Volger was pacing back and forth in his office. After Pethick declared that there was someone trying to assassinate me, we immediately traveled back to the Palace after everyone had left the conference.

"We need to know for certain if that rumor is true." he said.

I sat quietly in my seat. After I heard that somebody was out to get me I felt alarmed, but surprised? Not in the least. I should say that I'm used to it. After all, I've been running from death even before I took the name of Emperor.

"If it were true," he said "Then it might mean that we're being spied on." He paced around the room only to stop at his desk. "But by who? It would certainly make sense that it would be a person from the Central powers, but they could have easily hired someone that has Allied origins." He sat down and began to mumble to himself. As for me, I wondered my eyes about the office.

It was more of a bedroom -but without the bed and clothes- than an office, really. It was a spacious room that was illuminated by a tall lamp giving it a yellow hue. There was a large desk in which Volger was occupying as well as cushioned guest seats. The wall contained several paintings, one in which struck me entirely. I stood up and walked towards it.

"We know that the Central powers seek to win." Volger said.

I nodded as a response and observed the image. The painting was that of oil on canvas landscape. There were people at the bottom of what seemed like a dark mountainous whole. A small cascade of water plunged down giving the people a source of water. It seemed as if they were trapped. But what struck me the most was the slight appearance of a rainbow that came down into the darkness from a piece of sky at the top of the canvas. A sense of happiness, I thought and continued to intensely stare at the painting. It looked so familiar.

Volger sighed, "And we need to find someone that has knowledge on this rumor."

"Right." I said. I turned to look at the painting from a different angle.

"Well, I suppose we'll find out when they make their move." Volger continued.

A sense of happiness, I thought again.

Volger began to scramble through his desk, "We need to watch what we do from now on."

I nodded…...A shining rainbow.

"And be careful on who to trust."

"Uhuh."….and blue sky.

Then, it suddenly hit me.

I strode toward him and slapped my hands onto the table. "Volger!" I shouted, "I know where we can get the information!" And before he could stop me, I grabbed my jacket and stormed out of the room.

….

"Why do I have to do this again?" I asked Charles.

"Because," he said, "It's your punishment for 'behaving like a drunken sailor' as you yourself put it."

I groaned. I looked at the caged messenger hawks and drew my eyes down towards the floor finding a pile of waste. Charles smacked my shoulder, "Get to work then. Oh! And don't forget about cleaning the bat cages after this." He then laughed and exited the room.

After we came from our mission, we explained to Dr. Barlow of what had happened at the get together, including my encounter with Alek. This only managed to annoy her more than when she found out that I didn't take her warning seriously, and I was honestly terrified that I was about to lose my job. But I didn't.

I just got demoted.

That squeaky clever boots of a boffin spat all this blather about me not being able to keep my character, which was true, but it wasn't every barking time that I'd meet the lad that broke my heart at a mission. I still work at the London Zoo and all its secret funny business, but I have to make sure that the zoo and its beasties are sanitized, instead of going on missions.

I put gloves on and took a bag out when I heard someone walk into the room.

It was Charles.

"I thought you left," I said.

He scratched his head "Ah, well yes, but Deryn?"

"What?"

He coughed nervously, "Are you going to explain to me about what's going on?"

"Aye. I'm cleaning gigantic piles of poop."

"No, not that but…" he groaned "Never mind!" He turned around and hurriedly walked away.

I laughed and grabbed his arm before he could leave. "I know what you mean. I was just pulling your leg." Looking at him fidget like that amused me. He almost looked kind of….cute.

I led him to what seemed like the cleanest part of the room and sat down. Once we got comfortable, I asked Charles where he wanted me to start.

"Um, how do you know the Emperor?" he asked.

I sighed. "I met him when I was still serving the Royal Air Service. We were flying the Leviathan through Switzerland and crashed onto the Alps because some barking German zeppelins attacked us. I got knocked out when the ship landed and the next thing I saw when I woke up was a red haired boy with green eyes. I asked what his name was and he only told me to call him Alek."

"Is that the first time you met him?" Charles asked.

I nodded. "At that time I had no clue that he was a runaway Prince."

Charles thought for a moment and got up. He turned around and said, "And in time you fell in love with him I reckon."

I also got up and brushed off my clothes. "Aye. We spent too much time with each other and built a powerful friendship that I couldn't help but be smitten by him. He eventually found out who I was, but for most of my time in the Leviathan he thought I was a boy named Dylan." I took picked up the bag and started scraping waste off the floor. "When he found out that I was a girl, we argued but eventually made up. We promised not to keep secrets from one another and that's when I told him that I was in love with him." I stopped scraping and listened to the messenger hawks quiet down. It seemed as if they, too, were listening to my story.

Charles walked toward them and wiggled his finger through one of the cages that carried baby hawks. One of them cocked its head in curiosity. "I actually acted more than told." I continued. "We were at the top of the airship trying to attach a radio wire while there was a hurricane going on. Alek knocked his head and in order for him to stay conscious, I kissed him."

I got up and observed my handiwork. Only a corner of the room was clear of waste. I sighed. Charles put a pairs of gloves on and held the bag open while I scooped it up and through it in. "Then what happened?" he asked.

"Nothing much. I told him that he had to lie for me so that my secret could be hidden to everyone else."

We stayed quite for a while lost in thought, scooping and scraping away the waste. We were almost done when Charles broke the silence. "I read in a newspaper that he became a zookeeper here instead of chasing after the throne. Was that because of you?"

I scooped up the last remaining piece of poop and threw it in what was now the third used bag. "Of course!" I said. "That dummkopf fell for my charm too. He threw away his whole Kingdom to prove it, saying it was stuff from the past."

I took off my gloves, threw them in the bag and closed it. Charles just placed his where he found them.

"So you guys worked together for Dr. Barlow?"

I nodded. "I still kept my identity a secret and everyone obviously knew who Alek was. We worked alongside one another, going on missions, skulking and what not. At times like those we couldn't keep away from each other."

"You must have really been in love then." Charles said.

"Aye. People were becoming suspicious of our relationship and we were eventually found out. You should've seen the faces of Robert and Maverick when they caught us kissing!" I laughed.

"Wait!" Charles snorted. "They saw that happened?"

"Yes! They were so disgusted that they ran out the room and avoided us for weeks!"

We both burst out laughing, imagining the faces of our two friends. Once we calmed down, Charles spoke first. "That must have been a hell of a surprise."

"By all means," I said. "The zoo made such a ruckus once I revealed I was a girl. They couldn't believe it! I almost got kicked out too if it weren't for Dr. Barlow saving my bum."

"Well Deryn," he said, "I'm glad you're still here."

I smiled at him. "I'm glad I'm still here too."

I went to the storeroom and got out a mop as well as a bucket full of water and started cleaning the floor. Charles leaned back on the wall and watched me. "What happened then?" he whispered.

I stopped mopping and rested my chin on my hands. I stared out into the distance, swallowing hard at the memories I knew I would never forget. "Shortly after the society found out that I was a girl," I began, "the Emperor on Austria- Hungary died. It really shook Alek up, and I could tell he was having second thoughts about his decision to stay with me. There were times when he would look anguished and would ask me who would lead his country then. I just held him tight and told him everything would be fine."

I let out a shaky sigh and continued to clean the floor until I knew that it was clean enough for the messenger hawks to roam around. Charles kept quiet, and was watching me carefully. "Then Volger, Alek's guardian, found out a way he could ascend the throne." I whispered. "Once Alek heard about it, he suddenly turned cold. He wouldn't listen to anybody but Volger. He didn't even listen to me." Tears were threatening to fall off my eyes, but I still continued.

"I felt as if my universe was being torn apart by the world and its stupid politics, but deep down inside, I suspected that the day when Alek would leave me might come. And it did, but I just didn't want to admit it to myself." The tears that were threatening to come out were now steaming down my face. Everything was quiet, and all I could hear were my own words.

"So in the end, he left, without even saying goodbye." I choked. "And after a while I understood why he left and accepted it, but what hurt me the most was that he cut all contact with me and I don't even know why."

By the time I was finished Charles had already buried me into a hug. "Sorry I'm getting snot all over your shirt." I said. He chuckled, "It's quite alright. It's was smeared by things worse than snot."

I quickly pulled away and punched his shoulder. "I was kidding!" he yelped.

I laughed, happy to have a friend like Charles.

"Dr. Barlow there's people here to see you." I said.

Dr. Barlow waved her hand not even bothering to look up from her work. "Tell whoever it is to come back later, Robert."

I cleared my throat. "I-Its Maverick ma'am. And they said they wouldn't take no for an answer."

This time she curiously looked up. "Is this an old friend of yours Robert?"

"Aye ma'am and my name isn't Robert, its Maverick ma'am."

She got lost in thought for a moment and said, "Mind telling me who they are?"

"It's Al-I mean Austria-Hungary's Emperor and his advisor." I said.

"I see." She cleared her desk and waved her hand. "Tell them to come in Robert."

"It's not Robert ma'am." She looked at me blankly.

I sighed, "Yes ma'am, I'll tell them to come in."

I left and came back with them.

Dr. Barlow stood up and said. "How can I help you today gentleman?"


Fact: The canvas I described is an actual landscape painting by a British painter.

Author's Note: I would say more about the painting but it seems that I can't find the website where I saw it. I sincerely apologize and I WILL find it and write a little more about it in a later chapter. Anyway, here is chapter nine, and like I have said so before, watch out for the next one.