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Chapter 14: The Final Grains of Sand

No one slept easy that night.

Kori hadn't even fallen asleep yet, her breathing still quick and uneven as she laid in the cot beside hers. Juliana was understandably shaken, and tossed and turned relentlessly, while Karen's uneasy sleep seemed to be punctuated with the occasional nightmare, based on the negativity emanating from the girl. In the boys' chambers, the faint auras of Richard and Victor were distraught and dark, harder to fully read from a distance but strong enough to sense. Only Garfield seemed to be the same as usual, but that only meant that his feelings of worry and affection were still seeping into the air. Raven could feel everything, and had the added misfortune of knowing what it meant.

Her "friends" were onto her.

To her credit, Juliana did not seem to have told any of them what was truly happening. Her early protestation at her inclusion in the secret was quickly silenced when Raven explained to her the painful and bloody repercussions of disobeying a member of the royal family. Even when Kori had pleaded with Juliana to confess the reason for her shaking hands and bloodshot eyes, Juliana only glanced at Raven for a second before muttering something about stress. The look was not missed by anyone in the room. Raven was sure in that moment that they suspected her, certainly they did, but they did not know, and knowing was an entirely different matter. Without evidence, the words of her fellow servants would fall on deaf ears; Raven could only hope that if they were fool enough to make any accusations, their words would not earn them any punishment.

Her fellows did not know everything that was going on in their castle. That did not change the fact that Raven and Tara were worse than out of time. In truth, the final grains of sand in their hourglass had already fallen, and the two were running on the time it would take for someone to notice. Tara's insistence that she properly leave the very place that Raven knew would swallow her whole made her task even harder.

Kori still wasn't asleep, the only other waking aura in the girls' chambers. Frustrated, Raven tried deliberately to convince her that there was no point in staying awake; she kept herself still, attempting to slowly pace the rise and fall of her chest.

"Tara?"

Cursing mentally, Raven pretended not to hear.

"Tara."

Raven kept her frustration from affecting her breathing as best she could.

"Tara." The whispered voice came closer, Raven realized, and a soft hand was trying to shake her from sleep.

Unable to maintain the facade any longer, Raven blearily opened an eye to see her head housekeeper's flaming red hair hanging just above her face. "What is it, Kori?"

Under normal circumstances, Kori would have hesitated, or attempted to speak more gently. Raven saw that Kori did none of these things, but instead chose to hoist her up by her upper arm. "Please walk with me." There was no hint of a question in the girl's voice.

"Kori, we aren't allowed to wander around the castle at night," Raven whispered, trying to pull free and finding that Kori was, to her disappointment, stronger than she looked.

"I have no intention of walking the castle."

With a quiet ferocity, Kori opened the door to the boys' chambers and dragged Raven inside. Raven contented herself with a quick emotional sweep; all of them were asleep, thank Azar, but that didn't explain what was happening.

When Raven turned to face Kori with a silent question, Kori frowned. "Do you not understand why I have brought you here?"

A comically loud snore from Victor, and Raven shook her head.

"Look at him."

Raven wasn't sure how she knew which "him" she was meant to look at, but she instinctively turned to Garfield. Lines of concern painted his face, and despite the warmth of the room, he trembled in his sleep. He turned over for the second time in a minute, his jaw clenched. The turn caused the blanket to fall away slightly, exposing his bare chest, toned and sculpted from so many years of hard labor...toned?

"Your secrets worry him," Kori hissed, apparently not seeing Raven's furiously red blush. "They worry all of us, truly, but he has confessed to me that he fears for your wellbeing."

He was that concerned about her? Raven supposed that she had known, somewhere, but the news of his concern made her bones ache and she wanted to stretch, as if something had woken up. "Why are you telling me this?"

Kori spoke, cold and clear. "I offer you one chance to inform me of the nature of your secret. If your reason is honest and true, then perhaps Richard will not tell the regent that you have been concealing your magical prowess from him. If not, then I suggest you do the praying for the prince's mercy."

When Raven said nothing, Kori continued. "This will hurt him, if you choose to keep your secrets any longer, and we have made a pact to protect Garfield."

"I have no magic," Raven said, feeling the lie fill the air and suffocate them both. "That's the truth of it, and you have no evidence to the contrary."

"I do not," Kori admitted, her face stony. "But from what I have gathered, Garfield does."

Adrenaline pumped through her system, but Raven's heart felt as though it had slowed. If Richard came forward, Garfield would be called to testify before any action would be taken. Belief in his confession meant that Raven would be discovered, which would spell death for Tara, so Raven would have to cast enough doubt. If he came forward with a false story...

"He has nothing," Raven said, but she didn't believe it. He had enough to raise suspicion.

"If he is not believed..." Kori changed, heartbroken. "Our prince has killed for less."

They didn't know. They had no idea what they were doing, any of them. Tara couldn't afford another day, not with this looming over them now; she had to run tonight, now, yesterday...and there wasn't time. Tara was unprepared. Richard was sentencing himself and Garfield to death if Raven could manage to keep Tara safe, a task that was looking more and more like a miracle every second. Even if she was able to drag Tara out of bed and send her away tonight without being detected by the guards or sensed by Malchior, the servants would be hurt, possibly killed, for not coming forward sooner. And Raven hadn't even thought of her own consequences. Who knew what would happen to her?

The only way to stop the turmoil in her mind was to make everything silent. She closed her eyes, sat against the wall, and breathed. After a long wait, Kori sighed, tears filling her eyes as she reluctantly turned back toward the girls' chambers, ready to cry herself to sleep over a grim tomorrow. Raven knew that there were a thousand worse tomorrows before them.

Well, she supposed she'd gotten what she wanted. She was a part of something important now.

Juliana was buried under the weight of the princess's secret and didn't even have the satisfaction of knowing what the purpose was. She didn't know who the impostor was, or why she meant so much to the true princess, and why Princess Raven wouldn't reveal her, hadn't yet revealed her. The questions haunted her even in dreams.

It felt wrong. The impostor needed to be revealed, but Juliana couldn't see how. Princess Raven was bent on protecting her, and had magic to do so when words weren't enough. The other servants suspected that Raven was up to something illicit, but they also still thought she was a wayward mage called Tara, so their counsel was useless.

When she woke, the sun still had yet to rise, and the other servant girls still slept, even the princess. Juliana opened the door and walked without needing to know where her feet took her.

The staircases wound and turned, and guards waited around every corner, but Juliana knew these halls. It always seemed to be her luck that no one was around the corners she wanted to turn; Juliana didn't know if that made her lucky, or them unlucky. Tonight, it didn't matter. She was only thankful for it.

When she found herself at the right corridor, she saw that Sir Wallace's guard had fallen asleep: the final necessary stroke of luck. His door would be unlocked, she knew it would be; she'd made this walk before. Slowly, Juliana pushed the door open, careful to slip through, quiet and catlike. Hardly knowing what she did, Juliana felt herself shaking Wally awake, heard her own frantic whisper of his name without feeling it escape her throat, watched him stir from outside herself.

"Well, hello, beautiful," Wally murmured with a knowing grin. "Couldn't even wait for me to wake up before you—"

"Quiet, you idiot." He winked, and she pushed him. Now was not the time for banter. "I need to tell you something."

Her urgency must have gotten through to him, because the joking left his face, leaving behind only earnestness. "Jule?"

"Do you think there's anything...odd...about the princess?"

Wally frowned. "I thought so when she first got here. She really looks nothing like her mother. Nothing at all. But I guess that's the curse, like she said. People say the curse also made the princess cold, but looking at the queen, it seems inherited. But Princess Raven's turned out to be nothing like her. In looks, in personality..."

"She isn't anything like the queen because..." Juliana remembered the princess's glowing eyes, her threats, the danger, and her bravery left her. "I think that...I think that the princess is in trouble."

There was no shock in Wally's face, and that alone made Juliana wary. "I think so, too."

"You do?"

Wally nodded, his face uncharacteristically grim. "The prince has been sending a lot of messages lately."

That couldn't be right. Wally was their only messenger; he'd been given the enchantment, good at his work, trusted by the prince for ages. He had hardly left the castle, except for the day he'd brought the news of the upcoming wedding to the Queen of Azarath. "But...you've been here," Juliana said, numb.

"They haven't been going through me."

Through the open window, Juliana watched the sun rise, slowly. Even it seemed to be apprehensive.

Tara had never dreaded a sunrise more in her life.

Today would be harder than anything she had ever known. She was leaving it all behind just as quickly as she had gotten it, with hardly any word and all in secret. She wondered for a moment if the people would miss her. Maybe when they saw Raven, they'd clamor for her to return...

The thought was ridiculous, so much so that even her broken mind could tell. What would life be like outside a castle? As a commoner? Would she spend her life walking the kingdoms? Tara could meet new people in each new land, see things that even Raven would never be able to see. It would be hard, much harder than her life in the castle, but at least she could live without wondering when she would be discovered. A sense of wanderlust filled up within her, and suddenly, leaving didn't seem so bad.

But she was scared. She'd never lived alone before; even her former life as a lady-in-waiting in Azarath had been relatively comfortable, even if Tara had spent half of it tending to the cursed princess. And Malchior...would she always love him? Would she spend her life pining for a man she could never have? This was unbearable. She couldn't leave, not now; she almost thought for a moment that she'd rather die than leave this. She hated Raven. Trying not to sob, Tara opened the doors that led to her balcony and stepped outside. The sun was rising higher in the sky. She had nothing but borrowed time now, and didn't even know what she would do when it ran out.

From her balcony, she saw two figures leading sheep: the boy—Garfield—and Raven.

The boy.

The boy.

And from nothing, there was a plan.

Next chapter: the dreaded last day. Please, as usual, let me know what you think! The sheer number of reviews, follows, and views on this story have been INSANE, more than I ever imagined for a beginning fanfic writer. I have you guys to thank for that. Again, best readers in. The. World.

Lilybud: Thank you! I feel like I just keep piling on stress for you guys. The knot will unravel...eventually.

Gweneveire: Perfect?! Awwww...thank you! Your wait is over, but now the new wait begins. Until next Sunday!

TheInsaneAcrobat: YAYS. Happy birthday, btw! Hope it was a good one. And there ain't nothing wrong with being eccentric, JUST LOOK AT ME.

Anna: Thanks! Tara's characterization is HARD, mostly because she had to change to fit the story, but I'm glad that I've achieved something looking like balance. As for Gar and Raven...I will say nothing.

CowabungaBooyakasha: But cliffhangers are so much fun to write (of course, I know what will happen next, and you don't.) Don't take it away from me! :D

moreorlessanonymous: Your birthday, too?! This fandom has had enough birthdays lately. LOL

K-chan's Kisses: I guess when this is over...um, I actually haven't thought about what I will do next, I've been so wrapped up in this. I suspect another chaptered story will emerge in time. :) I'm glad you're still enjoying this!

Elsie: Well-meaning and lovable they may be, but they're driving Raven crazy (and me too!) Eventually this mess will get cleaned up, sort of. hehehe

Julia: Thank you! There's still plenty of chapters to come, so never fear. :)

BBxRae forever: Thank you ! Raven and Beast Boy do rock. :D Also TTG has convinced me that Robin and Cyborg are slowly becoming my favorite characters in that canon. TITAN TESTTTTTTT

Xaphrin: Oh wow! Thank you! I'm so glad you feel you can speak so highly of little ol' me. Here's hoping I can continue to deliver!