Five days passed without much disturbances. The Azaleas had not left the palace grounds, and the Red Phoenixes were fairly quiet.

Chase exited a tavern in the Azalea citadels. When he got too bored of the forest, he usually got something to eat or drink at a tavern. As long as he didn't reveal his claws, no one knew that he was an assassin.

He was about to head back to the forest to take a nap, but he then picked up Aster's voice from the Azalea balcony.

"Crow!" Aster called. "My cousins, Rose and Lily, have recently told me that assassins have enhanced hearing, so I hope you can hear me from wherever you are."

Chase narrowed his eyes as he hurriedly walked around the corner to face Aster standing on the main balcony, his golden crown perched on his head.

There was a small crowd gathered near the balcony, not as big of a crowd as other times as it was around noon, but still an audience. Street vendors also looked up in attention. This was the first time Aster had addressed Crow directly from the balcony, and people were obviously curious.

Chase saw Aster straighten himself, perhaps trying not to appear too nervous. Aster then continued. "It has recently come to my attention that my mother and Aunt Flora have wronged you. I am ashamed of what they did, and I understand why you killed them. If you didn't kill Aunt Marguerite as well, I would have pardoned you from execution." Chase raised his eyebrows curiously. He wasn't expecting Aster to say what he just did. His thoughts were interrupted when Aster resumed speaking. "However, if you show me some consistent form of proof that your actions from now are for the good of this kingdom, I will consider pardoning you." Chase widened his eyes, not sure if he heard Aster correctly. He then heard a few surprised gasps from the citizens who were listening. "I have discussed this with my cousins. Despite some of their disapproval, this is my decision. I have noticed that you have been fairly quiet, and I hope that means that you don't intend to kill my cousins and me anymore. If that is truly the case, then I am willing to give you the chance to prove to me that you deserve to be pardoned." Aster nodded his head to himself. "That is all," he ended curtly before retreating back inside.

A fair amount of loud claps resounded from the people. Chase was frozen, speechless from hearing Aster's proclamation. He honestly wasn't expecting Aster to give him the benefit of the doubt after Amaryllis died. To know that Aster was willing to consider pardoning him from execution felt... good.

Then again, he somehow knows now that his own mother killed my family. Chase thought, staring into the distance longingly.

He then heard a few voices from the nearby crowd of people.

"Thank goodness King Aster has decided to give Crow a chance," one middle age woman exclaimed with relief.

Another elderly woman talking with her nodded in agreement. "My sister lives in the lower towns. After what Flora and Amaryllis did to this kingdom, I am grateful that King Aster is now on the throne. Bless Crow for giving us a better king."

Chase opened his mouth slightly, surprised that people saw him as some sort of savior. If anything, he didn't consider himself as a good person, much less a hero.

A group of teenagers then walked past him, talking excitedly.

"Hey! Are you going to King Aster and Princess Acacia's birthday party tomorrow?" one boy asked his friend, nudging her shoulder.

Birthday party? Another one? Chase's eyes lit up curiously as he found himself eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Of course!" another girl replied. "It's going to be awesome. Two birthdays in one party means two big cakes."

The rest of the group laughed at the girl's comment as they all sauntered off. Chase's gaze darted back to the Azalea castle. Chase couldn't help but remember how soft Lily's hands were as he led her onto the dance floor, and the way her green eyes looked at him like he wasn't the enemy. Unknowingly, Chase's heart fluttered as a small smile formed on his lips.

Lily will be at the party. Maybe I should go, he thought as he retreated back into the mysterious forest.

--

Ivy had been sitting in the gardens all morning. After about a week of losing her powers, she no longer sobbed herself to sleep every night. She thought back to the day she found out her earth magic was gone for good. Reese had stabbed her a few days before that, but the process was slow so that she wouldn't notice. By the time she did, it was too late.

She fingered one of the flowers in the grass. She smiled lightly, though the smile didn't reach her eyes.

I helped grow this flower, back when I had earth magic.

She rubbed one of its petals before she reluctantly withdrew her hand. A memory from when she was young surfaced in her mind.

"Tag! You're it!" Her cousin, Iris, laughed as she tapped Ivy's shoulder and tried to run the opposite way.

Ivy giggled as she darted after Iris, eventually tackling her to the ground. A few leaves got tangled in Iris's hair. making it look like a laurel wreath. Iris reached up to try to pick the leaves out.

"Wait, it's missing something." Ivy winked as she concentrated on the crown of leaves around Iris's head. Ivies began to grow around the grass nearby, and a few moments later a few irises appeared on the wreath.

"Wow!" Iris exclaimed in wonder, pulling the wreath off her head to examine the new flowers. "I'm so jealous, Ivy. I wish I have magic too!"

Ivy simply laughed and shrugged. "Even if you don't have magic, Iris, you're still my favorite cousin."

Ivy's eyes glassed over as she thought back to everything she did with her magic.

Well, it's gone now, and there's nothing I can do to get it back. Ivy thought, slightly bitter.

"Ivy?" Ivy turned her head to see Violet standing along the garden path, toward the stables.

Ivy forced a smile before patting the grass next to her, beckoning Violet to join her. "Hi Violet," she answered.

Violet approached Ivy, plopping herself next to her younger sister. "I'm glad that you finally came out of your room other than for food."

Ivy scoffed. She said nothing for a while. After staring at a few small flowers that grew from the ground, she finally said, "I may not have magic anymore, but I will help in any way I can." She then said softly to herself, "I will be the one to stop the Red Phoenixes."

Violet blinked when she heard the last part. She lightly placed her hand on top of Ivy's. "Ivy, there's nothing you need to stress yourself over. Rose, Lily, Aster, and I can handle the Red Phoenixes."

Ivy shook her head, smiling sadly. "I want to help. It's a little frustrating that you all still treat me like your baby sister. I know I'm just thirteen but... I just want someone to know that I will do anything for this kingdom, just like the rest of you. Anything. I just needed to say that."

Violet massaged Ivy's hand encouragingly. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling a little better, Ivy. I'm going to go see Julian now."

Ivy nodded. Violet rose up from the ground and continued on her way to the stables.

--

The afternoon rolled around. Saige was looking at her drawers, mentally thinking which herbs she needed to restock on. She then heard a knock at the door.

Saige closed the drawers and made her way to the door. When she opened it, Ivy was standing outside.

"Hi, Ivy," Saige beckoned her inside. "What can I do for you?"

Ivy cast her eyes downward, fingering her blonde waves nervously in her finger. "I know I thanked you already, but I just want to thank you again for healing my wound from last week. If you didn't treat it I probably would be in much worse shape."

Saige gave a little laugh. "It's my job, Ivy. Why don't you tell me the real reason why you came now?"

Ivy pressed her lips together tightly. She then asked slowly. "I'm pretty sure I know what your answer will be, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. I finally went someplace besides my room and the dining room, and I just want to hear it from you... is there anything you can do to restore my earth magic? Anything at all?"

Saige frowned, noting Ivy's nervous tone. After a tense silence, Saige finally replied, "I'm sorry, Ivy. I looked through all my books a few days ago. There isn't anything I can do. I'm sorry."

Ivy's heart sank with disappointment, but she tried not to let it show on her face. She shook her head. "No, it's okay. It was worth a shot, though. Thanks, Saige."

Saige curled her hands into light fists, frustrated that she couldn't do anything. Saige opened her mouth to say something, but then decided against it. Instead, she opened her arms and gave Ivy a warm hug, massaging her back.

Before Ivy could hug her back, another knock sounded at the door. As though someone splashed her with cold water, she abruptly withdrew herself and moved to answer the door.

It was Lily.

"Saige," Lily sighed with relief. "I need to talk to you about something. Are you busy right now?"

"Um..." Saige turned her head to where Ivy was standing.

Lily peered her head in and beamed. "Oh, Ivy! I didn't know you were here." She then turned back to Saige. "If this is a bad time, I can definitely come back later."

"It's okay," Ivy spoke up. She didn't sound angry. In fact, she sounded a little more like her normal self, as though she didn't lose her earth magic. "I was actually just leaving." She gave a genuine smile to Lily as she made her way towards the door. "Bye, Saige, and thanks."

Saige nodded, watching as Ivy headed back to the castle with her head held high. Lily stepped inside as Saige closed the door behind her.

"What do you need to talk to me about, Lily?" Saige asked, gesturing to a table with two wooden chairs.

They both sat down. Lily sighed, clasping her hands on the table. "Before Aster made the proclamation about Crow, Rose told me that Aster didn't know that Mother and Aunt Amaryllis killed his family. He was very shocked when he found out. It just... it reminded me that I haven't been honest with him, about what happened the night Aunt Amaryllis died."

Saige blinked, sitting up straighter. "Aster didn't know?"

Lily nodded worriedly. "He probably feels like a fool. I just thought... I know you already told Aster about that night, but I feel so guilty not telling him what I did that night."

"I think you should tell him. Aster forgave me. He will definitely forgive you too. You're cousins," Saige reassured Lily gently.

"You really think so?" Lily asked, her voice rising with a little hope.

"No one can stay mad at you, Lily. Just tell him." Saige replied, exasperated.

"O-Okay. I'll tell him soon. Thanks for listening, Saige. I just wanted to tell you before I told him," Lily smiled brightly.

Saige couldn't help but laugh lightly. They both stood up and Saige escorted Lily out after sharing a hug. She then sighed to herself, going back to the cabinets of herbs.

--

Reese was bent over his desk, reading one of the many notes his father left behind. Reese grunted, frustrated that his father had been so disorganized.

"Lunar eclipse... lunar eclipse... lunar eclipse..." Reese muttered to himself, skimming over his father's notes for some clue. After overhearing bits of that conversation in the dungeons, Reese was fairly certain that their next attack should be on the lunar eclipse, which was in two days. He just wanted to know what was so important about a lunar eclipse.

He continued to skim the parchment in his hand. He nearly skipped over it, but he finally caught it.

"Yes," Reese muttered to himself. He then read aloud, "The lunar eclipse absorbs the Azaleas magic powers for the duration of the eclipse. May be useful in the future once members can fight well and have a strong resolve to kill."

Reese exhaled through his nose, setting the parchment down and leaning back in his chair. He wished his father had remembered to tell him about this tidbit of information. He agreed that it wouldn't have been useful back when his father was still alive, since the members definitely weren't ready to go on a kill mission at the time, but now they were ready. For the first time, despite being a disorganized mess, he was a little grateful that his father had actually documented everything.

"Reese," a gruff voice called from the door. Reese turned his head to see Derek. "Are you doing alright?"

"Great, actually," Reese replied. He picked the parchment back up and handed it to Derek. "I found out what the lunar eclipse does, thanks to Father."

Derek took it from him and skimmed it over, his eyes lighting up with malice. "This is excellent, Reese. We don't need to waste as much salt water, then."

"Speaking of salt water..." Reese hoisted himself up from his chair and moved to stand in front of a wooden barrel. "I checked the barrel this afternoon. I think we're running low."

Derek opened the barrel and frowned when he saw how much salt water there was left.

"I can head out to refill it." Derek said, crossing his arms.

Reese found himself placing his hand on the barrel. "I'll refill it. I've been sitting all afternoon. Why don't you tell the others about what my father wrote?"

Derek nodded obediently to his leader. "Of course. I will inform Bryan and Lorraine."

Reese nodded as well. When Derek was out the room, Reese clasped his hands around the lever and dragged the barrel out with ease.

--

Lily had stopped by the library. She had been on her way to tell Aster, but she then remembered a hard fact that Aster was not only her cousin, but also her king. Since he was her king, and Rose was first heir, Lily remembered that she was second heir. Lily then recalled that she had wanted to take a look at the Azalea map when she had the time to make sure she was familiar with the geography of the kingdom in case the very worst happens, and she now had time.

There's so much going on all at once. Lily thought to herself, taking the rolled up map that was in a drawer. She then opened it and splayed it on the table.

"Okay. This shouldn't take too long. Lower towns, citadel, palace," Lily rambled to herself, pointing at all the landmarks. "Forest..." she then said. Lily blinked. She knew the forest separating the Azalea kingdom and the Saffron kingdom wasn't small, but she didn't think it was as large as the map had displayed. Then again, only a small portion of the forest had paths.

Her eyes then caught something amidst the forest. A little past the entrance of the forest, but not too far into the forest, was a small blue oval. At a quick glance, it would be a honest mistake if she missed it, but she then realized that it was a lake. When she looked at the legend, her eyes widened when she saw that it was a salt lake.

This must be where the Red Phoenixes are getting their salt water. Why didn't I think to look at the maps earlier? Lily mentally slapped herself. She checked the map again just to be sure, and sure enough, that small blue oval was one of only two salt lakes in the Azalea forest. It's not too far. If I go out there and freeze the lake, the Red Phoenixes would have get their salt water from the smaller lake near the Saffron kingdom, or manually mix their water with salt.

Lily found herself rolling the map up, putting it away, and hurrying out of the library. She ran towards the knight training grounds. When she reached her destination, she looked around for Thierry. She finally spotted him. He was currently leading a drill with the other knights. She opened her mouth to call his name, but she stopped herself when she heard Aster's voice from the other side.

"Thierry!" Aster called loudly. Rose was with Aster too. They didn't seem to notice her as they approached Thierry. "Rose and I need to talk to you about some things regarding the lunar eclipse. We thought it best to talk to you now since most of the knights are here. This might take a while, but we want to make sure you and the others are clear about the procedure."

Thierry bowed his head in greeting when he saw Aster and Rose. The other knights didn't stop what they were doing. Aster, Rose, and Thierry soon became immersed into their conversation, and it didn't look like it would end anytime soon.

Lily pressed her lips together. It was already late afternoon, but Lily knew that Thierry could talk about strategy for a good hour.

I can't ask Aster and Rose either since they're both busy, Violet's always with Julian, and I don't think I should bother the guards at the gates. They will get in trouble if they leave their posts. She then nodded to herself confidently. I should be okay on my own. The lake isn't far, and freezing the lake shouldn't take too long.

With another nod, she hurriedly turned back to head to the forest before the sun started to set.

--

Reese dragged the wheeled barrel behind him as he stepped through the forest. It was so convenient that there was a salt lake in the forest that wasn't too far from the hideout. It was a fair amount of walking, but it saved them a lot of time not having to manually mix salt with water. If they did do that, it would take a lot of salt to reach the amount of salt that was in the salt water lake.

He sauntered on, expecting to see the shiny peaceful lake when he got there.

He was totally wrong. He abruptly stopped in his tracks when he saw the last person he expected to see.

Reese furrowed his eyebrows as his mouth dropped open in surprise.

What the! Lily! What is she doing here? Reese thought in slight panic. He darted his eyes around, looking to see if they were any other Azaleas or knights waiting in the shadows to ambush him, but it seemed to be just him and Lily.

He then noticed what Lily was doing. Her eyes were closed as white lilies bloomed around her feet, and ice started to slowly form over the lake. A few moments later, almost the whole lake had a thick layer of ice over it.

Reese gritted his teeth. No no no! Why now? Lily's ice is magical. It can be the hottest day in the universe and the ice Lily materializes would still be frozen!

Reese found himself dropping the lever that was attached to the barrel. Anger flooded through him as he unsheathed his sword, grasping the hilt until his knuckles turned white.

I did not walk all the way here for no salt water.

Lily gasped, snapping her eyes open as she realized she was not alone. She turned her head to where she heard a sound of unsheathing metal, and her eyes widened when she saw Reese, his brown eyes intense like fiery flames.

Reese saw Lily shift herself to face him, her stance defensive. Icicles immediately materialized around her, but they remained hovering near her side.

Reese held his sword in front of him warily. Lucky I put my sword in salt water before I left. He then said in a low voice, "You shouldn't have done that."

He could hear Lily's sharp breaths from where he was standing. Lily slowly replied. "I froze the lake. The ice is impenetrable, so forget about your fresh salt water." Reese narrowed his eyes. Lily sounded a little nervous.

Reese smirked. "How's Ivy?" he asked in a taunting manner.

Lily's eyes flashed with slight anger. She quickly recomposed herself, choosing to ignore his question. "We don't have to fight. We can both walk away slowly. No one gets hurt."

Reese had to force himself not to scoff loudly at how naive Lily sounded.

Reese clicked his tongue. "I have a better idea."

Before Lily could respond, Reese charged. Lily clenched her fists, her eyes hardening slightly as she sent icicles his way. Reese swung his sword at the sharp icicles. The icicles didn't break, but they surprisingly deflected off his sword and clattered to the forest ground. He saw Lily lose her composure when she realized she would eventually lose against him. Before Reese could wound her, however, someone darted in front of him out of nowhere. A sharp clang sounded in Reese's ears as it connected with his sword.

Reese and Lily both emitted a surprised gasp when they saw who it was.

It was Chase. His crow mask was over his face, but Reese could see a small frown on Chase's lips. Reese realized that he was still exerting pressure on his sword, and that Chase was still exerting pressure from his claws that had met his sword.

Shocked, Reese abruptly stepped back, lowering his sword slightly. He darted a quick glance at Lily, who was just as shocked as he was.

Why did Chase defend Lily? Reese thought, trying to think of a reasonable answer.

Chase finally said to him, "I don't want to fight you, Reese, but I will if I have to."

A warning. Chase had actually threatened him.

Not wanting to believe the truth, Reese tried to attack again. Chase also charged, and Reese's sword and Chase's claws clashed once more. Reese's heart sank when he saw Lily took the opportunity to make her escape, smart enough not to stay to see what happened.

Reese wanted to follow her, but Chase seemed to have read his mind as he positioned himself to always be standing in his way. Reese gritted his teeth in frustration as he found himself still swinging his sword, each blow met by Chase's claws.

It was then that Reese realized that he was letting his emotions control him, and then he noticed that Chase was only using one hand to fight against him.

Reese's heart filled with humiliation as he broke away, Chase breaking away as well.

"Why did you defend Lily?" he finally asked softly, hurt evident in his voice. "Chase, she's an Azalea."

Neither of them spoke for a good ten seconds. The only sound audible were a few tree leaves rustling from the wind.

Reese finally got his answer. "I owe Lily a debt," Chase replied warily, removing his crow mask.

Reese lifted his face so that he could meet Chase's gray eyes. "Since when?" When Chase didn't immediately reply, Reese asked again, a little louder this time. "Since when?"

Chase exhaled. "Since the night I killed Amaryllis."

"What happened?" Reese demanded, gesturing his sword arm outward.

Reese thought Chase would avert his gaze, but Chase looked at him the entire time when he explained how Lily had wounded him, how Lily had the chance to turn him into Aster but didn't, how Lily had brought him to Saige to be healed.

Reese was speechless for a few moments. "Wow," he scoffed. "Fine, then, I understand now why you defended her." Chase nodded. Reese found himself asking, "Why did you never tell me? We're friends, aren't we?"

Chase opened his mouth to respond, but all he said was, "I..."

"Wait," Reese cut in, realization dawning on him. "Do you... do you care about her? Is that why you never told me? You didn't want me to know that you owed a debt to Lily?"

Chase looked a little shocked at Reese's harsh tone. "Reese..."

The way Chase said it, as though he wasn't sorry for not telling Reese earlier, Reese connected the dots instantly. "You do care about her." Reese waited for Chase to deny it, but he didn't. He mumbled to himself. "I can't believe it."

Reese shook his head, scoffing at the ground as he sheathed his sword. He made his way over to the barrel, jerking the lever upward angrily.

"Reese," Chase called from behind him, moving to follow him. When Reese ignored him, Chase lightly grabbed his arm. "Reese, wait."

"No," Reese nearly snarled at him, whipping his arm out of Chase's grasp. "I'm not going to spend time being friends with someone who cares about Azaleas."

Reese dared to look back, and Chase looked like he had just been slapped across the face. He normally wouldn't say something as harsh as he did, but at that moment Reese could not care less. Reese gave another disbelieved scoff before starting back toward the Red Phoenix hideout, dragging the barrel behind him.

Chase didn't come after him this time.