"Oww!"

"I'm sorry, my dear. You must hold still." Leino's gentle voice bled through the thin wood of the infirmary door. Tigris smiled as she heard Verita click her tongue.

"Come on, Roche. Don't be insolent." the librarian chided, followed by a small thwack that sounded like Roche getting gently smacked on the back of the head.

Roche whined, "I'm not. It hurts!"

"Then don't trip over a tree root next time!"

"I told you, I was hit by a falling rock and thrown against a wall!" Roche insisted, yelping again. Leinos quickly hissed an apology. Tigris smirked and pushed open the door.

Roche sat on the patient cot next to Finn's, still slathered from head to toe in mud that stained the white fabric of the cot. Small leaves and tiny twigs rained from her head as she flinched away from Leinos who was currently wrapping her shoulder.

"Princess!" Roche exclaimed happily, nearly bowling over poor Leinos like an overeager puppy. Tigris leaned against the doorway, trying to keep her amusement off her face as Roche began to ramble, "Are you hurt? I saw the fight, you were amazing! Oh gods, the way Harold tossed you the sword was so cool! Oh, oh, did you know that the armour recovered from that imposter was over a hundred years old! That means-"

"Calm down, Roche. Don't hurt yourself more." Tigris chuckled, nodding to Verita who hovered behind her ward, looking more annoyed by Roche's blabbering by the second. "What even happened to you?"

"I got lost in the forest." Roche admitted sheepishly, rubbing her neck with her free arm. "The real Harold found me and we retraced my steps back to the castle."

"How'd you get into the forest?" Tigris asked. Her confusion settled a moment later as her eyes traced over Roche's injuries, "Oh, you got kicked out of the tavern, didn't you?"

Roche's eyes widened, which was as good as a confirmation for Tigris.

"What?" Roche spluttered, "I-"

"What did you do to get kicked out?" Tigris chuckled, scanning Roche's injuries, "Start a tavern brawl?"

"I-"

"I'll be having a very long chat with her, my lady." Verita interrupted Roche with a hawkish glance at her ward, "You can be sure of that."

"Good," Tigris nodded, satisfaction blooming as Roche squawked indignantly. "I can't have my maid neglecting her duties for a stiff drink."

Roche huffed, her cheeks darkening with an aggrieved look. "Is that all you came here for?" she muttered sourly, "To make sure I'm sober?"

"Partially," Tigris admitted, some of her mirth falling away, "But also to check on Finn."

The room seemed to hush as their eyes drifted towards the unconscious man lying limp and pale in his cot. His face was a mix of swollen skin and purplish bruises that were painful to look at. His ribs were wrapped tightly with bandages, as were his legs. He looked dead, even in the infirmary's warm lights.

"He'll make a full recovery, my lady." Leinos assured her as she moved to his bedside, holding her hand near his mouth just to feel the warmth of his breath. Relief coursed through her.

"Thank you," she told the physician. Leinos nodded to her respectfully.

"It's my pleasure, my lady."

Tigris turned to Roche who gazed at Finn mournfully, quiet for once. Tigris' heart pulsed with fondness for the woman.

"I suppose I owe you my thanks as well." Tigris said quietly.

Roche's head whipped up, her eyes practically glowing with surprise. "Me?" she repeated. Tigris ruffled Roche's hair.

"Yes, you idiot. You warned me about the imposter from the beginning. And Sir Harold told me of how you led him back to the city." Tigris rolled her eyes as Roche began to grin cheekily, "Don't let it get to your head. You still need to catch up on all the chores you missed today while you were nursing your drink."

Roche's smile fell, and Tigris' work was done. She gave Roche one last hair ruffle before she walked off, confident in two things:

One, Roche was proving to be a very loyal maid.

Two, Roche would never drink again.

A/N: We're nearly done the third arc! Dw, there's like seven of them left haha.

What did you think of this chapter? As always, happy reading!