Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with a new installment in this story! This chapter is supposed to be a flashback which was initially meant to be around 2,000 words, but then it somehow grew to be this monster! Also, I didn't specify in the last chapter, but Milla is supposed to be late twenties to early thirties in present time. This flashback happens eleven years in the past so that needs to be clarified... Also, an OC has appeared in this chapter, as well as some other familiar faces! :) OC will remain unnamed though since I didn't want to make you guys that angry...

Thank you Project AE Hachi-Roku, TheAnime4Fan, CloudyLightning, and Mayuko-chan for your support. You all make me so happy! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Tales of Xillia, Tales of Destiny, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Graces, or Tales of Zestiria.

Edit: A reader has pointed out that there is some content in this chapter that is not rated T. I sincerely apologize to all who have read this chapter and wasn't expecting anything in the M rating territory.

Edit 2: Hello, everyone. I added a lemon to this chapter to exploit the rating now that I've changed it to M. This is my first time writing this type of thing so please feel free to critique it! :)

Chapter 2

Eleven years ago…

"Alright new recruits, as you know, today will mark the beginning of your final examinations. You all need to take this very seriously. If you fail, you will be kicked to the curb. Any questions?" the class instructor said to the fresh faced knights-in-training in front of him. The silence informed the man of the consensus the students had come to, so he nodded curtly. "Great. This test will go on for the next few days. I will be observing your skills with a sword, your ability to make quick decisions, and last but not least, your strength."

This information had been relayed many times before to the students, nonetheless they've learned through rigorous training that they should always keep focused on their leader. However, there was one blonde who wasn't watching the male with her unwavering attention.

Milla sighed as she inclined her head towards the ceiling of the mirrored room. She shifted her weight onto her left leg which made an impression on the purple foam mat that covered the hardwood floor. The pre-knight yawned and blinked multiple times; her anticipation for the start of her final examination left her restless the past two days. She reprimanded herself for not being able to sleep last night, but it was a common occurrence for her when she was tense. Milla could only hope that the lack of slumber would not affect her performance or she could kiss her dream of being a knight goodbye.

Milla felt the onslaught of sleep consume her, but she shook her head abruptly to keep herself awake. The blonde then brought her gaze down towards the instructor of her class who was just speaking. Milla couldn't for the life of her remember the man's name; of course they were only allowed to refer to him as 'sir' so she never needed to know it. The man was very well built, as expected for someone in this field, however there was something off with his face which didn't leave him handsome. His black hair was combed cleanly out of his brown eyes which gave him a very professional look.

"Alright then. Today your swordsmanship will be tested," the man motioned to the array of swords that that were placed in a stand behind him. "I will break all of you into pairs. You and your partner will duel while I walk around to observe your skills." The knight then inhaled deeply and spoke even louder. "Remember your training. The point of this is not to win, but to display what you have learned." The instructor then started to pace slowly in front of his students after he retrieved a piece of paper with some scrawls on it from his pocket. "I've chosen the teams for all of you." He cleared his throat and then read the contents hoarsely, "Team 1 will be Asbel and Yuri, team 2 will be Leon and Alisha, team 3 will be Flynn and Milla…"

If Milla were asleep before, she was wide awake now that she'd heard who her partner was. The girl snapped her head to her right and she locked eyes with the blond male standing straight with his arms behind his back. He nodded his head to her in acknowledgement and Milla groaned. It was well known to everyone in the class that Flynn was highest ranking student in her class; he was definitely the model knight. Not to mention, the way he handles his sword was impeccable.

After the trainer revealed the ten partnerships, the students dispersed to obtain a sword from the front of the training room and gave themselves room with their partner to begin the test. Milla and Flynn took the corner closest to the door and got into their fighting stances.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Milla. You can have the first shot," Flynn said with a smile.

Milla squinted her eyes at him, not knowing if he was offering out of kindness or if he was using this opportunity to gain the upper hand after she attempted the first hit.

"How kind of you. You will regret that decision." As soon as Milla uttered those words, she took a quick step forward to gain momentum in her sword and she thrust her blade in the male's direction.

Flynn parried the assault flawlessly and went for a horizontal slice against Milla's torso. Milla anticipated the move and she quickly took a back step to dodge it. With Flynn's body open to attacks due to his careless slash, Milla took the opportunity to jump forward and deal a heavy vertical slice. The man panicked and quickly brought his sword in front of his face to block the attack, but in his haste he forgot his form. When Milla's blade came into contact with Flynn's, his muscles began to shake from the aftermath of the impact as he felt a stab of pain coursing in his arms.

Milla sensed that the male was taken aback from her strike so she pushed forward with her sword still in contact with Flynn's. On a regular day, Flynn would have been able to push the girl off of him in a second, but he could not find the strength in his arms to do so now. Milla pushed him to the dirty floor, and when he was down she withdrew her sword briefly only to point it to the male's neck a moment later to signal that she'd won the round.

Milla smiled and relished the defeated look on Flynn's face. "Damn, it feels good to beat the best kid in class," she thought as she gave a brief and tired laugh.

The woman withdrew the sword from its dangerous position when she heard clapping behind her. She was confused at first since their instructor never showed praise like that to anyone. Her confusion heightened when she spun around to find a tall young woman behind her instead of her instructor. The woman had light blue hair that was tied up tightly in a bun while a few strands laid in front of her face. Her hairdo accentuated her high cheekbones and large eyes; her features were so beautiful that they didn't seem human, but almost elf-like.

As far as Milla knew, she and Alisha were the only girls in the class so she was wondering who this woman could be, and judging from her clothing she wasn't properly dressed to be in a room full of clashing swords.

"That was quite amazing," the woman sang while her jade eyes twinkled.

Milla nodded her head at the compliment. "Thank you. And you are?"

The woman's large eyes widened and then she chuckled slightly. "Where are my manners? My name is Muzét."

The blonde smiled and outstretched her hand for a handshake during their introductions. "Nice to meet you. My name is Milla."

"Milla? That's a nice name!" Muzét giggled. She looked at Milla's hand, but made no attempt to return the sentiment.

At this point Flynn got the strength to get up on his own and noticed who had interrupted their fight. He gasped slightly and then bowed to the woman. "Y-your majesty!"

The red-eyed one looked to Flynn with her own growing plate sized eyes and then returned her gaze back to Muzét who just kept on her devious smile. At Flynn's exclamation, the other students as well as the class instructor now turned their attention to the blue-haired woman.

"Your majesty what are you doing here?" the class's instructor asked. The man's utterance affirmed Milla's suspicions as she felt unbelievably ignorant at the realization that this woman was Nachtigal's new wife, and she was the only one in the room who had no idea.

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering how things went about down here," Muzét said as she tilted her head slightly sideways.

The black-haired man gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, now the students are having their examinations. As you can see it's very dangerous for you to be walking around like this without any protection; especially in your condition."

The queen nodded and hummed as if she wasn't concerned for her safety. "Examination? Well, I'm sure this girl here would be an excellent knight." Muzét motioned toward Milla. "Be sure that she passes, alright?"

The knight looked over to the blonde and wondered what exactly the lady saw in her; she was never very extraordinary in her last couple of months of training. "I don't know about that. Everyone must be graded fairly of course," the man laughed slightly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Of course," the woman smiled.

"Enjoy your stay. I'd like to attend to you further, but we are in the middle of a test."

Muzét tapped her lips with her finger. "No worries. I was just poking my head in to say hello. I'll be out of your hair in a couple of moments."

The man nodded and then walked off to the other side of the room to continue observing Asbel and Yuri's duel.

Muzét was about to leave when Milla took a step in front of her. The blue-haired woman smiled and gave the blonde her full attention.

"Wait, what did he mean by 'in your condition'?"

Muzét smiled even broader than before which caused her eyes to appear as if they were slits. "I'm pregnant!"

The knight-in-training gave her queen a small smile. "Congratulations, ma'am."

The taller woman opened her eyes and then straightened her head. "Oh please don't call me that; we're about the same age so there's no need to be that formal with me."

"Oh I see. I hope you have a healthy pregnancy," Milla wished her politely.

The queen put a hand on her stomach gingerly and gazed down. "I hope so too." Muzét sighed and then spun on her heel to leave. "Hopefully the next time I see you Milla, you'll be in full knight armor. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you." Milla then turned around to come face to face with an impatient looking Flynn. The female sighed and then got into position for the round two of their fight.

"Eight, nine, ten, elev-,"

Milla fell to the ground with an audible thud. Today was the last day of the grueling exam and she was finding it hard to keep up with the rest of the class. After the first day, the examination consisted of tests that evaluated physical fitness. Today the class was being assessed on upper body strength which is definitely not a strong point of hers. The examination occurred in the room adjacent to the sword training room which looked identical to it, except there was exercising equipment instead of dangerous sharp weapons. That equipment consisted of many things, including a metal bar that hung overhead on which Milla had just failed to perform twenty pull-ups on.

She got up on her hands and knees, but before she rose she spotted a pair of feet in front of her. Trailing her eyes upward she caught sight of her training instructor towering over her. Milla quickly got up and patted her training clothes down and then locked eyes with the knight.

"Milla, you barely got through half of your pull-ups, if you can't complete this task then I don't think you're fit enough to be a knight," the man said seriously.

Milla stuck up her nose and regarded her instructor while his brown eyes were locked in a steely gaze with Milla's red ones. The intense stare caused Milla to back down and she quickly adverted her eyes. "I'll get better with time," the blonde said quietly.

"What time?" the trainer said sternly. "You do realize that this is the last day of your final exam? You're not going to pass like this."

The young woman gazed around the room and not to her surprise, the other students regarded her with condescending looks similar to the one her instructor was giving her. Some of them even shook their heads at her inability complete the exercise.

Milla glared her ferocious red eyes at the knight and then at the raised bar she was performing her pull-ups on. "Give me one more chance, sir. This time I will surely do it."

Milla's instructor gave some consideration to the idea; something that he'd never even thought he would do for a student of his. But something kept telling him that he should let her try again. Whether it was what the queen had said earlier that week or just mere intuition, he did not know. However, he was genuinely interested in seeing if Milla would be able to finish her exam.

The black-haired man nodded and then Milla jumped, grabbed the bar, and proceeded to pull herself up with just her upper body strength.

Once Milla started, the instructor began to count. "One, two, thr-,"

For the second time that day, Milla fell again. Some of the students gasped, but they quickly quieted down when their trainer shot them a dangerous glare.

Milla propped herself up on her elbows while her mind was reeling with her current predicament. She had a feeling that this test may be her downfall as she had spent most of her time practicing her sword techniques which were almost flawless at this point. However, she didn't give herself enough time for her upper body strength to develop.

"This isn't fair anyway. It's easier for the rest of them to do this since they're boys," Milla thought bitterly as she gazed at her predominantly male based classmates, but then her eyes landed on Alisha. "Except for her… She's a girl, and she got through her pull-ups just fine."

Milla sighed and dropped her head. Suddenly, she was grabbed with a jolt when her instructor grabbed her by the back of her collar, much like how a cat would pick up her kitten, and then plopped her on her feet. The blonde felt too ashamed to look at him in the eyes so instead dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Your examination is over. Leave now while the others take theirs." His voice was calm but all the students knew that the chilly tone he used meant he was not in a good mood. They all shrunk back and hoped that he would be merciful on the next one who needed to conclude his exam.

Milla dragged her feet and hung her head as she made her out of the hard floored exam room and back to her dormitory which sat on the other side of the building.

Once she got there, she lay faced down on her bed and reminisced what had just happened. "I didn't make it," she said to herself sadly as she felt her eyes pricking with oncoming tears. She curled her fingers on the fabric of the bed's sheets and grabbed them hard. Milla sulked for a couple of more minutes on her bed, but then slowly rose herself up.

She planted her eyes on her closest and figured that it was time for her to pack her belongings, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She wanted with all of her heart to become a knight, and it didn't seem fair that her fate was decided just because she couldn't perform twenty pull-ups. She'd wanted to do this ever since she was a little girl, and this was all she had left.

Milla had no family to rely on, she was not smart enough to go into Talim Medical School and she didn't have enough gald to move elsewhere. Her opportunities in this city were growing slimmer, but she couldn't possibly afford to leave.

"This can't be the end," she whispered malevolently. She clenched her hands into fists again and knew that somehow she had to convince her instructor to pass her. She'd known that he would be very reluctant to give her yet another chance to redeem herself, and an angry man was something she didn't know how to deal with.

Milla put a finger to her chin as she thought about what she should do. "He is a man after all," she said to herself.

The blonde then went to her closet, but instead of packing her belongings, she change into her pajamas and then sat on her bed with her legs tucked to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. For a second, she'd frightened herself with the recently formulated plan and contemplated if she was bold enough to pull it off.

After a few minutes, Milla resigned to the fact that if she ever wanted to be a knight she had to do it. She shivered briefly at the thought of what the plan entailed so she covered herself in her blanket and then waited.

It was after nightfall when Milla started to tip toe her way outside of the dormitories and toward her destination. She'd only bothered to put on thick wool socks on her feet so that she could travel quietly. The hallways were dark, but the light of the stars outside the large arched windows gave her enough light to see the dark outlines of the flower patterns on the moss green carpet that lined the straight hallway. There were more dormitories arranged on the right side of the hallway so she strayed toward the left side of the corridor.

Milla checked her surroundings twice before confirming that she'd reach the male section of the housing area. She couldn't read the signs on the door she was standing in front of because of the darkness so she caressed the indented numbers of the plaque next to the door searching for the class digit this male instructor taught. Milla grunted in frustration when the characters did not reveal the correct number she was looking for. She then covered her mouth and quietly reprimanded herself for making noise. She knew the consequences of being caught in the other gender's section of the building; she didn't want to give them another reason to boot her out.

Milla sidled on the wall to reach the room adjacent to one she'd just been inspecting and felt the numbers engraved in the plaque in front of the door and then she smiled that she'd found the place. Milla formed a fist with her right hand and brought it up to the door. Before she knocked, she hesitated and recited everything she was going to say, then knocked on the wooden surface uncertainly. She tried not to wince when she heard a bang of something falling from within the room. After a few seconds she came face-to-face with her instructor who was on the other side of the wooden opening.

The black-haired male looked at her and then behind her in search of an answer his upcoming question. Once he was done looking behind the girl, he looked her straight in her red eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, it's something urgent. May I come in?" Milla said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

The knight's eyes widened a bit at Milla's tone. "Yeah, sure," he muttered, he stepped aside and opened the door wider motioning for the girl to enter his domain.

Milla sauntered in as if she owned the place and then sat on his bed. Once she got comfortable she smoothed down the white sheets of the bed and crossed her legs.

"So what did you want to talk about?" the man leaned against the wall close by and averted his eyes from the beautiful blonde that was sitting on his bed.

The girl traced circles on surface of the bed. "Well, it's about my examination today," she said softly as she gazed at the man from underneath her long eyelashes.

"What about it? You failed. I thought that would've been obvious from what happened today," the male almost growled impatiently, remembering that he'd already given her another chance earlier.

"Yes, well I was hoping you could overlook it this time," the knight-in-training spoke smoothly.

The male hung his mouth open at how vile the suggestion was. "Huh? You were the lowest in the class. That would mean I would have to pass everyone."

Milla pushed herself up and off of his bed by using her arms and walked towards the muscular man. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then leaned in. "No, I was hoping that you'd do that just for little old me," she whispered sensually in his ear.

"U-uh… Hmm," the older one stuttered and blushed profusely. He obviously didn't want to agree, but he found that he just couldn't nor wanted to say no to her. He took his job seriously and hated himself for falling for Milla's charms, but he quickly pushed those thoughts to the side as he wrapped his arm around her torso.

Milla smiled at how easy it was to seduce the man in front of her. "This doesn't happen to him at all does it?" she thought. She then removed her shirt which was well received by her instructor by the way he ogled at her half-naked form. The blonde knew that she had ensnared her prey in her trap so she went for the finishing blow. She pressed her lips against a hot mouth which opened almost immediately to her actions.

The man then led the blonde back to the bed where he laid himself on top of her. Milla wrapped her legs around him so tight that she could feel his growing manhood in his pants. The knight briefly grunted from the friction of the cloth rubbing against his dick. The black-haired man crept his hand under Milla's shirt and to her breast where he gave it a hard squeeze. Milla moaned into the other's mouth at the action.

After a few more moments of groping and sloppy kissing, the man removed himself from the woman to hastily remove her pajama bottoms and her panties. He stared down between Milla's thighs lustfully before he roughly shoved his fore and middle finger into her vagina.

The blonde gasped harshly at the painful action. She closed her eyes tight as the man ripped through her hymen. The male thrust his fingers in and out of Milla's hot cavern a few times before removing them from inside of her. He gazed down at his bloodied hand and gave Milla a genuinely concerned look. "I see, so this is your first time."

The pre-knight nodded slowly as the man wiped his hand on his pants which he removed soon after. He then pumped his newly revealed dick to harden it further.

Upon hearing the man's quick gasps, Milla gazed down at his penis only to close her eyes again the moment she saw the engorged member.

After tending to his manhood, the man then pushed Milla's arms above her head. "Milla, I want you to look at me when I go in," he whispered in her ear. When Milla didn't follow the his orders, he bit down hard in her shoulder which elicited a hiss from the female.

The blonde pried her eyes open to witness the man push himself into her tight hole. He moaned in pleasure while she cried in pain.

"Relax a little. It'll stop hurting soon. I promise." The knight then used his right arm to push up Milla's shirt to kiss and bite her torso in various places. "I'm going to start moving now."

"No don't – Ah!" Milla gasped as the man began to thrust shallowly and quickly. Within moments the thrusting became erratic and the bed beneath them started to shake. Milla threw her arms on the bed as she grabbed fistfuls of sheets beneath her that were quickly drenching in sweat.

"Come on. Move with me," the man said between grunts.

Milla was in such a daze that she didn't process what the man said; she just obeyed. She pushed herself into the knight in rhythm with his thrusting. She was inexperienced, but the motion brought the man to his climax as he came inside of her. He then gave Milla another kiss before pulling his limp cock out of her and relaxed on his bed, totally spent.

The blonde looked at the man's peaceful and tired face. "I am doing the right thing," Milla repeated as a mantra over and over again in her head. However, the reiteration of the statement eventually morphed it into something entirely different. "Am I doing the right thing?"

Once Milla heard the steady rise and fall of the older man's breathing, she quickly threw the sheets off of her, dressed quickly, and then returned back to her dormitory without a care to the sleeping neighbors. Before retiring for her bed, she ran into the shower room and shivered the moment she removed her clothing for the second time that night.

Milla turned on the shower head and relaxed into the shower. Her eyes started to well up when she felt the man's seed slipping down between her thighs. Her tears finally began to fall once she wiped between her legs with a nearby towel. Seeing the vile liquid made Milla bite her fist till it bled. She shut her eyes tight and then sobbed as the water streamed from the top of her blonde head and down the drain as she started the degrading motion of scrubbing down herself down. Even through all of this, she was not relieved of the unclean feeling that seemed to sting her skin.

After Milla sanitized herself, she turned off the shower and then leaned her head into the white tiled walls of the bathroom. She had not expected this reaction out of herself, but it was hard not to feel like dirt. She did feel upset that she lost her virginity to the man, but what was worse was the guilt. She took advantage of the man's desires, which was her intention, but it gave her an uneasy feeling. The man may not even change her grade and that would make what she had committed completely pointless. She sobbed again at the realization she was still very much under the man's mercy.

The blonde looked down at her body which was marred in kiss marks as well as bites. If her instructor did pass her that would mean that she would live the rest of her knighthood with the knowledge that she'd passed solely by exchanging bodily fluids.

"Would I be satisfied with just that?" she thought sadly. Milla shook the question out of her head, dressed herself and then returned to her own bed for the rest of the night.

Darkness continued to break into the arched windows of the hallways, even though it was technically morning. The difference now than when Milla had traversed the area earlier, was that the lamps gave an ethereal glow that illuminated the corridor. Multiple knights-in-training pushed each other out of the way so that they could get a chance to see the board posted outside the training room that stated who was passing as well as the order of the top scoring students to the bottom scoring ones.

Milla craned her neck to see her stats compared to everyone else's in her class. Surprising to everyone, Milla was the top student in the class. Should she be relieved or frightened? Milla didn't know, but she did know that she would be moving forward in her career while the rest of the knights would undoubtedly hate her. Looking at her classmates faces she could clearly see how indignant they were when they trailed their gazes upward to the top scoring students.

"What?" Flynn asked. "How's Milla the top student?" His face portrayed just how flabbergasted he was.

Yuri poked him in his side with his elbow. "Well, she did kick your ass the other day."

Flynn sighed and then crossed him arms at the frank statement.

This caught the attention of Alisha who overheard their conversation. "You passed did you not?" she said calmly. "Isn't that all that matters?"

Flynn turned around at her and then nodded solemnly.

Milla looked up at the physical representation of what last night brought her and indeed Flynn was the second best student. Milla thought back to the first day of the exam and noted that her feeling of accomplishment at beating the top student didn't feel as fulfilling as it did now.

She turned away from the crowd and walked calmly away, although her mind was still reeling from the recent past events. On her journey to privacy, she caught sight of her instructor who was visibly getting nervous at the sight of her. She wondered if he were regretting his decision to pass her as he would undoubtedly be questioned about it by the students, as well as his bosses. She forcefully winked at him which enticed a flushed face from the older man.

Once Milla was in the privacy of her own room she walked to the windowsill and stared at the hustle and bustle outside the glass structure. She inhaled a long deep breath. She knew that she couldn't dwell on this little fact any longer, so she had promised herself that she would work hard to catch up with everyone else. With a long sigh, she dropped her gaze back onto her closet which she now knew that wouldn't have to be emptied for the next few years. This fact alone enticed a small smile on her lips that didn't feel strained. She let out a content sigh and then fell face first on her bed, finally having the relaxation to sleep soundly.