The sun was bright and the city was quiet as we rode back up to the castle- Stefan and I on his horse, and Marius behind us upon his. Didi and Anna were under arrest, and soon they would be escorted to the castle to be put into the custody of the prince. No one spoke as the horses steadily traversed the streets, and I myself was still recovering from the shock of nearly being kidnapped- by what, though? Was it the Necromancer?

At some point I could feel the prince trembling. I placed my hand over his to steady him. Was he afraid?

The horse continued on. Stefan continued to tremble. I shifted to turn and face him.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

His face was white and strained. He didn't seem to hear me.

"Stefan," I said gently, stopping the horse. I looked into his eyes- and it clicked. He was horribly ill.

My heart began to race as his eyes began to close.

"Marius!" I screamed. "Stefan is passing out!"

The prince lost consciousness and let go of the reins. I grabbed hold of him and we rolled off the horse and into the dirt. Marius was there, suddenly, as we huddled over Stefan. His eyes were closed, his skin as pale as a ghost's...

Marius slapped his cheeks. "Stefan!" He yelled. "You have to wake up!"

We were attracting attention now. Passerbys on the street stopped to watch in horror as we knelt over the prince.

"Help me get him back on the horse!" Marius screamed to the people around us. "He needs medical attention now!"

I stood back and watched as two men helped Marius position the prince back upon his horse where Marius steadied him. I promptly scrambled onto Marius's horse and followed after them as he rode carefully but swiftly back to the castle.

And that's when I realized something terrible had happened to Stefan, only I couldn't remember it. And now I was the last to know.

The day stretched into endless hours of chaos as the news spread of Stefan's fall. Once we brought him back to the castle, the king's team of medics whisked him away. Marius stormed off without a word, and I was left to wait alone.

The solitude was not comforting. I stared into a mirror at myself, willing myself to remember what had happened. Stefan had hidden this from me- why?

Because it was my fault: that's why. He was dying and he was protecting me.

I wish it were me who was dying, I thought bitterly. The prince is good. He cannot die!

Out of nowhere there was a knock on my door.

"Mary? Are you in there?" Tamsin asked from outside.

I let her in and we embraced each other tightly.

"It's crazy, what has happened," she said. "You need to tell me what's going on."

"Stefan fell from his horse- it came out of nowhere. Like, suddenly he was just- dying. Tamsin- I think he is dying."

My explanation was all over the place, but so was my mind.

Tamsin took a deep breath. "I don't know the truth," she said. "I don't think anyone does at this point."

"I would," I said sullenly. "If only I could remember. Damn it, Tamsin! I hate myself!"

"Don't blame yourself," she said sharply. "You are not responsible for what happened to Stefan."

I wished I could agree with her. I wished it were that easy. My heart was heavy and growing heavier now.

"I want to see him," I said.

"I'll take you," said a voice from the door way.

It was Marius standing there.

We walked in silence. The castle itself had fallen silent, and so our footsteps echoed softly down the halls. Higher up in the castle we came to Stefan's room and slipped inside.

The prince lay in his bed, his eyes closed. The medics had stabilized him and now he was under a careful watch. His chest rose and sank methodically, and his cheeks were now burning red.

Marius and I took seats on opposite sides of the bed.

"Tell me what happened," I said quietly, staring down at the prince.

"The Necromancer attacked him. Filled him with a poison with no cure in this land."

"So why didn't I know this before? He has been well since he found me."

"Because he took a serum that restored his health temporarily. It is wearing off, you can see, and now his death is written. Also, you did know before. We were both there when it happened."

My stomach was turning tightly as Marius spoke.

"He was looking for me, wasn't he?"

"Yes," said Marius. "But when we found you, you refused to come with us. You knew Stefan was injured but you turned away."

"What?"

We stared at each other from across the bed.

"But of course, you don't remember." he said bitterly.

"That's enough."

It was Stefan.

He looked up at us both with pleading eyes.

Marius stood. "I'll come back later." And then he left.

"Mary-"

"Stefan," I said shakily. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't tell you."

I grabbed his hand and held on to it tightly, tears rising to my throat. "What do you mean, Stefan? I could've done something to help you- it didn't have to end up this way-"

I could see fear growing in his eyes and it made me hate myself even more.

His voice was strained. "When I met you," he said, "I felt like I could face the future. Like we were always supposed to meet by accident, but I don't believe it was an accident at all, do you?"

I shook my head, hot tears spilling from my eyes. "Accidents happen," I managed to say. "But I don't think it was either."

"That night we met was the perfect accident, though," he said. "Because we met as equals. You didn't know who I was and I didn't know who you were yet I knew I loved you."

I grabbed his hand and held on to it tightly, as if we were tumbling through the chaos and coldness of the raging sea and if we were to be separated it would be for forever.

"You're not going to die," I said firmly. "Not as long as I'm breathing."

He managed to smile. "I wish it were that easy."

"It is," I said defiantly.

"Why do you say such things?"

"Because I believe it," I said. "You should have told me about all of this sooner."

The prince shook his head. "Mary: there is nothing you can do about it. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

More tears poured, but I swear I was trying to be brave.

"Stop it!" I said. "You just have to believe, okay? If you give up then certainly you will die!"

"Believe what?" he said, his voice heavy with frustration. "That all of this never happened? That there is still a chance for me- that I can cheat death? I can't do it. Not anymore. I fought for what I believed in and I paid the price- and I don't regret it. I just wanted to know you, Mary. And I wish we had more time-"

He looked away as his voice broke. I quickly poured him some water from the pitcher at his bedside. He drank deeply.

"If you believed that we met for a reason then let that reason be this: I will save you. I won't let you die for me!"

He smiled gently again, though I could see he was falling deeper into his fever. "I just wanted something to live for. Something that wasn't thrust upon me like everything else... all my life I was told which direction to take, was told exactly who I was. But with you it was different. Do you understand?"

I nodded. Of course I understood, but that wasn't the point.

Stefan laid back, resting his head upon the pillow and he seemed to stare at something I could not see.

"Tell me," he said softly, "what do you dream about?"

Before I could answer, the bedroom door swung open and the king entered. I abruptly stood and curtsied.

"Father," Stefan said faintly. I scurried to the door as the king sat down beside his son and looked down upon him. I silently closed the door behind me as I stepped out into the hall on shaking legs. To my surprise, Marius was there sitting on the floor, his back against the wall and his head buried in his knees. I sunk to the floor beside him and we sat in a long, heavy silence.

"You know," I said stiffly, "you're not the only one who loves him."

Marius looked up at me with swollen eyes full of contempt. Without a word he got to his feet and took off down the corridor and turned the corner.

Well, it's true, I thought bitterly.

But it's not like any of that mattered anymore.