They sat in a clearing, perched upon logs placed in a circle. In the center of their little circle of gathering, the object of power sat, glowing eerily. Roche could feel the powerful waves of inkblood rolling off of it.

It was an effort to keep her dinner down.

No one seemed to want to talk. They all just stared at the object with varying degrees of horror. All of them except Finn.

He kept his forest green eyes locked on her. His face was utterly unreadable.

Roche's throat tightened. What had he seen her do during his test?

They sat in absolute silence for an eternity, lost in the mires of their own tests. Roche stared at the object of power laid to rest on a stump they'd found. Roche stood, leaving the royals to talk while she foraged for a few plants. She only managed a handful of vegetables that she washed off in a stream. She couldn't risk anything else, not when she didn't know enough about the plants in these forests. The line between poisonous and edible was a dangerous one to tread.

Roche returned and used a jagged rock to slice up the vegetables. Her meagre herbs made for a fine, Faultless stew. She handed out bowls to the pensive royals, who still sat upon their logs. The food seemed to rouse them slightly. Roche took a bowl for herself last, eating the last scraps. She watched the colour leech back into their pale faces. Their eyes seemed to focus.

After a bout of chewing, Finn was the first to break the silence.

"So... what are we going to do?" he rasped. He noticeably avoided Roche's gaze. Roche tried to not let that sting. Tigris leaned back, placing her empty bowl at her feet.

"We must destroy that object." Tigris tore her gaze away from the object of power, "It truly is wicked." She shivered noticeably.

"Was that... was that what you saw during your test?" Aodh asked, his voice still hoarse. He looked drawn, like he didn't even have the energy to make a jab at Roche. Tigris nodded wearily, the blood draining from her face yet again.

"It enacts the will of the person who holds it. But it will cater to your every whim." Tigris' eyes went unfocused, "Every slight whim. It cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Faultless Kingdom's enemies. Whoever destroys it must be absolutely certain they have the mental fortitude to wield it."

Roche watched Aodh and Finn blanch at the sight of Tigris' sudden meekness. Tigris' cat-like green eyes seemed to focus as they flicked between them. "Is that not what you two faced?" she asked hesitantly. Aodh's throat bobbed.

"No," he answered, too quietly. Tigris leaned forward.

"Did you receive a warning as well?" the princess pressed. Roche leaned back.

"A warning?" she repeated, glancing between the royals who were nodding, "You got warnings?"

"What was your test? And how the hell did you pass?" Aodh asked, somewhat bitterly. But his voice held none of its usual venom. Roche felt bile creep up her throat as her mind retreated to the memory of fire and nothingness. She stared into the embers of the fire she'd used to cook the stew, flinching as one of the charred bits of wood seemed to glow brighter.

"The object of power was still spreading the curse. I had the choice to destroy it. And I did." she summarized as succinctly as she could. Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. Aodh snorted.

"Of course you got the easy test," he muttered. Roche's temper flared.

"It wasn't as easy as you think," she gritted out, "The only way to destroy it was to destroy myself."

"Yourself?" Finn repeated, the first thing he'd said to her since the test. Roche nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Did you face something similar?" she asked gently. Finn flinched ever so slightly, looking away.

"No." he admitted, his voice empty, "The librarian told me I saw my future. I'm not sure whether I believe her."

Roche felt every part of her body go still. "The future?" she managed to repeat. Circe's laugh echoed in her mind. Could Finn know...

Finn nodded. "I saw myself." He curled into himself, wrapping his arms around his knees. Tigris' eyes flickered with sympathy. She placed her hand on her brother's knee.

"That librarian was a creature of inkblood. Do not trust a word out of her mouth." she swore. Finn's eyes seemed to flare with anger rather than relief. He pulled away.

"What did you see, sister?" he asked coldly, "Because I think you felt the truth in the librarian's visions as much as I did. Do not comfort me with lies."

Tigris recoiled. "I ripped the object of power out of a man's chest. I had a moment to decide what to do with it." Tigris swallowed, the colour draining from her face. "I killed everyone." The words came out as a hollow whisper that made goosebumps rise on Roche's skin.

"I burned them all." Tigris admitted, her voice soft with horror.

"It wasn't real," Roche found herself saying. She pushed her gaze towards the princes. "It's not real. Do not let it trouble you so."

Tigris stood, her bowl upended in the earth. She stalked over to Roche. For a moment, Roche thought she would start yelling. But Tigris merely lifted a hand to Roche's face, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Her touch made heat bloom beneath Roche's skin.

"I killed you," Tigris said simply, so simply that it sent chills down Roche's spine, "I killed you with a single thought."

"I killed Roche with a sword." Aodh muttered gruffly, kicking the ground. "Just to get to the object of power."

"I tried killing Roche too." Finn admitted as well, not meeting Roche's eyes, "And you tried killing me."

Roche reeled. "You three are just full of love today, aren't you?" she joked. Her heart dropped to her feet when they didn't laugh. "Look, I'm alive. That's all that matters."

"How can you say that?" Finn and Tigris shouted in unison, "WE ALL KILLED YOU!"

Roche looked between them all, their haggard gazes peering back at her. She should be terrified. She was looking at three people who would kill her in various ways for various reasons. But Circe's words echoed in Roche's mind.

It was her fate to be Tigris' protector. How could the princess become the ruler she was destined to be if she and her siblings were drowning in guilt?

Roche needed to protect them. From their own guilt.

Roche stepped away, crossing over the smoldering fire,. She reached into her satchel, holding out the jagged rock she'd used to cut the vegetables. She placed it onto the stump, beside the object of power.

"Kill me," Roche said simply, falling to her knees.

Finn and Aodh scrambled away from her like she had the plague.

"What?" Tigris gasped. Roche bent her head, keeping her hands behind her head. She was utterly defenseless. Wind caressed her exposed neck.

"Go ahead," Roche insisted, "If you're all so keen on it, kill me. Do it. Bash in my head."

"Don't tempt me." Aodh chuckled, but he shifted uneasily on his feet. Roche smiled.

"Go on, prince. You know you want to." Aodh pressed his lips together and looked away. Roche turned to Finn next, "Come on. I tried killing you in your test, didn't I? So go ahead. Kill me."

Finn looked like he was going to be sick. He tripped as he tried to back away. Roche turned her eyes to Tigris.

"Come on, princess. I already burned to death once in the test. Give me something new." Roche offered.

Tigris stared at her like she'd gone mad.

And maybe she had.

Roche waited for several moments. She couldn't hear anything over the roar of her own pulse. She tensed as footsteps approached. It was too reminiscent of her test, waiting for death to claim her, to embrace her. She bowed her head, a tremble wracking her spine. She heard the grate of the rock being lifted, hefted into waiting hands. Roche squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to stay put.

She had to trust that the royals could become the brave leaders they were destined to be.

They needed to face their fear.

Especially if that fear was her.

The footsteps came closer. Roche's breath was coming out in quick pants. Anything is better than the pyre. She told herself, baring the fragile curve of her neck to the royal looming over her.

There was a whistle of air. Roche braced herself.

The rock fell in front of her, cracking into a million pieces.

"Get. Up." Aodh hissed, his burly hands wrapping around her shoulders. He dragged her up to her feet, shaking her slightly. "You, maid, are certifiably insane."

Roche batted her eyes, trying to hide her hysterical panic. "I thought you of all people-"

"No," Aodh spat vehemently, "I tried killing you once. I have no problem with killing you, but doing so nearly cost us the object of power. I won't make that mistake twice."

"Hmm, alright." Roche pulled away, her legs shaky. She turned to Tigris and Finn. Relief loosened her chest as she found them in the same positions from before, gaping. She held out her hands. "Well would you look at that. I'm alive! I guess you don't want to kill me."

"You're crazy." Tigris muttered faintly, "Insane. Off your rocker."

"You're proving my point." Roche pointed out, gesturing to the shattered rock at her feet. "The test... it just revealed your fears. And now you have the chance to do better."

Finn laughed harshly, a strange tone for him. "Not me. I saw the future."

"You of all people, my lord, know how the future has been used to torture souls before." Roche chided, letting the truth of the words roll over him, "Destiny has driven nearly as many people mad as power has. Do not let yourself fall victim to it."

The words were reminiscent of Verita's. Roche squared her shoulders, turning to Tigris. Her eyes softened against their will.

"I'm still here," she repeated softly, watching the words hit Tigris like a blow, "You saved that village. So, princess, are you going to keep mourning someone you haven't lost or will you learn from the test that you were given?"

Tigris blinked like she was waking from a dream. Then a shaky version of her usual feline smile flashed across her face.

"Good to know that you've learned not to tell me what to do."

Relief bloomed in Roche's chest. "Of course not, my lady."

Tigris grinned. She turned back to the object of power. Her mirth faded.

"We need to get rid of this object as soon as possible. It has hurt far too many people." the princess swore. Wordlessly, Roche pulled out the map she'd kept safe, holding it out to the princess. She crept away silently while the royals gathered around, their voices slightly less hollow as they bickered over a safe place to detonate the object.

Roche gathered their bowls and headed to the stream to wash them, smiling to herself triumphantly.

A/N: This chapter feels a bit off, I think it's the beginning and end, but I can't figure out how to fix it. Lmk if you have any suggestions in the comments :D As always, enjoy the chapter and happy reading!