Manah had watched Caim walk out the doorway and heard him walk downstairs. She had gotten up and left her room. She had gone to the front door and placed the key in the keyhole.
She felt her eyes open wide as she heard a clicking noise of the lock being unlocked. She placed her hand on the door handle and began to turn it, opening the front door.
Manah looked behind her to see if Caim was there.
But he wasn't. She couldn't see him at all.
Manah had walked out the door.
Caim had heard the door shut. At hearing that. He had let out a sigh of releif. He didn't know what he would have done if Manah had stayed with him any longer. His heart pounded at the thought of her name.
He had looked towards the front door. But noticed Manah had never left the key behind. She had taken it with her.
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"I beleive I see our lost Princess," Legna said to Nowe.
"What! Where?" Nowe asked glad to hear that Manah was alright.
"Down there," Legna said moving down towards the area of where he saw Manah.
Legna landed right in front of her.
"Manah! Are you alright!" Nowe asked running towards her.
"I'm fine, Nowe." Manah said smiling at him.
"You had us worried," Nowe said looking at her.
"Mostly Nowe was the one worried about you, Princess." Urick said smiling at Manah as his voice held a teasing tone.
"Urick!" Nowe yelled feeling his cheeks flushing.
Manah smiled at her two friends teasing eachother.
"I'm alright Nowe. Thanks for being worried about me." She said smiling at him.
"Okay," Legna paused then said. "I hate to break up this happy reunion. But we had best escape before The Knights start coming after us again."
Nowe had helped Manah onto Legna's back and sat back in front of her.
Legna had just left seeing the Knights coming towards them in the distance.
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Legna had arrived back at the hideout.
The first thing Manah did when she got into the house was go into the bathroom to draw up a bath for herself. She thought if she had a relaxing bath. She could sort out her feelings for Caim. She still didn't know how she fell for him.
Manah had slipped into the warm water and let out a sigh of relaxation as the water enveloped her.
She closed her eyes as she thought about Caim. She remebered seeing the kindness in his eyes. And hearing the gentleness in his voice. And what she told him was her true feelings she had kept hidden inside her heart for the past eighteen years.
At first it wasn't love. It was a deep affection for him. She had cared for Caim. But she didn't begin to fall for him until she had seen him months ago after they had escaped the District of Precious Light.
Manah was amazed at how powerful he had become since those horrible incidents she had put him through so long ago. She felt her heart skip a beat as she had also remebered how gentle he was to her.
"What did he mean when he told me he 'feels the same way'?" Manah asked outloud. "Does that mean he is also in love with me? Is that why he had let me go? I don't understand." Manah said closing her eyes as she laid her head back again the cool steel of the tub.
The coolness of the tub felt nice against her heated skin.
Manah had stayed in the tub for about twenty minutes. The water had begun to lose it's heat and cool off. And her body had become very relaxed. Even though her heart was still pounding from what had happened earlier that day.
Manah had walked out of the restroom and had gone to her room.
Nowe and Urick had seen Manah go to her room.
Urick looked at Manah then at Nowe as he felt a little sorry for him.
"Nowe," Urick paused then said looking at him. "Let's go outside."
"Why? What's wrong?" Nowe asked looking at him.
"I have to tell you something in private away from the Princess." Urick said standing up and began to walk outside.
Nowe got up and left with Urick.
Manah had heard what Urick said and wondered what he had to tell Nowe that was so important. And why she didn't need to know. She had opened her window and heard Urick and Nowe.
"What the matter Urick?" Nowe asked looking at him.
"I don't know how to break you the bad news about the Princess, Nowe." Urick said looking at Nowe.
"What about me?" Manah had thought to herself.
"What about Manah?" Nowe asked.
"She's in love." Urick paused then said placing his hand on Nowe's shoulder, "I'm sorry that you're not the one I'm talking about, Nowe. The Princess is in love with someone else. But I don't know who."
Manah's eyes opened wide as she heard what Urick said.
"How could he have known? I never mentioned anything about my feelings." Manah thought to herself.
"Oh," Nowe paused then said as his voice change and held a little tone of sadness in it. "I see."
"I'm sorry, Nowe." Manah thought sadly as she heard sadness in his voice.
Nowe had seen Manah watching him and Urick as they came back inside the house.
"I'm sorry, Nowe." Manah said to him.
"What?" Nowe asked wondering why she was sorry.
"I overheard your's and Urick's conversation." Manah paused then asked looking at Urick, "how could you tell? I never told anyone my feelings. I don't think my brother could tell."
"Your eyes held a different shine to them Princess." Urick paused then said, "your eyes always held a serious look in them. But when we went to pick you up. I had noticed the difference in them. They had a more gentle look when you looked like you were thinking of something else besides this war."
"Who is the man? And who's your brother? I never knew you had a brother" Nowe said looking at Manah.
Manah had taken a deep breath to calm herself down from nervousness.
"Caim is the man I'm talking about." Manah paused then said looking at Nowe, "you must know my brother Nowe. He's the hierarch."
"You mean Seere is your brother?" Nowe asked.
"Yeah. He's my twin brother." Manah said. "I haven't seen him for years though. Not since the end of the last war. Which I was a part of." Manah paused then said, "I was on different sides of the war. I was with the Cult of the Watchers. As yiou know," Manah said looking at Nowe. "Caim was on the side of the Union. I had taken so much away from him. His sister and his friends."
"I see," Nowe said.
"I didn't know that about you, Princess." Urick said.
Manah had told Urick and Nowe the whole story from the beginning. She had told them about how her mother had always abused her. But never Seere. She had grown angry at being abused so much. So she had ran away from home. And on the way The Watchers had captured her and brainwashed her to be their dark preistess.
"I was released from their captivity when Seere's pact partner, Golem had crushed me and killed me. I was able to come back to life. And since then I have been trying to repent for the sins I've committed as a child." Manah said.
"I see," Urick said.
All of a sudden there was commotion outside the door. Their door was busted down as soldiers entered the home.
"We had finally found you! Traitors!" A solder said angrily pointing his sword towards Nowe, Urick, and Manah.
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"Who's there!" Angelus snarled in her chamber.
"It's me," Caim said. "How about we get out of here? We'll go hunting for some soldiers." Caim said grinning.
"Sounds good, Caim. But how are you going to get these chains off of me? I've been like this since I became the Goddess."
Caim swung his sword down and had sliced though the chains freeing Angelus from their bond.
"It's so good to see you again, Caim." Angelus paused then said brushing her head against Caim's body. "I have missed you."
"And I missed you Angelus." Caim said hugging her back.
"Who's in there! No one is supposed to be in the Goddess's room." A soldier yelled busting the door open. He stopped as he saw who was with Angelus. "It's you! Lord Caim!" He said shocked to see Caim.
"Since you know who I am." Caim paused then said jumping onto Angelus's back. "You had better let us pass. Or I won't be responsible for what The Goddes will do to you."
The soldier looked at Caim's eyes and backed away in fear from seeing a hint of anger in them.
Caim and Angelus had left the room and began to fly towards the village.
"Where are we going Caim?" Angelus asked.
"Angelus," Caim paused then said. "You're going to think I'm really a fool for what I'm about to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I had fallen in love with my enemy. She has changed shince the last time we met." Caim said.
"Are you serious? You had fallen in love with the preistess from The Cult of The Watchers?" Angelus asked shocked.
"Yeah."
"You're right. I am going to call you a fool. You're a huge fool Caim."
Caim had told Angelus the story on the way to the village.
----------------------------------------------------
"So she was the one who fell in love with you first?" Angelus paused then said, "from when we fought against her. I didn't think she had a heart." Angelus said.
"I was holding her prisoner. But when she told me that she fell in love with me. It felt like my heart responded to her automatically." Caim paused then said, "I had to let her go. I just couldn't hold her prisoner anymore. Even thought it was only for a single night." Caim said .
"I see the village ahead of us." Angelus said.
"Then let's go," Caim said.
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Nowe had taken out his sword and began fight the soldeirs. He was able to push them outside of the house.
Manah and Urich had also taken their weapons out and began fighting against the soldiers. All of a sudden everyone looked up as they heard a tremendous roar from the sky.
""What is that!" A soldier yelled.
"It's the Red Dragon!" Another shouted.
"Caim!" Manah thought.
"It must be Caim." Nowe said.
As Nowe finished speaking. Caim and Angelus had landed beside them.
"Caim? Why are you here?" Manah asked walking up to him.
"To help you guys get rid of this trash." Caim said looking at Manah.
"I see." Manah said.
"Lord Caim! Why are you fight on the side of this trash!" One soldier asked angrily towards him.
Before the solder could say anything else. Caim had pulled his sword out and had stuck down the soldier.
"I think it looks like you guys are the ones who are trash." Caim said. "Why are you after these people? It seems to me you don't want them to free the villagers from your clutches."
The soldiers had began to show their anger at hearing what Caim was saying.
"You are now betraying us by helping them Lord Caim!" The soldier paused then said angrily, "I should be calling you traitor instead of Lord Caim!"
"Call me what you will. But your demise is right now." Caim said raising his huge sword and swung it down. Clearing the soldiers from the area.
"Wow. He's as powerful as ever." Manah thought looking at Caim.
"Preistess," Angelus siad looking at Manah.
"Yes?" Manah asked walking up to Angelus.
Angelus stared at Manah with such intensity in her eyes. She wanted to see if Manah would cower away. But to Angelus's surprise. Manah had stood her ground.
"I see Caim has told the truth about you. You have changed since we last met." Angelus said showing gentleness in her eyes as she spoke. "Well then. I'm glad you have changed and are helping the people of this world now."
"Who is this beautiful dragon here?" Legna asked as he came back from destroying the airships in the southwest.
"This is Angelus." Manah said to Legna.
"Ahh I see. This is the dragon who sacrifecd herself to become the goddess of this world." Legna said smiling at Angelus.
Manah looked at Caim and smiled as she said. "I think Legna has fallen for the Goddess."
"Yeah," Caim said smiling back at Manah.
"I hate to break up the couples. But we had best escape and look for another place to hide out." Urick said to everyone.
"Right." Nowe said.
"Come with me. You can hide out at my castle." Caim said helping Manah onto Angelus and had gotten on behind her.
Nowe and Urick had climbed up onto Legna's back.
They began to fly off towards Caim's castle leaving the dead soldiers for Gismor's group to clean up.