[][Andrew][]

Despite Frederick's terrible handling of the announcement, the panic was at least partially contained. Soldiers filed in behind him, sweeping around the periphery of the room and forming up.

Wincing at the cacophony of demands for information and treatment, I looked around me. I hadn't drunk any wine, but what about Maribelle, or Tiki? Or, well, I hoped everyone was going to be alright. Maribelle, still standing next to me, had her fists clenched and her jaw set in a tight grimace.

"Andrew," she said lowly, pausing to take a deep breath as a panicked noble brushed against her shoulder, "I'm going to find my father. I think it would be best if you accompany Lady Tiki."

I peered over the crowd, looking for green hair. I didn't really know what to think, or what even to feel- Assassins? Poison? "Alright," I replied, sagging under sudden exhaustion, "Stay safe, Maribelle."

Maribelle nodded, slipping through the crowd as I moved towards Tiki. She's kind of hard to miss, especially when most people give her a two-meter berth. That might have been the white wine she was still drinking, though. That bubble of berth approached once Tiki noticed me and started walking over.

Quickly draining the last sips of probably poisoned wine, she smiled toothily and opened her mouth to speak. "Too bitter indeed," she mused, "And a poor attempt at murder, if I was the-"

"Everyone!" A voice roared over the crowd, commanding it to sudden silence. We turned towards the front of the room, and consequently towards the speaker; Chrom. "The Guard is here to protect us. If, ah," he paused, leaning over to exchange whispered words with Frederick, "The poison won't kill anyone, don't worry. If you drank any of the white wine, follow Captain Barlos- that man over there. Everyone else, go with Frederick. The assassins are on the other side of the palace, and there's a quick way out of here that we can use."

Mary, who had been silent so far, said something I couldn't hear before sidling into the crowd. Frederick's expression went through several phases of irritability, and Chrom just shrugged. "If you suspect you've been poisoned tonight, do your best not to sit down or rest too much. Apparently this poison makes people fall asleep easily?"

"I would have suspected grey orpiment, accounting for the bitterness," Tiki mused, tapping a foot against the polished wood floor, "Though I would have noticed on my own, rather than having to hear it pointed out. Certainly not a breed of nightshade, by that token..."

I didn't recognize the name 'grey orpiment' in the slightest, unsurprisingly. I'd taken maybe three chemistry classes and poisoning isn't exactly something you see for exam questions. Shaking my head, I focused more on the nobles filtering out of the room and consequently saw the guards giving us strange glances.

"We should probably get going, Tiki," I worked out, fidgeting in place, "Assassins and all that. I mean, I know you'll be fine, but," I halted, taking a breath. There was a tension in my chest, a stretched feeling that had my body on edge. It wasn't fatigue, even if I felt tired, so what was it? "I'm a bit squishy, and, you know."

Tiki tilted her head, frowning. "We should be going," she agreed eventually, turning towards the front of the room. "You didn't drink this evening, correct?"

I shook my head, wishing I had something to tighten my grip on. "No, I'm fine. I- I'm just worried."

"There you are, Tiki. Oh, Andrew too, fancy seeing you here," Mary declared, practically popping out of the thinning crowd, hastily putting her hair up in a ponytail. Without turning away, she matched our pace, effectively walking at a slight angle to keep up with us as we left the room.

Oddly, Tiki just huffed, crossing her arms. "Go on."

I settled on waving, but that felt awkward given Mary was maybe two meters away. She seemed to agree, rolling her eyes and gesturing towards me in a vague approximation of a wave.

"I'll keep this short, because I'm only paid to be here until sunrise," she continued, bringing her hands down and resting them on her hips. Biting her lip for a moment, she brought up her hands again and started counting off. "Lissa and Gaius never actually entered the ball, and I know you were all together before this. The guards have already been sent out in search parties, but if I can get there faster, there's a lot less risk."

The tension in my chest went wholly sideways, wrapping itself into a more tangible sense of worry. I silently wished I'd kept my sword on me. "I should've noticed," I sighed, my breath hitching briefly as I ran a hand through my hair. "Neither of them really would've wanted to go anyways. I didn't actually see Lissa, but I can show you the garden where Gaius was."

Tiki opened her mouth, closed it again, and then opened it to exhale a puff of bluish-green embers. "I saw them as well, and I would rather avoid being herded like a sheep," she paused, eyeing me as a snickered, "Pun not intended."

Mary regarded us both carefully, lips quirked in a smile. "Well, Andrew? Are you coming?"

Blinking, I put my hands up reflexively, only to snap them back down. This could be dangerous! Sure, Tiki was coming, but I really shouldn't be running into danger. "Actually, yes. Only, I don't have my-"

Putting a hand up to stop me, Mary shook her head. She pointed us towards a door instead, using her other hand to gesture at a group of guards. "Over here. Yes, I know, Frederick's probably told you not to trust me, and I don't really care. Move aside, we're going out to look for Princess Lissa, and Lady Tiki here can vouch for my character."

Tiki shrugged. "I will be accompanying her. That is more than enough endorsement."

Letting out a sharp sigh, Mary lowered her voice. "Figured you wouldn't actually vouch, no surprise there. Andrew, you left your sword in a dressing room, so a servant brought it to us. I figured I'd hold onto it, because you are not dying until I've apologized, alright?"

"Is that a threat, or a compliment?" I mused, scratching my chin. Warmth blossomed in my chest regardless; I knew the answer.

"Perhaps a promise," Tiki contributed, inspecting her fingernails. "I hope the Exalted line is not terribly attached to these outfits. Blood is quite tricky to wash out."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get going."

[][][][][][][][]

The night was a dreadful sort of quiet; terse and suffocating, drawn taut like a frayed bowstring. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, even as I fought that panicked cadence with deep breaths. Footsteps echoed back at us, barely piercing the thick air.

We swept through the halls at a brisk pace, stopping only briefly for Mary to vanish into a side room. She emerged with the Duke in its sheath, tossing it to me without even pausing to look.

I almost nailed the catch, fumbling briefly and nearly dropping it in the process of trying to buckle it. Mary snorted, pointing down the hallway. "Where are we going from here? You're too lightly armored to be walking in front. All of us are, and yes I know you've got scales, Tiki."

Nodding hastily, I kept a hand on my sword. "Right, um. And that way we can work together if we run into anyone."

Mary bit her lip, tapping a finger to her chin. "I'm not the best team player, but I'm passable. Go on, Andrew."

"Oh!" I said with a start, fidgeting. How had we gotten to the ball again? I closed my eyes briefly. "Around the corner- er, turning left, here, and then right into a courtyard."

We duly started walking, sticking close together. It was hard to focus on anything more complicated than walking- my mind was a tumult of half-formed thoughts and fragmented fears.

"You seem nervous," Tiki murmured, yanking my focus back. "I sympathize, Andrew. Do not fear the worst of what is to come."

I took a shuddering breath, looking sidelong at Tiki. "Easier said than done."

"The worst part is the waiting," Mary said abruptly, turning a dagger over in her hands, "Especially when you don't know where the enemy is."

"Is that supposed to be comforting?" I forced a smirk, crossing my arms as we rounded the corner. "I guess it's the thought that counts."

"If we're doing thoughts, I'm going to ask for a bonus. Assassins weren't covered in my contract, and Frederick's going to say some nonsense about 'Protecting the Exalted line is its own reward, Anna'," Mary huffed, dropping her voice a few octaves and putting on a sour expression, "I'll tell you where to put that righteous attitude, Frederick. Right up your-"

Three masked men emerged from a moonlit doorway, rounding on us with daggers and swords drawn.

"And of course they're not going to run away, that would be far too reasonable for Ylissean assassins," Mary cut herself off with a sigh, rolling her shoulders. "Let's get to work."

I barely had time to draw my sword before they were upon us, a hasty thrust putting me on the defensive. Drawing upon Olivia's instruction, I readied my sword with a slight upward tilt, swinging it across my body. It's hard to accurately block a dagger thrust, but a moving blade can more easily push that thrust off course.

As hoped, my blade served as a ramp for his dagger, pushing it up and off to the side. I recalled a heartbeat too late that it didn't work as well against skilled opponents. Like, say, assassins.

Pressing against the edge of my sword, he stepped in close and dragged his dagger straight down to my guard. A simple twist as all it took for steel to taste flesh, leaving a sharp and blooming pain at the base of my thumb.

The world split in pain's wake, a jagged edge clearing the way so the present might take center stage. Biting back a hiss, I let the assassin force me back a half-step. He pressed his advantage handily, aiming to slice across my exposed left side.

I took a full step back, catching Tiki and Anna in the periphery of my vision. I couldn't afford to move back any further. They were no doubt handling their opponents better than I, but opening them up to attacks from the side would put us all in danger.

A full step was all I needed. Twisting my hand- damn, that stung- so that my sword's tip pointed towards the ground, I yanked it into a broad, upward swing that whistled through the air. In the heartbeat it took the assassin to move out of the way, I was able to halt my sword's movement and lunge forward in a thrust.

I grinned. Two steps forward for me. The grin lasted until I remembered that yes, one of us was going to die here, and it didn't feel right to enjoy that.

Another thrust, barely dodged; another half-step back for me. A swing at my stomach, grazing my side, and I was a full step back.

No time to worry, Andrew. Focus.

"Why won't you just die?" the assassin hissed, flitting between my strikes. I hadn't landed a blow yet, but he couldn't dodge forever. Hopefully.

"I'm really bad at it," I said between breaths, trying to grin. I went to stab him again, and this time my sword came back with a red tinged tip.

Pushing him back with another broad swing, I grit my teeth against the growing ache in my arms and the insistent soreness in my right shoulder. I'd slacked off on my practice, and the price was being paid.

Thrust, parry, slash, sidestep. Steel met steel, ringing out and echoing back through broad halls. The cut on my hand was joined by another on my side, and soon after a thin red line across my forearm.

I wasn't going to win this, not on my own.

Tiki agreed, or perhaps she just saw an opportunity and took it. I'd forced the assassin back once again; his retreat was sent sidelong when Tiki reached out and cuffed him in the shoulder.

The assassin said a lot of unprintable things, scrabbling to recover. Some of them were actually new to me, and I filed those away for later. It did occur to me that now was a bad time for interesting observations, but I'd already made one and I might as well do another.

"You know, I think this is the first time-" I paused, grunting as I deflected a sloppy thrust from the recovering assassin, "That we've all fought together." Stepping forward, I slashed my blade upwards, scoring a thin line across the assassin's armor. I got a nick on the arm in exchange, but now he was on the defensive.

"Really," Mary frowned, dancing through her opponent's swings, "It's not like we got in fights very often. I'd believe it, but what about the time on the ship?" She ducked under a horizontal slice, one leg bent as the other swept the assassin's feet out from under him.

The guard chose that moment to show up, punctuated by my opponent getting slammed in the face with a shield. Or at least, I assumed it was the guard; I hadn't really been paying much attention to what was going on behind me.

Mary stepped to the side, allowing the guard through and into the courtyard. I did my best to fight the sinking feeling in my gut. Surely, we would've heard something if there had been trouble, and Gaius is no slouch in combat.

Tiki grabbed the sword of her opponent mid-thrust, yanking it and the assassin forward. "I would not count that, personally. We were fighting in proximity, but not fighting together." Bringing one hand up to her collarbone, she swung her elbow directly into the assassin's temple as he slid past, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

She inspected the assassin's sword, which she'd managed to hold on to. "A bit worn, but otherwise quite high quality," she remarked, "Unless steel has changed drastically in the last few centuries, the patron behind these assassins spared little expense. Anna?"

Mary grunted in response, wiping off a bloodied dagger with the cloak of a downed assassin.

"The issue with assassins, Tiki," Mary drawled, her eyes on me as I walked over to peer into the courtyard, "Is that you usually know when there's some on the continent. Most are just thieves looking for a bigger payout, so they probably just stole their weapons. This one's actually from the palace armory," she paused, picking up another sword, "I think it is, at least. Any sign of our quarry, Andrew?"

"We're not hunting Lissa and Gaius," I admonished, thinking about it, "Well, I guess we are. But we're not assassins. And, erm, no." Suddenly feeling a bit tired, I rested my weight against the wall. "Have you all seen anything?"

"Not a criminal in sight, sir," one replied stiffly, "I'm no detective, sir, but there aren't signs of struggle, either."

"Technically one criminal in sight, I was in jail for a bit," Mary shrugged, earning strange looks from myself and Tiki, "But not a total loss, given we dealt with some assassins. Any ideas where they might have gone? Tiki, Andrew? Especially Andrew?"

Wiping sweat from my brow, I frowned. Why me, especially? "This didn't happen in my... er, records, so I've got nothing. Wait, Anna, why'd you go to-"

"I believe she was referring to your bond with Lissa. You quite infamously get along, despite your normally orderly disposition," Tiki interrupted, sniffing the air carefully. "I have no leads, myself."

Bond with Lissa, huh. My stomach growled, and I put a hand against it. "Good point, Tiki. I'll think on it, but it might be hard to think when I'm so-"

"They're in the kitchen," Mary and I said, barely a heartbeat apart. We exchanged a bemused glance, entirely ignoring Tiki's snickering.

One of the guards smacked himself on the helmet. "Of course milady would be there. Good thinking, sir."

"Well, let's be off," Tiki decided, gesturing broadly towards the castle. "I am quite peckish myself, and if I do not eat I will need a nap within the hour."

Normally, we might have bantered for a moment, but given the whole assassination thing, we got a move on. I did get to ask Mary a very important question, though.

"You went to jail once?" I frowned, tapping the tip of my sword against my boot. "Didn't expect that."

"What, disappointed?" Mary shot back, rolling her eyes. "You know how I am. I was up for the headsman's axe, but I got better rather than dead."

"Morally better, or did you get out of prison? Saying you 'got better'," I paused, caught between a grin and a snort, "Makes me think that execution is contagious."

"Must be," she shrugged, smiling back, "Everyone there caught it quite suddenly."

That broke the dam, and I barely managed to keep moving as I laughed. Tension sloughed from my shoulders in waves, and I was happy to see Mary's eyes gleam. "Gods, that shouldn't be funny," I gasped, still fighting the giggles, "Thanks for that, M- er, Anna."

[][][][][][][][]

My first impression of the kitchens was "Whoa."

That's a lie. My first impression was noisy gasping because I was still very sore and everyone else here was much more athletic than I.

So. My first coherent impression was "Whoa".

There was a lot to take in. The kitchens took up a huge amount of space, the walls lined with ovens and wood-stoves on one half with four long tables stretching across the middle. A rather impressive stack of canvas sacks sat next to one of the ovens, potatoes spilling from the top sack. The other side of the room had various plates, jars of spices, and various things I assumed were seasonings.

Also, the entire place was coated in flour, which led to my second impression a heartbeat later. Gaius and Lissa had absolutely snuck into the kitchens, and the assassins had come up with the same plan.

It was grimly amusing, honestly. Six assassins were coated head to toe in flour, yes, six, I have no idea how so many people were able to sneak into the castle like that. A sinking feeling in my gut told me that someone let them in, and I wasn't a fan of that idea.

On the upside, Gaius and Lissa were alive and well. Pinned up against the cupboard as they were, a well-placed fallen table forced the assassins to come at him one at a time. He'd picked up a wooden pot lid to help protect himself and Lissa from attacks, too.

My first instinct was to dive in and help. Soreness and common sense held me back- we had guards with us, and Mary had already told me to not die, so I hung back. The guards rushed in ahead of us, ruining their element of surprise but compensating with numbers and armor.

"I'm glad Prince Chrom has such deep pockets," Mary grimaced, drawing her daggers, "This kitchen's wrecked, and you know we're going to get covered in flour."

"Can't you just set them on fire?" Mary frowned, edging around the group and looking for an opening, "That seems to work most of the time."

I shook my head emphatically, but Tiki got to the answer first. "Flour, when spread across surfaces, readily catches flame. It would certainly solve our problem," she stroked her chin, smiling faintly. "A certain amount of panic on their part would help our cause," Tiki remarked, exhaling a cloud of white-hot embers.

"Tiki, that just sounds like arson with extra steps," I admonished her, waving the embers from the air. I had to blink a few times before the light spots in my eyes faded away, though.

Tiki's cheeks warmed slightly. "Perhaps I am too used to sieges," she admitted, "And I do suppose we want this castle to continue existing."

"Can't get paid if my clients are dead," Mary nodded sagely, catching our expressions, "I'd rather they not die for other reasons, too. Gaius, Princess Lissa! Are you two holding out?"

"How do you think, Anna?" Gaius shouted back, "We should be fine but- guh- I'm not good with shields!"

His statement was punctuated by a thunk as Lissa reached over and clubbed one of the assassins in the head. "Hey, Andrew! Did you know the kitchens stock caramel now? Because I didn't! I'll share some with you after this, unless Gaius ate it all."

She stuck out her tongue, clearly trying to smile and almost succeeding. Gaius huffed with the same amount of confidence. "I'm a candy addict, not a bottomless pit like Stahl."

"Anyways!" Mary said loudly, "There's absolutely no progress here," she continued, dancing out of the way of a bloodied dagger-tip. Following the line of action, I looked more closely at the scuffle between assassins and guards. Everyone was having trouble with the flour-slicked floor, and this wasn't even the first large assassination attempt on the castle this year. Suffice to say, the guards had some experience.

Well, Mary seemed to be handling herself well, though her movements were jerkier than usual. "Any ideas?" she shouted, looking directly at me.

I looked at her, then to Tiki, and then to the kitchen. I looked back at Mary, thought for a moment, and then looked directly at the potatoes. I failed to restrain a grin. "I might have a plan."

Mary crossed her arms, brow furrowed. "Make them slip on potatoes?"

"Make them slip on potatoes," I agreed, "We just need to not knock over the guards."

"Or," Tiki interjected, hefting a kitchen knife she'd found... somewhere in this room, I assumed. She closed one eye, stuck her tongue out, and tossed the knife end-over-end in less than a second.

It missed everyone by a wide margin.

"Was that-"

shink

The knife buried itself up to the handle in the floor just beyond the sacks of potatoes.

"Ohhh," I nodded, "That's a good idea."

The sacks of potatoes split open, unleashing their contents on the assassins like a wave of starchy death.

I'm not sure there's a less professional way to lose a fight than to trip on a potato.

"I could've done that," Mary grumbled, "Just didn't want to waste a good knife."

"Is there a professional way to lose a fight when you're an assassin?" I mused, stroking my chin.

Mary gave me an odd look. "Was that thought supposed to stay inside your head, Andrew? Because I think I'm missing something here."

I shrugged, trying to meet Mary's eyes. Why was everything so... fuzzy?

Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Hm. That couldn't be good.

Was the ground always this close?

[][][][][][][][]

There was no crisp moment of awareness before I found myself somewhere, where corners were too sharp but the colors too smooth and soft.

I took a long, deep breath, drinking in the steam and smoke-laced air. It carried a faint, floral scent to it, echoing a fruity tang that danced at the edge of recognition. "Hibiscus," the name came to me, "Haven't had that tea in years."

My vision resolved itself, bringing with it new sensations and a familiar face. Dark wood panels, white columns, and a fireplace holding a green-blue flame. Bookshelves lined the walls, stuffed to the brim and sagging under their own weight, spilling out onto a floor piled high with pillows and half-finished sketches. A desk sat snugly between two, and-

"It shall be precisely as you remember it," Naga said softly, eyes crinkled in an ethereal smile. "Such as it always is."

Yes, Naga was here again. Or maybe I was there. Semantics. I watched Naga reach over with a teapot, pouring me a cup of bright red tea.

"Poisoned dagger?" I guessed, taking a long and careful sip from my teacup. Tart and sweet, halfway between cranberries and flowers.

"I would claim no knowledge of the method," Naga replied, pausing to sip at her tea, "But I would presume so."

"And I was so close to getting through it without falling unconscious," I groaned, resting my head against the low table.

[][][][][][][][]

Author's Note:

This chapter was technically finished almost on time! Really. My week gets very busy after Monday, though, meaning that if it doesn't come out Monday I'll struggle to get it out Tuesday, or Wednesday, or... you get the point.

Big thanks to Stormtide Leviathan, who proofread this chapter and caught quite a few silly errors (and some less silly errors). He writes a pretty cool, if dark, Three Houses SI called "Stolen Remedy", which I recommend highly.

Finally, this chapter should push the fic over 200k words. That is a lot of words.

Let me know what you thought! Leave a review, PM me, or drop by the Treehouse Discord at 9XG3U7a if you're interested.

Cheers,

Narwhal Lord