(yeah that sounds good. You can skip in the next post if you want)

Sage took a deep breath and nodded. "I do think that would be best," he said quietly. It hurt, of course it did, but it would hurt worse if they kept this up. He could get to her if he really needed to, but if they were supposed to be staying apart what would she really think if he just showed up in her room one day or night? How would that work? It would have to be an emergency or something, for sure. And even then, how could she really help. By the time he got to the castle and climbed up to her room, an emergency would most likely be over. Besides, if an emergency happened it would most likely be him dying in the ground somewhere, not anyone or anything else.

The two chatted for a little while... about nothing in particular, just until Anya could find a space to make a joke and leave. The next few weeks proved to be... slow. Or maybe they were just too calm compared to the months she had spent with Sage. For the first week or so, she found herself on her balcony. Wrapped up warm and just kind of sitting there. Maybe she was hoping to see Sage down in the village, or some sort of sign to go see him. But this wasn't some novel and of course, nothing ever became of it. She just got used to staying in the castle again... in the warm, where she was out of harm's way. Eventually, she had stopped worrying about Sage... it wasn't like she had forgotten about him, but she just stopped... caring. She figured that she should try and make the most of Luther while he was here before he had to go back to his kingdom. Try and get to know him a little better. It was hard at first, considering she had already had him down as cold, but the more they did together, the more she thought of him. In his head, unless you come off as cold and harsh, people thought they could take advantage of you... and he was just as scared to rule as she was. He was just a dumb teen scared of the future, just like Anya was, and they managed to find even ground in that field. It was nice to talk to someone who understood that... because they were the only ones in their positions. It made her less nervous about Luther, and she felt like she could be a little more comfortable around him. Though, there was nothing there. Not really, and it only looked like a friendship between the two was only just starting to grow. They had gone on a little tour of the kingdom, around all the villages and whatnots in the winter, and done a little give out, with blankets and hot drinks with warm food. Although Anya could say that she didn't care about what Sage was doing, she was still subconsciously looking for him, even in villages miles away from his own. They had dropped Luther and his guards by his castle before returning to her own, rendering herself yet again so useless. It had been pretty dark when she got back... and the clear night reminded her of the ones she had gone out on with Sage. Should she have gone and visited them? Or Liz at least, and bring her and her brother something nice, knowing Sage wasn't likely to accept anything from her anymore. Eventually, she just settled out on the balcony, as she had weeks prior, looking down at the candlelit village, in hopes of catching a glimpse of someone she supposedly, 'didn't care about.'

kinda messy but this'll do lol)

Sages few weeks were just as busy as they had been before he had met Anya. Even more so, possibly, since he spent the nights at the tavern in rooms or cleaning. It was too cold out to go sleep in the forest, and the lake was frozen anyway, so he couldn't get anything out of it. When he wasn't at the tavern, he was collecting firewood for Lizzie. She always had a bit of a rough time through the winter, and he needed to keep her warm...the cabin wasn't the warmest place. She had been a bit lazy recently, saying her head hurt, but he assumed that was because of her being cold and tired. At least he hoped so. If she did get sicker it would be bad. She was fine as of right then, but if she got a fever through the winter it would be disasterous. He was currently leaving the tavern, heading to the cabin to check on Lizzie. When he got there his dad was passed out so he was fine to come in. He whispered high to Lizzie, and when she didn't pop her head up from the pile of blankets she was wrapped up in he frowned. He reached over and sat down next to her and she just mumbled sleepily. He reached out and when he made contact with her skin, he recoiled. She definitely had a fever and he sat there for a moment trying to decide what to do.

Eventually, Anya decided she had gone her whole life and a few weeks without the boy. She didn't need him over the last few weeks, and she didn't need him now. The only reason she was thinking about him was because she was so... bored. She let out a groan before wandering back inside. She had finally started to grow into whatever responsibilities she had... accepting it, and she wasn't going to change that and sneak out for some boy. The girl gave a small smile at the thought. Her main issue was that she had no one to bug and annoy. Luther had been that person for a while, but now, she was being filled with stupid thoughts and ideas to occupy her.

Sage sat there for a moment thinking before he sighed and stood up. He checked to make sure his dad was still asleep and out cold before he rummaged through Lizzie's herb collection until he found the leaf he wanted to. He went back over and sat down next to her with a sigh. He shook her lightly with a quiet "hey, Liz." She groaned and curled up against him, and he gave her the leaves, hoping they would work at least a little bit. He knew they were much more potent fresh, but it was the middle of winter....there were only the dried ones Lizzie had stored up over the fall. She took them, and he gave her some water, but other than that he couldn't do anything but just... sit there. Hold her. Be the comforting presence she needed even though he was worried. She could die. If that happened...no. he couldn't think about that. It wouldn't happen. It couldn't. But it probably would, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered. He knew it. He just couldn't admit it to himself.

Anya stared quietly up at the ceiling, starting to fall in and out of sleep. She still found it hard to rest at night, not quite adjusting to her earlier sleep schedule since she had been in the castle. Her thoughts rapidly fired out as she dipped in and out of slumber, but they were so... random. One moment she was thinking about how much better things had gotten, and that now, with her and Luther getting along better they would be able to rule comfortably, the next thought made her realize just how lonely she was. Maybe it was because she had run out of things to do. They had done their little trip, and Anya had gotten to learn a lot more about the lower classes than she would have if she had stayed put her whole life, but now what? Sit here, thinking about what she had already done and what she wouldn't do in the future. It was so... bland. Something was telling her to get up... to go and do something to entertain herself, something interesting, exciting, but there didn't seem to be such a thing in the castle at this hour.

Sage wondered if he should go somewhere, find help. Anya had said he could go to the castle if need be, but was it really worth it? Would she want h to stop by? He considered the options heavily for quite some time, but when he shifted his weight and Lizzie curled up to him tighter, he knew he couldn't just leave her here. Especially not with his father the way he was....he had never hurt Liz, but sage didn't trust the man, and he was clearly drunk, and was going to be in a horrible mood when he woke up. He couldn't make himself leave her for a girl who couldn't help him. He couldn't bring Liz to the doctor at the castle, and he most likely wouldn't help. No, it wouldn't do any good to go try and find Anya. He'd just have to stay here with Lizzie. He slid away from her momentarily to feed his father some poppy seeds, ensuring he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. He'd have to stay asleep while Lizzie was sick so Sage could watch her. He had to work the next day, or they could starve, but maybe he could take the day off. He had stored up most of the money Anya had given them, so they could hold out for a few days.

Soon enough, Anya managed to sleep. For a short while. At first, her rest was dreamless, and then it became... chaotic. If you could have multiple dreams going on at any one time, then that was what was happening. There were flashes... a crown, a castle, blood, a palace, and then the lake. The lake didn't belong in that sequence. The lake, anything to do with Sage, didn't belong next to anything that meant power. Eventually, she woke up again... it hadn't been long. Maybe two hours, if she was lucky. But she couldn't sit still anymore. Not with all the energy she had built up over the weeks. Maybe she could sneak out, just one last time... not to see Sage, no, she didn't need the boy to wander around a little. The village seemed quiet now anyway, so the chances of anything happening were low. She blinked a few times before letting out a sigh and rolling out of bed, grabbing her cloak and wandering down the halls and out the tunnel.

Sage fell asleep for a bit, jerking awake after about an hour and shaking his head tiredly. He went to pull some hair out of Lizzie's face and she smiled softly. "I love you sage," she sighed before wrapping her arms around him a bit tighter and closing her eyes again. He sighed and murmured "I know. I love you too, Liz." He didn't know how long he sat there, but the next time he reached over to check on her she was cold. He sat there for a moment, stunned, before the realization that she was dead kicked in. He pounded his fist against the wall and yelled, kicked, did whatever. He didn't really know what he was doing. Eventually though he wiped his face and picked her up. He had to bury her, he wasn't leaving her to be eaten by rats. He carried her to the lake where he spent over and hour digging a small hole through the frozen earth in her favorite spot by the trees. By now a numbing coldness had come over him, not from the actual cold but from the grief. He sat down under a tree motionless staring at the water

Anya wouldn't be out for long... She wasn't planning to explore or see anything, just a walk around through the forest, lake, and back around the little pond. Only until she wore out a little, and with the way things were going, that'd be relatively soon. Her mind went blank as she wandered through the village, the only thought being how familiar this felt. Walking alone. When she was younger, she would often do this. It was a wonder that something awful hadn't happened to her. The only difference now was that she sort of knew where she was. She still carried her little pocket knife around, just in case. Though she still couldn't use it, it would be useful if she got trapped again for an escape. She wandered around the village for a short while before taking on the next leg of her little adventure, the lake. Although she was wrapped up in a thick cloak, she had started to feel the chill, so she wouldn't be out for too long. She almost walked straight through, until she looked around, spotting a still figure under a tree. She tilted her head slightly, only spilling out one word. "Sage?" She almost didn't realize she had said it, and while she didn't think she cared, something inside her was still hoping to see the boy again.