"Or the more likely case; she'll just beat me into the ground again.." Levantes replied with a nervous smile, he made it sound worse than it was, he supposed, or maybe he was just so used to fighting her. The man smiled a little when she questioned why people would join their military. It could have been any number of reasons, maybe they simply were patriots, or maybe their families were longstanding generations of soldier, maybe they desired strength to protect, or less noble ideals.. Most of the men he'd worked with, however, were simply good men doing their job, though the higher he got, the stranger the military felt..

He looked aside to her calmly, having her on his arm wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it stirred thoughts and dregs of memories he'd been forcing down. Before he could dwell on it too much, he caught what he sensed to be hesitation, she wasn't really looking at him either, he wanted to ask what was bothering her, but then she revealed something that probably should have floored most people on the spot.

He stared at her as they walked, in his mind he was rather surprised, but at the same time, it made sense to him,
"To be honest that's only a step up from my conclusion that you were from a noble family at the very least.." He answered rather calmly, "If I could talk to my old comrades, they would likely be jealous that I've gotten to carry a princess.." he mused thoughtfully, there were one or two guys who probably would have been pretty mad at him for it. Though he wondered how they would react to learning what he'd done, he honestly wasn't sure about that so much.

Then he grimaced a little,
"The Queen.. You really think she would want to meet a person like me? In learning what occurred with our people, I don't see how she could put much faith in my not being there to cause harm." He wondered out loud, rubbing at his chin in thought, actually staring up at the clouds, his earlier ideas returning,
"You know, there could be some who say I took advantage of rescuing you for the sole purpose of getting close to the Queen so that I can kill her." He then smiled at Nahele, "At least, it could be a viable strategy for a country like Galtia." he added, but then looked ahead again, "Or at least, I imagine that's what could be said.."

Nahele was rather surprised that he had taken it so well, but then again, she wasn't entirely sure how she'd expected him to react as this was the first time she'd had to reveal her identity, everyone in the Glades knew who she was from the marking on her face. She felt much better for having gotten it off her chest though and her nerves settled, allowing her to relax once more in his presence.

"Mother would never send a noble in her place, especially to collect something like a peace treaty. If there are relations to be built with neighbouring kingdoms, she believes that her presence is a gesture of good will and helps form stronger ties. The only reason I am here in her place is because Grandmother is very sick, Mother didn't want to leave her side." Hearing what he said about his comrades, she smiled faintly and shook her head. "Jealous? But what would they think if they found out just what had happened in the minutes running up to you carrying a princess?"

Even after learning what had happened, she knew her mother would still want to meet him, it would be the rest of the Glades that wouldn't be trusting. "Galtian or not, you not only saved her daughters life, but promised to return her home aswell. If you keep that promise, my Mother will have no reason to doubt a man of his word." She looked up to Levantes once more, a smile present again. "I imagine that will be said, but you have only just learnt my true identity, I persuaded my mother to let me take her place and only a select few others were made aware. The Emporer was informed of the switch but it still wasn't common knowledge as far as I'm aware." She rested her hand against Levantes arm. "Besides, Sceptre or not, you'd still have quite a fight on your hands. Mothers magic is the strongest in the Glades and the elements will willingly lend their strength to hers."

She paused. "If you did manage to kill Mother, you'd then have to deal with me and the rest of my family."

"I've already started asking myself that question. We were very particular about what we did, I'd like to think they would do the same thing in my position," He stated with a sense of hopefulness, he and those men were close, but he had been the only one to advance as far as he did. He regretted it in some way but if he regretted it all, it would have meant denying what good had once come from it. "I think Jonas would have been the most irritated by it, knowing him; he'd ask if you had a friend, he was always a little bit of a womanizer, but ultimately a good guy like the rest of them," Levantes chuckled a little to himself, "I had to drag him away from a fair few women before his mouth got him into trouble.."

Levantes was musing on the memory but his attention was quickly redrawn by Nahele,
"I'll keep my promise," he added calmly, it wasn't so much that he worried she would forget, but more that she would understand he would keep his word, he would defer to her wisdom on the matter, if she really thought he would at least be trusted by the Queen, then that was fine. When she brought up his scepter, he looked down at it briefly and smiled,
"I told you my own Scepter is special.." he started briefly, looking aside to Nahele, eyes cast briefly on her other hand.

When she mentioned what would happen if he were there to kill Nahele's Mother, he bowed his head a little, still smiling,
"That will not be the case, I promise." He added, but his mind returned to his original train of thought, she'd been kind enough to reveal something to him, perhaps he could offer the same,
"My scepter contains nothing in regards to the skills of a warrior, no magic, no memories of the ancients. You were half correct that it is pure, or rather, it was. I was given it and told how to record memories in it, I had originally thought to put my experience of combat into it, but then I chose something else." He stopped short of telling her more, however looked at her again with the same smile,
"I carry two more Scepters, but I will show them to you another time perhaps."

He lifted his hand to his chin as he thought once more,
"There is another secret to all Scepters, especially those that teach skills and magic, it is barely known, though I hit upon it when I was quite young," He looked aside to Nahele, an almost wry look on his face as he tried to tease her curiosity. They had walked a fair distance already without noticing, the tree line was transforming the further they walked, the colors of the leaves were changing, the shape of the trees. were beginning to reflect more those that were on the opposite side of the border.

The magic of the glades had influenced the landscape little by little the more their kingdom grew. Some people worried that it would cause some kind of negative influence on their own land or crops. It was a rather baseless concern, as far as Levantes was concerned.

"I'd like to think they'd have done the same too, they sound like good men and friends." The more he spoke about his friends the more.. human they sounded. sure they were military men seving the empire, but they all cared for one another and were still the same people they were when they first signed up. "If he ever visits the Glades I shall point him in the direction of the Fire Glade, the people there are a little more uninhibited when it comes to partners than the rest of us."

"I don't doubt you." She had no reason to doubt him, he'd brought her this far unharmed and it wasn't far now to the border of the Air Glade. Though her view of the sky was limited by the trees, she caught glimpses of birds in the sky and she knew they weren't far at all. The closer they would get to the border, the more activity there would be in the sky. Birds of all shapes and sizes, most native to the Glades though she recalled seeing a few new species on departure the previous day.

Again she took his word, confident that even if things did turn out the way he'd just suggested, her mother would be capable of looking after herself. Speaking of his scepter again, this time telling more than he had previously, she found herself becomming more intrigued by them. To think such strange looking items were capable of everything he was telling her was hard to take in. She was about to question what he'd chosen to record in his sceper when she learnt he carried two more. "Why do you carry three? Isn't one enough?" Unless each of the three contained different information, she supposed, but three still seemed quite a lot to her.

As if carrying three scepters wasn't enough, he now claimed to know a secret for all scepters? Nahele had been taught to respect secrets and never divulge information unless absolutely necessary, but she found the mention of this secret enough to pique her curosity. "It is cruel to mention a secret if you have no intention of telling it." she looked up again, her expression a curious one now. What could this secret be? Something so secret that it was barely known and yet a child could find it?

Levantes couldn't help but grimace a little at the idea of Jonas being in such a location, he raised his left hand and waved it a little at Nahele, a nervous expression still on his face,
"I wouldn't recommend it, we could do without him fawning over the entirety of the Fire Glade.." Levantes replied, he meant it. It wouldn't be a pretty site and he could no doubt cause offense, luckily he would probably have the other guys nearby keeping him on a short leash. Still it wasn't a good idea to underestimate the kind of trouble he could get into.

Her question of carrying three prompted Levantes to smile again, revealing why he carried the other two would have meant revealing a slightly more important secret about his own abilities, however once she pointed out that he was being cruel by mentioning a secret, he simply grinned a little,
"Sorry, I was just teasing you a little. The thing is, it's such a simple secret that I was surprised no-one else thought of it. When I was a kid I'd ask about it but people laughed at me, because after all, I was a little kid, who listens to you at that age, right?"

He looked ahead of himself again, making sure to discern the path ahead, things seemed quiet and safe, but he still wasn't too confident that their escape was flawless. It was his gut feeling as a soldier,
"The secret I discovered is that you don't need the Scepter." He started. Of course this would have sounded obvious, until he continued, "Although that is a little imprecise.. You don't need it, once you've learned all you can from it." He smirked, "When I asked the adults, they either told me that you couldn't fight without your Scepter, after a while I began to consider using a Scepter like an addiction, the rush of feeling and knowledge you get from using one probably increases the initial will to fight. But the truth is you can still retain the knowledge afterwards and move on to a new Scepter, to learn something different."

"I forgot mine when I went into the forest and came across a bandit. I was able to fend him off with the very same skills I'd learned from the Scepter my Aunt gave me." He tapped the side of his head thoughtfully, looking at Nahele again, it had still been a difficult fight, but from that day he'd taken the use of Scepters to a new level, "I was surprised how few people knew about it, or even believed it possible, it is like their confidence in their own abilities has been deadened by the Scepters, it is like a crutch for a man who does not even realize he no longer needs it." He then smiled a little, "Of course, I don't use mine as a crutch anymore, they help me in a different way, but that's a secret for another time." Levantes teased softly, tapping his nose whilst doing so.

Again his gaze fell forward, that unsettled feeling was coming back, it wasn't paranoia, he'd never been the kind to simply let paranoia get the better of his senses. It helped him think but it never deluded him. His face was slowly getting serious again as his anticipation of the worst began to rise slowly.

Was his friend really as bad as he was making out? She'd met a fair few self proclaimed lady killers in her time, many had tried for her hand, but they were all mouth and no heart in the end. "There is nothing wrong with a bit of fawning, but you may be right, the people of the Fire Glade tend to be hot headed and easy to anger." If he upset one native girl, he'd probably have the rest on his case before long.

Only a childs mind could work out a secret that simple. Just when she thought she'd gotten the hand of these scepters, something else was revealed that just confused her once more. When the information inside the scepter had been learnt the only thing the item was used for was the rush it gave at the start of battle? Galtia was so technologically advanced that it failed to spot such a simple problem with the items used by it's military? Once the information was learnt why did they not swap scepters and learn something new? Oh, right.. because they wouldn't take the word of a child. Nahele could not hide the look of confusion on her face.

"That is just ridiculous. If you have to rely so heavily on something in battle, surely you'd make the effort to learn everything about it. How can they just..." She sighed, this was doing her no good, getting herself worked up over an item she didn't know existed until the previous day. "So if these scepters were to just stop working one day, your military would lose it's confidence in battle?"

Again she sighed and shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts that had just crossed it. "You have more secrets than I do, Levantes." She replied, raising a brow in amusement as he tapped his nose. "Very well, that's enough secrets for the time being. Besides, if you tell them all now, what will we have to talk about later?"

Content for the moment she looked forward, eager to catch the first glimpse of the border. She looked back up to Levantes after a while and noticed the look on his face. That wasn't good, was it? "What's wrong?"

"Over-reliance on something can blind you to all you might learn of it, it's why I compared it to an addiction. There are certain things in Galtia we call narcotics. They're addictive drugs that make the user feel good, but no-one ever really considers the downsides of them, at least no-one who uses them in excess. Then, when it's too late to understand why they're dangerous, the user has already damaged their life, or indeed killed themselves with it. Scepters are similarly used, they have such benefit, but after all this time we don't know everything about them." Levantes tried to explain, even after all this time, they were only tapping into the potential of ancient technology like the Scepters. Further research into them was being suspended all the time because of all the other convenient advances being learned from inside them that people just naturally didn't take time to notice Scepters as anything more than commonplace tools of great convenience,
"Power, when used too often, can corrupt and blind,"

He smiled at her suggestion about Scepters suddenly stopping working,
"If it were that easy to make them cease functioning, Galtia probably wouldn't exist." He replied, honestly if some technology out there existed that could nullify all scepters, "Besides, you shouldn't wish for such a thing at this point, Scepters are used by doctors, inventors, even in agriculture, we have built our livelihood and our Empire on these devices, if they suddenly stopped, the country would tear itself apart, or in its panic, blame your Glades. What started as border skirmishes would turn into a full-scale bloody war with a mind of its own." He explained grimly, it probably wasn't far from the truth either. Scepters were too important to them now.

His focus ahead of them soon turned out to be worthwhile after all, he paused in his step, he could see soldiers, Galtian military for definite, practically sprinting distance away. He remained stone-faced for a moment until he glanced at Nahele quietly, a brief smile flashing onto his face before he carefully slipped his arm from her grip, stepped behind her and drew his gun, placing the muzzle against her back,
"Now would be a good time to start screaming," He commented calmly, "The more you yell, the easier this bluff should be, if it helps; think about what those men did to your guards." Levantes instructed placing his other hand on her shoulder and pushing her forward perhaps a little too gently. At the very least he hoped the feeling of the gun at her back would make her anger at being caught seem more real, especially at the risk of being shot if she made a false move.

How was Levantes going to get on in the Glades? It was primitive in comparison to everything she'd seen and heard so far. Knowledge in the Glades was either stored in tomes or taught by masters of a particular subject. The Royal palace was home to the largest library in all of the Glades and held the most ancient and precious tomes known to the kingdom. The knowledge was available to all who sought it, though special permission was needed to view the older tomes. Nahele would choose an afternoon in the library over a few seconds with a scepter any day. As for narcotics, the only thing in the Glades she was aware of that would fit the description were the 'poisonous' mushrooms that sprouted with the edible sort. They weren't really poisonous, it was just a rumour started to keep children from eating them but over the years, people truly began to believe it and avoided the mushrooms at all costs.

"Power only corrupts when it is not used for the right reasons." Nahele replied and then shook her head. "I wouldn't wish anything bad upon anyone. Though if such a thing did happen, surely they would realise they already knew everything within their scepters and would no longer need to rely on them? Not everything has to resort to violence. Why would they blame us? We don't have any sort of technology that could cause such an effect on anything as advanced as these scepters."

Then the mood seemed to change and so did Levantes. He removed his arm from hers and stepped behind her, she looked around slowly to see what he was doing, but stopped as she felt something poking her in the back. Was that his gun? What was going on? She faced forward and in doing so, realised just what was going on - or so she hoped. Up ahead she could see figures in uniforms similar to those soldiers the previous day. How had they gotten ahead of them?

Nahele listened to Levante's every word and her suspicions were confirmed, it was a bluff. "You can push a little harder, you know, I'm not going to break." She had never had to act like this before, mother had brought her up to be stronger and to never show how upset or distressed she truly was. Screaming and yelling on cue was going to be difficult, though the mention of her guards and how they died did do something. Up until that point she'd put it to the back of her mind and carried on, just as they'd wanted her to do by giving their lives in the first place.

"Damek.." The last of her guard and the oldest was the one that she had been closest to, his face was the one that she missed most. What those soldiers did.. Levantes would be the one to take the blame. "You monster! How dare you!" Though she was unable to scream on request, she was capable of shouting. "You won't get away with this!" Now she was getting into it and growing emotional in doing so. "They were good men, twice the man you are!"

"Hey I heard a voice this way!" Came a call ahead of them, Levantes smiled alittle, if he was to push her any harder it actually would be out of character for him, whether he was a member of the Galtian military or not, he'd never beent he kind to be rough unless it was necessary. He was calmly musing on what she had said about the scepters, sure, maybe aft a while they would finally figure it out, but not before finding some-one to blame. Without some direct knowledge of how it happened, who else would they blame except the people of the Glade with their strange culture and their magic?

Sure enough, however, the yelling of the young woman attracted attention quickly as a group of soldiers showed up. Unlike regular soldiers these ones were dressed a little more lightly, favored weapons, the faint glint of those magic wards under their sleeves, scepters at their hips, all active and ready for combat, of course the scene they came across would certainly have confused them, the man behind the girl was definitely one of their own people, and she was definitely one of the people from the Glades,
"Well, I'll be damned," A sly voice came from among the soldiers.

It was a tall, dark-haired man, his hair slipped back into a ponytail, his eyes were narrow and the look on his face was certainly that of some-one rather apathetic. Levantes was only surprised for a moment, considering he knew who this man was,
"If it isn't Zeruge Levantes. I should have known you would be out here." The man chuckled, "No surprise that they'd send the military's top dog out on this one." He continued, stepping forward slowly, a hand on his hip as he stared at Levantes, the man revealed to be Zeruge. Levantes remained calm, staring back at the other,
"Same for you, Kraden, the bloodhound of the royal guard." He responded, nudging Nahele forward with his gun,
"Still cant bring yourself to shoot a woman I see. Well this is all good at least, I offered one hundred Ren to w hoever could catch her first,"

Kraden reached behind himself to a small coinpurse, tossing it towards Levantes. The latter caught it, paused briefly then reached behind himself, good, he was running out of gold coins. He lowered his gun, pushing Nahele forward again,
"She's all yours." Levantes started, turning to his left as if about to abandon Nahele to her fate. The man named Kraden was lifting a gun, but he wasn't aiming it at Nahele, rather at Levantes, assuming the man would be caught off guard, "If you can take her from me." A gunshot rang out, but it was from Levantes direction. A hole appeared in the back of his jacket on the right side and the bullet found its home in Kraden's right rib-cage, knocking the man clear off his feet in an instant, his gun flew from his hand, falling into the grass some meters away as the rest of Kraden's tracking unit watched, baffled by what they'd just witnessed.

Levantes turned around slowly and calmly, drawing his other gun, both in hand as he looked around at the soldiers,
"If any of you have families, you should go home, right now. If any of you have a girlfriend, leave. I don't feel like making any widows or breaking any hearts today, but I will kill you if you chase this woman any further." The man repeated his words from yesterday as he glared at the men, the utter killing intent of the man practically radiated from him, no different to the day before.
Kraden coughed on the ground, gripping his side as he stared up at the man,
"So.. That's how it is now.. Figures.. Especially after we-" Levantes aimed at the main, firing at him once more, the second shot entered the mans chest and he fell back,
"I've given you my warning.."

Of course, it seemed that, no different to the day before, the soldiers weren't willing to just surrender. They drew their weapons accordingly, but remained cautious. At least now Levantes understood why the men yesterday moved the way they did, they were trained by Kraden, he had a penchant for breaching protocol and cruel behavior, as a result he trained men under him to be nearly as ruthless, if at all possible, but their formation work was a little sloppy. Frankly they seemed more like thugs than soldiers.

Nahele had successfully upset herself at the memories of Damek now in the front of her mind. That old man had watched over her as long as she could remember, though he wasn't one of those guards that had to stand over her the entire time, it didn't matter who she was with or where she went, she could always feel Damek's gaze watching over her and she felt safe. She'd always felt a little sorry for him, he had no family to call his own and spent most of his life protecting hers, they'd spoken about it on numerous occasions and she'd come to learn much about him - including where he wanted to be laid to rest should the worst happen. If she made it through this and his body was recovered, she would honor his wishes.

Though she opened her mouth to say something else, the look of the dark haired man had her thinking otherwise and she closed her lips, swallowing hard as she did so. It wasn't just the man she assumed was the leader of the group either, all of them looked a lot more prepared than the previous group had. They each had a weapon and a scepter on their hip from what she had seen so far, if they were indeed after her, it was safe to assume they'd all have those wards on them too. If they were indeed the same wards as yesterday, she knew where the weakspots were and this time, she had enough resolve to want to fight back for those that had died.

The men spoke and it was clear the two knew each other. A hundred red for her capture? She didn't know how much exactly that was, but in her own currency a hundred was quite a lot. What did they plan on doing to her when she was captured? Taking her back to the empire and executing her in public? Or using her to get to her mother and take the kingdom that way? No, thinking like that wasn't going to do her any good. Feeling the gun pressing against her back, she took a few small steps forwards as told, though stopped and covered her ears as the familiar sound of a gunshot rang from the left of her and the leader of the soldiers fell to the ground, his own weapon landing in the grass.

Again Levantes spoke the words she heard him speak the previous day, trying to warn off any of the remaining soldiers that might have family back home and just like the previous day, they weren't having any of it and drew their weapons. Letting her hands drop back to her sides, Nahele looked down to the injured Kraden and wished she hadn't. It wasn't his wound that upset her, but the second bullet that entered his body seconds after her eyes had settled on him. Ugh. There went her stomach again.

Even though her stomach was churning, she remained stood where she was, her eyes watching the men in front of her and she had a distinct feeling of deja vu. This wasn't going to end well for those men, was it? It felt wrong to end the lives of men just doing what they were told, but they stood between her and the border. With no injury and fully aware of what was going on, she looked to Levantes.

"I want to help this time."

The gunman stepped forward slowly, not looking at Nahele at all, even as she spoke to him, her words seemed lost on him as he shifted his left hand, his fingers brushing over the crystal at his hip. One more it flashed, flooding the man for a moment with a silhouette of white that soon faded. The other soldiers quickly identified that it was a scepter, but their wariness showed they they didn't know what to do, after all, even they didn't recognize the scepter's design or purpose. But as they looked at the man once more, they could see the change it brought to him.

The calm man had left, before them stood a titan, whose sole purpose at that time was their death. Through the tired look in his eyes, rage flowed, his face contorting with rage, it almost looked as if he was struggling to control himself, the guns in his hands shook momentarily until one of the soldiers took the step forward. It was a mistake he soon regretted though. Levantes lifted his right arm and fired, although it might have been considered that he did so too soon, the mans thigh was pierced, pooling red as he collapsed, grasping the injury.

"Wait.." one of them spoke, "Wait, Zeruge, Zeruge Levantes, th-that Zeruge..? Bringer save us..!" He almost whimpered, one of his colleagues staring at him. Levantes turned his head to steare in his direction and the speaker practically jumped out of his skin, falling back,
"Run.. run! Get away from him! Run!" He yelled, stumbling backwards and falling on his rear before he turned around, crawling at first before getting to his feet and running. The others were starting to catch on, at least some of them were, there were one or two who remained clueless, but seeing their comrade retreat in that way, it was a matter of whether that one man had been a coward or this Zeruge really was so monstrous he deserved to be feared in such a way.

The hesitant among them didn't have as much time to start running, by the time the consideration had crossed their mind, Levantes was aiming at them. He spread his arms quickly, firing at them, yet his shots grazed off them, splitting the flesh ont he side of one's arm, the other getting a non-fatal round to the shoulder. The accuracy and killing proficiency he had shown the day previously was no longer present. Even with Kraden he had failed to take the man down in a single shot. And even kill him, as once more the man on the ground coughed. Two non-fatal wounds.

Why couldn't he hit them properly anymore? He continued to fire, sure he kept catching them, the men yelling out in pain as the straying shots wounded them, but he was having difficulty killing them. Some had managed to flee between the trees, further and further away while those that weren't able to run any longer due to their own injuries could only watch the man. Was he purposefully choosing not to kill them? He was certainly able to hit them and the more he did so, the greater the chance their wounds would be worse next time around. But the look of agony on Levantes face could not be denied for he soon faltered and fell down to a knee.

At this point there was only one logical thought on his mind, try to get up and run, yet he could barely even manage that, stubbornly pushing himself back to his feet as Kraden chuckled near-breathlessly on the ground,
"Well, well, well.." He croaked weakly, "The Emperor's right hand killer.. Cant hack it anymore.." He snorted painfully, bemused by what was happening, so much so he was beginning to laugh through the pain, "What's eating you, Zeruge..? What's gotten you so soft? Or are the memories too painful to bear, huh?" He taunted the gunman, Levantes stepping forward, though he looked back up, some of the men had really only been barely scraped.

His arms felt too heavy to lift. He wasn't sure he could call it exhaustion. Not sleeping for one night wasn't about to weaken him to this degree. With the slowly weakening man in their sights, confidence was starting to grow in these men again, at least those that had managed to stay as they prepared their weapons. Two riflemen, several swordsmen, one carried an axe, all sported varying injuries that certainly made things more difficult for them, but even this many could soon overpower the man alone. At least if he had been alone,
"Nahele.." Levantes spoke, "Help me."

The white glow that washed over him seemed to wash away all trace of humanity and left nothing but rage behind. Nahele took a step away, the look of pure rage on his face was.. unlike anything she'd ever seen before and it began to unnerve her. Whatever memories he'd activated by using his scepter can't have been pleasant ones, though why would he choose to keep such unpleasant things on his belt? Emerald gaze did not leave the man beside her until a blast from one of his guns seemed to pull her back to her senses and she turned back to the soldiers in front of them.

Just a thigh wound? Wanting to think the man had changed his perspective and decided against mindless killing, she believed for the moment he was just trying to prevent them from attacking or following. More shots were fired at the retreating soldiers and there were still no fatal injuries, a few bullet wounds and grazes, but nothing none of them wouldn't recover from. Even Kraden still lived and she got the impression that the two of them didn't like each other at all.

The way those soldiers reacted after realising just who this male was didn't help her nerves any either. Asking the Bringer for salvation and then having to crawl away because he'd lost his footing while yelling at his comrades to flee. Many did start to flee, they were obvious aware of who this man was and just what he'd done to earn such a reputation, the rest either caught on eventually or were simply following the others. As they ran, they were hit with bullets and still, not a single fatal round was fired.

It was as Kraden spoke and she looked back to Levantes that she learnt the truth of the non-fatal shots. The look of rage had been replaced with agony and forced him down onto his knee. What could have happened between yesterdays fight and todays that had gotten him so 'soft' as the wounded man put it. Nahele kept her distance, unsure of what to make of what was happening.

One thing she knew for certain, however, she would never turn down someone asking for help. Upon seeing the sudden weakness in Levantes, the soldiers that hadn't fled in fear of him, were starting to regain their confidence and advance on them, weapons drawn and ready to strike. But what could she do against men with magic shields? She could make Damek, mother and everyone else that had taught her magic proud of her, that's what she could do!

With a sudden appearance of her confidence, it was now her turn to step around Levantes and put herself between him and the men, though perhaps not for the same purpose. Her eyes moved between all of the men advancing and she noticed that they were all sporting injuries from the gunfire, she could use this against them. Though she knew she couldn't attack them outright because of the shields and she wouldn't intentionally set out to kill them, she would show them that their little shields could not protect them against the elements.

"Elements, I am in need, lend me your aid.."
As soon as she uttered those words the marking on her face began to glow a shade of blue, the others on her body began to glow too, though only faintly seen beneath her clothing. They were close enough to the Glades that her words reached the elements and they gave her the aid she required.
"Flames protect us." A wall of unnatural flame erupted less than a foot in front of her and circled around the two of them.
"Earth rumble beneath them." She stepped forward with her left foot and the second her foot touched the earth, the ground began to shake with some ferocity. A step forward with her right foot caused an even greater shudder and fracture lines to appear outside the wall of fire.
"Air take their breath away." Spreading her arms wide, she waited only a second before swinging them shut and in doing so, her hands clapped together. The swinging of her arms caused a sudden burst of wind with the power and speed of a tornado to fly in all directions in front of her. The clap of her hands, though it had only been a gentle clap, had boomed like a clap of thunder and sent the fracture lines running from her and in all directions.
"Water freeze their black hearts." It began to rain. Just a shower at first but it was soon getting heavier and freezing, the wind in the area catching everything as it fell and hurled it at the soldiers.

The markings remained a glow, her eyes focused on the scene in front of her, her mind on the elements wreaking havoc. She'd never summoned all four like this before and soon realised just why her mother had warned her not to without practise. Though the elements had answered her call, they were difficult to control all at once. But she remained confident and focused, refusing to let herself be beaten.

Levantes watched Nahele step in front of him, it wasn't something he thought he'd see as he argued with his own body and the weapons in his hands. Seeing her control of magic left him awed inside. The tremendous amount of force being unleashed at her behest. The wall of flame already made the advancing soldiers leaped back. Even if they used their shields, walking through that would be far too difficult. However it seemed Nahele wasn't finished there as the ground beneath their feet began to shudder and shake. One had to jump aside so he wouldn't be caught with a fracture directly below him, landing awkwardly and hitting the ground. He got up in time for the sudden blast of wind to slam into them. A few managed to hold their shields up in time while others were bowled clear back, rolling into the tree line or being flung directly into the solid oaks.

It was just before the rain began to fall that the two riflemen aimed forward, firing blindly into the wall of flames, but the shots were too stray, they couldn't see where Levantes and the woman were clearly. Levantes leaned forward, aiming into the flames and firing, a single round hit the barrier of fire, opening a hole in it for only a short period. He spotted the riflemen, holding both arms forward as the hole in the flames vanished. He fired again with both guns. Again voids appeared in the wall of flames, the shots finding their mark, one going through the wrist of one, forcing him to drop his gun. The other found its home in the second man's opposite shoulder, throwing him off balance and forcing him to the ground.

As the frozen water from above began to strike down on them, they crawled and scattered away, trying to find cover, but it was difficult in a hail of magic. If they had any hope of fighting some-one like Nahele at their fullest potential, they would have to up their game and come with stronger or better designed wards just to begin with. Levantes leaned forward, taking a step toward the girl's side right hand holstering his gun before he put that arm around her shoulders, using her as support, eyes glaring silently forward. The tiredness was evident on his face, anger substituted with pain. He still gripped the gun in his left hand, if they had an opportunity to get away; it was now. The soldiers knew they were outmatched, even if they chased the two,
"Lets get out of here.." He suggested, lowering his head a little, "I don't want to be here anymore.."

It was definitely only a short distance to the border. With any luck there would be no pursuers, especially if the people of the glade could catch them or hold them off. An incursion into the Glades would cause some heat. They wouldn't want to alert the people too much if at all possible, he was sure of it.

It worked! The elements had answered her call and wrought enough havoc to terrify the soldiers that had once stood defiantly in front of them. Those that had reacted quickly enough to one element had been knocked back by a second and the rain of hail seemed to signal the end of the fight as those that couldn't run, scurried away in search of cover from the elements. When no more soldiers stood before her, Nahele dispersed one element at a time and with each element that disappeared, the markings on her body stopped glowing.

That hadn't been as difficult as she thought it would be, but if it had been this easy to use in battle, why was it so difficult to use when practising? Perhaps because in training there weren't lives on the line? Now wasn't the time to ponder on such matters, however, though she was pleased with herself the arm around her shoulders seemed more important. She looked up at Levantes, that pained look on his face was something she couldn't over look. They had to reach the border, everything would be fine if they reach the border.

Without saying a word, Nahele placed her arm around the males waist and began to lead him away from the scene of battle and in the direction they'd been heading before they'd run into the soldiers. Though after only a few minutes of walking, she came to a sudden stop as a figure dropped out of one of the trees less than a few yards away from them and though it didn't approach, it did stand there staring at them.

The male figure, to those unfamiliar to the Glades, could quite easily intimidate. Taller than average and built as sturdy as the tree he'd just jumped from, these physical traits alone could be quite intimidating in the right (or wrong) situation. Wearing no clothing other than the shorts made from a native animals hide and a hand made cloak of woven reeds, again, given the right situation.. His bare flesh was decorated with various different body paints and markings, each had their own meanings and he wore them with pride. The most intimidating aspect of the male was the mask that concealed his face. A piece of bark from an ancient tree, decorated with white and red handprints and even enchanted so that the eyes appeared an eerie foggy color.

Nahele wasn't intimidated by the males presence, quite the opposite in fact. Of all the people to find her, she should have known Kaniel would be the one to track her down. But something didn't seem right, why did he still wear his mask? No, things definitely weren't right, as suddenly as he'd appeared, Kaniel began to approach the two with long strides and drew the stick of bamboo that previously lay hidden beneath his cloak.

"Galtian murderer." The male spoke in a deep voice that rattled his mask and raised the bamboo stick, pointing it directly at Levantes. "Release our princess willingly or I shall crush every bone in your body until you do so." The warning was a simple one.

"I am no prisoner, Kaniel." Nahele spoke up, keeping her arm around Levantes and staying as close as she could.

"It doesn't look that way from where I'm standing, Nahele." Those unblinking, unnatural foggy eyes remained on Levantes. "I saw what those soldiers did to your guards and I will not allow you to suffer the same fate. Step away from him and get behind me." The male demanded and held out a hand towards her, the stick of bamboo still pointed at the man beside her.

"Levantes is the reason I didn't end up like them. Is my word not good enough for you anymore?"

Kaniel didn't want to believe what he was being told. The Galtians had mercilessly slaughtered the men he'd not only grown and trained with, but also hand picked to protect Nahele on her journey. Their failure was his failure, their blood was on his hands and he wasn't going to stand by and let a Galtian cross into the Glades.

Levantes held on to Nahele, his movements rigid and poor compared to the previous day, but he still managed to keep himself on his feet. The man didn't look towards Nahele, dazed eyes focused on the ground, the hand holding the left gun shifted, lifting it slowly and settling it back in place where it belonged at his other hip before the arm dropped again. His sense barely registered the sudden obstacle before them, his ears catching on after a few seconds and he slowly stared up at the man as he yelled demands. Even lacking awareness, he wasn't intimidated by what he saw. He'd seen larger men, but this one was certainly big.

Levantes golden-brown eyes quietly stared back at the other man. It seemed Nahele knew who he was, but he wasn't very willing to listen to what she had to say to him. He was about to speak when some laughter erupted from one of the trees. He shifted his gaze, staring up at the source. A similarly tall, but not-so-muscular man was relaxing on one of the branches. Strange silver hair, but no tattoos or markings, at least not on his face, he was swathed in black robes, no weapons, and piercing green eyes,
"Kaniel, my nephew, here I thought you'd grown up." He jibed softly, slipping from the tree and hitting the ground. The older man calmly strode toward the masked man, rubbing at his chin as he stopped right in front of him, before prodding at his mask, "Just what is the point of this, hm? Why do you have holes in it?" He asked, Of course he was referring to the holes through which Kaniel looked, "What purpose does it hold for you to look through it, when you cant even see what's right in front of you?"

Turvai, a strange man, elder brother to the Queen, but the idea of ruling didn't sit well with him, he often remarked that he was too lazy an individual to be a ruler. He snapped his fingers in front of Kaniel's face, energy gathered and flashed brightly before the mask, it wouldn't harm the young man, but likely blind him for a few seconds,
"You have eyes in your head, use them when you're ready to see again." He stated, whirling around on his heel and practically hopping along the ground and flinging his arms in the air dramatically,
"Nahele! My favorite little niece, how are you? You know, we sent you to get a peace treaty and you brought home a man," Turvai tutted softly, waggling a finger at her as though she were simply a naughty little child, he was, after all, a quirky fellow, "I didn't know you had it in you." He teased, rubbing his chin and staring at the girl, however he then looked at Levantes. He caught those eyes once more, the joking appearance of Turvai seeming to falter away,
"It doesn't take much to see a man in pain. But what pain have you suffered that you would turn your back on your own empire, Galtian?"

Levantes didn't respond, lowering his head again, the scepter at his hip glowed faintly before the light faded, he was getting heavier, to the point that he almost collapsed, but Turvai stepped forward, grabbing Levantes under his other arm and holding him up,
"Easy there, I'd rather you don't burden my dear little Nahele with all that weight!" The man chuckled, looking the arm over his own shoulder and supporting Levantes as he then looked over towards Kaniel, "Hurry your feet, boy, I'm quickly becoming a decrepit old man, he's heavier than he looks." Turvai smiled nervously, he hadn't realized that Levantes body would be so heavy, but he wanted to hazard a guess that there was more to it, something he was wearing perhaps? He couldn't see any weights on the main, nothing but those weapons at his hips. He recognized them, firearms, a Galtian technology. Dangerous things. But even he didnt recognize this particular kind. he'd seen smaller sidearms but these things were much too large for that.

Kaniel often wondered if he was truly related to these people. He was older than Nahele by a few years and there were times when he wondered whether the Queen was truly his mother or if she'd simply taken him on after marrying his father. What did it matter? He'd taken on the mantle of an earth warden just as his father before him and kept the Glades borders protected with the other wardens. It was his job to not trust strangers and put the safety of his people first, not welcome everyone from hostile nations with open arms. Hell, he didn't even welcome visitors from friendly nations with open arms.

Though he lowered his bamboo stick, he did not change his stance and did not flinch as his uncle tried to blind him. The white fog in the masks eyes seemed to react to the light and shifted to a dark shade of grey, protecting his eyes from the magic. No magic would cloud his judgement, not while he was wearing the mask. Though he understood what his uncle was trying to say, he didn't like it at all.

Nahele felt the weight pressing down on her shoulders and had her uncle not stepped in when Levantes fell, she doubted she'd have been able to stay on her feet much longer. How had he gotten so heavy so quickly? He didn't look big enough to weight that much! "I'm always bringing home waifs and strays uncle, did you think I'd not find one on this journey?" She had a habit of bringing home stray or injured animals whenever she went to visit relatives, dogs and smaller wild animals usually, never a human. As pleased as she was to see a familair face and mask, she was worried about the man that had saved her life. "Though this one is hurt in ways a bandage and a good meal won't fix."

Kaniel didn't respond to his uncle, he wasn't going to go all soft because a Galtian was in pain. Though just because he wouldn't go soft on a Galtian didn't mean he wouldn't go soft on his sister.

"Kaniel, I know you don't like what he is but please.. help him." Nahele spoke softly, stepping around her uncle and approaching her brother. "Without him I would not be here and if you will not help him, I will never speak to you again."

"How many times have you used that ploy, sister?" Since they were chlildren. Everytime he wouldn't play with her, she'd threaten to stop talking to him and though the first few times he refused, she'd only lasted an hour at most before she was back again asking to play.

"Enough to realise you love me too much to say no anymore." Nahele replied with a smile. "And I know you love uncle too and wouldn't want him getting hurt either."

".. ugh." Every damn time. Refusing to say anything to either relative, Kaniel strode over to his uncle and relieved him of the weight weighing him down. Placing Levantes left arm around his neck and his own right arm around the mans waist, then with seemingly little effort, he stood and brought the man with him. "A word from either of you and I will drop him." The male warned and began to lead Levantes towards the bored.

Nahele loved her brother, he was as stubborn as a mule but she loved him.

Levantes nodded thoughtfully at Nahele's analysis of the man that had accompanied her tot he border, there was a knowing gaze in his emerald eyes, even his Niece could see the deeper pain lurking in the mans heart. But it was something he recognized, something he wished he didn't, for he had seen the same look in the eyes of Kaniel and Nahele at one point. Though they might not recognize it in others, there was an uncanny likeness, no matter if Levantes from a different place. He was still a person.

"I feel almost younger again, and that this man is but a boy, with no clear understanding at how he should respond to something." Turvai mused, allowing Kaniel to take Levantes off him. He calmly placed his hands on his own back and stretched, groaning slightly, "Ah.. much better," The man added and chuckled, staring at Kaniel, "I wouldn't think that too wise. Not if you want Nahele to keep speaking to you. Besides I wont be silenced by a young pup like you, I have things to say yet and matters to discuss, mostly with my Niece here," Turvai was practically ont he girl in an instant, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a hug, pressing his cheek against hers and grinning,
"My adorable little Nahele, back, safe and sound!" He fawned before letting her go and placing his hand on her head, grinning like a fool. It had been many peoples mistake to think this childish behavior was also callousness to loss and pain. After all Nahele had been through a bad experience, losing so many people at her side, a false accusation at one point had brought out the more wrathful side of Turvai's personality, he was a very grim person indeed whenever he had to actually get serious.

However, the simple truth was, the past couldn't be changed. Those men went into Galtia knowing their purpose if anything went wrong, the older male smiled as he rubbed the top of Nahele's head softly, he wanted to say something on the subject, but it was best not to inflame that memory right away. Damek in particular had been a good friend, if by good friend he meant the one man that argued with and berated Turvai more than anyone, then definitely a good friend, because they had both found common ground and laughed the rest of life off together.

Tuvai looked over at Kaniel, then the unconscious man on his nephews shoulders, curiously rubbing at his chin, a thoughtful look crossing his face, mostly as he tried to consider the possibilities, however few,
"It's strange, but in spite of his condition, I sense a sort of pressure coming from that man. The kind that comes from those with great power and an enriched life. But such a contradiction, that look in his eyes, as though everything important to him had been taken away. Your brother and yourself give off a similarly strong presence, I also knew a woman who traveled east into Galtia a long time ago with similar force. And your mother of course. What can you tell me of our guest?" He questioned Nahele, glancing her way, he wondered if the man had even talked at all. The only one who truly knew anything at this point was Nahele, he could only make some guesses based on experience, but guesses were never enough.

Kaniel continued ahead, keeping a steady pace despite the extra weight he was carrying on his shoulders. The weight this man carried did not seem right, he didn't look big enough to be this heavy, one minute he was being supported by his sister and the next he was too heavy for even his uncle. It didn't matter, as soon as they crossed the border he could put the man down and deal with more important matters. Reuniting his mother and sister were top priority at the minute.

Though she had seen him the previous day before departing, it felt like an eternity since she'd last been embraced by her uncle and at one point she'd feared she would never get to see him again. But here he was, not only had he gone out of his way to find her but he'd also worked with her brother who wasn't the easiest at the best of times. It wasn't until she felt the hand on her head and looked up to her Uncle that she realised how close to tears she had become. She would not be standing here now, safe and sound, had it not been for the sacrifices made by so many good men.

As her uncle spoke once more, Nahele took a few deep breaths and regained her composure, no good would come from her getting over emotional at the present. "Not much." What sort of 'pressure' did she have in common with the others her uncle mentioned? "He introduced himself as Levantes and while we were travelling he told me about his aunt." Only his aunt and no mention of parents, she thought this odd, though given the family she came from she supposed it would. "He was with the Galtian army and the leader of the second group that attacked us claimed he was the Emporers right hand killer." What else had she learnt about him? "He has this strange looking thing on his belt called a Scepter, he says the Empire uses them to store memories and information. He used it yesterday and killed all the soldiers chasing after me and he used it again not long ago, but he could only injure the men, not kill them." Well, considering they'd only met the day before she had learnt more about him than she'd first thought.

It was a well-known fact that Turvai's curious behavior came with literal curiosity, he wasn't as alien to the culture of Galtia as some, having once or twice even traveled to it slyly, simply curious, but he always returned form his travels with simple thoughts and wonders at the ideas of the Galtian people, of course even he did not welcome their militaristic attitude, but their advancements and the way they lived were still so interesting to him, a man who had been raised in the Glades, away from such profound things as technology. The first technology the people of the Glades had been directly introduced to from the Galtian's side, at least that they could readily recognize, was their guns. The firearms that shot pieces of metal like arrows with no shaft or tail feathers, but with speed and precision that put standard archery to shame.

"Ah yes, Scepters, receptacles of knowledge the ancients used. The ancients were actually very fond of memories, from what I gather, and they wanted ways to offer their memories and experiences to others, so they created those crystals, the things Galtians call Scepters. You'll find that if it hasn't got a militaristic purpose then it would be instead filled with fond memories, time spent with loved ones, friends, the image and feeling of seeing a magnificent view. I would love to find such a thing one day," Turvai mused to himself, of course he would want to know more about the military strength of Galtia, after all something could happen, like war between their people, and what did you know?

However he heard something far more interesting,
"The right hand killer of the Emperor? The man named Zeruge?" Turvai questioned out loud, quite aware of Levantes true name, so he'd opted to hide that, was he seeking escape from that name? "Zeruge, among Galtians, is said to have the eyes of the Bringer, their God. Purely metaphorical words to compound his skill, but you don't earn a title like that without skill to reflect it." Nahele's uncle continued to ponder, staring at her in furthered curiosity, "And you say he was only capable of injuring the men on the second day? His eyes likely have not failed him, but clearly something else has degraded those talents."

He glanced at Levantes again, still ever so curious about the truth to this man, was it loss of skill? Or reluctance? He tapped at his chin softly, trying to think about it, though different words escaped his lips,
"Levantes.. Levantes.. It feels as though I know that name.. Where did I hear it..?" Turvai muttered before shrugging and sighing to himself, "Oh well, utterly pointless. No matter, we aren't just abandoning him to his fate, we're taking him home, then we'll see if we cant bend both his mind and body." The elder man chuckled, interlacing his finger sin representation of his intentions, but then stared at Nahele again, a softer smile on his face as he reached around her head softly, pulling her closer to him, and plating a kiss on top of her head,
"I don't think it would hurt them if you cried a little." He offered gently, shifting his hand to her opposite shoulder, simply to make sure she had his arm to lean on.

Trust her uncle to know exactly what she was talking about, there seemed to be little he didn't know though she was quite surprised that he knew so much about the Galtian people. He knew exactly what a scepter was and even spoke about the ancients, but she still couldn't understand why people would want to share their memories so freely. Surely a memory was something personal and intimate? Why would anyone want to share something like that with people they didn't know? She felt as though using one would be prying into another's personal business, but she could see the benefits from doing so.

"Levantes has three, so there must be quite a few of them in Galtia. Hm. But the one he uses most is different he said, he uses it to store his own memories." If her uncle knew of Zeruge then there was no denying that this man was exactly what Kraden had called him. This was hard enough to take in, but to learn he was compared to the Galtian God because of his skills? Perhaps her brothers mistrust in the man was well placed? What would her mother think when they presented him to her and explained just what he was? What would her people think when word got out?

"Uncle, you never cease to amaze me." Nahele again looked up to the man. "How can you know so much about.. everything? Have you visited Galtia on your travels?" Perhaps a stay in the Glades would do Levantes some good, it couldn't possibly make things worse after all. Plus she owed him a trip to the sea, that always made her feel better.

"Now is not the time for tears, uncle. I want to get home and see mother." Though she appreciated the gesture and rested her head against the older man beside her. "It's been strange to be away from you all for so long."

Turvai's curiosity was further sparked when Nahele spoke of the Scepter Levantes most often used, a receptacle of this mans own memories? What possible purpose could that hold for a man renowned as a killer? Did he record the memories of his kills? Were they his skills? Did he intend to pass those on? It seemed like such a waste to put that kind of knowledge into an artifact so fascinating. But then, why did he need to use it for combat? And where were the other so-called scepters on him?

All these unanswered questions, it clawed at Turvai's mind, he had a little bit of a craving for knowledge, but he didn't let it get ahead of his better sense, though one might question what better sense was for the man, Nahele's question seemed a little silly but he simply chuckled,
"I'm but a child and the whole world is an assortment of closed boxes, politeness obligates me to at least open a few," He explained it in his usual nonsensical fashion, "I might have wandered a little further east in my younger days, than I should have, what else would you expect of your strange uncle, hm?" He questioned, patting her head gently, "Though I must admit even I don't know enough, if all I believed in were rumors I would call that man on your brothers shoulders a monster and bury him simply because I don't like him. But would that really be the wise or fair choice? Who am I to judge in entirety what little I know?" Turvai lifted his free hand and shrugged to himself, pulling a long face while doing so,
"There are too many ambiguities to simply fall for baseless assumptions, so I try to learn all I can." He grinned broadly, "Failing that; I run for my life from people I've accidentally offended by not knowing what they meant, all that exercise is good for you, you know!"

Turvai rubbed at his chin softly once more, still glancing over at Levantes, he would have to find a good excuse, or at least in some way convince his sister that the man shouldn't be judged too harshly for the crimes of his fellow citizens. Turning the man who saved her own daughter into a prisoner of war wouldn't exactly be a good sign for the future, but he doubted things would be easy with the man either.. But at least it would certainly spice up talk in the palace to more interesting levels..

-----------------------------------------------

During the walk, Turvai shared some tales of his travels, mostly little things, like nicer people he met, of course he didn't hold back on the tale where some misuse of words to a busty barmaid resulted in an entire bar of angry men chasing him clear out of town. Though, the way he spoke of it, he seemed almost proud of the result.

Levantes managed to wake up half a day later, but since then he'd remained rather quiet. While capable of walking on his own, he'd withdrawn into himself, minimal responses to the others, meek and quiet, more or less the opposite of what he had been over a day previously. He barely even noticed when they finally reached the Palace in the Omni Glade, as people yelled and fussed, he remained quiet, lost in his own mind, even as he was guided away under guard.

At the very least Turvai was able to adamantly claim responsibility so as not to let Nahele get in trouble, no-one questioned the idea of Turvai doing something this bizarre and out of place. But of course, the annoying man also had a reputation of doing good with his bizarre actions, but that still left far too much room for skepticism.
Well at least they weren't trying to lynch him, Turvai was satisfied with that at the very least. He couldn't let a prime chance at knowledge just be eliminated so callously. But that wasn't all there was to it, he knew there would be more. A knowing that would would either bring about something worse, or something great.

No, Turvai was not made to be king, he was a free spirit and to chain him to the throne would have been a crime, but he did speak sense. Nobody should be judged by rumor alone. The man may have been the Emporers favourite murderer, but that murderer had turned on his own, saved her life and taken care of her instead of handing her over or even taking her back to Galtia to claim the glory for himself.

Listening intently to her uncles stories, the journey back into the Glades didn't seem to take as long as she'd expected. Several of the air natives were sent to retrieve the bodies of the fallen guards and Kaniel arranged transport for them back to the Omni Glade. All in all, a single day passed between being found and being returned to her mother. Though it seemed wrong to let her uncle take the blame for Levantes being there, the man had saved her life and yet it was more believable that it was some strange idea of the Queens brother. The time would come to put them right but for now, there were more pressing matters.

To say that her mother had been worried sick would be the understatement of the century, the second her daughter had stepped into the throne room, Harmonia rose to her feet and ran over to embrace her daughter. After almost suffocating her, the older woman refused to let her daughter out of her sight and kept a tight grip on her hand.

The first matter they had to deal with was Levantes, Harmonia listened to what everyone had to say about the man and took it all into consideration when making her decision. Kaniel and the general public wanted the Galtian locked in the dungeons and kept under close guard, while she could understand his reasoning, the man had saved his daughters life and she wouldn't see him sent beneath the palace where common thieves were kept. It was decided that he be kept in a room in the guest suite,stripped of his weapons and Kaniel would be in charge of making sure the mans room was always guarded. Until they were certain what his intentions were, that seemed the best solution all round.

When all the necessary questions had been answered, the two women retired to the Queens bedroom for the evening and were only seen again in the public eye two days later when the bodies of the guards were brought to the palace to be cremated with honors. Even with her mother in bed beside her, Nahele had slept very little since returning to the palace and refused to eat anything prepared for her. It wasn't until the ceremony began and the funeral pyres were lit that she finally began to cry. Her mother had been too busy performing the ceremony and paying her respects to notice but Kaniel noticed and though he wasn't one for showing affection in public, he did hold his sisters hand and even removed the mask he loved to hide behind. Though the three royals shared the same green eyes, his hair was a much darker shade of brown, presumably from his fathers side and there were no runes on his body.

After the ceremony, tired from lack of sleep and the tears that still fell, Kaniel led his sister back to her room and remained with her as she slept, honoring her plea for him to stay.

Later that afternoon a refreshed and hungry Nahele emerged from her bedroom in clothing more befitting for her royal position, something light in both the color green and material,. In a much better mood, she went to see her mother and uncle and told them of her plans to visit Levante, she hadn't seen him or heard anything about him since he was led away by her brother and she wanted to see how he was. The Queen gave her permission, much to Kaniels distaste, and she headed off towards the kitchens in search of food. The cooks were only too happy to see her and more than willing to fill her a tray with all sorts of foods they knew she liked and even some they knew she didn't. What was the vegetarian princess doing asking for meat? She knew that there were very few people in the palace that wanted Levantes there, she wasn't going to tell them who she was going to be eating with, was she?

With the tray in hand she made her way towards the guest suites, there were several armed men standing guard outside one of the doors and though they initially refused to let her past, once they learnt she had the Queens permission, they stepped aside. Nahele knocked on the door several times and then waited a few seconds before one of the guards opened it for her, allowing her inside.

Turvai had kept his distance a little once they'd returned to the Palace, mostly to allow Harmonia and Nahele time, though of course he remained adamant about treating Levantes fairer than they would most in his place. At the same time, however, he'd been keeping his ear to the ground for news regarding Galtia itself, sure enough in the time since they'd returned he heard a story or two, especially from the border, a surprising turn of events as yet another skirmish occurred, but with a difference. The numbers of Galtian soldiers committed to the attack itself had dwindled briefly, one of the support groups had vanished entirely.

No doubt word was also spreading about the traitor Zeruge, but he hadn't seen or heard anything specific. Still the name Levantes that he used, it continued to plague Turvai's mind, a nagging thought that didn't want to go away, he knew it somehow, whatever it was. Although he visited the man several times, few words were exchanged, it seemed to get increasingly difficult to get anywhere, as if Levantes were simply shutting himself down, inch by inch. Turvai didn't want to admit it, but it pained even him, it was like watching a fierce animal simply lose its ferocity, left in a cage.

Not unlike Nahele, the man barely ate, any attempts at sleep had him waking up from the nightmares, he couldn't sleep comfortably at all. And guest quarters or no, it may as well have been considered a prison, simply more lavish in comparison. Whenever some-one brought him food, they found a still full plate, what little he'd picked at was barely enough, it was a wonder he even remained standing as long as he did, always at the window, staring out, watching the proceedings, the people milling about.
The was only one thing he didn't allow them to take from him. His scepter, however it lay abandoned upon the bed. Turvai had convinced them it was a safe enough item, although Levantes willingly allowed them to take the guns, those were more dangerous, he couldn't really argue with their concerns over those.

When Nahele finally visited, Levantes was in his usual place by the window, though hearing a knock surprised him a little. So far, those bringing him food had never knocked before, the one he'd learned was Turvai usually just clambered in through the window or burst through the doors at odd occasions, but never once had he heard some-one knock on the door. He could smell fresh food, was it simply some-one new delivering it? It seemed almost pointless, he didn't have an appetite, at least one that he wanted to obey anymore.

Levantes didn't even turn to look at the door, remaining poised in place. His jacket lay folded on a nearby table, the hat on top of it, his hands sat upon his belt. The place where he stood, at least the very ground beneath his feet was discolored from the amount of time he'd stood there, not perfectly in the same place each time, but evidence that he barely moved if at all. It was strange, but he suddenly felt the instinct to turn around finally, eyes working their way around the room until they fell on Nahele,
"Amber..? Welcome home.." He stated briefly, but then blinked, staring at her again, "Oh.. Sorry.." Levantes mumbled, rubbing at his eyes and yawning, "I thought you were some-one else."

He didn't shift too much, staring momentarily at the food she'd brought. Perhaps the slightest creep of hunger started to nag at him, or maybe it was just Nahele's presence? But now that they were here, he wasn't even sure if he could approach her anymore, as much as he wanted to, wouldn't it just cause trouble?
"I couldn't protect you.. It looks like I failed again." He remarked, though he wasn't sure entirely what he was saying, at the same time the Scepter on the bed glowed faintly before fading again. The man glanced at it softly but just lowered his head, "I don't really know what I should do anymore."

Nahele had heard rumors about Levantes but she hadn't wanted to believe them, though now that she could see him in the flesh it was too obvious to ignore. This wasn't the man that had saved her life only a few days ago, just a shadow of his former self, whoever that might have been.

"Oh, I see how it is. I don't visit for a few days and you forget my name?" Of course she was only joking, the man hadn't eaten much since his arrival and from the looks of it he hadn't gotten much sleep either so he can't have been feeling too well at that moment in time. With a smile she approached the bed and set the tray down beside the abandoned scepter he had once spoken so much about. "You don't need to apologise." She shrugged it off and sat herself down on the edge of the bed and watched him for a moment.

"You didn't fail. You may not have brought me home yourself, but you did buy us enough time for us to be found. It would have made no difference if you'd have killed those soldiers or not, my brother and uncle would have still found us and the outcome would have been the same." Catching the scepters glow in the corner of her eye, she looked down to it, curious as to what it had just done. "Well doing nothing isn't the answer." She looked back to him. "Until you're well again, there is little we can do."

After falling quiet for a moment, Nahele shook her head and smiled once more. "I've not eaten properly for days and from the sounds of it, neither have you and I doubt they've been bringing you the most appetizing foods. I asked the cooks for a little bit of everything so you could try some proper food." The tray before her was littered with small bowls and plates, each holding something different. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, sauces, bread, cheese, pastries and the plate in the center of the tray contained slices of different meats.

"I don't like to eat on my own, will you join me?"

Levantes looked over at Nahele, how could he have mistaken her? Well.. In some way, it almost seemed too plausible to mix them up as he softly stepped towards the bed, at first thinking of simply sitting on the opposite side, but then, what did that say of him really? He was afraid to approach her? Why? Because of who she was? Or who she reminded him of.. He made his way around the bed and sat by her. Nahele had a good way of looking at things, it seemed almost uncanny, the more she spoke the more he found a little lightness in himself again.

So why did it hurt? He suppressed it as much as he could, just smiling at her as she spoke about what he should do. Doing nothing isn't the answer. He couldn't help but keep looking at her in a strange sort of wonder, it was so simple that he couldn't have thought of it, he almost felt foolish for not realizing it. She spoke of not eating, and apparently had heard he'd not been doing the same, but he smiled at her digging his hand into his pocket and pulling out what was left of the nuts he'd claimed from her, the blessed food, although there was only a solitary piece remaining,
"At first, I tried to eat a full meal, but.. Well.. I couldn't.. So I had one of these and spent the rest of my time thinking.." Levantes held up the small nut gently, staring at it, "I came to the Glades with the express purpose of finding some-one who would kill me, I came here with the desire to die. But then you came out of nowhere and you had the look of some-one who wanted to live. I felt so stupid.."

He set the nut down on the bed covers, looking over at the meal,
"You were like a shining light to me. And now here you are again.. Shining. Asking me to eat with you. How am I supposed to say no..?" He mused, his hands resting limply as his forearms as he leaned forward, supporting his upper body by resting on his legs, head lowered, "Doing nothing isn't the answer.. She probably would have said something along the same lines." Levantes chuckled, reaching a hand up to cover his face as he cringed almost painfully, much like when he'd broken down the last time, biting down hard for a moment before breathing a sigh to relax,
"I think the worst part is; I cant sleep. It's getting harder to focus.. I cant think clearly.. I couldn't even aim straight.."