The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.
-Robert Burns

Reyna continued to gaze out the window of the carriage as it made its way to the port. It wouldn't be a long drive either, so she should be back in time to check in with the Fon Master. It was around mid-morning, meaning that she may be back before noon rolled around. Yesterday had been eventful and she only hoped today would end less so. The Guardian had went straight to sleep as soon as she had gotten back to her room that evening.

Today, the focus would be delivering the message to the emissary. While she could have easily had one of her subordinates do it, she felt the need to do this herself. She wasn't the Fon Master's full time Guardian. That was Anise's job and surely today was just like any other day. Besides, leaving Iris in charge gave her peace at mind. Her longtime friend and confidant knew how to take care of things in her stead, considering she had helped raise the Guardians up along with her.

She had, at least, some faith.

Once the carriage arrived at the destination, Reyna told the driver she wouldn't be long and she entered Daath Bay. Colonel Curtiss should be here somewhere with his ship and crew.

Her eyes wandered around, watching people pass by and had the thought of how nice it was here. In a way, ports always seem to remind her of her old home. There was also the fact that nothing seemed out of place here as everyone chatted happily. Who knew that war could be on the horizon between a kingdom and an empire.

Regardless, she was here to deliver the reply to the Colonel, though she did feel a bit bad about the proposal being rejected. That was just how things went sometimes, especially when Mohs became involved.

Finally, she saw the Malkuth ship and quickly made her way toward it. Her eyes lingered as a few Malkuth soldiers carried crates and bags onto the ship. Re-supplying, were they? She stepped closer but was stopped by another soldier who was on guard duty. "What business do you have here?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry for not saying anything. I am Reyna Milas, here to give Colonel Curtiss a reply for the proposal he presented yesterday." The solider looked her over and she smiled at him, albeit rather falsely, but he seemed to believe her well enough.

"Just a moment then."

Waiting for the Colonel to appear, her eyes turned back to the port. She noticed a few of the stands that were set up were open for business. For a moment, she thought back to when Anise mentioned a snack that they sold here. It had become popular as of late and people ordered them to be delivered to city directly.

Apparently, they were a thin bread that had a different kinds filling on the inside. Her fellow Guardian mentioned it a number of times, hinting at Reyna to try it and maybe get some extra to share. Having always declined, she didn't see any reason not to stop by on her way back. Perhaps getting a few to give to Anise as a gift, who would share with the Fon Mast—?

"Miss Milas?" Reyna turned her attention back to see Colonel Curtiss standing before her. She nodded her head, bowing quickly. "I hope this is good news."

"I apologize, Colonel Curtiss. The Fon Master has confirmed he cannot cooperate with the request, though he thanks you for asking." She waited for a reaction, but it did not come. Even after a few moments, he didn't even register surprise.

He merely replied with, "I see…that is quite regretful."

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry you had to come all this way for nothing. However, I must be off. Good day, Colonel Curtiss." This colonel was odd, strange even. Not in a weird sort of way, just not what she expected when she saw him yesterday. Bowing once more, her braid fell forward as she took one more glance at him. Even now, he still seemed so calm and it perplexed her so.

Turning, she was just at the stairs when the older man called out to her. "How is the Fon Master? Is he fit to travel to Malkuth?"

Reyna paused, not moving for a moment before she turned her head to stare at the man. He posture and expression gave away nothing, which made her more guarded about his question. At that, she tried to think of what Mohs had said to her earlier and made use of the excuse. "No, he's actually quite ill."

"So suddenly?"

"Yes, it's strange. The Fon Master fainted soon after our audience with you." She hinted, almost like it was too much of a coincidence. Of course that was to see if he would react but again, nothing. "He's bedridden and can't even make public events."

Colonel Curtiss nodded his head. "I see, that's not good. So even an extended invitation would do no good?"

What a man, to be so bold as to even stay here despite the rejection. What exactly was going through his mind right now?

"I should think not. Who knows how long he'll be sick this time but I must head back. As someone who's in charge of Fon Master Guardians, I have to keep watch over him and the others. I am merely here at his request to give you his message." Once again, Reyna bowed before turning to leave. Thankfully, Colonel Curtiss didn't ask any more of the situation.

Now to get back to Daath as soon as possible.

.

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.

Leaning against the back of her chair, Reyna's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but think of the colonel-that Jade Curtiss.

The way he acted rubbed her the wrong way, mostly because she didn't know what he was thinking. It felt like he had some other plan in mind, which made her uneasy. Perhaps she should send one of her subordinates to keep watch on the man.

A knock brought her out of her reverie and she called out, "Come in."

The door swung open and she saw the burnt orange hair before her eyes landed on the lime green uniform. As the girl bounced into her office, the two small braids that she wore on both sides of her face flopped around. There was a short salute before she jumped on Reyna's desk and waved her hand at the older Guardian. "Commander!~"

Reyna could only let out an exhausted sigh. "Uresa."

"C'mon, don't sound like you don't want to see me! I've been good, unlike Stephan!" A small snicker escaped her lips as she leaned back.

"Get on with it."

Uresa's cheeks puffed out before she jumped off of the desk. "Fine, fine. I thought you should know that Grand Maestro Mohs is..."

Reyna listen intently while the younger Guardian reported to her about Mohs' activities. She had deemed it necessary since he was in charge of a faction that directly opposed the Fon Master's reformist group. It didn't bode well with her, so she had Uresa been listening in on a few conversations. Iris had found her a few years back and realized how good the girl had been at finding out information. When you were small and appeared insignificant, no one paid you much mind.

It made the sixteen year old's job quite easy, actually.

"Interesting. We'll leave it alone for now."

"Aye. Can I go now? I want dinner. Oh! And I'm gonna practice later on the usual place, okay?"

Reyna waved her hand and the girl didn't even take a glance back before she headed out. The Commander only shook her head, knowing that she would have to talk to Uresa about how she presented herself. Mohs always found excuses to undermine her and her Guardians had always been one of the excuses he used.

For now, she should probably go check on the Fon Master. All of her reports were nearly finished, though she was unsure how to address what happen with the Guardians' recent exercise. Stephan seemed to be playing nice with the others for now. It was a wonder if it was because Mari had beat some sense into him...

But that was getting off the subject.

It was time to go see the Fon Master. Surely, she could do so now.

When she had gotten back, they, some Oracle Knights, had refused to let her in his chambers. That alone was enough to anger her but what was more was that it was by the Grand Maestros' orders. She, commander of the Fon Master Guardians, refused at the Fon Master's door. It was blasphemy because she knew what Mohs was up to and she didn't like it.

Not one bit.

There was nothing she could have done at that moment, so she left it be. Now, however, she figured that they would at least let her visit him. Dinner was right around now, so surely Mohs wouldn't keep guards at his door all day…

Briefly, she wondered how Anise was doing. She hadn't seen the girl all day either, not even when she came back from the port. Reyna would have gone to find her and ask her if anything had happen but she had been stopped by Iris and they talked briefly, mentioning that they should get together to have dinner and discuss a few things in regards to the training regimen.

As she tried to continue her search for the youngest Guardian, she was, once again, approached by two other Guardians. It was Cora and Claudia and they asked about something Mohs had said, which led to her gather a few more Guardians to explain the situation. Not long after that, she received a message about new members to the Order and a couple of them wanted to join the Guardians. That led to her meeting said new members while checking to see if they would be allowed in the program.

It was after this meeting that she realized she needed to finish some paperwork, so finding Anise had been the last thing on her mind.

Until now, as she neared the Fon Master's room.

Reyna noted that there were no guards this time. It was a safe assumption that she wouldn't have to whip out some authority this time, not that she had real authority over Mohs' men but if she had to, she would.

When Reyna finally made it to his door, she saw it was already slightly ajar. About to push it open, she caught the conversation going on between the boy and…Anise? Peeking in from the little space from the cracked door, Reyna could see Anise placing food down on the table.

"There's been a rumor going around that war is going to happen soon. Because of this, the cost of living has shot up. Truthfully, everyone is scared and feeling anxious about it." Reyna closed her eyes, understanding what Anise was saying. What she said was, indeed, true. It was funny how Anise could be so open and honest about such things with the boy while she still had trouble herself. It was just hard to do so these days. "But…whenever you're walking around the city, everyone seems to be really happy. Do you know why that is?"

"Why?" From his tone, Reyna could tell he honestly wanted to know as if he had no clue whatsoever. Maybe he didn't…

"Because of you. Everyone has faith and respect in Fon Master Ion."

Reyna gradually open her eyes letting a sigh slip from her lips. 'Fon Master Ion, huh?'

There was a sudden thump that caused Reyna to jump as Anise exclaimed, "Ion?"

"I think I finally understand what I want to do as Fon Master. I've always wondered if what I was doing was what a Fon Master should do but now I know. It's really not!" What in the world was the boy talking about? She frowned and was about to push the door open when he continued. "Anise, please take me away from here. I'm going with Colonel Curtiss."

"EH?!" Anise replied back loudly as Reyna's eyes widen. Did she hear him right? What in Lorelei's name was he thinking, wanting to go with that man?! "W-What? I mean, Ion! What are you talking about?"

'Say no, Anise. Be strong, don't let him-'

"Please?"

Oh dear Yulia...

He was using the eyes wasn't he? Those damn innocent eyes that made you want to do anything he asked. Of course, they never worked on Reyna…for the most part.

But that was beside the point! Anise had to resist and be strong. All she had to do was say no, that it was a bad idea. 'Just tell him that, Anise!'

"Alright, I'll do it!"

Or not.

Reyna felt the urge to smack herself in the face. "I'm just a loyal people lover. Let us begin Operation: Escape!" She heard footsteps and as the door swung open, Reyna's hands were already on her hips. Frowning, her eyes bore into the younger Guardian. "R-R-Reyna?!"

The Fon Master was quick to come to Anise's defense. "Reyna, please! It's not Anise's fault. I asked her-"

"I know, I heard." she answered smoothly before her eyes fell back to Anise. The girl gave a weak smile as the frown on Reyna's face deepen. "This really leaves us with no choice, doesn't it?"

The boy stared at her, almost a look of fear on his face but that was nothing compared to Anise's expression. When Reyna smirked and winked, the younger girl seemed to relax, if only by a bit.

It was a whimsical desire, to be perfectly honest. To help the Fon Master and Anise in this way, it meant going behind Mohs' back. While that would be enjoyable, she didn't like the idea of having to work with Colonel Curtiss. And if anything, if she didn't help them out, they would only try to sneak around her and this would cause Reyna to fret over the situation.

She'd much rather have Mohs going through all that than herself.

With the boy understanding what she meant, a bright smile appeared on his face. It looked like they would just need a plan of escape now, wouldn't they?

.

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.

With her eyes closed, tapping her foot in impatience, Reyna continued to wait for the duo to arrive. They were late and the Guardian had specifically told Anise not to be late, else it would seem like they had been caught. If they didn't come in another minute, the commander would run off to go find them herself.

"Impatient, are we?" Jade, as he asked her to call him, earned a glare from the woman before she quickly turned her head in the other direction.

She didn't say anything back to him and soon, silence enveloped the two. Two days of planning and now it could all go down the drain. Reyna and Jade had done their part and now it just depended on Anise to get the Fon Master here safe and sound. She went back to tapping her foot, glancing at the woods.

They should be here. This was becoming bothersome...

"You did well on your end, Reyna." The man commented and Reyna glanced at him. She was still bemused by his appearance as he still had his hair up and he wore a simple cloak and outfit.

"As did you. That riot you caused made Mohs quite furious almost to the point it was funny." A small smirk played across her lips while her attention went back to the woods. "It was so hard not to laugh at him then and there. Of course, if we don't get going soon, I don't think my distraction will last much longer."

In that moment, Reyna's eyes caught something and she tensed. When familiar pigtails appeared, she relaxed. More so when she saw the Fon Master's green hair follow as well.

"Reyna! Colonel Curtiss!" Anise waved, while she kept a grip on boy's hand with her own. They were both running toward the boat that she and Jade were standing in.

"We've been waiting. Let us be on our way." replied Jade.

When the two finally reach the boat, Reyna helped the Fon Master in before she noticed that his clothes were dirty and there was a rip on one side. Her eyes went to Anise, noting they were similar state of disarray. "What happened?"

Anise let out a weak laugh. "Yeah, Operation Escape didn't turn out so well near the end."

Reyna gave her a bewildered look as Jade started the engine of the boat.

It roared to life, causing her to tense for a moment. Distracting herself, Reyna began to dust off the Fon Master and make sure the boy had no serious injuries. He touched her hand and gave her a reassured looked that said he was fine. Anise, on the other hand, seemed to finally understand the situation and what they just did, looking downcast about it.

"I did something seriously bad! They'll sack me for sure, I just know it!" Reyna frowned, understanding that this was basically kidnapping, even if the Fon Master had agreed to it.

"I'm so sorry, Anise. I'll try to do everything my power to make sure that doesn't happen." the boy replied, hoping to comfort Anise.

"Really?!" She looked at him in awe and gratitude.

"Won't the same apply to you, Reyna? Being an accomplice in all of this. After all, you are the commander of the Guardians." Jade commented as he began to pull his hair from the ponytail it was in.

Shrugging, she finished her inspection. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not too concerned about it at the moment."

"Lucky…" Anise muttered under her breath.

Reyna rolled her eyes as Jade continued. "We'll follow the river out to sea where my ship is waiting. This way, we don't have to stop at the port."

As the conversation went to the God Generals, Reyna let her shoulders relax. She hadn't realized how tense she actually was until now. With her eyes going to Jade, she couldn't help but wonder if he really could be trusted. Uncomfortable with having to work with him, Reyna knew she had did this to herself. Having agreed to help had surprised her, but getting the boy to Grand Chokmah seemed to be the plan they were striving for. Perhaps meeting with Emperor Peony wouldn't be such a bad thing...

"Alright, the sea is just up ahead."

Thank Yulia! Reyna couldn't wait to get out of this small boat of death. Regular-sized boats were fine, but it was these small ones that made her feel like she wanted to hurl. If Jade made a sudden turn at this speed, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if one of them fell out. She was sure he wouldn't do that seeing as they were in no danger, so the chances of them getting to his ship were pretty good.

Until the other speedboats came into play.

"Those are the Order's boats!" More than a dozen boats were adjacent to them, having appeared not too far away. Anise also pointed out, "Those are Mohs' men."

Well wasn't this great? Her distraction hadn't lasted as long as she wanted, or that wouldn't have had to worry about this. Had something happen with Iris and the others?

What could have-

Jade swerved the boat, causing Reyna to stumble into the Fon Master and she took hold of him. While the boy looked at her with concern, she shook it off. No point in worrying the boy at this moment. Taking a few steps forward to where Jade was steering, her mind and heart raced. The very thought of falling into the water made her shudder.

Why had she agreed to this again?

Anise had taken this time to cast a fonic arte at the boats, taking down two or three of them. "Eep! I didn't think it'd be that strong. I really wish I could control the degree of it. I didn't want to seriously injure anyone too."

"Good thing for your fonic artes though, Anise." Reyna replied while her braid whipped around.

Anise didn't reply, which took the commander by surprise. Turning her head, she saw Anise's back and the woman wondered if she had even heard her.

Until the young Guardian asked, "Colonel Curtiss, do you have experience with dancing?"

Reyna raised a brow.

"I am somewhat experienced." Jade replied, pushing up his glasses. Reyna had no idea what was going on or what dancing had to do with their situation. "But isn't dancing something you do on the ground, Miss?"

"Anise, my name is Anise Tatlin. Despite my super cute appearance, I am a Fon Master Guardian and the youngest elite!~"

That actually got a laugh out of Reyna while Jade simply nodded his head. "Then let us see your skill, Anise."

Swerving the boat sharply, Anise tumbled off the side. The Fon Master cried out, rushing over to the side but Reyna managed to grab hold of him and pulled him back.

"Anise?!" He yelled from her arms.

Paying no mind, the girl used Tokunaga and somehow, she was in the air as her puppet grew in size. "Let's go!"

Anise came down, smashing into one of the boats before pushing off and landing another. A small sense of pride came from inside of Reyna as she watched the girl fly through the air, almost with elegance.

Though it seemed the Fon Master did not share the same sentiment as he called out to her. "Anise! Be careful! That looks dangerous!"

Placing a hand on his head, those green eyes glanced up at her. She could see it, the worry he had for the other Guardian. Reyna could understand and sympathize with him. However, Anise was capable of taking care of herself and him all at the same time. "Have faith in her. She's doing this for you, after all."

"Huh?"

"She's right." agreed Jade as he pushed his glasses up once more before turning to give him a soft smile. "You have some interesting companions."

Blinking, the boy's eyes went from Jade to Reyna before the smile appeared. "Yes, I do."

Glancing away, Reyna did her best not to scoff at him. Not that he would have heard her, but really! How could he smile like that wit-

"AHHH!"

"Oh?"

That had been the only warning she received as Jade maneuvered the boat to the yelp, causing her to stumble into. Grabbing hold of him, she struggled to keep her grip onto his arm. Damn these little boats and their habit of being so...stupid! She couldn't decide if she hated Mohs or these small boats more, but when Anise landed in the boat and water splashed over them, the boats were pulling ahead.

"Good job, Colonel." Anise smiled as she rubbed her head and let her puppet shrink.

Jade smiled back. "Same to you, Anise."

He turned his attention back to steering, though he did have a moment to give Reyna a curious look. Quickly letting go, her face redden from what she had just done. Coughing and playing it off, she tried to focus on something else.

And this something else turned out to be the fact they were now surrounded.

Glaring at the Oracle Knights in the other boats, she was glad that none of them were Gerard's division. For the moment, they needed to figure out a way to get out of this, lest they all be taken back to Daath. Reyna had a pretty good idea the interrogation that would follow wouldn't be good for any of them. If only Anise could use her fonic artes, but the commander could see that they had long distance weapons attached to their boats.

Damn Mohs! If Jade was smart as he liked to think himself, they be'd better think of a way to fix this.

"Please! Hold on tight. The boat might shake a bit." Reyna turned her attention to the Fon Master. He raised his hand and a great power flowed from him, the fonon gathering around him. It was to Reyna's horror that she realized what he was doing.

She had to stop him, she couldn't let him use that arte!

"No! Don-"

Symbols appeared around the area before light engulfed them all. Shielding her eyes with her arms, she was blinded. Still, that was nothing compared to the power she felt in the aftermath. Slowly, she removed her arms and to her astonishment, the men in the surrounding boats were all unconscious.

His powers were so much stronger than she originally thought...

"Wooooow." Anise looked on, amazed by the sight. Reyna, while still taken back by it, began to frown. "You took down everyone!"

"Mmm." The boy nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yes…but we should go befor-"

Seeing him wobble, Reyna acted quickly. Reaching the boy just as he passed out, she held him carefully in her arms as they went down. Jade and Anise were by her side in an instant as she brushed his hair from his face and checked over him.

"Ion?!" Anise peered closely at the boy and checked him out as well. Reyna gave her attention to Jade, who appeared concerned. Their eyes met and she simply shook her head.

Her eyes went back to the Fon Master.

What a stupid and foolish boy...

AN: Welcome to end another chapter! For this particular chapter, I didn't do much to change it except move some names around because, again, I forgot Gerard should not be there. Sometimes I want to smack myself in the face. Like the first time this chapter was uploaded, this is one of the small chapters, which I did not feel too inspired for, hence why even when I was working on the revision, this pretty much stayed the same.

I wonder if anyone noticed I took out Reyna's clothes description last chapter...ah. I'm actually redoing Reyna's outfit, so I'll try to see if I can get that done in my spare time and have commission someone to draw her in it. I'm glad I didn't change her hair, because I was considering doing it too! |:

Any and all reviews are appreciated. Thank you! Also, next chapter will have the most work done it during this revision thus far. You'll see soon it as soon as I get a bit more ahead.

Preview
Chapter 4: Grand Chomah - Upon arriving to the capital of Malkuth, Grand Chokmah, the group meets with Emperor Peony who isn't exactly how they expect. After agreeing to help with their cause, the group learns that there is a delay in their plan. Unknown to the ones from Daath, something is happening in the shadow, something that may force them to change their plans.