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Merle gared at the floor as she stomped down the hall. Kaitlyn and Karth were realy getting on her nerves. They had been snooping around alot and Rosie had had to start staying by the Royal bed room just to keep them away. She wasn't sure what it was they were looking for but it made her very happy that they hadn't found it. Each day the two unwelcome guests became more and more strained. Even Kaitlyn's normaly perfect hair was looking limp and unprimped.
Today though they had been snippy and everyone had avoided them like the plague. Karth had cornered Pennin in the dining hall and gave him an earfull of complaints and threats. Pennin shot back that Karth and Kaitlyn weren't welcome and it hadn't gone unnoticed the way they seemed to be searching the castle for something. Merle was very pleased to see Karth sulking for the rest of the day. Kaitlyn on the other hand had verbaly attacked as many servants as she could find. Merle found herself comforting the kitchen staff and posting guards around the palace to give Kaitlyn as little opportunity as possible to corner someone.
Tail twitching and ears laid flat Merle stormed up the hall to find Tina. Half way past a tall potted plant Merle stopped in her tracks.
Had she just seen something out the window before the plant?
Backtracking Merle crouched and peeked out the window. Nothing. She stood up slowly and looked down at the darkening lawn. It was empty.
"Don't scream."
Merle spun around hissing, her hair on end as she prepared to attack the person whispering in her ear.
"Van!" Merle lost her balance and grabbed onto Van's arm, "Where have you been? When did you get here?"
"Just now. We had to be carefull not to be seen." Van smiled and dragged Merle back to his room and pointed at the bed, "But I thought you would like to see your niece."
Merle covered her mouth to muffle her squeal of delight as she bounded over to Hitomi sitting on the bed holding Mai.
"Can I hold her?" Merle beamed as Van lit a few candles.
"If you stop bouncing around." Hitomi laughed.
Merle sat so quickly on the bed she almost fell right off the edge. Scooting back abit more Merle held her arms out for the tiny baby.
"She looks like Van." Merle said in an awed voice as Mai looked her right in the eyes.
"Yes she does." Hitomi leaned back on her pillows. It had been so long since she'd even been in her own room.
"Have your parents seen her?" Merle asked, still looking down into Mai's bright eyes. She felt as though she was being judged and by the way Mai smiled at her she had been found acceptable.
"Yes. I took Mai to see them last night. We only stayed for a few minutes in case Zaibach was somehow able to follow me again." Hitomi reached over and ran a finger over Mai's little hand, "They loved her."
"How could they not. Just look at her." Merle cooed over Mai.
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Dilandau walked the hall silently. Van had given him his orders and he planned to follow them. Stepping quickly out of sight he heard one of the doors he'd been guarding open. The footsteps were going away from him and by their lightness Dilandau knew who it was he was going to be trailing.
With a quick nod to Tren who was left to wait for Karth to leave his room Dilandau started after Kaitlyn who seemed to be walking with a purpose. She was around the end corner so quickly Dilandau found himself half jogging half creeping to catch up.
The pale haired man froze just out of Kaitlyn's sight, one foot still raised to follow. She had stopped moving and seemed to be waiting just around the corner.
Mentaly slapping himself for rushing and probably making too much noise Dilandau waited. If she came around the corner he would tell her she was to be under arrest in her rooms. But he was desperately hoping she would keep going. Van had asked him to find out what it was the Lord and his daughter had been after.
A rustle of fabric and two quiet steps had Dilandau ready to follow. The blond, once insane (now almost completely sane) man was going through a checklist in his head of where she was going. She had skipped over the floor where the guest rooms were and was about to reach the floor leading to Van, Hitomi and Mai. Speeding up to keep her just in his sight he tensed when she did indeed head down the royal's floor.
Bracing himself for the confrontation that would undoubtable come when he told her she was under arrest Dilandau took a deep breath, readying his lungs to yell out if she reached for the door, when she passed the door and walked to the one across from it.
That was Merle's room.
But Merle was with Van and Hitomi. In fact the neko had told them that she had taken to sleeping in their room incase the annoying duo decided a night time raid was called for. So Kaitlyn wasn't there looking for Merle.
Kaitlyn was so focused on the door and opening it quietly that she didn't even hear Dilandau creeping up behind her. With her first sneaking step into the room Dilandau grabbed her wrist and spun her to face him.
"I do believ you have lost your way, My Lady. Let me assist you in finding your room." he sneared, but his voice was very polite. He'd gotten very use to showing nothing of what he felt in his voice years ago. Folken had threatened more than once to cut his pretty little head off if his tongue didn't stay civil in propper company.
"Take your hand off me." Kaitlyn hissed, still not wanting to attract too much attention.
"What bussiness do you have in Lady Merle's room?" Dilandau asked.
Kaitlyn glared at him, taking in the stitched up wound on his hairline and bruises, "What happened to you?"
"As if you don't know." he smirked, "Now answer my question. What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for the letters Merle recieved over the past week or so. She looked very smug after reading those letters." Kaitlyn flipped her hair back, "And not that you can do anything about it but I wasn't going to steal them. I just wanted to see what they said."
A sharp whistle cut through the palace and Dilandau laughed, "And that means your dear father was also found in area he shouldn't have been. Let's go. There's someone waiting to speak to you."
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Hitomi had never felt so tired in her life. She blinked a few times to try to clear the heavy feeling in her eyelids. She shifted, sitting up straighter and adjusted the sleeping baby in her arms.
It was late and she would have gladly joined Mai in her sleeping state.
The doors opened and she felt Van tense beside her as Karth and Kaitlyn were led into the throne room. Their faces fell when they saw Van and Hitomi.
"I have it on good word that you two have been very bussy while my family and I were nearly killed." Van looked down on them, "You both are under arrest for aiding those who would have us killed and our daughter captured."
Kaitlyn's head snapped to Hitomi and for the first time looked at the baby in her arms. Mai, as if sensing she was the center of attention, opened her eyes and stretched. With a sweet cooing noise Mai turned and looked directly at Kaitlyn.
Lady Kaitlyn shivered as those red eyes stared at her.
"We're guessing by the way she studies each person she meets that she has indeed taken after her mother." Van smiled as Karth made a choking sound, "Zaibach doesn't care what becomes of you. So you will both be locked away where you can't cause anymore trouble."
"As of this moment there are soldiers riding through the city announcing our return and Mai's birth. Zaibach will know they failed and that you have been caught. Locking you up is probably more kind than what they would do to you if they ever got ahold of you both." Hitomi smiled at them as Mai shifted her attention to Karth who vissibly flinched when those red eyes fell on him.
"Mai will be safe and she will grow to be Queen even if we have to fight off all of Gaia. Tell your Master that with whatever it is you have been using to talk to Zaibach. They haven't won and they won't ever." Van stood and held his arms out for his daughter. Once Hitomi had laid the now wide awake Mai in his arms he walked over to Karth and Kaitlyn, "Remember their faces Mai. You won't be seeing them for a long time."
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Selena threw her arms over her head and ran for the closest door. The entire fortress was shaking. The sun hadn't even risen yet and already something was horribly wrong.
The Master was upset.
Whatever had made the Master upset Selena was hoping it would pass quickly.
Marissa appeared around the corner and grabbed Selena's arm.
"What are you doing?" Selena snapped. They needed to get out of the building.
"That part of the building colasped." Marissa stated as though she was talking about the weather.
"Do you know what's caused this temper tantrum?" Selena asked as they made it to a half open door. They weren't the only ones running from the Master.
"Yes. Actualy I do." Marissa gave Selena a quick once over before saying, "The king and Queen have returned to Fanelia with their daughter. Fanelia now has a Princess."
"Damn!" Selena stopped walking. She'd been so sure that her men had been the best one's to take out the airship. She had personaly watched it fall from the sky.
"You will have some answering to do once the Master has calmed down enough not to kill you on sight."
"That's comforting." Selena sneared.
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A/N: Yay me. Took me about four different attempts to get this thing written but here it is. Hope you enjoyed it. REVIEW!