"Are you sure you want to go in, your Majesty?" Luna asked as she swiftly walked through the grounds of Maninstit with the Eternal Queen beside her and all of the Ceiphied Knights she could gather at such short notice behind them.

"I have several great grandchildren in there." The Eternal Queen replied, though her face betrayed no hint of any anxiety she was feeling, "I can't very well ask them to take risks I am unwilling to take."

Luna nodded. It was not her place to argue with the Eternal Queen no matter how much she disagreed with her. But she would insist on one point. "I'll go in first."

Several of the knights formed a protective stance around the queen as Luna reached the door. While she hoped she didn't show it, she was terrified of what she would find when she stepped inside. Afterall, hadn't Arnold reported that Han and Zelgadis had been killed? The only thing keeping Luna together was the hope that he was wrong. But what if all that awaited her on the other side of that door was a massacre that they'd been too late to stop?

The sooner she opened the door the sooner she would know. She grabbed her key, but before she could put it in the lock it opened, and Jeeves stepped out and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty."

Luna had never been so glad to see him. If he was alive and answering the door than it meant there were survivors. Luna brusquely charged inside as she barked, "We heard there was an attack. How is my family?"

"There was." Naga said as she walked up, and Luna stopped in her tracks when she saw the foyer. It was covered in water pooling in various places on the floor and rubble.

"Is Maninstit safe for the queen?" one of the knights asked, even as they walked inside.

"The Mazoku have fled with their tails between their legs." Naga reported with a satisfied smirk. "Only casualty so far was one of the wet nurses. It's incredible, really. Especially since Greater Beast, Deep Sea Dolphin and Dynast Grausherra were all involved in the attack."

"What!?" Luna exclaimed as the knights started talking amongst themselves. Luna scanned the foyer, but while plenty of kids were wandering around cleaning up the mess, aside from Naga and Jeeves all of the adults were missing. "Where's Lina?"

But before she could get a response, the Eternal Queen shouted, "Maeve!" and then she ran up to embrace her. "Thank goodness you're alright. How are Adam and Adora?"

"They're fine." Maeve said as she pulled away and patted the queen's arm gently, "Owen and Pippi were the two kids who were hurt the worst. Owen has a concussion and he's resting. Pippi also caught the tail end of a nasty spell but she is also recovering."

"And Lina?" Luna asked.

Maeve shook her head as her forehead creased, "She used up quite a bit of life energy fighting Dynast."

"She's tough, she'll recover." Luna snapped.

Maeve shifted on her feet anxiously, "She fell into a coma and she's not woken up."

Luna felt her face heat as she headed towards the stairs, fully determined to shake Lina until she stopped being so dramatic and woke up. "What about my parents?"

"Both were badly wounded in the attack." Maeve explained and she, Naga and the Eternal Queen followed her. "Mrs. Inverse was in the hallway upstairs with the twins, and Greater Beast slashed her up rather badly. It wasn't anything a Resurrection spell couldn't fix. She's in her room recovering."

"And the twins?"

"They're safe. Though we're having to scramble to find some new wet nurses since Dame Lina can't right now and Karina was killed, and the new one ran off when the attack started, so it's just Penelope."

"Penelope wants to quit, by the way." Naga interjected, "She's rattled, she says it could have been her or her baby who died. Can't blame her really."

"Please tell me she's staying on." Luna said.

"For now, until we can find some replacements." Naga explained.

"What a headache." Luna said as they reached the top of the stairs, "And my dad?"

"He was attacked by Xellos. Had a brutal stomach wound, but he's with your mother, recovering." Maeve explained, and then she started to list off the damage, "Sir Gourry had some severe burns and is recovering with Dame Lina. Princess Amelia's skull was cracked and she was badly concussed and she's sleeping it off. Duke Zelgadis was also badly wounded by Xellos, but his arm has been regrown and he's keeping a watch over Princess Amelia. And Rick is with Sylphiel. She revealed she was pregnant after the attack and Dolphin punched her badly in the stomach. She's stable for now but on bedrest, just in case."

"It worked then." Luna said as she approached the door to Lina's room and felt a sense of elation fill her. Her experiment had been a success! She didn't know the hows yet, but somehow this group of students and teachers had defeated three Mazoku lords! No one would ever question her methods ever again! She could ask for more money, more resources, more…

She opened the door to Lina's room without knocking. "Wakey, wakey." She sang loudly as she walked to Lina's bed and grabbed her shoulders to shake her.

Gourry lunged forward and pushed her away. Luna was about to ask him what gives when she caught the look in his eyes and froze. He held her gaze for a moment, and Luna recognize the stare of someone who was teetering on the edge, and then he looked at Lina and grabbed her hand. "Her pulse is getting weaker." He stated as his voice cracked. "I can't bring her back."

Alarmed, Luna took a good look at her sister. Her hair was white with no hint of chestnut and her skin was so pale she was translucent. Gently she grabbed her other hand and was shocked at how cold it was. Panic gripped her as she realized that they hadn't been exaggerating. Lina was in dire danger.

One of the babies started to fuss, and Luna welcomed the distraction as she looked to where Moe was rocking a cradle. "Should we get her parents?" he asked.

Gourry's eyes closed as tears leaked from them, and Luna felt the strength leave her body and she started to sway. The Eternal Queen came up and steadied her and guided her to a chair close to the bed, and then she grabbed Lina's hand and stated, "Give me a moment."

Then the queen closed her eyes, and a silence feel across the room, broken only by the occasional hiccup of an infant. Minutes passed before the Eternal Queen exhaled, "I've given her a bit of my energy and stopped the decline. Now to see if it's enough to build up again."

"Can't you give her more?" Gourry asked.

"Only so much can be transferred or we risk overloading her weakened system." The Eternal Queen replied, "It's a rather complex process and not terribly efficient I'm afraid. But she has a chance now. Right now, she needs rest."

"A chance?" Gourry repeated, "How much of one?"

"Enough of one." The Eternal Queen said as she put a hand on his shoulder, "Keep talking to her. It will help her."

Gourry bite his lip but nodded and said, "Thank you."

Luna watched numbly as she wondered how things could have gotten to the point where Lina was this badly injured. While on one level Luna knew that their work was dangerous, suicidally dangerous, Lina was always so full of life and spunk that it didn't seem possible that she could be seriously hurt. And, after all, she had taken down Shabrangidu, twice! It didn't seem possible for real harm to befall her.

Gourry laid down beside Lina and was whispering softly in her ear while the Eternal Queen sat down beside Moe and stared at him thoughtfully as Maeve made some excuse about getting back downstairs and left. A few moments passed before the Eternal Queen said. "Earthlord Rangort."

Gourry didn't look up from Lina, but Luna was stunned out of her stupor as Moe smiled and said, "You recognized me, your Majesty."

"What?" Luna said as she got to her feet.

"You hired the Knight of the Earthlord as a nanny." The Eternal Queen stated, a wry smile plying at her lips.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Luna asked Moe.

Moe shrugged, "Well it's not something I like to advertise. Seems to draw the baddies out when I do."

Luna whistled. "Sometimes the cards just line up in our favor."

"Yeah, you're real lucky Moe and I were there, otherwise the Mazoku would have whisked those babies away. We were the reason they were stopped!" Naga bragged.

"That was the best decision I've made in some time." Luna said.

"Lina asked Naga to be here, not you." Gourry said roughly, and the tone of his voice stopped her in her tracks. "And as for you…where were you?"

Luna felt punched in the gut as he continued, his words becoming more rushed and higher in pitch the more he talked, "You set all of this up so the twins would be born, you painted a target on our backs. And then you went home to your husband and boys leaving us to live with the risk!? Lina just had the twins two weeks ago! She hadn't recovered enough for this! And the twins are barely two weeks old and this is the second time they've nearly been kidnapped…the second time they've been in battle, with a Mazoku! A Mazoku Lord even! How many Mazoku have your children faced? I'm starting to think Lina was right…"

He looked as though he was on the verge of saying more, but he stopped himself as he shook his head. "But where can we go that will be safe, Luna? You put us in this mess, put my family in constant danger and you can't even stick around for two weeks and live with the risks that we do!? But then you've been happy to put her life on the line if it furthers your goals. How old was she when you sent her out into the world on her own!?"

Luna felt a thousand protests well up within her as her stomach knotted and she stood up, "I left you well defended! That the twins are safe shows that!"

"How many battles have your boys seen?" Gourry shot back as he sat up and glared at her. Luna stepped forward and opened her mouth again, but Naga put a hand on her arm, and it gave her pause, giving Gourry enough time to say, "You can leave now."

Luna felt a retort dancing at the edge of her tongue, but the Eternal Queen said quietly, "Perhaps it's time to check on your parents."

"Right." Luna said as she hoped that she wasn't visibly shaking as she walked to the door.

The Eternal Queen looked at Moe, "It was good to meet you."

"And you, your Majesty."

"I'm, um, going to stay with Lina." Naga said as she took the chair that was by Lina's bed, and Luna had the distinct feeling that as soon as she left they would all say horrible things about her. As the door closed behind her she started imagining what they were. That she was a cold, heartless bitch. That she would sacrifice her entire family if it meant winning the war. That she asked people to accept risks she wouldn't. That she'd never genuinely loved another person in her entire life.

The Eternal Queen put an arm around her shoulder and said gently, "This is the hard part of commanding troops."

"Particularly when they're your own kin?" Luna asked as she started to worry about what her parents would think. Would she find the same blame there?

"That, and since your means are effective they don't even have the satisfaction of pointing out your failure. You have been tremendously successful, and it breeds resentment over those means. Which, admittedly, are rather brutal."

"This war with the Mazoku is brutal." Luna said, repeating the argument she had told herself time and again. "We can't bow to our qualms if we're going to win this. I know you understand that. You encouraged me in this!"

"I do. And I will defend you till the end, my most loyal knight. Yet from here on out, you may find that the pawns are not going to be so amenable and will be more demanding. And negotiating is not your forte."

Luna took a deep breath and exhaled, "Well, then I guess it's time to expand my skill set."

The Eternal Queen ran a hand through her hair, and Luna felt fortified with her support. Her entire family may be mad at her, but the Eternal Queen still was on her side. And she could make it through this.

Her newfound confidence vanished the moment she stood face to face with the door to her parents' room. "I'm going to check in on Princess Amelia and Duke Zelgadis." The Eternal Queen announced, "And give your family some space."

"Thank you." Luna said. And as soon as the queen walked away she decided to get it over with and knocked.

"Come in." Leia said.

Luna ran a hand through her hair and did. "Hey."

"Hey." Leia said as she sat up in bed, and to Luna's relief, smiled at her, "I didn't expect you to get here so fast."

Luna went up and hugged her and then her father as she explained, "Arnold fled Maninstit and found us. We came as soon as we could and there's a group of Ceiphied Knights in the foyer now, though it looks as though we were too late. I just didn't think they would attack so soon. I thought we had until after the naming ceremony."

"You and me both." Leia said as she shook her head as Luna sat on the bed beside them, "I thought Lina was being paranoid about letting the twins out of her sight. But as soon as I ferreted them away all hell broke loose. Oh she is going to let me have it when I see her again!"

Luna's breath caught in her throat as she realized that her parents didn't know how poorly Lina was doing sank in. But of course they didn't. If they knew they would have been by her bedside.

"We do have to keep in mind that while we've been in Zefiel City, she was on the field destroying Hellmaster and Shabranigdu even." Han said, "She knows them better than we do."

Luna felt her stomach sink as she wondered what to do as Leia laughed. "From here on out we'll have to recognize that she has the best view of the situation. Oh, she'll never let us hear the end of it. Did you see Lina?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she wondered if her parents would blame her if Lina didn't make it. But she also couldn't lie. "She was fading pretty fast. The Eternal Queen intervened and she's stable for now."

"For now!?" Leia cried as she jumped out of bed. "Oh, I'll never be able to forgive myself if she doesn't pull through."

And Luna realized that her mother was struggling with her own guilt, Han put a hand on Leia's shoulder and said, "She's strong, she'll pull through."

Her parents both stood up and started towards the door. They were silent as they walked down the hallway to Lina's room. But as soon as they reached it, Luna said, "Actually, I think I should go elsewhere."

That aroused her mother's suspicions as she turned to stare at her searchingly. "Why?"

Luna shifted uncomfortably. "Gourry blames me. For not being here. For putting their family in danger. I've never seen him like that before. He, um, may have kicked me out earlier."

"Well I can't blame him." Leia snapped, and Luna felt stricken. "That's just the tip of the iceberg, Luna. Sylphiel told me that Gertrude has offered Lina and Gourry a position in the Elmekian Empire. And that they're so put out by your shenanigans that they're thinking of taking it!"

"What!?" Luna exclaimed. So that's what the swordsman had been hiding.

"Lina's rather angry about your methods. And I can't say I blame her. If this is going to continue, you're going to have to allow her control over her life and make nice. Or she has other options. Because I would hate to have my grandchildren whisked away to the Elmekian Empire!"

Luna felt stunned as both of her parents looked at her warningly. And considering Lina was the troublemaker growing up, she wasn't used to it. She nodded, "Right. Go see Lina. I'll check in later."

Luna spent some time gathering information about how Greater Beast, Dynast Grausherra and Deep Sea Dolphin had been defeated and ascertaining the threat level. And then, despite the late hour, she took a walk around the grounds, lost in thought about how to approach Lina from here on out. Eventually a plan came together, and when it did she returned to the manor before she could lose her nerve.

Depending on how you looked at it, it was either rather late or rather early when she found herself outside of the door to Lina's room once more. And this time she knocked and she waited for Gourry to say, "Come in."

She walked in and saw that Gourry was lying on his back in the bed while one of the twins slept on his chest. Moe was gone, as was the other twin, she assumed, to the nursery. Naga and her parents had also left, which Luna hoped meant that Lina was recovering her strength. In the dim light Luna really could not tell.

Gourry sat up and readjusted the infant as she sat down in the chair by the bed and took a deep breath and spat it out. "You were right, earlier."

"What?" Gourry said as his eyes widened in shock.

"I should have been here. So I'll find another Ceiphied Knight to take over my duties at Ceiphied's Eats and tell my husband and my kids that we're moving to Maninstit. From this point on, I will never be farther than the end of the hallway. And my family will experience the same risks as yours."

Gourry's jaw dropped as he stuttered as, and for a moment Luna worried that she had melted his brain. But before she could say anything Lina snapped, "The hell you are!"

"Lina!" Gourry cried as he grabbed her hand.

"What?" Luna asked.

"The hell you're moving in here!" Lina said, her voice weak and rough. She obviously needed a glass of water, and Luna grabbed the pitcher and filled one. "The day you move in is the day I move out!"

Luna smiled and handed her the glass, and then she helped Lina to sit up and drink deeply. Once her thirst was quenched she turned to look at Gourry and reached her arms out, "Rails."

Gourry handed her over, and Lina relaxed, "I was so scared I would never see you again! And Midas?"

"He needed to nurse. He's fine." He assured her as he kissed the top of her head.

"What about our school, our students?"

"Everyone but Karina made it." Gourry said.

"Damn." Lina said as she stroked Aurelia's head. "What happened?"

"We'll go over that later. First we need to discuss security." Luna said. "And I can understand that you wouldn't want to be under the same roof as me. So here's the deal. I can take over your teaching and headmistress duties. And we can arrange for you and Gourry and the twins to live in a nice, remote city somewhere safe. The house won't be as big as the manor, because it will just be your family. It will still be nicer than what we grew up in. And you can keep the nanny and a wet nurse, because of the special nature of your children and you will need extra protection, so we will provide several Ceiphied Knights as well."

"Is this a trick?" Lina asked.

"You want control over your life, you can have it." Luna said as Lina looked exchanged a baffled look with Gourry. "I believe the Eternal Queen will agree that you've done more than enough for our country and the world that you can go into permanent retirement."

"This is a trick, right?" Lina asked as she stared at Luna in disbelief while Gourry's mouth hung open in shock.

Luna smiled, "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? But the Eternal Queen and I agree that you've risked enough and sacrificed enough. Whether or not you want to continue to do so is your choice from here on out. The moment you want to walk out, you can walk out."

Lina and Gourry continued to stare at her as though she'd sprouted a second head. Luna stood up, "You don't have to decide immediately. I'll let you talk about it. I'll go and tell everyone that you've recovered. You really gave us a scare this time, Lina."

Luna got up and walked out the door, and as she closed it behind her she heard Lina ask Gourry, "Who was that nice woman who looked like my sister?"