[b]Ella flinched away from Marken initially, despite her resolve to stand up to him. However, his retaliation never came, and Ella was rather shocked when he instead justified his accusations towards her, and even apologized. Marken was a strange man indeed, and it made Ella all the more nervous. She was used to the unapologetic sort who expected a woman to "know her place" in society.

Though Ella was tempted to talk to Marken about his chivalry, she decided to put that on hold and tried to think of how she could help the queen without giving herself or Marken away. Biting her lower lip, Ella quietly made her way around the prince and sat at her desk to make a short list on a piece of paper. After she finished the list she stood again, bringing it over to Marken and gently slid the note into his hand.

"I need you to memorize this list of symptoms and then visit your mother," Ella told Marken quietly, "Take note of everything different about her, even if it's something like eye discoloration. Once I have the symptoms, I should be able to figure out what poison was given to her... I know this is a lot to ask, but you'll need to trust me and do exactly as I say in order to save your mother; I don't know if we'll even be able to work quickly enough to save her."

For whatever reason, Ella reached out on impulse and dragged Marken's head closer, hugging it gently against her chest to comfort him. It was a little awkward, due to their height difference, but Ella was sure that Marken would understand her intentions. No child should have to lose their mother like this, and if she could help it, Marken wouldn't.[/b]