The girls led with expertise spawned mostly from Lucy's end. It was as if they had the entire castle mapped out in their heads, and it was something Tya was still curious about, because they had said they’d only been told to escape. They had no map on them, but knew it well. Had they lived in the castle before, or did they perhaps have memories as good as Holly’s abilities? She hadn’t a clue, but on the way up, at some point, she realized such thoughts were going much more in detail than what was necessary at that particular point.

There were many other questions far more significant than those that she wanted answers to. Their silent journey had taken them up to the second floor of the castle, what appeared to be mostly bedchambers through the few doors that still lie open for her to see in. This floor seemed to be one of the few spots that Venat's light was allowed in, and that was still to a lesser extent. There was an open archway on one end of the stairwell that allowed her to meander through, yet she couldn't reach far in, and what she could warm the halls with, wasn't any of her direct rays.

The corridors were wide and spacious, kept minimally clean as some things now had a film of dust. The walls were covered in decor from paintings of the former queens that had reigned, to floral still-lifes. At the end of every hall was a floor to ceiling window, or at least so she assumed. Thick red curtains hung, tinted by Venat as she burned at the other side.

The long gold trimmed red rug that lay over the stone, fit to the halls, silenced their steps as they made their way past a room Tya had guessed was the High Queen’s quarters. The doors alone were enough to make it stand out among the rest of the chambers, standing tall, pointed, with gold etched both into the intricacies of its swirled decor and its frame. Draperies were tied back on either side, and along the curves of the doors’ upper frame were rows of unlit candles.

Lucy grabbed hold of Tya’s skirt as she had slowed to admire the brush strokes of one of many portraits. The intention was to tug her along, though with contact made, Tya flinched. Just before she could ease, she was made to do so again by a suit of ornamental armor.

A silent snicker left the little girl, her free hand pointing outward so she could assure Tya through bringing attention to the numerous like stands that symmetrically lined the halls. With this realization came the one that Holly had also moved far ahead of them both.

The impatient girl had fingers tapping against her thigh as her eyes darted back toward the window behind her, then to the hallway they’d covered; the one Tya and Lucy still hung back in. She waited in front of a door that lay slightly ajar, one hand set on the knob while the other rose and hurried to motion them to her.

With Lucy’s incessant tugging, Tya could do little more than follow, and as they neared, Holly gave the thick wood a shove.

The hinges creaked as the door fell open. The sound alerted the room’s lone inhabitant that someone was approaching, causing her to sniffle as she straightened in an attempt to harden herself. Whatever she had expected, it certainly didn’t seem to be the three of them.

Immediately, Lillia’s shoulders loosened, a breath of relief leaving her as she pulled to her feet. Without a word, she shuffled toward them, stifling the click of her heels by putting pressure on her toes. She pushed the door fully closed, turning the knob to avoid the click of that too.

Her needless precautions taken, she found the comfort to speak, though still quietly. “You found your way up,” she said. “I was worried my instructions would be forgotten, or simply not enough, or that something would go wrong. I suppose… Something did, but nothing that affected the lot of you.” The ending of her sentence began to trail, fading as her glossy green gaze fell distant on the opposite end of the room. A gaze which Tya followed, only to narrow her eyes as she tried to find what exactly had gone wrong with the far wall.

Holly’s head cocked to the side. “Something went wrong?”

Lillia opened her mouth with intent to answer, but her words were taken by a breath as she looked at Tya. At first, the elemental hadn’t noticed, still searching the array of artistic decor for something out of place. As it occurred to her though that Lillia was addressing something that she couldn’t currently lay her sight on, she moved to disengage from her search only to be met with the sympathetic stare of the Princess.

Meeting Tya’s gaze directly seemed impossible for Lillia, as she immediately let her own fall to the ground, head bowed with shame while a dull fang pressed into her bottom lip. “I… Am sorry you were dragged into this.” She said softly. “I know you wanted your peace.”

Odd. A brow arched as Tya examined the shame-ridden posture exhibited. She resembled that of a scolded puppy, leading Tya to wonder if perhaps the girls were telling the truth, and she had been wrong about the entire situation. That, or perhaps Lillia was just a good actress.

Regardless, the Princess was given no response. Tya could either say it was fine, which it was not; or say it wasn’t fine, which she understood may be too aggressive. She may have lacked tact, but she knew some things were better left untouched if she wished to sate curiosity.

The conversation momentarily stalled as Holly circled both Tya and her sister to get back to the door. She pulled it open only for a moment so she could peer out and see if anyone was approaching. Seemingly satisfied with the answer, she closed it back, and Tya guessed that meant no one had caught on to their escape or presence on the second tier of the castle.

Holly settled then, crossing her thin arms over her chest. “So what happened?” She asked.

Lillia moved a hand up, gently wiping tears off her cheeks and giving a forced smile. “Oh, it’s… Just a small price. The diversion didn’t quite go as planned.”

“You were caught?” Holly’s reaction was immediate and filled with concern.

“No, no. She simply thinks I’m a fool—I-I’m in no danger.” Lillia assured them, hands held at her front in surrender. She moved to take a seat in front of a vanity some ways to the right of the door. Holly and Lucy both followed, the smaller doing so with an excited gallop. Lillia cleared her throat, turning on the bench to face Tya once more. “Judging by our previous meeting, I know you are a very curious woman. I will guess you have questions? We haven’t much time, but I have enough that I can clarify things for you.”

Tya gave a short nod at that, then paused to think of what exactly she should ask first. Many little questions lingered in her mind, but ultimately she decided on the umbrella question that would give more clarity in general as opposed to the fine detail: “What’s happening?”

Lillia nodded as if the question was much too obvious. It didn’t even need to be asked, she should have just gone on to answer. “You were captured by my mother’s guard. I believe you were due for execution as soon as possible, as were they.” Lillia motioned to Holly and Lucy.

Tya looked to the girl’s, raising an intrigued brow at that fact. They were children. Execution seemed extreme, but given Holly’s abilities, she wasn’t overly surprised. She’d need to inquire on that at some point.

“I was due for execution because I am a threat.” Tya stated, nodding slightly. “How did they find me?”

Lillia’s gaze fell to the floor then. “I am sorry to say that it was my fault. I did not know that… I had been followed when I myself was following you.”

A small hum left Tya; a mix between thought and surprise.“So you did not willingly give my position to them? I had thought you were having me ‘arrested for treason’.”

Lillia couldn’t help another twinge of shame toward her previous frustrated threat. “No, not at first.”

“At first?”

“Yes. I was told you’d been captured, and I assumed it must have been my fault.” She held her hands up, waving them slightly as if to dismiss that particular train of thought. “May I tell you from the beginning? I believe we have the time.”

Tya’s response was to nod, and Lillia took a short breath as she decided where to start.

“I returned home, and not long after, my own sources informed me that you were captured and brought to the dungeons. I had immediately begun to plan for your escape, and in doing so, I came across them.” Lillia motioned toward the sisters, “they’d already escaped their cell with ease, and were searching the pantry at the time. I had planned to help them get out quickly before lending aid to you, but when Holly moved to defend herself, it became entirely obvious how they were able to escape. I assume you saw the Logasihr?”

Tya had not heard that word before. Sihr was a word she knew well, it was a commonly used suffix, especially in the things she studied.

Evidently her confusion was obvious, as Lillia continued on to say “It’s the magic she uses; the metalworking ability. I thought you were well versed in sihr, I apologize.”

“I am well versed in my own, and that is in use, not so much in terms.” Tya said.

Lillia gave a forgiving smile, then began again. “She used the metalworking to escape easily, so I devised a plan that I thought would benefit the three of you. With the sihr—the magic, she could get you out as well as herself and her sister, all before execution. In response, I would give her a horse, food, and some dimes to survive off of for a while.”

“Why was that at all beneficial to you? And what of the lack of guards?”

“I… felt guilty. It was my fault you were captured, and even if you are unbelievably frustrating, I didn’t want you to be executed simply because I lack the ability to be stealthy. But the guards-- I was to distract them by playing dumb. I called them together to give them important information. As you escaped, I acted as if I hadn’t even known you’d been captured to begin with, and I informed them all that I knew of “the fire mage”’s residence, and that I had even gone out to check and be sure I was right.”

“So you informed them all of my home in order to cover your own tracks.” Her jaw clenched at this fact, though she understood why it was done. Lillia would risk being discovered as traitorous if she didn’t make up a good reason for being spotted near Tya’s home. However, Tya couldn’t help but think the matricidal brat shouldn’t have made this mess to begin with.

“Yes. It covered where I was, why I was there, hinted loyalty to our kind, and provided a good enough distraction that you had the time to escape.”

“And conveniently made me unable to return home so that I may help you in your mission?” Tya stated dully, her expression entirely unamused. Of course it was already known beforehand giving her escape, but it only backed the fact that her home was widely known enough by the enemy that there was no way to go back without dealing with the problem.

Lillia paused as her own eyes widened. It seemed she hadn’t quite thought about that part, though that realization didn’t come to Tya, not until it was blatantly stated.

“I hadn’t thought that all of them know of your home. That would likely be the first place they’d check after they noticed your escape… Oh, I’m so sorry, that wasn’t at all my intention.”

“Wait, so if the plan went that way, what exactly ‘went wrong’?” Holly held a hand up to Tya to signal for her to hold her tongue for a moment.

“O-Oh. When I informed them that I knew of the Fire Mage’s whereabouts, my mother was angry that her time was wasted with useless information, since the situation had already been dealt with. They were dismissed earlier than expected, but it seemed you all still had time to get out while they returned to their posts. I had expected her to be annoyed, but I'd never seen her quite as furious as she was then.”

Tya couldn't bring herself to care about whatever scolding had ensued for the distraction. Instead, her thoughts wandered to a very particular part of what Lillia had said. Twice, actually… Twice, she’d said ‘fire mage’.

Had she done such a good job on her appearance that one couldn’t even tell she wasn’t human?

Now wasn’t the time to be so pleased with herself.

All that was left over from her thoughts was a smirk she didn’t try to shake off as she asked “so why were we brought here, instead of just leaving?”

“Right,” Lillia pointed to her, standing from the bench and looking toward the wall again. This time, she did so with more purpose. “Each bedroom has an escape route to the stables and a separate to the outskirts of town, so that we may escape should someone lay siege to the castle. If you were able to get here, the rest of the way would be made easy by these tunnels, as you can get to the stables and make your way out of town from there.” As Lillia said this, she moved aside a floral tapestry that hung upon her grey stone walls. She pressed in one of the large bricks with a bit of a struggle that almost called the help of the two little girls. She only needed it to slide back a short way though, that way it may uncover a latch. She took hold of it with both hands, and used her weight to pull the door open just enough for the three of them to slip through.

Even with such a small crack, Tya was made to shiver at the puff of dusty wind the dark tunnel exhaled. There was a musty scent that she couldn’t detect but left the two children trying to wave it out of their faces.

“The way is a straight shot to the outskirts of town, but you intend on going to the stables. There is only one part in the path, so it shouldn’t be overly difficult to come across it, just do remember to take it when you get there. Everything is stashed just before the opening. Lucy should be able to tell whether anyone awaits you on the other side, but I do recommend preparing before you leave. You don’t want to waste more time than necessary” She looked from the tunnel to the girls, then up to Tya again.

For a moment she was quiet, teeth baring at the inside of her cheek. The question in her mind seemed one she was reluctant to ask, but she mustered the courage to do so regardless. “...So does this mean you will help us now?”

Faltering with displeasure, Tya said “I haven’t much choice, do I? If I return home, I’m only going to be captured and drug back here again.”

Lillia’s shoulders drooped, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry that I forced you, it truly wasn’t my intention.”

“Yes, just a happy coincidence, I’m sure.” Tya replied bitterly. While she was indeed angry about the chain of events, she couldn’t manage to be outright cruel, or even refuse the hand dealt at that point. Lillia had done her a favor and seemed to have genuinely meant to save her. Because of this, she was forced into a spot where she felt obligated to repay the woman anyway. That was only fair.

Lillia’s head fell to the side just a bit, her expression telling Tya that that wasn’t the case, nor was it necessary to be like that about it. But regardless of how Tya was acting, she was now stuck in that position, and as such, required direction. Lillia straightened, turning back and starting toward her vanity. She knelt, pulling open a small drawer that seemed to contain various hair accessories, surprisingly unorganized given the rest of the room.

Tya could only assume that they had people clean the outer things, but things Lillia kept were kept in disarray. Odd, to think a princess wouldn’t be proper and organized.

Regardless, she pulled out a few, giving access to the drawer’s bottom, where she pulled up a bit of wood and slipped out a piece of paper.

She folded it, then handed it over to Tya.

“I would like you to head to Cotéfaise. Do you know your way around Evoles enough to get there?”

Tya paused. She’d come from the town Erathae some time ago. Decades, actually. She couldn’t remember her way back, honestly, but she did know Erathae was on the complete opposite side of the continent from Cotéfaise. Their current position was in the capital city—also conveniently named Evoles. That rested in the lower, eastern half of the country.

“I know the general placement of the settlement, yes.” Tya responded finally. That answer wasn’t concrete enough for Lillia’s liking, leaving her to slide the drawer closed and make her way over to the desk on the opposite side of her bedroom. She sifted through the drawers of that hastily until she perked up and pulled out a worn piece of paper.

As she slid the drawers closed with her hip, she peeled open the paper just to check and be sure it was what she wanted. Then as she let it all fall back into its firmly set creases, she made her way to Tya and held it out. “A map of Evoles, it shows the main roads. It should get you to Cotéfaise, but when you get the chance I recommend finding something more detailed. Main roads will become dangerous for you rather quickly…” She trailed off, looking Tya over and pausing as she actually took in what the blonde was wearing.

Thick layers upon thick layers of dully colored, ragged fabric covered her entire body save for her head and finger tips, leaving Lillia to idly ask “…Do fire mages truly get cold easily? I thought that was a myth.”

“I don’t know.”

A confused gaze flicked up to meet Tya’s as her mouth fell open once more. Whatever question she had regarding that response, she ultimately abandoned with a shake of her head, and instead moved on to the more important matters. “I want you to go to Cotéfaise and speak with Skye Cailbane. He runs a little potion shop, herbs and the like, called Safílas Skye’s Apothecary. It shouldn’t be hard to find, I’m sure some of the locals may know about it if you ask them.” She motioned toward the tunnel.

Tya still had questions, and while she had half a mind to press the time and ask Lillia for all the answers to them, the girl’s took lead once again, and thus Tya was forced to follow.

A soft “be careful” was echoed a short distance through the tunnel just before Lillia began to cover her tracks and push closed the door again.

The darkness swallowed them as the bricks closed out Venat’s light. The chill of the air left the fire elemental disgruntled, and the blackness of the corridor prompted her to tuck the papers away in a layer of clothing so they wouldn’t burn up as she lit the way.