After much traveling the group of warriors with their new recruit, Orchid, finally made their way to the heart of the Earth Country. Orchid looked on with a hidden amazement at the castle and its surrounding houses and structures. The city before it was just as impressive and as the warriors passed through, many of the people stepped aside and either bowed or cheered for them.

"You're quite popular, I see." Orchid complimented them with a dry tone.

"Well yeah. Together we're the most powerful group in the Earth Country." Seravis bragged pridefully.

"We are currently the only well-known group to have been able to defeat a Master Duelist." Keinath explained humbly.

"Are they really that hard to beat?" Orchid asked like she was ready to fight one herself.

"Compared to an Able Duelist, they can be a bit slower in some cases, but they have a larger 'field', so they can have more options and space available to them. Because of that, if a Master Duelist has a good Deck at the ready, they can become quite a hassle to deal with, especially since they also have 8000 life force: Twice as much as an Able Duelist and some Duel-less, like us." The elf boy continued.

"That seems kind of unfair." Orchid said, crossing her arms.

"Well, they are special. There's a reason only a few people in the world are Master Duelists. It takes much time and effort to become one."

"Indeed. Many people are either killed from their own efforts to obtain the more powerful Cards, or they simply do not live long enough to acquire the ones they need." Orobus spoke up.

"Our King is one such example." Carder added on. "He has been through much to earn his title as a Master Duelist."

"What's he like?" Orchid asked.

"A benevolent man with a protective nature. It reflects in his Cards as he specializes in an impenetrable defense strategy." Gilligan explained.

"Anything can be broken." Orchid said bluntly.

"True, however, once you see what you're up against, that idea might change." Gilligan chuckled.

"Could you beat him?" She asked

"Well, on my own I couldn't, but with the help of my comrades, we would stand a good chance." He predicted.

"That would be the case until the Queen joined in." Orobus laughed and the others joined in. "She may not be a Master Duelist, but as an Able, she's still quite formidable."

"She sounds fun." Orchid said with a hint of admiration.

After traveling through the city, the walls that surrounded the castle finally stood before them. Upon seeing Gilligan and his men, the guards quickly raised the heavy iron bars, allowing the warriors entry. Once inside the castle grounds, the group dismounted from their horses.

As they entered through the grand doors, Gilligan quickly went over with Orchid on how to properly behave around the Royal Family. Reluctantly, Orchid agreed.

Gilligan, Orchid, and the rest walked down a series of vast halls until finally reaching the throne room. Once inside, Orchid looked to the throne to see the King and Queen. King Maverick, as she was told by Gilligan, was fully armored, save for his head which was topped with a golden crown. His very presence was intimidating, but his kind expression more than balanced that.

The Queen, Salencia, however, caught Orchid's attention. She was a harpie. Her wings at the base were a brilliant, deep-blue in color, and became lighter as they progressed to the tips of her feathers, ending in a pure white. Her bird-like legs and "hands" were golden in color and her talons were sharp enough to make anyone think twice before messing with her.

Suddenly, something came flying passed Orchid's face. The elf quickly spun around to meet the subject in question, but Young quickly froze her hand in place, stopping her from hitting another harpie.

"Please be at ease." Young said as he released his hold.

"You can't tell me to not react to something coming for my face." Orchid grumbled aggressively.

"That is fair."

Orchid turned her attention back to her would-be-target. It was in fact another harpie, but this one was only a child, and her wings were identical to the Queen's. The legs and hands, however, were a silver in color instead of gold. Orchid could safely assume that she was the Princess. Gilligan said they looked alike, but conveniently left out the harpie part.

"Gilligan. How were your travels? I see you have brought someone with you. A new recruit perhaps?" The King greeted his men.

"Yes, though we have yet to fully test her abilities." Gilligan bowed.

"You always seem to be able to draw others to you, Gilligan." The Queen giggled, then she flew over to the elf, who responded with a quick step back and a guarded stance. "A bit tense I see. What's her name?" Salencia asked.

"Orchid." Gilligan answered.

"Is that it?" She questioned.

"I… don't know my other name." Orchid lowered her head.

"I see. Say no more." Salencia placed her talon-like hands on Orchid's head gently, then fluttered back to her throne.

"Gilligan, please give us your report." Maverick ordered.

"Yes, my Lord. Nothing out of the ordinary. Aside from Orchid, things are under control." Gilligan reported.

"Good. And what of the slave traders?"

"Still nothing has turned up. Fortunately, it still seems to be only a part of the Light and Dark Countries." Gilligan declared. Orchid tensed up.

"Understood. If anything turns up within the Earth Country, I will leave it to you to deal with anyone who gets involved in such horrible acts." Maverick declared.

"Yes, my Lord." The head warrior bowed.

"Hey Orchid? You alright?" Seravis noticed her behaving strangely.

"I'm fine." She snapped.

"Orchid. What's bothering you?" Gilligan asked.

"It would be best that you finally tell them." Young suggested calmly.

Orchid gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "I was a slave." She confessed. All the others looked to her worried, but Seravis' mouth dropped. "For as long as I could remember, I've been a slave to the Dark Country, and I had to fight for my own freedom." She finished with a firm tone.

There was a long moment of silence. The King and Queen looked to each other and nodded. "Orchid. Please step forward." Maverick ordered and the elf did as she was told.

"You have fought alone all your life so we understand if you do not want to change that." Maverick started.

"However, know that if you become a Grand Knight, you will have the entire Earth Country's protection should you fall on hard times again." Salencia finished.

"That being said, you will need to prove your worth first. One does not simply join the Grand Knights without dedicated effort." The King added on.

"The choice is yours." Gilligan offered his hand.

Orchid stood there for a moment, then answered. "I'm sorry, but I'll need more time to think about it."