Kaid shifted slightly as he felt the chill from the night, ocean breeze. Or it could have been just their dire circumstances. Jessamine was right, their chances at getting out of this smoothly were in a very small window and once handed off to whomever, that window would close. Neither were in the mood for violence tonight, but sometimes life gave no choice. They had to adjust the situation appropriately to avoid not having such a choice.

"Are you capable of seeing our heading?" Jessamine asked, both of them now standing at the bow, pretending to gaze at the moon and stars, "When you go down, watch your head."

"I would have no idea what I'm looking for," Kaid said for a brief moment, stopping time. He walked and moved over, finding the slippery surface of the deck to be firm and steady in this state of time. He treaded down the ladder carefully, forgetting even with the slow of time about lowering his head, walking straight into a low extended metal frame. He had been distracted looking at the helm and all the many instruments that came with it. It was just a bunch of numbers to him, all pointing various directions and not making any sense to him.

He went back to his place with Jessamine, blinking and time was normal again, "There's too many things to look at. I don't understand it." He rubbed his head sorely, finally feeling the after effects of not listening to Jessamine.

"That's alright," she hummed, moving close to let her fingers gently massage into that sore spot just above his right eye, "you're looking for a circular instrument on the upper right side, it should have two arrows, one black and one red. What's the red arrow at?"

Kaid paused for a moment, having to travel all the way down there just to see, "Twenty six on red, a hundred on black." He made sure to duck his head that time.

Jessamine nodded, biting one side of her lip for a moment, "Can you slowly turn the helm so that red arrow goes to twenty four?"

"How much of a difference will that make?" Kaid asked, "How can I not make it obvious?"

"It's a small enough difference they will fail to notice, but we will still be off course by a margin. It's a risk we might have to take," Jessamine explained, "I would do it myself but they would see me walking down. You're doing all of this in the blink of an eye. Take it slowly, there's no rush."

Kaid didn't like the fact she said they would still be off margin to their destination, but maybe that was the point. What felt like an hour in Kaid's time, was only about ten minutes in Jessamine's, a constant going back and forth, adjusting little by little, and remembering to duck every single time. The only way Jessamine could even tell the ship was changing direction was the slight breeze changing angle's, blowing against her left side of the neck instead of the back. Kaid's breathing increased over time, by the end, he was slightly catching his breath, sweat dripping down his neck. A portion of his mana was depleted but it wouldn't take long for his strength to come back.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to how remarkable you are," Jessamine whispered, glancing up at him. It was true. He had so much power, so much potential, and here he was using it to merely adjust their course. Kaid could be whatever he wanted, do whatever he wanted, and yet he chose to stand here by her side.

"I still surprise myself from time to time," he smirked slightly, a hint of cockiness in his voice, but it sure always felt like a damn good compliment when Jessamine told him that, "what's the plan?"

"The heading will put us several hundred yards north of the Isle harbor. Someone will be waiting for us at that harbor, whether it's the Duke, another set of guards...whatever the case will be, they'll notice we are off course. Whatever happens there is outside of our control. What I do hope...is that when someone notices, they'll send a ship out to intervene to make sure everything is alright."

"And what if this is part of the Duke's plan?" Kaid asked.

"I don't think it is," Jessamine whispered, "he plays face to face, like a game of chess. He'd never ask someone to play for him in his absence. The guards below deck are scared, hence why they're heavily invested in another game of cards. It's hard to tell who they're more afraid of: me, or someone else."

"Or afraid of losing their jobs if this doesn't go smoothly," Kaid pointed out, glancing back behind them. The ocean was dark, too dark. It was near impossible to really see anything in these waters.

"We'll see," Jessamine muttered, not looking entirely worried or stressed about it. So neither would he. He had faith that her own faith was put in the right place. It was a bit too reliant on a man who might dislike her, but it was a chance they were willing to take to avoid bloodshed. If they tried to commandeer the ship themselves, it would turn into a fight. Kaid and Jess had no doubt they would win, but how could they return to the Southern Isles with three dead guards and no witnesses?

The pounding from his head eventually faded, the air growing even colder. Eventually the Southern Isles were in view, the torches and lights still going on throughout the main island, the harbor still in full function. They still appeared to be the only ship ahead of them. When Kaid turned around, there was a ship behind them, angled much further away, from where they were supposed to be. The chase was on. A slight commotion was heard below deck, Kaid wondering if someone cheated at cards, but one of the guards ran up the deck.

Jessamine and Kaid turned to watch, acting oblivious as the guard glanced at them, calmed himself, and then ran back down. Their gaze turned back forward and Jessamine saw a ship ahead, leaving the harbor, aimed directly for them.

"Here we go-" she whispered, interrupted harshly as the ship they were on stopped suddenly, lurching in the wind, spinning as the anchor had made contact with the ocean floor. Kaid grabbed Jessamine carefully with one hand, his other holding on to the railing before they collided, slamming into the floor. Kaid had shielded her fall, but it didn't stop Jessamine's knee from crashing straight into his groin.

"Fuck," he wheezed in pain, Jessamine's hand gently resting on his chest to brace her fall, worry on her eyes.

"Sorry," she winced quietly, climbing off of him before helping him up, "we get out of this, I'll make it up to you." First his head and now this? Although he supposed the ache in his head was of his own doing. Kaid got on to his feet, still feeling Jessamine holding on to his wrist.

The ship behind them was changing heading, angled towards them, just the same as the one in the harbor. They stopped anchor to give the other ship a chance. It made it very clear what ship they wanted to jump on over to, and all they could do was sit and watch.

"Do they know we switched it?" Kaid asked, seeing Jessamine shake her head.

"No, they're arguing amongst themselves knowing neither of us are capable of getting away with it without them seeing. Well, they don't think you are," she explained, "right now, we are all relying on who's the better sailor. The ship behind, or the ship ahead."

"And if it's the ship behind?"

"Well, we fight. I'll turn one of the guards against the others. He's weak, both mentally and physically, but it will provide a good distraction for the time being until he gets overpowered. But the ship ahead looks like they know what they're doing. I have faith."

Kaid was unsure about that, but the more minutes that went on, he could see that ship growing closer and closer. It was arriving at a much faster pace than the one behind and it became clear who was the chosen winner. The guards below all three climbed back up to the deck, seeing their fate edge closer. Kaid didn't need to read their minds to sense their panic, but a sly smirk appeared on Jessamine's lips.

But when the other ship arrived, that smirk dropped.

"Jess, are you guys alright? What are you guys doing all the way out here?" Persephone shouted, pulling the ship aside theirs, another guard assisting in slowing the sails for her. They stopped adjacent to each other, Seph throwing a line over to pull their ships closer. Kaid now understood the Empress's reaction, knowing the last person she wanted to drag into this scenario was Persephone.

The panic from the other guards faded, a new plan arising improvised from their failure. Kill the Duke's daughter, leave no truthful witnesses, only two people could be blamed. Everyone's choices were limited, now it was all about who would make the first move. Kaid noticed the tall guard behind Persephone, the one that could hear very well. It was unclear who's side he was on: the mutinous one or the oblivious.

Jessamine moved to the edge of the ship near Persephone's, lifting her leg slightly on the railing, her fingers slowly and inconspicuously pulling one of her knives out, "This is completely unacceptable. What kind of guards meant to defend the Empress don't know how to sail a fucking ship? They knocked us off course and stupidly lowered the anchor. I'll make sure your father hears about this."

Persephone looked confused at Jessamine's anger, then at the head guard, "Marten's been sailing since he could walk, that's unlike him..." Persephone stopped her own sentence, realizing the truth. Marten knew how to sail, and sail well. There was no way any of this was an accident, that much for certain. And now, she was caught in the middle of it.

Blades were immediately drawn from the three guards near Kaid, and the fight was on. Jessamine had been right in her assumptions, the guards were quick to try and target Kaid first, thinking he was unarmed. But with a quick and well timed dodge, he planted his feet, fingers finding that folded blade of his before thrusting it in front of him, letting gravity extend the blade to its full potential and strength. All six eyes in front of him widened upon the realization he was armed, but for them it was far too late.

Kaid blocked the first strike with ease, knocking the guard off balance at the Guardian's quickness. Kaid didn't hesitate to redirect his blade, slicing a jagged cut across the man's stomach, guts and blood spewing everywhere. The second guard reacted out of anger of seeing his partner fall within seconds, swinging his blade low at Kaid's leg. With a quick step back, the man completely missed.

I certainly hope the rest of their guards aren't trained so poorly, Kaid thought to himself, before seeing the man's blade far too low to block an incoming strike. Kaid knew there wasn't time to hesitate and go for non lethal blows. These were men who would have hurt or killed both of them without second thought, even if it wasn't a part of the original plan. And the fact they wanted to hurt Persephone, an innocent bystander in this, well, that angered Kaid just as much.

Kaid drove his blade through the man's torso, angling it upward to make sure it punctured all the way through. Kaid heard the lifeless gasp of the guard, his body leaning into the blade and Kaid's arm before he pulled away. The shakiness he had felt along with the nausea of his first kill in Caladin no longer existed here. He killed because he had to, almost as if he knew he couldn't live this life, survive, without having to. Kaid wasn't the same person he was about six months ago, and neither was Jessamine.

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When he gazed back up to the third guard, Kaid was surprised to see the handle of Jessamine's knife sticking out from his forehead, an instant kill. When he glanced over, Jessamine had somehow gotten to Persephone's ship, another blade in her hands to put herself between her friend and another potential enemy. Neither would take the risk of knowing who was friend or foe. The tall guard had grabbed Persephone, first perhaps just out of instinct to protect her, but immediately Kaid saw the glimmer of a blade below her throat due to the moonlight.

Fuck.

"Nick, what the fuck are you doing?" Persephone gasped, fear laced in her voice. Jessamine glared at the man in the eyes, knowing her next play would have to be done very very carefully. One movement of that blade could end the life of someone she cared about. Nick's will was stronger than Jessamine had hoped, which meant controlling him would be harder than it was for the other three.

"Stand back, Empress, or she dies," the Guard spoke, eyes constantly darting between Jessamine and Kaid, who was still at a distance.

"Nick, darling," Jessamine smiled, "you really want to kill the woman you love?"

The comment made him flinch, pressing that knife a bit harder against her throat, "You destroyed the woman I loved, this is just a temporary fraud living on bought time. What's the point? We all know what you're going to do tomorrow, she'll be brain dead anyways. The least I can do is not let her death be in vain. Let's prove to the Duke and the rest of the world what kind of monster you are."

"If you want a monster, I'll give you one," Jessamine answered, the muscles in her neck straining until she did what she needed to all along.

Nick let out a loud scream, both his ear drums imploding, his Oblivion rendered useless and now an even greater hindrance. The painful action caused his grip to loosen on Persephone, Kaid slowing time to make the jump to the other ship. He was able to pull Persephone away and towards Jessamine. Time then abandoned him, his mana drained and he felt Nick reached forward. Instead of Persephone, he grabbed Kaid, both of them struggling physically against each other, grappling and pulling. Both blades had clattered to the deck, resulting in a battle of hands.

Kaid won that physical battle with ease, pushing Nick until he stumbled backwards onto the deck. His fist met the guard's face at an angle, feeling the bones and cartilage shatter, that overfilled, burning rage that Kaid had with Mattias now returning. It was the same fight, same moment in time where Kaid wanted all those fists he had taken in Caladin to be returned to one single individual. He hit again, and again, Nick finally realizing what Jessamine had been talking about.

"Kaid!" Persephone shouted for him to stop, pulling him out of that timeless, angry rage. Just like Mattias, so too would this man be better off left alive. Kaid climbed off the man, panting heavily, his fists and clothes covered in blood as he picked up his sword drenched in the same bodily fluids. When he turned, he saw a stoic, calm Empress, and a worried, scared woman who had witnessed a necessary horror.

Persephone trembled as Jessamine held her, sisters reunited under another pain in their lives. She was finally beginning to understand what had just happened, a deliberate plot to remove Jessamine. And when she had intervened, they tried to take it an entirely new, treacherous route: frame her for murder.

"We must tell father, who knows how many might...might have infiltrated or..." Persephone panted heavily, that panic only surging.

"It's okay, it's okay, you're safe," Jessamine whispered, "just sit down and take a breath. You're going to be okay."

Kaid let them be alone for the moment, heading over to the other ship to yank Jessamine's knife out of the man's head. It took a good strong wiggle before doing so, Kaid surprised at how deep it had been lodged in. He was debating on what to do with the other three bodies, if he should bring them along as witnesses or leave them here as a warning. Kaid blinked as he felt a wave of nausea coming at the sight of his actions, but shook it away. He would reap the consequences later, but not right now.

"Kaid, let the sharks take care of them," Jess spoke over the wind. He figured that would be the best option, letting these men provide a great service to the marine animals of the Southern Isles. Perhaps just an hour prior, these men thought themselves to be sharks, circling their prey and in control. Now they were mere food and nothing more. Kaid dragged each one overboard, the last one causing a problem as Kaid kept stumbling over his entrails from his open stomach wound before finally letting his body sink into the depths.

Kaid disconnected the line connecting the ships, crossing over to Jessamine and Persephone. Persephone was dead silent, looking down at her trembling fingers as Jessamine moved to begin at the helm. Nick still laid there unconscious, bleeding from his face and ears. Adjusting the sails and riggings, Kaid assisted in letting them sail off once more, this time towards safety. Jessamine adjusted course before holding it in place, moving away towards the edge to wash her hands of the slight blood. Kaid walked over, washing his hands as well in the salt-infested waters, feeling the sting in his knuckles before eventually handing her knife back.

"Thank you," Jessamine whispered, cleaning that before tucking it back under the stocking on her thigh. Kaid had a feeling the thank you was more than just returning the knife to her. But she didn't have to thank him for anything else, this was his job, this was the reality he had to accept. The woman he loved would always be challenged like this, and they had tried their honest best to avoid bloodshed.

Jessamine wouldn't dare admit how good Kaid looked, wearing someone else's blood on his clothes, all because of her.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Kaid asked, both of them glancing at the shell shocked Persephone.

"She's been through worse," Jessamine replied bitterly, knowing she was the cause of it, "I don't think any of us will be getting rest tonight. Like most things, we will figure it out in the morning."

For now, all three of them needed the silence to process everything.

When they arrived at the harbor and dock, it didn't take long for guards to notice something had gone wrong, given two were covered in blood and one of their own rendered unconscious. They immediately called for the Duke, who arrived in a hurried rush. Persephone ran to him, begging for comfort and he provided it for once in his life, embracing her. Persephone told him everything as their witness over her frightened and shaky words.

Grotto looked at Jessamine shocked as Kaid helped her off the ship, "Empress, I...I can only apologize for the incident. Please, this is not up to my standards and comes as quite a shock. I..."

"It's alright, Grotto," Jessamine spoke softly, surprising him even more, "it doesn't come as much of a surprise to me. I know you had nothing to do with this." But his incompetence surely led to it, one way or another. His dangerous rhetoric about Jessamine prior to this visit only made the infiltration easier, his own ranks filled with 'similar' opinions. Grotto may hate Jess, but he never would dare to kill an Empress, on his own soil nonetheless. He merely gave someone else the opportunity.

"Nicolas will be held accountable, I will make sure he is well punished and secured. Thank you, Jessamine, you saved my daughter's life," Grotto painfully admitted.

"Do save the torturing for Payne when he returns," Jessamine spoke, soon nodding, "you don't have to thank me. Do, allow us, however, to retire for the evening. We can discuss the rest of this tomorrow with the negotiations. I think we all need some rest."

"Yes, yes of course," Grotto nodded, confusion and shock written all over his face. He probably expected Jessamine to be furious about this situation, that it had happened and Grotto didn't do enough of a job at keeping her safe. She knew the truth: nowhere was safe. It was only safer with Kaid by her side.

If anything, this might just make negotiations a tad easier.

Kaid felt his head nod to sleep, the motion jerking him back awake as he was awaiting Jessamine to finish cleaning up. His entire body ached, his head pounding for sleep, but he stayed awake for her. Jessamine finally exited her portion of the room, wearing his black kaftan, her hair wet and loose from the shower. She looked just as exhausted as him, walking over as he lifted the duvet cover for her. Jess climbed in with a groan, moving close to curl up against him. Her skin was cold from her shower, clashing with Kaid's internal thermal engine that kept his skin always feeling warm.

They remained silent for the moment, their fingers stroking each other's skin, the soft touches just an affirmation both of them were still alive. Kaid knew this day had been a torment in all ways to Jessamine, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Yet she still powered through, somehow.

"So much for finding blackmail," Kaid muttered with a sigh, gazing up at the dark ceiling.

"Kaid, we found it the moment we arrived," Jessamine replied quietly against his neck. What did that mean? What did she find and not tell him?

"Wait, you mean...Persephone," Kaid spoke, a bit shocked, taking a moment to think.

"Mhm. That was Payne's plan all along, wasn't it? I would arrive, find my friend healed from my mistake. She would make me jealous, throw my failure in my face in hopes I wouldn't accept it. That I would try to justify my actions, not hold myself accountable. In the end, I'd be put against a wall with only one option."

"But you did accept it," Kaid pointed out.

"With her, yes."

"The blackmail would be that you would invade Persephone's mind again, repeat history, hold that over his head until he agreed," Kaid pursed his lips forward for a moment, "but that doesn't make sense."

"Why not?" Jess asked.

"Well, it wouldn't make sense if he agreed. This was also what he wanted all along, not Payne, the Duke. Payne set this up as a test. If he had told you Persephone was back-"

"I sure as hell wouldn't have come," Jess interrupted him for the moment, her eyes showing deep thought.

"This was a test of your desperation, only you have multiple observers, not just one. Think about it, we are briefed on the Confederation in more depth before this visit. Depending on what happens here, Payne gets a sense of how their leadership works, if it pairs with Lilah's story or not. He didn't tell us because he wanted us to figure this out, because it would begin to unravel and expose the powers at play. The Duke was speculated to be a piece of the puzzle, but we both know after tonight, he's just another puppet. So the question is, what did they hold over his head?"

"Persephone," Jessamine answered, seeing Kaid nod, "He missed my birthday celebration because of it. We both know he wouldn't miss a party to save his life, while also rubbing some salt into our unspoken wounds. Yet he didn't show up."

"Payne said the Confederation was made up of elite, mercenary-like Oblivionists. What if...they had a healer powerful enough to cure Persephone, and now they hold it over his head that you were going to come in here, demand what you wanted, and if you didn't get what you'd want, you'd hurt her. It would give Grotto a reason to betray you even further, given the only people who could heal her, he now had to rely on. Persephone realized this, she hinted at me she knew her time might be limited. What about Arryn?"

"She's oblivious, she doesn't know shit," Jessamine shook her head, "Grotto doesn't trust her with that powerful information anyways. So, what do I do, then?"

"Negotiate," Kaid shrugged, seeing her glare at him.

"You make it sound so easy," she scoffed.

"It's not, but you're capable," Kaid whispered, his hand moving up to caress her face, thumb tracing her jaw.

"What if I can't? What if my only option is to do what they want?"

"Do you think you can do that again?" Kaid asked, already knowing the truth. She couldn't. She couldn't hurt Persephone again even if she was backed into a wall with no other option. The only person who knew that was Jessamine. Everyone else expected she could do it without second thought, be the monster they thought her to be.

"I shouldn't have to ask a Duke to do his damn job," Jessamine shook her head, knowing that was the real reason they were here.

"I know. Payne knows that too. Grotto needs to know at the end of the day, he still bends his knee to you and his daughter is not some disposable tool for anyone to use. Even him. Payne thinks we will have to choke the Confederation out, but what if we bleed them out, slowly by slowly, cutting their limbs away bit by bit until they have no more politicians to grab at. But we do it in a way they least expect."

"A path of low resistance, stop acting aggressive but be defensive. Give the people what they want, but still hold the leverage they want to use against us," Jessamine nodded, taking a deep breath, "I think...I think I can do this, that we can do this." She had to do the opposite of what her family did, be the opposite of what people thought of her.

"I know you can do it, I'm certain of it," Kaid assured her, seeing a soft smile on her lips. She leaned close, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, one of thanks and appreciation. The one night they were granted privacy was a night they didn't have the energy to indulge. It didn't matter to either of them.

If these negotiations went well tomorrow, Jessamine would celebrate and reward herself with the one thing she truly wanted.

She waited for him to fall asleep, which didn't take as long as she thought. Her eyes gazed upon him, his muscles relaxed, relief filling his exhausted soul. Her fingers traced his strong jaw, tangling in his beard, moving over his large lips and up to his broad nose. She couldn't believe he was real, that he wasn't just some figment of her delirious imagination. In Caladin she had thought the world was ending, when in reality, it had only just begun. She eventually moved her hands to those soft wavy curls, playing with them softly as she could no longer hide or withhold her truth.

"I love you, Kaid Al-Yami, that much I know is certain," she whispered faintly, letting herself fall into a peaceful slumber beside him.