Who let me chose Thursday to be my posting day? It's not a weekend, or the beginning or end of the week, so it's kinda hard to remember. I'm sorry this is so late in the day, I was really busy. I hope you like this and let me know what you think!

I have so much fun writing Nicolai and Lucette!

Oh, and to the guest who reviewed on chapter 15; I'll think about it :)

Only two more chapters!

-owl

As dusk gathered, Rollan followed Lucette, Nicolai, and Tarik into the dining hall. The room was resplendent in drapes of many different colors, and the tables were set with fragile looking plates rimmed with what looked like gold.

There were two tables in the room. The one at the front was already filled by the generals (Rollan assumed, at least), their wives, and any children that were attending as well. Rollan saw Meilin sitting to the right of the man in the middle of the table, more than likely General Teng. She was now wearing an ornate dress and heavy make up, much like what the other ladies at her table were also wearing.

Rollan ended up sitting between Tarik and Nicolai, while Lucette had been invited to the front table and given a seat there, a few away from the generals. Once the meal started a moderate din from the guests talking and clattering silverware rose up.

Along the middle of the table sat dishes upon dishes piled with food. Rollan gleefully helped himself and began to eat. On either side of him, Tarik and Nicolai filled their own plates and started eating as well.

"So, Rollan," Nicolai started, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Who do you keep eyeing at the front table?"

Tarik gave him a disapproving look. "He's eleven, Nicolai. I doubt that he's thinking anything of that sort."

Nicolai rolled his eyes and took a large bite of his food. Once he swallowed, he continued speaking. "In any case, Rollan, who are you looking at, up at the other table?"

"Meilin, I met her in the lower levels this afternoon while I was exploring," Rollan answered, pointing discreetly to the girl.

The men followed his finger to see Meilin. Nicolai nodded, while Tarik looked like there was something he didn't like.

"You know she's General Teng's daughter?" the latter asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rollan nodded. "Yes. She told me. Why?"

"I don't know if it's a good idea to get too close to her. There is something about her father that I don't like."

Rollan nodded, not responding, and quietly went back to his meal. Nicolai and Tarik did the same.

That night, once the banquet was over, Rollan had returned to his room with the instruction to get his stuff packed up, as they would all be leaving in the morning. Tarik and Nicolai were happy to be leaving the estate. Rollan, meanwhile, had been hoping to see Meilin again.

There was something about her, Rollan thought, though he couldn't quite place what it was. He had always been a good judge of character, and Meilin seemed like she would end up important in some way or another.

Rollan was just about to go to bed when there was the sound of running feet outside the room. Leaving Essix, already asleep, on the head board, he crept out of his room and into the hallway.

The hallway was dark, the only light coming from the moon shining through the few windows. Shadows covered the floor and walls, making the portraits look much more sinister than they had any right to. A dark figure turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

Walking as quietly as he could, Rollan moved to the end of the hall and peered around the corner. He was grateful for the fact that he had removed his shoes, as otherwise he would be stomping on the hardwood floors.

When he rounded the corner he came face to face with Meilin. There was in all seriousness all of three inches between their faces. Rollan jumped backwards in surprise, muttering a curse under his breath. It probably would not be good to tell Nicolai that he had picked up the word from him.

"What are you doing out here?" Meilin asked, suspicion in her tone.

Rollan shrugged. "I heard something outside my room and came out to see what it was. Why are you in the halls in the middle of the night?"

She glared at him. "I live here. I can do what I please!"

Before Rollan could think of anything in response, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Rollan!" Lucette hissed. "We leave at dawn, why are you not sleeping yet? It's quite hard to ride a horse if you fall asleep."

Meilin had a smug smile on her face as Rollan nodded to Lucette and let the woman lead him away.

Rollan was woken in the morning by a happy-looking Tarik. By the insistence of the man, Rollan was out of his room and in the stables saddling his horse in record time. Before the sun had even fully crested the horizon, the group of four had left General Teng's estate.

They rode the entire day, only stopping once to eat lunch and let the horses rest. As such, they had returned to the port city by the time the sun was setting. All four horses were returned to the Greencloak stables from where they had been borrowed.

The captain was waiting for them at the ship, just as he had promised when Lucette and Rollan had disembarked the ship in the first place. Once everyone was on board, they pushed off and began the journey back to Greenhaven.

Nicolai, Tarik, and Lucette all let Diata, Lumeo, and Bryer out of passive state once they were on the ship. Essix chose to perch on one of the masts, peering down at the people on the deck. Bryer and Diata greeted each other happily, and Lumeo chose to curl around Tarik's neck.

A week and a half later, the ship had yet to reach the port at Greenhaven. That didn't surprise them, seeing as there had been a large storm on their third day from the port in Zhong. Rollan was not happy about the delay in the traveling time.

They had been on the ship a full two weeks, though, before they glided gracefully into port. It was the middle of the night, and so, rather than doing everything right away, only the important things were taken care of, the rest left for the next day.