Sam smiled a bit when Dorothea popped up on the back of a chair. She shook her head when the cat apologized, and her smile widen slightly. "No, you don't have to apologize. Last night was...a little crazy. And all I needed was some sleep. I'm fine now, though. Honestly." She was technically fine, but Sam was rather unhappy and uncertain about the fact that she wasn't entirely sure what had happened to her. But she knew the one man who had answers for her. Later, though. Now she was listening to Dorothea explain everything that had happened last night that she had missed.

She closed her eyes and shook her head when she was told that Liam was now blind due to Raquelle's poisoning of him. "What a bitch," she said casually as she opened her eyes again. She managed to keep her face from showing much emotion when Dorothea told her about August's confession and confinement, and she simply nodded. "I see." The mask shattered, however, when Dorothea complimented her in the dress and Sam felt herself blushing. "Oh...yeah..." She bit her lip as she looked down at the pale blue skirt of the dress and smiled, grateful and a little embarrassed. "Thanks."

Dorothea was on her shoulder again, and her weight felt familiar and comforting as Sam started to make her way out of the house. The men who passed them glanced at the cat and nodded and bowed in respect, and Sam's eyebrow arched as she looked over at her. "So...I'm guessing they all know who you are now." Dorothea confirmed this and spoke with confidence about how victory was assured. The thought of going home soon was...incredible. She could only hope that it would be as easy as Dorothea thought it would be. But she didn't think Narissa would go down without a struggle. 

There was a loud voice she didn't recognize coming from outside, but before she could say anything Dorothea answered her unspoken question. The prince of Verinia. Another young royal. Sam nodded her head when Dorothea advised her to not let him boss her around and to come to her if he gave her a hard time. "Oh, don't worry. I will. But...I'm sure we'll get along fine." She grinned for a moment, then it faltered. "Do they know?" she asked quietly as she opened the door and went outside, "That I'm from the other side of the mirror?"

Liam was standing aside, holding onto a post for balance and feeling rather useless and annoyed that he was so useless. Will had assured him that no one thought any less of him, but it hadn't done much good. He felt so powerless without his sight, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to lead anyone while so severely handicapped. He missed Dorothea and wanted to find her, but didn't dare move from his spot. The last thing he needed was to wander around blindly. She would return soon enough, he was positive. Noe that they had found each other again.

Will had been focused on preparing the horses when he felt a hand on his chest, and he looked up to see Bryn there. The prince was gazing at something behind him and for a moment Will was clueless until Bryn spoke again. The peasant girl...that could only be one person. Will turned to see Samantha Shea standing outside of Jolly's house, looking clean and wearing a peasant dress, a stark contrast to the strange trousers she had been wearing the day before. He looked back at Bryn. "Her name is Samantha Shea. She was with the princess and the Marshal when they joined out company, but I really don't know much about her. I believe she was already asleep last night when you arrived, though." He looked back at Samantha, noticing Dorothea perched on her shoulder comfortably and his eyebrows rose. He had been wary of the girl since learning of the Marshal's role in Narissa's work, but seeing Dorothea with the girl settled his unease. He went back to his work. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to question her n the road, Your Highness," Will said in a conversational tone.

~~~~~

"Please, just Orin is fine. The fairies aren't nearly as formal about titles." Everything about the fairy prince seemed to radiate a casual attitude, almost lazy and carefree. But his pale eyes were alert. "I'm here because your mother invited me," Orin continued as she slouched in another chair beside Raquelle and watched the queen thoughtfully. "She told me she had a...business proposition for me. That we could make a deal of some sort, though she hasn't explained it to me yet. I do believe it has something to do with your Marshal, does it not?"

Narissa's smirk mirrored Orin's and she nodded. "I noticed something strange about Derrick the last time we spoke." Orin's expression didn't change from his smirk, though his eyes were nearly sparkling. "I noticed his right eye. The color had changed. It was a strange shade a purple. Very pale and cold. There's only one person that I know has eyes that particular shade." The fairy prince said nothing, and just continued to smile. "I believe you and Mr. Derrick have crossed paths at some point very recently."

"Indeed. The Marshal and I are...acquainted. Last night we met and came to an arrangement. He gave me his right eye, and I can see everything he sees." Orin chuckled a bit and leaned back in his chair. "And if I were someone who the Marshal had betrayed, I would seek out the best allies I could find. And surely the best ally would be someone who could tell you everything the Marshal and his company were doing. Someone who could spy on them without even being with them."

The queen looked at her daughter. "If Dorothea and the Marshal believe taking Eldonia back will be a simple task, I'm afraid they are quite mistaken. I've already sent a...welcoming party of sorts out to meet them on the road. And with Orin as our eyes, they won't able to surprise us." She turned, then paused for a moment. She titled her head back to look at Orin with pensive green eyes. "Why exactly did August Derrick give you his eye?"

Orin shrugged. "Oh, I lured a young woman into one of my circles. I was...quite taken with her and I wanted to steal her away. Bring her into the fairy realm." His eyes went vacant for a moment, and a bit of a bitter smile spread across his lips. "The Marshal gave me his eye in exchange for her freedom. I probably gave her up too easily, looking back on it now, but I must say he was quite eager to save her. Samantha Shea."