We pile into Arabelle's home without a moment to spare. I shut her back door with a loud slam that I hope won't draw too much attention to our whereabouts. Arabelle hastily closes her curtains, and I slink down against the wall, keeping quiet. My muscles gradually stop screaming in pain, and my heart rate calms, but my body still trembles at the thought of soldiers lingering nearby.

In the distance, I begin to hear the sound of yelling. I stiffen, and I see fear cross Arabelle's face, but the soldiers' footsteps fades just as quickly as they grew. They must have continued their pursuit down another street. Vasa, Kesuk, and I let out a collective sigh of relief that echoes through the home when all goes quiet again.

I shut my eyes and open them once more, finally beginning to take in my surroundings. Cream-colored wallpaper speckled with floral designs and a fine wood floor make up the base of Arabelle's home. A few dark-colored sofas sit on a shaggy rug while a fireplace crackles directly across from me. To my right, where Arabelle shut the curtains, is a quaint little kitchen framed by a long rectangular table with a neatly ironed white tablecloth atop it. Some dirty dishes from Arabelle's dinner are scattered across the table.

I open my mouth, about to comment to Arabelle on how lovely of a home she has, but I quickly shut my lips when she immediately marches up to me, hands on her hips and eyes aflame.

"Give me one good reason why I should not turn you into the soldiers immediately!" she shouts.

"Here's one," Vasa says, pointing his gun at her again.

The fear that led Arabelle to house us has already worn off. She looks at Vasa with the same disgust that I am sure I used to show him in Tetoa.

"Please. Lower your weapon. If you shoot now, the soldiers will know where to look. The gunshot will be heard from a mile away," Arabelle says.

I nod to Vasa, and he lowers his rifle.

"Well, Fe?" Arabelle asks. "Are you going to start explaining, or am I going to go out in the alley and call for the soldiers? They have every reason to take you. Not only because you murdered Zofia, but because you betrayed the princess as well."

I narrow my eyes, suddenly not missing my former coworker one bit. Whatever strange nostalgia I felt for Esterpool when first stepping off the ferry in Fehrbridge has vanished. Glancing at Arabelle now, I remember how her vicious fists and kicks assaulted my body all those months ago. However, if she were to try those moves again, I would gladly defend myself this time.

"You are just about as pleasant as you were in Esterpool," I grumble.

"Ha! In that case—" Arabelle makes a move towards the door, but Vasa and Kesuk immediately block her path.

"Sorry, sorry," I say. "Please, do not turn us in just yet. I am working separately from the other assassins that were responsible for King Ruben's death." Arabelle pauses, but keeps her gaze focused on the door. I lower my head, hoping my next words will convince her. "I promise you all I am doing is for the sake of the princess."

Arabelle quits her movements towards the door and stares at me, dumbfounded.

"How so?"

I bite my lip. "Why don't we sit down to talk?" I ask.

Arabelle makes no move towards the couch, so I sigh. "Well, if we won't sit, then let me at least start off with introductions. Kesuk, Vasa, this is Arabelle. We served as maids to the princess together back in Esterpool."

Arabelle rolls her eyes. "I certainly did. Fe, however, was nothing but a lying, despicable—"

"Fe? Is that some sort of nickname?" Vasa asks.

Arabelle glances at me, confused.

"I suppose now is a good time to reintroduce myself as well. My real name is Fetia," I say.

"Even your name was false, too?" Arabelle asks.

"Yes," I admit.

Betrayal reflects in her eyes. I never once cared for Arabelle, not like I did with Maria, but the pain in her eyes and voice makes me even more nervous when I try to envision how the princess must have reacted to my betrayal. I can barely fathom how much Asteria's heart must have shattered when she found out the depth of my lies.

Arabelle clenches her hand into a fist. Only now am I finally getting a glimpse into all that I missed the night I took off from Esterpool. Before she can curse me out further or make a move to rally the soldiers towards me, I try my best to continue our conversation.

"Why are you in Fehrbridge?" I ask. "Shouldn't you be serving the princess?"

"The princess never returned to Esterpool after her father's death," Arabelle says.

"Right. I did hear that," I murmur, remembering my mother and sister sharing the same news with me. "She has no plans to return?"

"Not that I know of. She has been at her brother's side as a royal advisor ever since," Arabelle says. "She did give us the option of joining her in Magewell. Josie went, of course, and Maria, too. However, after what happened to Zofia, I no longer wanted to remain by her side."

"What about Alba?" I ask.

"Is that even a question? She is with the princess, of course, and is her head maid again. That position never should have been yours to begin with," Arabelle sneers.

I know that she is right, and yet, my heart still sinks at her words.

"So, tell me, how are you planning to protect the princess, then? Your actions suggest otherwise," Arabelle says.

"Believe me when I say I care about the princess," I begin.

"Ha! You lied to her for months, were responsible for the death of one of her maids, and were apparently scheming to kill her. How can that show any care?" Arabelle asks.

I can feel my anger spiking. I want to tell her how wrong she is, that my initial intentions were wrong, but that I truly loved, and still love, Princess Asteria. I take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself.

"I cannot atone for anything that I have done to her," I admit. "And I have no intention of seeing the princess again. I know that you are right that I do not deserve her forgiveness. However, the other assassins are trying to kill her, and they will not fail a second time."

Arabelle eyes me suspiciously. "And so you are trying to stop them?"

This is where I become nervous. "It is more complicated than that." I glance over at Kesuk and Vasa. "These are not just my companions. They are my allies."

"Allies?"

"I cannot lie and say I do not want the same as the other assassins. I also want Landiani to have independence, as well as Flumensia, Kilneu, and all the other countries that Maguvia has overtaken. However, I am trying to do so differently, in a manner that does not resort to unnecessary violence. Our aim is not to kill King Stephan, and more importantly, to spare Princess Asteria from any harm that may come about from our plans."

"I cannot trust those words," Arabelle says, and I feel my stomach drop. "Firstly, you killed Zofia."

"I did not—"

"Maria told us of how she discovered the knife in your possession," Arabelle sneers.

"I was not the one to take her life!" I argue. I want to shout at Arabelle further, unleash the anger that has been built up inside me for months onto her, but I know that she will never show us mercy if I do not find a way to get her to start trusting me. So, I lower my head, and sigh. "I did not kill her, but I will take partial responsibility for her death."

Arabelle eyes me curiously, and for a moment, I think that she is going to soften her words towards me, but then her eyes blaze with anger again. "Well, no matter what occurred, Zofia is dead, and it was your fault. Besides, it grew evident very shortly afterwards that you were trying to kill the princess, too."

All the anger I attempted to push down rises again in an instant. "I was not going to kill the princess!"

"How can you say that when it was obvious you were solely there for the purpose of gaining her trust and betraying her?" Arabelle asks.

I want to collide my fist into her face, to kick her ribcage with my foot, just like she and the other maids did to me months before. However, I am not my mother, and I will not give in to violence just because I am angry enough. Instead, I take a deep breath.

"As I said before, I arrived to Esterpool with ill intention. But I decided I would not kill Asteria, and that is a decision I have not and will not change my mind about."

A part of me yearns to ask Arabelle how the princess reacted to my betrayal - if the anger that Arabelle is showing me now is a mirror to how Asteria reacted – but I know it will only bring me pain. I am already emotionally vulnerable right now, and Arabelle will know how to take advantage of that.

"Even if that is true, I still cannot trust you," Arabelle says.

"Arabelle, you also live in a colonized country," I say.

"I told you before, Fe, or Fetia, whomever you are. My loyalty is to Magnuvia now," Arabelle says.

"Even though you no longer serve the royal family?" I ask.

Arabelle huffs. "My family and I have a comfortable life here. My parents were thrilled when I received the position as the princess's maid. Do you know how disappointed they were when I returned? Why would I risk disappointing them more? I am not like you. I do not crave change. All I want is to live my life comfortably, away from the political drama that plagues this empire."

"So I take it you are not interested in becoming my ally?' I ask.

"Ha! Not in the slightest."

"Then will you at least help us escape Fehrbridge?" I ask. "Then I'll never bother you again."

Arabelle grumbles quietly.

"Please? For the princess's sake?"

A long pause settles over the house, so quiet that I can hear the tiniest creaks of the house settling and Arabelle's breaths.

"If it will keep you away from me, then fine," Arabelle says at last.

"Arabelle, thank you. Truly—"

"I am not doing this for you," Arabelle hisses. "I am doing it for the princess. Escaping this city will be difficult though. Did the soldiers know it was you they were pursuing?"

"I cannot say," I murmur.

"They came after us because we were Landiani, and they recognized my military weapon," Vasa explains.

"I am sure running easily made us appear guilty," Kesuk adds.

Arabelle holds her head in her hands and groans.

"Are you regretting helping me now?" I ask.

"Why can nothing ever be simple with you?" Arabelle complains. She dejectedly takes a seat at her kitchen table and rests her head in her hands before tiredly meeting my gaze again. "I am alone for now. My parents are out of town visiting my aunt in Aldenvale, but they will be back in a matter of days."

"We should not linger long, then," Kesuk says. "Fehrbridge will not be safe, especially with soldiers on our trail."

"Where else do you think we should go?" I ask Arabelle. "We do not know Flumensia like you do. We were thinking of travelling southward, but is there a route free from soldiers?"

"I highly doubt it. They'll be moving about in flocks now that they've tracked someone on the run," Arabelle says. "And, in addition, do you even have an idea of where you will stay when you leave the city?"

We all three look at her, uneasy.

"It is something we have not had the luxury of thinking about," I say. "We have been so busy running—"

Arabelle lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. We sit in silence, and I begin to accept that there may be no way out of this one. Then, I hear Arabelle sharply inhale. When her eyes meet mine, they are sharp and determined. "My family has a cottage near Cantersard Lake that we use in the warmer months. I suppose, if we can get there unscathed, you can remain there for a short while..."

My eyes widen in surprise. I nearly leap up, wanting to thank Arabelle with an embrace, but I keep my limbs still. I look at both Kesuk and Vasa. Both shock and excitement are reflected on their faces as well.

"That could work in our favor," I say.

"I have a motorcar we can take there. I can't promise the drive will be free from soldiers, but if we leave just as the sun is rising tomorrow morning, we may stand a chance at getting out of here safely. However, this is all I will do for you, Fetia. Afterwards, I owe you nothing."

"I understand. Truly, thank you. We would be dead by now if not for you."

"Do not thank me just yet. We'll have to get there first," Arabelle says. "For tonight, you three can sleep out here in the living room. I'm sorry, but I don't have any extra dinner to share."

"We can feed ourselves," Kesuk says, patting his bag.

Arabelle nods and takes her dirty dishes to the sink. She heads towards the staircase, pausing near its base. "I am going to go get ready for bed," she says. "There are spare blankets over there," she says, pointing to a wooden chest directly across from the sofa. "If one of you could also put out the fire—"

"I'll do it," Kesuk offers.

"Then...it sounds like a plan. We can talk more tomorrow morning. I think if I stay awake any longer, I'll regret taking you in, Fetia." She lingers for just a moment, making me fear that perhaps she truly does intend to reveal us to the soldiers, but then she turns back towards the staircase. "Good night, then."

"Good night. Thank you again," I say quietly.

Arabelle disappears up the stairs quickly, and it is only when I hear a door shut in the distance that I finally turn to Kesuk and Vasa in relief.

"I take it you were well-liked in Esterpool, then?" Kesuk asks.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, yes. She was just one of three maids who attacked me and left me bedridden for weeks during my time there."

Vasa's eyes widen in surprise. "Why are we trusting her, then?"

"We're not. I certainly don't," I admit. "But she is the only resource we have right now. Any other option would have probably landed us in a Magnuvian prison by now. We'll remain with her just until we get out of Fehrbridge, and then once we get to her family's cottage, we can decide what to do from there."

Kesuk and Vasa nod in agreement.

"We should sleep in turns tonight to be cautious," Kesuk suggests. "If not because of Arabelle, because soldiers may be looking for us. I can take first watch."

"Are you sure? I slept on the boat," I say.

"Then, why don't you take second?" Kesuk asks.

"All right, then," I agree.

We spread out in the living room and begin piecing through our belongings for the remainder of nuts, jerky, and dried fruit that will make up our dinner. We eat quietly, exhausted after a long journey to Flumensia. We ready ourselves for bed shortly afterwards, and the couch in Arabelle's corner suddenly looks like the coziest mattress in the world. I think how nice it will be to sleep in a house tonight, and if all goes well tomorrow, we'll have the luxury of shelter again once we reach Cantersard Lake.

I open Arabelle's trunk and grab a warm blanket, then sprawl out on the couch. Though I know I should not feel comfortable sleeping in the home of my former rival, my mind and body are exhausted. I stay awake long enough to wish Vasa and Kesuk good night, and then I pass out in a matter of moments.