HA! Thought I was dead? Nope! I am still alive, with another chapter!

R&R!

Note: I decided to undergo a change in my story. I decided to make it a bit shorter, so that the text is much easier to handle. It means less action scenes, but please, this is much easier for me to write, and easier for you to read. If you have any complaints or suggestions, please email me.

Act 6: Trouble Abroad

The sun brightly shone as a group of people made their way down the road. At the head of the group was a brown-haired girl, who was merrily talking to a tall horseman riding beside her. Behind them, men and women marched, some talking, some laughing, and for one particular teen, frowning.

Indeed, it was a disappointing day for Mike, who found his flirting tactics rejected by every woman in the entourage. First, there was frightened Celine, who trembled helplessly until Lester came to rescue and batted Mike away from her. Then, there was Sasha, who grunted with disgust at his approach and merely rode away. Finally, there was Alyce, whom he just finished flirting, and she just… Mike shuddered. He didn't like to remember what happened exactly ten minutes ago. And of course, there was that wacky Yenee, who had no clue what "flirting" meant, but instead nagged him why he wouldn't say some nice things to her as he did to other girls. Mike practically had to take his precious time getting her off his nerves. What was wrong with this entourage? Was it just him, or was it just the girls who were different?

Evan, who was riding by, could not help but to feel pity for Mike. For him, romance was a cheap toy that men enjoy for no reason, and thus he did not take interest in any girls in his company. On the contrary, Evan sometimes wondered whether they were really girls, save perhaps his liege and Celine. But Evan hated to see anyone so feeling low, especially because of romance.

Approaching Mike, Evan casually threw a question.

"Not having any luck, Mike?"

The fencer's face darkened. He shrugged and let out another sigh.

"Look, kid. You are all getting wrong here. See, these women will not buy into your sycophantic and corny approaches."

"What do you mean?"

Evan held up his finger.

"These ladies are warriors, Mike, and intellectuals. They are...well...not stupid enough to be treated so childishly, see. Instead, these women want something more serious and charming."

Mike's face fell.

"If you say so, too, then look's like I lost the bet."

"What do you mean, bet?"

Evan asked.

Mike's face turned dreamy as he looked up into the air.

"See, before I set out in my journey, me and my twin sister made a bet. I said that I could seduce any women with princely and fancy words. But my sister said that a bit of seriousness must be mingled with flirting to make the approach witty and irresistible. Well, so before we parted ways, we made a bet to see who would get hooked up first."

Mike let out a short laugh.

"Well, looks like I have doing this all wrong, heh? But still, everyone can get a second chance..."

Evan smiled.

"So, my friend, it is time for you to see that life is not all about women. You have to enjoy your life instead of chasing after ladies-"

But Mike was already gone. Far off, Evan could see him approaching Celine, who seemed quite surprised.

"Dear Sister Celine, I would like to apologize for my actions earlier. See, I can be light-headed sometimes, and make mistakes, so-"

Evan sighed while Mike blabbered away using his newfound tactic. That kid had brains alright, Evan decided. But to use that for women!

He wasn't sure what was wrong with the world.

---------------------------

The sun was up high when the party crossed the border of Terabius. Princess Lena was looking forward to expect what kind of aid they would receive from the duke. She had met him couple of times in the past, and she knew that he was a noble and courageous man. Though elderly, Duke Larson was Meticia's ally for many years.

"Do you think we can see the duke soon, Nelson?"

The knight nodded.

"Absolutely, princess. Soon, we'll arrive in a small town, where the garrisons of Terabius will welcome us."

Lena smiled. Perhaps, this was not going to be as difficult as she had worried before. She looked back at her entourage. For their sake, she shall succeed. Ahead, she could make out the glimpse of the town.

---------------------------

Meanwhile...at the said town...

The villagers of Sumperton have relatively enjoyed their quiet lives for many years. But on this day, things were not so. The villagers all stayed in their houses, as numerous soldiers swarmed the community. In the middle of the square, a burly horseman, named Charlton, sat on his horse, impatiently looking over his men. His task here has been slow and boring, with not much success so far. He jabbed at the nearby soldier.

"You man, have you seen the trace of that traitor yet? I am getting impatient here!"

"We are doing our best sir. He was spotted last here in this village. We believe he is still in town!"

Charlton gritted his teeth. The sun was hot enough to get on his nerves, and he was sure that he will mess someone up pretty bad if nothing interesting happened.

Suddenly, he saw one of his dragoons riding up. The man stopped, and saluted.

"Commander Charlton. We have spotted a group heading this way! It looks like Princess Lena of Meticia and her entourage!"

A surprised look came over Charlton, which was quickly replaced by the look of greed and excitement.

"Heh, heh, heh. Looks like this is my lucky day. If I bring her to my liege, than I'll get promoted, get more money, and-"

Hurrying forward, he shouted at his men.

"Alright, men! Prepare for battle! We shall capture the princess!"

Charlton rode forward, as his men readied themselves.

However, unknown to them, a figure had overheard the entire conversation while crouching in a nearby alley. He was a handsome young teen with reddish-orange hair and blue eyes, with his long curly hair tied into a knot behind his back. He wore a cape with shoulder-guards, leather pants, silk shirts, and held a tome in his hands.

The teen grimaced with horror as he swore.

"Princess Lena? Here? Damnation! She must not be attacked! The relationship between Meticia and Terabius must not be severed! Ah, uncle...fool...why did you start all this disaster?"

Ducking into darkness, the teen vanished.

---------------------------

Princess Lena felt an eerie presence as she entered the town. The place seemed deserted, but it seemed as if someone was watching her. The rest of the group warily ventured forward.

"Nelson, I feel uneasy here. Are you sure this is the right place?"

The horseman frowned.

"I am definitely sure, milady. This is so strange. It's as if something has happened here."

As on cue, a huge fall of fire suddenly slammed into him. Nelson quickly lurched out of the way, but suffered some burns.

Lena and her entourage suddenly found themselves surrounded. From the crowd of soldiers that stood in front of them, a horseman rode forward, sneering.

"Welcome, princess. Welcome to Terabius. Now, will you grace us by disarming yourself and your subjects?"

Commander Charlton smirked.

Lena looked bewildered.

"What madness is this, commander? We are from Meticia, and we are not your enemies!"

Nelson suddenly drew his lance.

"Treachery! Prepare to defend yourselves!"

Charlton continued to leer.

"Too late for that, princess. My liege had decreed that all Meticians would be considered enemies. If you won't surrender, you'll die."

Lena assessed the situation quickly. There seemed to be no way of negotiations. She did not know what was going on, but she decided to find out afterwards. Lena grimly drew her rapier.

"So, is that your decision? Well, then you'll all die! Attack!"

The Terabian soldiers surged forward, their weapons bristling. Lena let out a shout.

"Defend yourselves! For Meticia! YAAAAHHHH!"

Yenee sighed as she cracked her knuckles. It seemed her new liege was in a big trouble now. Stepping forward, she readied herself for assault.

"Nervous, Yenee?"

Sasha rode up to her, grimly holding her sword.

"No. On the contrary, I find this new adventure quite exciting. It's just like in the book!"

Sasha eyed Yenee as if she had gone mad, her face a little twitching.

"Right...anyways, I see that they have Casters with them. They will use anima magic to assault us, but I hear they are weak physically. Use that to your advantage."

"Thanks, Sasha. By the way, your face is all funny if I look from here. You'd better see Lester."

Yenee ran forward as enemies charged. It's time for great deeds!

Both sides clashed with banging of metal and flesh. Amidst that chaos, Lena approached Nelson, who was fighting of some soldiers.

"Nelson, I think we are short on supplies. Would you mind going to the armory and the shop to pick some weapons for us?"

"Yes, milady."

"Also, warn any villagers you meet to stay out of this mess."

As Lena watched Nelson gallop off, a soldier charged at her with his lance. Dodging, she pierced his head and kicked the body away.

Nearby, others were proving themselves quite well. Alyce and Sasha was teaming up against a team of dragoons, who were being dragged down from their horses by Alyce's lance and then trampled by Sasha. Lester was going back and forth, healing those who were wounded, and occasionally throwing rocks at the enemy. Celine was beside him, casting spells to cover them. All the time, Yenee was busy karate-chopping some soldiers with her kicks and punches.

A dragoon charged at Yenee, trying to pierce her with his sword. Yenee smirked, and slowly gathered her hands together. Focusing, a ball of pure energy began to whirl in her hands.

"Air-Render!"

She thrust the ball into the chest of the horse, which was instantly knocked backward into the wall. The dragoon unfortunately flew from the saddle, and smashed into a nearby house.

"How did you do that?"

Evan asked as he rode by, his new steel lance bloody.

"Well, all martial artists learn how to manipulate the energy of the body according to their will. This is not my best, but I am sure I'll improve."

Meanwhile, Mike ran into a fencer, who brandished his sword with a snarl.

Mike sighed.

"Look. You are holding that sword in a wrong way. If you do that, that allows me to-"

Lunging forward, Mike slashed across the fencer's hand, knocking his sword. Grabbing it, Mike simply cut the fencer across his belly, disemboweling him.

Ronald cringed.

"Hey, Mike. Isn't that too harsh?"

"Nope. I can never tolerate anyone who has never learned their swordplay the right way. I mean, they don't deserve to flaunt their "skills" in front of a real master, right?"

Not far away from them, Lena suddenly noticed some enemies sneaking up from the side.

"Mike! Ronald! Cover our left flank!"

The fencer and the hunter quickly darted into the alley, expecting some fierce clashing of steel. Instead, they found themselves face to face with several casters, who were chanting up their spells.

"Duck!"

Ronald and Mike launched themselves into the nearby alley, as several fireballs exploded where they were earlier before. Sweating, Mike tried to think of a way to get past those nuisances. Suddenly, he spotted several barrels of water on a balcony of a nearby house.

The casters happened to be right below it.

Smirking, he whispered his plan to Ronald, who grinned. Plucking some arrows from the quiver, Ronald shot through the barrels. A huge downpour of water engulfed the casters, who shouted in panic.

But most importantly, their tomes were now soaked into a messy pulp, messing up their spells and texts that allowed the casters to cast spells.

"Now!"

The pair darted out of the alley and attacked the confused casters, slashing or shooting them quickly.

Lena, meanwhile, made herself towards the end of the town along with the rest of the team. Although the Terabian soldiers were numerous, they found themselves outmatched by Meticia's seasoned veterans. Lena cringed as her sword snapped in half.

"Milady!"

Nelson galloped towards the group, laden with weapons.

"I acquired some items from the locals as well as the supplies. Here is a Dragonshield, an antitoxin, and an iron blade. The shop even gave me a discount!"

Seizing the iron blade, Lena made herself toward the very end of the town, where Evan was exchanging blows with Charlton, who was blabbering nonsense.

"No one shall defeat me! I will live, and be wealthy, and be powerful, and-"

"Enough with your bullcrap!"

Yenee flew towards the raving commander, and unseated him with a flying kick. Charlton fell backwards with a scream onto the ground. Staggering back up, he saw the princess swing back a heavy sword.

"Oh, crap," were his last words.

---------------------------

Lena panted as she let the blade down. The sword was much heavier than the iron swords she used, and much clumsier. She decided to work on her arm strength.

Lester, meanwhile, was looking down at the dead corpse of Charlton. He let out a delighted cry when he found a ring around a finger.

"Yay! The Guilding Ring! I must put this to good use!"

He walked towards the rest of the group, who all were gathered. They all looked tired, but had no major injuries. Nevertheless, they all looked grim.

"I don't understand. Why would Terabius betray us? If that commander was acting on the direct order of the duke..."

Nelson muttered. Lena seemed quite skeptical.

"Duke Larson is not a person to do this to us. I wonder if this was also a Rionist doing."

"Princess Lena!"

A figure approached the group. It was a teen around Lena's age. (The teen from the earlier scene, in the alley)

"Who are you?"

Lena asked warily.

"I'll explain all of this very soon. For now, we must get out of here. More soldiers will likely come shortly. Follow me."

Lena and the rest of the group quickly followed the stranger out of the town.

---------------------------

Soon, they came to a forest, where everything was quiet. The teenager motioned them so settle.

"I am honored to make your acquaintance, Princess Lena. My name is Sirius Larson, son of Martel Larson. The late Duke Larson was my grandfather."

"You mean you were one of those who ordered to attack us?"

Evan snarled, but Lena gasped.

"Wait-What! What do you mean 'late'?"

Sirius's face fell.

"Let me explain. The trouble began couple days later after we heard of the revolution. My grandfather was at the capital, trying to calm down the frightened citizens. My father was out on the border, making sure no hostilities threatened Terabius. In the middle of all this, my grandfather suddenly passed away."

"Passed away!"

Sirius nodded.

"At least that's what we were told. After the death, it should have been my father, the rightful heir to the throne, who should've become the duke. But instead, it was my uncle and my father's brother, Marlon, who seized power."

"My uncle was a cruel and scheming man. He had always emphasized that Terabius was powerful enough to break away from the allegiance to Meticia. Upon my grandfather's death, he suddenly seized the capital with his private army and mercenaries. My father tried to react, but it was too late. My uncle has bribed or forced most of the generals of Terabius to his side, as well as the majority of the army. When my father confronted him, my uncle branded my father and his followers traitors."

The group listened, struck with horror. Sirius continued.

"Since then, my father and his forces have set up a resistance movement to oust the usurper from his throne. Our numbers grow daily from deserters and oppressed citizens fleeing from the iron rule. Yet, my uncle continues to hunt for us while at the same time preparing an invasion to Meticia."

"What!"

Lena gasped. Sirius sighed.

"I can assure that neither my father nor I am in this plan. We all believe that the harmony between Meticia and Terabius should continue to exist. I am so sorry to land you into more trouble, princess. With the revolution, nothing has been the same for us and the rest of the world."

Lena fell silent. She had escaped her homeland to escape trouble, but now, it seemed that she was in more trouble than before. Will peace ever find her? More importantly, her hope of getting aid from Terabius has been dashed. What should she do now?

"I am sure you have a lot of things in mind. But let us first go to our base. Our father will be most pleased to accept your company."

Sirius smiled.

Without any choice left, Princess Lena and her company followed Sirius, still shaken by this sudden turmoil.

R&R!

Note: I need your help!

I am looking for a replacement or an alternative for Hawk Rider. I thought perhaps hawks and gryphons were too similar. So, the alternative should be a flyer, (except pegasi, wyverns, or dragons) and realistic, too.

So HELP ME!