Dear Diary, today is September 14

Well, technically it's September 15, but I had no time to rest, even now I can barely keep my eyes open and I wonder if I will even finish this in one sitting, maybe tomorrow on the boat to Archeon…

I need split tonight into four parts, otherwise I will never get it all down; the ball, the attack and chasing down the attackers, interrogating them, and making sure no one saw Mare and Uncle Julian leave with them.

Part 1: the ball

I was decked out in all of my family colors and military regalia. I was standing with Evangeline, my father, and Elara when Mare and Maven made their way towards us. Maven was dresses similarly to me; red, black, and silver colored suit, not a military uniform. Meanwhile Mare was a vision in a purple and silver dress that flowed around her, perfectly matching the color of her lightning. Even the silver paint to disguise her blood did not detract from the image.

Tense pleasantries were exchanged, and then it was time for my least favorite part of this whole event. Lining up the dais and formally welcome (and be bowed to) by everyone present.

The Samos house is first, Ptolemus Samos, my future brother in law, was the first to greet us, followed by House Iral, led by Ara and on and on and on it will go.

Mare seemed to tense up at seemingly random intervals, until I noticed that they were the particularly powerful persons in the political spectrum.

If only I had paid more attention…

While I noticed her becoming more and more agitated, I could do nothing but watch as Maven took her away to the balcony outside after almost having a breakdown after meeting with Belicos Lerolan.

The second the line has all passed through move to her but Maven takes her to the dance floor before I can reach her, and Evangeline drags me away as well. The first dance goes off without a hitch, both of us princes twirling our fiancés across the floor. I couldn't help but notice she had been more relaxed with me yesterday.

Two more songs pass until they leave, and... talk to a serving boy? It is entirely probable that she knew him before her life here, but why hesitate so long to pick up the champagne glass?

My mind is trying to tell me something important but I refuse to accept the idea.

I ignore them in favor of looking at my father-getting close to drunk if his voice and cheeks are any indication-telling another story to those who will listen.

I meet Mare's eyes across the room, the glass I her hand now, but she doesn't smile back, she looks the same as she did just before leaving for the balcony earlier.

Part 2: the attack and chase

The power goes out, maybe Mare felt something was wrong and didn't want to say anything? I did not have time to think then as chaos had immediately ensued.

I hear the thump of bodies on the floor, screams from those standing next to the injured, and the soldiers yell out the location of those with the weapons (now to be known as bow and arrows) to be in the alcoves.

With the power still out, I launch a fire ball to light up the room., people run, Elara drags out Maven while guards drag my father, family members have to be dragged away from the people on the floor and Mare is still on the middle of the room. No one is protecting her.

I shouted and she didn't move, I begged and she opened her eyes with a roar and tumbles and lights come back on. The apology that came afterwards I can only assume was because it took so long to bring them back on.

I knelt next her and felt my heart stop, because for the moment I had forgotten that the silver blood on her dress and skin could not have been hers. She hadn't been hit, but at the time… It's a harsh reminder-another reason why I cannot be with her. But I could at least have one person drag her to safety-Lucas, who still had not left.

I go to the Sentinels, catching the handgun with my finger on the trigger and fire in my hand in a perfect move, my training taking over and emotions going dark for a time-time to start hunting.

Lucas drags Mare away while I and the Sentinels run for the alcoves and branching hallways on the second floor-towards the outside.

What came next, I shall forever regret, I let the fireball loose and an exposed gas main exploded-at the time I thought it was just a bomb and redoubled my efforts to catch them. Several people died tonight, a majority being my fault. Yes, the Scarlet Guard shot people first, by the hit gas main that killed even more was me. I'll deal with that in my nightmares later, but back to the recording.

After the explosion we waited for another shake, another bomb when none came I ran so fast I had trouble aiming the gun in my hand to shoot them. Shot in the leg sucks, especially when there isn't a healer to fix it minutes later. No running for the leader. A young blonde woman with a scar on her neck. Of course, we only caught four of them the near end of the trail, they were in the drainpipes. I wasn't very shocked to discover Walsh with them, she was a servant who would know the pipes.

We bound them in cuffs and marched them down to the cells-three guards to one Red.

Part 3: the interrogation

After the prisoners were in the cells I saw the shithead from Mare's house. That little alarm in the back of my mind bared again, a little louder this time. But how was she to know that her childhood friend was a member of a terrorist organization.

If he was the one holding the tray of champagne then she may have been the unwitting signal-get the former friend to pick up the glass and make sure she can't turn the lights back on. But there was still information that I needed to know, information that she could help me get.

We went down to the bunker, in all of our singed and torn glory, to let the residents there know it was safe, but I took Mare with me back down to the cells.

Walsh, the shithead, the blonde woman, and Tristan stand (or lean) in the cell.

I manage to reign in Evangeline long enough to ask the question. Turns out he was a lumberyard worker, and she gave him the job just as I had for her.

As protocol and expectations dictate, torture is required for information gathering if the Queen is not present. I turned to Sentinel Gliacon. I hope Mare will forgive me for this…but I saw no hint of such in her eyes.

Evangeline, the bitch that she is, demands the Mare stay and points to the blonde as the first subject.

I ask the typical questions "how many of you are there?" "where are the others?", I get a headbutt and no answer for my troubles. Maybe I need to work on my glare, but something tells me that that would not work on her anyway.

Sentinel Gliacon works her way up the woman's arm, freezing her from the inside out. And still not even a groan. I couldn't take any more, so I called a stop. Let them assume to start over, but I was grateful for Ptolemus' interruption., well, that is until he stabbed one of our prisoners with a cell bar through the chest. I was going to intervene when Mare did it for me, almost cooking him from the inside out, giving a good excuse as she did so I'll admit. I know it was only because of his next target, but they don't need to.

Maven, being the f cucumber that he is, gets everyone to leave. Let Elara do the dirty work tomorrow, let the people see their king safe. Pay the dead respects and such.

We make our way to the ball room once again, and spill the numbers. Three dead in the shooting, so there were only four targets, yup, nightmares. Eight in the explosion, and fifteen wounded, they would heal.

Mare should not have to see this, the children on the floor, even I want to look away. But I have to look strong as The King makes his speech. I have to look in her terrified and horrified eyes.

Part 4: the escape

Okay, I lied, I did get some sleep. An hour, two at most. Don't ask me how I knew, but I just knew that she would do something, so when the power went out in my room, I noticed. Instead of trying to follow who I deeply suspected who was outside, I went to the camera room and followed the blackouts. They went from the royal wing (the side of the palace with my family's rooms) down to the cells; it hovered down there then went back out the hallway and stopped. Assuming they went through the pipes I left the room and followed the trail.

The guards were all dazed, having no recollection of the last few minutes.

Why I didn't immediately know Julian was involved… I'm losing my touch. I explained away my presence as paranoia, wanting to do my own final sweep, mentioning that exhaustion we all must feel by now.

I hope she knows what she is doing.

If the queen were to find out what she, or worse, Julian, had done…there would be hell to pay.

And now I must sleep, if only for the next few hours until dawn when I will make my way to Archeon.