Dilandau walked towards Chesta, sword drawn. He looked like the devil about to take the life from his next victim, his eyes seeming to have the flames of hell reflected upon them. He placed the tip of his sword on Chesta's neck and that's when something snapped within Andrea. She wasn't going to let another person get killed or even hurt because of her.

She felt as though she was in a dream as her body took over. She flung herself at Dilandau who hadn't even acknowledged her presence and knocked him to the ground. Before she knew that she was doing she clutched the wrist of the hand that held his sword and dug her nails in to the veins there. She could hear her heavy breathing and her heart was beating rapidly but she could barely see the boy that lay under her. He wasn't fighting back against her, his body was rigid and briefly wondered why before her world when dark.

When she awoke she was back in the infirmary and had to hold her head due to a massive migraine that assaulted her already aching body. She groaned, the bright light hurting her eyes for the instant that she opened them before deciding she was happier leaving them closed. She lay there for a moment before her body tensed, hearing a cough to her right.

Forcing herself to open her eyes, allowing the pain to pour into her, she looked to the intruder that stood next to her. It was of course, none other then Dilandau. She flinched away from him slightly, praying that he wasn't there waiting for her to awaken before murdering her.

His arms were crossed and he glared down at her with and intensity that made her wonder how she had survived this far. The bandage around his wrist caught her eye and she almost felt bad for having inflicted the pain on him. He stood there silently as she looked at him, taking in all of his injuries and mentally chuckled as she realized she was just as banged up as he was.

After a few cold and silent minutes he finally spoke, "What the HELL was that about?" The question was dripping with venom that left little room for doubt in Andrea's mind that this was soon to be her death bed.

She looked away from him, unable to hold the gaze of his garnet colored eyes. "Chesta was nice to me... I didn't want for him to die on my account." Her voice was weak, filled with little emotion at all.

He growled then snapped at her. "You foolish girl! Do you honestly think that I would kill one of my own Dragon Slayers! Waist all of that time spent training them to be the perfect team of soldiers!"

Andrea's eyes widened as she realized the truth in what he said. The thought that it was an empty threat had never even crossed her mind. She felt like such a child, a foolish, idiotic child. She wasn't sure if she should say anything at first but the desire to end the silence his lack of yelling created urged her to do otherwise. She hardly realized she was becoming used to his verbal assaults.

"With your sword pointed at his throat I never would have thought otherwise. I am truly sorry for my behavior..." Came her emotionless, monotone reply. She had tried to fight off the depression that had started to haunt her since her arrival but with everything that had happened she no longer had the will to do so.

It seemed her apology came as a bit of a shock to Dilandau as he remained silent for some time. Turing her eyes back to his face she noticed a smirk had firmly planted itself on his lips. The silence continued for a while longer while Dilandau seemed to be wrestling with a decision though the smirk never did leave his face.

Dilandau shifted his body and she thought he was going to leave her but instead he walked closer to her and leaned over so his lips brushed across her ear as he spoke. "I am glad to see you have broken so easily so I will take pity on you and allow you to live at least a little while longer. I'll even help to rebuild you but remember this. Remember my mercy." He pulled back a bit and his smirk grew as he traced his finger along the slice he had created across her face. "You have been branded, my pet."

As he left her there in the infirmary she could hear his malicious laughter echoing down the hallway.