This takes place about a week before Yelena was released from prison, and it is all in Valek's point of view. I basically wrote this because I thought that it would be funny, if Valek had a secret fear...

I was feeling exhilarated as I entered my suite. I had just returned from facing some of Ixia's finest warriors who had come from all over to challenge me. Fifteen warriors to be exact. They had all been strong, young, and very eager, and a few of them had some real potential. Especially the last one I had faced.

Granted, I had been rather tired out when I had faced him, but the boy almost beat me. He had come from MD-1, my birthplace, and had chosen to fight with a sword, my personal favourite. He had nearly gotten me twice and he had also used the dirtiest fighting move I had ever seen.

First he lunged for me, aiming to skewer me with his blade, but I sidestepped it just in time. Then I swung my sword at his head, and he ducked nimbly. While he was still bent down, he aimed a strong sweep kick at my ankles, to knock me down, but I jumped up to avoid him. The boy grinned, and while I was still in the air, he thrust his blade in between my boots, the idea being that when I came down, his sword would rise up between my legs and slice my, er, genitals. As I said before, it was the dirtiest move I had ever seen.

Luckily, I didn't lose my head, and I slammed my boots together, trapping his sword. I kicked forewords with all of my strength, thrusting the handle of the boy's sword into his stomach, and I tapped the flat end of my blade on his neck. Victory.

Then, I took the very disappointed looking young man aside, and offered him a spot in my elite group of soldiers. His face lit up again instantly.

"Thanks so much Valek!" I gave him a stern look.

"Er, sir."

I gave the boy one of my rare smiles, "Don't thank me; I didn't gift the position to you. You earned it. By the way, what was that last move you pulled?"

"I don't really know, sir. I used it once in training, and my captain got really angry. I didn't mean to use it today either, but I was getting desperate, sir. Are you upset at me?"

"No, no, not at all. In fact, that move might come in handy someday…"

I laughed as I remembered the incredulous look that the boy had given me after that. It was as if he were saying, "Could it be? Could the Valek have just learned a move from me?" I shook my head. The new soldiers always seemed to find me invincible, to find me perfect.

I peeled off my uniform shirt, and dropped onto my suite's couch. I allowed my eyes to close, and contemplated taking a very, very short nap. Although I would never admit it to anyone, I was dog tired.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

My eyes snapped open. That had sounded an awful lot like…no it couldn't have been. All the same, I scanned the room nervously.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

This time I pinpointed the location of the sound's source. It was coming from behind a large pile of books. I gulped, and approached the pile of books, cautiously. I pulled a dagger from my belt, and prayed silently that my hypothesis as to what the hissing noise was, was wrong. Breathing heavily, I peered over the top of the books, and …

"AAAHHHHH!" I yelled in fright.

No, wait! I didn't yell in fright, I yelled in... anger? Yes, I yelled in anger.

There coiled up behind a stack of my favourite murder stories, was a snake. A horrible, writhing, mud-green snake with long fangs and a fat, lengthy body. It slowly began to uncoil itself, and slither towards me. I held my dagger out in front of me, and I wanted to move, to strike it with the agility and force I knew I possessed, but I was frozen to the spot, with terror. Er, I mean with anger.

How did a damn snake get into my office anyways, I thought. Everyone knew that snakes only resided in Sitia! A snake in Ixia was a likely as a snowstorm in Sitia. Nonetheless, the horrid green beast was sliding closer, and I had no idea what I was going to do.

Then, the door to my suite burst open, and the young boy I had recruited to my elites earlier that day, entered. He took one look at me and began to laugh, loudly. I suppose I must have looked a sight, shirtless, trembling, holding my knife out but doing nothing with it, and…alright I'll admit it, whimpering, but that still did not give that boy the right to laugh at me.

I quickly regained my composure, and said, "Terrence, do you know anything, about this, this snake?"

He snickered at me, and then tried to cover it up with his hand. "Yes, sir. It belongs to one of the other warriors who came with me, A boy from near the southern border, at MD-7. It escaped this morning. The snake is harmless, sir."

"Of, course. Terrence, will you please return the snake to his rightful owner?" The snake looked at me, and hissed angrily, as if it knew what I had just said. "Terrence, now, please."

The boy saluted me, and with a grin, he picked up the snake and left, whispering some soothing words to it. That's right, soothing words. To the snake!

When he had left, I collapsed onto the couch. Then I heard a knock at the door. It was Rand. The blasted cook hobbled in with a wide grin on his face, and he said, "Valek, the Commander would like you to come down to taste his dinner. If you're not too frightened, that is, because the young warriors, and their pets will be dining with us."

"I'll be right down, Rand." I said in the iciest tone I could muster.

"Of course." And with that, Rand left the room, smirking.

I fell back onto the couch. Again. Then I buried my face into my hands and groaned. Rand knew my weakness. Which meant that the entire castle would know by tomorrow morning. It was all I could do not to start sobbing.

My reputation as invincible, and perfect, was shattered.