It normally did not take Avril long to dress. Under normal circumstances she could ready for the day in only a few minutes. In an emergency, she could be ready in well under a minute. For official meetings she usually took a bit longer, but was still rather swift all the same, having done most of the preparation the night before.

Today, however, she had spent the last two hours simply staring at her reflection in the mirror, occasionally running a hand through her greyed hair.

The red that had taken over her right eye had begun to fade away, a small patch at a time, and the usual blue shone through the gaps. The left remained stuck with the liquid gold hue. It was actually a quite beautiful color and Avril found herself staring at it unblinkingly.

Given the chance, she probably would have stayed like that, simply staring at her reflection and letting the hours drag endlessly. But it wasn't out of vanity that she remained stuck to her seat.

It was shame.

Cassandra would be expecting her within the hour and for the first time in her life Avril was dreading a meeting with the Queen. Still, she had a duty to preform, so, with a heavy sigh, she pushed herself up from the chair and began to dress in earnest.

As always, she worked the buttons of her jacket until they shone like gold and took the time to buff away any possibly scuffing on her boots. The uniform was freshly pressed and slightly stiff against her skin as she pulled it into place, but more than that it felt heavy. So heavy she could have sworn it was made of lead, and the weight only increased as she fastened the final button into place.

Her eyes fell on her pistols. They lay innocently on the table before her, the elegant filigree calling out to be caressed, but Aril's hand stayed put. The day she had received them from the Queen suddenly felt lifetimes ago.

The grips were cool as she ran her hands over the polished wood before she picked them up. The weight was staggering as she slowly slid them onto her hips before finally securing her shoulder cape into place.

Making her way through the castle she drew a handful of looks from curious maids and servants, but none spoke loud enough for her to hear what they were saying. She had an idea, however. The reaction Marcus had given her upon seeing her abrupt change in appearance had been more than telling.

"Lieutenant Avril Ena of the First Powder Regiment. I am expected," Avril said softly as she stopped before the Throne Guards. She produced her summons and handed it to the nearest guard. He accepted it with a curt nod before slamming his weapon against the ground. A moment later the doors slowly creaked open, releasing a gust of frigid air from the room inside. Avril steeled her nerves as the cold washed over her face and marched into the room.

Cassandra was standing on the far end of the room, her masked face angled towards the window as she stared at the gardens below. As she turned to look at Avril, the young lieutenant dropped to one knee and pushed her gaze to the floor.

"My Queen," Avril said quietly. Her voice easily carried through the empty room.

"Rise." Cassandra stared at Avril for a long time before her gaze returned to the window. Avril did as she was told, slowly rising up from the ground. The room was so silent Avril could hear her own heartbeat. A steady thump-thump-thump that threatened to deafen her. When Cassandra spoke again, she flinched, taking a full step back before catching herself. "You found him."

"I did."

"You tried to kill him.

Avril forced herself not to bow her head. "I did."

"Why?"

"I…" Avril's voice caught in her throat. "I swore to protect you. To give my life for yours, if need be. I believed your resolve had been weakened because of… Because of the intimacy of the issue. Given another chance, with the information I had been presented, I would make the same decision."

"Information presented?" Cassandra laughed. It was a bitter sound. "And now?"

"I don't know. I just…." Avril trailed off. It was a concern that tore at her insides. If she had succeeded in killing Cross, there would be no issue. His death would have solved everything… And yet….

"How much is the life of one man worth against thousands? Maybe millions?" Cassandra asked. "As a Queen the answer is simple. As a soldier the answer is simple," She let out a heavy sigh and pulled the mask from her face, letting it clatter to the ground. The sunlight fell softly against her skin. "But we are more than the titles that present us. We are weak and we are foolish."

"I… I do not think the answer is simple, my Queen. As a soldier I have lost men. Good men. That has forced me to come to understand the value of a life. But I know that at times I will be forced into situations where I cannot save everyone. I know that there will be times where lives will be lost, perhaps even my own one day. But that does not mean that it is not a noble effort to attempt to do so regardless of the possible outcomes." Avril took in a deep breath to steady her voice. "There is nothing foolish in seeing the value in every life, even my own. If you could not find it in yourself to see the same… If you could not, I do not believe you would be worth serving."

"Well, well, well," Cassandra sighed softly as she reached out and touched Avril's face, her thumb running under her golden eye before her hand slowly trailed through her hair. "You've grown up. It seems with grey hair comes wisdom."

The joke was so unexpected that choked laugh escaped Avril's lip before she could catch herself. With the laughter came the tears. Hot tears that leaked from her closing eyes. Her head bowed as Cassandra pulled her into a tight embrace. When the Queen finally released her, Avril roughly rubbed at her eyes, but the tears continued to flow freely.

"If I may ask…" Cassandra's mouth twisted slightly and she sucked in a sharp breath. "How… how did he…"

"As you would expect," Avril said. "I knew it was him as soon as I saw him."

"And his powers?"

"They are very developed. He was able to hold his own against me, despite your training. Even after I…." Avril resisted the urge to lift her hand up to her face. "After I activated the eye of Voynar, he was able to survive."

"You survived as well." Cassandra's voice was soft.

Avril shook her head, finally wiping her eyes dry. "Please do not apologize. It was my failure. Both in my action and inaction."

"Shall we simply say we have both made mistakes?" Cassandra offered with a sad smile. Her hand again found Avril's face, cupping her cheek and tilting Avril's head to get a better look at her golden eye. "Have you harnessed the power, then?"

"No," Avril stared into the Queen's dark eyes. "I can feel the magic flowing from the eye into the rest of my body, but I have no control over it. It is… it is a strange feeling. I do not believe I will lose control of it, again, however."

"Voynar used that eye to create this very Kingdom," Cassandra's hand slowly fell away. "I have no doubt you will succeed in honoring its legacy. You are more fit to bear it than anyone."

"I do not believe that is true," Avril broke the Queen's gaze and stared at the floor. "If it wasn't for him, I would have perished. I did not truly gain it. The rightful heir to this treasure is-"

"Is you." Cassandra cut her off. "The rightful heir has already been chosen. Do not think so lowly of yourself. The eye is not a trinket that can be bartered away so easily." Cassandra faltered, but only for a moment. "Though I may have initially given it to you in error, you have proven your worth, Avril. So many times have you proven your worth. Had our places been switched and I attempted to harness the power of Voynar for my own, I have little doubt I would have survived. Do you understand?"

Avril nodded and slowly lifted her head back up. "What happens now? Cross's existence still poses a threat to the Peace between out kingdoms. Will… will you have another try in my place?"

"Nothing has changed, but no, I will not send another. He is a liability, and one I cannot allow to roam freely for much longer. I have placed this task on others for far too long. From this point forward, I shall handle the matter myself." Cassandra took in a deep, shuddering breath and reached up to gently rub at her temple. "However, while what I told you was true, Avril, there is… there is much more that you do not yet know. I believe it's time you do. I can only hope you shall still stand at my side once you know the truth. The full truth."

"No matter what." Avril dropped down to one knee without hesitation, her hand crossing her chest and landing on her heart. "My life is yours to command, for now and always. I will gladly give it and more for you, my Queen."