I woke up to the feel of a calloused hand on my cheek lifting my head up. "Wake up." The voice snapped me out of my fitful slumber, a crick in my neck had me groaning and my back ached. I had fallen asleep right there on the ground. Emeric hovered over me and I pushed him away as the events and words of last night hit me. He merely chuckled but raised his hands.

"Don't ever touch me." I groggily tried to hiss as I stood up and distanced myself, nearly tripping over the mess I made and hadn't picked up. I looked down and then to Emeric, raising my nose defiantly and glared at him.

"I see you're going to make this difficult." His tone was even and his eyes seemed bored but he strode toward the door and walked out, barking for Alon. How long had I slept that Alon was already awake? I usually woke because of the cold really early, whereas the cabin was deliciously warm.

The ginger lieutenant came in and gaped at the mess. "Clean this up Alon, Mercy and I had a rough tumble last night so she may be a bit banged up where we got… out of hand." Emeric smirked and looked back at me.

My eyes wide, I stared hard at Emeric, wanting very much to blast him with a fireball, if only I knew how. But if he can make this look like we had… I shudder to think what other situations he could twist to make me look like… that.

"Oh. Uh… y-yes sir." Alon wouldn't look at me, his eyes downcast as he began cleaning up my mess. I moved to bend down to help but a grunt had me pausing. Sleeping on the floor was really bad. "It's alright, Lady Mercy." He wouldn't look at me, his face turned down and his eyes focusing on the floor as he continued to pick up things I had knocked over. I spied a flush of red on his cheeks but said nothing as I stood up and let him clean up my mess.

I left the cabin and shuffled off to Alise's tent, where I spied the woman asleep on a cot. Unwilling to disturb her, I left and went to take care of the dogs. Moar and Trouble greeted me excitedly as I filled their water trough and then went to visit Jany's tent to see about some meat.

As I walked across I paused to see Brig peering at me from his and Frail's tent. 'Come here. Urgent.' He signed to me and slipped back inside. Looking left and then right, I spied Emeric still at his cabin entrance watching Alon. Carefully I entered the tent and was pulled into a hug by Frail.

"Frail!"

"Did he touch you? Did he make any untoward advances?" Frail was lifting my arms up and examining me like a mother hen. His eyes quick and sharp but dreadfully worried.

"Thankfully no… I… I thought you…you wouldn't believe me either."

"I believe you. Plus, Brig confirmed what you saw. Brig never lies."

I looked to Brig and he looked down at the ground sadly. I'd have asked why he didn't tell anyone but knowing he only just got a handle of sign language let me know. Looking to Frail who was still examining me made me want to cry but I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I relayed what did happen to them as quickly as I could, worried someone would come looking for us. When I was finished Brig stood up grabbed me and pulled me in sharply for a hug and pet my hair. The big guy rarely was affectionate so this was a surprise.

"I can't believe Emeric would insinuate that you… you and I… and BRIG? No… Just… grrr… I'm not even attracted to women, no offense Mercy." He snapped and paced up and down the tent.

"None taken." I smiled as I watched him get upset for me. I was still upset but I couldn't linger on that. I had to concentrate on what was important. "It doesn't matter though. I still have to do something about the breach."

Frail paused and looked to Brig. Brig looked at me curiously. 'B-R-E-A-C-H?'

"I uh… only told him about the red lyrium thing, I didn't explain everything else to him." Frail looked at me sheepishly. "I figured if you were telling the truth about that… then everything else was true, too."

"No… you're… you're right. I need to come clean about a few things to some people. But not right now. I'll tell you about the Breach later Brig… or Frail can. Considering you guys are on scout duty tonight?" At their nod I left and went about my duties.

A little after lunch, I was barking orders at the mabari, seeing how fast they could react to a situation when it changed, when Alon stepped up to me.

"You do not have to do this anymore, you realize."

I peered at him and scowled. "Why not? I'm pulling my weight."

"Yes but…"

"Alon." I looked to him as he lowered his eyes. "Look at me." He wouldn't.

"You're his now. I do not have the right to look at you, Lady Mercy."

"Why is that? I'm not his, I'm not his fucking property like a… like a slave." I growled and Alon's eyes widened but he still refused to meet my gaze. "I'm my own person. Just because I'm part of the Blades doesn't mean my own personal freedoms go away. And if you think that I would ever… ever let that man touch me like…" I visibly shuddered. "…you have seriously not been paying attention to how I avoid him whenever possible." I gaped for breath after saying that.

"Why would Emeric say-"

"Because he knows how much it fucking bothers me!" I hissed at him, lightning charging up my arms in response. Why was it always lightning? Closing my eyes, I calmed myself and turned back to the dogs that were looking at me and Alon curiously. Duchess and Leo were wrestling… or wait. No they weren't wrestling. "LEO! You're too young to be doing something like that!" I walked up and pulled him off the runt and smacked his nose softly. "You're not even sexually mature yet, how do you even have these urges…"

"Actually, they are the right age to begin breeding, if we were breeders." Alon said softly as he looked down. "Mercy…I-"

"Just stop. He's your leader, I get it. You've known him longer, I get it. I'm the outsider. I know how it looks. Just drop it, I don't..." I sighed and rubbed my temples. "I don't want to dwell on this."

I crossed my arms and continued barking orders at dogs. Ha. Barking. That pulled a lackluster smirk from me.

Before dinner I met Jany in his and Mira's tent and handed over my letter. Thankfully he wasn't judging me for the recent gossip that had spread to the other Blades. He slipped it between a bundle of parchment, explaining how he wrote Mira every day and sent it once a week. It was cute, seeing how utterly devoted he was to his beloved.

I helped him with dinner, but rather than sit down with the rest of the blades I picked up two plates and hurried off to Alise's tent before she could wander out to join the rest or be seen by Emeric.

"Mercy?" She looked up surprised from whatever potion she was working on.

"I need help proving what I've seen is real."

"Mercy."

"I was thinking using the same concoction I drank from the ritual."

"Mercy." I ignored her and set her plate down but she grabbed my hand. "Mercy… there is little I can do."

"What do you mean?"

"After First Day I will be switching camps with Yvette." Her eyes were forlorn and her brows furrowed.

Switching camps? No. NO. "No. No… you have to stay, you're the only one that understands." I gripped her arms. "It's Emeric… he…he was saying how I used my body to get you to believe me…"

"Mercy… this has nothing to do with that. Although... you're not my type." She grinned at me, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What? I'm everybody's type." I pursed my lips but it dropped as I realized that she was indeed leaving. "Why do you have to leave?"

"Every few months we swap out mages because one camp gets attacked more on average than the other. It's to give the other a break. However, you're here and you're a much better healer than I am, so I will be moving to one of the other camps while you take over my duties." She pulled a book I had seen her writing in frequently. "This is for you, to prepare healing poultices. I also have a recipe for lyrium potions that you must follow the measurements and precautions exactly, we don't want you becoming lyrium addled."

Sighing, I grabbed the book and set it aside and looked at the mage. "It's not fair."

"Many things in life aren't fair. We can still see each other on scouting duty." She grinned as she picked at the food on her plate. I had no doubt Emeric was behind this. He was systematically separating me from my only friends here and the only ones who believed me. I had to do something.

" – you were saying?" Alise looked at me expectantly. At my blank look she mock glared. "You were saying something about the ritual?"

"Oh… just an idea I had. I had my biggest vision after drinking that potion or whatever it was right after I took my oath. I was wondering maybe I might trigger another vision if I drink it again?"

"That is a good idea, if not for one thing." Alise looked apologetically at me. "Emeric prepares it and it is stored in his cabin." Damnit. "But you have access to his cabin." Damnit…

Sighing as I rested my head on my hands. Alise patted my shoulder. "That's going to be tricky with him practically there."

"Come now. I'm sure you can… what did you say? Use your body to distract him?" She was teasing, surely.

"Gross. He's disgusting."

"Well…"

"Alise! Nooo he's creepy."

"I remember a time when I lusted after him. At the time he had a woman, mind you. Ahh pity."

"A woman?" Why do they phrase it like that? Not… a love interest? A lover? A girlfriend. Why do they have to call it like the woman was his property? "A question, if you'll indulge me Alise."

"As if I wouldn't." I mock glared and she gave me a cheeky grin while popping a piece of bread into her mouth.

"Alon said he had no right to look at me because I was Emeric's woman now. Aside from the fact it's a lie…" I trailed off at Alise's bewildered look that turned dark.

"Emeric is claiming you. All other males in the encampment are forbidden from looking at you if they harbor any feelings toward you." If they harbor… wait. WAIT. "That means Emeric knows Alon fancies you, if even the slightest. Ah it makes sense considering the last woman Emeric claimed…"

I tuned her out. Alon… fancied me? This was news to me. Well I mean… there were all the close calls. His accidentally seeing me naked. Or were they accidental? Was he intentionally walking in on me? I flushed at the thought. If I had known earlier, like a month earlier I might have invited him into my bed but now… now I was still angry at him for not believing me. Could I really fault him for that, though?

I shook my head and then shook it again. No. I have to stay focused. The Breach is the most important thing right now. I had to see more of it and if I could trigger another vision with that ritual drink, then even better.

"…she ended up toying with both our leader and lieutenant." Alise finished off whatever she had gone off on. I briefly felt bad for not listening but simply nodded. I couldn't rely on Alise for this. Better to leave her out of this as I was sure Emeric was still sending her away to isolate me.

She and I discussed more of her duties and how I'll be the camp's primary healer and to ensure I take breaks between each healing to replenish my mana. This I knew already, although I would be remiss to tell her how I knew. Really it's common sense to any gamer to let your mage recuperate mana either by feeding them a potion or letting it regenerate over time in most games. Not that I'd ever tell her that.

I had the books I needed from her and did a quick test to show her I indeed knew how to prepare a simple elfroot potion by myself. It was a lot like making tea no… more like a soup but with just elfroot and letting it stew until it formed a thick sauce of sorts as the natural oils of the elfroot was sapped out. If you let it stew longer, add embrium, and let it form a paste you've get a healing poultice, which were used to place on wounds that couldn't be fully healed with just magic. Then you bandaged the wound up. This was assuming no organs had been damaged beyond repair.

I left her tent feeling dejected. I'll be losing her come First Day but hopefully right after that, people (namely Emeric and Alon) will see that I am telling the truth. That is assuming the breach happens on or around First Day.

As I walked toward Emeric's cabin doubt snuck its way into my mind.

What if the Breach doesn't happen as soon as it turns 9:41? What if it takes a few days? A few weeks? After all the seasons never really change in the game, you don't know what time of year it is, only that it starts in the Frostback Mountains, which based on the name alone means they are always snowy no matter the time of year.

The Hinterlands looked about to be early winter or late winter when the Herald trampled through it in my games. Was it winter? Or was it spring?

I couldn't even count on the dates for the events in Halamshiral at the Winter Palace. It was used as a ball and setting for talks between the Grand-Duke what's-his-name and the Empress Celene. Just because the palace is called the Winter Palace, doesn't mean it is only ever used during winter.

Chewing my lip, I entered the cabin to see Emeric, Alon, Patrice, and Bryant around the table. Cards perched in their hands as visible gold sovereigns were dumped into the center. Wha-what?

"Ah, Mercy. Good you're here." Emeric turned to me, a clear glint in his eyes as he stood and pulled a seat out presumably for me.

I narrowed my eyes at Emeric and walked past the offered chair to put the books in my cot only to freeze as I saw mine and Emeric's cots were pushed together, in the center as though it was one large bed with bedding and blankets bundled together. My bag of clothes were missing but I spied my other pair of boots at the end of the conjoined cots right next to Emeric's.

Lightning burst from my fingers as I formed a fist, slammed the books on the small nightstand, for lack of a better word and about faced to see the others had looked back at me. Emeric's grin became smug as he leaned against the chair he had vacated.

Accusing him of lying in front of his most loyal followers would get me nowhere. I took a deep breath. "I'm sleepy. I thought I'd…" I gulped as I decided to play along. "…we'd retire early." I fought back the horrified and disgusted feeling and looked dead on at Emeric who raised one shocked eyebrow but nodded. He made to open his mouth to, I assume, agree with me but was interrupted.

"Surely, one game won't hurt?" This was Alon. Alon had asked and he dared to look up and we made eye contact. I felt a fluttering inside.

Have I ever said how weak I am?

Doombug: As satisfying as killing Emeric in his sleep would be, it wouldn't end well for her if she did considering there is a FULL encampment of his supporters, friends and "family" right outside the cabin.

5 Coloured Walker: Thank you for the sentiments but I think so far it's appropriately valued considering there has been little contact with any of the canon characters thus far. I'm sure once that happens it will be "valued" a bit more but for now I'm comfortable with my small little niche of readerships. If I started with a lot of readers I'd be hesitant to move Mercy away from the Blades as the chapters progress. But for now, it's more than fine.