The moon and stars had long come out to guard the sky, but Cassien's eyes hadn't closed shut a single time. Each night that ticked by meant another day closer to departing for Seraveth, which ultimately meant that Naomi would be in greater danger than if she stayed behind. And now, with the reveal of Darius's plan for her to play the part of 'bait', it had only added another layer of distrust to all of his other proposals. The thought of Naomi getting injured - or another fate that Cassien didn't dare to even think of - made his stomach ache; so now he spent his nights going through every risk and contingency plan with a fine-toothed comb.

He sighed deeply, turning to a sleeping Naomi whose pale halo of hair spilled over the pillows like liquid luminescence. In her sleep, there was not a single frown nor wrinkle of worry etched on her angelic face, and Cassien wished with all of his life's karma that he could keep it that way forever. He wanted to - needed to - keep her safe, but he knew too that she had an indomitable spirit that would not sit idle. But he swore to himself that if it came down to a life or death situation, there would be no hesitation in choosing Naomi. But for now, he was more than content with simply watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest, and the warmth of her body close to his.

Cassien heard footsteps outside the bedroom door before the light rap; he untangled himself from the sheets, careful not to disturb his sleeping beauty. He quickly pulled on a loose collared shirt before opening the door, a stream of bright light invading the dark room. In front was a bald, dark-skinned man wearing royal garbs of a messenger.

"Duke Rivain, I sincerely apologize for the late intrusion," The man nodded his head. "But His Highness said I'd find you here. He requested your presence as soon as possible in the infirmary."

Cassien pushed his sleeves up his forearms, wide awake. "What happened?"

"Our watchtowers spotted a wrecked sailboat that arrived on the shores not long ago, and aboard was a single passenger claiming they had escaped from Redgorn."

Cassien raised a brow. "No other information?"

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but it's still developing."

Something didn't feel right about this. "Alright. You may go."

The man tried to peek past Cassien's towering form, though the duke visibly glowered at the intrusion. "Um, pardon me Duke Rivain, but His Highness also insisted that the Duchess also be informed."

"I'll inform her," Cassien said firmly, blocking his view. "You're dismissed. Thank you."

The man nodded quickly, taking a step back before he spun on his heel to depart. Cassien turned his head towards the canopied bed where Naomi was still in deep slumber, her small body relaxed and now sprawled under the sheets. He secured his sheathed sword to his hips, heavy boots strapped on before walking over to the bed. Cassien hesitated to wake her as requested, feeling bad at disturbing her peace. But he knew that she would be even more furious if found out he prevented her from being involved. Cassien crouched down beside her sleeping form, pressing a faint kiss against her forehead.

"My dove," Cassien murmured in a low voice. "I'm sorry to wake you, but we're needed somewhere."

No answer.

Cassien moved closer to her ear, kissing the fleshy lobe. "Naomi."

She let out a groggy, half-whined protest. "Just five more minutes…"

"Sweetness, it's not morning - but we are needed somewhere. If you'd prefer to sleep-"

Naomi's arm shot out from beneath the sheets and clasped onto the front of his shirt as she twisted, tugging him down onto the mattress with surprising strength. Cassien grunted as he found himself awkwardly hunched over on his elbows, boots dangling over the edge of the bed. Half-amused, he tried to untangle himself, but she only pulled him closer at the shift in movement. She draped one leg across his hip, pinning his back flat against the bed; her tousled hair tickled his face as she burrowed into the side of his chest.

Naomi's voice was like a sleepy whisper. "Mmm. You're so warm."

Before he could speak, he felt a wetness on the side of his neck, hot and suckling. Teeth and tongue lightly grazed his skin, sending a shiver down his body. Their combined weight dipped the mattress even more as Naomi slid one knee in between his legs, the other still trapping him in a straddle. Her nightgown rode dangerously high and exposed the fleshy bottom of her cheek, and he felt himself harden in both arousal and bewilderment at the situation he found himself in.

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Cassien frantically tugged her gown back down. "Naomi-"

The light panic in his voice finally stirred her awake, eyes fluttering open slowly. It took a moment to register her senses - hand fisted in fabric, legs half-straddling a lean, muscled body, and a calloused hand on the thickness of her thigh.

Naomi pulled away from his neck, the suction of her lips from his skin making a loud pop!

"Cassien?"

She pushed her body back slightly, untangling herself from him and squinting through the dim moonlight of the room. Cassien's expression was flustered and scarlet, and she could feel the heat that radiated from his body. Her eyes landed on a developing but faint, red mark on the skin just below his jaw.

Total consciousness struck her like lightning. Naomi clapped a hand over her mouth, utterly mortified. "Oh. My. God. Did I-"

Cassien sprung up on the edge of the bed, pushing back his hair awkwardly. "I… Um, I was trying to wake you up. But you, uh, maybe thought I was trying to do something else."

"I am so sorry," Naomi sputtered, rising up with him. "Next time, just slap me awake."

That got a small laugh out of him. "As much as I would've liked to follow through on your invitation, I didn't wake you for that."

Their embarrassment faded as Cassien gave a quick explanation of Aryn's summon, with Naomi throwing on whatever was more suitable than her nightwear in the meantime. Cassien secured the sash of her dress as the two moved through the darkened corridors towards the castle infirmary; Naomi smoothed the frazzled ends of her hair and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Inside the same infirmary that Cassien and Naomi had been patients to not so long ago, were three members of their secret operation. A fourth unknown individual was in a stiff cot, copper hair tightly braided down one side of defined shoulders, the other half of their head shaved low. Her eyes were a startling aqua blue, and her loose tunic did little to disguise the lean muscle beneath. The woman didn't look injured save for a few scratches and bandages, and her expression was unreadable.

Aryn stood in front of the cot, dressed impeccably like a polished silver blade even in the dead of the night. How he had the time and energy to always be so immaculate was baffling to Naomi. Against the far wall, Darius sat against a windowsill, one knee propped up and arms folded loosely across his chest. He gave a lazy salute to Naomi in particular, and she felt Cassien bristle at her side - though he said nothing. Meanwhile, Thom was slumped in an armchair, head tipped back in a quiet snore, clearly having succumbed to the succor of sleep while waiting for the duchy leaders.

Aryn turned as he noticed their arrival. "Cassien, Lady Rosenthorn - I'm sorry to have interrupted your sleep."

"Just 'Naomi' is fine," Naomi stifled a small yawn. "And I'm sure it's for something important."

Cassien's gaze shifted towards the woman. "So you're the one who 'escaped' from Redgorn, I assume."

"That's right," The woman flexed a bandaged arm carefully. "Stole a boat and hoped the seas would send me anywhere from that awful city. Almost got shipwrecked more times than I could count, but here I am."

Cassien didn't buy it. He was suspicious, though kept his expression as neutral as possible. "And you just so happened to wash up on the shores of the one enemy country of Seraveth."

The woman only shrugged in response, though Cassien didn't expect an answer anyway before he continued. "What exactly are you seeking from us?"

"Asylum. Freedom. Whatever you want to call it."

Aryn jumped in, his voice calm. "Why 'escape' - were you being held as a hostage? Why change your allegiance?"

The woman shook her head firmly. "I simply stopped agreeing with the king's directive, so I guess you could say I'm a defector."

"What kind of defector? Civilian, military, noble?" Cassien questioned.

"Military," She tilted her chin up to look at him directly. "I worked directly under King Alistair."

A direct report under Alistair. Every person in the room immediately tensed at the admission, and Cassien's eyes darkened at his name. This changed everything - she was not a regular civilian, but someone who had inner knowledge of their enemy. At the same time, it also meant she had previously worked against Calypsa as well. Cassien's distrust increased tenfold, his instincts blaring red alarms inwardly.

He took a step forward, crossing his arms. "And do you have any proof of this claim?"

Aryn cleared his throat, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Cassien, maybe we should give her some time-"

Cassien barely glanced at him. "No. For all we know, she could be a spy planted to distract or kill us when we're not looking."

"Paranoid, much?" The woman let out a gruff laugh, pulling back a braid. "But if you want proof, I can give it to you. I know all about the King and his plans that you'd never find out about otherwise."

"Cassien, I think we should hear her out," Naomi stepped forward, touching Cassien's elbow with the tips of her fingers in reassurance. She looked at the woman warily. "What is he planning, exactly? Do you know his end goal?"

"I'll tell you on two conditions: I want revenge. As soon as that's done, I want full asylum in Calypsa," Her words were almost a demand, and the others looked at each other silently.

Aryn spoke first. "That could be arranged… if your information proves to be true."

"And useful," Cassien added harshly.

Darius chose that moment to drop from his spot at the windowsill, approaching casually. "Alright, Red. Spill what you know."

"My name is Kaelen," The woman said, her words cool and even. Her eyes darted to Aryn. "King Alistair plans to resurrect the goddess so that he can take his place by her side. And if you want proof that I'm not bullshitting about who I am and what I know: by morning, Princess Seraphine will either be awake…. Or dead."

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