Aine, for a noble of war and battle, falls asleep far too quickly and easily for one staying in her enemy's encampment. An enemy who she has now enraged rather than manipulated to her liking. Her soft snores fill the tent as Braelyn watches over her carefully, those hazel eyes yet to reveal their true intentions.

King Min is seething with anger rather than cowering in fear as Aine had intended. Advisor Hwang eagerly feeds these flames, muttering the most inhumane and outlandish suggestions, hoping King Min will consider them reasonable in his state of fury. The Protectors of the Past rarely let their emotions overcome them, but when Aine's arrow almost carved another scar into his face, Min Yoongi could no longer remain stoic. As the red-haired girl sleeps soundly, the King of Vulstis plots to become the subject of all her nightmares.

"What if we chop off her father's head and stick it on a spire outside her quarters at Vulstis Keep so she can watch as it rots?" Advisor Hwang cackles, enjoying the thought a little too much.

"As grotesque as that is, I have a better idea." King Min interrupts his advisor's disturbing ideation for his stomach's sake.

"What do you suggest, Your Grace?" Sir Conall, Vulstis's Head of the Royal Guard, asks, side-eyeing the king's advisor.

"We act the fool. Make her think she has all the power. Act as though nothing is wrong, even though we are playing her. It starts here, with Coimeach Pass." King Min smirks, a cruel and brilliantly manipulative plan formulating in his mind.

Sir Conall is intrigued, leaning forward so that the flickering candlelight accentuates his high cheekbones and quirked eyebrow. Advisor Hwang remains silent, unreadable, and allows the rest of the conversation to pan out.

"The people did not ransack this stronghold beyond repair. Whilst that wretch sleeps, get your men to tidy up this place and keep the Fox of Vulstis flying over the castle. Once we ride through Skulk Square to Vulstis Keep, the people will want nothing but to see her dead. We will show her an act of mercy by telling them that she used her powers as the Goddess of the Land to restore Coimeach Pass. She will have no choice then but to play into our hands." King Min explains, and the further he delves into the plan, the more he morphs back into his stone-like self.

"Understood, Your Grace." Sir Conall bows, waves of chestnut brown hair cascading over the creases on his forehead before exiting to gather up his troops for the castle clean-up.

King Min turns to Advisor Hwang, observing the way his confidant's shaggy black hair casts even heavier shadows upon his already dark-circled eyes. "Oh, Mr Hwang, be sure to inform Lady Braelyn Highmarch of this new plan. We must ensure Aine does not wake during the night."

Hwang smiles knowingly before leaving the tent and allowing the king some peace. He must remember not to become emotional like that, the last time he did, he almost lost an eye. Protectors of the Past cannot show emotion. Just thinking about it forces the scar across King Min's eye to throb.

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Aine rises with a searing pain right between her eyes, as if she had shot that arrow at herself and actually hit the target, rather than at King Min. The soft songs of sparrows and bluebirds that she usually seeks comfort in sound like a thousand deafening crows screeching right into her ears.

"Ugh..." Is all she can muster upon the sight of Braelyn staring at her like a hungry fox from her perch on the opposite bed. Aine naturally attempts to furrow her brows in confusion at her maid's expression, but it hurts. She must be seeing things.

She swallows, and, with all her might, tries again.

"Has something happened?" she croaks, her voice hoarse but clear enough.

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"We were both tired after yesterday's events, and you insisted on eating the portions of a horse, m'lady! I think, perhaps, some of Vulstis's delicacies don't agree with you." Braelyn clarifies soothingly, a sympathetic smile forming on her lips.

But when foods disagree with you, they give you stomach problems. You don't get headaches unless...

"Braelyn, someone poisoned my food." Aine states bluntly, not leaving any room for her maid to sugarcoat it with sweet smiles and comforting talk.

"That can't be! King Min ate from the same batch that you did. Vulstis food has a lot of wine in it, so you're probably just not used to that." Braelyn offers hurriedly, tucking her shaking hands behind her back as she senses Aine becoming more and more agitated.

"If that's the case, then where is my bow and arrow? If someone wanted to poison me, they would also want to disarm me. If it was purely the food, then they would've left me here with my bow and arrow without a worry in the world." Aine pushes, the pain in her head subsiding.

"Why would anyone want to poison the lady they believe to be the Goddess of the Land?" Braelyn says in a hushed voice, helping Aine sit up.

Once upright, Aine brushes off her maid's hands. Partly because she does not like to be seen as weak and partly because, as a supposed citizen of Nocriam, Braelyn does not seem to be taking her Lady's claims seriously enough. And as a Sampson, their family values honesty above all else.

"Leave me." Aine commands.

Braelyn's lips form a thin line before she retreats and disappears outside. Aine dresses herself, purposefully omitting her maid's usual fussy accessories and hair ornaments. Her bow and arrow are nowhere in sight, and she can only imagine King Min did not take lightly to being shot at. Whether Braelyn has anything to do with it going missing and her splitting headache, she has yet to decipher. Whether she is being scared into submission, willingly going along with her enemies or completely clueless, she has yet to find out.

Aine and Braelyn are escorted to their horse-drawn carriage under the shroud of darkness, the Sun yet to reveal itself over the horizon. The hearths and torches surrounding Coimeach Pass have been extinguished, leaving the castle indistinguishable against the inky black sky behind it. Aine assumes her childhood home has served its purpose in riling her up, and there is no point in burning coal and wood supplies to keep it lit up. Sighing almost sadly at the defilement of the Sampson stronghold, Aine steps into the carriage, mentally preparing herself for the remainder of the journey to Vulstis Keep.

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The trip to Vulstis Keep is long and tense, with Braelyn attempting to act like everything is normal by complaining about Aine's choice of clothing and how it is not 'noble enough'. She is only met with silence as Aine continues to glare at the scenery through the window.

She soon perks up, though, once she recognises the gothic, pointed gate that marks the entranceway to Skulk Square. There is a commotion already as many of the townsfolk crowd around the gates to catch a glimpse of the procession, the Vusltis Guards aggressively yelling and pushing them back. The guards finally create a path of passage after drawing their swords, and the carriages begin moving through Skulk Square towards the looming shadow of Vulstis Keep.

"Look, it's her!"

"I'd recognise that disgusting red hair anywhere!"

"The traitor!"

"The one who cut our King and betrayed our kingdom!"

"She deserves the same fate as her mother!"

"Red-haired witch!"

Yells of 'traitor' and 'witch' blend into one as townsfolk overwhelm the carriage and begin rattling on the door and hammering on the windows, demanding retribution. In going to help Nocriam at King Jung's request, Aine has never truly thought about how she has hurt the common folk of Vulstis. Her unselfish motives in going to aid Nocriam became selfish the moment she abandoned Coimeach Pass and Vulstis, and her stomach churns uncomfortably at her ignorance towards her self-righteousness. And now those she left behind are here, thirsting for her blood.

"My people!" comes the calculated voice of King Min, and silence befalls the street as everyone stops to listen. "I understand your frustrations at Lady Sampson, but that is not why I brought her here."

There are murmurs of confusion.

"She has the powers of the Goddess of the Land, and these can be used to benefit the Kingdom of Vulstis. With the approval of the Parish of Patrinis, I brought her here to do just that. She has already proven such powers, having repaired our stronghold against the south, Coimeach Pass, to its former glory! I believe she means to appease her former sins! May the Sun God be on our side!" King Min monologues, followed by surprised cheers from the crowd.

"May the Gods bless you, your Majesty!"

"You are so wise, your Majesty!"

"All hail, King Min!"

Aine's eyes widen. He just saved her from an angry mob- but at what cost?

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