Saige was up all night reviewing a textbook about herbs. As the Court Physician, she needed to be prepared to cure any remedy. Even if she didn't have the capability to cure it, she had to at least know how and explain it to the patient. She wasn't just the Court Physician, but she was also the physician for the central town.

Her home was situated just outside the castle, allowing access to both the Azalea royals and citizens of the central town.

A small clock ticked and eventually Saige heard twelve chimes.

Saige sighed and let out a yawn. "I think I should be all set. Time to go to bed."

She closed her book and put it back onto the shelf. Moments later, she heard rapid knocking on her door.

Who needs help at this time of night? Saige thought.

She opened the front door to see Aster along with a few knights carrying a body.

"Saige," Aster greeted. "I'm sorry to bother you so late at night. I-I really need your help."

Saige half-heard him. Her wide eyes were fixed on Amaryllis's limp body.

"I-Is that..." Saige gasped.

"Mother is dead," Aster finished, his voice in a cracked whisper. "I-I need you to clean her up for her funeral t-tomorrow."

Saige didn't know how to react. She saw Aster's hands shaking from shock. She was curious as to what happened, but at this time of night she suspected that Aster was in no mood for conflict.

"O-Of course," Saige replied. "The guards can set her on the wooden table in that room." She pointed to the room and the guards pushed past her.

"Thank you, Saige," Aster whispered, his eyes tired and lifeless. "I'll check back in the morning."

Saige bowed as the guards exited her home. She closed the door with an abrupt bang and put her hand to her mouth in disbelief.

Amaryllis is dead... Saige closed her eyes, breathing heavily. She then recomposed herself. Okay, cleaning her up will probably take about an hour. After I do that, I can go to sleep.

As she was preparing tools, she heard another eager knock on the door.

Believing it was Aster, she opened the door again, but it wasn't Aster.

"L-Lily! What are you doing here? Who's this?" Saige asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Lily's eyes were wide and she seemed to be out of breath. The person who was with her had a crow mask over his face. He was unconscious and was splayed on a sheet of ice that was hovering in the air.

"C-Can you help me? He's hurt, and I..." Lily started.

Saige gasped when she saw what Lily was talking about. The person on the sheet of ice had a wound to their right shoulder.

"Oh my! Come in, hurry!" Saige ushered frantically. Lily hurriedly stepped inside, the ice hovering after her. "Lay him down here." Saige pointed to another wooden table.

Lily nodded and the sheet of ice moved and set itself down on the table.

"I-I'm sorry this is so sudden," Lily apologized.

"What's going on? Aster showed up about five minutes ago, and now you," Saige asked.

Lily's eyes then saw Amaryllis's body another table away from where they were situated. She gave a gasp of horror put her hands to her mouth in shock.

"A-Aunt Amaryllis," Lily let out. "Oh my God..."

Saige placed her hands on Lily's shoulders. "Lily," she said calmly. "What is going on?"

Lily bit her lip nervously and then gestured to the wounded boy. "Aunt Amaryllis was killed by an assassin. H-Him..."

Saige turned her head to see the unconscious boy. "He's an assassin? Why isn't he in the dungeons?"

Lily gestured, "H-He's hurt."

"He killed Queen Amaryllis, Lily. He's probably the one that killed Queen Flora too. Your mother, Lily," Saige emphasized.

Lily protested, obviously stressed out. "I know, b-but... he's still hurt. Aster sounded so dangerous. I t-thought I should bring him to be treated and then we could hand him over to Aster once he calms down a little bit..."

Saige sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. Lily's too soft. If an assassin tried to kill her and she tried to fight back, she'd probably apologize.

"Fine, I'll do my best to heal him, but that's it. After that, I'm calling the guards to bring him to Aster," Saige said.

The next thing Saige knew Lily's arms were wrapped around her in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Saige! I don't know what I would have done!" Lily said, her voice still wavering.

Lily didn't let go at first. Saige slowly brought her arms up to return the hug.

When they let go, Lily asked. "How long will it take to heal his shoulder? I-I melted the icicle off already but..."

Saige frowned. "I'm not exactly sure. Two hours at most. He will probably wake up in three hours. I can finish before he wakes up."

Lily nodded. She then said, "I'm going to go, but Saige, can we keep this between us? I... I don't think the others will understand why I brought him here."

Saige was hesitant at first, but finally nodded her head. "If anyone asks, I'll tell them that he stumbled in here on his own accord."

Lily sighed in relief and made her way over to the door. "Thanks again, Saige, and I'm so sorry about all of this."

Saige shrugged. "Take care, Lily."

Lily smiled despite how stressed she felt. She then gasped as if she remembered something. "Saige! Before I leave, I need to tell you something."

Saige blinked and gestured for her to continue.

"Before he passed out, he said that if I took his mask off he would k-kill me..." Lily trailed off for a moment, chills suddenly crept down her back. "Don't take off his mask. I don't know if he can sense it while he's unconscious but... he meant it when he said he would kill me. I-I don't want that to happen to you."

Saige smiled lightly before saying, "Thanks for telling me, Lily. It's getting late. You should head back to the castle and get some rest."

"Okay. Goodnight, Saige," Lily waved.

"Goodnight, Lily," Saige replied.

Once Lily closed the door behind her, Saige groaned in slight frustration.

There goes my sleep. Let's get this done.

--

Chase drowsily regained consciousness. The last thing he remembered was trying to run away from the castle and then... a sharp pain and then after that... nothing.

My shoulder... someone hit me, Chase thought through gritted teeth. He then paused when he felt something. Why do I feel hands touching my body?

He opened his eyes slowly, but not all the way. He saw someone with ginger hair, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw something that looked like hands doing something near his shoulder.

What the... Where the heck am I? Chase thought frantically.

He lurched up suddenly, causing Saige to let out a small shriek.

A rush of thoughts flooded Saige's mind. He's awake already!? He's supposed to be unconscious for another hour! Thank God Amber lives with the other maids.

Chase turned his head to look at her, and a few moments later his vision focused to see Saige.

His eyes narrowed. I know this girl. She's one of the maids from the castle. What's her name... Chase dug through his memory, knowing that he heard her name at Rose's party when he had ran into Fern. Amber! That's her name. Better question is, where am I?

Saige wasn't sure what she should do. Chase had woke up an hour earlier than she had planned. She was alone, with an assassin, with only small physician tools to defend herself with. This didn't look good for her.

Chase gritted his teeth anxiously. I need answers.

In a flash, Saige's back slammed against the wall, Chase pinning Saige's right shoulder with his left hand.

Saige gasped and tried to grab a pair of scissors from the plate of tools with her left hand, but Chase said in a warning tone, "Don't move."

Saige instantly froze. Her eyes set on the menacing crow mask and she instinctively averted her eyes to look at something else.

"Where am I and how long was I out?" Chase asked, his grip on Saige's shoulder tightening a little.

Saige's heart raced uncontrollably. She was at a loss for words at the moment. It was around two in the morning and she was currently so focused on dealing with the assassin's shoulder that she couldn't easily process being interrogated.

Chase growled, "Answer me, Amber." He raised his right hand and flashed his claws out. The sudden movement made him wince slightly from the sharp and numbing pain in his right shoulder.

Confusion washed over Saige's face. Amber? He knows my sister?

Saige finally said cautiously, "I'm not Amber. She's my sister."

Chase blinked. What? She's not Amber? She looks exactly like... oh, they're twins.

He bit his lip before replying, "Then answer me, whoever you are. Where am I and how long have I been out?"

Saige breathed heavily. She said, trying not to panic too much, "You're in my home. You've been unconscious for about two hours."

"Why am I here?" Chase instantly asked.

"I was asked to heal your shoulder," Saige replied.

Chase's eyes narrowed. "By whom?" When Saige didn't reply, Chase raised his voice impatiently. "By whom?"

Saige flinched, her body trembling a little faster. "Princess Lily," Saige answered softly.

Chase's eyes lit up in slight surprise, but it was replaced by seriousness moments later. Lily? Why didn't she turn me in?

He then heard Saige comment, "You weren't supposed to regain consciousness until about another hour."

Chase couldn't help but scoff lightly. "I'm different than most people."

Looking at the girl in front of him, Chase could tell that she knew that he was an assassin. He saw Amaryllis's dead body at another table on the other side of the room. He connected the dots.

I can't stay here. She'll hand me over to the guards, Chase gritted his teeth. He could kill this girl if he really wanted to, but she wasn't one of his targets. I don't feel strong enough to fight off guards, though. I need to get out of here.

Chase felt a trembling feeling underneath his left hand. He looked back at the girl in front of him to see her visibly shaking from fear, but looked as if she was trying to hide it.

Chase then got an idea. This has to work, Chase thought.

He cleared his throat to get Saige's attention. He then said, "I'll make you a deal." Saige pursed her lips and gestured for him to continue. "If you heal me and let me walk free, I'll spare your life. If you call the guards, however, I'll kill you."

Saige widened her eyes. Her heart nearly skipped a beat. The assassin that had her pinned to the wall just offered her a deal.

What do I do? I would be going against Aster if I let him walk free. If I don't, though, he'll k-kill me...

Chase noticed Saige's hesitancy. She's loyal to the crown. I need to convince her that I will kill her if she doesn't help me.

He waved his right claws in front of her face. "Your choice," he repeated.

Saige flinched and closed her eyes in fear. She finally exhaled deeply. When she opened her eyes, they held caution and resolve.

"How do I know you won't just kill me after I heal you?" Saige asked in a challenging tone.

Chase raised his eyebrows slightly. He then replied, "It's a fair deal. I wouldn't lie to you about this."

Saige exhaled again. "I'll heal you. Please, lie down." Saige replied, her voice a little edgy.

It worked, Chase sighed in relief. Reluctantly, he let go of Saige and backed up to lie back down on the table.

Saige breathed heavily while thinking, Be calm, Saige. I can do this. I can deal with an assassin. After I'm done, he's out of here.

Saige rubbed her hands together anxiously before grabbing one of her tools, preparing to heal an assassin that could kill her if he so wished.

He won't kill me... he won't... hopefully... Saige groaned to herself before going back to work.