Mari settled down next to him for a while, trying to get comfortable. Though, when she felt him squeeze her she couldn't help her groan of complaint. She didn't know why, but she always felt... well, she felt so empty when he left. Well, maybe she was just needy. Yeah, that sounded about right. She sighed softly and moved to peck his cheek as he slipped away. She just curled back up in bed with the blankets. "I'll see you in a bit," she murmured softly. She oepened her eyes a little, watching him as he went to put some clothes on, a little grin across her face. Once he'd done, though, she let out a soft breath and flopped back comfortably. "When you go up to the castle, say Hi to my father in law, will you?" She asked with a happy little grin.

Sage chuckled softly when he heard her groan, nodding lightly in response to her comment. "I'll be back soon," he chirped lightly, tugging some clothes on and getting ready quickly before nodding when she mentioned the doctor, pecking her lips lightly as he swept out of the room. The kids were just waking up, so he said hello to them before moving out to the barn and getting to work there. He fed and watered, then let them all out in their respective places before moving to grab chaos and go get amber while the horses had some time outside.

Mari fell back asleep after a while, though eventually moved to get up and changed. She woke the kids up properly, and had them help with breakfast. After all, it was them that wanted pancakes. She felt a small smile cross her face as she watched Sage and Chaos leave to go get Amber. The kids wild be so excited about it all... and, in truth, she was excited to have some kittens to play with. And she was absolutely going to make Sage keep a few of them, too. It had been ages since she really had something to look after. The kids were pretty independent now.

Sage rode off after a while, sort of just moving to gather up the cat, along with some of the things they'd need for the kittens, once they came. And of course for ease of comfort of amber herself. Then he was off to the castle, handing chaos off to one of the grooms and wandering up to find Anya, cat in his arms. He moved to the girls room, and knocked on the door before poking his head inside, humming a light greeting.

The woman was sat on her desk, just not really doing a lot. It had been a tough few days... her mother was distraught, and frail and Anya knew she didn't have long left. She'd perked up yesterday, for a little bit, but that wasn't always a good sign. She jumped when she heard a knock on the door, and raised a brow at him. "Hey," she mused sofrly, standing up and wandering over to sit on the bed. Her voice was somber, but she was happy to see him for the most part. Just tired now. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a friendly manner.

Sage hummed a light greeting to the woman and moved to sit down in one of the chairs nearby her desk, keeping a tight hole on amber in case Anya didn't want her wandering around the room. "I was near the castle so I figured I'd stop by and check in and say hi," he noted with a shrug. "I heard what happened," he added, moving to offer her a small smile. He knew she wasn't close to her father, but even so he wanted to be there for her. It still couldn't be easy, especially since the queen was going down the same path.

Anya smiled, her lips curving into a grin when she spotted the cat in his arms. It was a small, fleeting moment of comfort, but her expression softened as she looked back up at Sage. She gave a gentle nod, though there was a faint exhaustion in her eyes. "I'm just tired," she said quietly, trying to brush it off. But after a pause, she let out a soft sigh, her gaze drifting. "My mother’s going down the same path. I’m more worried about that than anything else. The lords aren't pleased with anything right now, and the villagers… they don't even know what's happening." She shook her head slowly, a hand coming up to rub across her forehead. It felt odd, being more concerned about the people outside her family, but she couldn’t help it. It seemed like there was so much more at stake.

Sage nodded as she spoke....she did look tired, but that tiredness was more than just being physically ready for bed. He hummed softly after she spoke, nodding along. "Well, one of the knights knocked on our door and told us the king was gone. I'm sure the village knows at least that much," he noted. "There's no sign of a rebellion that I've seen either," he added. That wasn't to say it would t still happen....but it would calm her nerves for now. "I am sorry it's all happening this way," he humemd. He didn't like the royal couple...but her mother's death would hurt the girl. "I wish I had some sort of words of comfort for you," he added with a small shake of his head. He knew what it was like to lose someone you love. He'd lost many people. But a parent? He never really knew his mom and his dad was not lovable. So....he wasn't the best at this.

Anya nodded softly, her mind heavy with the weight of everything she couldn't change. A rebellion, the thought echoed in her head. That was the last thing she needed right now. A new Queen, with no one around her? No. She couldn’t even begin to think about it. The thought hit her harder than she expected. She didn’t have anyone on her side. Sage was... a friend, maybe, but it didn’t feel that way anymore. All she seemed to do lately was cry and shout at him about how terrible everything was. She had the doctor, but he was just that. A doctor. Someone who’d once felt like a father to her, but now he was just another distant figure in the background. She didn’t have a boyfriend or a husband. Her father was dead, and her mother wasn’t far behind. She felt a tightness in her chest as she ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense of it all."You don’t need to say anything, Sage," she muttered, her voice soft, but the frustration was still there. She shrugged, a tired, defeated gesture. "This isn’t your burden," she added quietly, the words more of a self-reminder than anything else.

Sage pursed his lips slightly with a nod in response to the girls comment. "I know," he noted softly. "But I do care about you," he noted softly, moving to place a soft hand on her arm...more a brotherly gesture than anything. "And you know that if you ever need anything, anything at all, all you have to do is ask," he added. Running a country couldn't be easy. Being a parent was enough work, and here she was being forced into parenting an entire country, with no help or guidance, or anyone to ease her burden. She was alone. And he did hope he could be someone for her to rely on, even if just a little bit.