I'm sure its been a long time for all of you, so I put a "the story so far" part to remind you of what's has happened before. Also,

Disclaimer: I do not own Court Duel, Crown Duel, or any of its characters and names. They belong to Sherwood Smith, a wonderful author who should be well appreciated. The only thing I own is Kai and the storyline of the actual fanfiction.

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The Story so Far:

Kai is a mysterious man who had somehow crossed with Flauvic in the past. In result, a chain was put on him. This chain allows Flauvic to ask Kai to do anything for him, but only one task is allowed. When Flauvic is imprisoned in Keira Court, he summons Kai to retrieve Lady Meliara for him.

It is the night in which Meliara and the Shevreath are about to make an announcement. In the ball prepared, Kai "proposes his love" to the lady in order to get close to her. Vidanric interrupts, saying that it was time for the announcement. Before they can make the announcement, the lights vanish, leaving the ball in darkness.

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I have to move fast; I had only prepared the blackout at the last moment, and only to last a few minutes as well. I maneuvered through the confused crowd of annoying nobles. Positioning myself behind the Lady Meliara, I clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries. When she struggled all but too violently and attempted to reach out to Vidanric, I drove the hilt of my stiletto squarely into her stomach, causing her to lose consciousness. With that accomplished, I grabbed her around the waist and made for the rooftops. The candles had only begun to flicker on long after the lady and I escaped.

Back at the inn, I binded and gagged the unconscious Meliara in my rented room. After I was certain that there was no way the lady can escape, I quietly went over to the window and watched as carriages carried the hundred of nobles back to their homes. Each carriage was a small light, resulting in a grand stream of gleaming lights that branched off, reaching and spreading to all the lands. Even the light of the stars seemed faint compared to river of wondrous and glistening lights of a hundred nobles eager to tell their families of a story. All things are attracted to light, especially with the night air so cold and penetrating. Peasants lined against their barely open doors and children peered through the window to watch their nobles travel along the streets, illuminating the neighborhood.

I was silently debating whether or not to bring Lady Meliara to immediately when my neck gave a sharp, familiar pain. It is a warning. I must bring Lady Meliara right away. The thought resonated in my mind, multiplying each time, until it was my only thought.

Looking around my undersized temporary room, I sighed. I wished for a bag to carry the lady. It would be much easier to carry her that way…

I had already arranged for a carriage to pick the lady and me up. All I have to do was show up and I'll be on way towards freedom.

I left some money on the table and unwillingly picked up Lady Meliara. I cautiously tucked my arms beneath her back and under her legs. Carefully climbing out the window, I threw her onto the roof, which turned out to be a harder task than I thought, and jumped out, landing next to her. I hurriedly picked her up again and began to quickly run across the rooftops towards the agreed meeting point, my speed only slowed by the weight in my hands.

Moments later, I stood beneath the dim light of a torch, with the lady seemingly asleep on the wooden bench next to me. To make sure she had not escaped, I glanced at the Lady Meliara on the bench beside me, her face in complete relaxation, unaware of her upcoming danger. Her lips were slightly open, with small breaths coming and leaving her lips. Now that I looked closer, I could see that her eyelashes weren't dark, but indeed light, not unlike her burning auburn hair. Despite the rough trip, her hair managed to seem perfect, wrapping her shoulders and body like a thin blanket of fire. Her skin seemed to glow with a pure, yet fierce beauty, even in the dim light of the stables. Slowly, not waking to wake her, I leaned my face towards hers, intent on the sleeping beauty before me. When I was but half an inch from her face, I stopped. I could feel the warmth of her body even from here. After a slight hesitation, I leaned even closer.

Before I could make contact, a surge of pain rushed through my body, numbing all my senses. I suddenly doubled over in pain. The pain is stronger, it was as if it was Flauvic was urging me to hurry. The small breeze carried the sound of rolling wheels to my ears. I looked up and saw a carriage slowly making its way towards us. I recomposed myself and straightened my posture so as not to seem too suspicious, despite the hood covering my face.

The carriage silently rolled to a stop before me. A young boy let go of the reins and jumped down from his seat to greet Kai. The boy peered up into my hood at where he suspected my eyes were, but it seemed as if he was staring at my nose. The boy shrugged and recited, "Thank you for choosing Tlanth carriages. I will be your driver tonight."

From the darkness of my hood, I smirked. "Aren't you a bit young?" The child smiled.

"I may be young, but I'm the best there is," he said with a high air of dignity. He indicated to the Lady Meliara, "Is the lady coming?"

"Yes. She must have fallen asleep waiting for the carriage."

"Yessir!" the boy said as he opened the door to the carriage. I daintily picked Lady Meliara delicately and laid her in the carriage before stepping in myself. "Keira Court." With the destination confirmed, I eagerly closed the door. The next time I will open it, I will only be but moments away from my freedom.

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Author's notes: I know, I know. I'm very very very very sorry for not updating sooner. I've had so much school this year, with summer school and all. Its been such a long time that when I wrote the this chapter, I originally wrote it in third person. The second I posted it, I realized my mistake and quickly took it down, or as quickly as Fanfiction.net would allow me to. That might be the reason why this chapter sounds kind of funny…

Also, I plan on updating the next chapter by the end of next Sunday because nothing much happened in this chapter. Again, I'm very sorry for not updating for a long time…Like a few months actually…Heh heh, very very sorry…

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