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"Yeah, they say she poisoned him, then fled by sea." Drakon's ears perk up at the sound of sailors gossiping. At the moment, their group was heading back to Balbadd from the Dark Continent and he was up on the deck with most of the others.

"How terrifying. How old is she, anyway? She's still just a kid, isn't she?" The assimilated man frowns at that. Hearing stories about children doing things that children should never do was beginning to disturb him. His eyes slide over to the kids of the group and he wonders if the girl they're talking about is as small and young as they are.

"Now the youngest is the only royal left, but he's too young to take the throne." Drakon's breath catches in his throat as he begins to piece together the bits of information. He prays that he's wrong. "The country's going crazy and no one knows what's going to happen next."

Before he can make his way over to the sailors to interrogate them, princess Serendine has already pushed herself off the railing and is making her way towards them. Though her face is impassive, Drakon knows that, inside, she's ready for a fight. From behind him, he can hear Sinbad and the others shuffling closer.

"Excuse me," the pink-haired royal gets their attention. "But what are you two talking about? It sounds rather interesting." The nameless workers look at each other before shrugging and casually sharing all that they know.

"General Barbarossa of Parthevia suddenly collapsed some months ago and died not soon after. Almost immediately, the princess Ayla went into hiding. She was last seen a couple of weeks ago at the coast, taking a boat off the continent. Everyone assumes that she's the one who killed Barbarossa."

"Not only that, but the man's crimes are starting to come to light. Purges of villages and surrounding lands, human experimentation, brainwashing, et cetera. Apparently the ceasefire treaty with Reim was only for show. Without a clear head in power, nobody knows what to do and the country is beginning to destabilize."

The sailors then left to get back to their jobs, leaving the Parthevians in stunned silence. Drakon risks a glance at the royal and almost winces. Serendine, for all intents and purpose, looks as if the world beneath her feet had just crumbled away, eyes wavering in dismay and horror. The eldest child of the royal line had always been protective of her younger siblings, children who were too innocent and kind for violence.

But to hear of one of them commit such an act, especially one devoted to the art of medicine, and possibly going down the same road they have gone…Drakon can't even begin to imagine what Serendine must be feeling.

"I can take you to her, you know," the Magi, Judar, abruptly says, causing everyone to whish around and pin their focus on him. "You can fly with your Djinn Equip and I can locate her through the Rukh." The way the kid speaks, with a shit-eating, I-know-something-you-don't grin just rubs Drakon the wrong way.

The group watches as Serendine unsheathes her rapier and the symbol of the Djinn begins to shine. However, it just fades away after a few seconds and the young woman places the sword back in place with a troubled sigh. Drakon doesn't have to look around to know that everyone is confused by the action.

"No," she declines, her voice resolute, "I know my sister. Even though she's young, she's smart. Nothing she does is without purpose, so if she decided to leave Ceylan at the capital and escape by sea, then there's a reason for it. I think she knows that I'm in Balbadd and intends to meet me there."

"That's a pretty large leap in logic," Ja'far points out. "Because of the ceasefire treaty, Reim wouldn't be a safe place for her so it's easy to assume that going by ocean is the safest escape route." Serendine shook her head at this.

"If that's the case, then it wouldn't have taken her the time between that man's death and her last appearance to get to the coast. It didn't even take us two weeks through the mountains before we reached the border between Reim and Parthevia, which is a much longer distance. And considering that the man's crimes are just starting to be revealed, then I have no doubt Ayla's the reason why."

"Then why didn't she return to the capital if the other man has proven to be unjust?" Everyone turns around to see the Heliohaptan prince, Sharrkan, walking up to them. Under everyone's questioning gazes, he curls into himself, but continues, "I-I mean…wouldn't it be the perfect time for her, as a princess, to take back control of the country?"

"Maybe she intended to do so, but was unable to," Drakon theorizes. "The leader of the Sham Lash was one of Barbarossa's Four Heavenly Generals, so he's no doubt looking for her. And they're a very ruthless group," he speaks gravely, eyes darkening in remembrance of their own experiences.

"And you think she knows where you are?" Sinbad asks Serendine, who gives a single, firm nod.

"Yes. That man has surely known where we've been all this time – I wouldn't put it past him – and, if Ayla was close enough to poison him, then she must have learned about our whereabouts."

"Then why not go to her now?" the Magi flippantly asks, twirling his little wand around without a care in the world. "She might not even make it, after all."

"Call it sister's intuition, but I trust that Ayla will find me. And when she does, I want to have a warm bed and good food ready for her," at this, Serendine sends Sinbad a purposeful, who shows his understanding with a nod.

"If she left Parthevia a couple of weeks ago, then she'll make it to Balbadd in a month," says Sinbad. "Very well. We'll keep her existence on a need-to-know basis when she arrives."

Princess Ayla arrives much sooner than anticipated, led in through the back of the shop by Sinbad's hand. Utterly battered and exhausted, Drakon can see that the little royal is terrified beyond belief.

A/N: I didn't think I would upload another chapter so soon, but I find that I really like doing this kind of story format! I don't feel bogged down by the length and having a chapter dedicated to just a single scene or a shorter period of in-story time makes it a lot easier for me to type it out. Let me know if you guys enjoy this kind of story, or if you would prefer something more traditional. I'd like to know!