Lina could vividly remember the last time she had been as nervous about what she would find behind a closed door. It was back when Luke had gone on his grief fueled bloody vendetta and had told them he would target the kindly High Priest Kereth next. Lina and Gourry had raced to the North Temple as quickly as they could, and the whole time Lina had been petrified that when they got there they would have found that they were too late. And now, she was terrified of learning that Marcus had died during the night.

When they got to the dormitory, she and Gourry stopped outside the door. Gourry grabbed her hand and asked, "You ready?"

Lina nodded, and opened the door, and exhaled as she saw Sylphiel tending to Marcus while Susan continued to sleep. "How is he doing?"

"He made it through the night without having a stroke, so he's out of immediate danger and stable." Sylphiel explained. "Now it's a matter of whether or not he'll wake up."

Lina put a hand on her stomach as she reached Marcus's bedside. "Is there anything we can do that will help his chances?" she asked.

"I'm doing everything I can. From here on out all we can do is wait." Sylphiel said.

Lina nodded, but in truth she felt antsy. She didn't like waiting. The need to do something was overpowering! Meanwhile, Gourry looked over at Susan and asked, "how is she?"

"Sleeping off the shock. She had a few scrapes and bruises but was otherwise fine."

"Have you had breakfast?" Lina asked Sylphiel.

"Nellie brought me a tray. Princess Amelia says she'll be down to relieve me for a bit."

When, as if on cue, the door opened Lina was surprised when it was not Amelia but Jeeves who walked in. "My lady, the Eternal Queen is here, along with your sister."

"Show them in." Lina instructed.

A few moments later the Eternal Queen entered, along with Luna. "How is he doing?" The Eternal Queen asked as she walked up to Marcus and started to examine him.

As Sylphiel gave her an update, Lina rounded on Luna and asked, "Did you talk to his parents?"

"Yes," Luna said stoically, "Through the vision spell. They are on their way and should be here in a few days."

Lina felt her stomach twist as she thought of the life within her and how overpowering the fear of losing someone she hadn't even met was. While at times she couldn't understand how that fear could grow, she was also certain that once he was born, it would. Now that she was closer to understanding what it was to be a mother, thinking about what Marcus's mother must be going through was heartrending. "How did they take it?"

"Rather well, actually." Luna said, "They are true devotees to the cause, they saw the harm that befell the world during the previous demon uprising. They are optimistic he will pull through and fierce in their conviction that the suffering is for a good cause, thank goodness. Can you imagine the nightmare that would have resulted had this happened to Peter?"

For a moment time stopped as Lina wondered if she had heard her correctly, and then she snapped, "How can you be so callous about this?"

Luna looked at her, baffled, "I'm just stating the facts."

"And what if this was Freddie or Bertie, would you still be so cold?"

"I'd be devastated on one level, but that they were injured in the pursuit of a noble cause…"

"Screw your noble cause!" Lina yelled, and the room went silent as the conversation that Sylphiel was having with the Eternal Queen ceased and Luna pinkened.

"Lina," Luna said as she grabbed her arm and whispered harshly in her ear, "Watch your words!"

Lina wrested her arm away as she glared at Luna "Oh, you are asking for a piece of my mind! This is not what I signed up for! I didn't think I would be sending my students out until they graduated and were older! I had my qualms, and now that this has happened I'm not doing it again!"

"Mazoku have overrun Dils and Lyzeille, and the last demon uprising killed hundreds of more children than this school has, and they will kill millions more if we let them. This is about the greater good!" Luna countered.

"That's how humans turn themselves into monsters." Gourry said quietly.

"I can't believe you two!" Luna exclaimed, "Are you wanting to jeopardize this? Lina, I get that you're hormonal and not rational right now due to your condition…"

"What did you say?" Lina yelled.

"Luna, stand down," The Eternal Queen said as she put a hand on Luna's arm, "Lady Lina, Sir Gourry, let us talk alone."

Luna's eyes widened, and she was obviously distressed at the idea of Lina talking alone with the Eternal Queen where she could not keep an eye on her. Luna jerked, and moved towards Lina who braced herself for a threat, but the Eternal Queen cleared her throat, and Luna slumped forward and walked over to the window and looked out of it, obviously furious. "Now," The Eternal Queen said, "Where is a place we can talk in private?"

Lina exchanged a look with Gourry, and then walked towards the door, "Follow me."

The closest sitting room was the one that had once been inhabited by the Sad Lady. Since she had been exorcised it had become a tranquil room that Lina liked to frequent occasionally, especially as it had a lovely view of the lake. Lina opened the door and indicated that the Eternal Queen sit where she liked. As she made herself comfortable Lina and Gourry took seats opposite her, and Gourry protectively put a hand on her knee. The Eternal Queen looked directly at Lina and commented, "As you well know, I once launched a horrific, bloody battle here."

Lina looked up at her, "You're Queen Carliena?"

"That does get lost through the ages, doesn't it?" the Eternal Queen asked, "In many ways she feels like a different person, one who died in that battle. She wanted to unite all of the kingdoms in the Inner World under her rule. But in that battle, someone dear to me perished. My first born. And I realized that ruling the world would not be worth the lives that were lost along the way."

Lina shifted awkwardly as she wondered what she could even say to that. But before she could gather her words, the Eternal Queen continued, "As I struggled through the implications, my subjects started to realize how I never aged and my true name became forgotten. And eventually I came to the conclusion that fighting over land was not worthwhile. It merely perpetuates a cycle of violence that continues through the ages. So I started to turn Zeferia into the kingdom it is now, peaceful, more invested in arts and sciences than world conquest, committed to upholding the current order. Yet as the menace that Mazoku pose to our way of life grew, I realized there would be times when a fight would be unavoidable. They do not want land or resources or any of the frivolous things that we spill wasted blood over. They seek annihilation of the world that we exist in. And unfortunately there is no room for compromise or middle ground. The only option we have is to fight them."

"We agree with that." Lina said, "Anyone who has crossed paths with a Mazoku has. And I see the need for training people specifically to destroy Mazoku…"

Before she could finished, the Eternal Queen interjected, "And you must realize that when you train people to do something so dangerous, lives will be lost."

"Marcus is so young!" Lina protested.

"He is. So are you still, for that matter, younger than you realize given your accomplishments. I am wondering, Lina, at what age does it become acceptable to lose someone?" The Eternal Queen pointed out.

"It's never acceptable so much…less horrific?"

"It never gets less horrific." The Eternal Queen said sharply, "I was raised to believe it was my right to lead people to their deaths to serve me and my needs. And I used to be so much more callous to it than I was. I once would waste lives fighting for vanity causes. Now I try to ensure that when lives are lost, it is for something that matters. While I was raised with this expectation, I acknowledge that you were not."

Lina shifted uncomfortably as the Eternal Queen continued, "I've also lived long enough to know the value of seeking other points of view in matters such as these. Your sister has not. And I also know that this school will not continue producing the successes it has if the people running it have doubts about the methods. So please, tell me what would make you more comfortable?"

Lina and Gourry looked at each other, and Lina exhaled, "I want a student to complete a certain amount of classroom hours and pass an exam before they go into the field. And for there to be an age limit of fifteen."

"I will consider this." The Eternal Queen said. "You do know that eventually you will lose a student, even with those stipulations?"

Lina felt her stomach twist as the Eternal Queen continued, "I fear things are going to get ugly. You have already given the Mazoku race a good battering, and now they are a scared and cowered animal. They realize if they don't turn the tide now the consequences will be dire for them. And they have also realized that they can no longer afford to ignore humanity, which is bad for us. Particularly if Dynast plans to attack Maninstit."

Lina's eyes widened and she wondered if they were being watched. Would Dynast try to take her child? In addition to the pragmatic reasons that the Mazoku race would want him, he would have a personal reason to want to get back at her. Suddenly the security measures she had planned for the birth seemed inadequate. "Further," The Eternal Queen said, "We are left with no good interventions for what to do in Dils and Lyzeille. Even if we dispose of all of the Mazoku there, it would leave a power vacuum. Currently I am working to arrange a meeting with all of the remaining kingdoms to discuss what to do."

"Your majesty," Lina said, "If I may, have you considered forging an alliance with the dragons and the elves?"

"Explain."

"The elf we fought with, Memphis, she wore an armor that was instrumental in wounding Dynast so badly in the first place. The dragons and the elves have focused on creating technologies to boost their power to destroy Mazoku. Perhaps they have something that can help?"

"If we can convince them to trust humans with it." The Eternal Queen said with a sad smirk. "I will have to see what can be arranged."

"Thank you, your majesty."

"Things are moving fast, faster than I thought they would. So we may not have the luxury of waiting for the policies you recommended, Lina. While I don't want to see the kids who come here die, if the Mazoku succeed, the world will end and all humanity with it. With the weight of all of that, and the clock ticking, we could very well make some wrong decisions. Time is not a luxury we have, and hindsight gives a clarity that we lack while in the thick of things."

Lina pursed her lip, but eventually conceded, "I understand, your majesty."

The Eternal Queen stood up, and Lina and Gourry rose to their feet, "Come, let us return to Marcus. I was telling Sylphiel, due to my knowledge, I know of a herb that grows in the Kataart Mountains that helps with head injuries that is not well known to humanity."

"What?" Lina exclaimed. "How do we get it?"

"I've already contacted your parents. They are making a detour and will return with it." The Eternal Queen said as she gently put a hand on her arm, "We are going to do everything we can for him."

Lina exhaled in relief, "Thank you."

When Lina went to check in on Marcus in the evening, everything seemed much the same, "How is he?"

"No better, but no worse." Sylphiel said, "If he can hold on until your parents get home, I think we may have a good chance."

Something caught Lina's eye as Sylphiel wiped Marcus's forehead, and Lina grabbed her arm, "When did you get that bracelet?"

"Oh," Sylphiel said as she blushed and pulled her sleeve up to cover the leather cord studded with polished violet amethysts, "We weren't ready to say anything yet."

"You're engaged!?" Lina exclaimed.

"Hush," Sylphiel said as she looked around, but Marcus didn't stir and Susan had momentarily left, "I guess it's hard to keep a secret here."

"It just seems so fast." Lina said, "And the timing…"

"Rick and I know what it's like to lose our home. We never thought Sairaag would be destroyed like it was, and then suddenly it was gone. Life is so fleeting, Lady Lina." Sylphiel said, "So I decided if love and joy come my way, I'm going to embrace it while it lasts."

Lina smiled, "Well, I can't argue with that now, can I? Come on, let me see!"

Sylphiel shook her head, but smiled as she held out her wrist and Lina looked at it, "He did shell out a bit for this. Nice! I'm happy for you! So when are you getting hitched?"

"Before the school year starts." Sylphiel said. "Please don't say anything. We're not ready to announce it with everything going on."

"I get it." Lina said as her neck started to itch again, but she no longer felt the guilt she had since Marcus had been wounded, "You are right though, we can't live life being miserable. With so much to get us down we have to hold on to what makes it better while we can."

Amelia lay on her back on the couch as she moaned. Lina looked up from the rough sketch she was working on and asked, "You okay?"

"She's just digging between my ribs and my pelvis! She's all the way in my back!" Amelia griped.

"Wow, mine just stays in the front." Lina said.

"I guess mine likes to explore." Amelia mused as she patted her stomach, "I'd be proud if it wasn't so uncomfortable. Oh! I think she's grabbing my spleen!"

Lina chuckled as she made a red mark on the paper, "Amazingly mine is pretty quiet until I sit or lay down. And here I thought any child of mine would be the fearless explorer type!"

"I almost want to trade." Amelia said tiredly as she ran her hand on her stomach, "Ugh, does that gap forming in your stomach muscles bother you?"

"Sylphiel said it's fine as long as it stays smaller than three fingers width." Lina said offhandedly, "Still I try not to think of it."

And to be honest, she had bigger problems. Ever since the Eternal Queen had brought up the possibility of Dynast personally coming to abduct her baby she'd been planning for how best to stop him. The whole problem being that given how heavily they were being watched, it would be hard to plan any sort of defensive strategy that the Mazoku would not know about! Lina scrutinized the map she had made of Maninstit and decided the best she could do was make sure she had every powerful person she knew on the premises at the time. It was better than the first idea she'd come up with, which was simply not telling anyone when she went into labor so they would have no time to round up the troops. She quickly discarded the idea as she realized that a Mazoku would be able to tell if she was in pain or not.

"It's hard to not think about when the gap is right there!" Amelia said as she ran her hand along it.

Lina shook her head as she snapped, "Well be glad it's the biggest thing you're worried about!"

Amelia sat up and considered Lina for a moment as she did her best to cover the paper she was working on, not from Amelia's prying eyes so much, but from whatever spy might be there, "Lina, what are you worried about?"

Lina put her hand on her forehead. It wasn't even that she didn't even want to confide, she just didn't feel safe doing so! The presence of the watcher seemed ever present lately. Amelia walked over and looked at the drawing and asked, "What's this?"

Before Lina could answer, someone knocked on the door, and then Jeeves let himself in. "My lady, Princess Amelia, Marcus Cole's parents are here. They are with their son."

Lina ran a hand through her hair as she exhaled and folded up the paper and put it in her pocket, "Right. I'll be right down."

"I'll come with you." Amelia said.

"Thanks." Lina replied.

They were quiet as they walked to the boy's dormitories. Between her fears of confronting Marcus's parents and her worries about what would happen when her child was born, Lina had plenty to weigh on her mind, and she wished she could go back to cavalierly complaining about pregnancy symptoms with Amelia.

When they got to the dorms, Marcus's parents were by his bed talking with Sylphiel. Lina felt her stomach flip as she walked up to them and held out her hand, "Dame Lina Inverse, Headmistress."

"William and Marion Cole." His father said as he shook her hand.

Lina moved to shake Marion's hand, and then introduced Amelia before she stated, "We are doing everything we can for Marcus. My parents should be home soon with some herbs that will help him. In the meantime we will see that his warning won't be in vain."

"He wanted to be a hero so badly." Marion said as she stroked Marcus's hair. There was no reproach in her voice, and Lina wished that there were. Strangely, she would have felt better if they were angry with her. "He felt so guilty after his brother died during the demon uprising."

"Wha…" Lina blurted out as she wondered how this could get even worse. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of him as overeager, like Cuchulain." Amelia said.

"He dressed it up well." Susan said as she sat in the bed across from Marcus's.

"What can we do for you?" Lina asked, "I have a room set aside for you to stay until he recovers."

"We won't need much, thank you." Marion said with a manic look in her eye, "Just knowing that this happened in the service of something greater is a comfort."

A strange sense of discomfort crawled through Lina, and she realized that Marcus's parents were decidedly cut from the same cut as Luna was. Yet even Luna had admitted to the pitfalls of people fighting who secretly had a death wish, particularly if they were going up against Mazoku. That William and Marion weren't beside themselves with grief seemed wrong to Lina, even if it saved her from some discomfort. "Right. Um, I'll give you some time alone with him then, and check in on you later."

Once they'd gotten out of earshot, Lina said to Amelia, "That wasn't what I was expecting."

"It's so noble!" Amelia crooned.

"What?" Lina said.

"Those parents knew their son was doing everything he could for the cause of justice! They also know in their hearts that they will be rewarded."

"Um, Amelia…" Lina said as she wondered if she was the only sane one there.

"What?" she asked.

Lina shook her head, and then put her hand in her pocket where she felt the paper she had been working on earlier. She had done all she could for Marcus, but she still had four months to prepare for the birth of her child. And she was going to make good use of them. "Nothing. Come on, let's go for a walk."

Her watcher would eventually have to do something else. And as soon as she felt safe, she would need to pounce and tell as many people as possible. And figure out a way to get in contact with Milgasea and Memphis.