Chapter 4
It was later in the evening, after Anne had pickpocketed the man (they did in fact give it to a homeless tiefling, who Anne stayed a moment longer to talk to). The sun was casting a nice glow over the town and the queens wanted to do something.
This town was well known for a magical garden it kept. That garden was blessed by the nature goddess itself, and it was even said to be blessed by the love goddess.
And most of the queens thought it was a good spot for a date.
The other two had the same thought, but carefully hid it behind an excuse of simply wanting to sightsee. It didn’t have to be romantic for them… (they wanted it to be)
Anne knew she had a crush on Catalina. She accepted that fact a long time ago and still had that crush (love? Anne didn’t know) on the golden Paladin.
Catalina also had her own crush on the green rogue. It was fairly new, she had only fully realized a few days ago. But Catalina was very certain that her crush had only grown when Anne came back, (just as beautiful as ever) and it had maybe started even before Anne was freed from the curse.
But both of them just knew they would be left alone for this, and they didn’t hate it at all. They were right.
Anna and Jane split off, the married couple vanishing along the bushes and walls of flowers, arm in arm and already having that familiar lovesick grin as they chatted to each other.
Catalina was telling Kat and Cathy to be safe, earning her laughs from the two younger women. Catalina couldn’t hold back her own laugh.
Anne could physically feel herself melt as she listened to the sound and observed her crush.
Fuck, Anne was smitten.
As Cathy and Kat went their own way, Cathy gave her a rather sly wink. Anne could now also feel the heat on her cheeks.
Asshole.
“Shall we?” Catalina was asking, snapping Anne back to attention.
“We shall.” Anne replied with her familiar grin.
They both made their way down the path of flowers, arms and hands brushing against each other. They talked and laughed as they walked, the heat in their faces fading as they took in simply being with each other. (It didn’t stop the small bit of red that spread as their skin brushed)
“I still can’t believe you pickpocketed that man earlier.” Catalina chuckled, shaking her head.
“His fault for insulting my cousin!” Anne snorted, but a smirk tagged at her lips. “Melody deserves it more than he did.”
“Ah, so her name was Melody?” Catalina asked curiously.
“Mhmm! It’s her virtue name! She has a friend named Gentle, so I hope those coins can support them for a while. Maybe get them in a better place.” A serene smile was on Anne’s face, her usual mischief grin pacified with a hope.
“You’re a good person, Anne.” Catalina told her, taking in that smile and committing it to her memory.
“I’m just trying to look out for the little people, Y’know?” Anne shrugged. “Not like I was able to do much as queen. And my dad could have helped others like us. But well… he wasn’t a good person.”
Catalina’s gaze softened as she took in the dejected look on Anne’s face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Anne continued.
The shadow elf glanced up to her taller companion. “He was the one who forced me into a relationship with Henry. He was in it for the power. Not power for me or those being oppressed, but entirely for himself. Hope the gods give him the worst they can.”
“Now? He’ll never hold that power over you again. I’m sorry about everything, Anne.” Catalina told her, taking a gentle hold of Anne’s hand.
“You, of all people, have nothing to apologize for. Henry was the weak one, not you. And besides… I have two things to thank my father for.”
“Oh?”
“If I never got married to Henry, I never would have met any of you or had Elizabeth. My greatest treasures in the realm.”
The two fell into silence, their hearts filling with happiness over Anne’s comment. They just enjoyed each other and the scent and scenery of the flowers around them.
Anne soon got an idea.
Well, she probably wasn’t going to outright confess, but Anne sure as hell could try to flirt. Maybe Cathy would lay off a bit. (Cathy and now Kat and Anna did not in the slightest. Even Jane teased her once the next day.)
So Anne looked at all the flowers around them. Her eyes locked onto bright yellow.
Jonquil flowers.
If Anne remembered right, one meaning could be domestic bliss or also friendship. Another meaning was desire… Perfect. And also the perfect color for the golden queen.
Anne ever so gently reached over as they walked past the wall of yellow flowers and tugged free the most beautiful one she could find, whispering a thanks to the nature goddess under her breath.
“Hey, Lina.”
The golden paladin stopped and turned to her companion at the familiar nickname. She didn’t even get the chance to ask a question before Anne was reaching up and threading the flower’s stem through Catalina’s hair to rest on her ear, the flower perched perfectly in her hair.
“A beautiful golden flower for a beautiful golden queen!” Anne chirped, looking very pleased with herself.
Catalina blushed, her hand reaching up to trail over the flower with the gentlest touch. Catalina was at a loss for words, but noticed a wall of roses behind Anne.
Catalina knew some flower language as well and was swiftly reaching over Anne’s shoulder to find a full bloom rose, free of its thorns.
“Well, the other beautiful lady in the room deserves her own beautiful flower, yes?”
Catalina couldn’t deny that she was delighted by the blush that now dusted Anne’s cheeks in return.
The two of them made their way to a fountain and sat on the edge, flowers still in their hair.
They sat down, they talked, they messed around. They just enjoyed each other’s presence.
(Catalina still enjoyed it, even when Anne decided to lightly splash her with a bit of water. Anne had simply laughed and continued to run her hands through the cool and rippling water as Catalina huffed. That didn’t stop the golden paladin’s smile.)
They sat and talked for what felt like hours until the other queens eventually found them and practically dragged the two back to the inn.
The entire way, the two queens couldn’t get the meaning of the flowers out of their heads. But they chalked it up to simple friendship and compliments.
After all, maybe the other didn’t know the flower language. (Both of them did)
It didn’t stop the giddy feeling both of them felt as they laid those flowers on the fountain’s edge, leaving them for the nature goddess to reclaim, and were taken to warm beds.
It didn’t fade, even as they slept and left the town the next day.
~~||~~||~~
Over the course of the journey, everyone had been dealt a grievous wound at least once.
For example, the time Anna and Kat had been watching each other’s backs. The queens were fighting off a large group of thieves when one had gotten the jump on Kat as both her and Anna had their backs turned.
The large gash his sword made across her back had been horrifying and Kat almost didn’t make it. But she was safe and alive. Anna blamed herself for a while until everyone got her to believe that none of it was her fault.
And the time Anne finally received her own horrible injury, it was possibly even worse.
Because poison just had to be involved.
Things had been pretty routine when it started. They were on that final path to the town where Catalina’s friend was. They had just left the last town the day a few days ago and the next town was several days away, they were sort of at the in between point. It would take a while, but it was the final stretch for this part of the journey (who knew what could happen next, but this alone was a relief), keeping up those good spirits from yesterday.
They expected the monsters and demons. So when the giant snake had lunged out of the trees, they were only surprised by the sudden attack, not the actual appearance.
But it was easy to dodge, everyone splitting and moving to either side of the snake.
The next minute was a flurry of movement. The snake kept trying to lunge for them as everyone dodged and deflected hits. They tried to get their own hits in, working with each other’s abilities and classes.
Anne growled as her hit did nothing, swiftly vanishing into the shadows and reappearing next to Jane before that feeling of being trapped returned.
Anna tried to hit next, but her axe was also ineffective, only making a small crack in the scales.
Cathy was quickly pulling Anna away from the attack. The wizard was mumbling under her breath, trying to think of a spell that would work.
“The scales are too tough! I can pierce it with magic, I just need to actually be able to!” Anna called out over the loud hissing and crashing of the snake’s lunges.
“Well this asshole doesn’t want to be still!” Anne snapped back, dodging yet another strike from the vicious fangs.
“Then we either need a good moment for Anna to strike!” Catalina let out a grunt as she slammed her shield into the snake’s jaw and leapt away from it. “Or find a weak spot!”
“Wait! Kat, can you charm it?!” Jane asked, next to Kat with her rapier in a stance.
Kat’s eyes lit up. “Maybe! If I can charm it and get it still, Anna can take it out!”
After a series of dodges, Kat managed to finally begin playing her flute. The elf played a charming melody, keeping her eyes trained firmly on the snake.
The snake almost lunged for her, but then it paused. And slowly, the giant snake began to sway from side to side, seemingly in a trance.
Everyone let out a breath of relief but didn’t lower their guards. Anna was quickly moving to cleve through the snake, magic working to make her hit break through the tough scales. Jane and Catalina also muttered spells that gave her much smaller boosts, the two not wanting to possibly harm their friend’s body by giving her too much power.
But then there was a scream.
All six queen’s eyes widened and their heads whipped around to see two travelers. The young man and woman were staring wide eyed in terror at the giant snake before spinning on their heels and fleeing.
And just like that, the snake was snapped from the trance.
It’s head angled towards the now fleeing humans, but quickly turned back to closer prey. Kat.
“Shit! Chaton, move!” Anne was crying out, beginning to run towards her cousin. The others were just as panicked, Cathy crying out the elf’s name.
Kat’s eyes widened in a horrified realization, but the snake was so close that she didn’t have time to move, it was already lunging for her. Luckily, Catalina had been near and was quickly defending the both of them with her shield.
The snake’s entire focus was on the two of them now and Catalina continued having to bat away hits with her sword and shield, looking for an opening to cast a spell or to move the both of them out of the way.
Cathy and Jane launched a blast of fire at the snake. Both were trying to call the snake’s attention away from their friends. The snake let out an angry hiss and spun towards the two offenders.
But that meant the tail spun as well.
The tail slammed into Catalina and Kat, sending them falling against the ground. Kat’s flute went spinning across the dirt, landing away from them. Catalina’s shield and sword also went sprawling away.
Catalina’s ears were ringing and in the moment of being disoriented, the snake had spun on them again. It knew it had hit something and turned its back on their now screaming friends. It was lunging for its new prey, and there was only seconds to spare.
Catalina’s eyes flew wide with panic and she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as the world went in slow motion.
Kat was on the floor, scrambling for her flute, but it was too far away. There was no time for Catalina to reach her own weapon, or even to make a prayer to any god. She had to take the hit. Kat didn’t have good armor, Catalina did. Even with that, Catalina knew those sharp fangs were strong enough to pierce through the gold armor plating.
But there was no choice.
Catalina was swiftly and frantically pushing herself to Kat. She pulled the bard up into her arms, away from the flute. A startled gasp and scream escaped Kat’s lips, ringing in Catalina’s ears.
Catalina twisted her back to the beast, pulling Kat tight to her chest. Kat’s scream of her name and the other’s cries of panic rang loud in her ears. Catalina just knew that they didn’t have time to move and she needed to protect Kat.
She waited for the hit. For the fangs to break through her armor. For the sharp pain to sink into her skin.
But it never came.
It was silent as Catalina carefully glanced over her shoulder, only to freeze as she took in the sight.
Anne stood there, arms outstretched and head hunched over. The snake towered behind her, it’s poisonous fangs pulling away from Anne’s shoulder. Blood began to bloom, staining Anne’s green tunic a dark, wet color.
Anne’s pained gaze flickered up to Catalina. “Lina…? ‘M sorry…”
Then, Anne tilted forward and fell, landing face down in the dirt. She didn’t move.
Catalina didn’t hear the scream echo from her lips. Everything was dead silent, passing in a blur as the snake reared back for another strike. On Catalina or Anne, the former didn’t know.
But it didn’t get a chance to. Anna was letting out a scream of unbridled rage as she pushed magic into the swing of her axe. Not even the tough scales could resist the barbarian’s rage, the giant snake decapitated in seconds.
Blood was already pooling under Anne. The snake’s very wide fangs clearly having done a lot of damage to Anne’s practically unarmored form. Catalina could even spot the deep red stained holes on the back of Anne’s shoulder where the fangs on the lower jaw had pierced skin.
Kat tried to scramble from Catalina’s arms, moving to reach her cousin’s side with a panicked cry. But Catalina’s arms tightened around her, keeping her close and refusing to let her leave.
For a moment, Kat almost fell into a panic attack. The feeling of being restrained far too familiar. That mixed with seeing Anne’s injury nearly made Kat spiral.
But then she glanced up at Catalina.
The woman’s face was pale, her eyes filled with a glaze of despondent horror. Kat even swore she saw some guilt. She was holding onto Kat almost unconsciously.
The bard had only seen Catalina even close to this state after a nightmare. She would shut down, try to close herself off. When the other serious injuries happened, Catalina was the one who took charge alongside their actual healer.
But never, had Kat seen Catalina this bad.
Gently, her own panic calming to a more manageable level (it wasn’t gone. This was still terrifying and Kat didn’t know what to do about Anne—), Kat reached up and cupped Catalina’s cheek, getting the woman to look at her.
“Focus on me, Catalina. I need you to focus on me.” Kat whispered, meeting the paladin’s eyes.
This was new. The elf had only ever calmed the others through music. Yes, she gave a calming word or two, but that was usually handled by the others. They used words, Kat used music.
But it was clear Catalina wasn’t going to let go for Kat to reach her flute. So Kat made do (and later, after all the panic was done and over, she would think that she did rather good) with her words, trying to calm Catalina.
Faintly, Kat knew that Anne and Catalina have crushes on each other, maybe even love. Catalina seeing Anne, the elf she had a crush on, take a hit for her and now dying? The shutdown was painfully understandable.
When Catalina’s gaze moved to drift past Kat, back to Anne, Kat quickly redirected her. “Hey, hey. Look at me, focus on me. I need you to focus on me, okay?”
Catalina’s gaze flickered back to her and Kat spotted tears starting to gather in the woman’s eyes.
It took what felt like several long minutes to mostly calm Catalina, when really it was more around only a minute.
“You love her, don’t you?” Kat asked in barely more than a whisper.
Catalina stared blankly for a moment. Then, a small sob escaped her lips. She couldn’t deny it. Not at this point. “I think I do, Gatita. I do and she… she’s dying—!”
Kat was quickly shushing her again, wiping away some tears. “Jane’s looking at her right now. Did I die when that sword hit my back? What about when Cathy got really sick? I… I can’t promise that she’ll live. But I can promise you that none of us will let her go without one hell of a fight.”
Catalina stared for a moment before letting out a shuddered breath and nodding. She began to take deep breaths, working to calm herself. “We need to save her.”
“And we will. But you need to be strong during this, okay? You were strong when we all got hurt. If anything, be stronger here.” Kat told her, finally able to pull out of Catalina’s arms.
The two helped each other stand and they finally, and quickly, made their way over to the others.
Cathy and Anna were next to Anne and Jane. Cathy’s gaze was flickering over to Kat and Catalina so often, keeping a close eye on them. Upon seeing the two mostly calm and making their way over, she relaxed slightly. But only slightly, Anne was still in danger.
In the time Kat had gotten herself and Catalina (mostly) calm and standing, Jane had gotten Anne onto her back, a fabric protecting the back wound from the dirt and the rouge’s upper clothing off, exposing the wound to the air and the group.
Anne cried out as Jane gently touched the bite, jerking away and letting out a pained sob as the jolt of movement burned even worse than the touch did.
Jane was instantly calming her until the rouge settled again. Whimpers and ragged breathing escaped Anne. Jane knew that many giant snakes were venomous. She didn’t know if the wound was causing Anne this much pain or if it was poison. Maybe it was both.
Jane glanced back at the others. She needed someone to hold Anne down while she looked at it. Yes, Jane didn’t feel good about it, but she couldn’t look at it if Anne thrashed in pain by mere touch.
Catalina and Anna were definitely strong enough to do it. But Catalina was already breaking down. Having to pin Anne down would probably shatter the woman.
“Anna, I need you to hold Anne down while I look at the wound.”
Anna paused for a second. “Are you sure?”
Jane sighed, a sad but determined look on her face. “I don’t like it either. But I need to look at the bite. I can’t do it if she moves every time I try to.”
Anna nodded in understanding and crouched down on Anne’s otherside, holding the woman down. Anne struggled for only a second before falling limp, the bite taking away her energy.
Jane began to look over and inspect the wound. She flinched as Anne cried out and thrashed under Anna’s hands but tried to ignore it as she looked over the injury, becoming more and more worried.
“Shit, poison.”
It was a very well known fact among the group that Jane only cussed in extremely stressful situations.
Everyone’s eyes widened with horror. Just the bite alone was serious. But now Anne had poison in her body?
“How do you know?” Cathy had to be sure before they all panicked.
“The fangs left a sort of liquid ring around the wound. That’s some of the poison.” Jane explained, already wiping away said poison, being careful to avoid putting it in the wound as she cleaned the blood as well. Anna let out a worried grunt as Anne pushed against her with a pained wheeze.
“She’s going to die just like that?!” Kat asked, fear edging her voice. She had reassured Catalina so strongly. But never had Jane looked so panicked over a wound. (The cleric’s anxiety was great, but when healing, Jane was in her element.)
“I…” Jane paused. “She is dying... But!” She was quickly continuing before anyone could begin to freak out. “I’ve heard of antidotes existing for giant snake venom. Maybe the next town has some!”
“The next town is days away!” Catalina snapped, looking from Anne to Jane. “Can you not use your magic?”
Tears gathered on the edge of Jane’s eyes. “I wish I could, but my magic can only stall the poison. Keep her alive a little longer.”
Catalina looked to Cathy next, the paladin’s despair noticeable deepening. The wizard shook her head before looking to Jane. “How long do we have?”
“I don’t know for sure… three or four days. Maybe a full week of we’re extremely lucky. The poison is slow acting and it will be very painful.” Jane explained, not looking away from her pained cousin. She had finished wrapping the bandage and now sat by Anne’s side, one hand gently pushing dark locks of hair away from Anne’s forehead.
“We don’t have that kind of time!” Anna was up and now pacing back and forth. “We won’t make it…”
“Don’t say that!” It was Kat who snapped, pulling away from Cathy’s shoulder to give Anna a determined glare. “I can’t… we won’t lose her! We can make it if we move fast!”
Cathy took a deep breath. “This won’t be good. The symptoms will start appearing and we’ll probably have to stop at night. Still… we have to try. Maybe we can make it.” Cathy held Kat just a little tighter. “We got her back once. When Anne herself didn’t think we could. We won’t lose her now. Not without trying.”
Catalina, who had been quiet through everything since her earlier remark, had stepped over to Anne now. Catalina knelt by Anne’s side, taking in the bandaged wound and Anne’s already pained expression. The poison hadn’t been in her system long, but it was clearly already hurting, the bite itself adding majorly to the effect.
Catalina looked about ready to cry. But then, she took a deep breath, her sagged shoulders squaring as her expression turned to sheer determination and she looked up to Jane. “Is she able to be moved?”
Jane frowned for a second before she nodded, carefully slipping Anne’s lightest shirt back over the shadow elf and bundling up the other pieces. “We don’t have any other choice, do we?”
With that, Catalina was picking Anne up, off the dirt in a bridal carry. Jane picked up the discarded clothing and the group was off immediately. Anne squirmed in Catalina’s arms for a second before relaxing with a breath, slumping against the woman.
They didn’t have time to rest from the attack. Anne was dying. And Catalina couldn’t shake the feeling that it was her fault that Anne was dying in her arms.
(Kat had the same thought, but Cathy was able to convince her it wasn’t true. Had it been Anna’s fault when Kat herself had gotten hurt? Then it wasn’t Kat’s fault either. And later, they would convince Catalina of the same thing. Yes, Catalina would feel less guilty, but it didn’t stop the fact that Anne was dying.)
The group went as swiftly as possible. They would only stop for the tiniest of breaks and at night to sleep. Even that wasn’t long.
Anna and Cathy swept any monsters and demons out of the group’s path. Jane constantly checked on Anne, occasionally using a bit of magic to try and help the shadow-elf. Kat never stopped providing music and support for the group, keeping a very close eye and calling breaks when they needed it. Just like during past injuries, everyone’s nerves were frayed and panic was clear. Kat did her best to soothe those nerves, even as she struggled to keep herself together.
No matter that each of them had been in this position before. It was always terrifying.
Catalina refused to let anyone else carry Anne. It didn’t matter how tired the paladin got, she would continue carrying the poisoned and unconscious shadow elf until the others forced her (and themselves) to stop for the night.
It was the day after the attack that the fever dreams started.
Anne’s body saw the poison as a sickness. So her body began to heat up and sweat in a fever. All in an attempt to get the ‘sickness’ out of her body.
It didn’t work, but it also gave her nightmares and hallucinations.
Which became evident after they made camp that night. They had tried to get Anne as comfortable as possible before trying to sleep, Cathy keeping first watch.
But everyone had barely fallen asleep when they heard noises. Anne was sobbing and squirming, her breathing coming out gasped.
Cathy was quickly by her side, abandoning her spot under a tree. She sat next to Anne and pulled the short shadow elf onto her lap, trying to calm her down.
The others were by their sides quickly and looking concerned.
“Is it the poison?” Kat asked carefully.
Anne inhaled sharply and pressed closer to Cathy, her hot skin warming Cathy immediately. Cathy could also feel the sweat that slicked Anne’s grey skin. The wizard frowned at the noticeable fever. Anne always had cold skin, and now it was far from cold.
“Chaud…” the rouge whined, clearly savoring Cathy’s cooler skin.
“She’s got a fever.” Cathy alerted the others. “Probably her body trying to get rid of the poison.”
“Exactly.” Jane agreed, crouching down and looking over their poisoned friend. “She’s not doing good…”
It was that second that Anne fell further into the fever dream, losing the relief of the cool contact. She began mumbling and everyone felt their hearts break as they realized exactly what she was seeing.
“Elizabeth…? Elizabeth wait…”
Everyone shared sad and fearful glances. Anne was getting worse. The poison was starting to course through her veins. They might not make it to the town…
Jane shook her head with a deep breath. “Help me get her more comfortable.”
Catalina spoke up next. “We’ll be leaving at dawn. We can’t waste anymore time.”
Nobody argued as Jane and Kat carefully got their cousin off Cathy and into a more comfortable position, wary of her bandaged shoulder.
Where Anne would usually be nervous to have her choker off, she didn’t fight it as the now damp material was pulled from her skin. It was Kat who kept hold of it, knowing that Anne would want it back the second she got better, so her cousin would keep it safe for her.
Despite how much they tried to make Anne comfortable, that night was still restless. Anne was either squirming and thrashing or mumbling almost frantically in French and english, sometimes even both.
None of the queens got sleep that night.
They continued at dawn, just as planned. Catalina still carried Anne, keeping the trembling, sweating, and simply feverish shadow elf close to the chest.
“Gotta tell Lina.” Anne mumbled at one point, her head not moving from Catalina’s shoulder.
Catalina blinked in surprise, pausing in her step and looking down to the elf. She began walking again, staying a few steps behind everyone else. “I’m right here, Querida. What do you need to tell me?”
Anne moaned in pain for a moment before she murmured again. “Gotta tell her I love her.”
Catalina froze dead in her tracks at that.
Her hands began to shake and for a moment, it seemed she would drop Anne. She turned her head, wide eyed, to look down at Anne’s face. The woman’s eyes were closed in discontent, her face noticeably showing signs of pain.
Anne was still in her fever and poison induced haze. But somehow, Catalina knew she was telling the truth.
And that truth hurt immensely.
In the back of her mind, Catalina realized that Anne had confessed with that beautiful jonquil flower, just as Catalina herself had done with the rose. Anne most likely did in fact know the language of flowers. That realization stung her heart like a thorn had pressed against it.
Both of them confessed and thought the other didn’t mean it. They had lost precious time that they could have spent together before… before…
Catalina shook her head, beginning to walk again.
No. Anne wasn’t going to die. Catalina wouldn’t let her. She was going to make sure Anne healed so they could confess properly. Finally show their love for each other like the others had been able to do.
(That didn’t stop the nagging feeling that Anne wasn’t going to make it.)
Catalina quickly caught up with everyone else, her resolve and determination only deepening alongside the rapid beating of her heart. In any other situation, it would be excitement over the sort-of confession that caused her heart to race. But that was the tiniest reason.
No, it was mostly fear.
Fear that only increased each time Anne shivered and groaned in her arms. Each time she called out to some hallucination or dream or simply went dead silent.
It was the second or third evening when they all realized they weren’t going to make it.
Anne was deteriorating fast and the town was still a good two or three days away, depending on their speed. No wagon was traveling their path to possibly speed up their journey either.
The sun was lowering and everyone was setting up camp, either silent or talking in whispers. Catalina was being talked to by Jane, the cleric worried about Catalina carrying Anne almost all day for two days straight as she had been doing. Kat was shakily playing music by Anne’s side, Cathy holding the taller elf in her arms. Anna was making food and keeping watch, cursing under her breathe in two different languages.
“Catalina, why don't you let Anna carry her tomorrow?” Jane asked with a small sigh, already knowing the answer.
“No.”
“Catalina—“
“It’s my fault she’s dying.” Catalina growled and looked away from Jane, more angry at herself than Jane. “It’s my fault for not just… moving myself and Kat instead of trying to be a shield.”
“Catalina, I don’t think you could have moved the both of you that fast. And even if you did, you had no time to think.” The elf cupped Catalina’s cheek, guiding her head to look at her again. “Anne would never blame you.”
They fell into silence, simply looking at each other. It was Jane who continued. “You love her, don’t you?”
Catalina only gave the tiniest of nods along with a shrug. “How can you know that?”
“The way you’re terrified.” Jane answered simply. “Whenever one of us got deathly injured, you were always able to be the calmest during those times. No matter how scared you were, you remained a leader. And well… I’ve seen how you two look at each other over these past few weeks.”
Catalina flushed and let out a small chuckle, glad for the small distraction of that last line. “Was it that obvious?”
“I’m a happily married woman, Catalina, trust me on this one.” Jane gave her a small laugh. “Anne looks at you so adoringly. And I think you’ve been falling deeper for her each day.”
Truthfully, Catalina wasn’t sure when she gained the crush on Anne. Before she was freed, after she was freed?
But either way, Catalina knew that it existed. And after the moments of realizing her sexuality and the anxiety that followed, Catalina embraced it.
She has a crush (is in love with) one Anne Boleyn.
“I have been, Jane…” Catalina stared over the fire at where Anne laid. “I have and she’s dying.”
Jane let out a hum of acknowledgement, placing a hand on Catalina’s shoulder. The Paladin leaned into it.
Catalina continued talking. “And it isn’t just that I love her.” She turned to meet the elf’s eyes. “Jane, she spent so long under the curse, unable to do anything. She’s finally been able to interact with the world again over the past few weeks, and now she’s just going to lose it like this?”
Catalina broke off into a sob after voicing this and Jane was quickly gathering Catalina into her arms. The other three watched with their own tears as Catalina, usually calm and collected in almost any situation, broke down.
All of them wanted to be strong for Anne. But every single one of them knew they were out of time. Anne was dying in front of them and they wouldn’t reach the town in time.
Anna made her way over to Jane and Catalina, pulling both her wife and friend into her arms.
Cathy and Kat remained curled up together under the tree by Anne’s side. Cathy hid her face in Kat’s shoulder and Kat looked just as depressed, listening to her cousin’s mumbled words.
Slowly, Kat moved her flute to her mouth. She looked around at everyone, her own tears joining everyone else’s.
Kat didn’t know if Anne was to die now or tomorrow, but either way, she wanted it to be peaceful for her cousin.
The song was haunting. A melody filled with despair and sorrow yet at the same time so peaceful. Anne’s body and expression relaxed as she calmed, the music reaching even her fever-ridden mind. Everyone let themselves fall into the melody, they would cry for Anne and continue moving at dawn, just as they had been doing.
(If she would still be with them or not was the question. Although, she hasn’t really been with them since the bite, when the poison caused hallucinations and fevers)
The song soon ended and Kat let out a shuddered gasp before pressing her face against Cathy’s hair.
But a minute later, everyone heard footsteps. Kat heard it first and was out of her embrace with Cathy and on her feet. The other three joined them in seconds, tears stopping as they all looked for a new threat.
And out of the trees stepped an old lady. A cane in one hand, long white hair trailing down her back, her clothes simple and plain.
The queens and the old lady stared at each other for a beat, one side warily and the other other with a small smile.
“I heard your music.” The old lady explained carefully, surveying each of them. “It’s beautiful, my dears. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard such a heartfelt melody…”
The group could only stare, dumbfounded and weapons still drawn. “Who the hell are you?” Anna managed to ask, eyes narrowed with a protective suspicion.
The old lady didn’t reply. Instead her gaze looked to Anne. “Your friend… she’s injured?” She took a step closer to both Anne and the group. Realization sparked in her eyes as to just why that melody was so haunting.
“Don’t touch her!” Catalina barked as Cathy and Kat stepped further in front of Anne, blocking the old lady off as Anna and Catalina circled behind the old lady and Jane knelt down to Anne’s side.
“I promise you, I can help her. I’m a healer.” The old lady promised, undeterred by the protective nature.
“How do we know we can trust you?” Cathy asked.
“You just showed up out of nowhere!” Kat agreed.
“Maybe you’re right. There’s no way of knowing who you can trust until they do something.” The old lady nodded her head, meeting their eyes. “But please, let me at least look at her.” The lady requested.
There were several beats of silence, and then ever so slowly and warily, Kat and Cathy parted, allowing the lady to reach Anne’s side. She placed her cane to the side as she slowly lowered herself to her knees.
None of the queens let their caution lower, staying around the old lady in case she tried something. (It didn’t matter her age, they had faced older opponents before. They weren’t going to let anything harm Anne further than she already was.)
The lady glanced to Jane, who was still on Anne’s other side. “You’re a healer, yes?”
Jane paused. “Yes… but I can’t heal this…”
“It’s alright, my dear.” The old lady told her, gaze softening in understanding. “Now, tell me everything. She has a fever?”
Jane sucked a breath through her teeth, pulling back Anne’s shirt over her shoulder to reveal the bandages, already stained with two splotches of blood despite Jane having changed the bandages when they made camp.
Anna was behind Jane now, her hands rubbing circles into her wife’s shoulders. She looked just as anxious as Jane did, but she was clearly trying to push it back for everyone.
“It was a giant snake.” Jane told the old lady, looking up to meet her eyes. “A poisonous one.”
Under them, Anne began whimpering again. “Père s'il te plait... je ne veux pas…”
“Shhh, tu es en sécurité maintenant. Ton père n'est pas là.” The old woman murmured to Anne. Anne actually seemed to relax slightly at the comforting words in her mother language.
“I can help her at my home, it’s a little further down the path.” The old lady explained, looking back at all of them.
For a moment, the five could only stare blankly. Was this really happening? Was this a miracle or a curse? Would she stab them in the back?
“Why are you helping us?” Kat asked carefully, voicing everyone’s thoughts.
The old lady gave them a smile. “Cautious. A good trait to have in these times.” She hummed, twisting her cane. “Truthfully, I was exiled by my old town. My adventuring group caught the old king’s wrath. I was blamed and I’ve been here ever since, helping lost souls like yourselves.”
“Lost souls?” Catalina huffed, inching closer to Anne.
The old woman’s face softened. “I can explain more later. But for now, I ask that you please let me help your friend.”
The group all shared looks, communicating with their expressions. Do they trust this woman? But then they all came to a conclusion.
They had no other choice.
If they didn’t take this old woman’s help, Anne would die before they reached the next town. This was the only option they had left besides their friend’s death.
“Please help her.” Anna was the one who spoke up.
“I’ll do my best. My home is this way.” The old lady said. They packed up camp and Catalina picked up Anne before they all immediately followed the old lady down the path.
The house wasn’t that large, but was still two storied.
There were two bedrooms upstairs and only a connected kitchen and living room downstairs. Books, potions, and spells were scattered about.
The old woman quickly led them up the stairs to the bedroom on the left. “Put her on the bed, propped up slightly.” She ordered before swiftly leaving the room.
The queens could only do as they were told before waiting. They waited anxiously, still cautious and also filled with fear.
The woman reappeared within only a few minutes, a mixture in hand. She was by Anne’s side quickly, holding her head up and gently tipping the bowl so the mixture entered the woman’s mouth.
Anne’s face clenched and she weakly tried to bat the mixture away from her mouth.
“Vous allez bien, chérie. It will help you…” the old lady soothed.
Anne’s struggling abated with another shiver and she allowed the mixture to be poured into her mouth.
“And that’ll help her?” Cathy asked, watching the exchange closely.
“It will keep the poison from spreading further and I have another potion that can begin to work as an antidote.” The old lady explained, setting the bowl to the side.
The rest of the night, the queens spent with Anne, the old lady making them all finally get the sleep they needed scattered around the small bedroom. The old lady kept watch over Anne, making sure her condition didn’t get worse.
And over the next few days, Anne healed.
The antidote was working and the poison was slowly being cleared from Anne’s body. The holes on Anne’s shoulder were healing as well, the old lady not allowing Jane to heal it just yet.
The others finally felt comfortable enough sleeping downstairs, leaving one queen to look after Anne and the old lady was right across the hall upstairs.
That night, it was Catalina’s turn.
She was leaning back in the wooden chair planted directly next to Anne’s bedside. The paladin was playing gently with the rouge’s fingers, lost in her thoughts.
“Lina?”
Catalina’s head jolted up and she looked wide eyed to Anne. The shadow elf was awake. The lamp next to them cast a soft glow in grey skin and gave her emerald eyes a glimmer.
Even still half asleep, her shoulder throbbing in pain and her energy drained, Anne could tell that something was wrong as she took in the shocked expression. “What’s wrong—!”
A pair of lips suddenly crashed onto her own. Hands gently held onto her cheeks and trailed over her jawline. The kiss felt desperate and rushed, but Anne found herself relaxing into it with a hum of pure joy at the feeling.
Catalina was kissing her.
If Anne was less tired, she would have more of a reaction. But right now, she was drained and just enjoyed the feeling. Huh, maybe she was dreaming.
“Oh…” Anne mumbled as she was released from the kiss, her brain trying to catch up. “I appreciate it, but what was that for?”
“Just for living.” Catalina said with a small, rather sad chuckle.
“For living?” Anne repeated, a frown replacing that shocked, tiny smile. “Wait… what’s going on? I remember leaving the town…”
“Anne, you were poisoned. You almost died.” Catalina explained, tears springing into the corner of her eyes.
And just like that, Anne remembered what happened. She remembered being bitten and a blaring white pain, but everything after that was blurry and practically nothing.
“Merde.” Anne managed to say, turning her head to stare wide eyed at the bandage on her shoulder. She tried to sit up but Catalina was quickly getting her to lay back again.
“It’s okay. Just relax, you’re still healing…” Catalina soothed and Anne listened, her body’s lack of energy obeying for her.
“So I almost died?” Anne asked, looking back up to Catalina.
Catalina nodded ever so slowly, taking hold of Anne’s hand. “An old lady saved you and has been giving you the antidote. We’re in her house.”
“I’ll have to tell her thanks then…” They fell into a silence, simply taking in the others' presence. Anne almost fell back asleep, but forced herself to stay awake.
“To think, I was only freed a few weeks ago, and I almost died so soon.” Anne weakly clenched her hand.
“But you didn’t.” Catalina let out a shuddered breath. “We weren’t going to let you go so soon, Anne. Not after everything.”
Anne’s tired brain connected with that familiar frustration and she felt tears begin to roll down her face. Catalina looked alarmed so Anne managed to rasp out, “I’m sorry… for being so weak.”
“Weak?” Catalina’s jaw dropped. She thought she was the one with the fear of being weak. She never noticed Anne having the same thought. “You aren’t weak at all!”
“Then why did I end up here? Why am I taking away precious time we could be using to stop Henry?!” Anne hissed, looking away from Catalina. She tried to move her body, tried to do something, but her energy was drained, leaving her only able to move her fingers and even that was a strain.
“You’re here because you saved your cousin and I.”
Anne’s gaze flickered back to Catalina, who was frowning at her. “You saved the both of us in trade to your own life. That’s not weak in the slightest.”
Anne only stared at her. In the back of her sleep-fogged mind, Anne wondered if she should bring up just how much of a struggle getting readjusted had been. Just how much of a burden she really was. (Because her fear was less of being weak, but more of being a burden. How could she help the others if she was a burden?)
Anne wanted to change the subject. And that kiss was still in the front of her mind (along almost dying and her frustration, but Anne would rather look at the wonderful thing right now).
“So… that kiss.”
Catalina didn’t fight the change in subject. She was just happy to have Anne awake and alive. They could deal with everything later…
Catalina made a hum of acknowledgment. “You… you told me that you loved me…”
“Oh.” Anne’s eyes widened with realization. “Merde, I’m sorry I did that to you, Lina.”
“No, don’t apologize at all. You were hallucinating.” Catalina watched her closely. “But did you mean it?”
Anne stared, a blush dusting her cheeks that finally didn’t come from a fever. “Yeah… yeah, I did. I uh… I hope the kiss means you return the feeling?”
Catalina couldn’t hold back her laugh at the question. “It does, Querida.” Then she placed another kiss on Anne’s forehead, rubbing her fingers over Anne’s knuckles. “Now please sleep some more… you’re still recovering.”
Anne did feel tired, even surpassing that giddy feeling. “You’ll stay, right?”
“Always.”
And with that confirmation, Anne let out a content hum before letting herself fall back to sleep.
They talked more the next day, when Anne had much more energy. They talked about Anne’s frustration with herself (although, neither Anne or Catalina really knew what to do about it besides just talking at the moment) and about establishing a relationship. (“You haven’t… physically known me that long, Lina.” “I’ve known you long before these past few weeks, Anne, while you were still cursed. And I’ve only fallen further in this time.”)
The other queens finally saw Anne awake and were overjoyed, Kat returning the choker but not allowing Anne to wear it just yet. The old lady came in while everyone was chattering happily and introduced herself. Anne thanked her for saving her life but noticeably cringed as she was forced to drink another bitter mixture.
The group stayed there for several weeks, giving Anne time to heal. But it was only two or three days after Anne woke up that she tried to get back to work.
All five of the other queens had been either downstairs or outside, leaving Anne alone. And everyone had begun to get worried about her.
Which is why the old lady went up to check on Anne for them.
She froze in the doorway upon seeing Anne. The still injured woman was out of bed, a familiar dagger in hand. She was clearly trying to train but was stumbling and her breath was ragged. Anne was clearly exhausted but there was also something almost desperate in her eye. For a moment, the old lady thought Anne would pass out after a particularly harsh stagger.
The old lady tilted her head, taking in Anne’s appearance. “Training in the middle of a bedroom?”
Anne huffed, not turning to the newcomer. “None of you will let me go outside. So I’ll just have to do it here.”
The old lady’s gaze softened, but she didn’t move from the doorway. “You are still healing, mon cher. You need to give it time.”
Anne growled and made another slash with her dagger. Her whole body trembled from the movement and Anne swore she could feel more sweat drip down her skin as her legs almost gave out. “I can’t stop… I can’t…” she paused, gaze dropping before she glared back to the old lady. “No one else heard me, huh?” Her breathing was gasped as she spoke.
The old lady hummed, finally stepping further into the room. “No, they did not. But they were getting worried, which is why I came to check on you. You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
“What’s it to you?!” Anne finally snapped, her frustration having peaked. “You don’t know me! You’re just some grandma that decided to save me!”
The old lady didn’t seem angry by the comment, instead she stepped to Anne and used the hand free of her cane to carefully pull the dagger away and lay it on the dresser.
Anne didn’t resist, her body tired and so close to giving out on her. The old lady guided her gently by the unwounded shoulder to sit on the edge of the bed.
Anne continued her gasped breaths, recovering from her physical movements that caused the throbbing in her shoulder to flare up to a burning pain and caused all of energy to suddenly leave her.
“Now, can you tell me what’s going on?” The old lady asked in a calm tone. And Anne didn’t feel pressured. Something in her voice told Anne that it was alright if she didn’t want to talk, it felt comforting.
“I just… I need to catch up.” Anne muttered, unsure how much she herself was willing to tell. But her exhausted mind almost seemed to run on autopilot at the moment.
The old lady didn’t need to hear more. She nodded in understanding, her hand coming to rest on Anne’s knee. “You see yourself as weaker than them. You want to prove yourself.”
“I…” Anne finally crumbled, curling in slightly. “They’ve done so much for me. And I’m so weak and… and I haven’t done major fighting in so long… I’m still trying to relearn everything and I just…” she tried to hold back the tears in her eyes, but they stubbornly fell anyways. “What if I let them down? What if they realize that they don’t need me anymore like…” Anne froze, cutting herself off before she could say the name. She didn’t continue.
The old lady nodded her understanding. “You’re scared the past will repeat. That they’ll discard you if you aren’t capable enough.”
“Yes.” Anne grimaced at the way her voice cracked.
The old lady hummed, rubbing that soothing pattern on Anne’s knee. “Well, they will never throw you aside, I hope the past few days have shown you that.”
Anne rubbed stubbornly at her eyes. “Yeah… yeah I do. And they’ve done so much more before all of this.”
“I’m sure they have. I’ve seen how much all of you care for each other over these past few days. It truly is a wonderful sight.” The old lady pondered something for a moment. “Maybe… training would help you feel better about it.”
“I… what?”
Anne watched as the old lady stood and stepped out of the room, not giving her a reply. Anne could only sit there, still trying to recover from the strained workout as the old lady soon returned with a large book in hand.
“Be careful now, it’s rather heavy, hmm?” She told Anne, helping the shadow elf keep it on her lap after handing it over.
“What is this?” Anne asked, looking over the cover. It looked to be some kind of guide for rogues. Anne felt that familiar spark of her famous temper flare. “Showing me how weak I am? Unable to do these skills?”
Once again, the old lady proved to Anne that she had the patience of a saint. “Not at all. It’s a way for you to train, refresh your mind and memory while your body heals and catches up.”
Anne could only stare, almost blankly, at the cover. Her mind processed just how right the old lady might be and her temper began to dim each second.
“Read over it while your body heals.” The old lady told her gently, helping her lean back against the headboard in a more comfortable position. “And once it has, you can use your memories and this book.”
Anne watched as the lady made her way back over to the door. She paused before she left, keeping her back to Anne. “And those friends of yours… They’re your family. They won’t let you go that easily. The Paladin especially, you two are lovers after all!”
Anne sputtered and blushed at that. “Lovers?!” She coughed and tried to compose herself. “Uhm, we’re together… romantically... but I wouldn’t call us lovers just yet.”
The old lady laughed at that. She decidedly didn’t state how it was practically the same thing. Maybe Anne simply wasn’t ready to call it that yet or had a bad experience. “My bad then! But the point still stands, hmm? They won’t leave you, trust me on that.”
And then the lady left, leaving Anne to her thoughts.
Anne knew the others would never leave her. It was just… after Henry she didn’t want to risk it.
Be it if they left her through death, or even more impossibly left her by abandonment Anne didn’t want to do it again. That would undeniably break her.
Eventually, Anne had enough of being in her thoughts. So she finally cracked open the book, her interest piqued. Her eyes widened as she scanned through the pages, simply looking at what kind of content it had at the moment.
Holy shit!
The book was filled with everything Anne needed! Different techniques for fighting with a dagger. Different skills rogues used, from the most simple to the most complex. There was even a section dedicated to shadow magic!
(Not the addicting, evil type Henry used. But rather the good type of shadow magic. The type Anne used. The magic that she already used to go in and out of the shadows. But now, she could learn more about it, how to wield it more defensively and offensively. Maybe even learn how she could pull her friends into the shadows with her so she could get them out of harm's way like she had done for Kat so long ago. This was a chance for her to feel complete in control of the shadows. To finally wash away that last bit of anxiousness she got whenever she went back into them.)
The rest of that evening, Anne spent beginning to read the book. When the others came up to eat with her later, it was filled with Anne excitedly explaining the book and how it could help her.
No one could stop their excited and joyful smiles as they told Anne that they were excited for her and then later thanked the old lady.
And when Catalina joined her in bed later that night, Anne decided to ask something.
They were curled up together, Anne tucked into Catalina. The Paladin being very cautious of the shadow elf’s still healing body.
Anne had told her a bit of what happened earlier. Catalina was a little angry over Anne trying to train, maybe even a little bit at herself for not noticing but she didn’t yell, keeping her calm. Anne even found it in her to confide more of those fears. But the golden queen was quick to reassure that none of them would ever abandon Anne or hurt her like Henry did.
They had fallen into a comfortable silence when Anne quietly asked the question. “Do you consider us lovers?”
Catalina blinked, raising an eyebrow and pulling back to peer at Anne through the shadows. In the darkness, only the shadow elf’s clothing and glimmering emerald eyes were visible. “We’re girlfriends aren’t we? If it’s alright with you I would like to be…”
Anne chuckled, pulling Catalina back into the embrace. “It’s perfect. I just didn’t know if you were okay with the label.”
Catalina hummed and placed a kiss onto Anne’s head. “I adore it.”
The next moment was spent sharing sweet kisses and becoming more tangled in each other’s arms.
“Can I ask what brought up that question?” Catalina asked as Anne planted another kiss to her jaw.
“Just something the old lady said earlier. About my fear.” Anne admitted easily.
“Again, none of us will ever abandon you. I would hate myself if I ever hurt you like that.” Catalina told Anne, leaning down to capture Anne’s lips this time.
After they broke apart, a soft smile came to Anne’s face. “Yeah… Y’know, I would hate myself too if I hurt any of you. You especially, Lina.”
“Then I doubt it will ever happen either way. We’re a family. We’ll stay together.”
“I’m starting to get that…”
“And I’ll keep reminding you of it. Now let’s go to sleep. You’re still healing.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Anne’s comment was punctuated by a yawn. “Just don’t steal the pillow again.”
“Only if you don’t steal the blankets.” Catalina chuckled, closing her eyes.
“Nah. You’re too warm for that.” Catalina was thankful Anne couldn’t see her blush.
Over the next few days, Anne recovered. (In total, the queens stayed with the old lady for several weeks, Anne’s healing and then training requiring them to do so. They wondered if Catalina’s friend had gotten worried yet. Did they even know they were coming?)
The old lady had her drink several more doses of the healing mixtures, just as a precaution. Everyone kept an eye on her wound, Jane always soothing it with a minor healing spell since the old lady didn’t want her to heal it completely just yet, in case the poison made a vicious comeback.
In the meantime, Anne read. She read through the large book the old lady had leant her and she even got parchment and ink to write notes down. Notes of her own techniques that differed from the books. Ways to incorporate her own style. Plans for training and reteaching her body the physical skills, rogue skills, and the spells.
When she wasn’t reading and making plans, she was with the other queens. She had finally healed up enough that the old lady and Jane allowed her to join everyone downstairs during the day as long as she didn’t do anything too physical. Anne didn’t want to do that anyways. She was content to curl up with her friends and share stories and jokes like they always do. She would watch them do their own training and keeping guard outside, preparing for when she could restart her own.
And eventually she did.
She began with regular workouts. Jogs, pushups, sit-ups and the like. She gradually (but as quickly as she could) worked her way up to practicing with her dagger. She pushed herself hard, working on the physical tasks.
(She definitely noticed the occasionally blushing and staring Catalina and teasing queens. Anne couldn’t resist the one time she gave Catalina a wink. Later on, Catalina returned the gesture when they reversed roles.)
She worked through her anxiety (she did have a panic attack at some point, thank god Catalina and Cathy had been there) and began to practice with the shadows. She worked on entering and exiting, using them for attacks, pulling people in with her (the others' first comments were just how cold the shadows were).
During all of it, she spent an hour or two a day working on making her own lockpicks and getting faster at picking locks (everyone had grinned upon hearing the triumphant cheer as Anne finally managed to both make the lockpick and pick the lock in a lot less time than she had been). She worked on other skills too, such as pickpocketing by casually stealing the other queens items and returning them later that evening.
Anne herself was surprised with how she had been progressing, even while healing from the poison and wound.
Her skills were still far from perfect. It had been only a few weeks and she was still healing after all. But this was the best progress Anne had made since being freed.
And finally… finally Anne felt confident in her abilities again. And for real, she believed that she could get better with practice. That frustration was finally gone.
After believing that she would never be like she was before the curse, Anne finally felt that she could reach that level again. She finally felt brave, strong, and confident again.
Yeah, her trauma and other issues still existed, but Anne wasn’t going to let that hold her back anymore. She was going to help her friends take back the kingdom. And she finally felt capable of doing so.
She didn’t feel like such a burden anymore.
(Occasionally, that feeling of a burden would reappear, but a bit of training and spending time with others served to prove that she wasn’t.)
The others cheered her on every step of the way. The old lady did too, constantly helping her fix something if she got it wrong. (Anne owed a lot to her. Maybe someday she could make it up.)
They sparred with her, made sure she took breaks, and so much more to support her in both her healing and training.
Until finally, it was time to leave.
Anne’s healing and training were over (the latter wasn’t, but Anne had improved so much in the time that she felt confident in fighting and in her skills) and they had to bid goodbye to the old lady. They had to finally meet Catalina’s friends, after weeks of not reaching that objective.
The others stood off to the side, preparing to leave as Anne tried to hand the old lady back the book.
She simply laughed and pushed it back towards Anne. “My dear, I have no need for that book now. Your training isn’t over, take it with you.”
Anne blinked before beaming and nodding gratefully. “I don’t know how to thank you… you saved my life and I finally feel confident again after so long!”
“You don’t need to thank me…” she tapped her cane against the floor, pulling something out of her pocket. “Take this with you as well.” The old lady handed Anne a vial containing a potion. “It can break any spell.”
“Any spell?” Anne gaped at her. “How the hell did you make it?!”
The old lady laughed. “I can’t reveal all of my secrets, dear. But trust me when I say it is genuine.”
“Ma’am, I don’t—!” Anne tried to hand it back, but the old lady took both of her hands and gently closed Anne’s hand around the vial.
“I insist.” She told Anne, dipping her head. “Use it when you need it most.”
Anne stared at the potion for a moment before looking back up to the lady. “Why are you doing all of this?”
The lady smiled serenely and gently reached out, moving Anne’s free hand to grasp the potion as well. “Because I know who you are, my queen.” Anne’s eyes widened but she didn’t interrupt.
“And it’s high time for you and your little family to take back the throne.”
It wasn’t until later that the queens fully realized that they never got her name.