A/N: TWs for this chapter - a description of what could be considered a panic attack (not outright stated, but it's implied) in the first scene, and a warning for mentions of a fire in the fifth scene. Be careful, your safety matters.

All it took to start a fire was a match.

All it took for a fire to grow was fuel.

All it took for the ballroom of House Zeenca to burn down was a match.

And all it took for Her Highness Aru Shah to find out about the arson incident that House Zeenca was painstakingly trying to cover up until the next event of social season was an ash-stained letter tucked away in a triple locked chest that smelled heavily of smoke.

Aru had been curious when Aiden's triple locked chest had been quietly delivered to her room. Carefully, but ever so swiftly, Aru dialed in the combinations to the three locks, watching as one lock gave way to another, until finally, the third lock was opened and the letter chamber was visible. Aru had grasped the letter, pulling away when she felt a grainy substance on her hands. Glancing at her palms, the substance looked like soot or ash.

Aru washed her hands regardless, Mini's regular reminders for cleanliness ever present in her head.

And for all she knew, it could've been poison.

It should've been her first clue, but puzzles, even obvious ones, could be hard to put together without the right pieces.

Aru delicately broke the seal of the letter, which was hastily stamped with the seal of House Nessu.

The letter was stained with soot, graying the envelope, and the air from the chest wafted through the room, smelling heavily of smoke.

Aru felt her head pounding, her mind whirring concernedly.

Curious and slightly concerned, Aru opened up her first, albeit quite rumpled, letter from her ally.

The first words were straightforward enough:

"Your Highness, I hope this letter finds you well"

But as Aru read on, she realized the ash on her fingers was from something entirely unexpected. The dust and soot between her hands only served to force together the pieces of the puzzle Aru wanted to deny.

"I cannot say the same for myself, however. A storm came, hitting one of House Zeenca's facilities hard."

Aru's eyes widened immediately upon zeroing in on the code words Aiden had set for alerting her of the dangers of using letters.

She didn't think the two of them would have to use the code so soon. 

Pushing down her hesitance, Aru read on.

The smell of smoke began to feel . . . overpowering.

"My cousin Rudy and I, were caught in the downpour."

Aru caught on the double meaning almost immediately. Aiden and Rudy had been caught in the crossfire. But why was Aiden with Rudy in the first place? Was there a traitor also among House Zeenca?

The soot on her fingers started to feel sinister. Near disgusting, almost.

"We are fine as of the time of this letter, but I'm not sure how long that will last."

She felt a prickling sensation crawl up her spine. Instinctively, Aru looked over her shoulder, even though she knew no one would be watching her.

Aru gulped, hoping both Aiden and Rudy were alright, but pushed through the final part of the letter.

"Another possible storm coming soon. Rain has been forecasted at Estate Nessu as well, during the next event of social season."

Aru identified the second of the pair's codewords easily. Aiden had something to say, then.

House Nessu's event of social season, most usually a theater performance, was quickly approaching. 

If Aru could arrange a viewing booth at the theater for her and her allies, she'd be in the perfect position to exchange information. 

But that wasn't the point right then.

There was soot and ash staining her palms, a rumpled and singed message in her hands, and Aru's mind so wanted to put two and two together, but she felt such a spiraling of her thoughts that the revelation, the final piece of the puzzle, had to wait.

She had a letter to finish, after all.

"Stay safe, Aru

Aiden Acharya"

Aru looked up, looking to the solitary candle still lit in her room.

Aru couldn't stand to keep the candle burning, not with soot on her palms and the smell of smoke in the air. The soot made her want to wash her hands, but Aru couldn't even move.

The overpowering scent of smoke from the letter was pungent, near suffocating. The grit on her hands felt the same as the blood of an innocent.

It near well could've been the two of them dead, Aru thought, watching as the candle flickered, her mind rushing.

Aru took a deep breath in, looking at her hands, at the letter, at the candle, something like a panicked, but firm, resolve pumping through her veins.

The candle flickered once more.

Unceremoniously, she blew it out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That cloying feeling in Aru's very being remained, like a snake wrapping around her lungs and squeezing.

It made her want to curl in, not look up, and gave that ever present sense of pure, abysmal dread.

She had taken to narrowing her eyes at uncharacteristic noises, blowing out the candles in a room, and constantly keeping Vajra with her.

In the days leading up to House Nessu's theater showcase, all Aru could do was wait.

Wait for another letter, wait for the sun to set, wait as the incessant thrumming in her head kept her awake at night, even if a thunderstorm did not make itself known across the sky.

In the three days leading up to the showcase, Aru spent much of her time awake.

Much of it was passed reading books, practicing with Vajra, and pacing back and forth, her heart pounding in her ears even in pure silence.

Those three days, Aru didn't get much in the way of sleep. How could she, with the phantom feeling of soot on her hands and smoke in the air?

But on the night before the showcase, Aru finally gave up on her crusade to stay awake. 

The minute she reached her room after dinner (where her parents had asked her if she was sleeping enough), she was out before someone could say "possible murder".

Her mind was quiet that night.

Aru woke up on the morning of  the House Nessu showcase with her fists clenched and heart pounding once more.

She sat up with a start, sunlight reaching her eyes and making the world go startlingly white for a moment.

Blinking blearily, Aru got up quickly, and hurried to get ready.

Clutching Vajra all the way down the hall to the amenities room, Aru freshened up, combed her hair, and came out wearing an evergreen and silver knee length tunic, the colors of House Nessu and House Cloudwoll combined. Vajra remained in her hands, clutched with a grip that turned her knuckles white.

As she walked down the hall, Aru recollected her memories of the theater that House Nessu usually held their showcases in.

Kara had always been fond of the Nessu theater, located alongside the Nessu estate and on the outskirts of the capital city, not too far from the Cloudwoll castle. The theater was known for its actors' ability to create a world so real, and the directors were famed for their skill in writing stories so compelling.

Kara had once said that stories had power. From the words that made them up, she'd said.

Pausing outside the castle doors, Aru remembered that conversation, as clearly as she remembered the soot on her hands four days ago.

Kara had always been so easily awed.

"Look at them, Aru," Kara had said, eyes sparkling as she pointed up towards the stage from their personal booth, and the actors upon it.

Aru had just come of the minimum age to join social season, and this was her first time attending a House Nessu showcase. The House Nessu actors were some of the greatest, their characters' emotions playing across their faces, almost as if the characters were as real as the people who played them.

"The actors?" Aru asked.

"Well, not just the actors," Kara said. "The stage, the play itself. The story they're telling."

Aru quirked a brow.

"How am I supposed to look at the written story when I can't even see it?" Aru joked.

Kara looked at her, expression deadpan. 

Aru held her hands up, in mock surrender. "Sorry."

Kara rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You're forgiven."

Aru glanced to the stage, and back to her sister. "But you were saying?"

Kara's expression lit up again. "Right! The story they're telling has power, Aru."

Aru was confused. "Power?"

"Power," Kara said, nodding. "A story based in past can shape our perception of history. A story based in the future, however, can warn us of what we might become, or be an ideal of what we should be."

"But what about stories based in the present?" Aru had asked.

"Well," Kara mused. "A story based in the here and now is a picture of what we are, like a still portrait. A story can affect our perceptions of the past, present, and future, Aru. Stories have power, from the words that make them up."

Kara went silent, as an actor on the stage burst into speech, their character finally finding a way to embrace their emotions in full.

Aru looked up to the stage, as the scene played out.

She could see what Kara had meant, now.

"Your Highness?" someone called.

Aru blinked, jarred from her memory.

Blinking, Aru turned around, only to see Captain Sherrilyn looking at her quizzically. 

Aru quickly composed herself. "Yes, Captain?"

"The carriage has arrived," Sherrilyn said. "Your parents are waiting."

Aru nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

Aru gathered her wits, and checked if her tiara was still balanced on her head.

Thankfully, it was.

Hurrying, Aru joined her parents in front of the carriage.

Both the king and queen gave Aru a short hello. Before, Aru mused, they had more patience for such things. But now, Aru supposed, the stress from having to train a new heir and run a kingdom that should've been in more capable hands at this point was wearing them.

Aru could see the worry lines on her mother's face, the dark circles under her father's eyes.

Maybe from grief, maybe from stress, maybe from both, if Aru was being realistic.

Her father pulled the carriage door open, gesturing for Krithika and Aru to walk through.

Silently, Aru sat down.

The carriage door moved shut.

Dimly, Aru could hear the snap of the carriage's reins, as the horse began to move.

Aru watched as the  capitol city flew by her very own eyes, lights glimmering with warmth.

How ironic, considering what had come next.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The House Nessu theater was as wonderous as Aru remembered it.

The theater, located a short distance from the actual Nessu estate, was ornate and grand, decked out in golden décor, complete with bright lights that could be spotted from miles away.

As Aru approached its entrance, she could see the motto of House Nessu intricately carved into the archway at the front of the theater.

Libertas est fortitudo, it read.

Freedom is strength.

Kara had always liked the motto of House Nessu the most, even more than the motto of Cloudwoll.

Aru could see why. 

Kara had always admired Nessu's ideology of giving its members and its patrons the freedom to chase that which called for them.

In another life, Aru mused, Kara could've been a member of the rather artistically inclined house, poring over tomes and texts day and night, even writing ones of her own.

Kara had loved House Nessu, and it wouldn't have surprised Aru that, if things had been different, she'd have found a home in it.

But fate had other plans for her sister, Aru supposed.

Aru pushed through the front doors of the theater, to a large crowd of nobles.

From her vantage point, Aru could spot her allies in the crowd. Mini, dressed in deep purple, now wearing long cream gloves, as opposed to her shorter ones at the Bronzewell fair.

Aru looked over the crowd, her gaze locking onto to a familiar evergreen coat.

Aiden.

Even from afar, Aru could see the dark circles ringing his eyes and the smatterings of soot on his boots, near invisible to anyone not looking. He stood with the a slight hunch as well, and two new holsters on his outfit. Aru would've once wondered why he'd need those, but now, she knew.

By his side, was Rudy, visibly in a worse shape than Aiden. Rudy was smiling as he spoke, but the smile looked hollow.

Under the sleeve of his long-sleeved frock coat, however, Aru could spot the edges of bandaging on his arms.

Aru looked back to her parents, who were, unsurprisingly, catching up with the reclusive Dowager Baroness Malini.

Malini, Aiden's mother, was the picture of bittersweet melancholy. She was beautiful, yes, (anyone could see that) but the years, and the disappearance of her husband had taken their toll on her.

Malini moved lethargically, like the speed at which the world moved had become too much for her.

Aru found the thought ironic, for once, she knew, the noblewoman had once been a celebrated dancer, one of House Nessu's greatest.

The disappearance of her spouse, along with having to head House Nessu, seemed to put a weight on her shoulders, a weight that didn't let her move as fast or as expressively anymore.

And now? It showed more than ever.

As Malini spoke to her parents, Aru could see that she moved in long motions, in what once would've probably been quick, snappy gestures.

But Krithika and Suyodhana could very well sympathize, Aru knew. 

Before Kara's disappearance, Krithika and Suyodhana were . . . brighter.

They always had the fire running on stormy nights, the long ones, where Aru and Kara couldn't sleep due to the storms outside, left books on Kara's table that they thought she'd enjoy, and had taken Aru to forge her own spear, the very one that was holstered on her back, Vajra.

But after that fateful day, the fire was neither alight, nor approached, and Aru was left in the dark those nights a bout of thunder woke her up. Neither of the two could set foot near or within Kara's room, and the room remained untouched, a relic.

All Aru had left of before, she supposed, was the spear on her back, and the memories.

Aru herself knew some of the feelings Malini might've felt.

In those first days and weeks in the aftermath of Kara's disappearance, Aru had felt lost. Kara was an anchor in her life, the most stable of the three she had.

Aru had lost her sister, who stayed awake with her during those stormy nights, who'd laugh at her jokes, who was reliable because she cared.

Even now, ages later, after Aru had gone through the absolute wringer that was becoming the new heir, Aru viewed her memories with her sister through a lens of melancholy, every past interaction stained with loss.

Remembering, Aru supposed, was her way of dealing with grief.

Aru took one last look at her parents and Malini, knowing their feelings of loss put different weights on each of them as they tried to move forward.

For Aru, the weight of the past meant living up the heir that Kara was, even if she could never be her sister.

And now, being the heir meant finding the insurgency, before they could enact their plan.

And so, Aru looked away from Krithika, Suyodhana, and Malini, the paragons of things past. Now, she turned her gaze to Mini and Aiden, her allies in ensuring the future, still among the crowd.

Moving toward the gathering, Mini caught Aru's eye.

Mini tilted her head in Aiden and Rudy's direction, and then raised a single brow at Aru.

Aru interpreted the expression as questioning one.

Aru looked down, and then back up at Mini, giving her a meaningful look, one that she hoped sent the message of "I know".

Mini seemed to understand, and nodded.

Then, she turned around, speaking to another person dressed in purple who seemed to share her features. A family member, then.

Turning back to Aiden and Rudy, Aru quickly made her way toward them.

The two of them were speaking, albeit quietly.

Aru seemed to be catching the tail-end of a conversation long begun.

"Rudy," Aiden hissed. "We have to be careful. "

Rudy threw his arms out exasperatedly, before wincing and drawing them back. "Why, Aiden? For all we know, it could've been a freak accident!"

Aiden looked pained. "Look Rudy, there's things you don't know-"

Rudy exhaled loudly. "What kind of things?"

"I can't tell you," Aiden said, solemnly.

Rudy scowled. "Fine, then. If you won't tell me, I suppose I'm not obligated  to follow your stupid instructions!"

Aru winced. Suddenly, she was beginning to regret approaching during this conversation.

Aiden rubbed his temple, while Rudy turned on his heel, expression irritated.

"I suppose this was a bad time to approach?" Aru said.

Aiden jolted, like he'd been hit with a bolt of lightning.

He turned around quickly, fists clenching, before seeing Aru.

He sighed, visibly relaxing. "It's just you."

Aru nodded. "Just me."

Aiden tilted his head. "You look like you've been through a hurricane."

Aru chuckled. "That's quite specific, but the same could be said to you. Are you alright though?"

Aiden sighed defeatedly. "You've got me there. And I'm alright, couple of bruises, maybe a scrape or two."

Aru breathed. The sensation of soot on her palms came back to her.

Aru looked around, making sure no one in dressed in Morburn's black was listening to her.

"Look," Aru started. "I'm not entirely sure what exactly you were telling me about in the letter, but if the soot on it told me anything, it told me that something dangerous happened. Am I wrong there?"

"No," Aiden said, grimly.

"Then I want you to know-" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, and looking him right in the eye. "that you have my full permission to back out if need be."

Aiden drew back. "What?"

Aru dropped her hand. "As much as our working together does help, I can't have innocent lives being stolen in the process. Not if I can help it."

Aiden held up his hands. "No, look, Aru-"

Aru raised a palm, in a "stop" gesture. "Aiden, you and me working together is going to risk your safety. If whatever happened is any indicator, it's that things will get dangerous. I am not dismissing you from the alliance. But I am giving you full permission to back out if the need arises."

Aiden looked stunned. "But my oath-"

"You're a citizen of this kingdom. I am the heir apparent. And what kind of heir apparent would I be if I placed the safety of the throne over the citizens it governs?"

Aiden exhaled heavily. "Aru, we're in this together. I pledged my loyalty the night we both found out, and I intend to stand by my oath as long as I can. But I'll keep your words in mind, alright?"

"That's all I needed to hear," Aru said.

Aiden looked to the large clock on the opposing wall. "The showcase starts soon."

Aru took a glance as well. They had 5 minutes until the showcase started. "Indeed it does. In your letter you said something about-"

Aiden nodded vigorously. "I did. I have something to tell you and Mini. I'll meet you both in the theater's garden during the intermission."

Before Aru could say anything, however, Aiden was gone, joining a crowd of green-clad Nessu nobles.

Aru sighed. Political conspiracies were tiring.

Looking over the crowd for glimpses of people in black velvet, Aru drew up to her full height and breathed in quietly.

She just had to hold out till the intermission.

Aru headed up to her balcony booth.

The show was about to begin, and it would be a royal mistake to miss it.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Nessu theater reminded Aru of those days past where all she could do was stare at the stage in awe, eyes glittering.

Aru watched as a musical number erupted from the stage, with that same sense of awe, but now dulled.

Aru moved her attention from the stage, and into the crowd.

She caught sight of Mini, Aiden, and Aiden's knight friend, Brynne, watching the show with a gleam in their eyes.

From her balcony booth inside the theater, Aru looked away from her allies, and instead, turned her gaze upon the nobles clad in black velvet.

House Morburn, ever so silent.

How many among them are traitors, Aru wondered. How many are true?

Aru's eyes narrowed.

And which of them would end me without a second thought?

As Aru looked into the silent, solemn crowd, Aru, not for the first time, remembered a child's tale about Morburn's choice of house colors.

The founders of the house, her father had told her all those years ago, knew that spying came with the inevitability of death.

A cover could be blown, a stronghold discovered.

And so, the first members of House Morburn elected to wear black, in order to honor those who had already fallen, and those who wouldn't be getting funerals, without distracting from the mission at hand with something as trivial as outfit changes.

Aru, rather darkly, wondered if the Morburn members involved in Kara's disappearance wore the same clothes to her memorial as they did when they took her.

Among all the buzz of the theater, musical number still going strong, House Morburn remained . . . strangely silent.

No whispers, no claps, no excited chatter.

And all of a sudden, one of the hood clad heads raised towards the balcony, brown eyes looking piercingly up at Aru.

Aru drew back, shock in her veins.

The person, whoever they were, narrowed their eyes at Aru, the glint and steel in their glare promising danger.

Aru's own eyes widened.

As quickly as the stranger's eye glared up at her, their stare levelled back at the stage now.

Aru's fingers twitched, her gaze jumping between the stage and the crowd of Morburn nobles.

A waving hand caught her attention.

Aru looked over at the person waving their hand.

Aiden.

He looked as though confused, but at what, she didn't know.

He was waving his hands in Aru's direction. To his right, Brynne narrowed her eyes at Aiden, jabbing him in the arm.

Aiden rubbed his arm, as Aru regained her composure.

Aru, holding on the booth railings for balance, raised a single eyebrow in a questioning gesture.

Aiden seemed to understand.

Slowly, he mouthed something that Aru, from across the theater could only understand as "Are you okay ?"

Aru took a deep breath in, and nodded.

Aiden nodded back, a slight skepticism to his features, but pointed to the clock above the stage.

Aru turned her eyes on it.

The intermission would start in 4 minutes, according to the clock.

Aru turned back to Aiden, and nodded.

Then, he started paying attention to the showcase once more.

Brynne, from his side, gave Aru a funny look.

Her expression betrayed a good bit of anger, and strangely, suspicion.

Brynne's vicious glare burned, even from across the theater.

She scowled at Aru, before turning back to the stage.

Shaking off the sense of dread that had come over her once again, Aru too looked back at the stage letting all the sounds of the stage envelop her thoughts, before the danger of the situation could truly sink in.

The cast, finishing their number, gathered at the front of the stage and took a deep bow before walking off.

The audience began to disperse. 

Aru stood up.

Aiden nodded to her from across the theater, and looked to Mini. Mini caught the glance, nodded, and headed out. 

In her peripheral vision, Aru caught Brynne looking skeptically between them all, before  heading toward a crowd of Zeenca members.

The intermission had begun.

It was time to find her allies.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Aru quickly ducked through a crowd of Rosenon members, dressed in rose-colored finery.

Eyes scanning the crowd, Aru searched for one of Aiden's dark green coats, or Mini's deep purple attire.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Mini, looking around as well. Turning quickly on her heel, Aru sped in Mini's direction, her shoes clicking on the wood floor of the lobby.

"Mini," Aru hissed. 

Mini turned around, facing Aru, with surprise on her face. "Aru-Is there something important happening?"

"Yes," Aru said quietly. "Aiden has something to say. New information."

Realization seemed to dawn on Mini. "I see. Where do we go?"

Aru looked around, trying to find where Aiden wanted the three of them to meet.

I'll meet you both in the theater's garden during the intermission, Aiden had said.

"Mini," Aru whispered, keeping her voice down. "Where are the gardens?"

Mini blinked, and looked left to right. 

Mini pointed to their left. "There."

Aru stepped forward. "Come on then. He's waiting."

Mini nodded, and stepped in time with Aru. Mini looked around, in what Aru would've once called fear, but now knew it to be caution.

"Alright. Let's go." Mini agreed.

Quickly, Aru and Mini hurried to the door leading to the gardens.

Mini stepped forward, pushing it open. They were greeted with a blast of fresh air. Aru stepped out, as Mini shut the door behind them.

Looking out into the garden, Aru could see Aiden's coat clad figure, leaning on the side of a bird shaped topiary.

"I was wondering what was taking you two so long!" Aiden called sarcastically,  the wind carrying his voice.

Mini rolled her eyes. "Aru didn't even know where the gardens were!"

Aru facepalmed. "This isn't even my house, what do you expect from me?"

Mini and Aru neared Aiden.

"Fair enough," Aiden said jokingly, as they approached.

"Well, Aiden," Aru said. "You had something to say?"

"Right," Aiden said, voice quieter, more resigned. "I have a lot to say."

Aru nodded. "Okay. We're listening."

Aiden took a deep breath in.

"There's a traitor in House Zeenca."

Aru froze. Mini's eyes widened.

"And . . . I know who it is."

Aru's thoughts caught up with her. "Who?"

Aiden looked up. "Rudy's grandfather. Takshaka."

Takshaka, Aru's mind echoed.

She'd heard of him.

Takshaka was one of Zeenca's most well-known members, famous or infamous (depending on who you were talking to) for being a (former) ruthless head of the treasury.

Now, he was known for collecting treasures and living in semi-retirement.

Aru paused. "He's a well-known former government official, and now, a retiree. Are you sure, Aiden?"

Aiden stepped forward. "Of course I'm sure, Aru! He's the one who set the Zeenca ballroom on fire while Rudy and I were still in it! "

Aru's eyes widened. "He what?"

"Why do you think Rudy came in with bandaged arms today? Why do you think there's soot on my boots?" Aiden said, eyes narrowing.

Mini stepped between the two. "Guys, you're about to argue! Aru, give Aiden the benefit of the doubt, and Aiden, explain how you know for sure it was Takshaka."

Aiden took a deep breath. "Look, I was visiting Rudy a while ago, and he was super excited about House Zeenca's event, so he took me to see the ballroom. Takshaka was the only adult on the property that day, because Rudy's parents were out. Rudy was talking about the event and about what Zeenca had set up, when I saw a torch tip over."

Aiden breathed in, looking down, before continuing. "The décor caught fire. All of it. And not longer after, the walls too. In our frenzy, I turned around and saw a cloaked person in the shadows of the ballroom."

Aru's mouth went dry.

This is getting more out of hand than what's safe anymore, Aru thought.

"And guess who it was?" Aiden asked, steady tone broken. "It was Takshaka, hissy voice and all, Rudy's own grandfather, setting fire to a building while his grandson was still in it."

"And you know what he said to me, while Rudy didn't even see him?" Aiden said, voice breaking, and what looked like tears welling up in his eyes. "He said, 'I know '. And then he was gone. And we had to get out of there before we went along with the building."

Aru stood stock still, her face a picture of shock.

"He's probably funding the insurgency," Aiden nearly whispered. "Feeding them the financial means to keep doing things like this."

Mini stepped forward, expression full of concern, and underlying shock. "Aiden, are you okay?"

Aiden leaned back on the topiary. "I-I don't know."

"It's okay to not be okay, you know?" Aru said quietly, looking Aiden right in the eye.

"I know."

Aru's mind finally caught up with what had been said.

What kind of a poor excuse for a human being would even do that?

And from all the quietly spoken words and whistling wind, escaped a choked cry from behind the topiary, one that sounded as though it was held back.

Aiden's pained and near tearful expression twisted into a guarded one once more. He quickly twisted around, pulling out two scimitars with the Nessu crest on them from the holsters on his coat.

Aru reached for Vajra, holstered to her back. In her hands, Vajra's silver metal glistened.

"Who's there?" Aiden called roughly, his voice a sharp change from how he was speaking seconds earlier.

Mini stepped forward, facing whatever was on the other side of the topiary.

She paused.

The silence was prolonged for what felt like minutes, hours, maybe even eternity.

And when Mini spoke, she was nearly breathless.

"Rudy?" she whispered.

And all at once, Aiden's scimitars fell to the grass of the garden, with a quiet thump.

His guarded expression had morphed into one of shock.

He pushed by Mini, and turned to the back of the bird topiary as well.

Aru stepped forward, joining Mini, slightly behind Aiden.

Aru turned the corner, and was met with Rudy of House Zeenca himself. 

The sight of Rudy, at that moment, was so far from how Aru usually saw him.

Rudy usually joked and smiled, but now, he looked stunned, almost as if he was glued into his place in the garden.

Aiden clapped a hand over his mouth.

Aru's breathing felt unsteady.

"He lit the fire?" Rudy said, voice uneven.

Aiden closed his eyes solemnly, hand dropping back to his side. "He lit the fire."

Rudy's spoke again, his eyes still wide. "How could he?"

Aiden looked to Mini and Aru, eyes pained, but the intent behind the glance clear.

Can we tell him?

Aru nodded.

"Rudy," Aiden said stepping forward. "There's something big going on. It's . . . It's so much bigger than the fire, and I was hoping not to rope you into this, but I owe you an explanation-"

Rudy wiped at his eyes. "Yes, you do. What did my grandfather mean by 'I know'  ?"

Aiden chuckled weakly. "You heard that much, huh? To put it simply, there's an insurgency. We weren't supposed to know about it, but fate plays its games, I suppose."

Rudy paused, shock still once more. 

"There's a what? "

"An insurgency. One that took Princess Kara, and once that threatens to take Princess Aru as well,"

Rudy's fists clenched. "And Grandfather is apart of it?"

Aiden nodded. "He is. Why else would he hiss 'I know' at me when an entire building was burning down? He was sending a message."

Rudy's eyes narrowed. For a minute, Aru thought he was going to retort with suspicion.

Instead, he surprised everyone present with what he said next.

"How can I help?"

Aiden blinked, processing what Rudy had just said.

Aru spoke up. "Well, for one, keep this a secret."

Rudy crossed his arms, some of the jokester personality of his coming back to him. "Thought that was a given, Princess?"

Aru rolled her eyes, in spite of the situation. "Just 'Aru' is fine."

Rudy nodded. "Alright. But how else can I help you?"

Mini, from Aru's right, looked thoughtful. "We need funds."

Rudy quirked a brow. Mini took it as a question.

"Zeenca is the wealthiest house after all! No one would notice a slight dip in Zeenca's financial accounts, but they would in any of the other houses."

"Alright," Rudy said. "I can do that."

"And we'll need you during our little meetings," Aru added. "You've got a direct link to someone who probably thinks you have absolutely no clue about this. Can we count on you to be our informant on your grandfather?"

Rudy winced at the mention of his grandfather, but nodded anyways. "I can do that too."

Aru nodded sharply. "Good. Welcome to the team, Lord Rudra."

Rudy saluted, albeit jokingly. "An honor to be here, Your Highness."

Aru snorted. 

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Can't believe my cousin is working with me on taking down an insurgency."

"Hey!-" Rudy exclaimed indignantly, but before he could finish, another strangled sound erupted from the other side of the topiary, where Mini, Aru, and Aiden had been standing just before.

"Again?" Aru asked tiredly. "What is it with people joining us by hiding behind bushes only to let out a sound-"

"Aru." Aiden said, half-heartedly glaring. "You're the only one with a weapon. Go check it out."

"Didn't seem to apply last time." Aru grumbled, but she went up ahead anyways, Vajra clutched in her hands.

Quickly, Aru turned to the other side of the topiary only to see . . . Knight Brynne?

The knight in question was sitting behind the topiary, hands clapped over her mouth.

"Knight Brynne? What are you-?" Aru began to ask, but before she could finish, Brynne interrupted her.

"I knew there was something fishy!" Brynne exclaimed. "I sent Rudy out here to go and see what was happening with you three, but he didn't come back so-"

"Is this true?" Aiden's voice asked from behind the topiary.

". . . Yes?" Rudy said nervously.

Mini mumbled something inaudible under her breath.

"-I came out here to check it out myself," Brynne continued. "And then I hear that you guys are-"

"Wait for it-" said an exasperated Aiden's voice.

"Taking down an insurgency? " Brynne asked, all incredulous. 

"Yes, Bee, we're taking down an insurgency. Just yell it for the entirety of House Morburn to hear, will you?"  Aiden said sarcastically, stepping out from behind the topiary, Mini and Rudy not too far behind.

"Sorry?" Brynne said, incredulous. "Am I the one who was working on a secret project with some prissy princess to hunt down-"

"Shhh," Mini hissed.

Aiden breathed in. "There's a reason I kept this a secret from you-"

Brynne sat up. "Oh, come on! I thought we did things like this together, Aiden? Brynne and Aiden, side by side?" Brynne asked, looking at Aiden, almost . . . hurt?

Aiden grimaced. "I couldn't risk my best friend getting injured in any way-"

"You didn't even tell me," Brynne said.

Aru had the sneaking suspicion that she was well out of place here.

"If you had died working on this, I wouldn't have even known why, unless I sought it out for myself," Brynne said, pointing at herself. "You would've disappeared, just like your father. And we aren't even considering the possibility that your dad disappeared because of this same conspiracy either!"

Aiden drew back, his features twisted into a scowl.

"And I had to figure this all out on my own. You've been acting up for the last few weeks, y'know? Even before the fire . . . You were pacing everywhere, and you were even awake at the oddest times of the night? I-I was worried . . ."

"And now?" Brynne said, gesturing to the other four near the topiary. "All this? Aiden you-"

"No" Aiden said harshly, holding up a hand. "I'm not going to back out. Not now."

Brynne rolled her eyes. "I was going to say-"

She held her hand up. "I want to help too. If we go down, we go down together, right?"

Aiden looked stunned, for a moment. Then, he looked to Aru.

She knew what he was trying to convey. She nodded.

Then, he smiled, the slightest bit, gratefully clasping his friend's hand. "Right. But just how much of that did you hear?"

Brynne dropped her hand, and covered a yawn. "Oh. Most of it?"

"What? " the other four exclaimed in unison.

Brynne looked between the other four quizzically. "Okay, I'll rephrase that. I think I heard all of it? I got here around the "We need funds" thing."

Simultaneously, Aiden, Mini, and Aru wore relieved expressions, while Rudy shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"One more thing, Brynne."

"Yeah?" she asked.

Rudy gulped. "My grandfather lit the fire."

And it was at that moment that Brynne finally exploded. 

"HE WHAT?"

Aiden sucked in a pained breath.

"He nearly got you and Aiden killed?" Brynne exclaimed. "I never liked that guy, but that's a new low and he is going to pay-"

For the first time in a while, Mini spoke up. "Easy now, everyone. We still need to keep our cover. Heading at Takshaka is a rash decision. So is yelling about all this in a garden where so many can hear, even Morburn. It's a miracle Morburn hasn't found us yet, much less ended our efforts at figuring them out."

"We need to regroup for a while, rest, and ease off with the action for a while so that the insurgents don't get too suspicious. We can do that at the House Zeenca event, if Zeenca is still having one?"

Rudy shook his head. "No, not this social season, sadly. The ballroom incident destroyed everything we had set up. Zeenca still hasn't announced it yet, but I know that it isn't happening."

"So the next event is going to be at Spenrene?" Mini asked, looking to Aru.

Aru nodded. "Correct. Spenrene is next line to host an event after Zeenca. I'll assume there's going to be a delay in the lead up to the next event, but it will happen at Spenrene."

Aiden frowned. "But what can we do at Spenrene, at least, what can we do for sure?"

Aru hummed. "Well, we do what Mini said. Rest, lay low-"

Brynne cleared her throat. 

Aru looked to her. "Yes?"

"Well, actually-" Brynne began. "I have a contact in Spenrene, one who's lived amongst the Morburn, and from what I've gleaned from this conversation, Morburn seems to be the house most associated with the issue at hand, and was most likely also involved the disappearance of Princess Kara, correct?"

Aru nodded, stiffening at the mention of her sister.

Brynne continued. "Well, I know someone who's lived with Morburn, and her father is a part of its leading members. We can talk to her at the Spenrene event."

Aru had a sneaking suspicion she knew who it was, but let Brynne go on. "Who?"

"You may know her," Brynne said, looking slightly sheepish. "Hira."

Aru nodded, her suspicions confirmed. Hira, the half-Spenrene, half-Morburn noble had been the first to come to mind once Brynne had brought up her contact.

 "And how do we know that Hira won't go tell her father in Morburn after we talk to her?" Aru asked.

Brynne sighed. "I'd say she wouldn't but . . . I suppose we can't trust anyone now, can we? It's a risk we're just going to have to take."

Mini grimaced. "It seems like everything we do is a risk now."

"That's just how it is, I suppose,"  Aiden said resignedly.

"So, Pri-sorry, Aru, what do we do?" Rudy asked, frowning.

Aru felt a weight settle on her chest. Looking up, she took in the people who surrounded her.

A boy who'd been by her from the start. A girl who'd looked her own fears in the eye to join her. Another, who'd experienced betrayal from his own family, but didn't even know until it was said and done. A knight, whose wish seemed to be to stick by her best friend until the end.

And Aru herself, who'd lost a beloved sister and nearly her family in the process.

She looked at the people around her, and no longer saw allies.

She saw friends.

"Well, my friends," Aru said, the others still watching her, waiting for her directive. "We find Hira and we see what she knows. And then we bring this conspiracy down."

The other four looked among each other, nodding their assent. 

"We're with you," Aiden said, reassuringly.

Aru smiled, genuinely. "I know."

And it was at that moment, Aru realized, that they had all been outside much longer than the intermission would have allowed.

With a smile still on her face, Aru pointed at the door back to the theater.

"Come on everyone, we can't be missing the show," she said, beginning to walk. 

Mini laughed. "We've been out here for a bit longer then expected, haven't we?"

Aiden snorted. "You're telling me. I was out here before you and Aru even arrived!"

Rudy started walking. "You're right, we've probably missed a song or two."

Brynne stepped in time with the rest of the group. "They'll be wondering where we are now. This is the second time the Princess has gone off somewhere and not returned till much later."

Aru blinked. "You're telling me they actually noticed back at Bronzewell's fair?"

Brynne nodded. "Everyone was so confused as to where the three of you were, you know."

Aiden looked at Mini, mock accusingly. "You said they wouldn't notice!"

Mini laughed. "Sorry!"

And it was there, as they walked back to the theater, that Aru had a second realization.

She had chosen the right people to stand by her side through this, through all of this.

Aiden's unquestionable reliability. Mini's steady calm. Rudy's selflessness. Brynne's unshakeable loyalty.

She wanted these people by her side.

And even if it was a bit early to say it, she knew.

Together, they could take down the insurgency, and put a stop to the growing danger.

Aru knew it in her heart and in her mind, but most importantly:

She believed it.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading chapter three of Fractured Kingdom! This chapter took a little longer to come out, because as you could probably tell, it was much longer than Part Two: The Alliance. 

Once again, feel free to ask any questions, thoughts, or theories in the comments, and don't forget to tell me what you think of the chapter either!

A huge thank you to my beta, Ru, and my editor, Sherlock! 

If there's anything I need to edit in this chapter, or if there's something that needs to be added to the warning at the beginning of the chapter, please let me know!

Thank you so much for reading, and don't forget to vote!

-Stormii