Bella was sitting in the kitchen with a mug of tea in her hands. She hadn't seen her brother since he went to his chamber and it had been two hours already and she was worried. Her foot tapped on the floor impatiently as she sipped her warm drink.

If that woman hurt her brother she was going to rip her throat out.

The door to the kitchen opened and her mother came in, her red-eyes tired but a small smile on her lips nonetheless for managing to fool the General. Bella set her mug down on the wooden table. Their eyes met and her mother approached her, kissing the top of her head.

"What's wrong Bella?" Teresa asked, her hand stroking her hair.

Bella sighed. Even when they were children, Cassadndra had a way of getting her brother's attention and now it was the same but worse. It didn't help that her mother didn't seem to mind. Her lips were pursed.

"I am worried about Ori," she admitted and looked up at her mom, "Why did you agree to that deal with that snake?"

A knowing look was exchanged. Teresa sat next to her and took a sip of the tea before answering, her hand on Bella's thigh, rubbing it soothingly.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Bella. Cassie has a lot of political influence and information that can be helpful for Ori. This ascension will be difficult so having her on our side is beneficial." Her voice was calm and her eyes were on her daughter.

Bella knew that. It still didn't make it easier to accept. Her foot tapped the stone floor faster and she accidentally stepped on a tail with black scales. Vara grumbled and slapped her mother's leg with her tail.

"Sorry little ember," Bella apologized and scratched her tails with her foot, making Vara purr, who was in her salamander form, her large body below the long wooden table.

Teresa watched them, her lips curling into a smile.

"How does it feel to be a mother, Bella?" Her mom asked, her eyes full of warmth.

The question caught her off guard and she blinked, thinking. Her hands went to her flat stomach, caressing it softly, even though Vara wasn't born from it but she was still a mother to the fire monster.

"My heart feels like it's going to explode sometimes when I look at her. And everytime I smell her I inhale Ori's scent too and it makes my body shiver."

Teresa hummed and took her hand, squeezing it gently. Motherhood was strange but nice. She was glad her daughter had a chance to experience it even if the method was...unusual.

As Bella's thought drifted to Orias again, she remembered the throne room where she was supposed to sketch General Stamiss but she couldn't finish her task.

Her sketch book was laid on the table, next to the cup of tea and she opened it to the half-finished drawing. She ran her fingers over the lines. She was going to finish it. For Orias.

Her mother watched her with a curious gaze.

"What are you planning?" She asked.

Bella closed the book and stood up, Vara's tail coiling around her ankle, refusing to let her leave. Smiling at her daughter, Bella untangled herself from the salamander and answered her mother.

"Can you watch Vara? I'll do what Ori would do in my situation. Use all resources available and complete the mission." Her tone determined and her red eyes were burning with resolve.

Teresa raised a brow but nodded, Vara climbing onto her lap as Bella left the kitchen, heading to the front entrance of the castle where she had last seen the General and his army. Their small caravan was still there and a few guards were outside, smoking some herbs and talking.

Bella was on the stone rampart, her steps silent. Her gaze scanned the men and her eyes landed on the biggest one of them all—General Stamiss. From up here she could see the thirty mana crystals on his arms, his muscular body and the large snake tail.

Pulling out her sketch book and charcoal pencil, she started to draw the General in his full glory. There had to be precisely thirty mana crystals on the drawing. The details were important for Ori to successfully copy him.

"Where is that woman?" Stamiss growled, his voice angry.

One of the soldiers glanced at him, shrugging. They had been waiting for a long time for their Lady Cassandra.

"Shall we search for her sir?" Another soldier asked, his posture tense.

"No she said to stay here."

The general answered, his eyes scanning the city with a scowl but then his ears twitched and he looked up, locking eyes with Bella, who immediately hid behind the thick stone wall of the rampart, her heart pounding.

She had been caught.

She swallowed and listened carefully. Her body was ready to run away if he climbed up but he couldn't reach her here, the walls were too steep.

The crumbling of stone made her turn. Her eyes widened as she saw the General climbing the wall, his sharp claws digging into the stones like they were made of mud. Rapidly he scaled up the wall.

Bella cursed under her breath and threw her book off the rampart, hoping he wouldn't notice it.

As she turned to flee, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and locked her in place. Her eyes darted to Stamiss who was looking down at her with an expression she couldn't read. Those crystals in his arms were terrifying, the exact outline of them was burnt into her brain—she had just finished drawing him.

Stamiss followed her gaze to his arms and he frowned. His hand tightened around her wrist, making her whimper. It hurt.

"Why were you spying on me, girl? Do you want to die?" He asked, his voice deep and menacing.

Bella was frozen in fear. This was her first time facing a powerful enemy alone and she couldn't think straight. The General's aura was suffocating.

"N-no. I wasn't...I was just..." Her words trailed off and she bit her tongue, unable to think of a good excuse. Orias would've thought of one instantly. But she wasn't her twin brother.

He scoffed and pulled her closer, his other hand on her chin, making her look up at him. The slit pupils of his yellow eyes were focused on her.

"Your eyes...they are the same color as the prince's. You are his sister." He declared and Bella nodded, confirming his suspicion.

His lips curved into a small smirk and he let go of her chin but his hand was still around her wrist and his focus turned to her forearms—her sleeves were rolled up and there was no brand unlike the prince. A realization hit him.

He let go of her wrist and she stumbled back, rubbing the sore skin.

"You shapeshifters need sight to copy a person. So the prince burnt the troll on his arm as a backup."

Bella didn't answer but he didn't seem to care. He crossed his arms, his expression turning from menacing to something else. Was he impressed?

"It seems the Swamp Prince has some wits to him after all. Maybe this province isn't as pathetic as I or Prince Basil thought," he mused, his eyes back on her. "The council will need to reconsider our evaluation of him."

Her stomach churned. Did she just ruin Ori's advantage? His entire plan was based on the assumption that no one would see him as a threat until it was too late and she had ruined it. She wanted to throw up.

Stamiss saw her expression and hummed, turning around to jump off the rampart and return to his men.

"Tell the prince he has earned a tiny bit of respect from me."

Boring a hole into the spot where Stamiss was, she fell to her knees, the wind picking up. Was the sketch worth the cost? What if Ori gets mad at her?

Her hands covered her face as she tried to hold back tears of frustration. With a sigh she stood up, going down to the courtyard, picking up the notebook and then heading to Ori's room. She had to tell him what happened.