Mahad woke up. Dahlia was still asleep. Her back was turned to him. One of his arms lay around her waist. His other arm lay underneath his head. "She looks so beautiful when she' asleep…"
Dahlia woke up, too. She turned around to him.
'Good morning, sleeping beauty.' Mahad said. She smiled.
----
'You know better then that!' the girl said. No way she was older then ten. Her dark brown hairs were tied in two long pigtails on her back. Her light gray eyes shined bright in the sunlight. She wore a simple dress, made of black cotton layers.
'I do?' Cortes answered.
The girl shook her head. 'You're as impossible as your late master.'
Cortes chuckled.
'But it won't help you.'
'I understand your concern, Salcilia. Yet, I thought I was one of the two men assigned to protect Dahlia.'
Salcilia shook her head, then she disappeared. Cortes sighed. He muttered something that sounded like: 'She's the worst of all'.
----
Marcus Farell stood outside his house as the Saint Nazaire landed. A few horses looked up at the noise, but soon they went back doing whatever they did. Some ate of the grass, others just galloped around.
When confronted with his children, his eyes softened. Lena and Mahad, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about their father. He was alive, for all these years, without even letting anything know. That just didn't add up.
'Sorry for not letting anything know. It was twice as hard for me as for you.' Marcus said. He exactly knew what the two kids wondered.
'Marcus, I know it has been a long time since you was your kids and vice versa, but we have more pressing matters.' Cortes said.
'Ah yes, the moon princess.' Marcus said. For the first time, he looked at Dahlia. This time she was dressed in a sleeveless dress, midnight blue, with silver stars around the edges.
'She looks just like her mother.' he said.
'Kaya said just the same.' Cortes said. 'And both of you are right.'
This was a moment, that no one wanted to disturb. Yet, Cheng yelled: 'The horses!'
The horses were going crazy. They scaffold around.
'Please, not these guys again…' Cortes moaned.
'Too bad.' Marcus said.
'You're enjoying this, aren't ya?'
'Oh yeah.'
'Well, well, a nice reunion.' a woman from about the age of Dahlia said. Her bright red eyes shined evil. Her red hairs were tied in a braid.
'What do you want, Patricia?' Marcus asked in a cold tone. Both he and Cortes slowly walked towards Dahlia.
'Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't know…' Patricia said in a playful, teasing tone. 'I want the moon princess, of course.' she said in an angry tone.
'Then you'll first need to get past us.' Cortes said. Patricia laughed.
'Easy enough.' she said. On that moment, some warriors came up.
'You've gotta be kidding.' Marcus said, while Cortes burst out laughing. Marcus started to laugh with him.
'I'm sorry, but do really think that THIS will defeat US?' Cortes said, half-laughing. Then, all of the sudden, both Cortes and Marcus stopped laughing and got a very cold look on their face.
'You know a lot better.' Marcus said.
And then they attacked.
Cortes bended the earth to his will, immediately kicking three warriors of the block. Marcus seemed to control fire, burning the other three. Now Patricia was on her own. But she was stronger then they expected. Cortes got thrown back when Patricia send a lightning his way. He smacked against a tree and lay there, unconscious. Dahlia slapped both of her hands in front of her mouth.
Marcus was better in his defenses, but Patricia was also too strong for him. For the simple reason that Marcus had a small amount of lava in his blood.
'Say, that wonderful liquid is not running through your entire body, is it?' she said, bending Marcus' body to her will. With a sudden move of her hand, she threw Marcus away, against the Saint Nazaire. He had trouble breathing, but for the rest he was fine.
But Dahlia was angry. Patricia got hit by some silver balls, which disappeared in her body. Patricia cried out in pain, then she created fire around her and disappeared.
Lena and Mahad ran over to their father, who sat up.
'I'm fine.' he said. 'But how's Mac?'
The answer didn't take long.
Cortes had stumbled towards them, one hand on his chest. He was having serious trouble breathing.
'Are you alright?' Cheng asked. Cortes looked at his son, gasping for breath. Then he collapsed.
A/N No, Cortes/Mac isn't dead...Not yet