking about them."

Roche faltered slightly. Her hands fell to her sides. Hurt flickered across her eyes. Guilt stirred within Tigris, but she pushed it back.

"You can still trust me," Roche said softly, her face pained.

Tigris swallowed, surprised to feel her face stinging. "How can I? I barely know anything about you."

Roche turned and began to walk back to the grove. After a beat, Tigris followed.

"You know me," Roche told her, voice strained, "I'm the same person. I just have inkblood."

"The Roche I knew didn't go around fighting assassins, dealing with traitors, fighting on my behalf with inkblood." Tigris reminded her.

Roche's shoulders bunched up. "Consider that an added bonus to my existing, wondrous qualities." Her words were teasing, but Tigris couldn't find it in her to laugh.

"Tell me something that was real," she pleaded, unsure why she was so desperate. A small voice within her head that sounded like her father warned her not to interact with Roche more than she had to.

The other part of her was desperate for the maid and confidante she'd grown to care for.

Roche's lips thinned. They reentered the grove, and she pointed to the glowing tree.

"I didn't lie to you about Medea," Roche said quietly, subtle wonderment filling her features as she regarded the majestic glowing branches and golden leaves. She moved closer to the trunk, running her fingers over her. "I brought her here to die."

There was a quiet but fierce grief bubbling in her voice. Tigris sensed Kai coming up behind her, but her eyes were locked on Roche's face, on the heartbreak written in the lines of her face.

Swallowing was painful. Tigris dragged her gaze up to Roche's devastated features. "Did she know about your... your..."

"You can say the word, Tigris," Roche teased gently, "It won't bite."

Tigris bit her lip reflexively, wincing when a coppery flood of liquid filled her mouth. "Inkblood. Did Medea know?"

Did you tell her before me? It wasn't an honourable question in the least, but for some, sickening reason, Tigris found herself needing to know.

Roche's throat bobbed. She nodded slightly. "I didn't tell her. She saw me. I... I used it to help her escape."

"Escape?" Tigris' eyes flew open, unbidden. She noticed Roche fidgeting in place, "Why did she need to escape? Please tell me it was because of the gorgon."

Kai was elbowing her hard, warning her to shut up. Roche's eyes closed with apparent agony.

"No," the woman breathed, "She was locked up when she first came to the city. Do you remember Draven?"

The breath rushed out of Tigris as several memories clicked into place. She keenly remembered the battle, the monstrous features of the gorgon sneering at her. She remembered Kai bleeding out in her arms. She remembered Finn staring at the escaped inkblood woman before she transformed, his eyes widening.

She remembered the short question he hadn't gotten to finish, branded into her memory like the moments before any battle.

Are you Med-

Tigris inhaled so sharply that her nostrils stung.

"It was her," she realised aloud, "Medea was the gorgon."

Roche's eyes shone with confirmation.

A rush of anger filled Tigris. "And you let it free?" she hissed, her hand gravitating to her sword's hilt.

Roche's eyes flashed. "She, not it. She was a wonderful woman."

"She nearly killed Kai!" Tigris snapped, "And she killed countless knights and civilians. Why would you loose such a terror on the city?"

The air began to hum with energy. Tigris' fury faltered for a moment, and she registered the way Roche's face had darkened into the same stormy calm she'd seen during the battle with Finn. Roche stood there, fists curled and seething as a wild scent filled the air, like fresh pine needles lying in a bed of snow at spring's edge.

Inkblood, Tigris recognised it faintly. That had to be the smell of inkblood.

"Fuck you, Tigris," Roche breathed after a moment. The air crackled, invisible energy settling. Tigris blinked in surprise at the venom behind the words.

"Excuse me?"

"You can defile my name. You can banish me or kill me for all I care. But don't you dare talk about Medea like she was a monster. She was a kind woman who had the misfortune to be cursed to turn into the gorgon every night. She was a blessing to this world." Roche's lips curled with ugly rancor, "If you have something to say about her, I better not hear it. And neither should she. You should be grateful she shelters you at all."

Roche's muscles coiled like a cat prepared to pounce, and the wild aroma of inkblood thickened for a moment.

Tigris found her hand gravitating to her sword.

Kai cleared his throat. "She's sheltering us?" he asked timidly, cutting through the tension cautiously.

Roche blinked like she'd forgotten he'd been standing there. She swallowed, her eyes beginning to glisten. She laid a hand on the bark of the tree, rubbing small circles along the coarse wood. The movement seemed to calm her.

"I arrived too late," Roche confessed quietly. The words didn't make sense until she added, "I didn't know she was the gorgon. I found out just before the battle. By the time I found her..." Roche's jaw worked, "She'd been stabbed. I brought her here, and when I burned her she became this lovely tree. She protects this grove now." Roche was practically choking on the last few words.

Tigris recalled the battle clearly.

She remembered stabbing the gorgon, landing the killing blow.

Her heart stuttered to a halt, numb shock exploding through her body.

She'd killed Roche's lover.

She drew her gaze up to Roche's. From the shine of the woman's eyes and the devastation painting her features, Tigris knew that Roche was well aware of that fact.

Horror exploded in her chest, like a gush of blood bursting free from a wound.

Roche watched with agonising patience, her hands folded placidly over her stomach. She watched stoically as Tigris reeled, struggling to form an adequate response.

"I-"

"I know. I saw," Roche said quietly, her voice so drawn and ravaged that Tigris' heart ached at the sound of it.

Tigris' tongue was heavy in her mouth. She remembered the sticky feel of the gorgon's blood on her hands, how she'd been all too glad to change out of her armour. How she'd dragged Roche, fresh from her lover's funeral to draw her a bath, clean the blood off her sword, and polish her armour to a mirror shine.

Roche had done it all without a single complaint. She'd stared Tigris in the face after Tigris had ripped apart the one thing she'd loved.

And Tigris had smiled at her.

Tigris choked on her breath, her gorge rising.

Suddenly, a warm, calloused hand was on her shoulder. Roche squeezed gently, drawing Tigris back to the present.

"It's alright," Roche said gently, sympathetically, "You did what you had to do."

Like Tigris was the one needing comfort.

There was a rotten kind of irony to the scene that made Tigris' stomach flip with revulsion.

Her mind churned like a thunderstorm, so starkly different to the peaceful sunlight filtering through the grove.

"Why?" Tigris found herself whispering, forcing herself to meet Roche's heartbroken eyes, "Why did you let me bring you back to the castle that night? Why did you stay after everything I..."

After everything I did.

A solemn curtain was tugged over Roche's face. She leaned closer in earnest, like she was sharing a secret.

"Because I believe in you, Tigris," Roche informed her, not a hint of doubt in her voice, "I believe in the queen you are and will be. I... I was made into the woman I am to serve you, and I am proud of that fact."

And then Roche leaned back and smiled, glowing like there weren't truer words to be spoken.

Tigris felt ill. She swayed in place, her vision blurring. What had she done to earn such devotion from Roche?

From an inkblood?

The last thought was like a flood of icy water, washing away the horrorshow of emotions tugging Tigris in a million directions. She pressed her hand against her chest, like her heart could be stifled that way.

She was saved from a response when Aodh returned to the grove, looking more than a little impatient. Roche followed him, quickly sliding a cheerful mask back onto her face. Tigris could only watch as Roche enthusiastically peppered Aodh with her usual small talk, laughing raucously as she irritated the prince to no end as if she hadn't revealed the most bone chilling truth just moments ago.

Kai's hands wrapped around Tigris' wrist. He looked pale and ashen.

"Tigris..." he trailed off, looking so helpless that Tigris felt her soul wither and die. Even Kai, sweet Kai, couldn't excuse her actions.

"What have I done?" Tigris murmured as she stared after Roche, "Oh, god, I was so wrong."

Kai closed his eyes. Tigris knew that if he had the heart, he would have told her it was too little, too late.

A/N: Say what you want about Kai, but the man is a good friend LOL.

Sorry for the late chapter again! In a few days, exams will be over and we'll return to the usual update schedule. 

So, what do you think of... everything this chapter ig. LOL, so much happened I don't even know where to start describing it. Hopefully this chapter did Roche some justice, and know that there will be more to come :D

As always, happy reading!