Ava didn't know what time it was. Nor did she really care. She had been awake, staring into the darkness for hours. When all her suns were spent in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, it was hard to keep track of time. And hard to adhere to a normal schedule. She could make out dull shapes of her furniture and even though it was dark she could still feel the enormous presence of the room she was in. She knew she should have gotten up and maybe walked around the room but she had no energy or desire.

All willpower had been drained from her. She turned around in bed, laying on her side and hugging a pillow close to her.

"I heard your mum down the hall," she heard someone speak after her door had opened, "You best get up, Lady Vaith."

Ava sighed and sat up, looking over at the open door letting in a small amount of light. She nodded in that direction, letting Arnelo know she had heard him.

He was technically supposed to make sure that she was going to sleep on time and waking up right after sunrise but he never did. She didn't know why but he was nice to her. He had been looking out for her ever since they were on the journey back to Aubermasse together. He had saved them, in a way, but not in the way that Ava needed.

Ava was standing a few feet from the door with a large splinter of wood grasped in her hand. She shifted from foot to foot, ready to take whoever came through the door. It cracked open and she lunged forward. Soon, she was pressed against the wall and the wood was wrestled from her hand.

"Lady Vaith!" Arnelo cried, "Please, calm down! I need to speak with you."

Ava caught her breath and shook her head, "Sorry. I thought it was someone else."

"Even if it was. It's not safe to go and attack these men. They want to see you dead," Arnelo said and walked back to the door and closed it.

"What have you heard?" Ava asked.

"They're talking about selling you out to your dad as a traitor. They heard what you said to the lady pirate, heard you yelling at her to let you stay. They're going to say it was your fault that your brother is dead and that you are a renouncer," Arnelo recounted with a frown.

"Why?"

"I think they believe it will gain them an upper hand with your dad. I don't know if that will even give them any purchase with him but they are trying to seem like the heroes," Arnelo looked worried, "But, some of us are bound to be thrown in a pit with you. The blame for your brother's death will be put on those that were meant to protect him... Which includes me. So, we are both in danger."

Ava crossed her arms, shaking her head. She knew they hated her, they had treated her like horse shit the whole cycle she had been aboard the ship. The only one that brought the meals or made sure she was even alive and well was Arnelo, for whatever reason. She had attempted to court him, to convince him to help her escape the ship but he was dutybound or some bullshit.

"Then let's leave," Ava tried again, "Secure the rowboat and in the middle of the night we run."

"It can't work like that... I need to bring you back home safely," Arnelo repeated the same line.

"I don't want to go back home safely! Please, I will find a way to get you money. Or anything you want. Don't let me go back," she pleaded and walked toward him.

He stepped back, "Lady Vaith, I have an oath I have to fulfill. I promise it will be alright. I will think of something..."

He had thought of something. Half a cycle later they found themselves thirty miles off the shore of Aubermasse on a rowboat, going towards land while the ship burned behind them. Arnelo had killed the watchmen and set the ship on fire.

Ava had begged him for half a cycle to let her go but he didn't. He had a duty to her father and also a need for social mobility. He made no secret of that fact. He wanted to save her to help her, but also to help himself. To attempt to get her way, she had threatened to tell her father that Arnelo was responsible for the sunken ship and for letting Ulysses die. But she was bluffing and he had called her on it. He believed he was doing the noble thing, taking her from a life of moral squalor and strife.

She allowed herself to sit in the darkness for a few more moments, remembering her current state of misery. It had been half a cycle since she had been home and she had not stepped foot out of her room. Which meant it was easy for her to take a route to the windows in the dark. It was familiar terrain. With a squint and her head turned away, she threw open the curtains and let light bleed into the room.

Ava would have bothered with getting dressed but she would receive a comment from her mother critiquing her either way. What was the point of putting clothes on? She wasn't allowed out anyway. So, she stayed in her nightgown and climbed up on the ledge of one of the windows, looking down onto the gardens below. She saw someone walking but couldn't quite make out who it was. With reclassification around the corner and people trying to secure last-minute alliances to look good in the eyes of the classifiers, those of status flocked to noble houses. Ava had watched many carriages arrive and leave in her short time there.
She would have opened the window to give herself a fresh breeze, but there were metal bars that had been installed. They were there long before she had run away. Ava had a tendency to get sent to her room for improper behavior growing up and when she would retreat there, she would open the windows and climb onto the roof or the walls of the estate. Eventually, her mother had sent for builders to secure her windows, preventing her from going out.

Ava was sure that some sort of sealant that came from plants was possible to stick onto the window, making it near impossible to open. But her mother had requested bars. Ava had never been sure if it was just malice, making sure she not only had no escape but that her view would always be interrupted by steel lines. Or, if it had been out of desperation to keep her safe. She wasn't entirely convinced it was the latter.

"Good Morning, Avery," a voice said as they entered her room. Her mother.

Ava didn't answer. She kept her gaze out of the window, following the person with the parasol around the gardens with her eyes.

"They are preparing a bath for you in the bathing room. I thought maybe that would be something you would enjoy instead of having to take your bath in here," her mother said as she shuffled around the room behind Ava, picking up and rearranging certain items.

Ava glanced back and watched as her mother checked the mantle over the fireplace for dust and then moved a candlestick to a different place. She caught her mother's gaze and looked away, turning her attention back to the greenery outside.

"I am sending a scribe in here after your bath. He is going to get your statement of what happened so it can be sent to your father."

"I thought you already did that," Ava said, her voice a bit hoarse from lack of use.

"I orated my account of what you told me had happened. He would like to hear it straight from you," she walked over to the window and stood behind Ava, "he was due to arrive here from his journey before heading to The Center for business but I let him know you were fine and he had no need to travel all the way over here just to check on you."

Ava nodded again, feeling a bit of relief. Her mother had made quick work of writing to her father the moment she had arrived at home. Her father had been touring Northern Elox, visiting the greater houses under them. She had written to him informing him that Ava had arrived home. In the midst of devastating news from other soldiers that had since returned that dozens of high-ranking officials including at least one Vaith son had died in the war against Corinspe, Ava had arrived. She didn't know if anyone else knew she was there. When soldiers found them at the Eloxian beach, she was taken straight to her mother.

The narrative she sold her mother was eaten up. She and Arnelo had decided on a story. Ava was rescued by Arnelo from the waters of Corinspe. They made it onto a smaller ship filled with other survivors. They made it back almost all the way to Elox. Pirates that had been following to kill her had found them. They attacked the ship and only the two of them managed to escape. It was hardly believable. Yet, her mother believed it.

Ava wasn't sure if her mother truly was as gullible as she made it seem or if it was an act. A way to let the truth slide in favor of living in blind bliss. Yet, even with no story or admission of any wrongdoing, she was kept prisoner in her own bedroom. Freedom was no longer a luxury she had. Ava tried not to think about her crew. Or the feeling of the wind against her cheeks and the slight taste of salt on her lips after a long sun on the deck. Or how Theo was doing in the aftermath of whatever had happened with Ulysses. Whatever had happened in that room had convinced Theo to turn on her.

She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks and she turned her face further towards the window so she wouldn't be seen. Ava should have been so angry but she couldn't be anything but sad. She could feel nothing but sorrow. It was unrelenting and she wondered if it would ever let up. The past nights, she had been dreaming of her old captain. She kept replaying their last tender moment over and over again. Theo was holding her, as the water rose, and she called her exal.

Theo had been worried, the care and need to keep Ava safe was evident on her face. And then it had all faded. The Theo she had encountered after wasn't her Theo.

"Did you hear me?" her mother asked from the other side of the room with a sigh, "I will never understand how you can simply not listen when people are speaking to you."

"It's an art form you gave me lots of practice for," Ava mumbled as she let her head fall against the windowsill.

"What was that?"

Ava didn't answer that time either. She just let her eyes shut in hopes that her mother would get bored and leave eventually. That is usually what happened. She would blabber on and on about whatever estate business, uninteresting and entirely unnecessary, until she gave up on getting Ava to engage.

Her rude comments about the servants went answered.

Her updates about her siblings were met with silence.

Her requests for more information about what had happened when she was away were ignored.

She never stopped fucking talking. But it hadn't been like that the whole time. When Ava had first arrived and her mother came to meet her at the entrance of the estate, it was silent and awkward and her mother didn't quite know how to react. One would assume that after a length of her child being gone, and at one point presumed dead, it would be a joyous reunion. But all Ava received from it was a light hug and a command to go take a bath.

After that, she was left in the room all alone. Her mother's visits were brief the few suns after her arrival, she had just come in to ask for her statement and to inform her that her father was away. Then, over time, she began to stay longer. To talk to Ava about menial and mundane things, not that Ava really gave her much attention.

Maybe she should have been nicer, but she didn't have the energy to even muster up a smile. She didn't know how she would hold a simple conversation. Maybe if she was able to speak for an interrupted five minutes, her mother would be less inclined to let her leave but that was not a guarantee. Her mother was keeping her in the room for a reason. Appearances mattered. A daughter who was a bore would not reflect well on her mother.

She knew that perhaps she could have taken advantage of the opportunity to be back amongst nobles. To choose her own path. To find a way out. To climb to the top. To just simply enjoy and reap the benefits of people's misery. But, becoming a recluse again sounded best. Not because it was the best option, but because it was the easiest. Her mom didn't allow her to leave and pushing against that would require expending effort she did not possess.

"Avery, listen for one moment," her mother's voice was behind her.

Ava shifted slightly so she was looking her way, "Hm?"

"At the end of this cycle, we are going to announce your return."

Ava just shrugged.

"Which means, the announcement is set for three nights from now. Not including tonight."

She nodded.

"I have selected your dress. And other accessories for you to wear. I have arranged for a party. But I do not really think it's time for you to be seeing anyone yet. So you will escorted back to your room."

"Are you serious?"

"You have been gone for a long time and your mood has not been..." her mother tilted her head and pursed her lips, "I don't think that is what people need to be seeing. Once you are feeling better, you may leave for longer periods of time."
"With you as my judge and jury, I doubt that will be any time soon," she shot back and brought her knees to her chest, turning back towards the window.

"You are not helping your case, love," her mother chuckled a bit, "do you need anything before I go?"

"Food."

"Someone will be by to bring you dinner."

"It's morning. You're starving me," Ava frowned, trying not to look back at her mother.

"Yes, well, those pirates fattened you up. Were they planning on eating you?" she laughed and then sighed, pleased at her own joke, "Dinner will be brought later. In the meantime, why don't you pick up a craft? Your old chest is full of embroidery and sewing things you never used."

If I didn't use them then, why would I do it now?

That is what Ava wanted to say. But it wasn't worth her breath. She ignored her mother's comment and eventually, her mom decided it was best to simply leave. She heard the door shut and her shoulders relaxed a bit, her bottom lip trembling as she tried to keep from crying.

—--

She hated the color blue. She wasn't sure if she had always hated it, but she hated it. Specifically, the light shade of blue that was on her dress. Her scowl was visible in the mirror. Janette, one of her mother's chambermaids, had been helping her with last minute adjustments to the dress. She caught sight of Ava's expression and mimicked it with her own frown.

"What's the matter, Lady Vaith? Is something wrong with the dress?"

"Yes," Ava shook her head, looking at herself in a light-blue, heavy silk, ballgown. With an exaggerated skirt and white frilly details throughout it, "everything is wrong."

She watched as the woman's eyes went wide as she stumbled to find something to say to correct her mistake.

"I'm joking," Ava shook her head and looked over and flashed Janette a half-smile, "it's perfect. Thank you."

It wasn't perfect. It was awful. Her mother had instructed for her corset to be tied a bit too tightly. She had gloves on that were making her palms sweat. The necklace weighed heavy on her chest and the metal irritated her chest. The worst of all was the fucking color. It was the color of a small stretch of ocean between Niveal and Dove Island. It was the color of the sky on a bright sunny morning on deck of the Scorned Woman. It was miserably lively and was the opposite of the dread she felt inside. The suppurating feeling of despair and emptiness lurking inside of her and threatening to eat her alive.

"Oh," her mother's voice came into the room, "you look better than I thought."

Ava watched her cross the room through the mirror, her gaze scanning Ava as she walked closer. As she stepped closer, she shooed Janette away with a gloved hand and came to stand next to Ava. She looked in the mirror and there was a slight downward tilt of her mouth.

"Hm."

"What?" Ava looked over at her.

"Nothing. You'll get upset with me for saying it," her mother shrugged and stepped away, walking towards the entryway where a guard was waiting with a box. She motioned him inside and towards a table.

"Just say it," Ava rolled her eyes, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

"I was just going to comment that it is unfortunate that the weight you gained did nothing for your breasts," she walked over to the box and pulled the top off.

"They were quite popular with the pirates," Ava retorted.

"You always were a funny one," her mother chuckled and beckoned her over, "you take after me. Your sisters are sometimes a bore."

"I'm a tit-less, fat, social disappointment but at least I'm funny," she walked over to the table.

"Do not be so melodramatic, Avery, I have never said those things to you," her mother reached in and pulled out a red, long, curly wig from the box and turned to Janette to hand it to her.

Ava took a few steps back. There was no fucking way she was wearing that.

—---

She was escorted out of the corridors of the estate and into a small entryway where she emerged looking over a large gathering of people. Her long red curls draped over her shoulder and framed her gaudy necklace. She had a headache and her scalp was hot under the weight of the wig. She scanned the crowd once she was given a moment to stand still. It was mostly people from Aubermasse, lining the walls of the Great Hall. But amongst the sea of onlookers were some of the people that were there at court and some greater houses in the area. They were all there to see her. To hear the announcement of her arrival.

She was standing on the balcony that overlooked the Great Hall. It was like her nightmares. Except worse. She wasn't in Aubermasse to face an executioner or to see Theo get sentenced to death. She was in a silk dress, with no threat of her life ending. Literally. Not metaphorically. In the abstract, her life had already ended. It had ended cycles before.

Moments after she was escorted onto the balcony, the rest of her family entered. Her mother had already been out there, facing the crowd, but her sisters and brothers all entered. Her two younger brothers, twins, both in matching dark blue outfits filed out first. Followed by one of her older brothers. She wasn't sure where the other was. Her mother had probably told her when she wasn't paying attention.

Then her three sisters arrived. She was surprised they were all there. Each one of them was married and had been for a while. Mallory, who was closest in age to her, had only gotten married recently. A little bit before Ava ran away. They were probably all there for court, her mother really could never let them go. She was a controlling one.

None of them said anything to her. Or even waved. She got a slight acknowledgment from the twins, they had always been too young to truly deserve an unfavorable opinion. Mallory also kept looking her way. But the others were looking straight ahead. She didn't know why she expected anything else, they never liked her much before she left either.

Ava had forgotten what it was like to be at home. Mostly because she had convinced herself that that part of her life had never existed. She had tried her damnedest to block it out, to move on. But she had spent 16 lengths of her life at home and that was what she knew more than pirating. It was different before. She didn't know what she did then. Her world was limited, suffocating, constraining but she had never known otherwise. Now, she did. And being back there was surreal in the worst way.

Before, it was almost like she wasn't conscious. She was but it was different. She was operating without thought, without care, without intention. She had no goals or aspirations and the biggest thing in her life was finding new ways to rebel or misbehave. Because it was easier to stay in her room and be herself than be forced out in public where she would zone out, and go catatonic.

She had forgotten what it was like to be at home but she was quickly remembering. Quickly slipping back into her old habits. Falling back into a middle area of complacency and rebellion. But Ava didn't know if she had the energy to stop it. Or to care. She had fought so hard to leave and to build her life. She had a family, one who called for her to come to dinner and invited her to spend time with them. She had people who acknowledged her when they walked into a room.

But she was back to being a stranger in her own home, within her own family, and in her own mind.

There was a round of cheers and applause from the audience and Ava blinked herself out of her haze. She looked over at her mother who was also clapping, her elbows poised at the perfect height to look elegant and graceful. Next to her mother was her father's most senior advisor that stayed back to run the estate in his absence. She hadn't realized he had been giving his address but with the way his hand was motioning in her direction, she assumed he had finished.

"Avery," her mother said and disguised her talking with a laugh, "smile, darling."

She straightened up and mustered a smile. Even going so far as to lift her hand and wave it slightly.

Once the cheering died down, she was pretty suddenly escorted back off the balcony. Her siblings followed. She could still hear her father's advisor speaking to the crowd but she was taken to her room. She didn't get a chance to speak with anyone before she was politely jailed inside her quarters. She took a few steps in. A worker had been by. All of the lights in her room were lit, her bed was turned down, and there was a plate of flood on the table.

The portion was smaller than she would have hoped and her stomach rumbled. In a foolish blur, impulsivity took over and she marched over to the plate and threw it at the wall. Splattering potatoes and greens everywhere in its path. She let out a frustrated grunt and kicked the couch but her shoes had already been hurting her and it just resulted in pain. She cursed and hopped over to her vanity, sitting down before the tears started to pool.

Before she could stop it, she had spiraled into full-blown crying. Her head dropped into her hands and she curled up on herself trying anything she could to soothe the misery that she was feeling. There had to be more. She was going to rot in that room. She couldn't go back to the way it was before, she had to do more to fight the fate that was staring her in the face. It was time to snap out of her daze, it was time to begin planning how to leave. She couldn't just lay down and take the punches on her chin until all her fight was gone and she was stuck in Aubermasse forever.

The only way out, however, was up. She needed to climb the social ladder. She needed allies. But that was a lofty goal, first, she needed to leave the room. She needed to have the ability to at least walk freely throughout the estate. Then, she needed to be able to leave the estate walls. She needed to be out in the town of Aubermasse if she wanted to get people on her side. People that would help her eventually help her make her escape. But once she escaped, where would she go? She wanted to think that Theo would come to her senses and allow her back into the fold. If Ava could forgive Theo for sending her away, Theo could forgive Ava for lying. Her mind told her that she should have been angrier at her captain but her heart refused to.

The Theo that she knew would eventually come around to see her innocence. She knew that. She felt it in her heart. Ava would find her way back and prove that she could be trusted. That she was loyal, she wouldn't fall into her family's trap. Even if Theo didn't want Ava on her crew, she was resourceful. She would find a way to survive. Anything was better than being home. Anything was better than having to look in the mirror and see an inconsolable ghost of a person in a light blue silk fucking dress.

She had to leave.

—-

Her curls were neatly pinned into a small bun, her growing hair at a point of being able to be manipulated into an updo. She donned a tea gown, beige up top but slowly fading into a light peach as it transferred into the skirt. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable which was a bonus. She had on gloves, a more understated necklace compared to the night before and she was poised and ready for company.

She had told Arnelo to wake her up first thing in the morning and he had done just that. She had awoken when the sun was still rising and had gotten herself dressed without help from anyone. She hadn't gotten much sleep but there was nothing but energy inside of her. A complete shift from before when it was hard to even get out of bed. But she had been thinking all night, going through the possibilities of leaving, or running away again, and began to feel motivation seep back into her.

She had a plan. It wasn't a very good plan. Her plan was to make a plan.

In order to do that, she needed the lay of the land. She needed some time observing. She needed to scope out who she could trust, who she could get on her side. She hoped, in time, Arnelo would come around to help her in the ways she needed. He had already begun looking out for her when it came to her mother. She couldn't remember his story or how he had ended up a soldier under her brother's command. She needed to find out, she needed to root out his motivation for protecting Baethos and try and get him to come to reason.

She had the first part of her plan. Woo Arnelo. Get him on her side.

The door opened and Ava straightened up. The surprise was evident on her mother's face.

"What is all this?" her mother couldn't help but laugh.

"I want to go out to the gardens," Ava stated and folded her hands together in front of her, "to get some fresh air."

"No," her mother said as she walked over to Ava and placed a finger under her chin, and tilted her head around, looking at her hair.

"Why?" Ava pulled her chin away and took a step back.

Her mother waved a hand, "You simply aren't ready and we really should wait for approval from your father. He has not given word that you are safe to roam."

"I am in no danger."

"Your father has not allowed for it."

"Like that matters. It's all you. You are the one keeping me inside. He couldn't give a fuck."

Her mother slapped her across the cheek and Ava couldn't help but gasp as she brought a hand to her face.

"Language, Avery!" she admonished, "this is part of the reason why I don't think it's wise to have you running around."

"Please," Ava's shoulders slumped a bit, some of that energy she had built up leaving once again, "I have been stuck in this room for over half a cycle..."

"You have had an abysmal attitude," her mother shrugged, "and up until this morning, you weren't even getting dressed. What makes you think you can handle social interaction."

"I'm going to be better. Consider my attitude fixed," Ava tried, walking towards her mother who had turned around and began walking out, "I'm just recovering from a bit of shock from my time away."

"Then you see? It is not good for you to go," her mother said as she glanced back at Ava and finally turned around to face her once she was almost out of the room. She sighed and shrugged, rolling her eyes slightly, "I will allow you to have visitors. I suppose being in here for a half cycle can't be too fun. Your brothers and sisters may come to see you if they want. I will tell them."

Ava didn't say anything, she just gave a tight nod and waited for her mother to leave the room; trying to fight back the tears while she watched the door shut on her hopes of leaving.

—--

Eventually, she changed out of her tea dress. Her mother didn't seem to be coming back so she made herself comfortable in her prison. One she wouldn't get out of. Even if she did change her attitude, and become lively and fun and polite, it wasn't a guarantee of her release from the room. So, she was back where she had started. Maybe she could still work on her plan to escape through Arnelo; although she didn't know how much help it would be if he was the only one she could convince to help her.

The sky was dark and the bright sun that had been shining on the gardens every aftermorning was gone. The light had been swallowed as heavy, grey storm clouds rolled in. The storm had started just as Ava climbed into her window nook, in her sleeping gown and a book she had from when she was a child. It wouldn't be challenging or fulfilling to read it, but it would hopefully pass some of the time.

She had just cracked the book open when Arnelo knocked on the door and then opened it.

"Lady Avery," he whispered in case she was sleeping then saw she was awake, "your sister is here."

Ava set the book down with a slight frown and stood up, "My sister? Which one?"

"Lady Mallory, miss."

Ava walked towards the middle of her room as she nodded and waved a hand, giving him the go-ahead to let Mallory in. He stepped aside and her sister walked in, the door shutting behind her.

She didn't look any different than before. Her hair wasn't as curly as Ava's and she always kept it up in braids or a bun. It was lighter than her hair, more blonde, and she had wide saucer eyes that blinked at Ava. Unlike Ava, she was dressed and put together. They just looked at each other for a moment, neither knowing what to say, before Mallory took a deep breath and looked around.

"Your room hasn't changed," Mallory pointed out.

Ava looked around too then shrugged with a nod, not knowing how else to respond.

"Mother said you were allowed some visitors," she smiled, "I'm glad to see you home safe."

"Yeah. Guess it's better than being on a pirate ship," Ava lied. She had to sell her story, if she spilled a word about her time away it would get back to her mother which would interfere with her plans; if she ever got the opportunity to follow through with it.

"We thought you were dead," Mallory frowned, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Are you forgetting my role in this family before?" Ava scoffed a bit with a slight smile playing on her lips. She couldn't risk an attitude with her mother anymore, but nothing was stopping her from giving it to her sister, "I'm sure no one cared as much as you are making it seem."

"I cared," Mallory looked shocked at the behavior.

"You cared because you were mean to me our whole lives and you felt guilty when you thought I had died being hated by my own family," Ava said with a shrug to her shoulder, "it was nice of you to visit, Mal. I think I want to be alone now."

Ava turned around and walked back to her window, climbing inside the nook and looking at the droplets hitting her window.

—--

"Lady Avery," Arnelo opened her door and whispered, "are you awake?"

She sat up in bed and looked over, "I am. What's wrong?"

"Your sister is here again," Arnelo continued to whisper, "she's brought by tea and some breakfast."

Ava tilted her head, "Why is she here?"

"I assume to pay you a visit," he said.

Not helpful.

"Give me a minute then you can let her in," Ava gave the command and the door shut.

She got out of bed and opened her curtains before walking to her wardrobe and pulling on a robe. She had been caught off guard the aftermorning before and was in her nightgown. Ava didn't know if Mallory was a spy for her mother and was going to report to her that once again Ava was not dressed and ready with the sun.

A robe made her seem slightly more presentable. She sat on her couch and waited for a few seconds. The door opened and sure enough, Mallory was there and behind her was her chambermaid carrying a tray full of tea and food. The chambermaid left quickly after setting the food down. Mallory smiled at Ava.

"May I sit?"

"Sure," Ava nodded and watched as her sister smoothed out the back of her dress before sitting down.

"I brought breakfast," she reached forward and poured herself some tea then transferred two tea biscuits onto the saucer before bringing it to her lap.

"Why?" Ava shouldn't have been so suspicious but Mallory wasn't exactly her biggest fan and it was now two suns in a row that she had come by. She had to be working for their mother.

"Because mother was commenting on your weight the other night at dinner to Aunt Loraine. I overheard her imply that you weren't eating much because she was limiting you," Mallory shrugged and set her saucer down to pour Ava a cup, "when I came back from my honeymoon and after some cycles in my husband's estate, my weight was all she talked about. She said I had to get my portions under control and would practically starve me. I figured she was doing the same for you."

Ava frowned, "Thank you."

Maybe she wasn't' a spy. Or, she was a great one and was trying to catch her off guard. Mallory handed her the saucer with some biscuits on it and then reached over for her own. She took a small sip and nodded, "Tea is very well made."

Ava also took a small sip and nodded in agreement. She set the saucer down, "How is your husband?"

Her husband came from a wealthy noble family in Dove Island but had bought land in Elox and built several streams of income, was a decorated navy hero, and was due to be given greater house status and his own last name at the reclassification.

Mallory took a moment to answer, looking down at her cup of tea, "I think he's dead."

"Oh," Ava said, "I'm sorry."

"He died giving his life to defeat the pirates of Corinspe once and for all," Mallory said and it seemed recited like she had said the same thing at court a thousand times. There wasn't really any sorrow behind it.

"You didn't like him," Ava pointed out.

"Nonsense," Mallory gasped and put down her saucer, putting her hand to her chest at the affront.

"Normally when someone's husband dies, they aren't so alright with it."

"He was a good man," Mallory defended.

"I'm not saying he wasn't. I'm saying you didn't like him."

"You know what, Avery, I wasn't very nice to you in the past but I need you to know that you make it quite difficult."

"I don't tiptoe around things and pretend everything is perfect and pristine and that makes you uncomfortable. That's not my problem," Ava shrugged.

"It is not polite to combat people on what they are telling you. I am telling you I did like my husband and I am sad he is gone," Mallory insisted but Ava didn't believe it.

"Alright. Sorry," she dropped it and took a bite of the biscuit.

"Were you there? At the fight?" Mallory asked, the brief anger from before wiped away.

"I was. But I was locked on the brig of a ship so I didn't see much,

"Was it scary?"

"I almost drowned," Ava said, avoiding the real question.

"What were the pirates like? Where did they take you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Ava said with a shake of her head.

It was too painful to think about her time on the Scorned Woman and even more painful to have to lie about it. To pretend that she hadn't been treated respectfully and had not made friends and been welcomed into the fold.

"Has anyone else come by?" Mallory switched the subject.

"Just you."

"Oh."

"You sound surprised," Ava said.

"We thought you were dead... Having you back is something we never thought we would have again. And now we do and no one is taking advantage of that."

"You actually care that I'm back," Ava tilted her head.

"Of course I do. You are my sister."

"You never treated me like one before."

Mallory frowned and looked down at her lap. She nodded a bit before looking up, still with a downward tilt to her lips, "I know. I've thought about it a lot, Avery, and I'm really sorry."

"Like you said, I probably didn't make it easy," Ava acknowledged.

"You were always different... That didn't make it fair for us to treat you the way we did. We were supposed to help you as your older sisters and we never did," Mallory confessed and Ava didn't know why she wanted to cry.

She didn't care about that anymore. It was in the past. She didn't need an apology from her sisters and she certainly didn't need them to be nice to her. So, why did her heart feel warm at Mallory's sudden display of affection and care?

"I know you saw them at the announcement ceremony but Griselda and Penelope are home," Mallory said and her eyes rolled a bit, "I have an excuse to be here. My husband is probably dead. They don't."

Ava snorted a bit and looked towards the window as her eyes caught sight of a bird flying past, "Father had the audacity to marry Penelope into a greater house. She probably misses the luxuries of noble life."

"And she won't ever let you forget it," Mallory laughed a bit, "It's good you aren't there for dinners or it's all you would hear about."

"So, they're staying for a while?" Ava clarified.

"Most likely staying through the end of this session of court."

"And you?"

"In three cycles, if Weston doesn't report to The Center he will be officially declared dead. If that happens, his land and belongings go back to his family. So, I suppose I am here indefinitely. Just waiting," Mallory said it in a chipper tone, but there was nothing happy or alright about her expression. There was a slight pain behind her eyes.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about your husband and for messing with you about not caring he is gone," Ava lamented and put her cup of tea down, reaching across the table and putting her hand on Mallory's knee.

Mallory shook her head and her smiled turned into a frown and she covered her face with her hands, "I'm fine. It's okay."

She sniffled and wiped a tear away before looking up.

"I should probably get going with all of this before mom comes in and yells at the both of us for having biscuits so early in the morning," Mallory stood up.

"Thank you for coming," Ava stood up too, crossing her arms over her chest with a slight smile.

She returned the smile and nodded, "I'll come by tomorrow. My connection in the kitchen isn't working so there won't be tea and biscuits but I'll something to sneak in for you."

"Thank you."

Mallory reached out and put a hand on Ava's arm, giving it a squeeze before picking up the tray of tea and walking out.

——-

Mallory was true to her word. She came the next sun, and the one after that. Mallory visited her at least once a sun for half a cycle. Some mornings she would bring tea, other times she would bring a snack in the aftermorning along with a craft she was working on. It was usually embroidery and they sat together for several hours. They didn't really speak much. More often than not, they just kept to themselves. Ava had begun to write in a journal. For fear of someone finding it, she would burn the pages each night, but it felt nice to be able to write about her feelings.

Every sun that passed, she hoped that the feeling of motivation and of desire to leave would go away. She was stuck in a room, bored out of her mind, and hope was only making it worse. She had made no progress with Arnelo, he was still far too uptight and by the rules to even have an extended conversation with her. Her mother had rejected her requests to leave multiple times, but instead of being disillusioned, her will to leave grew.

Which meant that with every sun, her misery grew. And every sun, something inside her gut continued to grow. Resentment, anger, betrayal. All she could remember were the times she had told Theo how much she hated where she came from and she would never want to go back. She knew Theo was manipulated into believing she was a spy, and Ava's lies hadn't made her very credible, but Theo had condemned her to the worst fate. It was difficult to continue to feel as if Theo was justified in that decision.

It scared her. All she wanted to do was get back to them, back to the ship, back to her crew. Before, when she was first at home, she wanted to see Theo and be with her again and apologize for everything. But, as each sun grew she wanted to get back to her friends, to the ship, to the crew, and back to Theo so she could slap her, or stomp on her toes, or yell at her. Anything to get across how much Theo had fucked her over.

Some suns, she wouldn't think about her past too much. It was easier to ignore the trip down memory lane and avoid spiraling into a depression. But sometimes, Mallory would probe the matter. Would ask her what happened or how she was feeling and Ava would give the same nonresponse, she didn't want to talk about it. However, after it was brought up, it's all she would think about for the rest of the sun.

"Brought you a book," Mallory said as she sat on the couch next to Ava and put the book in her lap, "predictable, but good."

"Thanks," Ava took it and scanned the title, and flipped through the pages. She had gone through all of the books in her own collection, no matter how mundane they seemed compared to the history she was reading about before. Even if the new book wasn't as great, it was better than nothing.

"You don't have a big selection. Thought something from my collection would be helpful to make the time in here go by faster."

"Being able to leave my room would help the suns go by faster," Ava retorted and opened the book to the first page.

"She said no again?"

"Last night, she came by with dinner," Ava frowned, "said I'm still not ready."

"You've been having less of an attitude like we talked about?"

"Mhm."

"What if I talked to her?" Mallory offered.

"And said what?"

"That you've been delightful company for me. That you've helped me get my mind off Weston. I will even lie and say you've been embroidering with me."

"And when she asks to see what I've been working on?" Ava raised an eyebrow.

Mallory smiled as she held up the hoop she brought with her, "Look at this detailing. You've really improved, Avery."

Ava laughed and shrugged, "Guess it couldn't hurt."

"But you have to promise me that you will be polite and nice if you do manage to leave this room. She will be upset with me if you wreak havoc," Mallory requested.

"I will be on my best behavior," Ava chuckled.

——

"How very tragic," her Aunt Loraine said and took a sip of her wine, "and you were kept in the brig that whole time?"

"I was, yes," Ava said and took a bite of her food.

"And did they beat you? Or do anything else of that sort?" Griselda asked.

Ava turned to her with a slightly raised eyebrow, "You are asking me if they abused me? Or violated me in any way?"

"I mean, they were pirates. I feel like that's obvious to ask," she defended.

"No. They were good to me. I was fed. Had regular changes of clothes. They let me out on the deck for air," Ava said as she cut another piece of meat and put it in her mouth to avoid having to answer questions for at least ten seconds.

"Sounds like it's more than mother is doing," Griselda laughed.

Ava forced a chuckle and nodded. She pointed her fork at the plate to indicate she was going to continue eating rather than continue the conversation and the attention was thankfully pulled off her.

It was her fifth night at dinner. Mallory had managed to help her and with a good word put in on her behalf she was finally able to leave her room. However, she was escorted straight to dinner and then taken back to her room. The dinners were small affairs, 20 people at the table. The rest of court dined elsewhere. Just the family and some invited guests joined them. Her Aunt and Griselda had not been at dinner the past nights so she had been subjected to the same questions she had received night after night.

That dinner, she didn't have her only source of support. Mallory had been asked by her mother to sit in on the court's dinner and thus left Ava abandoned. She had grown close to her sister, surprisingly. Yet, none of her other siblings seemed to care she was at home. The only time they had taken an interest in her was to ask questions about her time away, never afraid to prod.

But, Ava had been promised by her mother that if she managed to be proper and polite for five nights in a row she would be allowed to roam the gardens after her meal. It was her fifth night and her mother had prematurely given Arnelo the go-ahead to escort her and Mallory around the gardens that night. Compared to before, when she was in a new city every morning, the garden was a small playground.

Yet, she was overjoyed at the prospect of being able to leave the confines of her room and the halls of the estate. It was worth having to sit through five dinners of incessant questions and nosy people. Dinner couldn't go by fast enough. Every time one plate was taken away and another was placed in front of her, she could begin to taste freedom and it was making her impatient.

"Will we be seeing you at court?" Lorraine asked as they were getting through the rich cake that was given to them for dessert.

"Not sure," Ava smiled, "I would love to have the opportunity to go soon. Once mother feels I'm ready."

She would have rather died by being set on fire than have to set foot in court but that wasn't the polite answer. That wasn't the answer that would let her smell fresh grass as she walked along freshly trimmed hedges.

"I'm sure you have many stories. Everyone's been quite drab lately, no one talks about anything fun," Lorraine complained.

"It's all about the reclassification and money," Griselda said.

"No reclassification talk at the dinner table," her mother scolded from the other side of the long table

Lorraine laughed and Griselda rolled her eyes. They had always been close. Their aunt was only a little older than Griselda. Ava's grandfather on her mother's side had about fifteen total children and Lorraine was one of the younger ones. So, she was more of a cousin but always insisted she was their aunt.

Lorraine wasn't much better than her mother or sisters. Entitled, privileged, and hadn't known struggle a sun of her life. It seemed like Lorraine was leaning in again to bother Ava again with another comment but her mother's voice cut her off.

"Thank you for joining us for dinner. Now, everyone is free to join the rest of court in the Great Hall," her mother announced as she stood up at the head of the table.

Her hand was motioning to the exit, pressuring those at dinner to make a hasty exit. Neither of her dinner mates bothered with much of a farewell. They just got up and left. Ava waited until most of the people had filtered out before she stood up too and walked towards her mother.

"Do I wait here for Mallory or should I go with Arnelo closer to the Great Hall?" Ava asked.

Her mother looked at her with a bit of a sigh, "Avery, can this not wait for another night? Let Mallory be at court for a while. She's spent so much time with you that she has barely shown her face to our visitors."

"You already made the promise," Ava frowned.

"And I made a promise to your father and to myself that I would make sure she is at court to find new suitors," she shot back.

"Suitors? She's married."

"To a man that's dead. In a few cycles, when it's made official, she will have someone else," her mother shrugged and reached a hand up, cupping Ava's cheek, "you understand, don't you? You want what's best for her too."

Ava pulled her face away, "I will march into court and have a hysterical meltdown. I will make it seem like I've gone mad and it will be the talk every court in Baethos."

Her mother stared at ther in disbelief, Ava had always been a rebel but not like that. She had learned from the ways of pirates and she had quickly picked up that threats got her very far if the other person had no doubt that it would be acted upon. And she knew her mother was aware she was fully capable of making due on her promise.

"You may still go to the gardens," her mother nodded, "but you must go without your sister."

"Avery! You ready?" Mallory called from the doorway and Ava looked over to see a large smile on her face.

Ava looked over at her mom who pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"You are already causing me headaches," she shook her head and swatted Ava away, "go. Go before I change my mind and revoke your ability to even have visitors."

Ava clapped her hands together with a delighted squeak and then picked up the skirt of her dress as she ran over to Mallory.

—--

She had taken off her shoes somewhere along the third hallway they turned into. She was out of breath but she kept running forward. Arnelo was behind her and Mallory was next to her as they alternated between laughing and trying to save their breath. Together they crashed into the doors leading to the garden and pushed it open. She wasted no time in picking up the pace again and running out into the nighttime.

The air, which was warmer than the last time she had been out, entered her lungs and the pavement under her feet quickly turned to grass. Ava stopped running and instead began to spin around, a wide grin was on her face and for a moment all of her worries were gone. She could feel the blades of grass against her feet and ankles and she wanted that feeling all over her body. Ava dropped to her knees and ran her hands through the ground before laying flat, pressing her cheek against the floor.

"You know they use horse manure to fertilize all the greenery out here," her sister said, hovering over her.

Ava turned onto her back, "Rolling around in shit never felt so good."

Mallory laughed and took her time getting onto the ground, opting to sit rather than lay down, "Is it everything you hoped it would be?"

"Ay-" Ava stopped herself and sat up, "Yes. It is. Thank you for sticking your neck out for me."

"Have to make up for how I was before in some way," Mallory shrugged with a smile.

"You are so much nicer now. Even towards others."

"You think?"

"I do," Ava smiled, "what changed?"

"I don't know," Mallory frowned in thought, looking up at the sky, "I moved away and didn't have to worry about things that we worry about when I'm here. I was shown kindness by so many people and it made me want to change It showed me I could change. Everything here is so calculated and high stakes."

"So you don't like being back?" Ava asked, staring at her sister. She had sensed a change in her, a shift from being her mother's lackey and a suck-up to their family. But she didn't know how deep it went, she didn't know if she could trust Mallory with her true feelings of being home.

"I am thankful to have a place here and I'm grateful to mother for making sure I'm provided for," Mallory replied.

"Spoken like a true politician's daughter," Ava laughed.

"Maybe you could learn a thing or two from me," Mallory teased and looked over at Ava with a smile, "mum may be more inclined to give you more freedoms if you at least acted happy to be back."

"I am happy to be back," Ava lied.

"Sometimes I think that you were happier with the pirates," Mallory chuckled a bit.

"Let's go walk," Ava stood up.

Mallory stood up too and brushed herself off, "Every time I try and bring up the pirates, you switch the subject. Or you don't answer me about them. Was it that awful that you can't speak about it?"

"Something like that," Ava shrugged and began to walk.

Mallory stopped her and pulled her into a hug, "I can't begin to imagine what you went through. I'm sorry that this happened to you."

"Me too," Ava said and hugged her sister back after a few moments.

—---

"You think you'll be able to find a husband?" Killian, her brother, asked, "What with the rumors swirling around that you were bedded by pirates and defiled."

Ava gripped her fork tightly and pushed the potatoes around her plate. She ignored the comment but Mallory did not.

"You're an idiot," Mallory said while rolling her eyes, "she was with the lady pirates."

"Doesn't mean she couldn't have been forced to lay with them," her brother put crudely, "so, you a renouncer then?"

"She didn't lay with anyone, will you leave her alone?"

"She was on a pirate ship for a length. There is no way she made it that long without getting fucked by pirates," Killian laughed and took a sip of his wine.

"What makes you so sure?" Ava finally spoke up with a frown on her face.

"You've always been fucking intolerable," Killian shrugged, "I'm sure they had to think of some way to make it easier on them to have to deal with you."

Ava shook her head, "I find it disturbing that you've thought about this at length and that the possibility of me being raped by pirates is so entertaining to you."

"I find it disturbing that you are allowed to sit at the table before you've attended a trial for your crimes against Baethos. Forced or not, renouncing is renouncing," Killian said but there was a slight smirk that indicated he was just trying to rile her up.

"Stop it, Killian! She is not a renouncer," Mallory huffed and reached out to put a soothing hand over Ava's, but Ava pulled it away.

Killian pointed his fork in Ava's direction, "That's the face of shame if I've ever seen it. She totally got passed around by pirates."

"I'm not intolerable, you are," Ava snapped and it took everything in her power not to fling her potatoes at him.

Killian laughed again and nudged Penelope who was next to him, "Want to weigh in? What do you think?"

Penelope tapped her finger against her chin then shrugged, "I do find it odd that you are so alright. After a length with criminals, I would have expected a scar or two. Maybe even a traumatized episode every once in a while but you seem to be doing fine."

"Thanks to mother's care," Ava said sarcastically.

"I think you are a spy. I think that the pirates turned you with hypnosis and now you are here to kill us all," Penelope laughed, as unserious as Killian had been, "you were always so hateful and full of spite."

"Better sleep with one eye open then," Ava pointed her knife in both their directions.

Mallory grabbed Ava's wrist and pulled it back down to the table and tilted her head over to their mother who was watching them from her side of the table. Ava set her knife down and took a deep breath, trying to reel in a scene. She had been given the privilege of going into the gardens at least once a sun for the past five suns and she didn't want to take the bait her siblings were laying out and get her newfound freedom revoked.

"Do you just sit in your room all sun?" Penelope asked after the previous conversation had faded, "that doesn't bother you?"

"She's used to it," Killian said, "lots of experience being a recluse."

"Shut up. I'm actually asking her a serious question," Penelope rolled her eyes, "Do you get bored?"

Ava shrugged.

"Oh, you don't want to talk now. Did you get your feelings hurt, Avery?" Killian taunted.

"I do get bored... Why don't you ever visit me?" Ava asked, looking up with wide eyes and a slight frown. She wasn't actually sad, she just wanted to make them uncomfortable enough to shut up, "I get really lonely in there sometimes and I feel like no one cares about me...."

Penelope cleared her throat, "I am busy. Court takes up most of my time."

"I just don't really give a fuck," Killian said bluntly, "why do I need to act like I care about you all of sudden? Just because you came back from the dead doesn't mean I'm going to start kissing your ass like Mal is."

"Would it kill you to be nice?" Mallory interrupted, "and to use appropriate language."

"Hey, Mal. How about you get over yourself and stop pretending you aren't a raging bitch," Penelope snickered as she and Killian exchanged delighted looks.

They were close enough in age to always feed off each other, Penelope and Killian had always been the worst. Griselda was pompous and rude but never as outright mean as the two of them were. She glanced over to Mallory to see her genuinely hurt. Ava frowned a bit, feeling her heart tug at the sight of her sister getting worked up over a bunch of assholes. It's not like they meant any of what they said either, they would do it to get a rise out of people. Ava looked down at her plate and then back up, a small smile spreading across her face.

"Hey, Pen," Ava said and scooped some mashed potatoes on her fork and then flung it in her sister's direction. It splattered across her chest and neck, some even managing to get on her face. She gasped and held her hands up before letting out a shriek.

"My dress!" Penelope yelled, "you fucking cunt, I have court later!"

Ava spared a glance over to her mother who paled at the language and stood up from her seat. Before anyone could stop her, Ava reached forward and grabbed the rest of the potatoes off her plate with her bare hands and chucked it in Killian's direction getting it all over his hair. She had started a scene and she might as well have ended it. Ava stood up, reaching over and grabbing the pitcher of mead in between them and leaned across the table and spilled it on Penelope's lap who was still recovering from the initial shock. She placed the pitcher down and grabbed her water, splashing it in Killian's face before she pushed her chair back and began to walk away.

"Avery Davina Vaith!" her mother yelled, "go to your room, right now!"

"I was already fucking going!" Ava turned back to yell at her mother who was enraged at the cursing, "maybe if you learned how to discipline your other children instead of always focusing on me, you wouldn't have so many issues!"

"Mum! Look what she did to my new dress!" Penelope had stood up too and she was already crying, putting on a show for their mother.

Ava had already buried herself in a hole so she raised her two middle fingers in the direction of her siblings before turning around and storming out of the room. Arnelo had followed right behind her and begun to lead her back to her room. Ava's cheeks were red with frustration at how the whole night had gone down. She could have controlled herself. She had endured far worse throughout her life from Killian and Penelope. But the stupid fucking selfless Scorned Woman crew member in her couldn't stand by and watch her sister be sad.

But in that move, she had destroyed all her work in the past half a cycle. Not like it was much to begin with. Still, all of her efforts to behave and to be poised and polite had flown out the window in an instant and she was back at square one. There was certainly no way she would be allowed back at dinner anytime soon. Which meant that she was stuck in that hell of an estate for longer than she would have been had she just controlled her overwhelming desire to see mashed potatoes strewn across her siblings.

She hiked up her skirt so she could get away faster, trying to make it down the hall before her mother could come after her, not that she would abandon dinner before dessert. Her mother had manners, obviously.

"Avery! Hold on," Mallory said as she ran down the hall after Ava.

At the sound of her sister's voice, she slowed down a bit but didn't turn to face her. Eventually, Mallory caught up and walked briskly next to her.

"You didn't have to defend me."

"Well, I did," Ava snapped.

Mallory's steps faltered a bit, "Avery..."

"Don't call me that!" Ava raised her voice and she knew she was being unreasonable but she couldn't stop herself.

"I was defending you... I didn't mean for it to turn into all of this," Mallory frowned and stopped them.

Ava looked over at her and she felt some of the tension in her shoulders relax, "I know. I'm sorry."

Mallory turned to Arnelo with a small smile, "Could you take a few steps away and turn around for a second? I just need to speak with my sister."

Arnelo obeyed and took a few steps away before turning around. Mallory put a finger to her lips as she looked at Ava and began to slowly tiptoe further down the hall. Ava followed and when Arnelo felt something might have been wrong, he turned around but Mallory and Ava were already making a run for it.

"Ladies! Please!" Arnelo yelled after them as he began to give chase.

"Go! Go!" Mallory laughed, "split up, I'll meet you in the maze."

Ava didn't need further instruction, she picked up her skirt and ran like the wind, using her knowledge of secret halls and shortcuts in the estate to lose Arnelo and make it towards the gardens. She made it through the estate and out into the garden without getting caught and when she ran up to the entrance of the maze, she found her sister. At the sight of Ava, Mallory retreated further into the hedges of the maze and Ava brought her running to a light jog as she closed the final stretch.

Ava turned into the hedges and came to a stop when she found Mallory. She took a moment to catch her breath then laughed, "We are so fucked when they find us."

Mallory laughed too then began to walk further into the maze, "Figured you're dinner and garden privileges would be revoked so letting you experience it one last time was the least I could do for you defending me."

They walked around in relative silence for a while after that. That was the thing, while they were getting along there was not much for them to talk about. Mallory didn't really talk about her length and a half away with her now presumably dead husband and Ava couldn't talk about her length away. So, they just enjoyed the air. She considered making a run for it with no planning. But she wouldn't have been able to get over the estate walls and even if she did, she had no money and nowhere to go. Eventually, they heard the call of the guards which made them almost laugh every time they heard Ava's name being called. She did feel bad for Arnelo. She would have to find some way to make it up to him, losing her would be blamed on him.

They were approaching the last quarter of the maze and Ava was preparing herself for the repercussions of the evening once they emerged from it. Walking towards them was a person but not a guard. Ava found it odd, that members of the court were not usually out so late which was why Ava had only been able to go into the garden at night. As they walked closer, though, it didn't seem like they were a member court. They donned a sleek suit but looked like a woman, which wasn't typical to see in Aubermasse. Blonde hair just past shoulder length swayed with each step the person took near them. It was dark and even squinting, the shadows cast upon their face made it hard to discern who it was. Then, when they were just a few feet away the realization of who it was dawned on her.

She had only seen the person one other time but she had heard plenty of stories about them. Ava wished she had a dagger so she could run forward and stab her. On her long journey back to Elox, it had occurred to her that perhaps one of the people to blame for being discovered was Vivexa and now she was there, in Aubermasse. Even with no dagger, Ava just couldn't let her continue walking toward them with that smug look on her face.

She rushed forward without much of a plan. Her lack of tact with her approach made it so that Viv could easily dodge Ava's lunge forward. Suddenly, there was no one in front of her and a voice appeared behind her.

"Ah, so close," Viv laughed and Ava felt her wrist get wrapped up in someone's hand. Her arm was wrenched behind her and Viv's arm came around her neck, pulling her back and into a chokehold.

"What are you doing here?" Ava asked, for a split moment she wasn't sure if Viv was there as an asset to her family or if Theo had sent her.

"I've been here for longer than you have, dear," Viv chuckled into her ear, "Nice to finally meet you, Red. Our little exchange some cycles ago wasn't enough to properly make your acquaintance."

"It was you," Ava accused, "you're the reason I'm here."

"Just doing my duty as a citizen of Baethos. Making sure the lost lamb got back to her family."

"What did you gain?"

"Is it not obvious? I got a way into working for one of the most powerful families in Baethos. I would say I'm sorry you got caught up as collateral but I'm not. You don't belong outside these estate walls, princess," Viv said and loosened her chokehold but kept a hand wrapped around Ava's wrist, "Guards! I've found her."

Ava tried tugging her wrist away but it didn't work, "Let me go!"

"Afraid I can't do that, sweetheart," Viv said, "I've been deployed to find you. Wasn't hard. I figured you'd come to the gardens."

Ava didn't stop trying to pull away but Viv's grip was strong and resolute, "How did you know?"

"Been tasked with watching you. Obviously, I didn't want to get involved unless I had to and now you've forced my hand, so I had to" Viv explained and called out again, "in the maze you fucking dipshits! It's not that hard!"

The clanking of armor came closer and closer until Ava was apprehended by the guards.

"I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you soon, Lady Vaith," Viv said with a slight smirk and wave of her hand as Ava was walked out of the maze. She glanced back to see her confused, slightly lost, and very curious face of Mallory as she was dragged away.

—--

Ava hadn't quite recovered from the shock of the evening. She had to grapple with the fact that Vivexa was the one that turned her in. Which meant that perhaps her father knew the truth and she was fucked. Or, Viv didn't tell him the entire truth of her being a pirate which meant that as long Viv was there, she was a threat to Ava's future.

She also had to handle that she would no longer be able to leave her room. Her mother had come in a few hours after she had been escorted back to her room and unleashed a flurry of rage on her. Ava was called every synonym for disruptive and insufferable. Her mother didn't let her forget that she was the one that controlled the affairs of the estate and would not be considering Ava's requests for more freedoms and privileges for lengths to come.

Ava wasn't sure if it was an empty threat but she didn't care. She wouldn't be around for lengths. She was going to have to run with nothing to her name and with no ally's on the inside. She just had to figure out how to get out without getting caught. Ava had been waiting until her mother left to let her emotions out and once she did, she cried harder than she had since she arrived.

It was late at night, probably into the early hours of the morning, and while she was exhausted and her eyes were swollen from her tears, she couldn't sleep. She was curled up in her window nook, occasionally sniffling from a runny nose. Her blinks were getting slower and she could finally feel herself succumbing to sleep when her door opened.

Ava sat up straight and looked back at the entrance to her room and saw Mallory standing in the doorway with her nightgown on.

"I'm not allowed visitors," Ava said, her voice slightly hoarse, "you're going to get in trouble."

"She's trying to find me a new husband, so she won't keep me away from court,"
Mallory shrugged, "Plus, no one knows I'm here. I waited until late and Arnelo won't say anything."

"Why'd you come?"

"To check on you," Mallory said, "who was that woman? It seemed like you knew her."

"You haven't seen her around?"

"I have, she's been here since before I even arrived from Weston's estate but I have no idea who she is. You seem to know, but I'm not sure how," Mallory was suspect of the situation and Ava should have conducted herself better as to not expose herself.

She didn't realize Mallory was as sharp, manipulative, and observant as she was. Most of their exchanges before she ran away were venomous and unpleasant and as such, Ava never took the time to get to know her sister. She just assumed she was no different than Griselda, Penelope, and even Killian who couldn't be bothered to do anything but be nightmares to staff and posture as the stars of court. Mallory was different than them but how much different hadn't been clear until recently. Ava hadn't answered Mallory's question so she asked again.

"Do you know her?"

Damn, was Ava that annoying with all her questions? She finally understood Xyra's hatred for her at first. The thought made her sad, she missed the sour giant.

Ava shook her head, "Mal, drop this. Please."

"Was she on the ship with you? Did she hurt you?" Mallory stepped towards the window, "What is she doing here and how did you recognize her?"

"Shut up, Mallory! Just drop it!" Ava yelled at her sister but much like herself, Mallory's curiosity was not quenched.

"If she hurt you in any way or is a criminal, then we need to tell mother! We need to have her dealt with," Mallory argued, "Did she hurt you? Has she followed you here?"

"For fuck's sake Mallory you are so dense! Isn't it obvious? Nothing happened to me, nobody hurt me! I wasn't captured, I ran away! I fucking ran away and that bloody reprobate out there is the one that landed me back here!" Ava screamed.

The shock on Mallory's face jolted Ava into realizing what she had done. She had spoken before she thought and now she had compromised everything. Mallory could tell her mother the truth and then she would be doomed to an eternity in her room. Or even worse. She wouldn't put it past her father to hang her for her crime just to prove a point and raise his status.

"You left?" Mallory asked.

Ava stood up out of the window and looked at Mallory then at the door. If Mallory made a run for it, Ava could take her.

"Forget I said anything. That was just a joke," Ava said.

"I know you think I'm not smart but thinking I'd believe that is an insult," Mallory frowned and crossed her arms, "you ran? The pirates didn't take you?"

"No one took me..."

"If you weren't with pirates, where were you?"

Ava thought about just lying. She could say she made it to South Elox and laid low in a village until she was found. Yet, part of her sensed that her sister was curious but not because she wanted to sell Ava out. There was a glimmer of hope that seemed to cross Mallory's expression when Ava said she had run away but she wasn't sure if she was interpreting it right. If Ava told her, she could finally speak about what was on her mind. She could get help with running away. She could open so many more doors for herself but it was a large risk.

"Where did you go, Avery? How did you manage to survive?" Mallory asked with a tinge of desperation in her tone.

"I am- I was a pirate," Ava admitted and Mallory took a few steps back, her brow furrowing, "I know that's shocking but please, don't freak out."

Mallory shook her head, "You have to be messing with me."

"I was the quartermaster on my ship. They were my friends and none of them ever hurt me," Ava admitted but it wasn't entirely true. Theo had ripped her heart out when she condemned her to her old home.

But you lied first. You hurt her first.

Ava shook out her dueling thoughts and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Please, Mallory, please you cannot say anything," Ava asked but it was Mallory's turn to be silent and unresponsive.

After half a minute of silently staring at Ava, Mallory snapped out of it, "I won't say anything..."

"Mal, I'm serious. If you say something, I'm as good as dead," Ava shook her head, "I don't know if father knows the truth or not but I've made it this far and I can't have anything risk that."

"You don't want to be back here?" Mallory titled her head.

"No. I feel as if my life is over right as it got started."

Mallory's frown somehow grew deeper and all of a sudden, she dropped her head in her hands and started to cry. Ava was bewildered, she took a step forward to comfort her then stopped herself. What was she supposed to do? She had no idea what was happening.

"Mallory, I'm sorry. It's not about you. You've made my time here somewhat bearable," Ava tried to make it better and finally made her way closer and put a hand on her back.

Mallory shook her head and turned to wrap Ava in a hug as she continued to cry.

"It's alright," Ava rubbed her back, "I'm sorry."

"The only reason I'm not happy my husband is dead is because it means I have to be back here!" Mallory cried into her shoulder, "I thought I was alone. I thought I was ungrateful."

The tension in Ava's chest released when she realized she wasn't in imminent danger of getting snitched on. She wrapped her arms tighter around her sister.

"I didn't realize you didn't like it here."

"I never realized how much I hated it until I left," Mallory calmed herself down and pulled away, wiping away her tears, "I learned so much when I was away. I got to do so much. I could just walk the streets and say hello to anyone I wanted."

"You feel like your freedom is stripped from you when you are here?" Ava asked and Mallory nodded, "Then, we've got more in common than we think."

"You were really a pirate?"

"I was..."

"Did you kill people?"

"I did."

"Did they force you to do that?"

"I wanted to," Ava admitted and Mallory didn't react.

"Why did that woman have anything to do with you being back here?"

"It's a long story but she's the one that told father where I was," Ava said, "at least, I'm pretty sure that's what happened."

"How did you know her?"

"She fucked over my old crew before I had ever arrived. I never knew her well, I only met her once," Ava explained, "She's well known in the underworld, has many connections. She's a notorious spy that'll do anything for money and it looks like she's found the best source of gold in Baethos."

"If she's a spy, why would father hire her?"

"Not sure. She's good at her job so maybe he wanted to take the risk. It's not like he can get outbid by anyone else."

"Another noble trying to unseat Vaiths from the Council?" Mallory asked.

"Like I said... Not sure," Ava said and she thought about how much more difficult things would be now that Viv was around. If she was as sly and cunning as the crew made her out to be, Ava would have to be a thousand steps ahead of her if she wanted to get out of Aubermasse.

"So you got captured by Baethan soldiers and brought back?"

"Not quite," Ava took a deep breath, "but it's not something I really want to relive right now. Maybe it's time to call it a night? "

"Right," Mallory nodded, "I don't know if I will be able to see you again but if I'm not allowed to I will be back tomorrow after everyone is asleep."

"Thank you," Ava took Mallory's hand before she left, "Are you really not going to say anything?

"Will you answer my questions tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Then I will keep your secret," Mallory promised before pulling her hand away and walking out.

—-

Her privileges had been revoked. It had been half a cycle since the incident and she hadn't been allowed back out. What was worse than being locked up again was doing so after she had experienced a slight taste of freedom. She had been working slowly on Arnelo, treating the staff as nicely as she could in hopes that one sun she could have a conversation with them without them questioning if they could trust her. All of that had gone to shit.

But at least she had Mallory. She couldn't tell Mallory she wanted to run away, not right at that moment. But one sun, she would be able to and hopefully Mallory would help. Maybe, she would even come along. So for that half a cyle of refound isolation, Ava didn't have much but she had someone to talk to. Like Ava would have also done, Mallory asked a list of questions everytime they were together. Her curiosity for the world outside of their estate walls was growing by the sun and Ava was afraid she had created a monster.

"How did you manage to get on a pirate ship?"

"I asked for passage and they granted it to me, that was their whole deal. Being helpful to those that needed it," Ava shrugged.

"And then you became a quartermaster?"

"It wasn't that easy. It took a while."

Those were the easier conversations. It was when Mallory began to ask more detailed questions, ones that would get her to reminiscence on the past, that it got harder for her.

"You said you weren't captured. The pirates sent you back. Why?"

"The captain found out who I was. I had lied to them. They didn't know I was a Vaith."

Ava was curious too.

"Why didn't you like your husband?"

"He was sweet, for the most part. I always felt bad I did not like him. Compared to Penelope's husband, he was an amazing man..."

"But?"

"I was never keen on him. Nothing he did made me fall in love with him. I rarely felt a thing. Not to be crass, but I didn't enjoy laying with him either."

There wasn't much to glean from Mallory's situation other than the obvious fact that she was unhappy with her husband but had been enjoying life outside of Aubermasse. Her husband had yet to have a title but he was well-liked by the people around his land and they welcomed Mallory. She had realized, quite like Ava, that the world wasn't quite what they had been sold in the estate walls. It wasn't to the extent that Ava had realized it, but there was an underlying sense of understanding on behalf of Mallory that she had been sheltered.

She couldn't help but feel as if everything had happened for a reason and she was sent back home to help her sister out of there. But there wasn't a reason she was back there. She shouldn't have been. It was difficult, with each passing sun, to keep the anger with Theo down. At the very least, she should have been kept prisoner. She should have been taken back to Corinspe for trial or stood trial with her own crew for the accusations her brother had laid against her.

But she wasn't given that opportunity. Theo had been a hypocrite. She had turned her back on her word, on her mission to bring no harm to innocent people. She shipped her back there knowing it would hurt her. Theo told her that with the last words she heard come from Theo's mouth. It was still painful to think about and the reason she hadn't further divulged all the details about what had happened. That and she really couldn't explain to her sister that she was a nox. That is, until Mallory opened the door for that.

She had been coming by every night because even half a cycle later, her mother hadn't gotten over her scene at dinner. Of course, no one else got in trouble but Ava was banned from leaving the room and not allowed visitors. But Mallory would still come by when she could, not every night but often. The door for conversations had opened and they no longer sat in silence. Ava had slowly been introducing her sister to what she had experienced. Her sister had been keen to share the few experiences she also had.

"Winston was gone for two cycles when I first moved there," Mallory said from Ava's bed as Ava was laying across the couch, "and at the time we had a gardener."

Ava chuckled a bit, "And what? You exchanged flirty looks?"

"They were a renounc-," Mallory said then stopped herself, "they were an omkei from South Elox. I don't think I had met anyone so funny before."

"Is funny your type?" Ava chuckled as she sat up on her elbows, remembering what Cooker had once told her about her sister.

"Did you ever meet an omkei?" Mallory ignored Ava's question.

"I did, we had all types of people on our ship. From everywhere in Baethos."

"I thought they were bad people," Mallory sat up too and shook her head, "I feel so idiotic now. Why was I so convinced they were dangerous?"

"That's what we were taught," Ava shrugged.

Mallory shook her head, "I liked them. They were always so sweet. And funny, I already said that."

"Were you nice to them too?"

"A little bit too nice," Mallory frowned, "we kissed a few times."

"You dirty dog," Ava laughed, "cheating on your husband?"

"Avery! It's not funny. I've been feeling guilty about it ever since he died."

"Whatever. You kissed someone that wasn't the husband you were forced to marry," Ava sat up all the way, "I absolve you of your guilt."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Well, I am proud of you for getting out there and trying new things, like being a homewrecker," Ava teased.

Mallory threw a pillow at her head and it hit. Ava threw it back but missed.

"Did you find anyone during your time at sea? A cute boy?" Mallory asked.

"So you had a small romance with your omkei gardener and were said to have had your sights set on Carrie Cooker when you were younger and yet you assume I ended up with a boy?" Ava laughed, "how close-minded."

"Are you saying you are a renouncer?" Mallory's jaw dropped then shook her head, "wait, how do you know about Carrie?"

Ava shut her eyes and fell back on the couch. Damn her giant mouth.

"I don't know. I just had a feeling when we were younger and you just confirmed it," Ava said.

"That's a lie. How do you know?"

Ava paused for a moment and took a deep breath before sitting up again, "She's alive."

Mallory didn't answer. She just shook her head.

"Her name is just Cooker now. She helped found the Scorned Woman's crew. She is Captain Theo's right hand and advisor," Ava filled her in.

"She's dead," Mallory shook her head, "her family said so."

"I was dead too."

"She spoke about me?"

"Briefly. Only a few times. I made it clear that I would have rather not heard about all of that."

Mallory was still in shock, she was staring past Ava, "She was my friend. I missed her for a long time. Everyone else got to grow up with their best friend and I didn't. But she was alive... How is she?"

"She's a character," Ava smiled a bit, "she has tattoos all up her arms and neck. She is loud, opinionated, a poor decision maker, quite funny."

"Were you and her together?" Mallory tried not to make a face but Ava could tell she was not pleased at the idea.

"No. Never," Ava assured her, "but I am a nox."

"A nox?" Mallory titled her head.

"I don't like men," Ava clarified then laughed, "a renouncer, as you call it. Which you probably shouldn't say."

"A nox?" Mallory asked then whispered, "you know that for sure?"

"As sure as is humanly possible," Ava smiled a bit then shrugged, "sounds like that may be the case for you too."

"No," Mallory shook her head, "I like men."

"Sure," Ava shrugged.

"Did you lay with people on your ship?" Mallory asked.

"Only one person."

"Who?"

"I am classy. I don't gossip about who I've slept with."

"It was Cooker," Mallory accused.

"It wasn't," Ava laughed, surprised at how well Mallory had taken all of the news. She had been quick to absorb new things that whole time.

"Then who?" Mallory asked, "That Xyra girl? Or the other one you talk about, Oceane?"

Ava shook her head.

"Avery, I will continue to ask you. I may be changing but I will always have been raised a Vaith. I am a gossip at heart. Please. Tell me," Mallory stood up, "tell me. Tell me, I want to know. Tell-"

"It was Theo!" Ava spit out before Mallory could continue.

"The Captain Theo?"

Ava nodded and Mallory's jaw dropped open.

"You had sex with the captain? How many times?"

"Many, many times," Ava admitted, "she said she loved me and I loved her."

"This was maybe something of interest to note when you first told me of your time on the ship!" Mallory admonished.

"Lady Avery, Lady Mallory," Arnelo opened the door, "I hear your mother coming down the hall."

Mallory looked over, "The sun is not even up yet."

"Hide. Hide," Ava grabbed her arm and dragged her to the side of her bed, pushing her down until she got the hint, "Arnelo, shut the door."

The door closed as Mallory dropped to the floor and pulled herself under the bed. Ava ran to her candles and blew them out, drew the curtains closed and then ran back to bed, getting under the covers. The door opened moments later and Ava pretended to be asleep.

"Avery, wake up," her mother commanded.

She sat up, squinting in her mother's direction, and faked a yawn, "Is it morning already?"

"No. But once the sun rises you will be packed and ready to go."

Ava's heart began to race and she sat up, "Go where?"

"The Center. A letter just arrived that a special Council meeting has been called to hear your testimony of what happened at the pirate island," her mother said, "I will send some people to help you get ready."

"I don't want to go," Ava shook her head.

"I'm afraid you have no choice, darling," her mother shrugged, "If I'm not awake to see you off, have someone send for me. I'm off to sleep now. We have some nobles from The Twins joining us tomorrow and I really must rest for that."

Her mother walked out as quickly as she had come in and shut the door behind her.