A servant had been called to guide Melusine to her new living quarters, but she lingered close to Baugulf even when the maid arrived.

"Does Lady Octavia know about this yet?" Melusine asked.

"I'm hoping not to die, so I've asked that she not be informed. She worries so much, and I'm afraid she'll storm the elven reservation herself."

Melusine's lips pursed, a pang like a nail driving into her heart. For the first time since she learned of Baugulf's fiancé, Melusine felt a kinship with Lady Octavia Lemaire. To be in love with such a fool was a cruel fate indeed. There was nothing both more infuriating and endearing than a man who tried to protect his loved ones by hiding important information. Perhaps it was mostly infuriating, Melusine admitted to herself.

"As your friend, I'd like to give you some advice. Make sure that she's told immediately. It's not fair to her if you keep her in the dark. On the off chance that the antidote isn't retrieved, she'll be bitter that she was denied what little time with you that she had left. I'd... feel the same way, if I were in her shoes." Melusine flicked Baugulf's forehead, and chuckled when he yelped—more surprised than pained. "Don't be that much of an idiot, Baugulf."

Before the knight could think up a response, Melusine fled from the infirmary, the maid hot on her heels. She paused outside, her vision blurring and a few small droplets of water rolling down her cheeks. Melusine sniffed, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. It was just a crush, she told herself, nothing would ever come of it. She refused to be selfish and ruin Baugulf's happiness.

"Are you ready to go, Miss?" The maid, who stood behind Melusine as she dried her tears, asked.

"Yes," Melusine answered. She followed the maid through the palace barracks until they reached the military dorms, where she'd apparently been given an officer's quarters.

"Here we are, Miss," the stoic maid announced as she gestured to the blue painted door. Unlike the quarters for the commoner soldiers, with its hallways cramped with red stained doors, the noble officers had only four suites to a corridor.

"Thank you for showing me the way. Do you have the key?" Once what she'd asked for was placed in her palm, she dismissed the maid and slid the key into the entrance to her new home. She turned it, the slight resistance making the hollow end dig into her skin, but it fit and unlocked the door with a satisfying click.

When Melusine entered her quarters, she couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer size alone. It was at least four times the perimeter of her family's shack. The north-eastern corner of the initial room had a woodstove, counters both island and against the high windowed wall, as well as a metallic and ivory sink. Meanwhile the western side was a dedicated sitting area with navy blue satin armchairs and a loveseat arranged around a dark wood coffee table. The south-eastern corner, where the exit was, had been left bare except for a side-table by the door with a small vase of lily-of-the-valley on top. The windows overlooked the same courtyard as the infirmary, and Melusine could spy the glass panes that would've allowed Baugulf to see the same scenery had he been able to.

Once Melusine noticed the two extra doors on either wall, she was almost scared to open them. The first room was already enough to set her teeth on edge, but three? It was too much space, far, far too much. The air felt cold and empty, the uncluttered environment ironically suffocating her.

She dashed back out of the room and slammed the door shut. Her lungs were on fire every time she took in a breath. She leaned her hands against the corridor wall, and after checking that she was alone, Melusine pressed her back to it.

"I knew it," she muttered at the ceiling. "They're treating me like some great soldier when I've barely learned how to use Spider." Melusine's eyes went wide and her vision focused as she bolted upright.

"That's right! Baugulf still had Spider when he went to the infirmary!" She cried out to no one, and rushed back into her living quarters. Her previous claustrophobia forgotten, paled in comparison to her love of her sword, she searched high and low for it. The bathroom that was more like a pool? Trite. The queen sized bed in the final room, with its tapestry canopy? Nothing but a distraction. Especially since on top of that same enormous bed lay her beloved weapon. Grinning ear to ear, Melusine held her hand out, palm and fingers splayed to catch the sword when it came flying. "Spider, come!"

Come flying it did, right at her face. Melusine yelped in pain as she fell back onto the floor, knocking her head on the wood paneling. To rub salt into the wound, Spider clattered down on top of her, the handle striking her chin.

"Ow..." the teenager groaned. "Right... I should practice that trick before I have to do it in the middle of battle, or worse, show it off in public."

How was she ever going to live up to people's expectations of her? She'd still yet to get a proper explanation of those expectations, between the king's refusal to be upfront, Vadim's love of drink, and Baugulf's poisoning.

An iron grip clenched around Melusine's heart at the thought of Baugulf, and squeezed tight. She rolled over onto her side, and hugged the cold metal of her sword to her chest, her fingers rubbing up and down the scabbard to soothe the pain in her lungs.

She'd been so unfair to the knight, all because of her pride. Resolving to finally muster the courage to apologize in the morning, she shut her eyes. Melusine had never been devout to the gods, but right there on the ice cold floor she clasped her hands together and prayed to any deity that might listen.

She prayed to Medea that the king would be wise enough to value his cousin's life and send someone competent to get the antidote. She prayed to Chaunce that luck would be on their side, and to Estella that their journey be swift. Most of all she prayed to any of the damned Major Arcana that could possibly force Vadim to not be so lazy and drunk that he screwed up his part in staving off Baugulf's reaper.

The next morning, all but the last prayer had already been flung to the uncaring aether of the void.

"I'm sorry, but what?" Melusine asked her king. She stood before him, having been summoned via court official. She'd gotten dressed in her best tunic and trousers, but still she felt small around the members of the king's court. Them dressed in finery and precious minerals that she couldn't even dream of, her in her favorite tunic.

"I want you to go to the Fae Forest and negotiate for Sir Baugulf's cure," the king repeated with a sly grin. His cheek rested on the backs of his fingers and his legs were crossed. He looked more like a cocksure young prince than a king capable of making sound decisions. This was the exact opposite of not throwing her into deep waters!

"Surely you have better options, Your Highness." Melusine was forced to manually unclench her jaw by tugging on her chin, just so she wouldn't speak through her teeth. "Like a real ambassador, or someone who could defend themselves on the journey."

"There is no Adellician ambassador to the Elven people, since they won't accept one. Sending a soldier would be seen as an act of war before the messenger would have any chance to speak his peace. Thus, it falls to you, as merely a concerned friend of my cousin. Since you don't want to be treated like a soldier, and all."

Once again, Melusine wanted so desperately to smack that smug grin from Adelric's face. Was this some kind of trap to get her to agree to whatever he wanted her to be for him? Melusine bit down on her lower lip, not caring that her canine reopened the puncture wound from last night. Her hands clenched behind her back, nails digging into the scabs in her palms. She lowered herself into a deep bow, glowering at the yellow carpet and watching as her blood dripped down onto the soft fabric.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. I'll immediately prepare to head out alone, then."

"Who said that you'd be traveling alone?"

"If one soldier is enough to spark a war, two humans will be even quicker to incite bloodshed. I'll go alone, and for my friend, I'll return with the antidote. Even if it's the last thing I'll do."

"Very well," Adelric tsked. "Go prepare, then. And return safely one way or the other."

"I won't return without the cure." Melusine stood up straight, but kept her gaze respectfully on the floor to hide the burning rage roiling inside her. "I don't break or try to weasel out of my promises. And there won't be any point in returning if I'm too late." She turned and strode out of the throne room, her boots clicking loudly against the floor, easily heard over the offended chittering of the king's court.

She made a beeline for the barrack infirmary first, ignoring all passersby and never easing her fingers out of the fists she was making at her sides. She hurried over to Baugulf, calling his name to let him know of her approach.

"The king is sending me to get the antidote," she informed him, slightly out of breath from how fast she'd strode over. The knight sat upright, eyes wide and staring ahead.

"What? He can't be serious. I told him in my reports that you aren't ready. Who's going with you?"

"I'm going alone. I insisted," Melusine hesitantly admitted as she took a seat on the empty cot next to Baugulf's. "Wait a second, where's that drunkard mage?"

"He doesn't need to be here twenty-four-seven." Baugulf reached out to her, fumbling slightly until she grabbed onto his thumb. Melusine's cheeks grew warm when he held onto her hand, and she glanced around to make sure no one saw. "Melusine, you can't go to the Elven reservation alone. It's too dangerous. People still get attacked just for venturing inside the forest."

"The king used the threat of war as an excuse not to send someone else, so I wanted to use his flawed logic against him."

"Melusine—for gods' sake, this is more important than you making a point."

"Listen, I'll send notes somehow. If you don't hear from me for three days, consider me dead and send someone in my place."

"Don't talk like that!" Baugulf snapped, took in a breath, then rubbed at his unseeing eyes with his free hand. "You can't even write."

"I'll draw pictures. The point is you'll know I'm still okay. You shouldn't put your faith in me anyway."

"Of course I'd have faith in you. I'm more worried that you'll get yourself killed just because you don't like the king."

"While that is true, I'm sure I'll manage and do my best to return here with the antidote in hand. Speaking of, where's the doctor? I need to get more information on what it is and how to get it. I'll steal it if I have to."

"I wouldn't recommend doing so," Doctor Slaine interjected from behind Melusine, who felt like she'd jumped out of her skin, her heart pounding against her ribs. "You'd have to be quite the cat burglar to pull off that heist. And something tells me that the honorable Dragon's Proxy isn't the sort of person who could do anything delicately." He hobbled over and sat down next to Melusine with creaking bones, leaning on his cane. She grumbled and avoided eye contact, not having the heart or strength of will to release Baugulf's hand.

"You're not wrong... then how can I get my hands on it?"

"The only way, I'm afraid, is to either bargain or beg for them to give it to you. It's not entirely hopeless. Not every elf in the world supports Arn Ó Riagán, myself included. But..."

"But?"

"Rumor has it that Ó Riagán already has unofficial control of the elven council of elders, which you'll appeal to. You might need to try to figure out who isn't quite so loyal to the forgotten prince."

"Great. Just great," Melusine grunted out between clenched teeth. She yawned to ease her jaw up again, leaning her head back to stare upwards. "Forget the notes, just send someone better in a few days. Someone sneaky, or more charming."

"What's the point of you going at all if we send someone else?"

"Not disobeying a royal order, for one. Don't put all your eggs in the one basket that is me, that's all I'm saying."

"Very well," Baugulf begrudgingly acquiesced. "But be careful, and don't get yourself hurt... promise me."

"I promise," Melusine answered after some hesitation. Afterall, she swore that she would never break a promise after her father died, and she had no intention to break her long standing streak yet. She stared into the knight's unseeing eyes, pale and bloodshot. Her courage withered, and she poked at her inner cheek with her tongue. "Baugulf, I'm... I have something I need to say to you, but I'll wait until after you're better, and this whole thing is behind us. Consider it a lucky charm to make everything work out okay."