Author's note: sorry for the delay, I've had a badass cold the past week. Also, sorry for any typos =)

Zoie

Two weeks later…

I awoke to sunlight pouring into the bedroom of the secret house and turned my head to see Anna beside me. She had fallen asleep. It was okay though, since nothing bad had happened. After the first episode there hadn't been another, yet she kept insisting that she should stay up and watch me.

It was good that she was getting some sleep. Staying up all night was taking its toll on her and despite the fact that she assured me she slept during the day, I could tell by the darkening bags beneath her eyes that it wasn't enough. I wished I could let her sleep longer but I had to get back to the palace.

I stared at her for a few minutes before finally leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek. Unfortunately, the action must've startled her. She inhaled sharply, her eyes snapping open, and in a swift movement, she tried to sit up and her head collided with my nose. Hard.

I pulled back with a yelp of pain, clutching my hands over my face.

"Shit!" she hissed, sitting up with wide eyes, "Oh, gods, Zoie! Are you okay?"

Eyes watering and hands still in place, I nodded slowly, "I think so." I could feel the warmth of blood trickling down my upper lip. Even with the pain still acute, I couldn't help but laugh a little at the whole thing. "Ow…"

I wasn't the only one who saw the humor in it. Anna bit her lip then tried to keep a straight face as she said, "I am so sorry, baby. Here, let me see?" She pulled my hands away from my nose. "You're bleeding."

"I'm fine, really."

"No, come here." She leaned in, pressing her lips against mine. I felt her chi enter me and the pain soon subsided. "I'm sorry. I must've fallen asleep. Did anything happen?"

"Everything's okay. I'm just glad I didn't try to wake you up in a more creative way," I joked.

There was a noise downstairs and we both jumped. I looked towards the door then glanced at Anna who had a worried expression on her face.

"Zo!" It was just Kes. I let out the breath I'd been holding and we both quickly covered ourselves with the sheets as Kes bounded up the steps and barged into the room.

"Whoa!" I said.

Kes furrowed her eyebrows, taking in the scene and then pointing towards her nose, "You've got some blood..." Her eyes darted from me to Anna and she raised up a hand to silence our replies, "I don't want to know."

"What are you doing?" I asked and pulled the sheet up further.

Kes rolled her eyes, "I've seen you naked before, Zo. And no offense, Anna, but knowing your profession, there's really no need to act modest here, hun."

"Kes!" I scolded, mortified by her blunt remark.

Anna laughed, "It's okay. She has a point."

I just shook my head, looking back to the younger girl, "What are you doing here?"

"Castor's back. I saw the guards carrying him into the palace and-"

"Carrying him? Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Kes said, "but Jace told me the guards that went to Sulstin think whatever happened to your father is happening to him, now."

My stomach twisted and my lungs stopped functioning properly. I couldn't speak. Somewhere deep down, I had known this would happen. I knew that it was a bad idea for him to go to Sulstin but I never let myself think about the possibility that he'd become ill. I had to get up. I had to go to him, but I couldn't move.

"But you don't know for sure?" Anna finally asked and Kes shook her head. "So, maybe he's just sick or he got hurt?"

My voice came back and I explained, "My father gave Castor the ability to heal. He doesn't get sick and if he hurt himself then…"

"He'd heal." Kes finished.

"Oh," Anna said. "Give us a minute, Kes?"

She nodded then left without a word.

I felt Anna's hand on my shoulder and turned my head to look at her, "If Castor dies…" I couldn't voice the rest, so many thoughts were going through my head and I couldn't process any of it.

"Maybe I can help," she said. "I could give him my chi."

A small glimmer of hope rose inside of me, "Do you think that will work?"

She shrugged, "It's worth a try. And if it does, they won't think I had anything to do with your father's sickness."

The glimmer was extinguished as another thought crossed my mind. "But it could put you in danger. You could become a target for whoever's doing this. It's too much of a risk. I can't let you do that."

"Zoie, this is important. We're talking about your brother's life here. You can't make this decision based on something that might happen, okay? If we don't try, we both know what will happen. And I know you'll never forgive yourself if he dies and I could've saved him."

"I'll never forgive myself if something happens to you, either," I told her.

"You're not asking me to do this, I'm offering. I'm going to do it, whether you let me into the palace or I have to go to Vessus or Siamon. I'm not going to let you stop me." Her tone was firm and, by now, I knew it well. It was that stubbornness I had yet to sway. I knew she was telling the truth, and despite the terrible feeling I had, I knew I couldn't do anything to change her mind. So I agreed.

####

We made our way through the palace and to Castor's chambers. I'd sent Kes ahead of us to clear the room, hoping Vessus and Siamon wouldn't be there. I didn't want anyone to see Anna go into the room with me. If it didn't work, they wouldn't know that she'd been to see him and there would be no further suspicion that could be put on her presence while the king was ill.

We met Kes at the door and she nodded, letting me know it was safe. We quickly went inside and left Kes in the hall to act as guard.

I saw Castor there, lying in his bed. He seemed to be sleeping. I motioned for Anna to stay where she was and headed towards him. When I was about a foot away, he opened his eyes and gave me a soft smile.

"Are you here to yell at me?" he asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest, "I was thinking about it."

He pushed himself up so that he was almost in a seated position, the pillows propping him up. Just the small movement looked to be a struggle and he let out a slow breath. "Vessus already lectured me. Besides, it's cruel to treat a dying man so. Where are all my weeping women? I think I'm handsome enough to be mourned. Sure, my reign may have been a little short but I made the best of the time I had. There don't seem to be any wars…"

"This really isn't funny, Castor," I berated him softly. He always tried to make light of bad situations when it came to me. I guess it was his way of protecting me. But it wasn't going to work this time.

He sighed then looked past me, finally realizing we weren't alone. "What's going on?" he asked, confused. "I thought we spoke about this. Before I left."

I glanced back at Anna and nodded for her to come closer. When she reached my side, I said, "Anna might be able to help you."

"How?"

"Well, she feeds off of life forces, but she can also restore them, so maybe she can restore yours," I explained.

Now he looked amused, "Does it involve us sleeping together?"

If he wasn't so weak, I probably would've slapped him. No, I definitely would have. But, lucky for him, he was, so I just glared at him. "No, it doesn't."

"That's a shame." He winked at Anna and she raised her eyebrows.

"Watch it, Castor," I said through gritted teeth.

He laughed softly, "So, how does this work, then?"

"You'll do it?" I was surprised he hadn't argued with me. We hadn't been on the best terms since our father's death.

"I haven't got much to lose. Either it works or it doesn't," he reasoned.

Anna wordlessly looked to me as if waiting for permission to proceed. I nodded and she went to sit by him on the bed.

"Just close your eyes and um, well, open your mouth just a little," she instructed. When he complied, she sent another look to me, her eyes were blue but her expression was uneasy. It was awkward that she was about to kiss my brother with me watching. I felt sort of nauseous as I averted my gaze to the floor. She took a deep breath then turned back to him, leaning in.

She didn't touch his lips though, leaving some space in between them. I watched intently as the golden wisps began to leave her mouth and enter his. It was weird seeing the exchange instead of being on the receiving end.

A few seconds later, she stopped and pulled away, bowing her head and clutching the edge of the bed to keep steady. Castor's eyes were wide open now.

"Are you okay?" I asked, not entirely sure to whom I was speaking.

"I am," Castor answered with a hint of disbelief in his voice. I couldn't believe it either as I stood there, dumbfounded and speechless. My amazement was put on hold when Anna went to stand up unsteadily, and I moved to put an arm around her waist for support. Castor practically launched himself out of the bed, "You've saved my life, Anna."

"I hope so," she said. "But we don't know if it really worked or just stalled the sickness."

"Well, now we'll have more time to find the source at least," Castor replied. "I am in your debt. We should celebrate. Let's have a feast in your honor."

"As well-deserved as that is," I cut in, "we can't draw attention to this, Castor. If we reveal that Anna helped you, it could put her in danger. I have a feeling whoever is behind this isn't going to give up."

He considered this for a minute before nodding, "You're right. It wouldn't be wise. I'll just have to figure out some other way to repay you."

The door opened and Kes poked her head in, "Vessus is coming."

Castor looked from Kes to me and Anna, "I'll take care of it. We'll talk later?" he asked me and I nodded. "Thank you, Anna." With that, he left the room.

####

Giving Castor so much chi had left Anna extremely weak, so instead of going back to the secret house, Kes and I helped her to my chambers. I sent Kes away, telling her to come back around sunset. Once Anna and I were alone, I had thanked her the best way I knew how, spending hours replenishing the chi she had lost.

"I have to go to work soon," Anna whispered as we lay in bed, our legs entwined and foreheads almost touching. I turned my head to the windows and saw that it was, indeed, just before sunset.

"You can't take the night off?" I asked, hopefully.

"I wish I could." She licked her lips, "So, Castor's back."

"And he's well, thanks to you."

She nodded, her eyes leaving mine. "Are you going to tell him? About us?"

"I think he's already figured it out, don't you?"

"Zoie…"

"I'm going to tell him tonight, after you go to work," I assured her. "You saved his life, Anna. I'm quite confident it won't be as hard to break it to him now. When we meet at the house later, everything will be sorted."

"How do you think Siamon will take it?"

"He wasn't exactly excited about the whole situation, either. He'll most likely be relieved."

"Well, I should go, then. I'll be able to leave early if I get there on time." She gave me a sad smile and sat up, but before she could move off the bed, I reached out and took hold of her forearm.

"What's wrong?"

After almost a minute of silence, she sighed, "I-I've just been dreading this, you know? Everything is so great right now… I've never been this happy with someone before and I… I don't want it to end."

"It's not going to," I said, moving to sit beside her. She wouldn't look at me and it was starting to make me nervous. "Anna, I've never felt this way about anyone either and I need you to believe me when I say that nothing is going to change my mind about this. Please, look at me." When she did, I saw the tears in her eyes as well as the fear and my heart clenched. Before this point, I had been terrified to tell Castor what I'd decided, but now I felt a bout of strength take hold of me that I hadn't known I possessed, and probably didn't, until I saw her in that moment. She was my rock while I struggled with my new responsibility, she had been strong for me. Now, for the first time, she was showing her vulnerability and insecurity. She was finally letting me really see her and if I hadn't already been sure I was completely in love with this woman, I would've fallen then. "Anna, I-"

She silenced my words, pressing a finger to my lips, "Don't say it," she pleaded in a pained whisper. I knew that we had yet to say the words to each other but I wasn't sure if she had said them to anyone before. I, myself, hadn't said them to anyone besides my family and Kes. I was willing to wait if it was what she asked, even though I knew I meant them.

The finger was quickly replaced with her lips when I nodded in solemn agreement.

####

After I had taken Anna to the secret passage, I went to find Castor, heart pounding and full of determination. I had been imagining this conversation for almost two months and I was sure I had a counter argument for whatever Castor threw at me. I was as ready for this as I'd ever be.

It was early evening and the sky had just started to grow dark. I knew he would be in one of three places; the throne room, Vessus' office, or his chambers. After looking in the second and third locations, I walked into the throne room, finding him there with Vessus.

"Zoie," he greeted, smiling. "We were just discussing the situation in Sulstin."

"You're not going back, are you?" If he was seriously considering such a thing, I would take this opportunity to slap him for his earlier behavior.

"Of course not," he said. "I'm sending Vessus and some guards to bring in the shaman I met with a few days before I took ill. I think he might be involved."

"Oh. Well, be safe, Vessus. I hope everything goes well." I told the older man. "If you don't mind, I have to discuss a private matter with my brother."

Vessus smiled, "Not at all, Your Honor. I must be making arrangements anyway." He bowed first to Castor then me, and left the room.

Castor walked towards me, "I know why you're here."

"You do?"

He nodded. "But we've already talked about this, Zoie. You gave your blood oath and now you must honor it. There's nothing else to say."

"Father is dead, Castor," I said firmly, a little agitated by his nonchalant tone.

"He is. But your blood oath to me still stands, as does mine to him."

"Yours?"

"Yes. I swore the oath to carry out his wishes for him when he was gone and I don't believe that such a promise is dissolved when the other person passes." He began to pace, his hands clasped behind his back and head bowed. "Don't get me wrong, Zoie; I want you to be happy and I know that she makes you happy, but this is as it should be. I really wish you hadn't made it harder for yourself by continuing to see her in my absence, but that was your own mistake."

I let out a humorless laugh, "Right. My mistake. Because I've made so many mistakes in my life," I pointed out sarcastically. "I am sick of you and father thinking I can't make my own decisions. He kept me locked in these walls my whole life while you were allowed to do whatever you wanted. And even in his death, he's still deciding my life. Do you think that's fair?"

He stopped and turned to me, "Why exactly do you think he kept you here and I was allowed to leave?"

"Because he didn't think I could take care of myself. He thought I was weak."

"That's where you're wrong," he said, shaking his head. "The reason why you were kept here, kept safe, and I wasn't… It wasn't because he didn't trust you. It was because you were the one chosen to be judge. I, as first born, was to be king, yes, but you were the one whose safety actually mattered. If something was to happen to me, it wouldn't have mattered because the day you were born our mother had a vision that you would be judge. And so it was decided that if I was still alive when father died, you would be judge and I would be called king, even though the title isn't enough to actually garner any respect without the judge's ability. I'm basically just here to handle the politics until I die, whereas you are the true leader of Aethevia. Do you think that is what I wanted? Because it's not. But I have known my place since I was fifteen and you've just learned yours, so it is understandable that it's taking time for you to adjust."

It wasn't news to me that Castor felt cheated by the decision to split the power. I had read in my father's journal that he considered himself lucky to be an only child because, when the time came, he would not have to fight his siblings for the position of king, like his father had had to do. My grandfather had actually killed his older brother, Rysa, after Rysa had killed their younger brother and then attempted to murder him. A power split wasn't conscionable until now. But Castor's argument wouldn't sway me. "Honestly, Castor, what will you do to me if I do not marry Siamon? As you've said, I hold the power. What can you do?"

He sighed, "It's not about what I'll do, Zoie. It's about what will happen. Believe it or not, this decision was made to protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

"From what our father and many other kings have suffered. Did he ever tell you how mother died?"

"Yes. The visions killed her."

"In a manner of speaking, that may be true," he said, "but not in the way you think. She was murdered, Zoie. She was killed because she was the king's wife. Our father loved her greatly, which made her the perfect trophy for his enemies. And the fact that she had visions might have made her a threat, also. But the motive was clear. They wanted to hurt him, and they succeeded. Which is another reason your life was restricted to within the walls."

"Why didn't he tell me? How did it happen?" I asked, struggling with the information. I had believed my whole life that my mother had died from illness. Hearing that she had been murdered changed everything. My mother was a strong, smart woman who rarely travelled outside of the city. If they could get to her, they could get to Anna.

"I don't know why he lied to you. But the day father came back ill, Vessus said it seemed just like what our mother had suffered, except at an accelerated pace. So it is highly possible that whoever caused father's death also caused hers," he explained softly. When I stayed silent, he continued, "Do you understand, now? Do you see why he chose your mate and why it is best if you accept this instead of fighting it?"

"I can't just stop loving her," I whispered.

"I know." He stood in front of me, resting his hands on my shoulders. I felt tears burning my eyes and couldn't bear to look at him. "I know that you love her. And I know you will do the right thing and protect her. She deserves to live, Zoie. Let her."

####