A/N: AGAIN, I am TERRIBLY sorry I haven't been writing lately. Well, in like almost a year. BUT. I am done school, FOREVER. So, I'm planning on writing a lot this next week, and either I'll get the story finished this month, or this summer. I PROMISE. But, I hope this chapter isn't as boring as it sounds, and I hope you guys enjoy these next few chapters. I hope they're good, and not crappy. :)

Love you all so much!! Thanks for being such great reviewers!!

Abiona Marchand 3

Kaden walked silently, with Bis at her side. She certainly didn't like the company she was with. So, she stuck with the one person she trusted out of the whole group. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at the sky, already getting dark. Kaden watched with him, and found one lone star. She closed her eyes and made a wish. When she opened her eyes, Bis was staring at her instead of the sky.

"Tired, Milady?" He asked with a grin spreading across his face.

"Sure." She said, winking. "I've had a long day. And I've got an even longer one ahead of me."

They continued their trek towards the Manor. Kaden glanced behind her at the quiet soldiers. Most looked very grim. There were explanations for that. When they got to the Manor, they were let in by the soldiers keeping watch outside. One of the soldiers led them to a room, where they found a man sitting in a chair. He was anyone but the Lord.

"We've been sent by His Majesty himself about the Falcon. We're looking for Lord Raoul." Terin said very formally.

"Lord Raoul is out at the moment." The man in the chair spun it around, and Kaden could finally see what he really looked like. He had graying hair, sour grey eyes, and a glaring stare. "You needed him for something important, I assume?" He sounded very condescending, and Kaden didn't like it at all.

"Yes," She said, jumping in to show him that she wasn't some commoner. "My name is Kaden. I was sent by his Majesty, King Jonathan, about the difficulty you're having. I assume you need our help." She said in a mocking tone. "If you don't, we can leave as soon as you want-"

"Ah, yes. Kaden of Blue Harbour?" He still looked at her as if she was just a child. She was almost twenty, for Goddess sake!

"That's me."

"Well, then, yes. We have a little bit of a dilemma with a, uh, falcon, in town."
"And who might you be, sir?" Bis demanded.

"Ah, yes, my name is Sir Peter of Goldenlake. I am Raoul's uncle. He leaves me in charge when he's away."
"Good." Kaden said, and sat in a chair on the other side of the desk. "Now, tell me about the falcon."

"Well," The man cleared his throat. "It's not so much a bad thing, other than the fact that it's been an inconvenience for the townspeople. They've been complaining that it's been acting like a human. Now, I'm sure that there are reasonable explanations for this. Perhaps the Wildmage has interfered with this Falcon's life…"

"That's why we're here." Kaden butted it. "Have the townspeople said anything else about it? Has it done anything else other than just be a nuisance?"

"Well, I think that the butcher complained it stole some of his meat. And the huntsmen say it scares all the game away. It really has to be dealt with!" Peter seemed like he was getting irritated talking about it.

"Well, then, Sir Peter, we will see what we can do." Bis told him politely, and placed his hand on Kaden's shoulder as if to tell her that they should leave.

"Is there any way we can meet this Falcon?" Kaden asked, and gave Bis a reassuring glance.

"Well, I don't think so. I don't know where it lives. It's just in the way. Please, hurry and get it out of here." Kaden got out of her chair, getting frustrated with the man.

When they had left the Manor, Kaden felt relieved.

"Gods, what crawled up that guy's ass today??" Bis just laughed a loud, thundering laugh.

"I don't know, but he seemed to get pretty angry with us asking so many questions." Perie laughed.

Kaden was silent for a while. It wasn't just the man's attitude, it was the way he thought things out, and the way he treated others. If it wasn't for him, Kaden would be proud to help out the village with whatever they needed. But, for some odd reason, this falcon didn't seem like a nuisance to her. It 

seemed much deeper, and much more delicate. Kaden had a feeling they would have to be very careful, and very thorough. And, she had learned to trust her instincts a long time ago.

"Kaden, what do you think?" Perie asked, sounding worried. All the men looked at her expectantly. She paused thoughtfully.

"I think this has a lot more than just a falcon integrated in it. It seems too complicated to just be a nuisance, and I intend to find out what this is really about." All the men looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean, Milady?" Terin asked.

"I mean, this is not the kind of thing that you see every day. It's a mystery. And I somehow, I don't think I'll be getting rid of this falcon." She sighed. "I think it's about time we all got some sleep and stopped thinking about this. Sleep always helps me to think clearly."

"Good idea, Kaden. Let's head back to our rooms, why don't we?" Bis said, and placed his hand on Kaden's shoulder. All the men nodded, and Terin said his formal goodbyes. Kaden just nodded to the other crew, trying not to grimace or hide her eyes. Then, she returned to her rooms with Bis and the crew. When she got to her door inside the inn, she smiled and bowed to the crew.

"Goodnight, men. See you tomorrow, bright and early." As she was opening her door, and the rest of the crew was sauntering down the hallway, a hand lay on her shoulder.

"Kaden, are you sure you'll be okay?" Kaden looked into the older man's eyes.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"

"Just… earlier, you seemed a little disconcerted with the new crew? Is there something wrong with them?"

"No, no there's not." Kaden smiled and tried not to laugh. "No, everything's fine. Go to bed, Bis."

"If you're sure." Bis smiled, and took his hand off of Kaden's shoulder. "Goodnight, Milady."

Kaden shut the door slowly, and leaned against it once it was closed. She let out a big sigh, and closed her eyes. It had been a very stressful day, and she wasn't sure she could handle it. Nothing had completely sunk in, and she didn't want it to. She was content knowing that she didn't know. She was completely okay with ignoring the question in the air. She was extremely okay with pretending he didn't exist as he did in this moment. She just dearly, awfully hoped that he would feel the same way.

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!! R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R!! Pwease. :D