Zeb could only smile at the sight of his youngest sister dispatching with ease some of the best trained guards of the entire kingdom. "You've trained her well," The white haired man commented, taking a sip of his drink as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm surprised you know so much about staffmanship in addition to your unique style."

"A warrior should be able to adapt to any weapon at hand in case his preferred is not available," The red head knight recited with ease, nursing his cup as well as he watched. "So, say if that legendary sword of yours gets stolen by a thief who uses it against you, you won't immediately die from lack of actual wide combat knowledge."

"Hah! Well said!" Zeb laughed, looking longingly at the sword scabbard at his side. "I wish that we could have a spar like days old..."

"Why not then?" Tarn asked, confused as to his friend's hesitation. It wasn't like Zeb to hold himself back from anything that he wanted to do. "Did the King directly order not to participate in duels anymore?"

"Not exactly directly, but..." With a jerk of his head, the white haired prince made a subtle gesture and the knight's gaze followed the direction before darkening with anger. It was clear what was stopping Zeb from dueling.

"Of course the idiot would be that high of himself," Hissed Tarn as he found Tyler's insistent glare on Zeb from one of the palace windows. "Let me guess: if you wanted to even have a friendly spar with me, that servant of yours would jump in and take your place?"

"I'm afraid so. Even when I insist that it's just a friendly fight or spar, Tyler gets it in him that this is something that I cannot lose and is willing to fight for me in my place. I've already seen it in action after trying to spar a few guards; I'm unofficially prohibited from friendly fighting from now on, so I would theoretically be forced to past time learning how to be king" Zeb sighed and rubbed his temples. "Tyler's a good kid, but...my father seriously weighs too much on him. I would rather just watch my sisters grow up than suffer through another one of his egotistical lessons."

"I understand your pain." The two then just stood there in quiet and enjoyable silence, the sound of Clara's battle cries echoing through as the small princess elegantly made sparring into a dance of sorts. She probably did so without realization as well, striking here and there with blunt ends of her staff and knocking her numerous opponents over with swift hits. Finally, Tarn muttered, more to himself than anything, "She's really beautiful in combat."

Then, out of nowhere, the sound of pained guard cries intensified twicefold as majority of Clara's remaining opponents were suddenly swept away. The screams of pain and agony was enough to snap Tarn and Zeb out of there content selves and they both stood up, knocking chairs backwards as they drew Battle's End and Frozen Throne respectively. "Who's there!" Tarn barked. The dust cleared and the knight paused, then sighed, then sheathed his blade. "Of course it's you two."

Standing in front of Clara were two individuals, both wearing near-identical outfits to the shocked princess but with a hint of their hair colors in their sleeves. One was a blue haired man, hefting a thick sword and a glowing black and green diamond shield. The other was a green haired woman holding a staff like a rifle, ready to fire or strike in melee. It had been years since anybody from this kingdom had seen them, but the weapons gave away their identity.

"Sorry, but we can't just let you attack our boss," The two said in unison, twirling their weapons as they readied for battle with the rest of the frightened and confused guards. Again, Tarn sighed at how blunt they were, as if...were they trying to steal his job from him?!

But then, Clara's eyes lit up and she stuck her staff in the ground so as to eagerly hug both of them around the waist. "Horace! Alicia! You're back!" She screamed excitedly, elicting gasps of surprise from the two former thieves. "I've missed you!"

"Ah we're...we're glad to be back!" Alicia slightly stuttered, a grin lighting up on her face as she copied the Terrazine princess' gesture and stuck her staff in the dirt to hug. "I...I hope all our letters reached you!"

"They did! I kept all of them. You have to tell me all your stories!"

"Well, I'm sure that you two can exchange stories a little later." Unlike his partner, Horace managed to wriggle himself out of Clara's hug and retained hold on his weapons, glancing around to make sure the sparring foes wouldn't make a surprise attack on the reunited friends. "For now though...I hope that our little interruption will be forgiven, but we do have that bit of a dramatic flair."

"Indeed you do." And with that, Tarn whirled and threw his gravity axe at Horace in a blur of limbs. With ease, the blue haired boy slammed his shield into the ground and braced as the projectile made contact. A distinctive ping was heard as the axe bounced uselessly off the protective weapon and crashed against the ground, the momentum absorbed instead of reflected. "And I'll have to...educate you properly. Let's spar."

"Why the hell not?" The shieldman grinned, hefting his sword as Tarn drew his own blade. "Alicia, milady Clara, do as you please. For now, let spirited fools fight!"

"Have at you!"

"Oh, screw it all." With a point of his sword, Zeb froze the door to the training yard shut with his power before leaping into the fray with a cry on his lips. "I'll show you true meaning of fear!"

O O O

"Boys will be boys," Xana grumbled as she finished wrapping the gauze around her older brother's head. He'd taken quite a nasty shield bash to the face but refused to tend to it till now, meaning that Zeb had been fighting with a massive headache as well. "Leave that on for the rest of the day, then I'll replace the bandages tomorrow to make sure there isn't a chance for infection. Gods help me if you get any stupider than having a three-way free-for-all sparring match with real weapons."

"I...I actually have to agree," Alicia shyly added as the green haired girl tightened the final splinter in her partner's ankle, making sure that he would be comfortable walking around with that for a while. The downsides of using a massive shield to block attacks: you could easily sprain your ankle really badly from the blunt force trauma. "That...that should work for now."

"That was awesome!" Clara, on the polar opposite end of danger, eagerly cheered as she wiped the last drop of blood off Tarn's arm using an alcohol soaked pad and placed an adhesive version of the material on instead. Despite Zeb trying to hold back his strikes, his blade still could cut through skin with no effort. "It's like reading a fantasy novel or warrior's tale! You were all like 'I'm gonna cut you!' And he was like 'I don't think so!' So cool!"

Tarn grinned, then sighed as he flexed his arm, experimenting his possible movements and noting which ones caused a brief flash of pain. The wound would heal in a few days, but it was still important to know what could distract one in a fight. That was all it took to become absent-minded and slip up in a duel to the death.

After testing out his arm movements, Tarn turned to Horace as the girls began to clean up the makeshift medical session. "You have definitely improved. I had trouble actually landing hits on you, and those that did were smoothly blocked. How did you learn such a technique?"

The blue haired teen shrugged. "Well, we went to Hanar, and there, getting hit nearly means death in an instant. Even with my shield...the number of times that I got cut because I relied too much on it protecting me. So I tried to instead just dodge the attacks in the first place, and use my shield more as an insurance policy than my primary source of taking the blows."

"He...he did amazingly when he fought!" Alicia added. "He...he protected me from everything that way. And also our colleagues!"

"Well, it sounds like you two made a name for yourself over there," The red head man commented, nodding appreciatively before frowning. "How come you came back then? And without letting us know?"

"It was a very sudden and abrupt change," Horace answered. "To put it simply, we went out of work. The wars stopped."

"What?" Here, Tarn's head snapped upwards. His family hailed from lands close to Hanar, and it was well known that the rivalries of the warlords of Hanar were legendary in their legacy. What in the world could have made them stopped?

"Some new kingdom conquered them," The shieldman continued, understanding the Royal Knight's confusion. "I think you might have heard of them, the Terran Empire?"

"The Terran Empire conquered Hanar?" Zeb muttered and the entire group turned to look at him expectantly. "Ah, yes, well, there have been talks of some new nation coming to power to the lands northwest of us. Apparently, they posses technology that has never been seen before in these lands ever since the birth of our current kingdom. I originally dismissed them as mere rumors, but now, it would appear that they truly a real power."

"If they do exist, and they have indeed conquered Hanar, then the whole world will be in uproar," Xana reasoned, her own diplomatic training kicking in. "It can then be assumed that the Terran Empire shall respond in kind, possibly with a public declaration with various diplomats or something along those words."

"Then I suppose that we do have to play dress up then dear sisters," The white haired prince sighed and his sisters nodded. "I must say, what wondrous technologies do they have...?"

"Wait, we want to accompany the princess!" Tarn, Horace, and Alicia all exclaimed in unison. "We're hers to command!"

"Actually, I think you three need a well deserved break; stay here and keep an eye on Father in fact; make sure he doesn't get in trouble or anything of the sort. Well, for now though, I say we just continue living our daily lives!" Clara exclaimed and turned to the other girls in the room, Alicia and Xana. After a brief whispering session between them, the three nodded and got up, leaving the confused and wounded men staring as they left the room. Then the ominous cackling sound of ice forming was heard and Tarn's face paled as he jumped up and pull on the door. It didn't even budge. "Sorry Tarn!"

"But we can't let you have all the fun!" Xana, user of ice, chimed. "We'll have our own fight now."

"We...we expect you to patch us up in the same way afterwards!" Alicia added and together, the three ladies made their way to the dueling field.

Tarn looked incredulously at Zeb, who merely shook his head and sighed. "You've taught Clara way too well. I fully expect a coup tonight that will ensure that deserts are served first at dinnertime."

O O O

"I don't like them." Tarn muttered, shaking his head disapprovingly as he passed another Terrazine royal guard, now outfitted in the Terran CMC power armor. "I don't."

"What's the matter Tarn?" Clara asked, skipping along happily next to her Royal Knight. "You disapprove of the Terran technologies? Why?"

"They are tearing down much of our culture, something shaped over thousands of years of struggle. and are replacing them with something...sterile, birthed only recently and with little base." The red head man sighed and readjusted his sword scabbard. "I guess, maybe I'm just old fashioned. I would still take the sword over the pistol any day."

"Well, don't we all?" Two voices chorused in unison and Horace and Alicia both stepped in line next to Clara, protecting her flanks while Tarn guarded the princess' back. A suitable bodyguard position, Tarn deemed as they were able to respond assassinations from all sides whilst still remaining in comfortable talking distance.

Following their reappearance, the two were inagurated into Clara's newly formed Royal Court, a tradition harkening from the old Terrazine, where nobles would surround themselves with whatever invdividuals they fancied. So far, only Tarn and the two former thieves were part of this Court, but to Clara, she was happy with those three as her direct subordinates. Additionally, as Clara was still a princess and lacked full authority to knight both Horace and Alicia, they had created a cheeky workaround; they would still pose as mercenaries, hired by the Terrazine princess to protect herself from any assassins. That also satisfied any payment needs that the two would have for living expenses.

However, for today, as the four approached a large metal door in the marble corridors, Clara turned and gestured. "Well, off you go! This is a personal meeting with Commander Anthony and my siblings; I'm sorry, but I can't have you all crowding us up. Just go take a walk, and I'll be done before you even know it!"

Tarn began to protest, then hesistated and sighed at realizing nothing would change the young mistress' mind when she was this determined about her new friend. "As you wish." He bowed and the two mercenaries followed suit. All three then turned around and began to stroll along the palace corridors. They simply enjoyed the comfortable silence between their colleagues, no real need to be on guard or stressed as of now. The kingdom of Terrazine was at peace.

And yet, Tarn was aware of the malevolent talks that several nobles have been doing, ears open for any threat. They were unhappy, like him, about the recent Terranization of their very traditional kingdom. However, unlike Tarn, they weren't willing to bear it for the sake of peace, and were willing to instead incite a civil war. At this point, this could prove disastrous as the people still had low public opinion of the king.

The King. Oh, what a marvelous fool! The Royal Knight would relish the day that Prince Zeb finally overtook him, the old man proving to be an even bigger ego as time progressed on. He accepted the Terranization as merely a way to strengthen his own military and might; Tarn would not be surprised if relations with the Terran Empire were suddenly broken after the King had deemed that he had stolen all their powerful technologies.

But this would lead to heartbreak however. Princess Clara, in her first experience of tasting alcohol (that didn't end very well), had stated in a drunken fit that it was very clear that her older sister liked this Commander Anthony beyond simply being friends. Prince Zeb had also hinted this to Tarn in one of their simple drinking sessions (that thankfully ended better).

An alliance based on marriage, Tarn mused. Wouldn't be the worst idea ever, especially when both parties had genuine interest in each other. However, this was sounding more and more like a set up for a very tragic love story, and the red head man knew that Clara too would be heartbroken if anything happened to her sister. Hmm...this was a particularly interesting diplomatic incident! Should he perhaps muse about this in his book...?

"Tarn," Alicia's voice, free of stutters and filled now with cold confidence, whispered and the man with glasses snapped back to attention as his senses went into overdrive. The green haired teenager wouldn't speak so freely like that unless...

"Sniper, upper right," Horace smoothly added, casually slinging his shield from his back over to that side. He made no movements to grab his sword from his back as well though, so as to let the assassins know they've been had. "And there's something in those bushes-"

"Two in bushes, acting as decoys for a final shooter in hedge to far right," Tarn finished, rotating his neck and nudging the blue haired teen. "I'm still your elder. Allow me to best you for once."

"As if I'd let you." With that, the sniper fired but the Distortion Shield was already in place as Horace activated his weapon. The green power lines came to life within the dead hunk of metal as the bullet froze short of hitting the weapon, reversed its momentum, and came shooting right back at the sniper. The assassin let out a cry of pain and surprise as his weapon was shattered by its own bullet and the shards of metal pierced his armor, but there were now more pressing concerns.

From the bushes rose two men in armor and rifles, taking aim at the group while Horace was focused on the sniper. Their trigger fingers clenched and the guns barked, only for the bullets to fly aimlessly in the air as a well placed staff smack knocked both weapons upwards, followed by two swift jabs to knock them out as Alicia coolly repeated her maneuvers half a second later. With a flick of her staff, the green haired girl turned to fire on the last assassin-

Only to watch the poor traitor becoming bisected as Tarn threw his axe directly at his abdomen. The ancient weapon sheared through the metal armor as if it were mere paper, and the organs protected within as if they were butter. The two sections crashed to the floor with a squish while Tarn casually walked to and picked up his gravity axe from where it crashed: the wall on the opposite side of the courtyard. "Let's get moving. I'll bet my sword that the Princess is in trouble."

"Copy."

"We'll follow!"

Without any further discussion, the three black-clad figures turned and dashed back into the marble white palace. For Tarn, this was the first time he was going into a full-out battlezone, and what he heard and saw irked him. For the first time, he heard the screams and cries of the wounded, the blood and gore splattered everywhere, the brutality of the fight as Terrazine turned upon Terrazine. It didn't necessarily disturb or discourage him, but for the Royal Knight, this was a new experience that he was enduring. Was this what killing the King would bring? A bloody revolution, a slaughter? Was this massacre of men worth his revenge?

A rather hard nudge into his ribs snapped Tarn out of his reverie and he turned to see Horace casually replacing his thick sword back with his shield. "You looked out of it," He casually remarked. "Just stay focused."

Ah, that was right. The two mercenaries of Clara had seen the most brutal battles in Hanar, where mercy was hardly a concept. He'd had to step up his game, Tarn realized as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. When the green eyes opened back up, they were cold and merciless, with only one thing in mind: Clara's safety. "Thank you."

"I'll charge you later." Whether that was a joke or not, Tarn did not know. Nor did he care, as the trio rounded the corner and found their boss. "Princess!"

"Huh?" Clara turned to look whilst striking her staff forward, sending out a bolt of lightning into the traitor about to cleave her. The man shouted and screamed, then was silenced as Zeb cleaved through his abdomen and kicked the body off the impromptu cover. "Ah, took you guys long enough!"

"What's the status?" Tarn asked as he moved in, blades flashing as he cut through the crowd of enemies standing between him and the defensive position the Royals had set up. Horace and Alicia followed, guarding his flanks as they helped beat through the crowd. "Where's Princess Xana?"

"I sent her with the Terrans," Zeb cut in, both in the conversation and in the fight as he loped off the head of somebody about to shoot at Tarn. "We'll need allies if we are to win this civil war! Can I count on you Tarn, to aid me in ending our strife?"

"Count on your sister, and her will is my will!" The Royal Knight roared, flicking his blade and getting into a combat stance with the tip of his sword pointed outwards and gravity axe at ready to be thrown. "My lady, instruct me!"

"Alright then! Everybody, charge! Break the horde, and beat them out of the palace!" Clara shouted, raising her staff so as to gain her allies' attention. "We will not rest until every traitor that dared to harm our friends fall!"

O O O

Ducking his tall form under the tent's rim, a blood splattered Tarn entered the field command and waited as he watched Clara give heated directions into a radio. "General Abe, as much as I welcome your help, the orders are to capture the rebels ALIVE! We need them to learn more information...goddammit!"

"Language," He muttered instinctively, immediately drawing the white haired girl's attention. Tarn flinched, half-expecting a yell of frustration or a bark of dismissal from the angered Princess in the annoyance. But instead, Clara just slumped in her chair, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Tarn, sorry. I just...ragh! I want men who WILL listen and follow, not men who COULD listen and follow!" She ranted, slamming her hand on the table during some sections. Without even needing an order, Tarn fumbled around and pulled out a canteen of water from under his jacket, and handed it to Clara wordlessly. She took it and drank greedily, coughing as she finished the container's remains. "Thanks. But as much as I trust Anthony, I can't say the rest about his men. Specifically this Abe fellow."

"He's quite...hot headed," The red head offered and the Princess nodded in agreement. "Maybe I should go take the order to him directly? That way, if he refuses-"

"No, no. You look bad enough already; go get patched up, I'll talk to Abe directly." Clara ordered, much to Tarn's confusion. "What? You're pretty hurt, I should've-"

"It's not my blood."

"Oh."

An awkward silence.

Then the two broke out into stiffled giggles and chuckles. "You know, I really do care for you," Clara commented as she grabbed her cloak, slipping it on. "Even more than you care for me...I know it's not exactly the best time to mention it, but, what the hell. We could die tomorrow and not know it."

"Princess, I care for you as if you were my own," Tarn flatly stated, picking up Clara's staff and holding it out for the young lady. "Your mother, on her deathbed, commissioned me to be your protector as you grew up. That has not changed a single bit."

"Yes, yes, I understand. Just...wait outside, I need to quickly radio Horace and Alicia that the battle is won."

"As you wish." As soon as Tarn stepped outside, Clara slumped back into her chair, this time letting out a muted cry of despair as she rested her arm over her eyes. How could she be more direct and he still didn't understand?!

"Tarn...when will you realize my feelings for you? When will you see me more than the child you raised? When will you see me as a woman?"

O O O

"What the hell!?" Clara shouted, recoiling instantly at the scene that she and Tarn had arrived to see. Bile instantly rose up in her throat, and for the first time, she couldn't hold it back and turned away to throw up as her Royal Knight looked silently on. "Oh...oh...gods."

"General Abe." Tarn's voice was steeled and cold, without showing any feeling but disappointment and disapproval. "Your orders were to capture the rebel leaders alive. I see you are guilty of insubordination now."

Indeed, for the scene was the rebel command tent, a near mirror to the loyalist one. However, the main difference was the flag it flew and the bodies, blood, gore, flesh, brains, and bones that were splattered everywhere inside. There was not a surface not covered in some form of a bodily fluid or body part, nor was there a place in which one could stand without stepping in a pool of blood. Whatever happened in here, it was a massacre.

And at the heart of it all was a bald man in a Marauder's suit, minus the helmet. His eyes were coated with a haze of red, his armor stained red, his gloves red with blood. "They killed my men," General Abe whispered first, then his voice bellowed into a roar. "SO MY CHALLENGE WAS TO KILL THEM!"

"You are not fit for command," Tarn stated, having not even flinched in Abe's verbal attack. "Thus, I hereby relieve you of command. You are to forfeit your men-"

"On whose authority!?" The battle-crazed Marauder screeched and Tarn's hand drifted to his sword scabbard. All he needed was on clean swipe-

"On my authority." With horror rising in his gut, the Royal Knight heard Princess Clara talk as she stared at Abe. "As Tarn is my Royal Knight, his actions are mine. Thus, with my authority, you are relieved of command-"

"THEN I WILL REMOVE YOUR AUTHORITY! THAT IS MY CHALLENGE!" Abe roared, suddenly lunging forward and bringing back his fist at the exposed girl. Clara gasped and tried to summon her force shield, but it would be no use, the casting time was too long-

A dark blur intercepted the fist before it could reach Clara's body and Tarn was sent flying out of the tent's entrance as he shouted in pain. "Tarn!" The white haired girl cried, immediately turning around and running out of the slaughtering grounds. Outside, on the dirt, was Tarn, grimacing in pain as he nursed his right arm. Clara rushed to his side and collapsed, grabbing the broken bones and stuttering. "I'm...I'm so sorry! I didn't know-!"

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" A furious voice bellowed as Abe crashed out of the tent, literally tearing it down as he ripped down its supports as he came out. "I will not be denied my challenge!"

With a swift flick of his left arm, Tarn flung his gravity axe at Abe. The Marauder didn't see it coming and was slammed in the chest by it, sending his body crashing backwards. The Royal Knight shakily got up, still holding onto his right arm despite Clara's protests. His suit was ruined, his glasses were cracked, and yet, Tarn stood, drawing his sword with a trembling left hand as his right hung limply. "I won't let you lay a hand on her," The red head swore, readying his weapon. "I'll gladly give my life to protect the Princess."

"Tarn, stop! You really are hurt now! We have to-"

"Raggghhhh!" The Marauder General rose back up from the ground and gritted his teeth, ripping the gravity axe out of his chestplate. Sticky red fluid dripped from the blade of the axe and from the massive gash in Abe's chest, but he did not feel it evidently as he casually tossed the axe away. "A challenge! I shall conquer it!"

"Sir, that's enough!" Two Muraders appeared and yanked on Abe's arms, ignoring his bellows and shouts as they forced him down. "The fight's over! Calm yourself, you've avenged him sir! Sir!"

"We're very sorry about our boss' actions!" A third Marauder appeared in front of Tarn and Clara, shaking his head. "You see, he tends to go...beserk when he sees his men dying. Especially one of the Hammerheads. When our comrade was killed...well, the result was in that tent. Are you alright?"

"I'll live."

A/N: Hope that you guys are still enjoying this story! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my main series, right after this and the trailer, I will release the Protoss Rebirth! Just be a bit more patient and keep enjoying the story of Tarn!