The next day, as Anya and Raven made their way down to the infirmary, the former fidgeted nervously with her hands. She sneaked a glance at Raven, who looked just as calm and monotonic as every other day. It was almost as if they weren't going to lie to several people in the short span of half an hour.

"Are you sure this will work?" Anya asked her.

"If Joanne is as good an actor as you claim, we will be just fine." Raven said her voice low, and they paused at the corner right before the infirmary. When she turned to look at Anya, she noticed her dilemma. "Princess Anya, relax. There is no way they can find out. I promise you. You just need to exhibit the persuasive skills you demonstrate during negotiations."

"This is different!" Anya argued. "We're lying to the Health Specialist!"

Raven scoffed, "Do you not lie during negotiations?"

Anya's heart fell. Is that really what Raven had been thinking of her all this while? She didn't want the other girl to see her as a liar.

"That is different," She hastened to explain. "There, I'm just bending the truth, not outright lying to their faces! Some information needs to be concealed for the good of the people of Navaya."

"Then just think of this as the very same." Raven said. "Aren't we trying to figure out what endangers Navaya to the point that His Majesty is ready to bring an outsider into the Castle? At the end of the day, any fruit from our actions would directly benefit Navaya."

"Alright, fine," Anya said, giving in. "But make sure the Health Specialist believes you. When I was younger, he could always figure out when I was lying about being unwell to skip lessons or..."

She trailed off, not having the heart to continue. Or to get my father's attention.

"I will," Raven nodded, before turning around to leave. She paused however, and then turned around to face Anya one more time. "Thank you, Your Royal Highness."

Anya smiled. "I should thank you. You're doing this for us"

Raven nodded awkwardly, and then went away. Anya watched as she strode up to the infirmary door and pushed it open, disappearing into the room.

Anya stood there, hidden from the guards by the corner, but she didn't have to wait for long. Only a minute or two later, the Health Specialist came hurrying out of the door, followed by Raven. She led him to Anya's room, where Joanne was lying on the floor, feigning unconsciousness.

Now, your turn, Anya. Anya told herself.

As soon as they were out of sight, Anya pressed her skirts down, and stepped out from the shadowy corner. She marched to the door, and one of the guards hastened to open it for her. She walked in, and her heartbeat quickened.

She spotted Miss Isabelle easily enough next to the window, and walked up to her.

"Miss Isabelle!" She said, in the most alarmed voice she could conjure. "Miss Isabelle!"

The older woman was sucked out of whatever reverie she had been lost in, and she turned around, startled. "What is it, Your Royal Highness?"

"My maid, Joanne has fainted!" Anya gushed. "We were fixing my hair, and then all of a sudden she fell to the floor limply! I was so scared; I didn't know what to do other than to come here!"

Miss Isabelle rushed into action, consoling Anya as she gathered some stuff. With a last word of comfort, she hurried out of the room, asking Anya to help herself to some brandy to calm her nerves.

Their plan had worked like clockwork. Now, Raven would return from Anya's quarters, leaving the Specialist with his 'patient'. If ever questioned on Miss Isabelle's arrival, they could simply say that Anya hadn't known that Raven had already fetched the Specialist, and they had each been worried about Joanne.

Anya turned to look at the bed that was hidden by a curtain. She gulped, wondering if she should wait for Raven or begin on her own.

She didn't have to think long, for the door opened with a tiny crack, and Raven stepped in, slightly breathless.

"Can you fly?" Anya asked as Raven neared.

"Pardon?"

"There's no way you went all the way to my quarters and returned in such short time." Anya said, grinning. "Unless you can fly, of course."

Raven grinned back, and Anya felt elated at having finally drawn a colorful expression out of the other.

They turned grave just a second later, as they both remembered the task at hand. Raven stepped closer to the curtained bed, and, slowly raising her hand, pushed the curtain away.

The bed was just like any other bed in the infirmary, but sitting on it was a dark brown-haired woman, probably in her early thirties. Her arm was in a sling, and her leg was bandaged from the knee to her calf. Her black eyes widened in astonishment at the sudden exposure to the eyes of a stranger.

The surprise doubled when her eyes landed on Anya next, and she hurried to stand.

Anya stopped her, walking over to her side and placing her hand on her uninjured arm with a smile. "It's alright, Priya. We're not here to make you exert yourself."

"Pardon my rudeness, Your Royal Highness, but why are you here?" Priya asked, falling back onto the bed, and giving Raven a suspicious glance, that didn't go unnoticed by the latter nor by Anya.

"This is Raven." Anya gestured to the girl who had walked over to the Health Specialist's desk and grabbed his chair. "She was employed as my personal guard after the... incident."

Priya nodded as Raven walked closer with the chair and placed it at the bedside, gesturing for Anya to sit.

Anya passed her a grateful smile, and then complied.

"And this," She looked at Raven. "Is Priya."

"You still haven't answered my question, Princess Anya." Priya narrowed her eyes, bringing Anya's attention back to her.

Priya was no fool, and Anya was sure she knew no one was allowed to meet her. It would be difficult to trick her, so Anya decided to tell her the truth: that they wanted to know what had happened during the attack, and that they hadn't been allowed to see her.

Even though Anya had been present during one half of the attack, there had been nothing in sight but utter chaos. Before she could even comprehend that she was in danger, she had been whisked away to safety by General Allyss. After wards, whenever she had tried to obtain any information whatsoever from anyone, anyone at all, she had either been lied to, or misinformed.

At least she knew that.

Priya listened, and then nodded understandingly. "I know that feeling, Your Royal Highness. Adults hardly ever listen to adolescents, even if the latter are right."

Anya turned to share a glance with Raven, hopeful.

"Fine," Priya shrugged. "Telling you wouldn't hurt anyone. It is not as if you plan to do anything with information."

"Quite right," Anya murmured, looking at Raven again, this time with her eyebrows raised.

Raven half-shrugged, as if to say she couldn't guarantee anything, but thankfully Priya didn't notice.

"After you were taken away from the ballroom, Your Royal Highness, Gabriel went crazy." Priya began, her voice turning grave. "It was as if the absence of his target from his vision made him more desperate. He slaughtered open more and more corpses. I remember the look in his eyes. He looked as if he were hungry for blood, as if nothing could stop him from wrecking havoc in all of Navaya."

She paused, taking in a deep breath. "He looked inhuman. His movements were robotic, as if all his humanity had been sucked out, replaced by invisible threads that controlled him like a puppet. It was strange, watching the very same man who had trained us to serve Navaya with our lives, attacking its heir."

Anya's suspicions were confirmed. She had been lied to by her father.

Her father never had his guard up against her before, and she had known that the officials were trying to keep her in the dark. Now, however, as Priya described the scene, making Anya envision it, Anya realized just how serious the situation really was.

She had been told that the attack was another commoner who was trying to seek 'justice' his own way. She had not even seen Gabriel Santiago's face; he had been so fast in attacking her guards.

She should have known.

Anya felt uneasy now, as she turned slightly to Raven, who was listening to Priya's words with rapt attention.

Was Anya putting this girl in danger? Would it perhaps be better if Anya could bring Raven to lose her job?

Anya shook her head to herself, knowing it would never work.

Both the Chancellor and her father had seemed at ease after Raven's appointment; they seemed convinced that Raven was a sufficient safety measure.

But she is so much more than that. Anya thought helplessly, turning to look at Priya again. She was always more than that. She is a person.