Hello, my little bumgorfs! Something I wanted to share with you all: I noticed that my random one-shots have almost always been published on a Wednesday. So, I bring you...ONESHOT WEDNESDAYS. There will not be a oneshot every Wednesday, but when I post one, it will continue to always be on a Wednesday. And there's one coming up this Wednesday. You have been warned.

P.S. For Oneshot Wednesday, I am willing to take requests, so long as they are clean. Lots of you are pretty young, so y'all will have to get your lemony freshness elsewhere.

PSA complete. Also we've reached over 3,200 views and 50 reviews and lots and lots of follows and favorites! I love you guys. Here's Chapter 11!

Chapter 11: People to Protect

The princess was weak, panicked, and pale, and no one could figure out why. Juliana, along with Karen, had been asked to tend to her until her condition improved, but there was no such sign. After absently fluffing the princess's pillow and bowing her head as Princess Raven laid herself down to sleep her anxieties away, Juliana took a seat beside Karen. The girl's expression was unreadable, and considering her own conflicted emotions, Juliana was sure her own face looked the same. They waited until the princess's breathing slowed and followed a regular tempo before turning to each other, exchanging nervous glances.

"I'm worried about the princess. This is her second fainting spell this week," Karen muttered.

Juliana snorted. "She's just touchy. All these royal types have a flair for the dramatic." Nevertheless, Juliana stole a glance at the princess's face, which seemed anguished even in sleep. "But it is odd. It seems like more than pre-wedding jitters to me." She searched Karen's eyes for agreement, and was profoundly relieved when Karen nodded quickly.

"I know what you mean. She seems disoriented. Gar was walking her to her room from the corridor leading to the servants' quarters this afternoon, but he insisted that she was trying to get back to her room and got lost."

Juliana felt the color drain from her face. "Alone?"

Karen nodded again.

"How could he be so stupid? A male servant alone with the princess, what would the other nobles think? Did he talk to her?" A third nod. "You don't think that Gar said anything he shouldn't have, do you? If he startled her with some idiotic declaration of love and she sees fit to tell the prince..."

"I would hope not. Vic is concerned," Karen agreed with a slight blush, her eyes set on the rise and fall of the princess's chest. "At first it just seemed like an innocent infatuation, but Gar never stops looking at her, and we all saw him at the proclamation tonight, he's genuinely hurting over her marriage. Not to mention that he was a little too worried about her little fall. Gar's going to end up swinging if the prince catches wind of his—"

"Don't," Juliana whispered with a shudder. She didn't mention that she knew this fear well as she stood and moved for the door; for her flirtatious messenger boy, a well-placed wink or sly comment at a queen or princess was par for the course. Why couldn't these boys be more careful with their affections? "Come on, she seems alright now. We should rest." Juliana offered a knowing smile. "Wouldn't want Victor to start worrying about you."

Karen huffed, pouting at Juliana's friendly ribbing, and walked out, finding herself at the northeastern corner of the main castle. She curtsied at the guard who stood a little way down the corridor out of courtesy to the princess and her privacy. Juliana did the same once the princess's door was closed, and they began their trek back to their own chambers. They were silent, so as not to disturb the other nobles and royalty who slept in this part of the castle.

Who should be sleeping, anyway, Juliana thought as she saw a sliver of light coming from the prince's chambers. His own guard was nowhere to be seen. Strange...

What was stranger, however, were the words that were coming from the lit room. "It has felt amiss ever since she arrived, Fantino."

They stopped short just beyond the door, Juliana looking to Karen for confirmation that she wasn't hearing things. Juliana knew that they should leave, knew that these words were not for their ears, but neither girl could budge.

"Something feels wrong," whispered the prince gravely. "There is a presence in the castle that perplexes me, something that should and should not be here."

"Magical?" Fantino's normally bright voice was low, much lower than Juliana would have thought possible.

There was a pause before Malchior continued. "I cannot be sure. It comes and goes, as though it is oft concealed. It stems from an individual, of that I am certain."

"Could it be the princess?"

"No, though she worries me in equal measure," Malchior replied, now sorrowful. "Her energy is waning. I fear that her continued stress is causing her magic to weaken and drain from her, but the issue cannot be resolved. She insists on her good health." There was another, longer pause before his voice dropped again. "It is imperative that her condition improve if we are to continue our marriage and confirm our alliance with—"

Azarath, naturally—that was the whole point of royal engagements, after all—but Juliana didn't get to hear him finish that sentence. The dull clunk of a royal guard's footfalls as he returned to his post was more than enough to set the girls moving again, both of their minds reeling at what they had just heard. If the prince was worried about an unknown magical presence in the castle...

Inexplicably, Juliana smirked. Things were finally starting to get interesting around here.

Raven breathed deeply, muttering her mantra under her breath. Her quarters were empty right now, but it was only a matter of time before the other girls returned to sleep, and she needed every second of meditation that she could get.

There was almost no way to hide it from them, and the lack of regular, full meditation was taking its toll. Raven cringed at the thought of her last, unexpected meeting with Gar; if he'd pushed her for another moment, she would have lost control...right? She was hit with a sudden wave of memory, heat crawling up her neck as she remembered the instant peace she had felt after seeing, feeling his concern through his eyes. The unexplained calm that washed over her. Raven had never experienced such a phenomenon before, and the only way to figure out how it had happened was through slow, careful thinking.

Or you could always try to experience it again, Raven thought to herself, the beginnings of a smile forming on her lips before her eyes flew open and her chant died in her throat. She didn't know where that thought had come from, but she took special care to mentally crush it into a fine powder with a chorus of no's. Settling back into position, Raven closed her eyes, continued her mantra, and definitely did not think about how much easier this would be if Garfield would come and calm her again.

A hand touched her shoulder, and Raven leapt out of her skin. A neat, long crack formed in the stone wall across the room and Raven whirled around to meet her attacker's eyes.

"Forgive me!" Kori retracted her hand as though she'd been burned. "You appeared to be sleeping, but you were sitting upright and I believed I could hear you speaking. I feared that you needed the comforting, so I—"

"Don't ever do that again," Raven whispered fiercely, her right hand at her heart and her left gripping her cot for stability. Keeping these foolish people safe from themselves was almost becoming more trouble than it was worth.

"My apologies," Kori said meekly, but Raven could feel anger bubbling behind that confusion. "I was merely trying to assist you."

Raven sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. The girl didn't know any better, and with luck, she wouldn't until Tara was far out of Malchior's range. If she ignored her, maybe she would go away.

"I wish to understand." Kori fiddled with her skirt nervously. "Why is it that you get the nerves around royalty?"

Taken aback by Kori's bluntness, Raven looked at her, unable to suppress her shock. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Kori was hesitant, clearly wishing to continue their conversation. To Raven's surprise, she cast her eyes downward. "I understand, but I am...disappointed. If we are to continue working together, it is crucial that we not keep the secrets, yes?"

For reasons unknown, Raven felt her heart beginning to break for this girl. Kori certainly knew how to get what she wanted. "Look, I'm not trying to keep secrets from you, I'd just rather not talk about it."

"I see," Kori said, in a calculating manner that sounded odd coming from her. "Then perhaps we should discuss something else." She raised an eyebrow and a devilish smirk graced her features. "How has working with Garfield been? The two of you have rarely been seen apart since your arrival."

Raven coughed on nothing in particular. "Believe me, that's not by choice."

"Oh? I have been beneath the impression that you are quite capable of voicing your displeasure with your assignment if that is necessary. Or is that also part of 'the nerves'?"

That smile was anything but innocent, and Raven knew it. Flushing pink, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I don't want to talk about this, either."

Kori's smile turned sweet, and she managed to make resting her elbows on her knees and holding her chin with her hands look triumphant. "He is quite kind, honestly."

"If by 'kind' you mean 'an outrageously immature pest', then I agree with you."

"I am not always the best with words, but I am certain that is not what I mean." There was no change in her expression, but Raven suddenly felt worried, and knew Kori must be feeling the same. "I fear that his kindness is not being put to the right use, however. If what Richard tells me is true, then Garfield may be placing himself in grave danger. He has grown too fond of Princess Raven, too close."

Raven scoffed, thinking of how Richard would react if he knew how near to the real princess that the entire serving staff had been. As for Garfield, she had already felt the uncomfortable waves of desire and embarrassment from Garfield each time Tara passed, but hearing it confirmed out loud somehow made things...different.

Kori turned back toward Raven, questioning. "Please, Tara. I know that there is much that you do not wish to divulge. I know that you do not think of us as friends." Raven looked away at the bitter sadness in Kori's voice. "But you and Garfield possess the closeness, whether or not you desire it. It was he who took you in, and it is he who has found a place for you here. If I am not mistaken, you owe him some sort of favor in return."

When Raven did not reply, Kori's demeanor became stony and fierce. "As your head housekeeper, I must request that you do the looking out for him. We shall protect him together. And if not..." A fire appeared to be roaring in Kori's heart. "I shall protect him without you."

I have enough people to protect without adding that little menace to the list, Raven thought bitterly, but for the first time since coming to Castle Nol, Raven was honestly intimidated by the woman in front of her. She could not afford to be on this girl's bad side any longer; if Kori saw fit to have Raven removed, there would be no possibility for her to be stealthy in her rescue and replacement of Tara. If protecting Tara meant protecting Garfield, too, she had no choice. Begrudgingly, Raven nodded. "Of course I will."

Kori instantly brightened, and surprisingly, enveloped the strange girl in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Tara," she whispered, and for all her coldness, Raven couldn't help feeling for a moment that she could actually belong with these people.

"Victor."

The harsh whisper was grating in his ears, but he didn't want to get up. "Please, no more meat pie," he mumbled, rolling over.

"Victor."

He grumbled, swatting softly at whoever was making the noise. "Nooooooooo..."

For his troubles, Victor was granted a hard blow to the side of the head. "Victor!"

Victor sat up like a shot, searching for the source of his discomfort. "What? Who? What's going on?"

A woman shushed him. "Victor, it's me."

"Karen?" he whispered, unconsciously straightening his back and puffing out his chest. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here at night, you should be in the girls' chambers!"

"I have to tell you something. Juliana and I..." She stopped, as if trying to figure out the best way to tell him. "We were walking down here from Princess Raven's bedchambers, and we heard the prince talking with Lord Fantino. He feels another magical presence in the castle."

If he hadn't been awake before, Victor was wide awake now. He glanced at Garfield's sleeping form next to him, curled up tightly and catlike as usual. "Another magical presence? Besides the princess, you mean."

Karen looked deadly serious. "One that has been trying to conceal itself."

"You're sure?"

"Have I been wrong before?"

Hoping desperately that it wasn't true, but seeing no alternative, he looked at Garfield one more time. Victor would let him sleep; now wasn't the time to tell him. "No."

That didn't stop him from wishing she was wrong now.

It's getting real, guys. Also, your reviews make me smile.

Gweneveire: Thanks! Hopefully I will be able to keep you guys guessing. The adaptation became a lot more loose as I went along, and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Glad to hear you're always eager for Sunday! :D

K-star: I don't know if Tara's decision was the smartest thing in the world, but to me, it was more impulsive and rushed than stupid. Kind of like her other decisions in canon. But yes, not a good plan! Excited to see what y'all think of what I have in store for her.

Elsie: The fainting makes me laugh, and THE FLOWERS ARE...just cool. For now. muahahahaha. I do not even want to know how much Gar's head will spin by the end of this. Actually, I do.

Anna: Arella makes everything more difficult. I anticipate having a lot of fun with those chapters.

K'chan's Kisses: YES THE ROYAL BUTT KICKING. It will be glorious. Or will it?

CowabungaBooyakasha: Ohhhh Arella. And her disapproval. And the rhymes. (Did you see Of Waffles and Secrets? IT'S BASED ON YOUR LAST REVIEW. :O)

BBxRae forever: Thank you. People who aren't fans of BBRae are lying to themselves...not really. To be honest, I ship BB and happiness, so on the show, whoever makes him happy is cool. I just need it to be Raven in my mind.

Guest: YAY!

TheInsaneAcrobat: You weren't at all rambly, or pointless. Though Raven would say that everything's pointless. I update pretty regularly, so at least you won't be left with a dead fic (finding old, beautiful ones and realizing they're unfinished and dead just makes me sad) Thank you for your words of encouragement! :)