Missteps V.2

Chapter 27 – A Party to Remember

"I half expected you to run away." Maron joked as the two of them met up.

"So did I," Kerri had been bracing herself for the mark on her back to sear with pain with every step closer she took to Maron, but so far there was nothing. "How are you?"

He grinned awkwardly. "Pretty sure I should be asking you that." The air between them was full of tension. Neither one of them seemed to know what to say.

The band transitioned into another song. They'd been doing a mix of Marblebrook and Lirathan songs, and the song they played now was a staple at any Lirathan function.

Maron grinned and held out a hand towards Kerri. Wordlessly she took it and allowed him to pull towards the dance floor. Several couples had already taken up positions, and they joined in. This was a dance that both of them had grown up learning, and had danced together several times. The steps weren't hard, but the song had a changing tempo that could be hard to keep up with.

The song was part of a larger story, a romance that was common folklore in Liratha. The story was about two lovers who'd been separated by war and circumstance. This particular song was about the time the lovers spent apart. Kerri's father had performed the ballad for years onstage, giving life to the stories the lovers each told the other on the three occasions they were able to be reunited.

Dancing with Maron again, each of them falling easily into the old steps, Kerri's mind wandered back.

Kerri had met Maron after she'd been tapped to sneak him back into the castle one night by her godfather. At the time, Maron was a member of the Thieves' Guild, and she'd been known to hang out in their bars. Now, they'd seen each other in passing, Troupe performances or just around the city, but they'd never been introduced.

A few weeks later, she'd been asked to help Maron play a part for a big assignment. The two of them spent six days posing as a couple on holiday at a small village on the southern coast. Their mission was to case out the fishing operations, and see if they could be used as a smuggling port.

The spark between them was instantaneous. They worked well together as a team and were paired together quite often. At the time, Maron being a Prince wasn't even an issue. He never used his position, kept to the shadows, and his loyalties were to the Thieves' Guild, and eventually Kerri. This went on for several months and it was only when Maron's brother Mirdale died, that things changed. Maron was recalled back to the palace where he took up his brother's duties. For everyone's safety, he cut ties with his former comrades, and Kerri assumed that her time with Maron was over.

Barely a week after Maron became a Prince again, a package was delivered to her home. Inside was a gorgeous cotton dress with pink stripes, and a note from Maron. She'd been invited to tea with the Royal Family, under the name of 'Kory Unlon'. That was the start of many royal and noble functions that she attended as 'Kory', the orphaned daughter of a Pryrian merchant whose parents had been killed by giants. Thankfully they'd left her quite the inheritance.

The experience was fun, for a while. She and Maron were able to be a couple out in the open, and Kerri was able to experience what life was like for the elite of Liratha. From what she could tell, they enjoyed the finer things in life: expensive meats, drinks, and clothing. All of the clothing that she wore during that time was picked out by Maron, and judging by everyone's comments he had simply chosen popular styles.

When the two of them were able to be alone, which wasn't as often as either one of them liked, their conversations seemed to revolve more around filling out 'Kory's' backstory. At one point, Maron even considered reaching out to old contacts in order to create the necessary documentation to make 'Kory' real on paper. Maron seemed more interested in 'Kory' becoming a permanent part of his life than Kerri. He didn't even seem to realize how big of a toll 'Kory' was taking on Kerri's life. She'd had to stop performing publicly with her troupe for fear of anyone recognizing her. The functions took up so much of her time that she wasn't able to be as involved with the troupe or her family as much as she would have liked.

After a while, the extravagance of the parties wore off and all she began to see was waste. She saw the obvious waste of food and resources from the parties themselves, but she began to see the waste of space that many of the nobles and government officials occupied. Many of them seemed more concerned with lining their own pockets and filling their own bellies than the well-being of the people they supposedly served. A common solution to the growing beggar problem was to simply ship them off to the borders and let the giants eat them. The world of the nobility seemed to work off the idea that if they didn't see the problem, it didn't exist.

Before Kerri had believed that the biggest problem Liratha had was the royal family. That it was them who pulled back the armies from the borders, and took the food from the common people. Now, she knew that they were just the biggest cogs in a whole corrupted system of cogs.

If anything, the whole experience made her see why the thieves' guild was so popular with the lower classes. The thieves' guild, and the Vowilian church, seemed to be the only ones that cared if the peasantry lived or died. Kerri's ardent wish became to save her country from itself.

With her mind set, Kerri had to make a few choices. She couldn't be 'Kory' and 'Kerri', she had to choose. That part was easy; Kerri, every time. The hard part, was choosing to end her relationship with Maron. She knew Maron was always going to be a Prince, and that there was no going back for him. But to accomplish what she wanted to do, she couldn't be tied down to someone in his position. She needed the freedom to move.

For days she agonized over how to break up with him, to explain to him that what they wanted in life was different. The day she went to talk to him, Mervyn had stopped her in the hall. He told her that he knew the whole story (which Kerri highly doubted), and that all he wanted was to see his little brother happy. He said he had the paperwork to make 'Kory Unlon' real in every way ready. He'd even arranged for her to be adopted by a prominent family in Marblebrooke to help sell the story. It had seemed to Kerri that he was telling the truth.

Right after that, Maccus had come with his deal. Kerri had accepted Maccus's deal for a number of reasons. The biggest one was that she could keep her identity. A much smaller one, was the hope that perhaps this could be the start of a beneficial relationship for the thieves' guild. Now that they could no longer rely on Maron they were in desperate need of a new channel of information. This deal also meant that there was still the smallest of a chance for her and Maron. Kerri couldn't deny the romantic side of her that still held out hope for a happily ever after.

Afterwards, only one of those reasons still remained relevant. It was freeing however to realize that she didn't have to worry about blowing some kind of cover. In Marblebrooke, she could be herself again, she could even reinvent some parts of herself.

"Where are you?" Maron's voice said in her ear suddenly. He twirled effortlessly, and then pulled her down into a dip. As she was hauled forward, for a moment their faces were just inches away from each other. Kerri stared deep into his green eyes, eyes that she still saw every time she closed her eyes. The song had changed and the two of them were now in a tight embrace as they swayed softly to the sweet melody. "You seemed like you were miles away."

"I was just remembering the past." Kerri laid her head down on Maron's chest. She told herself that she'd cause more of a scene leaving in the middle of a song.

"So was I." Maron chuckled. "I saw you in all those pale pink and yellow dresses. I'm sorry to say, but they did not fit you."

She grimaced into his chest. "In what way?"

He chuckled. "For one thing, they were too frilly. You looked like a decorative pillow."

Kerri looked up in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The prince shrugged. "You seemed to enjoy wearing them and I didn't want to insult you."

"The only reason I wore them was because you bought them for me. I didn't want to seem rude and not wear them." She sighed. "To be honest, I hated them."

Maron's face screwed up. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have gotten you clothes you liked to wear."

Now it was Kerri's turn to shrug. "You were the expert in those fancy parties, so I deferred to you. Besides, it was your money, and you always commented on how nice I looked so I thought you liked me in them."

He rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter if I liked them, you were the one wearing them. I just chose the dresses my cousin recommended. It's not like you were a doll I was playing dress up with."

Kerri scoffed.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's that for?"

"I was a doll, a doll named 'Kory'." Kerri turned her attention towards the crowd. She suddenly found it very hard to keep her voice low.

Maron didn't immediately answer. "Mervyn told me about the offer he made you." He said finally. "Why didn't you take it?"

"Why do you think?" Kerri's tone came out bitter. "How would you feel if you were asked to give up your entire life?"

"I wasn't asked."

Kerri blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "What do you mean?"

"Did it never occur to you how it might have felt to me having to leaving the thieves' guild and everyone behind just to become some pampered prince again? A life I'd literally stepped away from years before." Maron slowly twirled Kerri again. "Did you ever stop and consider, that I worked so hard on 'Kory' as a desperate ploy to keep the one person in my life that I felt I couldn't live without by my side?"

"You never even asked if I wanted to stay by your side!" It took Kerri a moment to realize that she'd said that a lot louder than she'd meant to. Maron took hold of her wrist and pulled her off the dance floor, towards a secluded corner of the courtyard. Looking behind her, Kerri saw several of her allies keep Mervyn and some of the Lirathan guards from following.

Even after they entered the shadowy corner, Maron didn't let go of her wrist. The two of them were standing several feet apart, but were connected.

"I never asked because I didn't think I had to." Maron said softly as he turned to look at her. His tone held a note of hurt in it. "After I went back to the palace, I needed something, someone, to ground me. I needed you, and it never occurred to me that you wouldn't be there."

Kerri had to fight urge to hug Maron. He looked so small in that instance, smaller than she'd ever seen him. "Maron, I always got the feeling that there was more to you returning to the palace, something you never told me. You seemed to approach your duties as a prince with a dogged sense of purpose. You changed in a way I couldn't understand, a way you wouldn't let me understand." Kerri's hand was limp in Maron's grasp. She was done trying to fight, for the moment. "We both changed, and we stopped talking to each other. So talk to me now."

Maron took a shuddering breath. "I killed Mirdale. I killed my brother." He admitted with a shaky breath, dropping Kerri's wrist. Maron ran a shaking hand through his hair. "The thieves' guild had discovered a slave trade in the northern territories. Eventually it came to light that the main financial backer of the group was Mirdale. He'd been siphoning government funds to the slavers. That was only the latest of Mirdale's crimes that had come to light. My brother was fond of violence in all forms, even towards family. It was Rowan who'd finally given the order for his death. Mirdale had done too much not to be punished, and with him gone there'd be no one to back the traders anymore. I volunteered to lure him out."

Maron moved to lean against the cool stone of the wall. He couldn't meet her eyes as the words spilled out of his mouth. "We met up for dinner, at a private home controlled by the guild. I passed it off as mine and Mirdale seemed to buy it. I got him drunk. He was an accomplished fighter and I needed to limit his ability to fight back. As he drank, I praised him, stroked his ego, and tried to get any information I could out of him before the assassins arrived. It worked, he started telling me everything. All the little schemes he was in charge of. How he laundered money through local merchants, provided safe passage for ships carrying drugs, counterfeit art, and people through the ports. He gave me names, places, so much so that I started to write it all down on the tablecloth.

"He saw that as my enthusiasm for what he then called 'the family business'." Maron's tone turned harsh and curt. "That's when he revealed that he hadn't been siphoning money, it'd been given freely to him by Mother. Running these schemes and making sure that they had all the money was how the royal family had stayed in charge for so many years. He admitted that they only kept the Cardinal locked up because they hated him. They wanted him dead, but they knew they couldn't do it themselves so now they're waiting for him to die of old age."

He laughed harshly. "Mirdale told me how they aren't interested in stopping the giants, because years ago they made a deal with them. The land the giants took, was actually sold to them in exchange for precious jewels and large amounts of gold. Even now, they sell off bits of land a few times a year when they needed money." Kerri heard a heavy thud as Maron slammed his fist against the wall. "Mirdale was so proud of all that the family had accomplished. He didn't care in the slightest about the people he'd hurt, about the families he'd destroyed with any of his enterprises. I was so mad, that before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet shoving a bottle of poison down his throat.

"The actual assassins arrived a few minutes later. No one said anything, they just roughed me up, took the tablecloth, and made sure the town guard was alerted. No one, not even my mother and brother, suspected that I was to blame. I went back to the palace, not because I wanted or needed to be there for my family. I went back because I needed to know the full extent of the corruption I'd been born into." By this point Maron was on the ground, knees to his chest, fully hidden in shadow.

Kerri kneeled down next to him and stroked his hair. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I wasn't ready to accept all of it myself. I was still processing everything I'd learned, and my mother was watching me like a hawk. I had to be careful." He gave a heavy sigh and buried his head. They sat like that for a few minutes, just the two of them. It was as if the party just a few yards away had melted away. Finally, Maron tilted his head and looked up at Kerri. "You're turn, what are you hiding from me?"

"I honestly wish I could tell you, but I can't." Kerri gave him a sad smile. She sat down and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What happened to us?"

"Life, and a failure to communicate." The two of them shared a small chuckle. "We should probably rejoin the party, my brother is starting to pace over there."

Kerri sighed, nodded, and they stood up.

"There is one more thing I should tell you." Maron whispered in her ear.

Kerri raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He snaked a hand around Kerri's waist and led her back towards the party. "I'm due to be violently kidnapped any minute now."

As Maron and Kerri rejoined the party, Maron's arm still around her waist, Nimin ran up to join them around a table.

"Everything ok?" Nimin pointedly inclined his head at Kerri's waist.

"Better than it was." Kerri knew that she should move away from Maron, but she felt at ease with the familiar weight on her hip. She was seeing just how close she could get before the Mark on her back forced her away. So far it wasn't burning or even making its presence known. Had the Queen been lying about the enchantment Maccus had placed in it? Had Maccus lied to the Queen?

Nimin smiled, a sense of relief covering his face. "I'm glad to hear that. Mervyn's been watching the two of you like a hawk ever since you started to dance." The three of them glanced at the pine tree closest to the staircase, where Mervyn had parked himself. Two Lirathan guards stood close by, but his attention was fixated on his brother.

Kerri took a moment to scan the area for her compatriots. Elaine and Xayoe had found themselves in the company of Marblebrooke guards, while Koe was wandered the courtyard, food and drink in hand with Shomma around his neck.

"Where's Carric?" Kerri twisted her head around straining to see the half-elf.

"If you're looking for the redhead, he disappeared inside the palace with Kanen about five minutes ago." Nimin grinned as he named another of the Lirathan guards. During the party, both Lirathan and Marblebrooke had about four guards each roaming around.

"Nimin, you got any other weapons on you besides just that longsword?" Maron suddenly asked, hiding his mouth behind a drink flute he'd snatched from a passing server.

"No, should I?" Nimin's eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

Maron nodded slightly. "Probably wouldn't hurt. Rowan's made arrangements for me to be kidnapped."

"I believe 'violently kidnapped' is how you described it to me." Kerri corrected. Nimin sighed.

"How 'violently' are we talking about?" Not unfamiliar with the thieves' guild, Nimin was well aware of how out-of-control some of the lieutenant's plans could go. Inside Liratha Rowan was a great asset, but if she had to contract work to outsiders then she tended to go down the cheap and easy path.

"Can you get another weapon or not?" Maron asked exasperatedly.

"Daniel's got two longswords on him, and Mervyn is wearing a rapier. We might be able to get some off of them." Klaxons started to sound from one of the palace's towers. Nimin turned his attention to Kerri. "You should get out of here."

She shook her head. "I can help fight, whatever is coming I've faced worse."

"This might be less about fighting and more about distracting." Maron commented. Around them Elaine, Xayoe, and Koe had taken charge on directing people into the palace. None of them were in view of the open main gates, but the sounds of fighting and yelling began to filter through. Shomma was handed to Elaine.

Kerri reached under her skirt and pulled out her dagger. "Give me a flame and I can put on a show. I'm not the same as back in Liratha, I don't need to be protected."

"You never needed to be." Maron smiled softly down at Kerri before his face stiffened into seriousness. "Do you prefer a rapier or a longsword?"

"Rapier,"

"Good." Maron reached out and took the dagger out of Kerri's hand. "Go get Mervyn's. He's lousy with swords." His eyes suddenly darted up to the rooftop, along with Kerri's. "We've got two above."

"Three," Kerri pointed up to a third skulking shadow. Close by, Koe had obviously seen the shadows as well. Reaching under their shirt, Koe pulled out a silver chain with a pendent of a silver bow. They said a word and the pendent swelled in size to form a longbow. As Koe went to nock an arrow, an arrow materialized into place.

The shouting from outside the main gates grew louder as four hulking figures ran into the courtyard. Four orcs wearing ratty hide armor and tattered clothing attacked the two closest Marblebrooke guards. A trio of green-skinned goblins scurried after in their wake.

The crowd of party-goers went into a frenzy as they tried to cram themselves up the marble staircase and into the palace. Xayoe stood at the foot of the stairs, and tried to direct them. Elaine covered the rear of the mob. A spectral mace hung in the air between her and the orcs.

"She sent orcs to kidnap you?" Nimin gritted out as he pulled his longsword. "They're more likely to kill you instead."

Maron nodded grimly. "We can discuss Rowan's hiring methods later. I'll distract them away from the crowd, you two get those weapons and back me up." He reached out and kissed Kerri's forehead. "We'll continue our talk later." She nodded, and he ran towards a large pine tree away from the crowd.

Nimin and Kerri struck out across the courtyard. The guards at the main gate put up a fight, but were ultimately taken down by the orc's axe strikes.

Above, the goblin shadows fired arrows down at the figures that fought back. Their aims weren't the best, but both Xayoe and Koe had tears in their clothing. The archers weren't a problem for long. Koe fired into the shadows and a moment later a small body tumbled off the roof. Their second arrow elicited a cry of pain from another assailant. The arrows stopped after that.

Just as she reached Mervyn, who was struggling along the edge of the mass of bodies up the staircase, Xayoe's voice rang in Kerri's head. 'What in the Seven Hell's is happening?'

'Maron's overzealous kidnapping, courtesy of Rowan.' Out loud Kerri heard Xayoe curse. She might be more on the fringes of Lirathan inner politics, but even Xayoe knew about Rowan. The older bard stepped away from the crowd and spent the next minute muttering and concentrating on a spell. At the end, a softly glowing ornate golden door materialized in the air in front of her. The door opened to a large foyer.

"Get inside!" Xayoe yelled out to the bottle-necked crowd. Some of them didn't question her and quickly scrambled inside the door, while others preferred the non-glowing door.

Kerri finally reached Prince Mervyn, and immediately reached down and tried to grab the rapier on his waist.

"What are you doing?" Mervyn cried, twisting his hips out of Kerri's grasp. Nimin simply barked a command at another guard who handed over a longsword without debate. The third Lirathan guard had rushed to support the ones at the main gate, but he now laid on the ground, headless.

"Hoping to put that sword of yours to actual use." Kerri gritted out, clamoring for his sword belt.

The eldest prince scoffed. "Is this really the best time for a proposition?"

Kerri paused and looked up at Mervyn. "I'm talking about the rapier, not your penis." She said coldly.

Mervyn gulped. "I knew that." The prince unsheathed his sword and handed it over.

Kerri took the sword and turned around. Maron was surrounded by two goblins and an orc. She could barely see him as he tried to use the tree branches as cover, but the orc's axe merely cut through them.

"Kerri, help Koe!" Elaine yelled from her left. The cleric stood halfway up the staircase, still covering the civilians. Her glowing mace played whack-a-mole with a goblin a few yards away. Following Elaine's outstretched finger, Kerri saw that Koe was surrounded by the remaining three orcs. Two of them were bloodied, but whether or not it was their own blood was hard to tell. Koe had an arrow in one hand and attempted to stab their way out of their predicament.

Kerri ran forward and shoved her way into the mass, forcing Koe behind her. "Hang on!" With a yelled incantation, Kerri let loose her spell. Everyone around her grunted as a thunderous force washed over them. The accompanying thunderclap rattled the palace windows. None of the orcs were swept off their feet but it was enough of a distraction for Koe and Kerri to get a few steps back from the gang.

They were barely out of the way before a glowing blue light skittered along the ground in front of them. Looking over their shoulder, they saw that the light emanated from a ring that Xayoe held out in front of her. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she traced a shape in the air. The blue line outlined a large square trapped all of the orcs and goblins within it, as well as Maron. Once the outline was completed, the whole area shimmered for a second before everything was thrown upwards. Tables, discarded trays, the lifeless bodies of the guards, and of course the attackers were thrown a hundred feet in the air. It was as if there was an invisible ceiling that no one could get traction on. The orcs yelled out in a rage, and tried to push themselves back down to the ground. Maron and one of the goblins around him had managed to entangle themselves in the pine tree, as both of them hung on for dear life.

"A little warning would have been nice." Koe stated as Xayoe jogged up to meet them. The ranger took the opportunity to take a few shots at the orcs, but found that their aim was gone the moment the arrows passed into the square. "What did you do?"

"Reversed the gravity" There was a large grin on Xayoe's face. "This is only the second time I've been able to get that spell off right. Last time my aim was off."

"How long does it last?" The words were barely out of Kerri's mouth before the spell broke and gravity returned to normal. The orcs fell back down, their bodies bouncing as they hit the hard stone. Maron tumbled heavily out of the tree, along with the goblin who quickly jumped up and scampered back up the tree and over the wall.

Kerri moved to run towards Maron, but Xayoe stopped her. "I'll check on Maron, I need you to go to the gates and assess the situation. Our people might be trapped in the fighting." Kerri desperately wanted to disobey Xayoe, but her Master's eyes held no room for disobedience. Reluctantly Kerri ran over to the main gate, rapier in hand. Nimin and Koe joined her. Xayoe rushed over to Maron's crumbled form.

The orcs that had made their way inside the main gate had barely been a fraction of the force that was still fighting outside. Even though the guards outnumbered them two to one, the orcs were winning.

Nimin nudged Kerri and pointed towards a row of lit torches along the wall above them. "You said something about a show?"

Kerri grinned. Koe led the way through a doorway and up a winding set of stairs to the top of the wall. From there they were about three stories above the ground. The guards at the top fired arrows down in the orc masses.

Xayoe's voice. 'I'm sorry.'

Kerri twisted around and looked over at the pine tree. Maron was sprawled out, Xayoe on her knees by his side. The two of them locked eyes, and Xayoe shook her head slowly. 'He's gone.' Xayoe's voice said softly in her mind.

It was like an iron ball had just been deposited into Kerri's stomach. Beside her, she heard Nimin call her name. She could feel the heat of the torch he held out towards her, but that was the only warmth she felt. A ringing filled her ears as her eyes focused on the still body of Maron. From here she didn't have a good look at his face, but she could imagine it. It was as if she was collapsing in on herself.

Suddenly her face was jerked upward. Koe's eyes were steel as they bored into hers. "Not yet." They annunciated the words slowly. "Focus on the task at hand. Channel your feelings towards the orcs. The orcs are to blame, so make them pay."

Make them pay. Those words resonated within her. That steel ball in her stomach lifted up, bringing her up instead of down. Nimin passed her two torches, then turned and joined in the fighting.

Kerri turned her attention to the crowd below her. She needed somewhere to throw the flame as a target for the spell she had in mind. She spotted a training dummy that miraculously still stood amidst the fighting.

Kerri pointed out with one of the torches. "Koe, can you light that dummy on fire?" The ranger didn't answer. They tore a strip from the bottom of their skirt and wrapped it around their arrowhead. Koe pulled a small bottle out of a pouch on their belt, they dribbled oil over the tip.

"Let's do this quickly." Koe nocked the arrow. "You light it, and I'll fire. The fire won't last long on this."

"Fire true, fire long, fire hot, and fire soon!" Kerri sung as she touched the torch to the arrow's tip. As soon as the fire leaped over, Koe released the arrow. For a moment it looked as if the arrow was going to overshoot the dummy, but it dipped and landed with a thud in the upper chest. It didn't light up.

"Let's try again." Kerri reached to tear her skirt this time, but Koe stopped her.

"No time." Koe grabbed the torch out of her hand. Down the line, the guards had abandoned their arrows as they tried to dislodge the grappling hooks thrown by the enemies. Koe quickly rappelled down the attached ropes, to the battlefield. As soon as their feet hit the ground, they ran towards the dummy. They barely made it ten feet before an orc got a passing blow off them and sent them careening into the ground.

Kerri leaned over the side and tried to get a better view of Koe's downed form. The torch was still lying lit on the ground. With a magic word and a few quick hand motions, Kerri cast her spell. The fire seemed to curl in on itself as it was extinguished, but no smoke rose out. Barely half a second passed by before the fire roared back to life with loud piercing popping sounds. Bursts of color jetted out and bathed a ten-foot area around the torch in a rainbow of bright fireworks. Only a few of the guards and orcs managed to avert their gaze in time. For a few moments of the aftermath, blinded combatants swung at whoever happened to be in front of them.

Kerri scrambled along the wall, towards a thick clump of orcs below. This time she didn't even bother trying to light anything on fire. With a grunt she chucked the torch out towards them. While still in the air, she cast her spell again. The same light show exploded out as it fell onto the angry mass.

Orcs might not be the brightest race, but even they can realize that pretty colors and loud bangs usually means magic. The mob started to beat a hasty retreat, their goblin compatriots disappearing into the shadows around them. The orcs ran into town, chased after by the town guard. Koe stayed back, and fired into the hurtling mob until they were out of sight.

Kerri watched the orcs run. She was afraid to turn around. She didn't want to see that scene by the tree. Not again.

Nimin ran over, a small trickle of blood on his cheek. "Are you coming down?"

"Not yet," Kerri could feel the lead ball sinking back down. "I can't see him like that."

His face twisted in confusion. "See who?"

"Maron, by the tree." Her voice was low. She heard Nimin move around.

"Kerri, there's no one by the tree."

Her head jerked up, and she turned on her heel so quickly that she almost fell. The area around the tree was deserted. Kerri ran back down into the courtyard. She couldn't see Maron, Xayoe, Mervyn, or any Lirathan besides herself and Nimin.

She took off towards the palace, running up the marble staircase. She didn't notice Carric on the landing as she rushed past. Inside she pushed past the dozens of party-goers that had jammed themselves into the foyer. Immediately questions were shouted at her, asking if the orcs were gone, were the guards there yet, was it safe to leave? Kerri ignored all of them as she headed for the room that Xayoe had pulled her into before. She burst into the room in time to see Elaine administer Last Rites on Maron's body.

Maron was laid on the couch, still and pale. Mervyn sat on the coffee table, his head buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Xayoe stood to the side, she was the first one to reach Kerri.

"Kerri, I'm so sorry. By the time I reached him he'd already succumbed to his injuries." Xayoe's makeup was stained with tear tracks. As she spoke, a new batch welled up in her eyes.

"Let me see him." Kerri's voice cracked.

"After Elaine is finished with the Rites. Come with me." With more strength than Kerri thought she had, Xayoe pulled her out of the room. The duo didn't travel far, just across the hall to another room. This one obviously didn't see use as the few pieces of furniture were all covered in thick white cloths. As they entered, the light above them flared to flickering life.

Kerri walked over to the cloth-covered couch and collapsed down on it heavily. The lead ball was weighing down on her, and all she wanted to do was to curl up around it and disappear.

For a few moments tonight, she thought she'd found a way back to Maron. Ever since she'd landed on the shores of Marblebrooke, she'd told herself that it was actually better she'd been exiled. She'd been about to break up with Maron. Hell, she'd made a literal deal with the devil for the chance to be with him. Even she, the romantic, could see that that wasn't a healthy or rational decision. No, it was better to be without Maron, and instead focus her energies on getting this mark off her body.

Then, she'd danced with him. She'd literally fallen back into the same routine with him, and it had felt so right. After all those months, the camaraderie, the playfulness, the feeling of being safe was there. They had their long overdue, real talk about their issues. He'd laid out all his cards on the table, cards he'd been keeping close to the chest for far too long. Suddenly, the last six or so months of their relationship took on a whole new meaning. It was like the right lens had finally been put over her eyes and everything made sense. They were so close, so close to finally getting back to how they were. So close, and yet once again another obstacle had come up in their path. This time, the obstacle was a lot more permanent than a simple exile.

She was so numb, that she didn't even notice the few tears that trickled down her face. Slowly, she realized that Xayoe was talking to her.

"—anytime Rowan is involved you always have to have a plan B. I don't see how she expected orcs and goblins to be able to kidnap a prince, and you can bet that she's going to hear from me. I mean, seriously, sending bloodthirsty orcs and incompetent goblins for a simple kidnapping job?" Xayoe sighed heavily, her arms crossed. "Thank goodness Prince Mervyn doesn't seem to be pressing the issue. It's been a while since I've had to break out the whole 'fake death' spell, but it seems to have done the job. I do feel bad for having dragged Elaine into this, but I figured having her perform Last Rites would really sell it." The mentor reached up in a stretch. "I'm just glad I still remembered all the words to it, otherwise Maron would be actually dead."

It took a moment for the words to register. Kerri blinked, then looked dumbfounded up at Xayoe. "What do you mean, 'fake death'?"

Xayoe grinned. "I figured Maron would be able to disappear more easily if people thought him dead and not just kidnapped."

"So…Maron's not dead?"

Xayoe tapped her chin as she plopped down on the couch next to Kerri. "Technically no. He'll just seem like it for another half hour or so. I'll probably do another casting or two of it on him. Now we need to find a way for his body to disappear."

The lead ball in her stomach did a flip. The adrenaline of the night began to wear off, and she could feel a heavy cloud descend not only over her body, but her mind as well. She wearily got to her feet and glared at her mentor. "Why did you tell me he was dead?" Kerri felt her knees begin to shake as relief, exhilaration, joy, betrayal, confusion, and a few other emotions began to sweep over her.

"I needed you to sell it." Xayoe said matter-of-factly. "Though, to be honest, your reaction wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I had been hoping that you'd climb down and then sob over Maron's lifeless body. Koe redirecting you like that was unplanned."

"You used me." Kerri didn't even try to hide the hurt in her voice.

"Yes I did, and I'd do it all over again." Xayoe stood up. "I had a story I needed to tell. A production in which I casted you in a certain role. We are bards Kerri. We don't wait for the stories to find us, we find them, and when the need arises, we create them. If we need to manipulate and obscure certain facts to fit our truth, then we do it." The Master bard crossed the room to the door. "I'll tell people you've collapsed from grief and that you're not to be disturbed. No doubt Elaine will disobey that and come check on you. I suggest you fix your face, you're supposed to be in mourning." She left.

As soon as the door closed, it was as if the air had left with her. Kerri's lungs restricted as it became harder to breath. She clutched at her chest, her head began to spin.

How many times would she be someone's puppet? Was there a sign on her back that read 'Dummy here, use me'? She had to get out of that room.

Wrenching open the door, she ran down the hall. The throng of people was still thick, but now some new guards were mingled in with them. The doors were open. She pushed past the people in her way. She might have yelled at them, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she needed to get outside. She was vaguely aware of someone stepping on the hem of her dress and the sound of tearing.

After what seemed like an eternity, she broke free. The lead ball seemed to have grown, filling her entire body. Her body was heavy as she stumbled towards the stairs. She didn't remember blacking out.