"Please tell me, Rio. I can't stand seeing you like this!" Quattro was nearing the end of his sanity. Ever since Rio had recovered from her hysterical attack, she had remained in her room and hadn't spoken a word to anyone, except to Iris. Even then, she would only speak in a western language that no one but her sister could understand anyway. It was now the beginning of October, and Quattro couldn't stand being without his best friend any longer.

Because he was now Crown Prince, more and more responsibility had fallen to him. He had to attend meetings, galas, and parties, and it was maddening. It felt like every young woman in the kingdom had tried to seduce him, but the only one he cared for was Rio. She was thinner and paler than she used to be, and her eyes, all though they wandered the room, never landed on him.

"I'm going crazy without you, Rio. Please, let me help you. Let me try to help you. I have to at least try."

Silence. Quattro got up and began to pace the room in agitation, running his hands through his hair. He sat down again. "Iris told us what you were saying," he said finally. "About your brother."

This produced a reaction. She stiffened slightly and turned her head just a fraction of an angle towards him. "I never told anyone about your brother, like you asked me to," he continued. "My family was surprised to find out about him." He leaned forward in his seat, taking his companion's slender, white hands in his. "Rio, I can't imagine the kind of pain you're suffering right now, but I also have siblings that I care for a great deal. Your brother, he's- he's gone." Rio's breath hitched. "It hurts. I know it must hurt in ways that no one can understand." He paused, unsure of how to continue.

"Dr. McNeill says that guilt is a natural reaction to the loss loss a loved one, no matter the circumstances." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I feel guilty about my mother's death, even though it was a long time ago."

Rio shifted a bit in her seat, the chair creaking under her. "You don't understand," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse from lack of use. "I stayed here. I didn't even try to go back for him."

"You couldn't have-"

"I could!" Rio jumped up, almost falling over, her body weak from lack of physical activity. Quattro reached out to help her, but she slapped his hands away. "I could have! I was going to! I should have been honorable and kept my promise to myself. But I became comfortable here. I put my own comfort above my brother's life. Heartland was right- Nash is dead because of my selfishness!"

Now it was Quattro's turn to jump to his feet. "Heartland?" he gasped. "Did you say Heartland?"

"Yes. Why? You people all think he's some sort of hero for escaping the cruel Barians. If he says something about a Barian slave girl, it must be true because he's just a pillar of-"

"Rio! Lord Faker and his men have been searching for Heartland for months! He stole plans for the defense of Tenjo, records of the army- Kite suspected him from the beginning, but he was too late to stop him. How come you didn't tell us it was him?"

"Because-" Rio stopped. Why hadn't she told anyone? She hadn't wanted to reveal that her father had been royalty and that Heartland had betrayed him. "I don't know," she said, sinking back down into her chair. "Heartland was the one who betrayed our country to the Astranians. He's the reason I was captured and enslaved." her face crumpled. "He's the reason my brother is gone! Domitian beat him to death! And I wasn't there…" she collapsed into sobs, her body shaking with the force of them.

Quattro pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against him, letting her cry into his chest. "The chances of you being able to stop this Domitian guy were probably slim to none, Rio. If he's powerful enough to invade almost all of Baria, he's powerful enough to stop you from helping your brother. If you had somehow made it back there, who knows what would have happened? What happened to your brother was not your fault."

Rio's sobs began to subside, but Quattro's arms were still securely around her. "I promise you, Rio, we'll get this guy. Not only because he's some sort of spy, but because of what he did to you and your family."

Five days later, a carriage pulled up in front of a second-rate hotel in Arclight's capitol city. A young man stepped out first, then turned around to help a young woman, wearing a cloak and a hood to conceal herself, out as well. The young man said some things to the driver before escorting the young woman inside.

In the hotel lobby, the man behind the counter looked up to welcome his new guests, but quickly bowed at the waist when he saw who it was. "Prince Thomas! We are truly honored to have you grace our little inn. What can I do for you sire?"

"We're trying to keep this discreet," Quattro whispered. "Stand up, quickly!"

"Of course," the hotel clerk straightened, not appearing at all fazed. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'm looking for someone. A man with greasy green hair and strangely shaped spectacles. He's rather tall and has a way of making you feel uneasy. We have reason to believe that he came to your hotel to stay for a while, but we don't know what name he might have used."

Because Heartland's reappearance was a matter of international security, Quattro had reported it to his father and his advisors, who had quickly sent word to Animalia, Tenjo, and Tsukamo, saying that it could be as bad as an invasion. Domitian had conquered Baria, and now it was clear that Heartland was working for him, spying out the Heartlandish countries, there wasn't any other logical conclusion. A kingdom-wide search for Heartland and any allies he might have had on Arclightian soil was this begun, but clues were collected slowly and often hard to put together.

Quattro had promised Rio that they were going to capture Heartland- and he had meant it. So, based on what they had learned from the search parties, the two of them had figured out that Heartland had to still be in the capitol city. All the places he'd been spotted and the directions he'd been going in at those times had pointed towards the fact that he was traveling throughout the city-not trying to leave it.

"That doesn't make sense," Quattro had said, staring in perplexity at the maps they had scribbled on. "He had to know you would eventually say something about him. Why wouldn't he make a run for it?"

"Contacts," Rio said, her eyes narrowed. "There are probably other spies who have landed in Arclight. Heartland must be communicating with them. And look- everywhere he goes is within a certain area of the city." She drew a circle around the place where Heartland had been seen.

"Maybe he's renting a place to stay in that area," Quattro suggested.

"Too risky." Rio shook her head. "Heartland's a coward, he'll be moving around as much as possible. He might stay with other spies for a while, but otherwise he'd have to stay at a hotel or a boarding house."

Operating under this assumption, Rio and Quattro had made a list of all the hotels and boarding houses within the area Heartland had been staying, and that was why they had snuck out of the palace tonight with the help of a coachman Quattro trusted. It was risky, but Quattro was determined to keep his promise, and the task had also returned some of the fire to Rio's beautiful eyes. It was also a long shot- it had been four months since Heartland had confronted Rio, and the number of times people could remember seeing him was too small for the area the two detectives were searching to really be conclusive. But, as far the two of them were concerned, it was worth a try.

"Let's see now…" The hotel clerk's face was scrunched up in concentration. "Does he wear a lot of clashing colors?"

"That's him!" Rio cried excitedly. No one could forget Heartland's horrible taste in apparel.

"Is he still around here?" Quattro asked. This was the first lead they'd had all night, after six stops.

"Oh, no; it must have been a month ago that I last saw him. He only stayed one night. He had a lot of visitors though- about four or five men- whom he told me to send directly upstairs to his room. I thought it was rather strange. The next morning he left- I never saw his visitors again; I only work the evening shift, you understand- he took a cab and gave instructions to the driver where to take him. That's all."

Rio leaned forward eagerly. "Do you remember what the instructions were?"

"Not exactly, no," the clerk said, shaking his head, "But I remember thinking how odd it was that a man like him had business at the docks- not at the places where passengers or special shipments come in- but rather the wharfs where food and hardware are stored."

Rio and Quattro glanced at each other, both of them thinking the same thing. Then wharfs were a perfect place for a spy ring to converge at. "Thank you, sir," Quattro said, handing him a fistful of gold coins.

"Always a pleasure to be of service, young man," the clerk said, bowing once again.

"To the lower docks," Quattro ordered once they were outside with the carriage again.

The driver's brow furrowed in concern. "The lower docks, sir?"

"Yes." Quattro's voice held no room for argument. He helped Rio into the carriage and then climbed in himself, pulling the door shut behind him.

"So what's the plan?" Rio whispered once they had started moving.

Quattro shrugged. "I don't know. Heartland might not even be there. It might be another false lead or dead end."

"Well, I can think of a way to make sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If I show up down there, Heartland won't be able to resist coming over to find out why."

"But what if he hurts you?"

"That's where you come in. As soon as he's in range, you jump him. He'll be taken off guard and we'll be able to overpower him- and finally get some answers to our questions."

"I don't know…"

"Listen, Quattro, you're just going to have to trust me."

"Okay." Quattro did trust Rio, but the whole situation had started him wondering if there was something she wasn't telling him.

For instance, why, if Heartland was a spy, had he risked getting caught to sneak into Arclight- right into the royal palace, no less- just to tell Rio that her brother was dead? Was he really so sadistic that he just enjoyed watching people suffer at any opportunity? Or, was there a more strategic reason for causing Rio to suffer? It was because of Heartland that Rio and Iris had ended up slaves, because he had betrayed the leader of their country, allowing invaders to overpower them. If that was true- and Rio had said it was- and she could recognize Heartland on sight, why hadn't he taken all caution to avoid her?

Then again, perhaps it was pure chance that they had run into each other at Tenjo, and then Heartland had panicked, fearing that she would reveal him. But if that was the case, why hadn't he made a run for it right then? Or, why hadn't he tried to eliminate Rio or silence her immediately? It didn't make any sense.

"Quattro! Earth to Quattro!"

"What?" Quattro jumped only to be smacked in the face by a hand that had been waving in front of him, trying to get his attention.

Rio pulled her hand back and shook it a bit. "You could have given me some warning so I had time to get out of your way," she said.

"Sorry. What's the matter?"

"We're here. Look." She pointed out the window. Sure enough, they had arrived at the lower docks. Unlike the upper docks, which Quattro was used to, they were old and decrepit, with stains and trash, like burnt-out cigars, covering them. It was almost pitch black except for one oil lamp, hanging from a hook in the side of one of the buildings, flickering dimly. There was a mist rising from the ocean that reflected the light, casting an eerie glow over the scene.

Quattro shivered. "I don't like this," he said.

"Neither do I," Rio told him, "But we have no choice." She reached across him and opened the carriage door, climbing out into the dampness. Swallowing his fear, Quattro followed her. His part of the job was to jump Heartland as soon as he was within range. Glancing around, he decided the best way to do this would be to hide behind one of the warehouses that lined the dock and watch Rio from concealment.

Rio herself forced herself to remain calm. She had to act like she had a reason for being here other than looking for the man who had ruined her life. Pulling off her hood to reveal her blue hair, she began to stroll casually around the dock, breathing deeply as though enjoying the salty, misty air. It was kind of pleasant actually.

Quattro found a good hiding spot, one where the boards didn't creak so much under his feet, and crouched down to wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Quattro was sure he was going to pass out from lack of sleep and blood flow when a figure emerged from the shadows and approached his friend. It took all of his resolve not to call out to warn her. Rio must have become aware of his presence somehow, however, because she soon turned around.

Heartland began to speak with Rio, but Quattro was too far away to hear any of it. However, he did notice that Rio was slowly luring her companion towards him. As they drew closer, Quattro was at last able to hear them but he soon found he couldn't understand them. They weren't speaking a Heartlandish language.

A creak of the planks behind Rio had alerted her to another presence. She caught the sound of him breathing, and then he spoke. "I did not expect to see a lady of your status down here, your highness."

Slowly, Marin turned around to come face to face with everyone's favorite worm, Lord Heartland. "And yet I expected a rat like you to be in this exact spot," Marin said coolly.

Heartland looked hurt. "A rat? Oh, no, your highness; I prefer the term 'informant'."

"So you are a spy!"

"But of course. And a very dashing and handsome one at that.

"Don't make me laugh."

"No joke was intended, Princess. So, now that you've found our little rendezvous-"

"Ron-day-voo," Rio corrected him.

"What?"

"It looks like 'rendezvous,' but it's pronounced 'ron-day-voo'."

Heartland's face became an odd shade of purple as he glared at her, unable to come up with response. "Anyway," he said finally, "Now that you've found us, what are you going to do about it? No one in the Arclight royal family or court will believe you. You're only a Barian slave girl, after all, and there are too many unanswered questions. Questions you can't answer, right, Princess?" He smirked at her.

"Perhaps," Rio said. "And then again…perhaps not." She smiled knowingly.

At that moment, Quattro leapt into action. He had intended to tackle Heartland from behind, but the blasted fiend turned at the last second and so Quattro ended up colliding with him head. It produced the desired effect, though- Heartland was knocked to the ground and taken completely off guard. Quattro landed a few well-placed punches, succeeding in breaking the man's nose.

"Quattro!" Rio cried. The Crown Prince looked up to see his friend in the clutches of a greasy-looking, well-muscled man.

"Let her go!" he ordered, leaping forward. To his astonishment, he was grabbed from behind and found himself the prisoner of two more thugs. "Let us go!" he demanded, thrashing wildly.

"You didn't really think I'd be down here all alone, did you?"

Rio's eyes widened, remembering what the hotel clerk had said, He had a lot of visitors though- about four or five men- whom he told me to send directly upstairs to his room. I thought it was rather strange. "Of course," she groaned, feeling utterly stupid, "The other members of your spy ring."

"Yes. And now, your highness," Heartland sneered, addressing Quattro this time, "Allow me to pay you back for this broken nose." The "informant" laid several punches and kicks to Quattro's ribs and stomach.

"Leave him alone!" Rio cried, struggling against her captor. Her efforts were useless.

Things were looking more hopeless by the second when there was suddenly a shout from somewhere in the darkness. "Release the Crown Prince and surrender!"

Heartland's head snapped around. "Who's there?" In answer, an entire battalion of Arclightian soldiers emerged from the mist, swords drawn. With them was the coachman that had driven Rio and Quattro all night. With little other option, Heartland and his goons raised their hands in the air.

Quattro sagged to the ground, groaning. Rio rushed forward, cradling him in her arms. "I'm sorry, Quattro. I'm sorry. I was the one who told you to jump him. It's my fault." Quattro managed to smile.

"Don't worry about it. It felt really good to hit that worm anyway." He turned towards the coachman. "Where did you get this battalion so quickly?"

"Didn't you see them? They were with us all night, you know."

Quattro's mouth dropped open. "But I told you-"

"So you did, your highness. But, you are the heir to the throne of Arclight. You didn't really think I'd let you go gallivanting through the surly districts of the capitol without some protection, did you?"

Quattro could only stare, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Next time on A Tale of Two Slaves: Rio finally gets some answers about what's been going on in her home country.