Jayden sat and rested Elizah’s head on his lap since she was still unconscious. She hadn’t woken up since the guard had brought her into the cell, but fortunately, she had a steady pulse. But since last night, she had suddenly started burning with a high fever, and Jayden was beginning to worry.

Knowing Elizah’s healing capacity, he knew that doubting her ability to heal herself was a mistake. Still, there was also the possibility that the wound was infected, which was something Elizah couldn’t heal while unconscious.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching the cell through the corridor. Jayden illuminated his palm slightly to let himself see his visitor. If it was Noxaura, Jayden was ready to strike her in the face, but he waited for if it was someone else.

“Well, you seem on the defensive,” a calm and relaxed voice was heard, and Jayden was mildly surprised to see Jade standing there with a slight smile.

“I’m sorry,” Jayden said, and he lowered his blade of flame and rested Elizah’s head on a lump of cloth he’d made with the shawl wrapped around her earlier.

“I assume that the two of you are in a dire situation right now, with the verdict looming over your heads,” Jade said as Jayden stood up and his muscles cried out in pain. He hadn’t eaten much over the last few days since the trial, and thus weakness was evident.

“The verdict is probably the last of my concerns at the present. I’m more worried about Elizah. She’s running a fever and she’s still unconscious since the trial,” Jayden said as he lay his hand on Elizah’s forehead before sitting back down. He had no strength to stand and knew he’d fall if he did try to stand up.

“I might have some salve or something to bring down the temperature. Like my little gift from yesterday,” Jade said with a small smile, and she dug into her satchel to remove a small bottle of liquid which seemed infused with magic.

“Elizah had made this back during her first few weeks training. I kept it since it’s a reserve of magic which will keep it safe for consumption for a long time. It’s a basic potion, but certainly has strong enough infusions to wake her up once again,” Jade said as she slipped the bottle into Jayden’s hands.

Jayden was curious about how no guards were roaming around them, and he gave a questioning look in Jade’s direction.

“Where are all the guards?” He asked, and Jade smiled warily.

“A little bit of my magic can control people and their thoughts, but certainly not for too long,” Jade answered, and she took something else out of her satchel.

“I need you to have this,” she handed him a small triangular amulet. It was completely black with inscriptions in the white text of various scripts.

“What is it?” Jayden asked, and he played with it gently for a moment.

“It’s something to keep you from danger, but there’s more to it than the two of you know. If you need an escape or a way to escape in a dire situation, just release a small amount of your magic into the amulet. The result will be favourable,” Jade said, and she tied it around Jayden’s neck.

“What do you mean? Now is not the time to be cryptic,” Jayden said in mild frustration, and a spark of flame ignited from his palm.

“I will explain later. You need to rest, your highness, and you need to tame your emotions. Otherwise, you will be in grave danger, young prince,” Jade only said before she strolled out through the corridors, and Jayden slumped back down and muttered to the spirits.

Only you can protect us now.

Noxaura stood in her chambers as she watched the young fighters practising on the grounds. She waited until Cyprian left the grounds and again turned to her dressing mirror.

She was tired of her charade as the weak queen. She wished that her comrade didn’t underestimate her so much. There was so much she could do, but there were no openings given to her.

It serves you right for messing with that jerk, Liran. She heard her thoughts echo her comrade’s words and swore under her breath.

Today, I’ll show them my true capability, Noxaura thought to herself, and the doors opened slightly. She went into her charade of Cyprian’s little doll.

“You’re quite the actress, I must say,” she heard a voice that was undoubtedly not Cyprian’s coming from the door and the door shut.

“What are you doing here again?” Noxaura asked in clear annoyance.

“We didn’t finish our last conversation and besides, you overstepped your boundaries again,” her comrade said with an icy glare.

“She’s being a nuisance to my plans,” Noxaura answered with a roll of her eyes.

“So you think it’ll be easier for you to automatically grow powerful if you kill her?” Her comrade was still calm, but her voice began to rise.

“I taught them a lesson. Just like your own lessons,” Noxaura said, and she stared venomously at her comrade.

“So you assume that you’re the authority now, since you have power over Cyprian?”

“I hold the king and the queen’s powers of Zameronia. What else is more powerful?”

“You’re forgetting your true loyalties.”

“You’re not my boss in any way.”

“Excuse me?” Her comrade said in pure outrage, “Look me in the eye and tell me that you owe me nothing.”

Her comrade was certainly furious, and Noxaura was starting to worry.

“I—I- -,” Noxaura tried to say, but no words came to her tongue.

“I brought you out of your home. I let you find a royal life and this is how you insult me?” Her comrade said with a menacing tone.

“I’m sorry,” Noxaura said, but she didn’t mean it in the slightest.

“This is how royalty treats others. Well, nothing surprising. But you do need to learn your lesson,” with that, her comrade opened the door to reveal Cyprian Larkspear.

The comrade just touched Cyprian’s wrist slightly and closed their eyes before they strolled out of the room with a slight smirk on their face.

“I’ll take all your power from you Noxaura, and then you’ll see how powerful you are.”

“Leave the kingdom as soon as possible, unless you don’t care about your life,” a cloaked person had walked up to the queen’s chambermaid early the following day.

“Wh-why?” The maid stuttered as she shook in fear, “the lady will hurt me if I miss even a day of work.”

She has no respect for her servants as well. No surprise. The cloaked figure thought to themselves.

“You’re in danger. I promise the lady will not hurt you if you leave,” they used the most soothing tones to calm the frantic woman.

“Bu- - but- - does the lady know?” The woman asked softly, and the cloaked figure smiled gently.

“Yes, she knows. I’m giving you a direct order from her highness herself,” the cloaked figure slowly slipped a small liquid bottle into the water used to mop the floor.

“Thank you for the warning,” the plump handmaiden said, and she hurried back to her work.

The cloaked figure only smiled as they were lost in bewilderment at the loyalty and fear instilled in the minds of the kingdom’s people.