The Guardian

by heartdamoose

In search of finding her true identity, Numair's daughter faces not only the dangers of prophecies, gods, slavery, insanity, remarkable powers, and unending adventure, but the friendship and unending love of a certain Queenscove knight in training.

37. The Last Mission

As I am editing through this story, I must confess that I am slightly intimidated by this chapter—all 49 pages of it. This, my dear readers, is one of the most important chapters in the whole story. Actually, it is arguably THE most important chapter in the whole story. However, that doesn't mean that the rest of the story isn't as good. Hahaha. We haven't even reached my favorite part yet.

Song for this Chapter: What Goes Around.../...Comes Back Around → Justin Timberlake. This is pretty much the "theme song" of The Guardian. It is the one song that fits this story beyond all others, and I'm addicted to it. It's only fitting that it works so well with this chapter.

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Chapter 37: The Last Mission

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The thick dust collecting on the floor would not have been noticeable to the main dwellers of Scanra's Palace. To Romeli however, said dust was obnoxiously apparent; especially because at the moment she found herself to be in the form of a very small mouse.

Moving quick was of the utmost importance at the moment. Though the enemy most likely wouldn't be able to detect her wild magic, her collar had a tracker on it.

Now moving at such haste has been proven to be difficult to the little mouse, mainly for two reasons: The first reason was more than just clearly stated—it was implied. And that was the fact that she was indeed very little. So little in fact, that one human step took approximately 5.82 more from her own scrawny legs. The second reason was that she was a mouse; an 'Oh Gods I'm gonna jump on a chair and scream my head off' mouse. Coming into view by any human would serve as mildly suspicious. Especially because the determination plastered on her fuzzy face was not something you would see in every day vermin.

Basically she was totally screwed and then some if she got caught.

"There should be very many people in these corridors," informed Maryann as she bent over a yellowing map. The spy looked up at her friend with a slight smile as she rolled it up. "Better safe than sorry though. Getting the detection spell off of you will give us the advantage over Maggur's plans."

The importance of getting off the detection spell had never been more apparent until now. And the thought of actually discarding it made her heart rush with excitement. She was virtually getting her own freedom under the hands of Maggur.

The mission itself had proven to be not only complex, but also painfully annoying. Scurrying down daunting hallways had not put her in even the slightest of a good mood. And of course her point of interest that she was striving for just happened to be the steepest, most menacing tower in the whole bloody castle. Said menacing tower had been oh so nobly named 'Wild Girl's Revenge'.

The point of irony was not something that had entered her mind at that moment. What did run through her head however was the much awaited for question on why she couldn't just simply fly to the stupid tower and continue from there.

Maryann touched her shoulder and gave her a concerned look. "Now on the way up you must be very careful. I know Maggur, and knowing him he has a tracking device on you. Most likely one of these."

Maryann took an object out of her back pocket and set it down on the old wooden table.

Romeli blinked. "You're saying Maggur tracks me with a napkin."

Maryann sighed. "Well if you put it that way," she said dryly. She unfolded the napkin and flicked the center lightly.

"Wow…" whispered Romeli. "What the hell?" The napkin looked no longer like a napkin, but a metallic rectangle as it quickly slicked over with a silver gloss. Red lights shot out of it, making the girl jump. The soft red lights took the form of the whole palace in a three dimensional model.

Maryann pointed to the third floor and then to the left corner where there was a yellow light labeled 'Maggur'. Maryann stroked her chin observantly. "Hmmm…seems like he's taking his time in the loo, eh?"

Romeli grimaced but kept her eyes on the glowing castle that had once been the simple napkin. "So this is a tracker."

"Your keen observations astound me everyday," Maryann replied with a wry smile.

Romeli rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you're saying that Maggur has one of these on me like you do on him."

"Without a doubt," Maryann confirmed. "These devices have really become quite popular over the last couple of years."

"So why does it matter?" she asked.

"Why does it matter?" Maryann echoed disbelievingly. "Maggur knows where you are at all times! When you're on the mission for the detection spell, Maggur will see where you're going. If you don't move quickly you will get caught."

"Well then if he knows where I'm going, wont he be able to track me even after I get the detection spell off of my collar? Because, whatever this thing is, it's a whole different tracking device, right?"

Maryann nodded. "Precisely. And that is where it gets complex."

The question practically answered itself as she scampered down the devastatingly long corridor. In fact, if driving herself into a wall wouldn't put the whole mission in a rather ill caused jeopardy and make a hell of a lot of people a tad confused on why the heck there was a rat sprinting across the hallway and bashing into things in the first place, she would have.

Of course she couldn't just fly out the window. That would look rather interesting on the tracker.

More or less, she instead decided to rid of the thought completely and keep her mind on the mission like she was supposed to.

The end of the hallway brought her to a T-intersection where she hesitantly turned left. She hadn't the slightest clue as to where she was now going, but knew that her instincts had never proven her wrong.

The new hallway, to her pleasure, was topped with a staircase at the end. If all else failed, going up staircases until there were no more would eventually get her to the right place. Plus she could always talk up a few of the palace animals for directions…

Coming within a foot distance of the stairs had sprouted a new problem for her. Despite the length of her body, its height was just not enough for the stair's grandeur.

Such a conflict would be easier to solve if it weren't for the echoes of footsteps coming up from behind her.

Romeli spun around quickly to see who the person was. A surge of relief rushed through her furry little body when she came to the conclusion that it was only Alanna. Such relief lasted for the spans of about half a second when she realized that although Alanna was on her side, the Lady Knight would not recognize her in her mouse form. There was also the point that Alanna was absolutely terrified of any form of vermin and would smash her to a pulp with no hesitation.

Instead of risking any entrails suddenly meeting the outside world, she scurried back a few feet to the haven of a wide crack where the wall and floor met. She would just have to wait here until the knight passed.

Now that she thought about it, why was Alanna even over here anyway? Was she sneaking about, or on a mission herself?

It was just then that Romeli hit her head. Well, she would have if she was able to. More or less…she sneezed.

She knew for a fact that Alanna's room was not far from hers and to her realization, she hadn't traveled far at all, but only a couple of hallways. The thought was daunting, knowing that she had about twenty five and a half of them left. She was up for a long journey.

The thumping of Alanna's close feet woke her from her reverie. She waited for the dark boots to pass and the echoes to subside before creeping out of her hiding place.

Romeli quickly looked around for any other living thing around before transforming into a sleek black cat and leaping up the stairs four at a time.

OOO

The mission was really quite boring, as she soon discovered about ten staircases and fourteen hallways later. No secret traps or hidden cameras. Of course there was the still active detection spell to consider, but she hadn't even seen a human in at least three flights of stairs; even with her more questionable cat form.

This gave her no excuse to slack off on her alertness, which she constantly reminded herself of. Even as she pounded upon yet another staircase, her keen ears were poised for even the smallest echo of a footstep.

How much longer was it anyway? She wondered curiously. She had no idea how high up she was, or even if she was on the right side of the castle…

Shouldn't be much longer, she told herself as she cantered down another hallway and up a flight of stairs. You can't go up stairs forever.

Now windows are wonderful things that we use everyday but constantly under appreciate. Without windows what would we use to admire the outdoors, or view the weather before stepping outside? Doors? Well, that seems highly illogical now doesn't it. Plus the human traffic caused by the entryway's double usage would be horrendous.

Romeli noticed just this as she set her tiny paws on the low windowsill and peered outside keenly. She then decided that thinking about the importance of windows while looking out one was hardly useful at all in her present situation, and turned her thoughts and her eyes on where her destination was located.

She was pretty high up already. The intricate gardens on the ground no longer looked like gardens (even to her well developed feline vision), but mazes stretched out elegantly across the grounds. She never really noticed how big the royal gardens were until now…and they were breathtaking.

It will be hell getting out of here though, she realized.

Romeli shook that specific thought from her head and turned her eyes to the palace itself.

She had no idea if the desired tower was right above her (and thus impossible to see from the window) or not. It wasn't the first time she wished Maryann had given her more specific directions. Nonetheless, she looked for the tower anyway, knowing it was worth a shot.

To her luck the tower was not hard to find, and it wasn't far away either. Looking only slightly to the right, she noticed that palace exterior made somewhat of an L-turn. Capping the palace's roofs was a tower that seemed to rival the mountains.

If that wasn't her tower she didn't know what was.

A tug at her heart told her to get a move on. For all she knew, half of Scanra's guard was pursuing her right now. With the stakes so devastatingly high, she didn't want to risk anything. Putting her front paws back down on the ground, she sprinted down the hallway and took and immediate left towards the tower.

She recognized the tight spiral stairs to the tower the second she saw them and began the long climb up them without hesitation.

It was no surprise to her that the stairs seemed endless, but that didn't mean she was at all happy with the way they curled up forever. She sighed and began her climb to her destination.

It seemed like an hour later when she dizzily approached the door to the top tower. It looked extremely heavy, but not weary in age as the oak glistened in the warm candlelight. As she eyed the door, she couldn't help but become slightly nervous.

Romeli stared at the spy, steadily growing uneasy. "Exactly how complex?"

"Extremely complex," replied Maryann in all seriousness. "What you are going to do up in that tower will depict the statistics of just how likely it is to get you out of here. Periodically, if you do one thing out of phase with the next up in that tower, you are totally screwed."

Romeli bit her lip. Maybe if she wouldn't make her feel so uncomfortable about the whole thing, she would have more hopes… "If this mission is so complex, then why don't you do it?"

"Because I don't have the Gift," the spy stated simply. "And even if I did, it wouldn't even be close to the power of yours." Maryann pat the girl's shoulder affectionately. "I trust you with this. You'll be fine as long as you stay calm and keep focused."

"So what is it exactly that I'm doing?" Romeli asked curiously.

Maryann inhaled deeply, machines going off in her head as she tried to think of the simplest way possible to explain it. "You are going to achieve three goals. You are going to disarm the detection spell in your slave collar with an incantation, disable the tracking device with your gift, and then set up a faulty you with both of these trackers on it so they don't notice."

Romeli shrugged. "Seems easy enough."

Maryann shook her head. "Don't get cocky with me, Girl. You haven't heard it all yet. When you disarm the detection spell in your collar, it will raise an alarm that without a doubt, Maggur carries with him at all times. He'll know that you're messing around with something, and will call on his guards. At that moment you need to also destroy the tracking device with your Gift. I don't know exactly what you need to do, but you should be able to figure it out. At that moment the tracking device will also be down, and will raise the alarm to whoever is watching it. You have the spans of about half a second to create a faulty copy of you, though not physical, that both the tracking devices can catch."

Romeli looked at her incredulously. "In half a second."

Maryann nodded an affirmative. "And if it helps at all, I have no idea how you're going to do it."

Romeli's eyes glazed over and her shoulders drooped. "Yeah…me neither."

Romeli quickly transformed into her human state, ignoring the uneasy feeling of her nakedness and barged in through the door.

Now one would think that the purpose of a tower was to look out of and view the elaborate landscapes around it. It wasn't that she was complaining really, being naked and all, but this tower boasted an alarming number of three windows, all the size of a particularly fat cat.

"I gave you the honor of a nice set of clothes," said Maryann winking. "When you go in they'll be in the right corner behind the stack of dusty advice columns."

To say the least Romeli was quite thankful for the clothing, no matter how much they clashed with her emerald green hair. How embarrassing would it be if a group of guards barged in on her moonlight skin? Though it should have been on the bottom of her list of problems, she couldn't help but think it. And why was she worrying about the outfit clashing with her hair anyway?

"After you've completely clothed yourself, walk over to the center table. On it should be a book turned to the correct incantation to get that spell off your collar. Study it carefully. After you get the spell off there's no turning back and you have to work quickly."

Romeli turned to the table, her emerald hair flipping behind her. The center table was small and made of a rich oak that was so shiny and smooth it seemed wet with dew. And now was not the time to be admiring wood…

She shook her thoughts away and turned back to the mission. The book Maryann was talking about looked ancient compared to anything else in the room, and the incantation stared back at her just like the spy said it would.

"Woah…" she whispered nearly inaudibly. The incantation…it was a beast.

The girl rubbed her hands together as she skimmed through the page. Just reading it made her hands lightly spark with magic. She had no idea what it said…it was in a language she had never seen before. Perhaps it was written by the ancient northerners.

Slowly she chanted the lines, ignoring the fact that she had no idea what she was doing. Her hopes rose a little when she felt a mild tingle on her neck where the slave collar was. At least her foot didn't explode or something awful like that…

She flinched when a pop echoed through the spacious room. She could feel her collar get warmer, as if fighting off the intrusion. It soon grew cold as the detection spell weakened its grasp and disappeared.

"Maggur should know what you're up to when you get it off, so you have to move quickly. I don't know how you're supposed to do it, but get that tracking spell off and create the faulty image of you."

Frankly, she had no idea what she was going to do about it either. The only solution seemed to be to look inside herself for the tracker and destroy it with her magic. It seemed logical anyway.

She tightly closed her eyes, hoping for the best. More than anything she wished that no one would intrude—such an act would undoubtedly cause her to do something irrational. But for now, if she wanted this to work, she had to clear her mind and search inside herself; a task that proved to be quite difficult.

The creases that formed around her eyes relaxed and eventually disappeared as she found herself flow deeper into her inner core. The action was surprisingly exhilarating and gave her a twang of the old times back in Tortall when she was allowed to use such powerful magic.

Her Gift had been alarmingly bright lately, most likely because it had been closed up and abused for so long. There was no hesitation in using it to search for the tracker, wherever it was.

Eventually she located it inside of her bloodstream. How it had gotten there she hadn't the slightest curiosity to find out. All she wanted to do was destroy it.

After quick consideration, she had a plan that would most likely work without damaging herself. Romeli took a deep breath and exhaled it smoothly as she caught the tracker device with her Gift. With as much power as she could, she squeezed every molecule that made up its complex until it imploded into its own eternal emptiness.

A little shock at her side was the only result.

Now, she thought determined as she sighed shakily. The hardest part. She didn't even know how, and on top of that, how to do it in time. She could practically feel the Scanran guard rushing up the spiraling steps. The spell she put on the door would hold them, but she shivered at the punishment she would receive afterwards.

Keeping her eyes closed, she searched deep inside herself until she found the everlasting emerald light that was her Gift. She grasped onto it tightly, making her hand physically itch with power. Deep inside the pores of that Gift, was the very essence of herself—her soul. She could do anything, be anything, and still be herself at the same time.

She let one thought and one thought only run through her mind. And that was to create her virtual self to fool the magic that constantly tracked her.

Using this as a wedge for what she needed, she closed her eyes tighter and wrapped herself in her magic and felt it seep into her skin, muscles, and bones—molding into one. After accomplishing this, she threw it out in the open. This copy of herself was no realistic puppet or a holographic copy. It could not be seen and therefore could not be discovered. It was the true essence of her, but not inside herself. She let it go with the exhale of a breathe to wander about the castle innocently, like a haunted wind.

The last thing she did was track down two detecting devices. The task was not usually laborious, but was difficult for her as she breathed wearily. With a strained breath, she tugged the two trackers to her invisible copy. The systems were online, and she could not be detected.

Romeli leaned heavily against a wall, letting the air rush back into her lungs. Whether she was sweating or crying, she didn't know; she didn't care. She succeeded.

OOO

The first thing he noticed as he entered King Maggur's spacious grand ballroom was that the price of luxury did not matter when it came to a Peace Ball. Maybe Maggur would have won the war if he didn't keep his gold for the parties afterward. No…Scanra wouldn't have won the war anyway—Romeli would make sure of that.

Jameson of Queenscove entered the grand gates and descended the stairs as smoothly as he could muster with Alanna at his arm. The ball room was packed with people, mostly all of them Scanran, for the Tortallans entered through the main doors.

The whole ceremony of the descent came to James as a blur. He bowed politely to the King, listened carelessly to his few remarks, and walked with Alanna to the wall of the ballroom to meet with the other Tortallans.

The ball went on much like a game, almost to the point that it was hysterical. All of the Tortallans innocently sipped on their glasses of wine as they created small talk with every Scanran that approached them. What was especially impressive was their convincing looks that they were actually enjoying the whole scene.

James cradled an elegant glass of juice in his hands, taking a subtle sip from it every now and then. He was standing in a group with his father and Knight Aaster, only half listening to the conversation at hand.

With no necessary purpose, he looked over towards the grand throne where the Maggot was perched, speaking elaborately with King Jonathan. He couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the king. Put in that position, he would never be able to have a humane conversation, muchless a polite one with Maggur. He was a Queenscove after all…

A gentle tap on his shoulder awoke him from his brief reverie. His brows rose as he turned around to see who had touched him.

Jameson wasn't one to be chasing after the ladies, but he couldn't help but admit that the one in front of him now was particularly striking. The feature of her pearly white smile was what made him lose his breath. She had copper curls that accented her creamy skin, and a maroon dress that was not revealing nor too covered.

"Hello," she greeted kindly as she lifted her chin. "You must be Jameson of Queenscove. I have heard much about you. Would you care to dance?" Her brows rose questioningly.

The group that James was previously standing with had grown silent at this remark. At the side of his eye he could see Alanna looking on with amusement.

Jameson smiled politely as he fumbled over the question. He had to admit that he was attracted to the young lady, but felt nothing more. He could tell she was spunky and a good conversation, but just the sight of her reminded him of Romeli. Should he dance with her? Would it be too overwhelming? Maybe he should…just for the sake of the state, to be polite after all. But what if she wanted something more? He couldn't…no…he didn't see her in that way at all. Gah…what the hell. This question wasn't supposed to be so complicated.

Jameson opened his mouth to speak and closed it again with hesitance. "I…ummmm…well…sure, why not."

The girl's smile grew as he gave her his hand. She didn't seem too flirtatious…maybe it would be okay.

Alanna eyed the two of them as they walked away. "Well ain't he just the player…"

Neal grinned charmingly. "Wonder where he gets it from, eh?"

Alanna rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."

Both James and the girl danced at a respectable distance, swaying across the marble floor elegantly. It was the first time he ever thanked his teachers for their strict lessons on how to dance. Until now, he had been fully convinced he would never really need the skill.

"My name is Emma of Bluecrest by the way," she added, smiling at him brightly.

"I'm very pleased to meet you," James returned, smiling politely. "It really is magnificent up here.

Emma laughed. "Yeah…the landscape is about the only thing I like about this country."

James rose his brows. That last remark slightly surprised him. He didn't let it show in his features, but he started to grow suspicious. Perhaps he should have been suspicious in the first place. He barely even knew her.

"Oh," he replied slowly. "Are you not originally from here? Or…?"

The girl nodded. "Yes actually. I moved here about a year ago. I'm still getting used to the weather." She smiled bitterly at that. "My father moved here for the money. He loves money. And I decided to fight."

James rose his charming brows at this. "Really?" No wonder she was not flirtatious like all the other court girls. "I didn't know Scanra let women train to be knights."

Emma smiled. "Yeah. It was hell trying to get in. There are two of us."

James nodded. The girl reminded him a lot of Romeli. He wasn't sure if that was exactly a good or bad thing, but the pang in his heart reminded him constantly of why he was here.

Two songs later, the two of them seemed tired of dancing. The floor was beginning to get crowded, and neither of them felt like being pushed by other people.

"Do you want me to show you the gardens?" Emma asked intently. "They're absolutely spectacular."

James nodded. "That seems pretty good right about now."

Emma smiled and took his arm, leading him confidently through the crowds and towards the garden doors of the ballroom.

Alanna turned as she spotted the two leaving the room and nudged Neal. "Well aren't they just cute."

"Who is she anyway?" Neal asked as the door to the gardens closed behind his son and the girl.

"You know, I haven't exactly seen her around either," cut in one of the Scanran men they had been previously conversing with. "This perplexes me. But from the looks of it, she doesn't seem like the most respected lady in the country."

Neal's brows shot up. "Really…? She doesn't exactly look like a prostitute to me…"

The man shook his head. "Oh no…not a prostitute. She has the look of a squire."

"She's training to be a knight?" Neal asked bewildered.

The Scanran nodded as if he hated to admit it. "Sure looks that way. It isn't natural, letting women train to be knights. Not natural at all."

Alanna turned to him sharply. "Do you have any idea who the heck I am?!"

OOO

Maryann had warned her before that tonight of all nights was not the time to be pulling off any stunts. But to say the least, she couldn't help herself. She knew the risks, she went through them countless times, but she needed some fresh air and a place to think. And anyway…no one could detect her now.

Romeli was completely aware of the fact that there was a ball going on. There were gigantic risks, but now more than ever she needed to visit her favorite place: the rose garden. And perhaps she could even catch a glimpse of her friends.

It wasn't like she was trying to talk to them after all. What was the harm? And even if she did get found out…she could pull off another mission. She could turn invisible, hide in a bush, turn into a dragon and burn the palace down…she could take care of herself.

She looked around her room one last time, making sure she put everything in the right place. Gently, she opened up her window and transformed into a small bird before jumping out.

It wasn't the first time she had done this great flight from her room to get some air. By now she had the procedure so cleanly down she could do it with her eyes closed. She magically closed the door with her Gift and flew towards the gardens.

To her, the rose garden was highly prominent compared to the rest. She could spot it from any angle at any height. Romeli glided towards it slowly and landed on the ground softly with her delicate claws.

Romeli transformed into her human self and quickly pulled some spare clothes out from under the shrubs around her. It wasn't the first time she was thankful for thinking her plans through.

When she was fully dressed in an emerald shirt and black sweatpants, she sat on the bench, hugging her knees up to her chest. As if in a trance, she stared into the small pond across from her.

It was fairly perplexing, her sense of time. It was only about a week ago that one of the nicest, most noble people she knew had been taken away from her. It felt like it had been months, the heavy weariness that had settled over her being the culprit. And to think…she had only been in Scanra for a couple months, and yet…was it even possible that so much could happen in so little time?

And tomorrow…by this time she would be racing down hallways for her life, and freedom. Gods…she didn't even know if she was ready. How could she be ready? No…she couldn't do this. All she had thought about since setting foot in the palace was how to get out, and now that she was hours away…could she really do it? The plan seemed nearly impossible now.

Without any warning a tear escaped her eyes and fell down her cheek. More followed after until she couldn't help but just cry.

She sighed shaking her head. "Ugh…I am such a softy…," she whispered miserably. But even still she knew that a good cry was just what she needed. A good cry…and some chocolate.

The more she sat there in the northern air, the more she realized that above all, she missed Ryoku. She loved her guy friends, but…they were guys. As much as James tried, he would never have the same connection with her and Ryoku did. She could talk to her about anything, because she wouldn't get jealous, or angry, she would just be there. She didn't need a guy to hold her, or her parents to talk to, she needed Ryoku. She need Ryoku to sit with her and pig out on chocolate and just talk…about nothing…about everything.

Romeli never realized how alone she really was.

Of course, if she could really call it alone. The hair on the back of her neck prickled when she heard voices coming closer.

She quickly transformed her ears into a cat's without any effort and leaned in closer to hear what was going on.

"…really is a nice place."

"Oh yea, it's my favorite place in the grounds. Extremely peaceful."

"Well I understand why."

"Oh! Let me show you the rose garden! It—."

She changed her ears back quickly. That voice was unforgettable, and she knew who it was with no hesitation.

Romeli did hesitate however when she realized that they, whoever the girl was, were coming right towards where she was now standing.

"Shit," she whispered, biting her lip. She looked around for a place to hide, but couldn't find anywhere. When she saw them turning the corner, she snapped her Gift out and quickly turned invisible.

"Woah," uttered James alarmed. He froze as he stood at the stone bench.

"Woah, what?" asked Emma curiously. "What are you staring at?"

Romeli couldn't move from the bench that she stood by. Her sudden urge for chocolate evaporated into the clear cold night as soon as it had come. His eyes were chocolate enough.

Oh shit, she though panicked. She had caught his eyes with her own, no wonder he couldn't look away. She quickly averted her gaze away from his and moved away from the bench, setting him free from her capturing eyes. This wasn't good, this was not good at all. She was almost positive he knew she was here. And yet…half of her wanted him to know of her invisible presence.

James shook his head and looked away from the bench. "Oh ummm…nothing. Just…thought I saw something."

"Oh…well that's creepy," Emma replied bluntly. "Hey, maybe the garden is haunted. You never know."

James laughed a little. "Yeah…"

"Hey, you sure you're okay? You seem a little out of it," she said eyeing him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just…it's very beautiful."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Gardens usually don't move people to the verge of fainting, but I'll let you slide on this one. Come sit down on the bench and we'll talk a little bit."

James nodded with a half smile and sat down next to the other knight in training. "Kinda cold…

Emma laughed. "Oh toughen up. I thought the Queenscoves lived in the cold like this."

James laughed. Yup…she was definitely a knight in training. "You remind me of my sister."

Emma's brows rose. "Oh really? And who is your sister?"

"She is also a knight in training," James informed. "A fourth year page."

"Well jeeze, how many Lady Knights do you have running around in Tortall?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Two," he replied. "You've most likely heard of them both." Emma nodded at this. "My sister will be the third."

"How exciting," she replied. "Hopefully I will be the first in Scanra. Though I haven't exactly figured out if that's a good thing or not. I'm not the most respected girl in the country."

James smiled weakly. "People panic when others edge away from the norm. They're always closed in and defensive because everything has always been the same. They just have to get used to the change."

"Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, I usually don't get fazed by the public people. I go with the flow."

James laughed. "Well, that's a could trait. You are a…?"

"Fourth year page."

"Ah. No wonder you remind me so much of my sister."

Emma nodded.

Romeli stepped away from the bench, her heart thumping loudly. The closeness of that encounter…it was unbearable. She practically wanted to be seen.

The wild mage looked at the other girl curiously. She was a knight in training? She was suddenly quite curious about the stranger. Usually she would be suspicious of people like that, but something told her otherwise. She was almost like…an ally, like she knew her.

Romeli shook her head. Whoever she was, she seemed fine, and would leave her alone.

A thought occurred to her that made her heart beat even faster than before. The temptation to do such an action was overwhelming, so much that she had to do it, despite the risks. But how…?

"So, where did you say that you used to live?" James asked.

"I didn't."

"Oh. Well, where did you used to live then," he asked curiously.

Emma laughed. "Oh come on. That isn't important. It's not about the past, it's about the present." She gave a weak smile and turned forward, her face growing a noticeable shade darker than before.

James decided to drop the topic. He barely knew her, after all.

Romeli stared at the two of them intently, making sure they weren't looking towards her. Still in her invisible presence, she turned into a yellow spotted salamander. When the coast was clear, she shed away the invisibility spell.

Silently she slid into the water, basking herself in its moisture before going out in the open again. She could hear the voices speaking, their echoes vibrating through the cool water.

When she was fully hydrated, she crawled out of the water again and began to walk innocently towards the two of them.

"Hey Jameson, look," whispered Emma as she pointed at his shoe.

James looked down and smiled at the creature perching on his show. "That is one of the most remarkable lizards I have ever seen."

If Romeli would have been able to, she would have hit her head.

Emma laughed. "No silly. That's a salamander. A yellow spotted salamander to be exact."

Well, Romeli thought as she flicked her tongue. At least someone knows their amphibians.

James leaned over and held his hand next to his shoe. Romeli stepped into the cupped hand with no hesitance.

James brought the creature up close to his face to get a closer look. Romeli went over and flicked her tongue on his nose affectionately. If only she could actually talk to him.

"Awww…I think it likes you," Emma said smiling largely.

Romeli stared deep into James' eyes, wanting so much to talk to him. Just for two seconds.

James eyes widened largely and she knew that he had figured it out. She flicked his nose again and curled up in his palm.

Emma noticed his sudden reaction and looked at him closer with curiosity. "What?"

"Hmmm? Oh…nothing. Just, it's a she."

Emma's brows rose but she decided not to ask any questions as to why he could have figured that out in the first place.

"You know," started James, staring at Romeli down in the center of his palm. "Yellow-spotted salamanders are officially my favorite animals."

"Well how decisive of you," she replied laughing with amusement in her eyes. "I'm sure they love you too."

"Yeah…" She had no idea how true that was.

"So," started Emma, clearly changing the subject. "Do you know anyone in Scanra, or is this place totally new to you?"

James looked down at his palm where Romeli appeared to be sleeping. "I only know one person here," he said, almost bitterly. "And this is the farthest I've gone up north."

Emma nodded. "Are you talking about that girl?"

James' eyes grew wide but he quickly covered his emotions. He looked only slightly down at his palm, but Romeli gave off no feeling of panic or fluster. "How…how do you know about her?"

"Jameson…how do I not know about her? I live in this palace. I serve for Maggur a lot, he's always talking about her. I think they captured her during the war."

James turned towards her, his usually cheerful features were creased with sorrow and weariness. "I…yeah."

Emma nodded and looked down at her lap.

"Do you see her around much?" he asked with a hesitant voice. The salamander resting in his palm seemed more apparent then before.

The girl nodded. "A few times actually. She…well…she looks…amazing." James smiled bitterly. "Half the time she seems really out of it though, like she's lost, or…well. I dunno. I don't blame her though."

James ignored the tension that had grown in the tiny creature and looked at the girl oddly. Something about this girl... "Who are you?" he whispered.

"Emma?! Emma are you around here?!" cried a voice that made both of them jump. Romeli shifted uncomfortably in his palm.

Emma stood up. "I'm coming, Ma!" she called back. She turned to James. "I have to go," she said apologetically.

James stood up, cradling the salamander gently in his hand. "Hopefully I'll see you around," he whispered shaking her hand.

Emma smiled wearily and nodded. She turned to walk away and turned around again. "You'll get her out, you know." With that, she left the rose garden and walked away with her parents.

James sighed wearily, shaking his head. "Do you know that girl?" he whispered in awe. Te running footsteps of Emma's feet grew farther and farther away from his hearing until they slipped away all together.

Romeli looked up at him and shook her head.

"Me neither…" he said in a daze. "But hey, let's go into the ballroom and see what's going on there."

Romeli nodded and transformed into a sleek black cat his his arms. Romeli meowed softly and licked his nose with affection. She pushed her head against his chest and purred in quiet whispers.

"Shhhh…," he whispered as he kissed her head. "I missed you too."

OOO

Just a half an hour ago Emma of Bluecrest had met one of the most captivating boys she had ever met. Though perhaps a girl of her age should have been at least breathless over his chiseled features, she was neither hypnotized nor fondly in love with him.

No, Emma did not have time for tall Tortallan boys at the moment, as she raced up endless amounts of palace stairs and hallways. She had greater problems to attend to.

As much as she wished the stairs would somehow shrink and the hallways compress half their size, she knew that such fantasies were in ways foolish. She clenched her jaw, her face giving off nothing but a hard and determined expression as she hiked up her skirt and ran up the stairs even faster than before.

At a distance, she looked like a was a determined cross dresser trying to win his...or her…own marathon.

Cross dressing thoughts aside, she veered a strict right and began her way down another hallway, almost tripping in the process. In fact, the girl thought it as mildly surprising that her face was not currently on the floor at the moment. She grasped the wall and stopped herself, breathing heavily as her heart pumped loudly in her chest.

Ah fuck it—, she thought as she kicked off her heeled shoes. Though perhaps it would be suspicious that a random pair of shoes were lying in the middle of the hallway, she had no time to care. Leaving them carelessly where she had kicked them off, she sprinted down the hallway and up another flight of stairs.

She slowed as she arrived at her destination and came to a complete stop in front of a large oak door: the Fire Lily Suite. She took out a small ring of keys from the bosom of her dress and unlocked the door with ease. Perhaps she should have felt guilty for barging into a room that wasn't even hers… nope. She was not one to feel guilty, not now at least.

The room was just as she thought it would be—absolutely empty of any life form excluding her own. She closed the door behind her walked to the middle of the room with a hard look.

I knew it. I absolutely knew it, she thought with a sigh. She couldn't quite figure out it if she should be angry, or perhaps worried…

She quickly grabbed a long chain that was around her neck and twisted the jewel that was at the end of it. The spell slowly began to trickle away until she felt its presence disappear completely.

No longer concealed, Maryann removed the chain from around her neck and grabbed some clothes from the back of Romeli's closet (pretty much positive that she had never even worn them before…or even seen them).

"I am going to kill that girl," she said as she looked around the empty room shaking her head.

OOO

James had entered the ballroom through the same doors he exited through. The space looked neither more nor less crowded as the night wore on. No one seemed to notice him enter through the garden doors; they didn't even seem to notice the sleek black cat trailing behind him.

Romeli had never seen the ballroom before. She wasn't sure if it was her current size or the luxuriously lived lifestyles in the palace that made it so vast. She remembered the dreams as a child of someday elegantly declining the stairs of a room so breathlessly dignified. Never had she thought it would turn out like this. Either way, Romeli could not help but be fairly impressed.

She trailed slowly behind James, making it look like she had no interested path to follow. Occasionally she would rub against someone's legs and be rewarded with a scratch on the head, just like any other lazy palace cat. After James had been sitting at a lounging couch for a little, she hopped onto his lap.

She was so busted, but the freedom felt so good.

The guilt that settled into her was annoyingly apparent, but compared to the pain of seeing her best friend stroke her back lazily but not able to talk to her, shrouded it completely. She didn't care about anything else right now. She just needed time to let everything go and actually live.

"I see you found a cat," voiced Numair as he walked up to the squire.

James could feel her tiny heart pounding against his leg. He stroked her sleek hair soothingly, keeping his eyes fixed at the ground in front of him. "Your keen awareness of the obvious constantly astounds me, Sir," he replied casually.

Numair grinned, but shrugged the remark off of his shoulder. "You seem out of it."

"I'm tired," muttered James. It was half the truth at least.

"You should go to bed."

James looked up. "I'm not a child Sir. I'm fine right here."

Romeli flicked her ear back and began to lick her paw.

"Well at least the cat is amused," voiced Numair, grinning with his crows feet eyes.

James smiled weakly. "When are they not?"

At that moment Alanna barged out of nowhere and sat herself next to her squire, making Romeli meow in resistance.

"Oh shut up," she grumbled to the cat. Romeli's ear flicked back but she decided to ignore the remark for now. "Man I am pooped," she said wiping her brow. "So many dances, eh?"

James smiled weakly, stroking the cat absentmindedly. Romeli yawned uninterested.

"And where have you been?" asked Alanna to James suspiciously. "I saw you leave with that girl…whoever she is."

James nodded." She showed me the gardens," he informed.

Alanna rose a single brow. "So that's what they call it these days."

"Alanna," he interrupted sharply. "I don't think so."

Alanna shrugged and stood up again. "Well…sitting around bores me. I'm off to find more of that cocktail shrimp."

As much as hunting for very small fish was tempting, James was glad that she didn't ask him to follow her. Numair himself had seemed to disappear, perhaps for a look at the gardens himself.

Romeli looked up at him for a brief second, her elegant eyes piercing into his, making his stomach drop. The temptation to just take her with him was overwhelming. He wasn't even supposed to be acknowledging her presence, and yet here she was.

Of course, he was positive that she herself had made a sacrifice to come here. If she even meant to come and see anyone at all. Perhaps he had just run into her…in which case he would call himself quite lucky.

Either way, the riskiness didn't even pierce his heart with guilt, as it clearly should have. Despite whatever consequence this was going to lead to, she was here. She was alive, she was in his arms, and nothing could change that.

"How peculiar…I don't remember seeing such a beautiful cat around here."

The cunning voice shook his bones to the point of fear. He of course never considered this consequence.

He quickly stood up, holding Romeli tightly in his arms as he bowed to King Maggur. "Highness, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you. Well…to talk to me that is."

Romeli practically froze when she heard the sickening voice enter her ears. Of all the things she was planning on happening tonight, this was not one of them. Though it didn't exactly surprise her; she was used to his unpredictable actions.

She knew her role right now…and that was to play cat, no matter what. Any human sign, and the whole mission would be in even more jeopardy than it already was. She wasn't worried about herself however. If James could pull through this conversation…Gods, he would be her savior.

"Yes," nodded Maggur. "I do talk to everyone however. I would be no king if I didn't."

It wasn't the first time he thanked his mother for teacher him how to cover his emotions as the Yamani culture was taught. This, however, was the time he thanked her the most. He smiled politely. "That is highly respectable, Sir."

Maggur laughed, making Romeli want to shudder in distaste. James could feel her tremble quietly in his arms. He gently cooed her with his hand.

"Yes well…I do try. But tell me, Son, what do you think of my palace?"

James smiled. "Its elegance is overwhelming, Sir," he replied truthfully. "If only Corus were as great."

"Our palace has its ups and downs," Maggur informed. "For one, you can never seem to find a privy when you need one."

James nodded, innerly shuddering at the visualization. "Haven't exactly experienced what that feels like, Sir."

Why the hell were they talking about bathrooms?

Maggur laughed again. "I love your sense of humor, Master Queenscove. I did actually come over here for a reason though. You see, I was curious. Do you know where that cat came from?"

Shit, thought James staring at Maggur's curling lips. He's suspicious… I should have never let her in here. He shrugged with an unsure smile. "He was just walking around and jumped on me once I sat down. Why, do you know him?"

Under normal circumstances, Romeli would be quite insulted at being called a boy. At this point, she hardly cared.

Maggur eyed the cat keenly, making Romeli uneasy even under James' comforting grasp. "I'm not sure," he said looking at the cat. "I had an odd feeling about him. See, I am quite the cat person, but I've never seen this one around. Do you mind if I hold him?"

James looked down at the cat, making sure to hold his hesitance behind him. "Well I guess so," he said with a half-smile. "I don't see what's so special about him."

He handed the cat over smoothly, Romeli calmly letting herself be taken into Maggur's hands. He held her out before him, his hands tucked under her arms. She made doubly sure not to look straight into his eyes; if they caught, she was screwed.

"Magnificent," he whispered looking over the creature with an observant gaze. He seemed far more than curious however, and James was well aware of his intentions. The fact that he could do nothing about it made his jaw twitch, but he knew Romeli could take care of herself. The collective expression plastered on her cherubic face almost made him double-check if he had brought the right cat into the ballroom. Just the fact that she herself looked absolutely fine with the predicament made his breath even out. Whatever happened, Romeli could deal with it, she could do anything. Like lick King Maggur's nose to—

Wait…lick his nose?

Maggur laughed in a way that would make the wooden paneling shrivel had there been wooden paneling. More or less, a few mildly interested onlookers cringed instead. Romeli's rough tongue scratched against his nose in a way that made it almost comedic. "I told you I had a thing with cats." He handed her back over to James smoothly. "Well, whoever owns him is quite lucky. Good day Master Queenscove."

James bowed back and watched as the king turned on his heel and walked away to converse with a few other nobles. James loomed around innocently for a few more minutes, knowing that someone was probably watching him. After everything seemed safe, he walked her back out into the gardens once again.

"Not one of the brightest ideas I've had all night," he voiced quietly as they sat in the rose garden.

Romeli licked her paw, uninterested.

He smiled weakly and pat her on the head lovingly, making her scrunch her eyes closed from the pressure. "You're amazing," he whispered to her as he hugged her tightly. "And we're gonna get you out."

She licked his cheek and hopped off of his lap. Quickly, she transformed into a small bird and chirped quietly.

James nodded. "Right, well I should probably get back to my room as well," he said standing up. She jumped gingerly on his hand making him give her a final small smile. "I still can't believe you kissed the king."

She pinched his hand with her beak abruptly, silently chastising him for bringing up such a statement and flew away only seconds later. He gave her a small wave and made his own way out of the garden.

OOO

Usually when you return to your room, it is quite welcoming to find it uninhabited by any life form of any kind—these life forms including mold, clowns, and Shang Warriors.

Romeli, to her dismay, wasn't given said cheerful welcome. She quickly snatched her blanket to cover her moonlight skin as she stared at the intruder with wide eyes. "What the hell are your doing in here?"

"What am I doing in here?" Maryann repeated, her voice shriveling with disbelief. "What the hell were you doing out there?! I can't believe you would just go to the ball like that! You had no consideration for what you were putting at risk!"

Romeli recoiled at her harsh voice, but kept her voice level. "I didn't go to the ball."

Maryann shook her head. "Oh pshaa."

She looked back at her pleadingly. "Maryann I—."

"Don't. Even. Talk," she said seriously. "You put the whole mission in jeopardy just for a little public outing? Peace Balls aren't even that good anyways! It was irresponsible, uncalled for, and—."

"Maryann," Romeli replied with more force behind her tone. Her eyes were steady as she held the blanket tightly around her. "I didn't go to the ball. I'm not an idiot no matter how much you think I am. I went to the rose garden."

Maryann's steam seemed to dissipate, but her eyes were still hard as she walked closer to the girl. "You shouldn't have been out there."

Romeli shook her head in frustration. "What, Marryan, am I not allowed to live or something? I understand that I am in a difficult situation right now, and trust me, I ponder over the consequences of my every action, every day, every second. But the strict rules around everything in my life…I can take a lot…but I can't take that much. I can't show my emotions or else I'll be found, I can't wander around because he'll be suspicious, I can't talk to anyone or they'll get killed. I can't…I can't even see my own family, and now you're telling me I can't go to a garden to think?"

Maryann sighed. "Romeli…"

Romeli looked up at her before averting her gaze again. "Go away so I can ponder my wrongdoings in peace."

Maryann bit her lip as she thought of something to say. She was too hard on the girl, but when she saw she wasn't in her room…she had never been so scared in her life. The spy smiled weakly and turned around to leave the room. She would talk to her tomorrow; for now they both just need some time.

OOO

The morning was crisp and clear, she noticed as her eyes fluttered open. The wind blew through the lazy curtains that shrouded over the window, making the sunlight dance through the room. Romeli sighed heavily. She was usually a sun person, the sight of a cheery day always lightened her spirits; even so far up north.

Now, if it were possible, she wanted more than ever to stab the stupid glowing sphere with an extremely sharp dagger, decapitate every sickeningly happy ray that radiated off of it with a toothpick and dump the excess into a tub of boiling oil.

Violent thoughts aside, she noticed a note on her bedside table. Her curiosity grew when she noticed the handwriting was Maryann's. Did something happen? Was she ready to escape?

Meeting with Maggur at nine. Don't be late.

In half the time it took for the curiosity to appear, it vanished and was replaced with dread. Did he know it was her last night at the ball? Oh Gods…

From the position of the sun it looked to be about thirty minutes until her scheduled meeting. It took a long time to get to Maggur's office, leaving her about twenty minutes to get ready. She was in no mood to be late and therefore get punished over it. And anyway…she was supposed to act broken.

She threw off her nightclothes and put on a tight fitting dress that went down to her knees and black pants underneath. Standing in front of her mirror, she sighed in displeasure. Once again her hair was a mess. She quickly ran a comb through it, wincing in pain whenever it got caught on the shiny strands of her hair.

There was really no hunger for eating that breakfast that was laid out for her, but despite her cringing stomach, she threw down a piece of toast and drank a glass of water anyway. She really wasn't in the mood to faint during her meeting. Being unconscious while he was in the room was the last thing she wanted.

Romeli looked one last time around the room before exiting and walking down the hall. It was fairly peaceful out in the hallway. It was almost like the walls were soaking up the sun's cheerfulness. The thought made her regret eating that piece of toast.

As she passed the windows, cringing at the sun that passed through them (funny how just yesterday she thought windows were so wonderful), she wondered why she was in such a bad mood anyway.

It took her two seconds to remember why and another three to feel slightly guilty about it. Maryann had a reason to be worried about her leaving like that. She had to stop being selfish and start considering the big points. But still…what would she have done if she didn't go to the gardens? Gone insane? Killed herself? She wasn't exactly on the verge of losing either her life or her mind, but there had been a few close calls.

Either way, mistake or no, it was over and there was no use fretting over it. She would perhaps talk to Maryann about the situation, but the spy was never one to hold a grudge. Anyway, she had more important factors to consider.

Like the fact that James was currently at the other end of the hall.

The second Romeli noticed him, her heart felt like it violently jumped out of her chest. She wasn't sure if he noticed her (although she had to admit it was fairly hard not to). She had no idea what his facial expression was. What she did know however was that he was walking right towards her…and in public.

The temptation to run up to him, hug him close, drag him to the nearest window, and jump out of it whilst flying the both of them home via dragon was particularly annoying. Along with it, the fact that such an action was so ridiculous, made her heart fall.

She knew what she had to do, no matter how hard her heart would wrench, and that was to completely ignore him. Not even eye contact could be allowed, no matter what the cost was. It would just be easier to look down and act broken…be broken, just for the sake of them both. She smiled weakly to herself and looked down as her best friend drew nearer.

You would think that passing your greatest friend and not being allowed to talk to them would perhaps cause some difficulty, or at least a small pang in the heart. But as Romeli discovered, if it truly was your best friend you were passing, there would be no pain at all. Perhaps it was a concept difficult to understand other than the fact that it just happens. But if you're best friend knew your circumstances and knew the reasons as to why you would act in such a behavior, they would understand and follow along, correct? No problem, and no harm done.

There was no pain, no facial expression, no utterance from either of them as they smoothly passed each other.

Romeli sighed with relief as she turned to the next hallway.

Note to self: make James a very yummy cookie when you get out of this mess.

OOO

"Romeli, you're here, have a seat," welcomed Maggur as he put down a stack of thick papers and gestured her to a seat across from him at his oak desk. The room was bleak and smelled of sour scrolls and ink, through she had never seen the king write much.

To her dismay the only other person in the room was a guard that stood in front of the door she had entered through. She hesitantly stepped inside and sat down in the chair that was much more uncomfortable than it looked. Perhaps it was nerves, for even the walls seemed to close in on her. The stench from the scrolls in front of her was overwhelming. There was no other situation like this that she hated more, and she had no idea what was going to happen.

"Is there a reason why you've called me here today, Sir?" she asked blankly—well, externally her expression might have been blank, but inside emotions were rushing around in a sea of anger and dread, nerves, and apprehension. Her mind seemed to glow in concentration, every thought focused on the room and her thought out reply to anything that he said. She had gotten fairly used to working her mind like this, but particularly now, she kept her keen senses even keener and her observance of every moving action aware in her mind. The stakes were now extremely high and she had to be aware of every detail.

Maggur folded his hands on the table and looked deeply into her eyes. "You've been a good girl lately," he said with a pleased grin making her stomach recoil. "And I think now is the time to take our relationship up a notch."

Romeli would have winced if her future was not on the line. Now? How about next week? I'll be gone in a week. "Could you explain to me what this means?"

He leaned towards her intently. The deep voice that rushed through her ear made her want to scream in distaste. No…she couldn't. Even a tremor of fear would cost her life.

"You see Romeli, I have a plan. You know there's a reason as to why I captured you. The power that you have is unlike anything else in this world, and I want it. Of course, now I have it. You and I are going to be great together. With your power and my strategizing, there will be no power that can compare to us, and we will have the world at our knees.

"Now it took some time for me to figure my plan out. Before I was even born, my family has been searching for the object that would change Scranra forever. But now it is my time, and with you I will change this world. I have been patient enough. I have waited for you to break in my grasp, and I deeply apologize for everything that I have done to you, but just think of the future! Think of how wonderful it will be! I have run out of patience, and I know it is time for you to declare your everlasting obedience to me. What do you think Romeli? Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

Romeli's eyes slightly widened in horror, but Maggur seemed to take such an emotion as only awe. How the hell was she supposed to reply to that? To swear everlasting obedience to that sick man was like sealing her soul to the Goddess of Chaos. She couldn't…she can't.

Her heart sunk severely when she realized she had to accept. To him she was absolutely broken, and she couldn't just throw away that belief after so much hard work. She just had to accept, it didn't mean that she was really giving herself to him. It's all a big lie you'll be able to get out of it. At least…she hoped…

Romeli looked into the kings eyes and gave a small smile. "I would love to join with you."

A big, pleased smile grew on Maggur's face. He nodded and clasped her shoulder. "Good, good. I am very pleased. The future will be bright for us. But first…I need you to prove yourself."

A wave of fear rushed through her veins as she averted his gaze. The look Maggur was giving her chilled her to the bones. Something wasn't right. "And how must I do that?"

For once, the look he gave her held the accent of grim events to come. He stood up and helped her out of her seat. "Follow me."

Romeli didn't know whether she should be excited or apprehensive for whatever she was going to face, though she had a feeling it was the latter. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

He led her into another room with a confident gait, making sure she was following him—as if suddenly, after so long, she would make a break for it. The next room was just as large as the office they had just spoken in. There were no windows but one door directly across from them, making Romeli curious as to what the purpose of the room was anyway. Maggur looked quite pleased with himself.

When she looked to the left she noticed that the room wasn't completely empty, but contained a single wooden chair as its only furnishing. The thought wasn't comforting—in fact, she wished she'd never entered such a horrifying room at all. It was almost like it had come straight from her nightmares, or perhaps from the chaotic monster she had fought so long ago.

He was probably going to torture her, or force her to do magic. Whatever it was, it had to be cruel—the only aroma that came from the room was the stench of merciless brutality.

She was half correct of course, which in theory, would make her half prepared for what was ahead of her. Nothing in the world would ever prepare her for what Maggur had just ordered to come out the other door, and even still, no acting skill would cover her reaction.

In the hands of a sturdy Scanran guard was a strikingly handsome young man. The guard ruthlessly pushed him into the single chair and bound him with tight ropes despite his willful struggles. The man stared wide-eyes at her, though he apparently could not utter a word for help.

If Romeli could cry, she would have, but the piercing eyes of Maggur warned her not to. James…they had James…she wished that she could possibly do more, but showing emotion would make the situation worse than it was, though even she didn't quite know the specifics of the current problem. Part of her did not care that showing emotion could possibly kill her—she would die for him, despite the circumstances. That part of her didn't care about anything else save for the fact that James was struggling in a chair right across from her. But despite her inner temptation to let go of everything everything and take action for once, she could not. Deep inside she knew that acting out of line in front of Maggur would cause more harm than intended in the first place.

No…she would have to solve this a different way. She would have to think…not fight. She would have to expect everything and figure out a way behind anything that he said. And as for James…he would just have to understand the actions of whatever she did. Just like she had passed him only minutes before in the hallway without even a word…he would have to understand.

"You must know who he is," started Maggur slowly as he folded his hands behind his back. His eyes bore into hers, waiting for any breaking point from her.

"Yes, Sir," Romeli replied, staring ahead with level eyes. "He is a Tortallan."

"Yes," he said with a growing grin. Anticipation seemed to radiate from him. "Now. Do you want to join me, to become the most powerful team in this world?

"More than anything," she replied with a blank face. She refused to look into the king's eyes, or James'. She only looked straight ahead at the wall, clouding out anything in her mind besides Maggur's words. This was how spies got through interrogation.

"Excellent," Maggur replied with a growing grin. "Kill him."

Those two words took minutes to skink in. Kill him…? Kill…her best friend.

She had to think quickly and concoct a plan—whatever the hell that would be. And whatcould she do under so much pressure? Pressure…she didn't even want to think of pressure. If she were to convince Maggur, she would have to make this decision quickly, and that would be that. But she couldn't, she couldn't just…throw away her friend's life for her own. That was an impossibility.

I can't…no, I can't do this. Am I really about to kill him? Just like that? But she had to consider the factors of what was going on. If she didn't kill him, that would mean escaping right now. She would be found out and she would have to take off all the other stupid spells in her collar so she wouldn't die in the process of breaking away . Even then, she would destroy the whole mission, put everyone's life in danger and make Maggur so angry he would probably start another war.

It would be what she was going through the past few months all over again.

The big question was, does the life of your best friend outweigh your country? As much as she wanted to disagree, she knew country was more important. It would be selfish, despite the cruelty, to save James for her own needs. But…he was her best friend. Letting go of him was like letting go of all hope. It wasn't fair…either way it wasn't fair.

Dammit, she thought hardly, staring at the wall in front of her. He should have never come. It was too much of a risk. Just because he's Alanna's Squire doesn't mean he can just come to all of her trips.

And this is all Maggur's fault. If he wasn't so selfish. If he wasn't so cruel... this never would have happened in the first place!

Her anger that had been previously set loose on James, turned back to Maggur ten-fold. It was annoyingly striking how one person could simply ruin her whole life in the spans of two months. It was mentally exhausting to stop herself from shaking in anguish...and the stress—everything—was so overwhelming. The stench that glided in from the other room, the bright color of the wallpaper, the bloody guard breathing heavily across the room, Maggur tapping on his belt patiently—perhaps if the world would explode, her problems would be over.

Gulping softly, she threw those thoughts away and turned her head to Maggur. "I'll do anything for our quest of power," she said calmly. Romeli was surprised by her own strength. She thought her voice would come out as only a feeble whisper. This was the only choice…

Her hands shook as she raised them and brought out her emerald Gift—the Gift that nearly matched the same color as the person she was just about to kill. Who, just yesterday had been holding her in his arms in her favorite garden…

She looked into his eyes for only a second. His head was down in weakness from the fighting, but he looked up at her with his strong eyes, panting tiredly as sweat dripped from his messy hair. He was not terrified, sad, or betrayed. He was James…and to her amazement, he understood.

Romeli breathed in deeply, unable to stare at him any longer. She clenched her jaw as she focused on nothing but the task at hand. The feeling of her veins splitting spread through her body as she mentally fought a civil war. She could not digest what she was going to do; she just had to do it. It was far too complicated…far too emotional for her to comprehend…

She quickly twisted her wrists, focusing her energy on only one thing. James fell limp in the tight hold of the chair without even a sound. His eyes fell closed in a haunted peace.

"Good," said Maggur clasping her shoulder. She kept her eyes on the wall, unable to look anywhere else. "I am very pleased. This, my dear girl, is just the beginning of our quest. I will be seeing you again," he said as a goodbye.

He led her out the door away from James' body and showed her out the oak door.

Romeli walked away innocently but quickly, refusing to even think of looking behind her. She had to talk to Maryann…and fast.

OOO

Maryann walked quickly in nothing but outright disbelief. She knew that Romeli had a meeting with Maggur, but she had no idea anything like that would happen.

And that look on Romeli's face when she barged into her room…the terrified anxiety was unbearably overwhelming until even she began to tear up a little. Her emotional distress pulled at her exhaustion and made her even more aware of her weariness. Both of them were weak, both of them were close to done.

But when she really found out why Romeli had called her into her room…that was why she was in such disbelief. It wasn't that the spy didn't believe that she did such a thing…it was the sheer wittiness of it all. She would originally think such an action as foolish, but after second considerations, she wasn't so sure.

Hell, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. She would just have to believe it when she saw it.

If she ever did see it. This single thought reminded her once again how big of a hurry she was in. She quickened her pace as innocently as a double agent could.

She loped gracefully down flights upon flights of stairs until her calves were beginning to grow sore. Curse this vile palace and its love for steep, eternal staircases…

Her location was not on the first story however, where she had just landed. It was far below the ground where the deads' echoes could be kept apart from those of the living: the crypts, where supposedly the body of Romeli's best friend had been temporarily placed.

The spy had been in the deathly tomb many times now and she had a vague idea of where the body had been laid. When she turned the corner deeper into the dark and damp below, she knew she was right once again.

His body was turning cold and white where it laid carelessly on the stone ground. A bubble of anger erupted throughout her body when she noticed it so indifferently placed on the ground, but she brushed it aside. They didn't know any better.

She walked towards James' body concerned and kneeled next to it, checking to make sure he was not hurt more after Romeli had left.

She couldn't say he looked peaceful, but his moonlight skin showed no sign of further abrasion. She pursed her lips as she fished for something in her bag. There was no time to wait any longer…

Maryann grabbed the object she was looking for and jabbed it straight into the young man's neck mercilessly. The syringe looked rather painful as she ejected the emerald venom into his blood, but she showed no sign of squeamishness or nausea.

Finally the last of the emerald liquid had entered the bloodstream. She put the syringe back into her bag and kneeled next to him patiently. All she had to do was wait until it hit the heart…

James shot up like a lightning bolt had hit him. He breathed in heavily, deprived of air. Once he got his lungs back, he began to cough. His eyes were wide like he had recently underwent a terrible shock.

Maryann examined her nails as she waited for him to gain his bearings.

"Where…where am I," he breathed out heavily as he looked around. His voice was dry as his body began to function again.

"You, dear sir, are in a crypt," she said as she gave her nails one final examination.

"I must be dead," he said slowly. "My Gods. She really killed me."

"Oh, so you do remember," she said fascinated. "Well, no, she didn't kill you. You're alive. Romeli looked like she killed you. Silly her. She performed a Crescent Spell last minute."

James looked thoughtful for a moment. "The spell that makes you look dead and stops your heart, but an injection of the spell caster's Gift subsides all side effects…oh."

Maryann gave a wry grin. "Wow, intellectual and good looking to boot. No wonder Romeli didn't kill you."

James disregarded the comment and breathed in deeply, still getting used to his blood pumping again. James turned to Maryann and smiled weakly. "If she had...you know…killed me. I wouldn't have minded. I would have understood."

Maryann rolled her eyes. "You are the only boy I know who would let his friend kill him while strapped to a chair."

James' brows rose. "As oppose to not strapped to a chair, I presume?"

Maryann's grin grew with a hard affection. "Five minutes after coming back from the dead and you're still crackin' jokes. Idiot boy."

James half smiled. "So…Maggot still thinks I'm dead."

Maryann sighed. "Yes. I knew we would have to talk about this eventually. Maggur is fully convinced that Romeli just killed you and is most likely obnoxiously pleased—the morally corrupt weed. Good news for her, bad news for you—."

"I don't care about me, all that matter is that she gets out of here," said James forcefully.

"Woah there, Skippy," said Maryann holding up a hand. "When both of you get out of here you'll have plenty of time to make out a frolic later."

James blushed.

"But, we need to talk about you. You do realize that you can no longer be seen alive in the country of Scanra right?"

"The thought crossed—."

Maryann held up a hand. "Na uh. I'm still speaking. And did you know that Maggur will be down here in about half an hour to burn your body? This proves to be rather difficult since your heart is apparently still beating, and I hear that being burned alive isn't the most pleasant feeling in the world. So what are we going to do?"

"Lock me in a closet and hope he doesn't come down here?"

"Wrong," snapped Maryann. "Spies do not hope, we know. We're going to sneak you up to Alanna's room, lock you in there, and make an identical copy of you to burn."

James nodded and rubbed his hands together. "So I'm guessing that you need me to use my manly Gift to make that copy of me, hmm?"

"Wrong again," she replied with a grin. His shoulders dropped. "We need a more powerful mage for this stuff, so Romeli made one up real quick."

James nodded and looked slightly perplexed. "Don't you…you need an object from the person you're making a copy of, correct?"

Maryann nodded an affirmative as she gave him an all knowing look. "You have no idea how much hair she collected from you at that ball outing you two had."

James stared at her. "How did—ack. Whatever," he said running a hand through his already messy hair. "Just show me the copy…thing."

The spy rose her brows but obliged with the snap of her fingers. A figure in the shadows came into visual distance.

To say the least, James looked mildly impressed. The figure across from him looked and acted so much like his own self that even he was briefly confused.

"So this James," Maryann started as she clasped its shoulder. "Is actually going to be dead in about…" She paused to think. "Thirty seconds. You will get your arse out of here with me through a passageway and all will be well."

"Sooo…we should go then?" he replied eyeing his clone. Maryann nodded and led him into the shadows, leaving the copy behind them.

Seconds later, the young man fell, his face white as snow on the cold stone floor.

OOO

The second Romeli heard the door open, she looked over and rose from her lounging couch where she had been anxiously waiting.

"Is he okay?" she asked, half scared of the question herself. There was a crease of concern on her brow.

Maryann clasped the girl's shoulder and laughed. "Come now, dear. You put his life in the hands of Maryann. Of course he's okay!"

Romeli couldn't help but sigh with relief. She knew she shouldn't have been worried, but at the same time a great weight had been lifted off her chest from the good news.

Maryann ushered her back to the couch that the girl had been previously waiting at. She obliged with no hesitation as the spy settled herself in a great chair across from her.

"Where is he staying at now?" Romeli asked curiously. There was a slight layer of worry under her smooth alto voice.

Maryann grinned devilishly, making the girl unsure of what her reply would be. "Well, I don't' think he'll be too happy about living in Alanna's closet, but he'll last a couple more days…"

Romeli let out a small laugh. If only she could witness it first hand.

"But," the spy started again as she clasped her hands together. "We have more important manners to discuss. Your escape perhaps?"

Her heart skipped a beat in nervousness alone. "When is it going to be executed?"

"Tomorrow night," she replied matter-of-factly.

Romeli's brows rose. Tomorrow night…to think…exactly a day from now she'd be free and back in Tortall. The thought was more than exhilarating, it was terrifying. She had no idea how she could even do it…

"How exactly?" she replied perhaps a little weaker than she had intended to.

Maryann exhaled deeply before continuing again. Perhaps this minor action of relaxation had settled some of the spy's nerves, but it did the exact opposite to Romeli. "The situation is all extremely complex. I'm telling you this because I want you to wake up tomorrow with confidence. I'm not going to hide anything from you because you are mature and need to hear it."

She wasn't exactly sure if she should be curious or nervous. Romeli concluded to feel a simple mixture of both.

"There are a few tasks that you still need to do in order for you to escape, obviously. All of these charms—if you will—reside within your slave collar. We have the suffocation spell; this one is the most important to get rid of. You wont be getting far with that still on. There is also the spell that binds you to the country's government as an official Scanran Slave. With that still on, you are considered a slave of Scanra. Last there is the second binding spell that connects you with Maggur alone."

Romeli's brows rose. "And how do I get rid of these?"

Maryann cleared her throat. "Well in theory, with your Gift you could right now, except for the one that is bound to Maggur of course. That one gives us a complexity on a whole new level. Anyway, you could, but there is no doubt that there are alarms and triggering devices. It would be a disaster."

"So are we going to disable the alarms as well?" she asked in return.

Maryann grinned at the remark. "Impossible, even for you. You're just going to fly, very quickly and discreetly."

Romeli blinked.

"All right, let me walk through the whole thing. You are going to kill Maggur tomorrow night and—."

"I'm going to what?" Romeli looked at the spy in outright reverence.

The spy's eyes grew darker and she looked down, unable to meet Romeli's. "You heard me," she whispered quietly. Maryann held no visual emotion, making it hard to depict what she was feeling about the situation.

Romeli looked at her confused. "I don't…understand," she replied equally as soft. There was no reason to kill him was there? She had to admit that the capabilities that man had over her was enough to make anyone feel wrathful, but at the same time—despite what cruel things he had done—he was only human in the end. Wasn't he? All her life she had been taught that no one deserved to die, and even with the circumstances she was considering, there was no exception to that rule.

Maryann looked at her sharply, as if the girl's thought has been voiced aloud. "Do you not remember all that he's done to you? We've talked about this before!"

"Of course I remember," she replied shakily, this time unable to look at her mentor. "But no one deserves to die—."

"That is beside the point, Romeli! Forget your morals." She looked at the young girl brusquely, trying to ignore the growing lump in her throat. "Just because no one deserves to die, doesn't disprove the fact that someone wont. The only way you can get out is by killing him, so tell me—your life or his, Romeli."

Romeli blinked. "That's selfish."

The pause that resulted made the tension so thick that the air seemed vacant. At last their eyes finally met, Maryann's boring into hers, but she refused to budge.

"Romeli, you have got to be joking here," she said shaking her head. "You must analyze what you are saying—and for the Goddess's sake snap out of it. Yes, he may be a king, and he may deserve life like everyone else, but what would happen if you didn't kill him? You would have to work with him and he'll take over your country. And if you refuse? He kills you and takes over your country anyway. If you don't do it for revenge, do it for your homeland."

Romeli looked down, the tone of her voice was surprising and made her blood jolt unevenly through her heart. "I understand," she whispered nodding. "And I'll do it. But how? He's a king."

Maryann folded her hands and gave her a serious look. "You must understand that this whole situation is all extremely complex…"

Romeli stared at her bluntly. "Stop avoiding the question, and please just answer it."

The spy took a deep breath. "Well, here's the thing. There is only one way that you can become close with the king…well enough to kill him of course, and that is…well…in his bedroom."

There was an awkward pause before she decided to reply. To say the least she was not surprised that she would have to result to such actions. "Are you saying that I'm going to lose my virginity to gain my freedom?"

Maryann sighed and gave her a sympathetic gaze. "Worse case scenario, that may be what has to happen. Hopefully he will decide to save your dignity; he can be a kind person when he wants to. Usually the job you are signed up to do, as a Scanran Slave, is just serve and prepare him for bed—the lazy ass is too arrogant to do it himself."

Ripples of relief rushed through her at this. At least it was not for certain; if she was lucky, he wouldn't even consider it.

She cringed at the thought of what would happen is she was wrong. She wasn't ready for this…

Maryann sensed her uncertainty and hesitantly clasped her shoulder. "Just remember the goal. I've slept with the man over ten times, and all I do is remember why I'm there and what I'm fighting for. It's all about the goal."

Romeli's eyes widened and she gave her a disgusted look. "You what?!"

She hit her head. "I really shouldn't of told you that…"

Romeli's eyes narrowed as she shook her head. "No. You shouldn't have."

After a resulting awkward silence that lasted the spans of enough time to make the whole situation practically embarrassing, Maryann stood up.

"So remember, you're going to kill Maggur to release you from him, go to a tower to release the suffocation spell, and then release the slave bondage spell in a separate tower. Lot's of flying, not lots of time, good luck."

With that, she nodded her head curtly in adieu and left the room.

Breathing out heavily, she leaned back against the sofa, falling into an exhausted gaze.

OOO

It was the afternoon of the next day and the mass of Tortallans had once again regrouped in the King's suite to converse about the plans that would be later executed that same day. Maryann, though perhaps not much of a Tortallan compared to the others, stood in front of them with the stature of the king himself.

"There are a few things that need to be accomplished today," she told them. "We're not exactly sure what the success rate is—that is up for her to decide. Your jobs however, are not to be worried, but to be planned for the worst and act as support if anything goes wrong.

"Tonight at approximately ten o' clock, she will kill Maggur…"

There was a collection of shocked and uncertain whispers among the many people standing like a crowd below her.

"…Once she is finished with this task, she needs to get rid of a couple other vital spells in her collar. After this she will fly out to the group and we will run.

"Our job during this time is simple. Before we do anything, we need to pack all of our things and get our horses ready for departure. After this I will assign each of you to a designated spot on the ground where you can easily view Romeli's status when she passes you. You are her back up if anything goes wrong. You will not move from your assigned post and you will use these coins…" At this she showed a palm sized silver coin to the crowd. "…to communicate. Through these devices, you will notify me if anything goes wrong, and I will notify you when or if she has succeeded. When I notify you of this, you will then make your way to the horses where we will get the heck out of here. Sound good?"

The people shrugged and nodded an affirmative.

"Excellent. Now are there any questions?"

A large portion of the crowd shot their hand up at once, making Maryann's show of patience slightly falter. She was on their side…but Mithros…they were all so paranoid.

"Ummm…you," she said pointing at an aging man. His crows feet eyes were filled with concern.

Numair lowered his hand elegantly. "How exactly will the death be executed?"

"Poison," she said bluntly. She wouldn't call poison the exact execution, but details were the last thing she would tell the girl's father. Such insides of the mission were strictly between the two of them.

After such a reply more than half of the peoples' hands shot down, making Maryann nearly shake with annoyance. They were all so incompetent. She never got along with non-spies.

"You, I guess," she said pointing to a middle aged woman.

"Well, if she dies, are we staying for the rest of the ball?"

Maryann blinked and looked at her incredulously. It took the strength of all her years of training to keep her jaw from even slightly dropping. "My lord…think, Woman!"

She put her hand down hesitantly.

"Are there anymore decent questions?" She asked forcibly.

Silence.

She stepped off of the platform and started out the door. "Good. Start packing, I'm leaving."

OOO

The cool night engulfed the warmed room through the single small window. It was funny how darkness could flow through even the lightest of places and shroud some of its greatness in a small grey haze. The only light in the room was the culprit of two silently sizzling candles and a heavy fireplace spitting and crackling at shards of earth.

No, she was not bothered by the cold that pressed against her window, or the darkness that hulked over her room and took residence in all the accented shadows. The warm was quite warm to be honest, making her skin soft under its roasting caresses. In fact, the whole atmosphere of such a night almost reminded her of winter with a mug of hot cocoa in her hand.

Almost.

Under different circumstances she would be more than willing to bathe in such grandiose of a late summer evening. Tonight however, the night did not hold peace, but a small layer of terror made present to her by the annoying silence muffling everything around her. It seemed that each minute pressed by as if against its will; the crackle of the hearth seemed to mock her apprehensive spirits.

This was one of the first times in her life where waiting for such an event was half of the battle. Maryann had told her that the preparation was what would determine the outcome of her true actions, but she had never told her that it would be a mental civil war. The horror of having her mind fight with herself made her gut sick, until even staring at the wall made her weary.

She tried running through what she was planning to do and her desired outcome, as she absentmindedly fingered the leaf of a plant placed next to her on the sofa. The challenge was not thinking of how she was going to strategize, but keeping herself on topic. Her mind constantly clawed itself away from its purpose and threw what if questions here and there, making her frustrations slowly rise; even meditating could not keep her mind from dancing around horrifying ideas and fears—if only she could just get this over with!

It was nine o' clock at night, making her shoulders droop. She had only been in her room for fifteen minutes and yet it felt like she had been there thinking for days. An hour left of this torture, and already she felt like throwing something against the wall.

Just run the whole thing through your mind…and prepare yourself for anything that happens…

But what if I can't find the tower…?

Romeli bit her lip in annoyance. If slapping herself wouldn't be considered mental, she would have. This is just stupid…

Deciding that sitting down for more than fifteen minutes at a time was unhealthy, she began to pace back in forth in front of the couch. It had not even hit her what she was about to do to get herself out of here.

If losing her virginity to escape from slavery was what she had to do, was it really worth it? She had to admit that she would never know what she had until it was lost, but at the same time this was her virginity. There had to be a different way than pleasing a sick man for freedom. She couldn't do that, no matter what the circumstances were. Sharing a bed with the same man who killed her boyfriend, ruined her life, and forced her to murder her best friend was horrifying.

Maryann sensed her uncertainty and hesitantly clasped her shoulder. "Just remember the goal. I've slept with the man over ten times, and all I do is remember why I'm there and what I'm fighting for. It's all about the goal."

At a time like this, what Maryann had said to her was her only grasp of hope in sight. As much as this was her own virginity that was up for the bidding, it was selfish to consider herself as the only important factor in the situation. No matter how much she wished things could be different, she was linked to her country. Gaining her freedom was gaining Tortall back; she would be home and away from danger, and she could return back to her main goal: who she really was.

Romeli frowned at this. Until now she had completely forgotten about the question of identity. She had forgotten about Old White and Sclythe, Sharpfang, and Shadowdancer. It was interesting how in such a short amount of time everything could change and be forgotten. If she succeeded tonight, it would be just like old times; at least she hoped it would be.

So was losing her virginity really worth it? Yes…it had to be, at least. If it were her own decision, she would find another way. But there was no choice anymore, and whatever had to be done, had to be done. What was her decision, however, was how well she executed her goals. She could only do what her mind was prepared to do, and no more—now more than ever was this evident.

As of right now until the time she would be running away with her friends, she was no longer Romeli. She was who she wanted to be: a seductive young lady with a playful personality and a drawl that would make the rodent drink the venom. Perhaps such an idea as acting in this manner at such an age was disrespectful, but at this point she had no time for morals—this was a moment of desperation—and she was a survivor, whatever it took.

She sighed as she sat back down on the couch again and looked around. Everything in her room was gone, all packed away and hidden somewhere—not like she really cared of course. She didn't have much—or anything at all really, seeing as she arrived here against her will. There was one thing that still remained in her room however. It was perched on the coffee table across from her, reflecting tresses of colorful light from the pools of fiery warmth.

She picked up the glass snow globe and shook it gently. For whatever reason, this object—being barely the size of her palm—was what she valued most above everything else she had. And for whatever reason, it gave her hope. Perhaps it was because it was something physical she could hold onto—a small piece of home in the middle of the foreign customs around her. She closed her eyes and held it tight to her, she would never forget James' face as he gave it to her—full of despair, but full of even more determination.

Standing up again, she walked to the candle and observed the markings—she had thirty minutes. Time had definitely flown by quicker than before, but the sight of the wax slowly melting away to her fate made her nerves silently rouse again.

It was time to go.

Giving one last look around her extravagant room, she put the snow globe down on the coffee table and gave it a small pat—it was time to let it go, just like she was going to let go of everything else that happened to her in the past two months. The oak door opened smoothly, as if giving her invisible support as it pushed her out the door.

Quietly, she made a sharp left towards the nearest flight of stairs, holding her hands together tightly to keep them from shaking.

OOO

A while later, after her legs had become fairly tired from the stairs and hallways, she knocked almost hesitantly on the great oak door that was labeled as the king's private quarters. The door opened almost immediately, like the man had been waiting anxiously close to the entrance for hours.

"Romeli," he greeted as he opened it wider. "You're here early. Please, come inside." He stepped out of the way and welcomed her inside of his private rooms.

To say the least his quarters were much simpler than she had thought. Considering the extravagance that was portrayed as the main theme of the rest of the palace, it was expected for the private quarters of the king to hold the highest of luxurious beauty. The main room was emphasized and built around an assortment of green plants that looked so lively they made her palms itch. Most of them were probably taken from the garden itself and were held under the greatest of care. The walls were washed with an earthy cream and lined with glossed wood on the windows and paneling. The furniture gave the aroma of fresh wood—the scent of the moss of the forest it came from faintly haunted her nose, making it itch tenderly.

"I thought you would like my place," he said clasping her shoulder affectionately. "I told you I loved plants."

Romeli looked up at him and smiled, becoming slightly more subconscious about the short green dress she was told to wear. Maggur's eyes did not avert her own however, and he ushered her to a seat at the couch where she sat down silently.

"I am very pleased with you, you know," he said lightly as he gave her a serious look. "Such an action may have been hard for you, but it served as a symbolism. His body is gone now, and with it your life at Tortall completely—and now begins our partnership, Romeli. I am honored to work with you." He nodded at her curtly and got up to fetch a bottle of what looked like wine. "Care for a drink?"

Romeli shook her head and took the glass he handed her. She had never enjoyed wine very much—and of course had only a few glasses in the spans of her life. This glass however, was unlike the others she had. It had a zesty frost to it, that was light as it slid down her throat. It left a biting flavor on the sides of her tongue. Maggur took a sip as well and crossed his legs as he put his glass down.

"Now, I do have to admit," he started slowly. "I don't really know that much about you. I mean, as much as I watched after you, there must be some things I don't know."

Romeli blinked and considered what he was talking about. There couldn't be any harm in telling him now… he was a goner, so he might as well be indulged in his last night… "Well, there probably is not much you don't know about me. I am part dragon, so I can transform into one I hate radishes, and my hair is extremely annoying to comb."

Maggur let out a hearty laugh as she watched her take another sip. "I can imagine," he said looking at her intently. "That's quite a gift you have then. I know to you all of this may seem like a burden, but so many people would die for what you have."

Romeli disregarded what he said and stole a glance at a nearby candle. She was growing nervous with anticipation. If only he would ask her to do something already, instead of just sit here—perhaps if he would just…collapse or something. Her life would be made much easier.

"And what about yourself?" she asked intently. "For being in your bedroom, I don't know much…"

A faint tint of a blush was seen in his cheeks, making Romeli feel like she was slowly gaining the upper hand. She had read so many romance novels where the girl would turn into a venomous snake with her beauty and ultimately have complete power over her victim, but she had never imagined such circumstances would happen to her.

"Well my life wouldn't exactly be classified as thrilling," he admitted taking another sip of the hearty wine. "I love gardens, as you already know. My favorite food is spaghetti, and when I can spare the time I take hikes in the mountains to observe the nature."

Romeli nodded with interest when he mentioned hiking. Back when she lived in The Tower—odd how she hadn't been at The Tower's serene paradise in more than a year—she used to hike in the woods all the time. She could almost feel the damp mist from the leaves sprinkle on her face.

"I've always loved nature," she said contently as she set down her crystal glass and brushed away her sweeping bangs.

"I can tell…," he whispered in her ear with a curling smile. His body was only inches away from hers even though the sofa was respectably long. A rise of fear rose in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it away forcefully as she remembered her goal and turned her face to his with dreaming eyes. He kissed her intensely, wrapping an arm around her small waste as he brought her up to him.

She would have screamed if it wouldn't have cost her life. The feeling of his aging lips against her own was more than revolting—already she knew that she would hate this more than anything else she had gone through while in this vile country. Despite her internal pleas for her to slap him, kick him away, something, she kissed him back.

He grabber her tightly on her sides and brought her light body on his sturdy lap, pushing her chest against his own. His kisses grew increasingly harder to the point that she began to get slightly dizzy. Slowly she brought her hand up to his chest and another through his hair.

How could Maryann sleep with this man? And over ten times! But if Maryann could do it, so could she; just this one time she had to use her beauty to her advantage.

…But Maryann wasn't fifteen…

Usually such a crime as sleeping with a man more than twenty years older than you was unforgettable; she wasn't saying it wasn't of course…but this was a different circumstance. This was her choice, and she had to do this.

He whispered encouraging words in her ear as he slowly kissed her neck, her jaw, her collar with a tongue so sickeningly seductive she wanted to cry—the only audible sound she made was a small gasp that he must have taken as a sign of pleasure, for he increased his hold on her quivering body, moving his hands rhythmically up and down her back.

Romeli did not know much about romance—of course she had read the occasional novel, all of them the same, but she had never been in or heard of such a situation as this. In Tortall servants and slaves were never regarded like this—why would they, for men to fulfill their pleasures? That seemed hardly justifiable. She pushed her thoughts back abruptly knowing that dignified or not, her actions were her only way of getting out of here.

Her fingers itched with curls of distaste as she began to unbutton his shirt in a way that could be classified as seductively. The wisps of hair on his chest scratched against her own too apparently for her liking as she slid the clothing from off his round shoulders. He slowly moved one of his hands to her inner thigh, caressing it softly as he returned his lips to her own desirably.

"Take it off," he whispered in her ear softly, eyeing her short dress. With an even softer voice he added an "If you want". Deep inside however, she more or less knew she didn't exactly have a choice. She unwrapped her arms around him and began to undo the buttons that went down the full front of her clothes, ignoring the king's curious gaze.

Part of her would have stopped at the "if you want"—that was enough of an excuse. She could have said she didn't want to…but she had continued on. Now she was beyond any line—beyond even her conscious belief of what she was doing—after this…Gods if she even survived…perhaps she would believe it as only a dream.

When she had unbuttoned her dress all the way, he shrugged it completely off of her impatiently and devoured her with wandering hands and daring lips. He began to finger her bra strap teasily, thinking that not removing it would somehow ruin her day. Instead he wrapped his strong hands around her waist and stood up with her body still straddling his own. She tightly kept her own arms around his neck to keep from falling as she began to deeply kiss his jaw.

He gently laid her down on his extravagant bed in the next room over, perching over her warm body. She lowered his head down with her hand and gave him a deep kiss, trying to stall as long as possible until she thought of an idea.

With both of his knees on either side of her body, he ran one hand down the front of her chest, finally deciding that he had conquered her like he had planned. Victoriously, he began to take off his pants.

"Wait," she whispered as she sat up. He took his hands away and looked at her with arched brows. "Don't you want a milkshake?"

His ears seemed to perk at the sound of the word. King Maggur could never deny a milkshake…

OOO

The weather matched the moods of the whole Tortallan party as they stood around by their horses. It was the eve of a storm—made predictable by the rolling and angry clouds. Everyone was filled with dread and anticipation for what their next actions were going to be. Sure, they had gotten themselves safely out of the palace, but out of the country was the goal that seemed faintly out of their reach.

James curled his jacket tighter around himself as he looked up at the pitch black sky. He could practically see the raindrops begin their long descent from the clouds. Perhaps he wasn't one to love stormy weather, but he along with everyone else was taking it as a blessing—the rain would be covering their tracks better than they ever could without it.

James saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he turned around to spot Maryann stand on a large box, making herself visual to the whole crowd. Everyone else, though the group was rather small, seemed to notice as well and did the same—no one spoke a word—no one had been speaking a word.

"It is now the time to go to our appropriate posts—hopefully you remember what they are," she said to them all with as hushed a voice as possible. Her skin was noticeably pale against the moonlight. "Please for Mithros' sake be quiet and keep your ears open. Remember that if anything goes wrong and we are found out, do not attack anyone until mine or the king's say. Alert me with your communicators if you see a bird fly out of a window."

To normal ears, saying such a thing would be considered as slightly psychotic, but to the Tortallans this made perfect sense. The nodded their heads in affirmative and made their way to their posts with light weapons and even lighter footsteps.

James walked as quickly and quietly as he could, holding the silver disc that was his communicator tightly in his hands. He found his post to be slightly ironic to him—and if he hadn't known better he would suspect Maryann as being the culprit for such a coincidence. The rose gardens were perched right under Romeli's final destination of the night, leaving him to give the spy the second alarm for seeing her, for he was the only one assigned there.

Why the spy had placed a teenager at one of the most important posts was beyond him, but he planned to take the role completely seriously. He entered the rose garden, almost feeling at home with its welcoming walls of blossomed roses and fresh pond that reflected the coming of the storm. Sitting himself on the stone bench, he brought his knees to his chest and looked up at the tower. This must be where she was supposed to go to…

Now that he was alone, and with such a silence rolling throughout the whole palace he realized how nervous he was. It was foolish really, it wasn't him who was in danger, but he could not help himself. He would have been excited, but that seemed to be hardly appropriate—there was no use in counting eggs before they were laid, and he was in no mood to be disappointed—no, not disappointed—devastated.

His mood did not increase when the first of the rain drops fell on his head. He let out a shiver, his breath curling out of his mouth in harsh quivers. If only he knew what Romeli was doing right now…

OOO

(A/N: hello sugar high…)

Milkshake, milkshake, milkshake, she thought quickly as she walked out of the king's bedroom and back into the main room. It was now much larger than she had previously remembered it. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the green of her discarded dress and shivered with distaste—her situation was beginning to digest. She needed a milkshake.

Where the hell do I find a milkshake?! She asked her self impatiently as she paced around the room. I don't know where there are cups, I can't…I can't possibly run down to the kitchens. I have no communication—I—I—gah!! "Maryann," she breathed out quietly in a silent plea for help. Maryann would know what to do if she was in this situation.

I could umm…I could make a milkshake! she thought flustered as she searched around the room. She tore up the cabinets and the drawers looking for any trace of food. The fact that she couldn't find any was what put her in denial. The man was bloody fat, there had to be some hidden food, especially a milkshake, hidden in his room somewhere.

There were many other doors in the room, but she had no time to search there. Maggur was probably growing curious now as to what was taking her so long, and she had to hurry. If he came out of that bedroom door…she was caught red-handed. If only there was just…a room! Or something! That contained the entire world's supply milkshakes—oh what a miracle it would be!

She stopped in the middle of the room and threw up her hands in frustration. Is this really going to happen? Is my mission going to end because I couldn't get a stupid milkshake? Oh the humor, and the look on Maryann's face…

Oh come off it, don't think like that now, she told herself with ambition. Just…magically make one or something. With your Gift…

No…no…make food with my Gift? Impossible—there is no such thing…I can't just make a milkshake come out of thin air! Whether my life is on the line or not, nothing can just magically appear out of thin air and—.

Poof.

Romeli frowned as she stared at the coffee table—what usually housed coffee now acquired a frosty glass of a mouthwatering milkshake—straw and all.

disregarding the fact that until now she hadn't the slightest clue she was able to conjure dairy products, she picked up the icy delight and took out an excruciatingly small bottle from the bosom of her bra and opened the lid. The liquid was a burning green that seemed to glow in its own pores—It was ice cold against her skin and yet seemed to steam in darkness and despair. To think, her own Gift had created such a thing.

She poured the substance quickly into the tempting milkshake and gave the straw a little stir to resume it to its natural color—which it took promptly. She then turned back around and walked back into the bedroom, holding the liquid like it was her life.

"There you are," he said heatedly as he stood up off of the bed and came over to her. "This looks heavenly, thank you."

The spans that it took for Maggur to down the whole drink was equivalent to the seconds it took for Romeli to come to the conclusion that the man was a sick, sick, man: around three and a half seconds.

He whipped the white mustache off with a kerchief in his pocket and gave her a grateful and wicked grin that could only mean they were back to their where they left off.

It will all be worth it soon enough, she told herself as he wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her deeply. She could almost taste the milkshake on her lips—it wasn't the first time she was grateful poison did not usually affect her.

With a feistiness that made her skin crawl unpleasantly, she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back to the bed, his body leaning and eventually falling back on it softly. After laying her prey down, she crawled over him and straddled his pelvis victoriously.

Look who's in control now…

It had to be only a matter of time until he would fall dead—all she had to do was stall in any possible way she could. Ignoring the large hands that placed themselves on her hips, she gave him a purring smile and traced a single finger down the center of his chest.

She leaned down slowly and pressed her lips against the hollow of his chest as if willing the process to somehow speed up. Whether it worked or not was beyond her logic, but when she sat back up again his eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted in a sighing last breath.

Staying still for a few moments, she checked his heart to make sure he was really gone. When she found there was no movement or life in the room besides her own she hopped briskly off the body and jumped off the bed as if it itself was contaminated.

Gods…life itself seemed to all be a single blur and everything suddenly seemed much more real than it had been even seconds before. She…literally…had just killed King Maggur. Rejoicing seemed hardly appropriate, and the only flash of emotion that she let escape to her face was that of awe—she was not horrified nor ecstatic—what she was, however, was suddenly pumped with more adrenaline than she had ever experienced.

I need to—have to go—Gods I need to go do those spells. She hesitated, wringing her hands quickly, thinking what to do. She never actually thought everything out; she just thought she would do it. Bird, bird—gotta transform into a bird.

She rushed over to the nearest window and unlatched the hook, pushing it open as forcefully as she could.

"Ack! Oh—Gods!" she cried out stepping back after being plummeted with heavy rain. Just what she needed, a rainfall to help her fly nice and quickly to the first tower. "Okay," she breathed out. "Rain or no, you have to get to that tower—suck it up—and fly."

She took a step back and quickly transformed herself into a large raven—big enough to have the strength to fight through the rain, yet small enough to be swift through her goals. With a great flap of her wings she shot off of the ground and flew out the window, ignoring the heavy raindrops as they bashed into her and slid off of her silken wings.

Her first destination was a tower not too far away from the bedroom window. Supposedly the whole room was secured by the Tortallan spies so that she could perform the incantation for the choking spell in peace—she wouldn't take any chances however, and was fully prepared to find herself in the face of the enemy.

Last case scenario she could just blow the whole palace up…

Though perhaps under normal conditions it shouldn't have been taken as a comforting thought, it was the only thing she could hold on to. As swiftly as the rain and her soaked body would allow, she glided to the tower now only moments away.

The window was left open for her easy accessibility to her destination. She flew into the room and quickly transformed into her human self in mid-air—of course the consequence being her falling to the ground seconds later.

She groaned quietly and swore she wouldn't let herself fall the next time. She looked around with squinting eyes for the book Maryann said held the incantation. The world was spinning around her—a sensation that always came to her after she transformed so quickly. Despite being used to the feeling, it did not erase her annoyance with the fact that it did not fade away until moments later.

Standing up slowly, she more or less tripped once again as she made her way to the table that had the desired book opened up on it. The incantation was not too long but looked incredibly complicated—something that did not surprise her; the yellowing book looked like it would fall apart at her fingertips.

After she did this incantation, she had to hurry even quicker. There was no doubt in her mind that Maggur had placed alarms just in case of something like this.

Gods…she killed the man…

She shook away the thought and turned back to the task at hand. Clenching her jaw, she leaned forward to read through the lines one more time. Sure she had to work quickly, but she also had to work cleanly; a stupid mistake at the apex of her adventure was not how she wanted to die.

Taking a deep breath she began the incantation with careful articulated words that couldn't be classified as a mistake even if Mithros tried. Her fingers began to itch almost painfully as her Gift seemed to rise from the very pores of her fingers and shoot through invisible forces like electric currents to the heart of her collar. She knew it was working, that was obvious enough, but her voice became more and more strained as each breath became harder to take and every muscle in her body took more energy to move. The pain came to a climax that almost made her want to fall to her knees and give up on her mission then and there, but with a last mental urge she finished the last line and the weights that had positioned on her chest were lifted.

Romeli felt a small trickle seem to dance down her neck and she instinctively brought her hand up to her slave collar…or more like what was her slave collar. The metal clasp seemed to have disappeared along with the choking spell. The trickle that had been at her throat was noticeably blood—blood that was now on her hands as she looked at it almost in a daze.

Until now she never realized how painful that collar really was…she felt so light and free, almost as if she could just float off the ground this instant with magic or not…and the spells weren't all completely gone yet—she still had one more.

Shoot, she said to herself. She still had one more. Taking a deep breath she focused her mind back to her mission and transformed back into the large raven she had previously taken the form of. Once again she dove into the frosty rainfall.

OOO

"We see her," said a scratchy voice through the flat of the shiny disc. Rain bounced off of it lightly, making droplets roll off of its glossy surface and onto the earthy ground feet away. "She just flew into and out of the first tower with a success—a nice big raven."

Maryann could not help but physically sigh with relief. Her heart had been pounding tightly for hours and now it finally began to loosen itself.

"That's my girl," she whispered grinning as she attempted to dry the communicator. Promptly after she had received the word, she stood up straighter, noticing she was in the eyes of her fellow Tortallans and briskly brushed off her jacket.

Well. It wasn't quite over yet—She had much more ahead of her.

OOO

Romeli almost yelped when once again she jumped through the window and was overwhelmed with the warmth and dryness of the indoors. Though she had promised herself that she wouldn't fall to the ground this time, she could not help but gasp for air on her hands and knees when she had arrived. It was not the idea of her mission that was so exhausting, it was actually doing it. Wooing a king and then jumping out of windows into the rain as a bird to perform powerful magic was not even close to her idea of fun.

Dripping in rain she got off of the ground as quickly as her shaky legs would allow her and walked to the table that held the next incantation on it. This book looked much younger compared to the other, with dry pages that would cripple under her damp fingers.

She had to move quickly…

Her breath was shallow and hastened as she read over the incantation a couple times. It was shorter and simpler than she had expected, which sent waves of relief down her spine. She wasn't sure if she could get herself through another one of those harder spells, Pitless Gift or not.

Taking a last deep breath she pulled out her Gift and began the incantation.

OOO

The rain that seemed to be soaking him thoroughly was forgotten when he saw the flash of the raven at his assigned tower. His heart practically skipped a beat at the sight of her speed through the water and it took him a while to realize that he had to inform the spy.

He grabbed the disc clumsily and rubbed it over with the meat of his thumb. "She just flew into the second tower." James exhaled deeply—the words themselves seeming to comfort him—all he had to do now was wait and be wary…

He shifted uncomfortably at his spot on the bench. Though perhaps it was just his paranoia, the mission seemed to be running all too smoothly. Something did not seem right at all.

His thoughts were quickly confirmed when he saw a flash of movement from the corner of his eye. He turned his head quickly, ducking low in the garden. The archer posted up in the walls must have not seen him—something that he was fairly thankful for.

An instant later, as quietly and carefully as he could, he slid himself from off of the stone bench where he could be clearly visible by the archer and down to what he calculated as being a likely blind spot for the enemy.

Mind rushing quickly, he thought of all of his options. Should he call Maryann? There was not much he could do, no one could get down here in time, and he did not want her to become anxious—though her showing emotion wasn't exactly the thing he should be worried about…

Oh Gods Romeli.

He bit his lip, heart suddenly racing. She was most likely performing a spell right now, one that—though he did not have much experience—he knew could make her unaware of her surroundings. She was in danger, but there was nothing that he could exactly do. He was told to watch and nothing else—that she could take care of herself. But could she really? There was only one archer in sight, but there were probably more. He should have expected this—if only he could actually do something, but he was no assassinator—and not much of a warrior either.

Taking a big breath he wrung the disc in frustration. All he could do was hope, and that bugged the hell out of him.

OOO

What she thought was going to be a relatively easy spell proved to be something completely different. Much to her annoyance the incantation was proving to be a lot harder than she thought it was. Sweat began to drip down her face in concentration, and her surroundings became more blurred with every syllable as she trudged through the words.

Her Gift began to flutter weakly in her heart and she knew that she had to stop, it would be a miracle if she could get this down without starting over again…

But she couldn't stop she had no time, she knew at least that. The alarm was already sounding and there was no doubt someone was taking control of the problem. Whether the spell worked or not—though she hoped to the Gods it did—she would have to finish, no matter how much she believed she couldn't do it.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks in frustration. Fighting a mental war with her mind while trying to perform a spell was by far one of the most frustrating things she had ever gone through. It decreased your concentration, and put you in a panic, and only luck could decide whether or not you could even succeed. At this point she didn't care about luck, she just wanted it to end.

Finally she was released from the tight hold that the spell grabbed on her. A flash of green light erupted through the room and she stumbled to the ground once again—if somehow the world would just stop so she could lay there for five minutes…

"No worries, Sir. This tower is completely under control, no one has entered it all night," said a voice from the other side of the doorway. Romeli's head shot up and she looked over at it in horror, half expecting for it to open and reveal half of the Scanran Guard.

No, no, she shook her head. She leaned more towards the door to listen more carefully to the conversation. From what he had said before, the man by that door must be a Tortallan Spy.

"There was an alarm," she a deeper and raspier voice. "We must check the area. There are rumors that she has gotten out somehow, and we must alert the King."

"Well I'll have you know, the King certainly isn't in here," the Tortallan Spy said more strongly. "It would be absurd at this hour…"

A series of conclusions came to her mind and she quickly stood up to get away from the door. There was no doubt in her mind that the guard was stalling for her and if she didn't move they would both get themselves killed. She had already wasted enough time, whether that spell worked or not she would find out later—she needed to go.

Quickly she ran over to the window and, while jumping out of it, hastily transformed herself back into raven form. The cold once again took over her in a rush of biting rain drops as she started to fly again—thanks Gods, she was finally free!

Suddenly she faltered as a force so unbearably strong gripped at her chest and stuck to her. The weight of her wings grew heavier as she seemed to sway in the air for a few seconds.

The last thing she felt was her wings collapse to her side as she lost control of her raven form and plummeted to the ground.

OOO

James would have yelled when he saw the body fall, if it wouldn't have cost his position. Not like positions even mattered anymore—she was found and it looked like the archer had a big smirk on his face.

He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up and looked around—she had to be around in the garden somewhere, and he had to find her before someone else did.

Quickly, he dodged out of the rose garden and down the long path, looking for any sign of her body through the smears of heavy rain that rolled down his face and hair. Where the hell was she?

He turned the corner, almost slipping from the gloss that had formed on the cobble stone. His position in the mission no longer mattered—all that mattered was finding her and getting her home…dead or alive.

Instinctively he drew a right into a small garden consisting of a little amount of flowers of no particular interest. His eyes widened we he spotted her body, the blood gushing from it mixed with the rain on the ground.

"Oh Gods," he whispered nearly inaudibly as he walked over to her. He quickly slid off his cloak and placed it over her body, covering her from at least some of the rain.

His hands quickly moved to his mouth in horror when he noticed the arrow out of her chest. How he hadn't noticed it before was beyond him, it was unbearably deep inside to the point that pulling it out would result in her death—if she was even alive.

"Come on, come on," he whispered as he touched her cheek. The rain fell quickly on his white buttoned shirt, plastering it to his chest and making him shiver unbearably. Splashes of her own blood were on his knees as he crouched next to her and tried to raise her body from the cold ground. Her face was a ghost's, closed and unmoving, lips slightly parted in the smallest of a smile.

Hot tears began to roll down his face, landing in the girl's green hair. This was his fault—he had noticed the archer, he should have done something. Now…now there was an arrow piercing straight through her heart. From the way it was positioned there was no way it could have missed it.

He picked up the silver disc from the ground where he left it and held it in his hands almost in a daze. Tears fell down in a stream down his cheeks as he held her body closely to his own, her head in the crook of his arm. This wasn't how it was supposed to be…she wasn't supposed to die…

He rubbed the disc with his thumb and stared into it for a slight moment. Not sure what to say, or do—all he really wanted was for her to somehow get through this. "…Maryann…" he whispered weakly, eyes closed as he rubbed her soft hair with his hand.

"What…? What is it boy?" she demanded with a stern voice. "Speak up—is she out of the tower yet?"

…I can't do this…, he thought as he held the body closer to him—he wouldn't let go, not ever. "...She's dead…"

There was a silence as he dropped the disc in his hands and left it on the wet ground. With tears streaming down his eyes he pressed his own head to hers and kissed the top of it deeply.

Gods…Romeli…She was dead.

---

So. That's the end of the story—pretty good I think. I can't exactly go on since she's dead…

Nahh…jk! We've only just begun! You'll see what's going down after her death next chapter.

Replies:

Lady Merlin: UPDATED! Lmfao

Captain Cheese: CHEESE! Eh…that's okay. Sugar highs are fun while they last, eh? Oh man…how fun it would be. I think when I'm done with the story I'm going to make a bloopers chapter, where all the things I wish happened I do. Lol. Hahah. Yay smut! Lol. This one had plenty of it. I dun know what her antlers are for actually lol. Oh wait nvm I do…you just don't know yet! Hahaha…if they all just died…hahahah that's great. No worries…big sexy James chapters will come eventually.

Katsuko-princess and thief: hahahaha…yes'm I did. Look what happened. Ah…but ive been planning that for around two years now. There will be plenty of alone time later (wink).

Sweet thoughts: awww you're so nice! You're officially one of my favorite readers. That's quite flattering. This review actually really helped me update faster—it took me forever to write this btw. Oh no worries…nothing will get seriously mushy—I really really don't like the cheesy fluff where everything is happy lol. Not my thing. Ooo. Well when you start writing fanfiction please let me know! Lol.

X17SkmBdrchiczxx: hahaha it was quite tempting at the time. I can be quite spontaneous and almost had to rewrite that whole part because I had her accidentally trip on a spoon. Lmfao. Thanks kindly!

Aravuli: indeed Moose is back! Lol. Aww thanks…I'm doing a little better. Pretty intense stuff, if you ask me. This chapter was pretty fluffy if you ask me…just not in the most accepted way ( - )…I really did hate writing that part, trust me. More humor you say…? That wont be in a while I fear… but I'll to add in something…

Kuyaga: hahaha hey what do you know you got your wish. Fine fine…you're a wok. You…wok thing you. Lol. Ah look. I did a summary here as well.

Mangoskin93: hahaha. Thanks! This one kinda took me a while, but the length is what got me. I'll be updating quicker now that I have more time on my hands.

Silver-star-0: indeed I am alive. I believe this chapter made up for the previous' shortness. . sorry for not updating soon…lol