Karibana blinked roughly at him after several seconds. It was like she couldn’t quite see him clearly, and she was squinting trying to get a better picture. “Who are you?” 

Charden shrugged. “The guy who saved your ass. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to thank me.” 

She blinked, frowning as her brow furrowed. Charden could practically see the memories flash through her eyes, like she was reliving every moment that led up to her capture. “My sister… My sister—where—where is Elle?” 

Charden bit his lip and cleared his throat. “Right. So. Here’s the thing—”

“Where is my sister?” The princess asked again, with more force in her voice. “You took her! Where is she?” She started to climb out of the bed, and Charden had to rush to try and push her back into it. 

“Woah, hey, we didn’t take anyone!”

“Then why are you inhibiting my magic?” She waved her wrists in front of his face, like that meant something.

Charden pushed her hand out of the way. “We can’t get them off! You need magic to do that, and we don’t have it.” 

Kaaribanna scoffed, and continued to fight against him. “Yeah, sure. I know magic when it hits me, okay?” 

“Gods—Listen to me Princess, we are not the same people who kidnapped you!” 

She paused, and Charden used the opportunity to catch his breath. 

“Or, um, were you not kidnapped? If you were there willingly then I guess we did kidnap you…” He shrugged. “But you don’t want to be going that way anyway, being the enemy. You would have gotten yourself hurt.” 

The Princess huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She did not look at Charden, so much as she was looking in his general direction. “Prove it.” 

Charden scoffed. “Prove what?” 

“Prove you’re not one of the soldiers who took us! Obviously!” 

“Okay, one, if I was, don’t you think I would have done something about your smart mouth by now? A thank you really isn’t hard. And second, look.” Charden rolled up his sleeve all the way up to the shoulder, showing off tan, untouched skin. No Mark—but there wouldn’t be. Flowers always started wrapping around the arms. 

For good measure, he showed her the other as well. “See? I told you. Unmarked, no magic. We’re rebels. And you’re welcome.”

Karibana stared, again, in his general direction—but though her eyes followed his movements, she wasn’t looking. “You have to take these off first,” she said after a few moments, jangling her cuffs. 

Charden huffed. “How many times do I have to say we can’t—there’s no magic—”

“I can’t see without my magic!” She huffed, all in a rush, her cheeks absolutely burning.

Charden shut his mouth up instantly. Oh. Oh. Oh… He bit his lip, chewing on the chapped skin. “I’m sorry, we can’t—we can’t get those off without magic.” 

Karibana visibly deflated, her eyes frantically darting around the room. She wasn’t going to be quick to let them in, since she couldn’t get grounded in her surroundings. Charden ran his fingers through his long hair, which had fallen out of its usual bun at some point. “But—” He began, knowing Commander was not going to like what he was about to offer, “we might be able to help another way.” 

Kari raised one perfectly white eyebrow. “How? Usually, if I need to see something, I just—Wish for it.” She ran her fingers across her roses, which spanned both arms, wrapped around her shoulder, and likely grew down her back as well. 

“There’s a doctor in a nearby village. He makes us these spectacles to help us see better—it’s nothing fancy, but—” 

“Take me to him!” She commanded instantly, and Charden remembered all at once that she was a princess. 

He gently pressed on her shoulders again. “I’ll bring him to you. You need to rest.” 

She pouted in response at him, just as the flap of the tent was opened, and Commander lowered her head as she walked in. Charden instantly stood, taking his hands off of the Deavanna Princess. “Commander!” 

Karibana looked at Charden, and then squinted at the woman as she walked in. “Commander? So this is your leader?” 

Commander smiled a warm, welcoming smile, and bowed her head. “Princess Karibana Astilla Canston. It is truly an honor to be in your presence.”

Karibana’s eyes flashed between Commander and Charden again, and she squared her shoulders. “You may rise.” The tone in her voice had warped slightly—in an instant, she had gained control of the entire room. Commander did as she was told, and smiled while doing it. “I didn’t catch your name.” 

“Everyone here just uses Commander, I’m afraid,” she explained lightly. “We are The Collective, and we welcome you to our humble encampment.” 

Karibana’s eyebrows furrowed, like she was trying to remember if that would mean something to her. After a few moments, she looked back between Charden and Commander with wide eyes. “The Collective—you mean the Aglusian rebels who have been causing King Valinex so much strife?”

Charden grinned. “Oh? You’ve heard of us?” 

“Heard of you! News of your exploits have been circulating the palace for quite some time. Is it true your men infiltrated a training camp and replaced all the General’s maps with elaborate fakes to lead them into Delusion’s Forest instead of the battlefield?”

Charden snickered, and Commander gently pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a little sigh. “That expedition was all Charden, there.” She gestured at Charden, and Kari followed the general sweep of her movement over to where he stood. 

“That was you? Just you?” 

“And Morgen, my partner in crime.” 

“But you’re Aeglusia. Why are you fighting your own people?” 

Charden opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Commander. “We wish to see an end to this war. Same as you, Princess. And we would be happy to return you to your people, should your father be open to an audience with us.” 

Karibana let that sink in, then blinked, as if something just occurred to her. She looked up at Charden and Commander, her eyes wild with worry. “Return me. Just—just me. But—my sister. They got her too.” 

Charden bit his lip and looked down, happy that he knew the Princess couldn’t see too many details in his expression. “She—we—” he flinched, “didn’t get her.” 

Karibana went silent for a long time, letting his words sink in. “She—she’s alive, yes?” 

“As far as our intel can tell us, your younger sister is just fine, your Highness.” Commander soothed, shooting a look like daggers at Charden. “She is being taken to our King’s palace.” 

Karibana gripped the faded military style cot she was on, her body trembling. “Why?” 

Commander took a breath. “We don’t—I’m sorry, Princess, but we don’t know why king Valinex took either of you.” 

Karibana’s eyes snapped up. “Then we get her back,” she commanded. 

Charden’s eyebrows shot up, and Commander sputtered. “I’m sorry—what—”

“We have to get her back!” The princess insisted, finally standing from the cot. She swayed a little, her head probably pounding, but she stood tall. “I’m not going to leave my sister to suffer in my stead.”

Commander shook her head. “We need to get you back. We don’t have the manpower. With your father’s help, we could—” 

“No.” Karibana’s voice was powerful and commanding even without the use of her magic. “You will send me with only two men. This Charden fellow, and his partner in crime, whatever his name was,” she waved a dismissive hand. 

Charden stifled a laugh. He knew there was absolutely no reality where Commander willingly sent him and Morgen to the Royal Place. Karibana had no idea who she was messing with—Princess or not. 

“But, your Highness—” Commander began, but Kari raised a hand to silence her. 

“If you want my father’s allyship, you will send him both of his daughters. Not just one.” 

Commander paused for several seconds, her eyes burning. 

“I am not the only one who wishes for it.” Kari raised her hand to her necklace, a simple glass blown rose in a burning fiery red. “My word is as good as the Goddess I serve. You know that, I’m sure.” 

Commander rolled her lips to the side of her face, took a breath, and started to speak—when suddenly, red smoke gathered around the room. Charden jumped back on instinct, but when the smoke touched him it was warm, and it gathered around his knees in cotton puffs. 

It spread and spread until it pulled back and collected itself behind Karibana, building and building into the shape of a woman. Karibana’s eyes turned blood red, shining brighter than the suns. 

Commander gasped, and instantly fell to her knees, having put together what was happening much faster than Charden. “Goddess!” 

“Huh? I thought she was a Princess—” Charden yelped as Commander yanked on him and pulled him to his knees as well. 

When Karibana spoke again, it was as if another was speaking through her. Her voice was still there—powerful and commanding as it was—but there was a second tone hovering just above the Princess’. A distinct second voice that was not her own. 

“They must go to the palace,” it bellowed, shaking the fabric of the tent in its force. “Three must make the journey, haste: a daughter of roses, the master bow, and one disgraced. To end the war and begin anew, the Son must see his Fate through.” 

Karibana blinked a few times, the red flowing back from the whites of her eyes. The mist fell, dispersing back through the room and fizzling out. Charden looked around, trying to track it, but it was there one second and then just—gone.

For once in his life, Charden was too stunned to speak.