Rose looked at the little pixie, and tried to listen to her through the pain. She clung to the banister to keep herself up on her feet, even though it felt like she was standing on hot coals. She knew that Eva made sense - obviously she couldn’t just attack Thomas, that would be far too suspicious. But how were they going to convince Johnathan to help? Another wave of shame crashed into her and she looked away from Eva quickly. How was Johnathan supposed to believe her when she confessed that she’d been given orders to kill him? Why would he? She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to keep herself together.<br/><br/><i>‘Deimos must be enjoying this’</i><br/><br/>The thought put anger in her belly, and she felt her grip tighten on the wooden banister beneath her fingers. This bastard was going to get it, she would see to that. Good thing she didn’t have her vampire powers, or she would have broken the banister as she clung to it.<br/><br/>Rose’s eyes widened as glittery dust started to fall over her, and her feet lifted off the ground. Thankfully her feet were covered by the length of the dress, so she only looked a bit taller than usual.<i>’Whoa, what?!’</i>Her mind yelled and she looked up at Eva in surprise. Her eyes softened and she gave the pixie a gentle smile.<i>‘Remind me to hug you when this is all over, and you’re a normal size’</i>She thought, her smile widening a little more. She really had tried to understand Eva after their mission, but maybe she should have tried harder. Clearly she actually was a formidable force. Now she could understand why Seth had asked her to join the team, and she was glad that it wasn’t too late to tell her that.<br/><br/>“Ariel? Are you alright?”<br/><br/>Rose turned to Johnathan in surprise as he made his way down the hallway. ‘Well, thankfully that  made things a bit easier’ She thought and gave him a nod to show him that she was okay. His eyes gazed over her form in the pink dress, and a smile formed on his lips. “You look beautiful” He said earnestly and held his arm out for her to link with her own. The compliment made her knees weak as she moved closer to him and opened her mouth to speak.<i>‘We have to talk’</i>She tried to tell him, and her face flushed with embarrassment and anger when nothing came out.<br/><br/><br/>She huffed and pulled him into a room so that they wouldn’t be heard in the hallway. Not that she could be heard anyway, but Eva said she’d help communicate, right? Either way, Thomas couldn’t see them together. She cupped Johnathan’s face in her hands, sadness filling her expression.<br/><br/>“Ariel, what’s wrong?” Johnathan asked in concern, a twinge of guilt hitting Rose in the chest. “They’re expecting us at dinner, we should go” He started to leave the room, but she moved in front of the door quickly and shook her head.<i>‘No please, listen to me!’</i>She tried again to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. She looked frustrated, and Johnathan took a step back from her with a quizzical expression. “Something really must be wrong… I guess that whole beach ordeal really took its toll on you. Maybe we should have dinner sent to your room” He touched her arm gently. “You look unwell”<br/><i><br/>
‘Just listen! Thomas wants to kill you!’</i>She thought desperately, and put her hands on his chest.<i>‘He wants to take over the kingdom! He stole my voice so I wouldn’t tell you!’</i><br/><br/>Johnathan looked at her sadly and sighed. “I can’t tell you how much I wish you could talk sometimes” He admitted and touched her cheek gingerly, surprised when she didn’t pull away from him. Rose placed her hand over his and gathered her strength again. She squeezed his hand gently and let Eva come out to explain. Words were useless if you couldn’t understand, and at least Eva could get the point across.<br/><br/>He looked heartbroken at hearing that Thomas wanted him dead, but not entirely surprised. “So I should act like I’m in love with you?” Johnathan asked and looked between the two. “Well… I am, so that should be easy” He admitted and took Rose’s hands in his own. “After this Ariel, we’ll live happily ever after. I will help you get you back your voice” The statement finally made tears flow down Rose's cheeks. She smiled weakly at him and gave a small nod in agreement.