Stars were glinting in the midnight sky. Mach's tail swished back and forth, and he watched as Durbe ran a hand through his mane. Both of them were bushed, and they desperately needed sleep if they were going to function properly later that day.

Durbe smiled sweetly to himself as he sat down. After Amelia had said yes to him, he'd taken off with her in order to properly wed them. He was thankful he'd been able to pull that off, considering the fact the girl had crashed on top of Mach during the flight back to her home. He and Mach had about done the same thing.

Which would have been really bad.

Mach blinked, then took a few steps toward his master. He nudged him, causing him to stand up and stretch. Durbe turned and looked at his Pegasus, smiling greatly as he got on top of him. The two of them hadn't gone far from Amelia's cave. But it had been far enough that Amelia most likely wouldn't be able to hear them go.

"We should go, Mach. I'm sure Amelia will be fine," Durbe said. He gestured for Mach to start off into the forest. As the Pegasus began to veer off to the right, something caught his eye, causing him to stop in his tracks. Durbe tilted his head curiously, attempting to see what his companion was staring at.

All he saw...was darkness.

That soon changed, however, when the familiar shimmer of a blade glinted off the moonlight. Suddenly, thousands of armed soldiers were racing at the two of them. Durbe growled, grabbing his sword in one hand and grasping Mach's reins tightly with the other.

"Mach! Soar up! We must not become injured!"

The Pegasus needn't be told twice. He whinnied, then jumped up and flapped his wings very quickly, attempting to become airborne without the aid of speed. Thankfully for the two of them, it worked, and soon they were flying high above the heads of the soldiers as millions of arrows began to pierce the midnight sky around them.

Mach started to fly faster. His gaze became settled on one of the attackers, and with a swift, single jerk, he forced his master to do the same. Durbe yelped in shock, but he was instantly filled with fear when he saw who Mach was staring at.

Vector.

"What on Earth is that maniac doing here?" Durbe wondered out loud. He turned back, smacking some of the arrows away from Mach's face with his sword. While he'd prefer it that neither of them got hit, he didn't really care if he got hit. Mach could carry Durbe to safety if the knight was the only one injured. If Mach were injured, however...

Well, they wouldn't be getting very far, now would they?

Durbe growled when one of the arrows hit his armor. It had grazed his black undershirt, uncovering and puncturing the skin underneath that. His smokey-gray eyes narrowed as he hit another arrow, causing it to retaliate back and hit the one who'd fired it in the face.

And that was about when it happened. The arrow that held their doom was shot. It hit Mach in the wing, tearing directly through and somehow managing to snap into two pieces. And if that wasn't bad enough, the second piece also injured Mach by getting stuck in his left leg. He neighed in pain, toppling from the sky in an instant and dragging Durbe down with him.

The Pegasus landed right on top of his master. Durbe cried out, not prepared for the pain that had come upon him in that short amount of time. The gray-haired knight growled, trying desperately to get out from under his fallen stallion. He managed to, grabbing his sword and attempting to keep the attackers away from the two of them. Mach could see the trouble his master was having. When he met eye-to-eye with him, he simply gave him a look that said only one word: go.

"No. I refuse to leave you behind," Durbe said, whacking a few arrows and people away with his sword. Mach was stunned, but was impressed nonetheless.

It didn't matter at the moment, though. Mach was concerned with Durbe's safety. If he were to die, who would look after Amelia?

Mach gave his master another look, this time making sure to get his point across and through Durbe's thick skull. The gray-haired knight growled, then shook his head. This left Mach with no other choice.

The enemy was closing in. There was only one thing the Pegasus could think to do in order to keep his master safe. With one, glorious leap, the stallion was on his feet. He jumped right behind Durbe and encircled him with his great wings. Durbe, panicked and in slight pain, watched in horror as Vector's soldiers charged in on all sides. None of their attacks hit him, thought.

Instead, they all hit Mach.

"Mach! No!" Durbe yelled, doing his best not to hurt his companion while attempting to get out from under him. Despite the fact his whole body was on fire, Mach stayed in the position he was in, determined to protect his master no matter what.

Finally, Durbe's small amount of defenses fell. Mach toppled to the ground, most of his silky, white fur being drenched a deep shade of red. Durbe could feel his eyes go wide with sorrow and shock as Vector's soldiers began to attack him. He growled, swinging the sword at them and injuring them badly, but that didn't stop them.

I have to escape, Durbe thought, knocking about five of the men to the ground at once. I have to. For Amelia!

Just then, something very odd happened. Half of the men that Durbe had rendered unconscious got up, adding to the group that was already swarming him. With the increased amount of people, it was too scrunched for him to attack. Durbe gasped when he felt his arms get pinned behind his back, his sword falling from his grip.

"Everyone! Stop right there!"

All eyes drifted over, staring at Vector. He smirked, then pointed to the man that was right in front of Durbe. "You there," he said, "pick up the noble knight's sword. Kill him with it."

A crooked smile crossed the man's lips as he lifted Durbe's sword. Durbe widened his smokey-gray eyes, then looked up at Vector. He realized at once that begging would do him no good, and considering that was his only option at the moment, he could only see one outcome: death.

Boy, he couldn't have been more correct.

In an instant, the sword was thrust through him. Durbe screamed in pain, struggling to get free. Even if he did, what good would it do? He'd bleed to death long before he got to Amelia. This really was the end for him.

Durbe took one more look at his surroundings before his vision blacked out. And just before he fell over lifelessly, Vector could hear him mutter something.

"I'm s-sorry...A-A-Amelia-chan..."

XxXxXxXx

Something was very, very wrong. Mizael knew that for a fact, and apparently, so did Black Lust. He was just thankful Amelia had decided to fall asleep in the very back of the cave, where all the other dragons were.

Otherwise, she would've been awoken by the loud noises Mizael had been hearing only seconds ago.

Black Lust suddenly jerked up. He growled, then let out a small yelp. The shadow dragon went rushing outside the mouth of the cave, not wishing to wait any longer for the approaching danger. Mizael grabbed his sword from against the wall, then charged after Black Lust. But about as fast as they'd gone out, they'd froze.

There, right in front of them, stood what appeared to be a million men. Each of them was armed with either a bow and arrow or a sword and shield. But that wasn't what had freaked the two of them out the most. What had about given them a heart attack was giving them a stone-cold glare and a maniacal grin.

Vector.

"You," Mizael growled, holding his sword up a little higher. "So, you are the one who has been causing such a ruckus!"

Vector snickered. "You're right, Blondie. If only you could be right for very long. See? I told you I'd come for my revenge on you and Amelia. Oh, and by the way, you wouldn't happen to know where the little Brownie is, would you?"

Mizael glared, deciding Amelia may have a chance to escape alive if he lied about where she was. He turned away, acting as though he would be ashamed of the lie he was about to tell.

"The forest," Mizael lied. "She is in the forest right now. She heard your men coming, and she fled."

Vector chuckled. Thankfully for Mizael, the prince wasn't that bright. He turned to his soldiers, then pointed to the woods. "Go and find her! I'll take care of Mizael by myself."

Each of the men saluted before turning around and rushing into the forest. Vector smirked, then pulled his sword from his belt. The catfish on the end glinted in the moonlight, as did the blade of Mizael's sword.

That soon changed, however, for when the two clashed, each shining object was stained a crimson red. Both had drawn blood, but it was plainly obvious that only one would survive in the end.

And unfortunately, it was the opposite of what Mizael had anticipated.

Vector had somehow managed to grab his sword the right way, tilting it at a certain angle that appeared to give him more control over it than he'd originally had. This had instantly given him the upper hand, for he was able to successfully slash the blond he was fighting across the chest. Mizael gasped, dropping his sword in the process. Behind him, Black Lust growled. His shadowy figure seemed to ripple a little faster as he lunged at Vector.

"Move it or lose it," Vector threatened, raising his sword up a little higher. He smirked, then chuckled darkly when Black Lust decided to continue his attack. "I suppose it's lose it, then."

In one, swift slash, Black Lust was gone. The blade slashed through his thin, thin body, and he basically vanished into a million pieces. Vector laughed, obviously satisfied with his work. "Perfect," he said, his smirk still lingering on his face. "Now, all I have to do is kill Amelia. Then I'll be happy."

Suddenly, a roar came echoing off the boundaries of the stars. Vector looked up, meeting with Spitz Spitz Flame's gaze. Her glare was intense, and the flames on her back that were usually orange were blue. Spitz Spitz Flame howled in rage, angered at Vector for what he'd done. Most likely, she'd found out about Durbe's death.

And now, she wanted to harm Vector. For Amelia.

"Funny dragon. But I'm afraid that you don't stand a chance."

Spitz Spitz Flame growled, the flames on her back getting intensely bright. In a matter of seconds, the fire dragon was on top of the mad prince. She bared her fangs, a few orange flames poking out between each of them. Vector, however, simply smirked. He clutched his sword very tightly, then jammed it into the dragon's chest. Spitz Spitz Flame howled in pain, toppling off her opponent and falling on her side.

"That's what I thought," Vector sneered, standing up and wiping his blood-coated hands on the grass. "Stupid reptile. Had you stopped when I'd suggested, maybe you'd be alive. You know, to stand by Amelia's side."

Vector's violet eyes narrowed, and he cackled when Spitz Spitz Flame's eyes closed. He looked up at the sky, smirking when he saw the color. Morning would be there soon. He'd attack Amelia in a few days. Right now, he needed to flee.

"I will come for you, Amelia. Just you wait and see."

The mad prince vanished into the bushes, awaiting his time to attack.