She knew Zaydan desperately wanted to persuade her from going to the capital. She could practically see the objections on the tip of his tongue but she appreciated that he held his voice and didn't openly try and dissuade her.

It wasn't that she wanted to go, after all.

Marie-Fey didn't want to face her husband like this. She had never met him and this was not how she wanted her first meeting to be. She would rather go back to pretending she didn't know anything beyond the petty squabbles of the palace. She didn't want to put her life on the line for this venture when she could just as easily go home and never return.

But what would that mean?

Would her husband drag her back, as Zaydan predicted?

Or would he kill other women like Ubah?

Was this golden cage nothing more than an opulent hunting ground? No one would know, outsiders weren't welcome here. The women of the palace belonged to one man and no one could do anything about it.

Technically, not even she should be able to do anything about it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

Because now that she knew, she would not be complicit in the deaths that could occur in the future. She had seen too much death in too short a time. She had been responsible for too many deaths. She would not be responsible for anymore.

So, it took three days, but Marie-Fey rushed the preparation along and her caravan was finally ready to depart for a second attempt to the palace. She had hand-picked her new guard and, though she was sure her assassination attempts had died with Nabeela, she had them all separated from any outside influence until it was time to depart.

It didn't change the fact that, when the day came to leave, she felt like she would be sick when she woke that morning, so early dawn was barely arriving.

"It's alright," she muttered to herself as she pulled on her silk dressing gown and stepped into her slippers. "It will be alright. Everything will be fine. Zaydan is travelling with you. You chose the men who will defend you. The soldiers come from Zaydan's unit, there is no influence from the palace. You will be fine."

As she spoke, she made her way through the empty halls of her palace, listening to the silence.

Despite waking so early for a general day, they would still leave early. Her staff would soon begin to rouse to make the final preparations.

Maanah had woken the day before and had asked to see her but she hadn't had the time. It was strange to be travelling without one of her ladies, like she was missing a shield, but she wasn't moving Maanah anywhere until she knew she was completely healed, and she didn't trust Maanah's care to anyone as attentive as Gharam. Not only that, but Azeeza wasn't awake yet and, though the child was still alive, Marie-Fey wanted someone she could trust watching over her. So, Marie-Fey would have to do this trip alone.

She hoped, as she made her way to Maanah's room, that she didn't wake her though. She would likely have to leave without saying goodbye. Gharam would see her off but she didn't want to disturb Maanah.

The folded sheet of paper she held in her hand rustled as she switched it to her other hand and reached for the door handle. She had written the letter the night before, outlining her apology for suspecting Maanah of any ill-will. She had never truly believed that Maanah would harm her, but at the same time, she had questioned it and that warranted an apology. Whatever secrets they hid from her, at the end of it all, it was Maanah and Gharam that she would always trust when all was said and done.

She silently pushed the door open, absently noting Gharam's soft voice which meant they were both awake, then looked up and froze.

Both her ladies were awake and, in the split second before they pulled apart to gape at her, she saw Maanah sat up in bed, Gharam perched lightly on her lap, her arms around Maanah's neck, Maanah's arms around Gharam's waist, with their lips gently touching in a kiss that told it was just one in a thousand. One of hello, one of reassurance, one of honesty and history.

And then Gharam wrenched away from Maanah – whose horrified expression crumbled into one of pain as the movement jarred her wounds – and both of them just stared at Marie-Fey as Marie-Fey gaped back at them.

But she wasn't really seeing them.

In her mind she was seeing that kiss.

Over and over again, before they pulled apart.

The way they sat. The way they held each other.

This wasn't someone in a moment's passion. This was a long-term affection that they had hid from her, despite being right under her nose!

"My Lady," Gharam choked out; the terror in her voice that shook her entire body brought Marie-Fey back with a glare so vicious it sent them both recoiling, Gharam falling off Maanah's lap and Maanah flinging her arm out in front of Gharam as if to protect her from Marie-Fey's strike.

"Get off her, she's still injured," Marie-Fey snapped and Gharam tumbled off the bed, falling into the chair Marie-Fey pointed at and staring up at her as her skin turned ashen, eyes shining. "I swear," Marie-Fey muttered, yanking another chair over and sitting down, glaring at Maanah.

Maanah looked back at her and, unlike Gharam, there was a brutal defiance in her brilliant eyes. She was going to fight Marie-Fey on this, she was getting ready to preserve her life and relationship and if Marie-Fey stood in her way, Marie-Fey would finally find herself with the enemy everyone had warned her about.

"Is this it?" Marie-Fey asked and Maanah blinked. "Is this the secret that you would kill for. The one that would be discovered, and you had to decide how far you would be willing to go to protect it."

She looked at Gharam who was watching her like she was deciding whether to accept her fate or attempt to run.

"You both lied to me. You hid this from me, at the risk of forcing me to choose whether I could trust you or not."

"Well what were we supposed to do?" Maanah snarled and Gharam's hand shot out to grip her shin through the sheets, panic in her eyes but Maanah ignored her. "Just tell you about this? About us? Do you not realise how volatile you are? I have worked beside you for over two years now, with you almost every day, and even I cannot always guess how you'll react to things. Everything depends on your mood! Do you honestly think I would share something like this with you? Something that should have us sentenced to death! No! Never! I don't trust you enough."

Marie-Fey stared at her for a moment, then took a breath and stood up. "I see," she muttered with a nod, "Fair enough, that makes sense."

She handed the folded letter to Gharam, who took it automatically, and turned away. Maanah's hand lashed out and grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip, making Marie-Fey glower at her.

"That's it?" Maanah spat, "That's all you have to say?"

"What exactly do you want me to say?" Marie-Fey asked, her voice hard and cold.

"Are you going to have us sentenced to death?" Maanah shouted, her voice so raw Marie-Fey got a look behind the rage to core-deep terror inside her as she tried to stay strong enough to defend herself and Gharam.

Marie-Fey just raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

Both her ladies looked at her, startled and Marie-Fey twisted her wrist free.

"I see you really do not know me," Marie-Fey said, folding her hands neatly at her waist. "Fine, maybe this partnership has run its course."

Maanah and Gharam stared at her.

"I have no interest in sending you to your death for something like this. Honestly, I don't care. What I take offence to is you not trusting me. I don't blame you for hiding this, why would I? I know as well as you do that such a relationship spells the end of your life if revealed. It's not me who would ever betray you however."

Maanah opened her mouth and Gharam squeezed her leg again, harder, to silence her as she watched Marie-Fey who looked at the floor for a moment, before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that you can't trust me," she said finally, "You don't owe me any explanation and it's not my right to be told anything you don't wish to tell me. You, both of you, have always offered me unquestionable loyalty while you work and that is all that is required of you. In return, I would not use your secrets against you, this relationship is your business and yours alone. I only came to say goodbye so continue to recover and I shall see you both when I return to discuss your new positions."

With that, she bowed her head to them and spun away, striding to the door.

"Wait."

She let out a sigh, her hand on the door handle as she turned back.

Maanah was glaring at the bedsheets, Gharam still watching her, silent as ever.

"What?" Marie-Fey asked. "I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you. Trust me or not, I'm will protect you and this secret."

"Why?" Maanah asked.

"Why what?"

"Why would you protect us? We're... I know we're... that we're..."

"Wrong?" Marie-Fey provided coolly and Maanah's glare shattered into heartbroken pain. "Different? Unnatural? Sinful? Broken? Disgusting?"

Maanah closed her eyes while Gharam watched Marie-Fey with an unreadable, calm expression.

"Yes," Maanah whispered and Marie-Fey laughed.

"You know, if we had met seven years ago, maybe I would have believed those things, because society told me so and do we not believe what those around us believe in? However, you met me two years ago and I happen to know better."

Maanah looked up, startled. Marie-Fey looked at her hand, still resting on the door handle, drawing in and releasing a soft breath.

"I know better," she muttered, "I know that you are not wrong, different, unnatural, sinful, broken or disgusting. If you believe that about yourself, then you do not know yourself as well as I know you. Yes, you must continue to keep this a secret because the world we live in is cruel. But I am not and never will be your enemy, and I will protect you for as long as I am able."

"Where does your blind faith come from?"

Marie-Fey looked back at them to see Maanah had directed that question to Gharam. Gharam just smiled gently at her.

"Because I know her better than you do," she said simply, and Maanah blinked. "You deemed her a threat from the second you knew we would be serving the new mistress. I waited and watched and decided that she might be volatile and vicious, but once you earned her loyalty, Marie-Fey would protect you." She looked at Marie-Fey and smiled again. "I have told you before that I believe you wonderful and it is not simply because you are incredibly intelligent or stunning beautiful, or graceful or untouchable or impossibly unshakeable. It is because, at the end of everything, I can trust you to see me for who I am, judge accordingly, and never let me down."

Both Marie-Fey and Maanah stared at her and Gharam just smiled at them both then shrugged.

"Maanah," she said gently, "The fortune teller said that your secret would come out to the person you wanted to hide it from most and you had to decide what lengths you would be willing to go to protect your secret."

Marie-Fey stared at her, then looked at Maanah, who looked at Marie-Fey in return. They were quiet for a moment, then Marie-Fey let out a slight laugh.

"I guess this is the defining moment, Maanah. Do you trust me?" she asked, folding her arms.

Maanah looked at her, then looked at Gharam, then looked away. As she fought with herself, Gharam unfolded the letter Marie-Fey had handed her and scanned it. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Marie-Fey who just shrugged nonchalantly. Gharam held the letter out to Maanah, who read it automatically, then blinked and read it again. She looked at Marie-Fey and Marie-Fey straightened.

"Regardless of what you decide," she said with a cold smile, "With this, I know every noteworthy secret in the palace, and I know what is on the line and what I need to protect. So, you decide whether you trust me or not, I'm going to make my final preparations."

"I don't want it to change," Maanah muttered.

"What to change?"

"I still want to me your lady-in-waiting. I can never decide where I want to stand with you, how much I'm willing to let myself trust you." Maanah looked up, eyes wide. "Because I want to trust you with everything. I have been your right hand since you first arrived. I stood by you from the beginning. I want you to succeed and be part of your success. I... I have been loyal to you despite my fear of you because... I suppose I really don't know you. But, I don't want to lose you..."

Marie-Fey looked at her for a long, strained moment, then walked away from the door and retook her seat.

"Well I don't want to lose your either," she said bluntly and tears suddenly bloomed in Maanah's eyes.

Marie-Fey sighed. "Maanah," she started, when Gharam suddenly stood up, reached for both of them and pulled them into an awkward embrace, laughing quietly to herself and Maanah started to cry into her shoulder. "Alright, thank you, that's quite enough of that!" Marie-Fey snapped, wriggling to try and escape the embrace but Maanah's hand closed on her wrist, desperately holding on until Marie-Fey stopped attempting to escape and waited until Maanah had cried her fill.

When she was finally done, Gharam released them both and Marie-Fey pulled free, smoothing her hair and unruffling her feathers.

"You two make things much harder for yourself by refusing to simply talk," Gharam said.

"This concerns your life as well, you realise?" Maanah said, glaring and Gharam waved her off.

"I told you, I have faith in her," Gharam said, "I knew my life was never in danger from her."

Maanah narrowed her eyes, then looked at Marie-Fey. "Why are you so accepting?"

Marie-Fey glanced at her, then glanced away before shrugging. "Not my secret to tell," she said simply, before standing up. "Now, this has been quite an eventful morning and I still have a long day ahead of me. Don't you dare hide anything from me again or see that I don't execute you just because of my foul mood."

"Wait," Maanah said, catching her hand. "What did you mean before? You came to say goodbye?"

Marie-Fey frowned at her, then looked at Gharam.

"I haven't told her, she was barely awake properly yesterday and she would only worry," Gharam said.

"Worry about what?" Maanah asked.

"I'm setting out again today, for the capital. I'm determined to get there this time," Marie-Fey said and Maanah looked even more horrified than when she had first walked in.

"You're trying again?" Maanah cried, reaching for her quilts and throwing them back, stumbling out of bed and almost falling over, Marie-Fey catching her and almost falling over herself under the weight, Gharam catching her to help as they eased her back onto the bed, even as Maanah clung to Marie-Fey. "You can't!" she cried as Marie-Fey tried to detach herself. "You mustn't! Are you going alone? You can't! What if you're attacked again? How many lucky escapes do you think you have in your arsenal? Gharam, I need a change of clothes. Quickly, help me pack. I'm going with you."

"Absolutely not," Marie-Fey said, frowning at her, still holding her down as she tried to wrestle her way off the bed. "You are still injured and I'm not going alone. I have chosen my new guard, all the escort come from Zaydan's men and Zaydan himself is coming with me. I have weapons packed alongside extra personal rations. I am far from at risk. Not to mention my attempted assassin is already dead. Maanah, stay still!"

Maanah looked at her, startled. "Already dead?"

"Gharam will explain it all to you. It's... a decidedly long story and I need to leave soon."

"But why? Why do you have to go? Why can't you just stay here and forget about the capital. If your assassin is dead, what's left? What's your plan?"

"I have no idea yet," Marie-Fey said, her gaze dropping to the floor, eyes closing as she took a moment to control her memories, keeping her mind blank rather than reliving those moments below the palace in the hall she would never tell her ladies about.

They had survived this long, she had to make sure they survived until their end of days, but she couldn't tell them. Not yet. One day, she would return their secrets with her own, but not yet. Not until she had some understanding of what was happening in the mad world she lived in and what the chances of surviving it were.

That final thought sent a chill up her spine and she shot to her foot, startling her ladies.

"I will return in a few weeks, I doubt I shall wish to stay long," she said curtly, sweeping away from the bed before Maanah could catch her hand. "Gharam, look after her, I want her ready for duty by the time I return. Maanah, focus all your energy into getting better. I did not drag you halfway across a desert just to see you leave yourself with lasting issues." She turned when she reached the door and pointed a threatening finger at them. "If my ladies are anything less than perfect when I return, I shall not be happy," she warned and Gharam just smiled at her while Maanah hid a roll of the eye.

"I shall come see you off before you leave," Gharam promised.

"Just be careful," Maanah muttered, looking away. "I... it would kill me to lose you."

Marie-Fey snorted before spinning away and pulling the door open, sweeping out and gently closing it behind her.

"You really do just keep on surprising people."

She almost screamed as she whirled around to see Zaydan leaning against the wall, arms folded.

She stared at him for a moment, jarred by him being in her palace so early, before her eyes widened.

"Were you listening? How much did you hear?" she hissed, blocking the door.

Zaydan glanced at her, then shot her a wicked smirk. "About those two? I knew about them a long time ago. I watch more than people think I do," he said coolly, pushing away from the wall and stepping up to her.

"I swear, if you do anything to hurt them—" Marie-Fey started but Zaydan just innocently held up his hands in surrender.

"If I had wanted to destroy them, I would have done so years ago. They have been together since day one and I noticed when they shifted from best friends to something more. I could have ruined them a long time ago. But I didn't. and I won't. But my question is, why won't you?"

Marie-Fey narrowed her eyes at him.

"You don't even seem surprised by something so shameless."

"It's not shameless," Marie-Fey snapped out at him. "And... I have had time to come to terms with the idea that some people do not love those of the opposite gender, and it does not make them anything less."

"Come to term with the idea?" Zaydan copied, considering that. "How do you mean? Are you like them?"

"No, I am only interested in men," Marie-Fey said, "I just mean that they are not the first I've met. The only difference is they're women."

Zaydan looked blankly at her for a moment, then his eyes widened, and a wicked grin flooded his face as he suddenly let out a laugh, clapping his hands.

"HAH! Beldon, I knew there was something about you," he cheered as he shoved away from the wall and started walking down the hall, still laughing.

Marie-Fey gaped after him, before rushing to keep up.