"I made something I think you might like. One of the Irulian servants gave me a recipe for a soup dish! Your mother made it for me once." Verita called over her shoulder as Roche shut the door. She grinned at Verita's kindness, helping to ladle some servings into the bowl.

"Thank you, Verita. It looks lovely" Roche replied. Verita offered her a smirk.

"I thought you might like something as consolation for becoming a handmaiden for the rest of your life."

Roche groaned, sliding into the bench. Verita chuckled at her misfortune.

"In any case, what did the prince want from you?" Verita asked, spooning the soup into her mouth. Roche smirked.

"He wanted to thank me." she said. Verita hummed, taking a sip.

"And he wanted to tell me that he knew I had inkblood."

Verita choked on the thick soup. Roche shoved a glass of water at the sputtering librarian. Verita leapt to her feet once she could speak again.

"We need to get you out of this city!" Verita croaked, placing a hand on her forehead in distress as she paced, "Your mother is going to kill me!"

"It's alright," Roche laughed, loosely grabbing Verita's hand before she could start packing Roche's things, "He's agreed to keep it quiet."

Verita looked dubious. "The Prince?" she asked incredulously. Roche nodded, trying not to grimace as the soup's flavours hit her tongue.

"He seemed genuine enough."

"Prince Finn probably is," Verita sighed, sliding back onto her seat, "I've cared for that boy since he was a baby. He's never been one to break his word."

Roche said nothing. It all wouldn't matter if she left tonight. But she couldn't make herself say the words. Her mind repeated what Finn had said.

"If you enjoy living here, then you can stay."

The worst part was that Roche did enjoy it in the Faultless City. Aside from her ordeals with the royals, she'd learned more about her inkblood, and she'd gotten to use it for something good. She'd met kind people like Kai, Verita, and Leinos. Not to mention that there was a huge library she had access to.

The Faultless City wasn't safe. But it was everything that she'd dreamed of and more.

"Roche?"

Roche looked up, realising that Verita had been calling her name for a while. The librarian's eyes were lit with concern. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Verita pursed her lips, but didn't press. "Are you excited to be the princess' handmaiden?"

Roche snorted. "Ah yes. Such an honour to clean up her highness' messes. I feel very rewarded."

Verita's lips twitched. "Well, regardless-" Verita said something else, but it was drowned out by a stirring in her inkblood.

"Ala."

Roche bit back a groan. Damn that insufferable bird. She stirred her soup, engaging in light conversation with Verita until both of their bowls were empty. Eventually, the librarian went to bed, citing that Roche needed to rest before her first day as a maid. Roche figured she'd tell Verita in the morning about her decision to leave. After she dealt with a large, feathery problem.

Once Verita's breathing had evened out, Roche crept out of her quarters, clad in a thin tawny robe that trailed behind her as she walked. This time, she brought a small candle with her, lit with a silent incantation.

It wasn't hard to find the secret passageway again. It opened with less of a rumble than usual, as if it was finally getting used to opening. Roche didn't have to walk too far in before she heard a muted rustling of feathers behind her. How the bird seemed to walk through walls, she'd never know.

"So we meet again, Ala."

Roche turned, her lips curling with a smirk. "You called for me."

"That I did." Circe lifted their wings slightly, twisting the shadows around them. "It seems you've made another choice."

Roche's heart ached slightly. She bowed her head. "That's true. I suppose this will be the last time you see me."

"The last?" Circle laughed, "Ala, this will be one of the many times you see me."

"What?" Roche spluttered, "That can't be true. I'm leaving."

Circe flapped their wings, eyes glowing a vivid orange that rivalled the flame of Roche's candle. "You are Tigris' handmaiden."

"I plan on handing in my resignation letter in the morning." Roche explained, pulling out the folded sheet of paper from the folds of her cloak. She tilted her head, "It's too dangerous to stay here. The prince knows my secret. So does Verita. If I'd been caught in that lord's chamber, it wouldn't just be me on that pyre. And the longer I stay here, the more people might learn. People that I can't protect."

"You cannot protect them if you are gone, Roche." Circe warned. It was one of the few times the Striga had actually used her true name. Roche swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I don't want to go either, Circe." Roche confessed, "But you know what happened to Finn."

"You saved him from the poison."

"I should have stopped him from being poisoned in the first place. I failed Finn first before I saved him. And besides, if I become Tigris' handmaiden, how will I have time to practise controlling my inkblood? I'll lose control and be seen and then I'll be burned." Roche argued.

Circe cocked their head. "You will have time to learn. I told you once that you have great potential. But that is only if you stay in this city."

"What are you talking about?" Roche asked.

"No matter what choice you make, stay or leave, you hold the greatest amount of inkblood that has been naturally bestowed to any human, Roche. There will be those who will seek to find you."

A chill ran down Roche's spine. "Who?"

"Those who seek power. If you do not learn to control your inkblood, you will be found. And as I have said, the way your life proceeds will be felt by many. You will either return the balance of this world, or stoke the imbalance that threatens to tear it apart."

"I don't understand." Roche's head spun, "Do you want me to stay?"

"I am a Striga. I do not want anything but balance." Circe replied. Roche groaned. "However," Circe added, "If you stay in this city, you will learn to wield your inkblood with precision and control unmatched by any other inkblood."

"How?" Roche shouted, "How will I learn if I'm cleaning up after a princess all the time?"

"Because it is in many of your possible fates to protect Princess Tigris Silvia with your inkblood while you serve as her maid."

It felt like Lord Luctus had laid down a time slowing spell again. Roche blinked at the bird uncomprehendingly.

"Me?" she repeated disbelievingly, "Protecting Tigris? She doesn't even want me around! Why would I protect her?"

"She shares the same plight as you; she has great potential. She can make or destroy this world."

Roche sucked in a breath, steepling her fingers.

"So let me get this straight. You have two people with the potential to make or break this planet, and you want us to stick together?! That's like putting all your eggs in one basket. Is that what you want?"

"I do not want. I-"

"Circe!"

"Fine." Circe ruffled their feathers, their eyes glinting coyly, "The meeting between you and the Silvian royals has long been awaited. You have already seen the danger that threatens this land."

"The Council of Seven?"

"Correct," Circe shifted slightly, claws clicking against the ground. "You and the princess hold the world in your palms. If the Council kills Tigris, then the chance of a balanced world becomes nearly impossible. You hold Tigris' fate in your hands. She holds the fate of the Faultless Kingdom. One cannot exist without the other."

Roche slyly pulled out the pen she'd tucked into her cloak, jotting down Circe's words on her forearm.

"I see," she muttered, "So... what? Am I her bodyguard and maid?"

"Of a kind, yes." Circe agreed, eyes twinkling fondly, "In protecting Tigris, you will gain control of your inkblood and have the largest library in the world to grow your abilities."

That would certainly help many of Roche's problems. If she could control her inkblood, her mother would no longer be at risk. Neither would the others that she'd come to care about during her time in the Faultless City.

Her eyes burned as she recalled Finn's words. She enjoyed the city. She enjoyed learning more about her inkblood, despite all the trouble it had brought her. And she actually enjoyed the company of the people she'd met.

"If I stay," Roche said slowly, ignoring the way Circe seemed to perk up, "What would I be protecting Tigris from?"

"I cannot begin to list all the threats she will face," Circe said, eyes flickering to Roche, "But only you have the potential to face them."

Roche pursed her lips. Circe seemed intent on their mission to never give a straight answer. Silence stretched between them. Roche tucked her pen back into her cloak.

"In all the stories I've read, it always seems best to do what the talking animal tells you." Roche said softly. She looked up, meeting Circe's gaze with a tiny smile. "I guess I'll listen, then."

"Wise choice, Ala." Circe said warmly. They raised their wings. Roche yelped.

"You know I can walk back, right? You don't need to keep blowing me around the tunnels!"

Circe's eyes gleamed. "I know."

"Then why do you do it? Does blasting me back to the library increase my potential or something?"

"No," Circe reared back, wings held higher, "It's just fun to watch!"

"Circe, no!"

The Striga screeched with laughter and brought down its wings. Roche felt her hair twist in a million different directions as she was blown back through the tunnels and out into the library, hard enough that she slammed into a shelf. She groaned, feeling a bruise form from her ass to her neck.

"Damn it, Circe."

As she crept back to bed, she could have sworn she heard the bird's laughter echoing through the walls.

She laid in her bed for a long time that night, unable to sleep. That night, she contemplated destiny. She contemplated fate. She contemplated the cresting and crashing of civilisations until her mind was nothing but a blur of emotions.

When she finally drifted off to sleep, half mad with fate, her inkblood pulsed behind her eyes, binding her raving thoughts back together. When she dreamed, she dreamed of a familiar green-eyed princess. The last thing she saw was Tigris' coy smile against a backdrop of midnight stars before she sank into blissful unconsciousness.

A/N: Guess who just woke up at a socially acceptable time and can post this chapter?

*points thumbs at self* This girl!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's basically a little bit of love from Verita, Circe being a cheeky little git, and Roche literally thinking herself to sleep.

This is the end of part one of the book! Part two will be up tomorrow :D Happy reading everyone!