Back to the roots or Taking a whole new path

by Tukuyomi

Sequel to A new life: Now that the dragons are gone, what is there left to do for Kidd and Harle? A little adventure maybe?

18. The queen who couldn't protect herself

Chapter 18 – The queen who couldn't protect herself

"We should go back!", Clair shouted as she ran after Eve, even though the castle's entrance was already in sight.

"She'll be fine. Now hurry!", Eve called back, tugging harder at Clair's hand, not thinking of the other girl's inferior condition. She heard her panting behind her, and knew she was doing her best.

They had run all the way with their drawn weapons in their hands, and upon reaching the huge entrance door of the castle, Eve was hardly surprised to see that the knights had readied their swords as well. There were only two of them though, and Eve wondered just how much trouble a skilled assassin would have to break through this frighteningly weak layer of defence.

"Halt!", one of them shouted in a deep and rough voice. "Who are you?" He eyed them sceptically, distrust evident in his eyes.

"There isn't much time to explain, but we'll have to ask you to let us through, for the queen is in grave danger.", Eve explained as calmly as she could. Surely they wouldn't let them pass so easily.

"Now that's a unique one.", the other knight said and chuckled sarcastically as he pointed his sword towards Eve.

Clair clicked her tongue in annoyance. Honestly, Eve could be so naïve sometimes. She stepped before Eve and held her rod diagonally in front of her, holding it firmly with both of her hands.

"Now guys, step aside or you'll regret it.", she said dangerously and heard Eve gasp behind her. Too naïve indeed.

The guard had barely enough time to smirk at that before one end of Clair's rod met his stomach and pushed him backwards while the other end knocked the sword out of the second guard's grasp which was soon accompanied by a high kick to the back of his head, which sent him tumbling down the flight of stairs in front of him. By the time he had reached its end, his companion had stood up again, swinging his sword high into the air in an amateurish attempt to strike it down onto her. Clair blocked the sword effortlessly with her rod which she held with both of her hands above her head. She then kicked him into his stomach and pushed him roughly against the wall behind him. The guard's head met the stone wall with more force than intended, and he passed out immediately.

Upon the sight of him sagging to the ground, Clair clicked her tongue again. He was useless now, so she quickly dashed down the stairs to get to the other guard, who was taller and bulkier than the now unconscious one, but at least he was still awake. Ignoring his grunts and his struggling, she managed to lift him to his feet despite the heavy armor and shoved him up the stairs towards Eve, who looked all but utterly dumbfounded.

"You take him.", Clair said and pushed the dizzy guard towards Eve, who began to understand the situation well enough to know what she was supposed to do. With her left arm she reached around his neck from behind, squeezing him closely against her, while her right hand held her sword close to his face. She nudged him to walk up the stairs and follow Clair, who had opened the heavy door by herself, stepping inside the castle. Eve and their hostage followed closely, Eve pressing the blade of her sword against the man's throat to silence him.

As expected, it didn't take long for them to be surrounded, but Clair simply smiled. At least their defence within the castle was acceptable.

"Who are you? What are you doing?", an especially brave-looking guard asked them, if only to buy time as the other soldiers drew a circle around the two women and their hostage.

Clair looked around, the smile not leaving her face. There were eight soldiers, and probably a lot more to come.

"Where's the queen?", she asked, drawing the looks that had previously been on Eve onto herself.

"Why would that interest you?", the same soldier asked warily.

"We need to see her, and you guys better not get in our way or your friend here will pay for it.", Clair answered, taking a look at each of the surrounding soldiers. Some of them looked frightened or concerned for their comrade, others seemed eager to attack, and some of them looked like they didn't care at all. Clair smirked. They wouldn't dare to attack.

"Now, where is she?", Clair repeated, looking at the leading soldier who had proved to be the most talkative one so far. His brows trembled at the question, and his eyes darted involuntarily to a door to his left, then back at their hostage.

"Thanks.", Clair said just as the soldier opened his mouth, probably to form an excuse or something similar, but was cut short by Clair's rod which swept him off his feet, just like it did his neighbour. Now with an open passage, Clair ran through it and headed for the door, followed by Eve who by now knew better than to hesitate or ask questions.

Upon reaching it, Clair immediately opened the door, but waited for Eve to go through it first. After Eve had passed, Clair turned to face the soldiers who came storming towards her. There were at least a dozen of them by now. However, instead of following Eve she ran towards them, knocking out the first two attackers with a sideways hit against their heads. She escaped the sword of another by a few inches in going down to her knee, before fending off another by hitting his chin from underneath. She then dealt quickly with the previous one with a high kick that brought down her heel right on the soldier's collarbone, which brought him down to his knees surprisingly quickly.

Now with four soldiers down in less than a minute, the other soldiers seemed to waver, obviously not knowing what to do. Which served Clair well, for she could already feel sweat forming on her forehead. Fighting was unlike harder for her when she had to be careful not to hurt anyone too heavily. After all, they weren't terrorists, and crippling her soldiers wouldn't give them much credibility in front of the queen.

While the remaining soldiers wavered, Clair turned on her heels and dashed for the still open door, which she closed and bolted behind her before facing the flight of stairs in front of her. It seemed to be a pretty high staircase, for she could still hear Eve somewhere above her. She hurried to catch up with her, taking two steps at once as she proceeded upwards. She eventually reached Eve, who shoved the taller soldier the last few steps upwards until they reached another door, the only door there was. Without even bothering to talk to their hostage, Clair opened the door and found herself in a small corridor that lead to another door. She was glad there was only one, for she wouldn't have had the nerve to make difficult decisions at a time like this.

They walked towards the door and Clair smiled as she saw how the soldier seemed to struggle more the closer they got.

She opened the door and despite not particularly expecting any resistance at this point, held her rod defensively in front of her. Better safe than sorry. However, she chuckled at her unnecessary precautions as she saw a woman sitting on her bed, alone and without any weapons whatsoever. At the sound of her door opening, she turned her head to regard her visitors, and seemed surprised to see a sweating knight in the grasp of a woman foreign to her, and another who accompanied her. She seemed surprised, but nothing more. Still, Clair had dealt with enough strange people lately, she wasn't concerned with their atypical behaviour anymore.

"Are you Queen Marle?", Clair asked, trying not to sound dangerous, even though this person in front of her didn't exactly seem like she would care.

"The same.", she answered and stood up, and Clair had to marvel at how this woman managed to look dignified even though she was wearing a plain nightgown, which seemed to unsettle their hostage, who tried to turn away regardless of the sword at his throat. "And who might you be?"

"The only people you can trust as of now.", Clair answered and shot Eve a look upon which Eve quickly released the man from her grasp, but bolted the door behind her nonetheless. She sighed at Clair's unnecessarily complicated explanation, but as she regarded the queen, who for all the world looked more amused than intimidated, she shrugged and let Clair handle this.

Clair shot a sideways glance to a rather fancy wall clock which resided above the monstrous bed of the queen. Only a little more than three hours until midnight. He would have to strike soon.

"I'll be blunt about this. Someone is out to kill you, and we have come to prevent this from happening.", Clair explained calmly, never fully taking her eyes off their hostage, who she deemed to be low enough to exploit their trust and attack them at any moment, even though he had yet to show any sign of anything other than bafflement. "You may not know us, but I ask you to trust us. I believe you are familiar with someone named Kidd?", she asked, taking her only chance at gaining a modicum of trust from the queen. After all, Kidd was their only connection, she was the reason she and Eve were here in the first place.

"Kidd?", the queen repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I do know her." Clair had the feeling that now that she had mentioned her name, the queen had become even more suspicious.

"She is the one who sent us here. She had other things to deal with, unfortunately.", Eve said quickly, growing more nervous the longer they talked like this.

The queen sighed at this and sat down on her bed. "She's in trouble again, isn't she? Honestly, that girl…", she said and couldn't suppress a small laugh.

"She will be fine. But for now, allow us to guard you.", Eve said earnestly, frowning at how stupid this sounded.

The queen nodded gravely. "Just one thing. If you are here to help me, why did you take a hostage? Not to mention that you probably didn't get here without having encountered resistance. What did you need a hostage for? If I may ask."

"You may not.", Clair answered sharply just as Eve was about to answer, looking sceptically at their hostage. Which was probably better that way, for Eve had no idea what she would have told her. She didn't know why they had done that herself.

If the queen was surprised at this response, she didn't show it. "Very well then."

Clair nodded, satisfied that things were at least going moderately smoothly, even though things would undoubtedly get messy soon. She looked around, inspecting the room. Despite being the Queen's chamber, it wasn't exactly large, and Clair knew that fighting off an assassin wouldn't exactly be easy in here. There was only one window in the room as well, opposite of the door. The fact that there was no clear escape route was unnerving, but at this point they didn't really have a choice. The queen's confidence in them seemed to be too thin to rely on in front of countless angry soldiers and Clair had little desire to battle her way down again. They just had to deal with being in a closed room there was little escaping from.

Loud banging at the door startled her out of her thoughts and she looked in direction of the door. The banging got louder, and Clair could hear a lot of voices shouting at each other. Clair knew it wouldn't take them long to break through the door.

"Tell them to stop.", Clair said more urgently than intended. She couldn't allow them to get inside this room, or everything would be over. "They have to leave."

Eve tried to mask her puzzled expression from the queen as she looked at her, even though she was getting uneasy about this.

The queen didn't respond to what was obviously an order and walked past her until she stood in front of the door which was still being under attack of the soldiers outside.

"I advise you all not to damage my door or I will have to cut your wages.", she spoke, her voice loud and clear. Only a few seconds passed until the banging subsided completely. "Please return to your posts and see to it that nobody gets inside the castle."

"B-but, my majesty!", one of the soldiers outside stuttered. "Is really everything fine?"

"Yes it is, please don't be concerned and do as I say.", the queen answered.

"As you wish. We are sorry to have disturbed you.", came a disappointed but still alerted response and soon they could hear the steps of retreating soldiers. Clair laid her head onto the door, listening for any sounds, but everything was quiet. As she turned to look at the queen she met an annoyed face.

"I would appreciate if you told me what all this is about, but I guess I won't get an answer. Am I right?", she asked and Eve winced at the angry tone of her voice.

Instead of answering directly, Clair stepped closer to the queen, who to her credit didn't move away. "Please lower your voice.", she whispered, again looking at their hostage, who was eyeing them with great interest, but appeared to have given up on doing anything to stop them. Still, his constant eyes on her were irritating.

"Why?", the queen asked, but obeyed and reduced her voice to a whisper.

Clair rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe how easygoing everyone was when the queen's life was in danger. "Because…", Clair started to explain, trying to think of a way to say it without revealing too much. Again she looked to her side, and again she found their hostage watching them, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Damn it.", Clair mumbled as she turned away from the queen and walked towards the knight. Before he had the chance to react, Clair had reached back and punched him directly into his face, producing a sickeningly cracking sound and a river of blood running from his nose as he toppled over and lost his consciousness even before he reached the ground.

"Clair!", Eve hissed, hardly trusting her eyes. "What are you doing?" She had trouble keeping her voice low.

But Clair just shrugged, too tense and stressed to give her an explanation or excuse. "I'm not taking any chances.", she said but knew that she was probably just being paranoid.

Eve knew Clair was just trying to be professional and express authority, but the thought of not knowing what was going on in her friend's mind made her uneasy.

"My, you certainly have a way with people.", Marle remarked sarcastically and sat down on the bed, acting as if nothing happened. And besides, there was nothing she could do other than obeying those strange women while preserving as much of her dignity as the circumstances allowed.

"Believe me, you will be thankful for it very soon.", Clair mumbled, not granting her the joy of being provoked. Instead she scanned the room once more, trying to think like someone who is about to kill the queen. Her eyes spotted a rather old-fashioned bow with matching arrows on one of the walls, and Clair wondered how she could have overseen it the first time.

"That yours?", she asked silently, but walked towards it and took it off the wall without receiving an answer. She gave it to the queen. "Don't let anyone take it, whatever happens."

Marle simply nodded, taking the nostalgic bow into her hands, running her fingers over the still smooth surface of the wood. Such a long time had passed since she had put this bow to use. Such a long time that if she didn't know better, she would think it had happened in a previous life. Maybe that was because she was the only one left, the only remainder of this adventurous time, aside from the friends she had made in other eras, who she had no hope of ever seeing again. It was impossible, it should have been impossible from the start.

She regarded the woman named Clair as she paced the room, deep in thought, and looked at the other woman who stood silently at the door, being the exact opposite of her friend. And she turned to regard one of her most loyal, if not necessarily most competent knight. The blood had stopped flowing out by now, leaving a drying red trail that ran from his nose across his right cheek until it reached the marble floor.

Clair stopped in the middle of the room, wondering why she was the one being nervous, if it wasn't even her life that was about to be threatened. She looked at Eve, who seemed worried but still possessed a certain level of calmness. She was too calm for Clair's comfort.

"Get away from the door.", Clair whispered, but still loud enough for Eve to hear it clearly. She didn't say anything in response and walked past her and over to the window.

"Not to the window.", Clair said, more hesitant that before. She knew she was wearing out Eve's patience she would have long lost already if she had been in her friend's place. And as Eve turned to look at her, she knew it was already too late.

"Just what is it, Clair?", Eve asked as she tried to hide the anger in her voice. Clair sighed, regarding her intently.

"Look, I just…", she started, but stopped dead as she saw a shadow on the glass pane behind Eve. She moved her mouth to speak, but no tone came out as Clair ran towards Eve, pushing her feet off the ground to cross the distance in midair. Her hands reached her shoulders and she pushed Eve to the side. Even before Eve reached the ground, the window pane shattered into a thousand pieces which pierced into Clair's arms as she tried to shield her face. The next thing she knew was a hit into her stomach that sent her flying across the room and crashing into the wall at its end. She tasted the metallic tang of blood on her tongue as she reached the ground at last.

She heard someone scream her name, but couldn't remember who it was the voice belonged to. Her vision was shaking, getting even more blurry when she tried to focus on something. She couldn't move very well either, as if the punch had paralyzed her entire body. She struggled to keep her eyes open, which became harder with every second. The ground beneath her vibrated, as if something very large and heavy was walking into her direction, but as she managed to move her head enough to look up, she could only make out a shape that resembled a human. How could someone of ordinary height and build be so heavy?

She didn't have the time to ponder on this, for a large and cold hand enclosed her neck, applying almost unbearable pressure as she was lifted off the ground. She cried out but achieved nothing to lessen the pain and the dreaded feeling of suffocation. The face that appeared before her as she opened her eyes was unfamiliar, and Clair could only make out the most prominent characteristics. She couldn't see all that much of her attacker's face, for most of it was covered by what seemed to be a red scarf. She could however see the high blond hair and the pale skin. No, it wasn't pale. It was blue.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe, and Clair had already given up on struggling, for it only increased the painful lack of air in her lungs. Her eyes darted around but she could make out nothing aside from this one face in front of her. Time seemed to stand still, if it weren't for the increasing pain in her chest.

This just wasn't her day. She had been the most careful one of them all, so why her? Because she had tried to protect Eve. But what now? She was powerless, and she wondered if it would have been better had the attacker gotten Eve instead of her. That way she would have at least been able to do something. But now there was nothing she could do. She cursed inwardly. Wasn't the queen supposed to be the target? So how came she was in this mortifying grasp right now? Clair thought about all this as what seemed like endless minutes trickled by. She hadn't known she would receive an answer to her questions so soon.

"Are-you-the-queen?", the attacker asked, his voice mechanical and monotone.

Clair would have laughed if it hadn't been for her lack of air, but she settled for a twisted smile. This was almost too absurd to take seriously. She had no idea if he was making fun of her because she had practically sacrificed herself, or if he really didn't know. Neither of those options seemed plausible enough to be real. She, the queen? What kind of queen would be wearing a ragged military uniform? But then, she had to admit that the queen dressed in her rather plain nightgown didn't exactly look like nobility either. Which didn't make this situation less ridiculous.

It seemed to her that at least ten seconds had passed before she parted her lips to speak. "Yes."

She heard someone scream as these words left her mouth, and heard the sound of metal being pierced through someone. She couldn't make out what it was, she couldn't even tell if she was the one being pierced through at this point.

Everything she could feel was focused on the grip around her neck tightening. Clair felt like drowning again, trying to ignore this cruel feeling of dying from the sheer lack of oxygen. She felt like crying, but uttering even the faintest of sounds was impossible by now. To her, it lasted another two minutes until her vision finally went dark.

---

"Wait!", Kidd called for what seemed like the hundredth time. She had stopped on hoping to receive a response and was beginning to think that it would be better if she just shut up.

They were somewhere too deep in the woods for her to have any hope of telling exactly where that was. She had never been so deep inside this forest, only ever taking the relatively short and straight path that lead to the castle. Ever since getting lost in there once, she hadn't had any desire to venture any further than this one path. She regretted it now.

She had chased after Harle ever since Jack had run away from them, but it was getting harder and harder to keep sight of Harle in this darkness. She didn't see Jack, but she had given up on that more than ten minutes ago, and was glad that she had at least been able to follow Harle so far.

Still, she wished Harle would stop running like that, it almost made it seem as if she was running from her instead of chasing Jack. And also, she was concerned that Jack hat set up a trap somewhere, which Harle was sure to miss in her agitated state.

She caught a flicker of Harle's cards as she passed through a moonlit spot, and Kidd forced herself to move her legs even faster to catch up. All of this was going wrong in so many ways. They should be at the castle right in that moment, protecting Marle from an assassin, but instead they chased after Jack, who carried the relic Kidd wouldn't have expected Luccia to simply hand over to another person, even if this person was under her control.

The relic. Kidd wondered if everything Luccia had told them was true. It seemed hard to believe, even though she didn't doubt the Blazing Heart to hold special powers. She had seen it glow and flicker, and it had seemed in the same strange way alive as the Frozen Flame had. But how came she had never heard anything of it? She had only ever heard fantastic stories about the Frozen Flame, but never of the Blazing Heart, let alone even a third one, which Luccia had mentioned.

Kidd's foot met a large root and she stumbled over the ground for a few metres before she could catch herself and continue running. She looked for a trail of Harle when a sudden realization hit her. How did the captain know about the Blazing Heart? And if he had known how dangerous it was, why had he sent them to steal it for him? It was such an unpleasant thought that Kidd immediately banished it, trying to focus on the things right in front of her. Due to her stumbling, she had lost sight of Harle, and had little idea on where to turn now. Her feet continued running straight ahead, but she soon reached a dead end that was so thick with trees and bushes that she couldn't imagine Jack or Harle having passed through there. She stopped running, feeling her heart pound in her chest as she looked around. She cursed the darkness, there was no way she could see any of the footprints she knew had to be recorded in the wet ground beneath her. It was useless trying to see.

She allowed herself to close her eyes for a few moments, trying to listen for any rustles or pants nearby. She couldn't hear a thing and was tempted to call out for Harle again when she heard a scream. It was her.

Without a moment's hesitation she turned in the direction the scream had come from and broke into a run. She ignored the branches that slapped into her face as the forest got thicker, running almost blindly towards the one she had sworn to protect.

As she finally reached a clearing, she let out a breath of relief as she saw Harle standing at its centre. It was a relief to see her still standing, even though she clutched her left shoulder. Kidd walked towards her, but stopped abruptly as a throwing knife reached the ground, missing her right foot by less than an inch.

"Shouldn't you stay out of this?", Jack asked in an amused voice, but Kidd couldn't see where he was. As she looked up from the knife before her feet, she caught Harle staring at her. She hadn't noticed Kidd before.

"Like hell I will.", Kidd shouted angrily into the vague direction where Jack's voice had come from, swiftly pulling the knife out of the ground. She held it in her left hand, the right one already occupied with her dagger.

Again she looked at Harle, tempted to just run over to her. But she realized that Jack didn't want her near Harle, and as long as she didn't know where he was, she couldn't afford not to be cautious. She wouldn't be any help to Harle if she got killed because of carelessness.

"Just…hold out a little longer.", she spoke soothingly to Harle, who seemed unreasonably devastated at her arrival, for reasons Kidd didn't understand.

"How noble.", Jack spat, and again Kidd turned her head to search for him, in vain.

Kidd tried to ignore the evident hatred in Jack's voice, and rummaged in one of her pockets, until she found the Heal element she was looking for. She placed it into her left hand and enclosed it tightly, while shielding it with her right hand. No doubt Jack was going to attack the moment he noticed her casting an element on Harle.

She cast it, trying to suppress the light in her hand as much as possible. She watched as the element reached Harle, surrounding her in green light that only lasted a few moments until it vanished. Harle gasped at the unexpected light unwillingly, but calmed as soon as she realized it was a healing element from Kidd. It lessened the pain in her shoulder noticeably, and Harle hoped that she would be able to use her left arm again. Her arms still felt weak, but Harle was grateful that at least her legs worked properly. She was sure that once she had bought herself some time, her arms would be fine.

But now that Kidd was here…it changed everything. She had to be careful, her actions now deciding over the fate of not only her own, but also Kidd's life. She had hoped that Kidd would use the chance and go to the castle. She should have known better.

From the corner of her eye she saw another of Jack's knives, again aiming for Kidd. It was unnerving that he didn't see her as the target anymore, instead dragging Kidd into this, who had hardly anything to do with this. He just wanted her, so why didn't he leave Kidd alone?

Harle threw one of her cards at the knife, and succeeded in hitting it at its blunt end, which diverted its route and caused it to fly past Kidd, hitting a tree shortly after.

Harle smiled at her achievement. Her cards were useless in defending herself from direct attacks, but they were still useful when hitting the knives from the side. It was a small consolation still.

She needed to get hold of at least one of his knives, to beat him with his own weapons. She knew Kidd had one, but she could hardly ask her to toss it over to her, for Jack was sure to intercept it. There was only one chance.

"Stop aiming for her, Jack. It'z juzt toi et moi, non?", Harle shouted into the darkness, even though she had the dreaded feeling that Jack would be able to hear her even if she whispered.

As if on cue, a throwing knife flew directly towards her at high speed, threatening to pierce her left eye. It flew parallel to the ground, which could only mean that Jack was standing somewhere right in front of her, not up in the trees as she had previously suspected.

Without thinking Harle pushed her feet off the ground and leapt backwards, her body coming parallel to the ground as well. Her eyes gleamed as she saw the knife pass directly above her face. Her timing was perfect. Her left hand shot upwards to grab the knife as her right hand met the ground and pushed her upwards to complete the backflip with the momentum she had left.

She winced as the knife cut into her hand as if trying to struggle free from her grasp, but upon reaching the ground with her feet, she immediately launched five cards into Jack's direction. She heard a loud gasp shortly after, and wondered just where she had hit him.

"Not bad, Harle. Not bad at all.", she heard him say in a voice she knew was forced to sound calm, and thought to see the outlines of his body not too far from her. "But this is still not the right place, I fear."

Harle frowned. Not the right place? Was he about to run away? Her grip around the throwing knife she had gained tightened.

"Follow me, Harle.", he said, and Harle could hear quick footsteps in an increasing distance. She shot a glance at Kidd and nodded at her, then dashed after Jack. Kidd followed her, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to do much other than making sure nothing happened to Harle.

Jack didn't run particularly fast, and both Harle and Kidd had no trouble to follow him. Harle thought about catching up to him, but decided against it. It was too dangerous, and Jack obviously knew this forest better than they did. She didn't want him to have advantages because of that.

It wasn't before long that Harle could hear the sound of waves. The ocean. She couldn't believe they had gone that far. But only a few minutes later when they reached a plateau, she could see it with her own eyes. Harle was startled to see that they were high above the ocean, a hundred metres at least. The cliff had to be quite steep. She didn't want to think about falling down or being thrown down there.

She could see a lot of other things now, for the full moon lit the whole place, which was almost a perfect circle, quite well. She now clearly saw Jack even though he was wearing black clothes, and also saw that there was no rock or trunk of reasonable size to use or hide behind. As Jack heard them approach, he turned around.

"Very well, Harle. Now that you seem to be fighting seriously, I'm willing to grant you a fair chance to win.", Jack declared and laughed, and Harle didn't have to look twice to see the ugly wound across his left eye. It had been a direct hit. Jack probably had to concentrate on keeping it shut to avoid blood running into his eye. It would be a disadvantage, which was probably why he had led them here, for his apparent advantage of superior sight in the dark was gone, so he might as well show it off as generosity in a vain attempt to intimidate them.

"Merci beaucoup.", Harle responded not without a slight tone of amusement. She didn't need to be afraid of him. Not anymore. She heard Kidd move behind her, coming to stand right beside her.

"Ya know, ya could also just turn over that relic and we'd leave ya alone.", Kidd said, a lot calmer now that she could see him clearly and with nowhere to hide.

"You miss the point completely.", Jack answered and smiled as if pitying her. "As always. You know, I could throw the relic right into the ocean, just like that.", he added, making a wrist movement as if tossing something away. "I wouldn't care."

"Why don't ya do it, then?", Kidd asked warily. She wondered just how much of him stood under Luccia's influence. Surely it wasn't her goal to lose the relic.

"That wouldn't be any fun, now would it?", Jack asked and laughed darkly. They lacked the will to kill him without the Blazing Heart. He had to force them to fight them properly.

"What 'bout Luccia? Doesn't she care about what happens ta the relic?", Kidd asked unnerved, halting her breath as Jack laughed even harder.

"Of course she does. If you mean that small spark of importance in her life that she wouldn't even call caring rather than need.", he replied. "But I don't care, and she'll regret having given this to me. If she'll even live to notice its loss." Jack spat the last few words. He armed both of his hands with five knives each as if to shorten their conversation quickly.

Harle frowned at the sight, forced to revise her opinions about both Jack and Luccia. She asked herself just how much of him was intended to be that way. To make sure, she asked one more question, knowing that upon receiving the answer she would decide to either attack him with full force or simply disarm him. The latter seemed frighteningly unlikely to her.

"Moi assumez you are not on her side, zen?", she asked, trying to sound as if she wouldn't care about the answer either way.

As expected, Jack snorted at that. "I'm on no one's side. Did you think I would willingly let myself be turned into a monster? She made a mistake giving me power, hoping I would be on her side out of gratefulness or because I wanted to be as strong as a dragon or any of her pets. That woman has no sense of people, always thinking they are as crazy as her, not being satisfied until they were superior to every human on earth. As she saw that I wasn't like that she dulled me with her drugs to obey her, but they don't last forever. The next time we meet will be the last. I'll do humanity a favour and get her out of the way." He smiled at that, as if he truly believed in what he had just said.

"Our goalz are similar, but our méthodes are so very diferente.", Harle said calmly, arming her own hand with five cards while leaving her left with only the knife.

At the sight of Harle preparing herself, Kidd did the same, but was quickly stopped by the way Harle looked at her.

"Let moi do zis, pleaze.", Harle whispered and Kidd nodded in grim understanding. She didn't like the thought, but she had anticipated Harle to say that. And if Harle said she could do it, she would. No doubt about it. This wasn't just a fight of life and death, this was a fight of pride. And this pride Harle had lost at the manor could only be regained when she beat him on her own. Kidd knew that Harle wouldn't lose to the same man twice. She wouldn't allow herself to.

Still, Kidd watched Jack and decided not to let her guard down. His self-proclaimed fair fight could turn out pretty nasty pretty soon.

Jack and Harle both threw their respective weapons at the same time, and the sound that erupted as the knife tore through the card was like a bell tolling to announce the start of the battle.

Harle dodged the knife that hadn't been disturbed by the card in the least with ease, not even lifting her left hand to block it. It was easy enough with one knife, but she knew that the moment he started to use more, she wouldn't stand a chance. She couldn't rely on her defence all the time. Rather, she had to exploit Jack's weakness in defence, for he was only set out for attacking. It was the only chance she had.

His next attack came sooner than Harle had expected, again just a single knife, which she avoided by sidestepping before she dashed towards Jack. Close combat was the only chance she had. As expected, Jack was startled by her quick approach and unleashed three of his knives into Harle's direction. Harle smiled. So he still hadn't learned to use more than three knives at once. Harle blocked the first one with her knife and dove under the following two, approaching Jack until they were hardly two metres apart. She then threw her whole hand of cards in direction of his face, for the thick fabric of his dark coat would surely repel them. His head was his sole weak spot. Just in the second Jack's eyes turned away from her to face the cards, Harle made a flying dive to the right and for a vital moment escaped Jack's limited field of vision. She tossed another card right at his left hand before leaping into the air to hit the back of his head in a roundhouse kick which sent him stumbling forward.

Harle reached the ground at the same time Jack turned around, and Harle leapt towards him and punched him into his face with all her might, hitting the already cut area around his left eye. She was about to punch him again when his strong hands gripped hers, keeping them in place without effort, even though his left hand was bleeding profusely where Harle's card had struck it shortly before. Before Harle got the chance to react she already felt Jack's foot in her stomach and soon after flew backwards several metres and crashed onto the ground painfully. She managed to stand up again quickly, but saw that she was dangerously close to the edge, and Jack came running towards her. There was hardly time to escape to the sides and she doubted that she would be quick enough anyway, so she decided upon the only action left.

She saw Jack's arm reach back in an angle that could only mean that he intended to punch her right into her face. Harle anticipated this and stepped to the side while turning her back to him, clutching Jack's outstretched arm with both of her hands. Jack had enough momentum so Harle simply tugged at his arm and threw him over her shoulder in a clean two arm shoulder throw with the only exception that she didn't let go of his arm.

Jack flew in a half circle over the edge and his back crashed against the cliff, causing him to cry out in pain. He looked upwards and saw Harle's face hovering above him. Harle lay on the ground at the edge, her right hand at Jack's wrist to keep him from falling. To his surprise, Harle smiled.

"You lozt.", she said and her smile widened. "Do you accept your defeat?"

Jack laughed at that, a dark laugh that was devoid of any genuine mirth. "Is that what you call a defeat, Harle?"

Harle's smile vanished at this unexpected response. She had hoped Jack would come to his senses, but he was still the same. "Oui, certainement. It'z over, Jack." Harle was aware that her voice sounded pleading, but she couldn't help it. If there was still a spark of his old self within this Jack in front of her, then she couldn't let go.

"Nothing's over, Harle. I'll teach you a thing or two about a defeat, the next time we meet." His words were suddenly calm, and would have sounded almost gentle if it hadn't been for the smile that suddenly crossed his lips.

Before Harle could realize what was going on she felt a sudden pain in her hand and upon looking at it saw a thick line of blood covering it. With dread in her eyes she saw her own hand loosening its grip on Jack's wrist against her will, even though she screamed in her mind not to. By the time her other hand rushed forward she could also see Jack's content face below her, growing smaller and smaller with every second.

"Jack!", she heard herself scream suddenly. This wasn't what should have happened. Jack should be up there, with her, but he was falling so quickly, Harle soon couldn't see him anymore. She stared after him for a second or two more, then moved her head to look away. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't. She gasped as she saw a small spark of light from the corner of her eye, but by the time she looked down again, it had vanished. She continued to stare for a few moments longer, but soon gave it up. She slowly stood up, turning to face Kidd who came running towards her.

It wasn't her fault, for once.

---

"Bastard.", Eve panted, wiping the trail of blood from her mouth. The sword in her hand wavered slightly, the colour of the blade changing with the angle. Standing was already getting difficult. She had to get rid of him soon. She didn't have that many possibilities.

She nervously looked behind her. Clair lay on the ground, and Marle knelt beside her. Clair still didn't move.

She had pierced her sword right through him, but he hadn't let go of Clair until Eve had drawn it out and attempted the same again. Eve had wanted to cry at the sight of Clair's pale and motionless face, had wanted to cry at her own inability to act sooner. In her rage she had fought the assassin with all she had, but he hadn't gone down. He still stood in front of her even after taking so many attacks from her which he hadn't even bothered to block most of the time, his face unreadable. He couldn't be human. The spot in his stomach which she knew had its equal on his back was red and blood streamed from it, but he didn't seem to recognize this. He stood before her, his right fist lifted to the height of his head, while his left hand flexed strangely beside his body. He was about to attack.

Eve tried to think of the best action to take. There was no way he was getting past her, but the distance of a mere two metres between them didn't leave much room for excessive attacks. She had to settle for something simple.

"Get-out-of-the-way. You-are-not-the-queen.", he said in his cold and monotone voice and Eve had to suppress the rush of anger that came over her. She would shut him up for good. He was going to pay for what he had done to Clair.

"Sorry, you'll have to get past me first.", Eve spoke through gritted teeth, trying to gain a few more seconds to think, but saw that the assassin wasn't in for any more talk, for he came walking towards her.

There was no other choice but to use it. She might get herself in danger due to the close proximity, but her sword would be able to deal enough damage. If any at all.

"ElectroBolt!", she shouted as she clutched the element she had taken out of her pocket only split seconds earlier. It glowed brightly and just as the assassin reached back a lightning bolt seemed to escape from Eve's hands and hit the man in front of her, hurling him backwards and out of the window behind him. Eve herself was pushed backwards but quickly regained her footing and stormed towards the window, expecting to see him crashing to the ground. However, as she looked down she found nothing. Instead, she saw flakes of what seemed like small wet clumps of dust before her eyes and heard strange sounds above her. As she turned her head to look for their source, she froze. It was the assassin, crawling up the wall above her, his feet pushing him upwards with such force that it caused the stones to crumble slightly. He didn't look at her, and Eve took the chance to turn around to look at Marle.

"Take care of her!", was all she managed to say before she swung herself out of the window, gripping the edges of the square stones for support. They were slippery from the rain and she wondered how he could manage to climb up the whole wall without slipping. However, her features brightened slightly as she reached the even roof shortly after the assassin.

"Don't think you can escape me now!", Eve shouted, but stopped dead as she spotted another person on the roof, clad in black leather that glittered from the still ongoing rain. It was Viper.

"I see you are rather serious about protecting the dear queen.", he said in amusement as he watched the assassin coming to stand in front of him, making it impossible for her to attack Viper first.

"I see you are rather serious about killing her.", Eve responded, mostly because she could hardly think of anything better to say. As if things hadn't looked bad enough already. There was no way she could take on both of them in a state that hardly allowed her to beat one. "Why is that?"

Viper chuckled at this question as if the answer was obvious. "I always wanted to live in a castle. So spacious." He laughed again.

"Tell me the real reason.", Eve said, not in a mood to be joked with. Buying time through talking also seemed to be her forte.

"The real reason you say. Power would be the most direct answer. Directly followed by doing humanity a favour in granting everyone equality." Viper's voice was serious and devoid of mockery, but Eve still had trouble to believe him.

"A favour? What kind of equality are you speaking of if it involves killing people such as the queen?", she shouted angrily. He couldn't be serious. No one could actually believe something like that.

"It is a sad fact that no changes can be made without sacrifices. But I don't expect you to know how those things work.", Viper said condescendingly.

"Power, you say. But it's really money you want, isn't it?", Eve asked, changing the topic. She had trouble thinking of anything to say that wouldn't make him unnecessarily angry and would just result in her death. However, she didn't know what kind of help she was expecting in her situation. Surely Clair wasn't the one who would save her this time. Her heart sank at the thought of her friend. Eve hoped she was alright.

"Money!", Viper shouted and erupted into laughter, startling Eve out of her thoughts. "I wish you had any idea on how much money I have already invested into this...reformation. I already paid a horrendous sum just to have that woman out of my way. Which obviously hasn't happened yet." He shot a glare at the assassin at this last sentence. "There's not much time left for you, so I advise you to hurry up."

The man in front of Viper recognized this as an order and started to move out of his lethargy he had been in for the last few minutes. Eve knew there wasn't much she could do.

---

It had taken her long enough to reach the castle, probably much longer than she was aware of. She finally saw the long flight of stairs and felt a strange mixture of relief and tension at the sight of it.

She had no idea what she was doing here, walking up to the castle, about to mess with Viper's business like she had never before, getting herself into more trouble than she had to. She was probably too late anyway, but yet she continued. She didn't know if she was trying to stop the assassination to keep her father's hands from getting even more stained, or if she just wanted to do it to make herself feel better. It was pathetic, and she knew it.

Luccia walked up to two men who stood in front of the large and almost pretentious door that led to the interior of the castle. She regarded the guards, trying to make sure. She recognized the faces.

"Lead me to Viper.", was all she said, and the guards nodded and opened the door for her. It was eerily silent inside the castle, and Luccia suspected that they had already gone through with their plan for the most part, for the few soldiers who were standing in the hall didn't so much as look at her, knowing that she was with Viper. She had to admit that this time his plan wasn't full of errors and miscalculations, and she almost doubted that her interference would change anything.

The two soldiers Luccia knew were some of Viper's most trusted men lead her through a door and up a long staircase that was a little too long for Luccia's comfort. After another door at the stair's head, the soldiers brought her to a much better decorated, if strangely damaged door that Luccia knew would lead her to the queen's room.

"That would be all.", she said in a tone that bordered on ungratefulness and waited until the soldiers had disappeared through the same door they had just come through. Her fingers ran along the damaged and partly splintered wood of the door, as if people had rammed something against it.

Upon opening the door she heard a gasp and immediately found two eyes staring at her in what Luccia guessed was partly misery and partly anger. She leaned over another woman and Luccia immediately recognized her. She didn't look good.

"Is she dead?", she asked simply, trying not to sound too worried. She had nothing to do with this woman after all, even though she knew Riddel had, to some extend.

The woman Luccia knew had to be the queen looked at her as if suddenly remembering the woman on the floor next to her knees. She leaned down above her face and listened for any hints of breathing at all. As she looked up at Luccia again her voice wavered and sounded unsure. "She lives…I think."

The look on her face was helpless and she looked close to tears, and Luccia had to try hard not to grimace. Such a useless woman after all. She walked closer to them, ignoring the doubtful look the queen gave her. She took Clair's wrist and felt for pulse. She didn't expect one, and every attempt to revive her would have been in vain regarding the time that must have passed already. However, the small movement beneath her fingertips told her that she wasn't dead. At least not yet.

Luccia stood up again, looking at the door. It wasn't bolted, probably because the queen had run out of the room for help, but upon finding none in close proximity, had retreated to her room. She slid the bolt across the door.

"You shouldn't leave this room.", was all Luccia said before her eyes fell on the broken glass lying in front of the now shattered window. She looked at the queen questioningly, but decided not to ask. She then heard voices and the sound of metal clashing against each other. It was an irritable sound.

She walked closer to the window and the sounds intensified. Luccia sighed in annoyance. She could imagine what was happening up there, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to take any part in it. But another look at the queen nudged her consciousness towards the more dangerous option. Another sigh escaped her lips as she leaned out of the window, trying to make out the edges of the stones in the darkness. She hated climbing, but at least she would end this. For better or worse.

She made her way up slowly, being fully aware that she was by far no trained fighter, much less a climber. However, she reached the top with moderate effort but as she reached it she also knew that she had underestimated Viper. Vastly.

She had expected an ordinary assassin, someone who knew what he was doing, unlike the amateurs he liked to call his soldiers. Still, she hadn't expected him to go this far. The woman Luccia knew to be one of Riddel's acquaintances didn't fight against just any assassin. Even in this darkness Luccia could see that she fought against Grobyc, and Luccia knew it was safe to say that her chances of winning were slim at best.

As expected she saw Viper standing at a safe distance, watching them fight with obvious satisfaction. As she met his eyes, she knew he had spotted her sooner than she had.

"Why, what a surprise to see you here, Luccia.", he said and smiled disgustingly. "I was wondering where you were, seeing as how certain people arrived sooner than you did." It was unbelievable how he could still smile like that, how he could still make fun of everyone like that. Not a single trace of the slightest worry on his face, it was almost remarkable. But maybe he was just too far out to care anymore. Luccia had the feeling that he would rather die than give up at this point.

"My apologies for not having come sooner. For not stopping you sooner.", she said calmly, taking out her cards. It had been quite some time since she had last used them in a real battle, but she was sure that Viper was just as rusty as she was. It made no difference.

"I see you are finally honest with me, what a pleasant surprise.", Viper remarked as he saw Luccia's cards, and unsheathed his sword.

"Do you know the definition of this word?", Luccia asked darkly, quickly glancing over to where Grobyc was fighting. She should have expected him, but even if she had, it would have been unlikely to find someone who could stand up to him. The girl fighting him seemed about to collapse. She had to hurry with Viper, even she couldn't take on both of them.

She unleashed three cards at Viper, more to test his reactions than actually trying to hurt him on her first try. As expected, he destroyed all three of them in a single slash. Three cards were still not enough.

"I would think I know it quite well, Luccia.", Viper answered, speaking her name with surprising disappointment. "After all, haven't I been honest to you all the time? Don't you know everything about my plans and schedules even though I have known all along that you were lying to me?" He came towards her, his steps slow and almost hesitant. "Didn't I tell you anything, hoping that you would finally come to understand my plans to be the best solution?"

Luccia was taken aback by what he was saying, and couldn't avoid it to show on her face for a second. He was right. She knew a lot about what he had been doing all this time. She had known that his soldiers had been infiltrating the castle for the last few months, under the cover of being one of the queen's new soldiers. She had also known about the assassination. She knew the very details of his seizure of power, and they hadn't been lies, for they were happening right in front of her eyes in this moment. He was right after all, in saying that she had ever been the only one to deceive him like this. She almost felt guilty.

"There is no need to talk to me like that, Viper. I have come to stop you, and your words will change nothing.", Luccia said, her voice not wavering in the least.

"Such resolution. I wonder who did that to you, making you give up everything you worked for. You know that you can't go on as a scientist without me. There is nobody else but me who would let you do your mad little experiments. Is my death worth that much?", he asked, smiling wickedly. "You are nothing without me."

Luccia stared at him. He liked that sentence, repeating it over and over to her, as if she would have ever forgotten it without his constant reminding. There was no way she would ever forget what she had given up today. "That's right. I will lose everything if I kill you. But that is what I want."

"Then I will not hesitate to give you what you seem to long for so much.", Viper said, and without further words, charged her. Luccia saw the sharp blade of his sword approach, but couldn't help but tear her eyes from it for a second to regard the other girl again. To her surprise, she still stood, still holding that sword of hers upright. Grobyc seemed unaffected enough, even though Luccia knew that even he couldn't go on forever with that wound of his. His artificial arms and legs might work without blood, but his heart would still give out sooner or later. Luccia hoped that this would happen before the girl was killed by his enormous strength. Someone who was fighting so bravely didn't deserve to die.

Her eyes returned to Viper just in time to sidestep his attack and throw another triple of cards at him, which, even without resistance on his part, did hardly damage to his thick black coat. She had known he didn't wear something like this for nothing.

---

"That'll teach ya.", Kidd spat, kicking the motionless body in front of her once again for good measure. "Ya okay, Harle?", she asked, looking over her shoulder to see Harle, standing above two other bodies with the same fate as the one before.

"Oui.", she answered and stepped carefully over the bodies as if they were contagious.

"But really, there are so many of 'em, we can't really take 'em all on by ourselves.", Kidd said, looking around the corner of the corridor they were in, seeing another group of suspicious soldiers approach. "Honestly, what did they do with Marle's soldiers?", she mumbled, readying her dagger.

"Zey might be down in ze prison. Zere iz hardly any blood around here, so moi doezn't t'ink zey are dead.", Harle answered, voicing her suspicions. Viper had done a fairly good job to simply switch the queen's soldiers with his own without it causing a ruckus. He seemed to be utterly serious this time.

"We'd better get 'em, we could use a little help." Kidd's voice didn't exactly sound worried, but Harle could feel that she could hardly stand not knowing what had happened to the queen. It was getting worse with every second.

As expected, the soldiers turning around the corner were surprised and thus soon beaten by both Harle's and Kidd's swift attacks. Still, they had no time to get every body out of the way, and sooner or later, someone would find them for sure.

They made their way to the prison as quickly as possible, but the resistance was thick and upon finally reaching it, Kidd had the feeling as if she had just fought against a hundred soldiers.

Kidd leaned down over one of the beaten soldiers on the ground, fumbling with the keys at his belt. Just like she remembered, the prison was even darker than the rest of the castle, and Kidd could only make out a few of the faces that were hidden behind the iron bars. They didn't look good, much less like they understood the situation they were in.

Harle went closer to the bars, squinting to make out the shapes in the darkness.

"Iz everyone bien?", she asked a bit hesitantly, and received a harsh cough for an answer. Eventually a shape shuffled among the others, and upon stepping in the dim light of the torches along the walls, Harle could see it was indeed a soldier, but his face was so beaten she had trouble to look at it and keep a blank expression.

"Who are you?", the man asked, his voice straightforward but demanding as if to save the last shred of dignity he possessed. The various cuts on his face weren't bleeding anymore, but Harle saw that the skin was still raw. His eyes were almost glassy.

"Here ta help ya.", Kidd stepped in as she finally took the keys off the belt and tried them on the lock in front of her.

"It's better to leave us here. It's safer than outside. They would just put us in here again, anyways. If not worse.", they heard a voice from behind the soldier in front of them. It sounded battered and weak, but Kidd couldn't help but snort scornfully.

"Would ya listen ta ya? Can't believe Marle's been hiring guys like-", she complained, but was silenced by the glare Harle was giving her. Harle shook her head in direction where the voice had come from, and as Kidd took a closer look, she saw a woman and a child behind a rather old man, the fear evident in their eyes. The woman looked like a servant, the child probably being her own.

"W…well.", Kidd stuttered, embarrassed. She averted her eyes and instead looked at the man directly in front of her.

"What's yer name?", she asked. To her surprise the man seemed to think for a moment.

"You can call me Vanel.", he then answered, his serious expression unchanging.

"Right, Vanel.", Kidd confirmed, trying to show a gentle expression despite the stress. "How's yer condition? Can ya fight?", she asked, not about to lose any more time.

"Given a sword, I'm sure I can.", he answered not without a hint of pride which had suffered a severe blow not long ago. "As do some of the other soldiers in here."

Kidd nodded approvingly, then unlocked the door and saw Vanel step out of the cell, soon followed by a few more. Left were mostly women, along with two men who seemed to be cooks. Kidd turned around and picked up the sword that was lying beside her feet. She walked inside the cell and gave it to a woman who seemed to be of moderately good health.

"Just for safety.", Kidd explained and smirked slightly at the baffled expression of the woman before her. She took it with trembling hands, but nodded. Kidd then went out of the cell and locked it. She felt uneasy about doing it, but knew that they were probably safest if the Viper soldiers couldn't reach them in case they were to awaken sooner than expected. And in case they even noticed that five people were missing from the cell, which Kidd doubted.

"Go get the others.", Kidd said to Vanel, tossing him the keys. She probably shouldn't trust him like this, but there was little choice. "This time around ya should know who's on yer side and who's not. Do yer best in keepin' them down. Don't let 'em get the upper hand just yet."

Vanel nodded gravely and took the keys, then along with the men behind him picked up the swords that lay among the scattered bodies on the floor before proceeding on to the next cell.

Kidd and Harle watched him for a few moments before heading for the stairs that led upwards. However, before they reached it Vanel's voice stopped them.

"You will…save the queen, won't you?" His voice sounded unsure and was the direct opposite to the earlier sound of his voice. Kidd could tell he was serious. She turned around and faced him with a broad and self-confident smile.

"Sure thing!", she shouted but didn't wait for a response and instead grabbed Harle's hand and dashed up the stairs. She hoped Vanel and the others would be able to stop Viper's men at least long enough for them get to the queen. They reached a fortunately empty hall and immediately took the route Kidd knew led to the queen's room.

---

The wind had picked up and her blonde strands whirled in front of her face. It was distracting. The even ground on the roof was also slippery with rain, and as she looked into the assassin's face, she knew that she was the only one having trouble with this.

The assassin in front of her stood firmly, still hardly bearing any sign of fatigue or pain. It was impossible.

Her own legs were trembling with the effort of keeping her standing, the pain in her muscles increasing with every second. She was glad she was standing, she was sure she would fall right down to her knees if she just attempted to walk. But she knew that there was no way to win if she couldn't move.

Her left hand trailed the side of her bruised jaw tentatively. He had gotten quite some blows at her, while she had only been able to plant a few cuts along his arms and legs that didn't even seem to bleed.

"Why…why are you doing this?", she asked between ragged breaths. She could as well try to buy even more time, even though she knew that his patience with her was growing thin. He had let her live long enough, he could have finished her countless times before. But even though his blows had almost punched her into unconsciousness, she had a feeling that he could get a lot worse if he was serious.

She saw him staring at her, just like he had for the last couple of minutes. For a moment she thought that he hadn't heard her, but then his mouth moved to talk.

"Grobyc-does-what-is-expected-of-him.", came the answer, and Eve almost laughed.

"And what do you expect of yourself? Do you expect you can be proud of yourself when you look back on all this in ten years?", she asked, shaking her head.

"Such-things-do-not-matter.", he replied, completely unfazed. Eve gritted her teeth.

"Damn you." Did he tell her that he didn't even have a reason of his own to do such things? That he did it just for money? That he hurt Clair, for money?

"What does matter, then?", she snapped, for a moment forgetting about her wounds and bruises as she took a step forward, the sword's tip which had rested on the surface of the roof now lifted again.

Grobyc didn't say anything at first, but responded to Eve's action by also taking a step forward. "Only-those-who-are-stronger-than-Grobyc."

The answer caught Eve off guard, and she had trouble to hide her initial surprise. People who were stronger than him. How came that he listened to Viper's orders, then? Was Viper really stronger than this assassin? Or didn't that have anything to do with it, and he did it for the money after all? Or maybe he worked for someone else entirely? She had no idea, and there was no way of finding out now.

But still, his simplicity was true in one point. Everything that mattered was being stronger. The strong lived, and the weak died. It was as easy as that. She just had to be the former. Nothing else mattered.

Her eyes shifted to the fight between Viper and Luccia. It was only a couple of metres away, but it was so soundless and surreal as if it wasn't happening at all. Their motions were strangely fleeting and swift, their weapons always aiming, but never really touching. Luccia's moves to avoid Viper's strikes and slashes were calm, as if she was trying to avoid, but at the same time not caring about being hit at all. As if to avoid only for the practical purposes an uninjured body had. It was strange to see her like this, and Eve didn't know what to think of it. Eve couldn't think of any reasons that led her to fighting the one she was supposed to obey. But then, Eve was used to having little idea of what was going on, and she hardly cared anymore. It really wasn't her business, she was here because Clair had agreed to help them, that was all. Even though that reason was hardly important anymore. She was just fighting for her life, and for revenge.

Eve started as she saw Grobyc moving. He was about to finish this, she knew. His steps were fast and well-balanced, on the very edge of perfectionism even after fighting so long and losing so much blood. She knew her blade, albeit sharp as ever, couldn't stop him. She knew the bones on her fists would break upon meeting his body with full force.

Pearls of sweat ran down her face as she waited for Grobyc to come even closer. They were separated by merely two metres when she took her chance again. It had worked before.

"ElectroBolt!", she shouted, much like she had done before. The only difference was the fact that her voice held no strength and sounded hoarse. It felt the same as it had before, the trembling in her fingers as the lightning emerged from it and crashed into Grobyc.

She saw him fly backwards before her vision went dark for a moment, and when she opened them again, she was on her knees and faced the ground. She didn't even try to stand up again, she knew she couldn't. The pain she had fought hard to ignore came rushing back, violently tugging at her consciousness. She managed to lift her head a little, and her eyes widened in shock as she saw the assassin already standing.

The spasms of his left arms seemed to have spread over his entire body, even though he did a good job to suppress them.

"You-are-strong. But-not-stronger-than-Grobyc.", he said coolly, preparing for the next attack.

Eve knew she couldn't stop him, her stamina was completely drained. She had hoped it would finish him off. But it hadn't. And now it was too late to think about what to do. She looked down at the ground, she didn't want to see his face in the moment he killed her. The incredibly heavy footsteps came closer. At least she had kept her promise, she didn't regret it.

"Oh no ya won't!", a sudden voice yelled, and Eve's eyes shot upwards to see a blur of red above her, crashing into the assassin with full force, but only succeeding in causing a minimal change of his aim, which was still enough for him to brush past Eve.

Eve turned her head for her eyes to follow him, and saw him stumbling but regaining his stance too quickly. Even something like that couldn't stop him. What kind of monster was he?

"That's enough of ya, Grobyc.", a voice Eve now recognized as Kidd's barked, and she turned her eyes towards her saviour. She also spotted Harle beside her. Two ever inseparable partners. Eve smiled gratefully, even though it hurt and reminded her of the ugly bruise along her jaw.

However, the instant she remembered the bruise, the pain also lessened suddenly, and as Eve turned to Harle she found her smiling gently, a softly glowing blue element in her hand.

"Thanks for keepin' him away from Marle for so long. I'll take care of the rest.", Kidd said in a voice that Eve found she had missed. This ever-optimistic and almost presumptuous voice of hers that made such a difference.

Eve wanted to respond when Kidd broke into a run and charged Grobyc without any fancy words of warning. Eve couldn't help but stare after her, marvelling at Kidd's swift motions, so full of power and determinedness. She parried his attacks well, relying solely on her speed and skill instead of brute force. Kidd almost seemed to enjoy it, laughing every time she avoided his blows and struck him time and time again. She seemed to know quite well with whom she was dealing, but her cheerfulness still surprised her.

"She iz trés happy zat reine Marle iz still alive. No one can stop her now.", Harle said as if she had been reading Eve's thoughts. She extended her right arm and Eve took it gratefully, needing the help to get up.

With Grobyc in capable hands, Eve and Harle allowed themselves to watch Luccia and Viper, who still continued to fight each other soundlessly, without speaking a word. They didn't have much to say to each other at this point.

"Do you think…Luccia will make it?", Eve asked, unsure if it was the right question to ask. She didn't know if Luccia even was on their side, for whatever reason. But it was the only explanation she could think of, and judging from the slim wound across Viper's face, she was quite serious.

"She will.", Harle answered, startling Eve.

"How can you be so sure?" She began to understand why Clair was so impressed with the way Harle acted and spoke. Clair. She hoped her friend was alright, she didn't dare to think about what she would do if she wasn't.

"Zey who fight for odders are bound to be ze winnerz at some point. Only zey who fight for zemselves have not'ing to gain. Ze lucky stars will seulement shine on ze former.", Harle explained calmly. After a quick glance into Eve's nervous face, she added: "On people like Clair, aussi."

Harle's smile was the equivalent of Eve's, widening as hers did. "Merci beaucoup. For everyt'ing you were about to sacrifice for uz."

"Don't worry about it. Everyone has their reasons.", Eve answered, her gaze straying from Kidd to Luccia once again. Everyone had their reasons, surely. Even someone like her, who was panting and sweating by now, her eyes narrow with hatred and deadly intent had a reason, and Eve found herself oddly curious.

"Who is she fighting for, then?", she finally asked Harle, who seemed to know everything anyway. But instead of giving an answer right away, her lips thinned into a mysterious half-smile, as if she really was thinking about the answer.

"I wonder." Eve sighed at that response which didn't seem to be the whole truth, but let it go. She found her shoulders and stance relax. There was no need to worry. Even in the case of Luccia's defeat, there was still Harle. Eve doubted that someone like Viper would be too much of a problem for her, even though she had never really seen the other girl fight.

A sudden cry caused their heads to turn into direction of Kidd, who by now sat on top of Grobyc who lay on the ground, her dagger pressed against his throat. Kidd was out of breath, her chest heaving and sinking heavily.

"You lost.", she panted, the smile on her face broadening. It was a strange and addicting feeling to have won this battle, without any of them dying. A clean victory. She knew Grobyc wouldn't try to trick her now, if he even was capable of any such thing. She knew he would accept it. Without any response of Grobyc, she stood withdrew her dagger from his throat and stood up.

Grobyc did the same, his expression as blank as ever, as if he wasn't impressed in the least. His words contradicted the look on his face. "What-do-you-want-Grobyc-to-do?"

Kidd chuckled. Still the ever simple Grobyc. No words of pleading for his life, or any apology for what he had been about to do to the queen. Nothing at all, just repeating the little pattern that hadn't brought him exactly far in life, but hadn't killed him either. Even though she loathed him for attempting to kill Marle, she also had to admit that it was probably not his fault. She had learned to accept such things now, instead of trying to kill him in her anger over Marle. She wasn't as impulsive anymore, and as the thought occurred to her, she almost laughed at herself. She was getting too soft for this, it wasn't even funny anymore.

"Leave. And don't ya dare ta show yer face at this castle ever again.", Kidd said sternly, and Grobyc understood immediately. He turned and walked over to the edge of the roof, probably about to jump down. Strangely enough, Kidd had the feeling that it wouldn't hurt him in the least.

"Where do you think you're going?", Viper's loud and angry voice stopped him, and everyone turned their heads to him. He was in a clinch with Luccia, both having their respective weapons at each other's throats. If anyone dared to move, it would kill them both. Viper seemed to know that, but that didn't stop him from wearing his self-confident expression. Luccia guessed that even while dying, he would look so sickeningly self-confident.

"I don't think I can let you go just yet. We have a contract, and as far as I know, you haven't done your part yet.", he said, and Luccia pressed her card harder against his throat, and in return felt his sword at hers, as well. She laughed at Viper, which caused him to stare at her in bewilderment.

"Trying to tell someone like him the meaning of a contract will be as useful as asking him to feel pity. He can't understand such things, he only acts to his own rules, which follow his basic instincts and principles. He can only be strong because he is like an animal.", Luccia explained calmly, watching his growing anger with satisfaction. He stared at her and for a moment Luccia thought he would kill even though it would mean his death as well. Luccia glanced past Viper, and upon seeing what she wanted smiled. Grobyc was gone.

"Now, Viper. Kill me, in front of all those people. Kill me, and bear their unleashed hatred for the few minutes until you die. You can't escape.", Luccia whispered.

Viper grimaced at her suggestion, taking a look at the other people on the roof as if to recalculate his chances. His eyes found Kidd, Harle and Eve, and he laughed. "Now that's clever of you, Luccia.", he said loud enough for anyone to hear. "Turning your back on me just to save your own sorry life." As expected, Luccia stared at him incredulously.

"Stop deceiving them already, Luccia. I can see you don't want to be on their side. You have nothing to do with them." Viper smiled wickedly as he saw Luccia's calm expression shatter for a moment, and immediately took advantage. He tore away from her grasp and immediately struck his sword at her, succeeding in striking her right shoulder before he met Luccia's face with his elbow, causing her to stumble to the floor. Just as she tried to stand up again, Viper pointed his sword down at her face.

"I think I really should kill you.", he said in a sinister tone, the tip of his sword trailing Luccia's cheek.

"Stop zat, Viper." Harle was the first to speak, while Kidd and Eve still stared, unsure of what to say. Unsure of the worth of standing up for someone like Luccia.

Viper smiled at that, and looked at Harle with the most innocent face he could muster. "My, and here I thought she was useless as a hostage. Seems like I was wrong."

Harle was about to respond when Kidd cut her off. "Damn right you're wrong, Viper. As if we bloody care about what ya do with her!", she spat. She wasn't about to accept any conditions or the like just because of her. However, Harle made a motion for her to be silent and Kidd complied, slightly irritated. She never really understood her in situations like these.

"Do you t'ink you can get out of zis like zat?", Harle asked Viper, her expression unreadable.

Viper chuckled at this question. "Of course I will. Unless you want to see Luccia dead, you can't do anything. So all there is to do for me is to wait until my soldiers arrive and dispose of all of you."

Luccia listened closely. She knew she had to say something before Harle and Kidd did. A look over Viper's shoulder confirmed this necessity. She once again saw more than he did.

"Why not entertain us with your grand plans until that moment arrives?", she asked with a wry smile and Viper's sword trembled with restraint. Harle and Kidd kept silent.

"You really don't understand, Luccia. You don't care about the inequalities in this world. You don't even notice them. You walk through Porre, and don't notice a thing. You don't notice their presumptuous glamour, the theatres and exquisite shops that Guardia and El Nido lack. You don't notice they way they look down upon others. And even if you did, you wouldn't care.", Viper snorted, bringing the tip of his sword dangerously close to the brim of Luccia's glasses. "But I do."

He slowly looked up from where his eyes had fixed on Luccia's, and found three stunned faces. Just as expected. But they too, wouldn't understand.

"Father!" The sudden voice almost made him drop his sword, and for a few moments, he didn't dare to turn around. But when he did, he saw the dragon in the air behind him. His teeth were clenched and his eyes bore hatred. And his beloved, beautiful daughter was on top of it. He didn't have the time to react, being too shocked by the presence of his daughter in a place like this. It was wrong. Riddel was supposed to be clueless, innocent. How had she gotten here? It was impossible.

By the time he regained his senses and opened his mouth to talk, he closed it again in shock at the sight of whom his sword was pointing at. He was pointing his sword at his own daughter, who held the head of the one he had been about to kill in her hands, gently placed on her lap. She was unconscious.

"What did you do to her?", she snapped, and Viper stepped backwards at the sheer amount of anger in her voice. This wasn't like his daughter at all.

Riddel looked down to regard Luccia's bruised face, her slightly swollen left eye and the thin trail of blood that ran from the corner of her mouth. She didn't dare to look at the ugly wound on her shoulder. "Luccia.", she whispered softly, her fingers gently touching the wounded skin of her face. Her own face lit up as she saw the lilac eyes flutter open. They immediately locked onto hers.

"You okay?", she asked, stroking Luccia's hair absent-mindedly. Luccia didn't answer, but nodded, her eyes looking away in shame. She didn't deserve this.

"Riddel, what are you doing?", Viper asked, having regained his composure. He eyed his daughter with a mixture of guilt and shock.

"I should ask you the same question, father.", Riddel responded, not even looking at him.

"Get away from that woman, Riddel. She's dangerous.", Viper tried again, almost speechless at the way his own daughter was talking to him.

"Dangerous?", Riddel asked and laughed darkly. From underneath, Luccia could see the pearls of sweat on her forehead, and her flushed cheeks.

"But you aren't?" Riddel gently lifted Luccia's head and withdrew her legs from underneath to stand up. She walked towards her father, who retreated a few steps, but stopped abruptly when he realized that the dragon was standing right behind him.

"Listen, Riddel. I can explain this…", Viper started in an attempt to at least bring his daughter onto his side, but she simply shook her head. She wouldn't listen.

"Don't try to explain, father.", she said, her voice forced to sound calm even though she felt like crying. "Just answer three questions truthfully. Yes or no will do. Will you do that for me?"

Viper nodded quickly, reaching out to touch Riddel, but she backed away. "I will.", he answered, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. Even his own daughter was afraid of him.

"Did you try to kill the queen?" The first question came easily enough, and she looked at her father who seemed to be searching for the right words. "Yes or no?"

"Yes.", Viper answered, not meeting his daughter's eyes.

"Did you try to take over Marbule, Porre and Guardia?" The second question, and Riddel almost felt as if she didn't care about the answer. Again, her father nodded. "Yes."

Riddel sighed. She had known it, she shouldn't have hoped. But she was also glad that he was honest. "And also…did you…do you want to kill her?", she asked hesitantly, unable to speak her name in this context, instead simply pointing to Luccia.

"Yes." That was it. One simple word, spoken three times. This was all it took to destroy every connection he had ever had with his daughter. He could see it in her eyes. The disappointment, the despair. The anger and the pain. It was all there, and he was the cause of it.

"Goodbye, father.", she finally said, tears running down her cheeks as she looked away. A sob escaped her lips as she heard the crack of bones as the dragon's tail hit his back and pushed him over the edge of the roof. She could hear his screams in his fall, farther and farther away the deeper he fell. She dropped down onto her knees as the screams finally ceased. Her face was covered with her hands but that didn't keep the sobs from coming, that didn't stop the hot tears on her cheeks.

"Riddel…", Luccia whispered and stood up to walk over to the other woman. She knelt down beside her, but couldn't bring herself to touch her for fear she would be rejected. From the corner of her eye she saw the others running over to the edge of the roof, staring down into the depths. But it would be too dark to see. They wouldn't be able to see his shattered body on the ground.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him.", she apologized genuinely. She couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him, but she did feel for Riddel, who hadn't given up on believing in her father until the very end.

"It's not…it's not your fault, Luccia.", Riddel said after a while, searching for Luccia's hand in the darkness. A thick cloud covered the otherwise bright moon, and she could hardly see a thing. She found the hand eventually and took it in hers. "Just promise me that you won't leave me."

Luccia regarded the dragon for a moment, seeing the pain and guilt in his eyes as he watched her. "I promise.", she answered, and leaned in to kiss Riddel's wet cheek.

---

Two days had passed since the attack on the queen. Two days which for most had meant sleeping and recuperating but for one had been a frenzy of organizing and planning, and many sleepless hours.

Eve chuckled at the thought, enjoying the silence and peacefulness in the corridors she passed, even though she knew the queen was probably already up and about, stressing over all kinds of urgent matters. It had to be hard, being the one in charge.

But for once, Eve didn't feel bad to think that this didn't concern her, that she had nothing to do with it, and would simply enjoy the almost empty corridors and halls of the castle. It was still early, the sun had just barely risen, and Eve assumed that hardly anyone beside the guards at the entrance were awake yet. There had been many injuries among the queen's soldiers and Viper's, the latter of which now resided in the cells down in the basement, in groups of almost twenty persons per cell, while the former were in their respective quarters, giving the nurses a hard time with the sheer amount of wounds they had received. The whole castle was just ticking over, with hardly more than fifteen moderately healthy soldiers to stand watch. No wonder the queen couldn't sleep.

But still, Eve had to admit that it also felt incredibly good to feel like the only one in the whole castle, to simply explore it all by herself. To stop at whatever portrait to regard it for as long as she liked, to walk with her head upward to marvel at the beautiful design of the ceiling in the main hall, without anyone watching her, urging her to do something.

A clock in a part of the castle which she hadn't explored yet sounded, announcing the seventh hour of the day. The others would probably wake soon. She knew Harle and Kidd would, for they had been in good shape the day before. The same went for Riddel and Luccia, who shared a room apart from the rest of them. Eve didn't know where, exactly. She presumed their room to be in the basement as well. She hadn't gone to see them yet, for she knew that she could hardly do anything to comfort Riddel, and also, she didn't seem to be the right person to do this anyway. Luccia would probably do a better job, even though Eve knew it had to be hard to tell Riddel to cheer up when they knew nothing. They didn't know if Viper was really dead, for his corpse hadn't been found the next day. But that was also no proof that he was alive, and Riddel was probably struggling with herself about which of the options to believe in, and live with the doubts that came with it.

The clock sounded again, startling Eve out of her thoughts. It repeated its rhythmic pattern of seven strikes, then went silent again. A strange clock. As if anyone awake would be able to miss the strikes the first time. Still, it reminded Eve of what she had been about to do before she got lost in thought. She had wanted to go and see Clair.

Clair hadn't awakened even once since the attack, and even though doctors had assured her that it was only a reaction to the shock, Eve couldn't help but worry. She really wanted her to wake up already. A small smile formed on Eve's lips despite the worry. She would miss the best if she didn't.

In spite of seeming like a maze to her, Eve found the way back to their room with ease, having walked the way more often than she could count, having called for doctors every two minutes just make absolutely sure that Clair was alright. The doctors probably loathed her by now.

Eve reached the door that led to their room, and slowly closed it behind her, careful not to make more noise than necessary. Even though she should be glad if all it required was a little noise to make her friend wake up.

"Morning, sleeping princess.", Eve whispered as she sat down next to Clair's bed. She had taken to call her friend like that, partly because they were in a castle, and partly because Clair simply looked like the most innocent girl in the world while sleeping. All of her, at times, dangerous nature, and her cunningness were completely hidden underneath this innocent face much like a child's, shrouded by the clouds of beautiful dreams.

"Morning, my prince." The voice was low and a bit hoarse, and Eve's head snapped upwards to see Clair's eyes flutter open, a small and weary smile on her lips. A grin spread across Eve's face at the remark.

"How are you feeling?", she asked, taking Clair's hand in hers without thinking about it.

Clair averted her eyes for a moment, as if thinking about the question. When they returned to Eve's sparkling ones, the were obscured by a frown. "I have a terrible headache." Her voice was serious, but Eve couldn't help but chuckle lightly, grateful that a headache was all she had to worry about.

"That's good, then. I was worried that you'd miss the big event today.", Eve said cheerily.

"What kind of event?", Clair asked, now fully awake. She had never been able to suppress her curiosity.

"Oh, you'll see.", was all Eve gave away with a mysterious smile, and Clair shot her a mock frown.

"You know I hate it when you tease me like that.", she huffed, causing Eve to laugh.

"It'll be a pleasant surprise, believe me.", Eve reassured her. "What's more important, do you think you can stand up and walk?" She didn't want to push her friend, but her anticipation was too big to contain it.

Clair sat up in her bed, noticing that she was wearing a nightgown instead of the uniform she had expected to see. She idly wondered who had been the person to change her clothes. A quick glance towards Eve who turned her head away for a fraction confirmed her suspicions. "What if I can't?", Clair asked, her voice sultry. "Will you dress me and carry me piggyback?"

As expected, her question caused Eve to blush, which was soon countered with an evil smile. "No, I think I'll let our maid do that. Careful though, she can be a little rough at times. Must've come with the age.", Eve said, relishing the scandalized look Clair gave her.

"Okay, okay, you've won.", she said and stood up from the bed. She walked over to an old-fashioned cupboard on the other side of the room with an ease that surprised even herself. Upon opening it, she spotted a myriad of clothes in more styles than she could have imagined to exist, and immediately turned around to face Eve. She hadn't noticed before, but now she realized that Eve wasn't wearing her usual uniform, but sleek black pants and a light blue blouse with sleeves which were a bit too long for her arms.

"I take it I should dress in something nice?", she asked, looking Eve over with approval. "Which obviously excludes the uniform.", she added, grimacing at the thought of how their uniforms had looked. They had probably already been disposed of. Not that she cared.

She rummaged through the cupboard, taking each item out to look at it, only to frown and put it back. She didn't particularly care much about clothes, but if it was such a special event as Eve had said, she might as well look good for it.

She finally found a long dark blue skirt that reached all the way down to her ankles. It was cut slim, and Clair doubted she would be able to move all that much in something like this. Even though the simple design and the thin brass-bound leather belt that came with it made it quite appealing. It looked plain enough to be casual, but not too casual to not be elegant still.

Upon further rummaging, she also found a sleeveless white shirt with thin straps.

"You think I can wear this?", she asked as she turned around to Eve, who had silently watched her until now.

"I don't see anything wrong with it.", Eve said and shrugged, but started to cough as she saw the disappointed look of Clair. "I mean…I'm sure you'd look great in those."

"I'll take these, then.", Clair said and smirked victoriously. Eve gaped at her, but Clair started humming innocently, turning away from her. "If you'll excuse me?", she asked as she started to lift her nightgown, causing Eve to cough again. She hadn't realized she had been staring.

"I-I'll be back in a few minutes.", Eve stuttered and all but fled the room. Outside of the room she leaned against the door, exhaling deeply. 'Just you wait, Clair. I'll get you for teasing me so much.'

However, her thoughts of revenge quickly vanished and were replaced by a content smile. As long as Clair was alright, she didn't mind being teased at all. As long as she was alright, Eve had all the time in the world to make it up to her.

She heard shuffling sounds from inside the room, knowing that Clair was just getting dressed. However, she still listened for any sounds that indicated that she had fallen or stumbled. Eve didn't believe that Clair felt truly as great as she pretended to do, but she knew as well that she was probably just being paranoid. She might as well be glad for Clair instead of worrying all the time.

"You know, Eve.", she heard Clair's voice after a while. "If you're standing in front of the door anyway you might as well come in and help me." Her voice sounded superior and Eve felt herself blushing at the thought of how transparent she was. Four-to-one for Clair.

Eve turned around with a sigh and opened the door to find Clair looking at her with an expectant smirk.

"What do you need help with?", Eve asked, careful of how to express the question. She wouldn't let Clair win another time.

"This bracelet.", Clair said, extending her right arm towards Eve, turning it so that her palm faced upwards. "Would you mind? I can't clasp it with one arm." Her voice sounded nonchalant, but Eve approached with caution. She knew she was too easy a prey.

"The bracelet suits you.", she remarked despite her conscience telling her not to. She fumbled with the clasp, her fingers trembling all of a sudden as the felt the quickened pulse. "Thanks, by the way.", she said, if just to distract herself. "For saving my life." Her fingers finally relaxed and she succeeded in closing the bracelet around Clair's wrist at last. As she looked up to Clair and stepped back, she saw a sparkle in her eyes.

"No problem.", she said and shrugged, but Eve could see that her gratefulness meant a lot to her. It showed that her sacrifice hadn't been in vain. "You saved me as well, so I guess we're even."

"Not at all.", Eve disagreed and chuckled, smiling as she saw Clair fidgeting with her bracelet. "I only had to save you because you got into danger because of me. So I still owe you one."

Clair smiled at that, stepping closer to Eve, who didn't have enough time to keep a distance between them. Before she could react Clair's lips brushed hers, but by the time she realized, they were already gone.

"Now we're even.", Clair said lightly, but didn't dare to look at Eve, and instead walked towards her bed and sat on top of it. She didn't know what was wrong with her today, she usually wasn't like this. Maybe it was the exhilarating feeling she had felt when she had opened her eyes and noticed that she was still alive. Maybe it was because the first thing she had seen had been Eve's face. Maybe it was both. The feeling didn't seem to go away, and Clair couldn't say if she had ever been so glad to be alive. She didn't feel a speck of guilt, because she knew she had done the right thing. And from the way Eve acted, everything was alright. That was all she needed to know.

"Good thing the queen gave us all those clothes to wear, our uniforms would've looked terrible.", Eve suddenly commented to destroy the uneasy silence between them. She couldn't stand it.

"Yeah.", Clair agreed, grateful for the distraction. She looked down at herself. She should wear clothes like these more often, they were a lot more comfortable than those stiff uniforms, if not as practical. She wondered if they were allowed to keep them. She looked back up to Eve and caught her scrutinizing her.

"Do we have to go yet?", Clair asked, leaning forward slightly. Eve shook her head.

"No, we're expected at nine.", Eve said, hoping that she remembered correctly. She had met the queen the previous day, after the queen had calmed down from the attack. She had been overly grateful, and had told her to come and meet her in the hall at nine the next day, and to bring Clair with her. Eve guessed that the queen was about to thank them for what they have done, and she knew that Clair's chest would swell with pride, because everyone had doubted her at first. No doubt a few compliments would make her really happy.

"Alright.", Clair sighed and flopped down on the bed. Eve watched her, but made no move to join her.

"Tell me what happened to everyone.", Clair said then, staring at the ceiling. "I obviously missed a lot." She touched her throat unconsciously, trying to get the feeling of suffocation out of her mind. It wasn't easy.

"Everyone was very brave.", Eve started, and Clair pushed the dark thoughts to the furthest corner of her mind, listening closely.

Eve continued to talk, explaining everything in such vivid detail that made Clair gasp and look at Eve in worry, looking her over for any injuries. Eve told her about her fight with Grobyc, and how Kidd had helped her in the last minute. She told her how Luccia had fought against Viper, and how Viper had fallen off the edge of the roof.

More than an hour passed, and by the time Eve finished, the clock struck nine and both of them stood up to go to the hall. Clair didn't know the way, naturally, so she held Eve's hand and let herself be led through the castle she hadn't wasted a second look at the first time she had passed through. It was surprisingly beautiful.

"Is the queen still angry?", Clair asked, suddenly growing nervous as they approached the hall. "I wasn't exactly nice to her."

Eve just laughed in response. "I don't think so." She had to admit that she had been irritated by Clair's strange behaviour as well, but now that she knew the reason she felt more stupid than anything else. "I'm sorry for doubting you, by the way. I really thought you were going crazy back there.", she said and laughed sheepishly. "It turned out that there really were a lot of Viper's men among the soldiers."

Clair sighed in relief. Eve hadn't been the only one to think she was going nuts. "Was…the soldier we took hostage one of them?", she asked. It would make her feel a lot better if he was.

Eve laughed even brighter. "Nope. He's the queen's favourite."

"Ouch.", was all Clair managed to say. Oh well, she had tried.

They reached the great hall in no time, and Clair could already see the throne with a familiar face on it. She also spotted Kidd and Harle, who stood on the right side of the hall, and Riddel and Luccia, who stood on the left. It almost seemed as if they were expected to stand in the middle, which they did.

Eve got down onto one knee, and Clair swiftly followed. "Her majesty.", Eve greeted her.

Upon hearing a laugh, they looked up simultaneously and saw the queen's amused face.

"Stop making fun of me already, you've seen me in my nightgown for pity's sake! At least spare me the majesty nonsense.", she said and laughed. Eve blushed, but Clair only smiled. She liked the way the queen talked.

She looked around, giving Kidd and Harle a wink as their eyes met, but refraining from doing so as she looked at Luccia and Riddel. Luccia's expression was blank, and she couldn't really make much sense from what Eve had told her before. Riddel seemed to be torn between happiness and grief, probably feeling too guilty to be happy, but also too happy to feel guilty. If that made any sense at all. The only thing that was obvious about them was the fact that they clearly disliked being here. It probably made them uncomfortable. Luccia because she had been on the enemy's side for the longest time, and Riddel because she was the daughter of the one who had tried to kill the queen. They didn't have it easy.

"I had you all come here because I want to express my deep gratitude to all of you.", the queen said, her voice turning serious. "You all helped to save my life."

Marle stood up from her throne, and walked down the short flight of stairs. She turned her head right, and walked over to where Riddel and Luccia stood. Clair could see that walking in this impossibly huge dress that seemed to have at least five layers was difficult, but tried to keep herself from smiling.

The queen stopped in front of Riddel and Luccia, who stood close to each other. Riddel looked ashamed, and didn't dare to meet Marle's eyes. However, as she saw the queen going down on her knees in front of them, she couldn't help but gasp.

"My gratitude to both of you.", she said calmly. As she stood up again, she took both Riddel's and Luccia's hands in hers and bowed. She felt Riddel's hand tremble while Luccia's felt as if she wanted to withdraw it as soon as possible. She looked at Luccia, slightly surprised to see the expressionless face. She wasn't bothered by it, Marle could imagine why Luccia had this distanced attitude. She wasn't about to push her.

Instead, she continued on to Eve and Clair, who were standing by now. Again, she knelt down before them. "I thank you in the name of Guardia. You have done us a great favour." Marle stood up again, and Clair immediately saw the glint in her eyes as she eyed her. "Even if your methods were a little unconventional." Clair smiled in response. "I'm afraid I don't regret it one bit.", she said and the queen laughed at that. "I was afraid of that."

With that, she moved on to Kidd and Harle. Kidd was already grinning like a Cheshire cat, and instead of kneeling down, Marle hugged both of them tightly.

"So you are the one who dragged them into this?", she asked Kidd, who just shrugged. "In the broadest sense.", Kidd replied, and immediately received a smack over the head.

"Irresponsible brat.", Marle laughed, then turned to Harle. "Thanks for putting up with her all the time, I'd go crazy if I had to deal with her."

Harle chuckled in response, then bowed before the queen. "It iz mon pleazure." Marle nodded approvingly, then returned to her throne.

"Your deeds shall not be in vain, and therefore I will reward you for what you have done.", she announced. "I bid you to come closer."

The six of them complied and walked closer to the throne, until they formed a tight half-circle. Luccia's glance shot nervously towards Harle, who was looking at the queen like the other four.

"For one, I want you to have a title worthy of your deed.", the queen said, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "So I ask of you: Will you accept knighthood?"

As expected, everyone in the room went silent, the two knights behind her as well as all six women in front of her. Even Kidd seemed speechless, which was quite an achievement.

The queen watched the group for a while, making bets with herself on who would be the first to speak. She had a clear favourite, but wasn't sure if Kidd might not be faster. But even Kidd seemed to have changed. She was somehow calmer. Maybe being in life-threatening situations all the time did that to a person. Marle wouldn't know. She had never truly risked her life.

Almost a whole minute passed until Luccia stepped forward boldly. She bowed politely, and as she spoke her voice was serious. "I vill…", she started, but immediately stumbled over her words. Riddel stiffened at the sound of it, only now realizing the pressure the other woman had to be under to let her concentration slip like this.

"I will gratefully decline this generous offer.", Luccia started anew, this time without mistake. She inwardly wondered if her words sounded too stiff, but she didn't let it bother her. She would soon be out of this castle.

"Very well.", Marle said and nodded, but inwardly laughed. She had been right after all. Her eyes met Riddel's, who stepped forward to join Luccia. "The same goes for me as well. I have done nothing worthy of this title.", she said calmly and curtseyed. She didn't add the fact that it would embarrass her to be called a knight when all she had heard her entire life had been "Lady Riddel".

"I hope you won't regret this choice.", Marle said, but her smile gave away that she understood their reasons perfectly. As Riddel and Luccia retreated, Marle looked at Eve expectantly.

Eve's hands were clenched into fists, and her legs wavered between stepping forward and standing. She didn't know what to do, especially since Riddel and Luccia had already declined. She glanced to Clair for support, but all she found was a knowing smile, accompanied by a firm shove that caused her to stumble forward. Eve looked back at Clair in shock, then up to the queen. She felt cornered.

"I…", she said, fumbling with the hem of her blouse. She gulped and continued. "I would be honoured." That was it. There was no turning back now.

"Finally." Marle smiled appreciatively. "Step forward."

Eve did as she was told, and the queen stood up to take the sword of the knight who stood to her left. With dread Eve realized that it was the knight Clair had knocked out. At least his nose didn't seem too bad, even though she was sure it was broken.

As Marle held the sword vertically in front of her, Eve went down on one knee. The touch of the sword on her right shoulder soon followed.

"I hereby dub thee knight of honour of the kingdom of Guardia.", Marle said, and finished with another touch of the sword on Eve's left shoulder. When Eve looked up again, her face was bright and she looked as if a childhood dream of hers had come true. Maybe it had.

The procedure continued smoothly. Clair, who wouldn't allow herself to do otherwise, accepted the queen's offer as well, and both Kidd and Harle followed in the same manner. Each of them had their own reason for accepting knighthood, but all of them seemed equally happy afterwards.

Later, four knights and two equally content women stood before the queen, and Marle smiled proudly.

"Now, I want to reward you in spite of the title some of you have received. To express my gratitude for this immense favour you have done to Guardia, I will grant every one of you a reward of 50000G.", the queen said and stayed perfectly calm, as if this amount of money was mere pocket change for her.

The reactions to this offer were quite different. Riddel and Luccia remained calm, and the queen did already know their answer. Eve and Clair however stared open-mouthed in incredulous stupor, while Kidd simply grinned from ear to ear.

As before, Riddel and Luccia were the first to speak, as if it was a laid down order.

"As I said before, I am not deserving of such a reward. Therefore I will decline this offer as well.", Riddel spoke, without a hint of regret in her voice.

"The same goes for me.", Luccia joined her, and they both retreated.

"I see you are the rare kind.", Marle said and smiled gently. Again she looked at Eve and Clair, naturally expecting that they too, would make a joint decision. Again, Eve seemed nervous, while Clair didn't seem impressed in the least. Clair couldn't ignore the thought that this offer could be meant as a test for them, even though she had no idea why the queen would do such a thing.

Clair stepped forward and tugged at Eve's hand to follow her. "It is impossible for us to accept such a huge amount of money. We are honoured by your offer, but we too, will have to decline.", Clair said steadily, even though it hurt her just a little bit. The thought that they at least hadn't walked into her trap, if there even was one, didn't do much to console her. Still, she knew that despite her greed, it was the right thing to do. To be knighted was already more than they deserved. They, who hadn't really cared about the queen as a person in the first place.

Marle grinned despite herself. Clair was so ever-cautious. It didn't bother her that everyone declined her offer, she had no desire to waste any money on people who didn't want it. But she knew someone did. She turned to face Kidd.

"I hope you don't disappoint me, Kidd.", she said and smirked, which was immediately mimicked by Kidd.

"Ya know, normally I would refuse such an offer…", Kidd started, and Harle rolled her eyes. "But since I know ya can spare it, we'd be bloody stupid not ta take it!" She laughed at that, and her eyes gleamed with the unsuppressed and indecent joy of the thought of money. Harle shoved her gently, partly embarrassed of her lover's behaviour, but also glad that some things about her didn't change, after all.

Luccia regarded them, growing impatient. It seemed as if they weren't needed anymore. If they had ever been needed in the first place.

"Let's leave.", she whispered into Riddel's ear.

"Where to?", Riddel asked.

"Anywhere you want.", was the quiet answer.

And so they left, while Kidd was arguing with Marle over the amount of money, Clair and Eve watching them laughingly. Nobody saw them leave, except of Harle.

But she kept silent.

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A/N: As always, I'm immensely grateful for reviews, so don't let anything stop you if you have any opinion about this chapter at all. Thanks for reading!