Raziel was metaphorically spitting fire and brimstone when he arrived at the Lost Tower. The place was actually only calming to him, despite or possibly thanks to the grim and sinister scenery around it, but it wasn't nearly enough to cool him off even several hours after his latest encounter with the princess and company. He didn't bother trying to rest or calm himself down somehow, however. There was nothing that anyone could do about what happened and he wasn't going to dwell on it, either. He had done way too much of that already.

He scoffed at the quiet comment of the minion elder as the latter greeted him and said something about the Overlord "finally looking the part". Whether the old guy meant any disrespect or not, he simply didn't care, but he did have a point. Dressed in a regal camisole and fancy clothes, he didn't look much like the evil sort. Of course, he had always felt more inclined towards the "dashing trickster" villain stereotype rather than the "bloodthirsty demon", but it seemed he allowed that simple preference to affect his choice for too long. He should have left the former guise long ago, ever since he left Lyncon. It would have saved him time, among other things.

In any case, he wasn't about to waste any more time. He needed to start acting already. He didn't really see the alliance of the world's nations as a threat to his plans; if that were the case, he would have made a move long ago, Elehna or no Elehna. No, the only threat to him was the princess herself. There were still many things he didn't understand about her power, and while she had little understand and control of it at the moment, that would, without a doubt, change. Furthermore, her becoming his enemy meant he could no longer rely on the Heart's power. He would make use of it while he could, but all of his plans would have to be adjusted around the premise that it would "betray" him.

He headed to his study and put every protective ward on it he knew of, all without using any of the Heart's power; it was the very thing he was trying to keep from seeing inside the room, and he didn't get to where he was by thinking one could be too careful. He stopped after he tried calling out to the Heart and felt no response whatsoever; either it caught on to what he was trying to do and refused to respond to him, temporarily or permanently, or his magic was doing its job. Having no other way to test this, he could only hope for the latter.

"I guess I didn't realize how truthful it was when I said the only one I could trust is someone one should never trust." Raziel replied vaguely in response to Beleth's silent to everyone else greeting; the massive sword was still lying on the table where the dark elf had left it as he rushed to Elehna's rescue. "Please, you say that as if immortals are any better." He scoffed at the demon's words. "No offense, but you're a demon. I do not feel strongly inclined to believe that. And I am not immortal, just not as... temporarily challenged as most. Well, you should know all about that. You were the one who told me of the ritaul, after all." The dark elf replied calmly as he cleared another table of all junk and started placing some papers with various symbols and formulas on it.

After a few seconds he smirked. "I have nothing to hide from you anymore. I planned on draining your power for myself - as you have already seen in my mind - but that was when I could afford to lose it while unable to afford the same for my humanity, and related things." He shrugged. "But the situation has changed. Reversed, in fact. Right now, I can afford to lose everything except your power. In fact, I might be better off losing that, or I might hesitate at a critical moment." He went silent again as he listened to Beleth's words in his head. "I wouldn't say I trust you, but I have no doubt you were speaking the truth when you said you wanted to kill the gods when we just met. The archives here proved it was their trickery that resulted in your current state."

Raziel laughed lightly as he continued to prepare the table. "Yeah, funny thing about that. I have figured out how to break your seal a while ago. It was draining your power for myself while keeping your soul sealed inside the sword what I was having problems with. I could sort of make you possess me, but I wasn't sure I could control you, and... well, it doesn't matter anymore. The situation has changed." He worked in silence for a while, up until the moment he carried the demonic blade over to the table with all sorts of incomprehensible things written down. "As if you had never lied to me. But it doesn't even matter anymore. I have always been prepared to give my life to achieve my goal. If you kill me, well, at least it will be a like-minded person and not some hypocritical rube. Now quiet down, I need to focus."

The ritual lasted for several hours straight, and to an uninformed spectator, it would just appear as if Raziel was staring at the sword intently while doing nothing at all. But it was much more complicated than that. The room was filled with raw magic, and in his head, the dark elf constantly had to solve various riddles and equations, many completely irrelevant to magic, and many unknown beyond the mythical civilization. In other words, it would take a powerful Aesir wizard with an encyclopedic knowledge of magic and a quick wit to undo this seal, or a group of lesser wizards working together. It was a clear example of how much the ancient people trusted each other: theoretically, any of them could break the seal, but they knew they wouldn't.

As the process neared its end, the massive blade started to vibrate. The vibrations gradually increased until everything suddenly ended with a small explosion of raw magic. Its magnitude proved to be enough to knock the dark elf against the wall. As his eyes shifted back to the table, assuming Beleth betrayed him, his jaw dropped on its own. He expected to see some sort of monstrous creature assaulting him, but instead, sitting on the table was a woman quite unlike anything he had ever seen before, and it wasn't just about a few extra appendages like horns, wings and a tail. "Relax, I have no intention of attacking you." She said with a wicked smile. "Surprised? You must have thought Beleth sounded like a male name, didn't you?" She smirked.

Elehna cringed a little as Theodin tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault with her back facing him. She wouldn't believe it for second but both of their sakes, she'd keep quiet about it. What she was feeling wasn't just going to disappear. She took in a deep breath before exhaling quietly, composing herself before turning back to look at Theodin. "I shall be fine, Theodin." The young Queen said in a soft but slightly unconvincing voice. "It is you lot I am more worried about." It was the truth.

Her eyes flickered to Locien in his spiritual elf disguise. She had to hand it to him, it was good. She listened to both him and Ildhrenion speak before nodding with a small smile. "That is the best plan we have so far, we'll go now unless anyone objects?" She asked, looking around to the three males before nodding once. "Let's go then."

Elehna turned and walked towards the exit of the cave, having no need to wait any longer. They had no belongings, there was no where for them to clean, eat, drink. The quicker they moved, the better. The village wasn't too far away, maybe an hour's walk - a little less even. The morning was slightly unpleasant if one didn't possess much clothing; snow had turned to ice on the ground and the air was bitter cold yet it still remained beautiful as ice sparkled from the trees and the icicles hung from the edge of the cave, trees and rocks.

They walked for quite a while in silence, no one seeming in the mood to speak. It was only until they were half way to the village that Elehna finally spoke. "Maybe if we make a good impression in this village, we can get word to go around and get some villages, Kingdoms even, behind us. We might have Morlay back before we know it." She said, trying to be as positive as she possibly could. She could always live in false hope, she guessed.

Locien was leading the others through the woods towards the village, being stoic and calm. He looked at the village and saw the disarray it was in due to the bandits and the possible dragon at the top of the mountain. He half knew that the bandits was due to the fact that the dragon possibly squeezing the money from their pockets to try and hire Dragon Slayers. He half smirked at the challenge, he never fought a dragon before, this could get interesting. "I intend to make the first impression simple. Removing the Dragon from the equation."

As the group approached the village, Locien saw a bandit sentry about to stop them for some form of toll and frowned and his eyebrows went into an angry looking glare. As the bandit tried to tell them his toll Locien shot his hand through the air and grabbed the bandit by the neck. The bandit was shocked and then simply said, "Okay, free of charge." Locien smirked silently.

"That was a bit tacky Locien." Ildhrenion said, trying to get his Foster Son to talk to him, Theodin, Or Elehna.

"If you want something tacky try anything that involved diplomacy with a bandit." Locien replied. He didn't feel the same after Rivera's death, which almost forced him to almost close his heart to loving someone, though it seemed he was doing a bad job due to the fact his emotions were almost about to fly apart. Yet on the surface, he kept his cool and his mentality seemed to be healthy at the moment. "Let's go in guys, the sooner I find about this dragon and go out and kill it, the better." was all he could say as he walked into the village.

Theodin watched everything in silence, sighing inwardly. How could he expect any of them to react any different when he himself could not act as if none of it had happened, as if it wasn't his fault? They finally approached the town, and Locien was set on finding that Dragon, which Theodin thought was a suicide mission, there were plenty of other ways to find recruits and allies. But, he held his tougne. He was in no position to speak. But something was nagging him, and he knew he had to take care of it. After finding quarters within the town, Theodin said to the Queen, "I must leave...I will not be gone long, but there is something I must do."

Elehna watched Locien as he grabbed hold of the bandit by the scruff of the neck, shaking her head to the stranger. She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as Ildhrenion made a comment about how tacky Locien's move was. They carried on moving as they got further into the village. A few Tavern's were about and Elehna gestured for them to come with her. They needed a place to stay and the place they entered seemed sufficient. "Asking around here would be a good place to start," Elehna commented to the disguised dark elf as they stood at the bar or the Tavern, waiting to see if any rooms were available. "I'm sure many drunken men and women would be more than willing to tell you what you need about this.. Dragon."

The Bartender came over, only to ask the Queen what she needed, obviously not recognising her. After all, they did come from a village well away from where she had lived. "I need two rooms, please." Was all she said, looking down at what little gold she had and trying to work out what she could afford. Besides, they did only need two rooms. She doubted no one would complain that they had to share- it was only somewhere to sleep later on after all.

The Bartender gave Elehna two keys along with the number of the rooms once she had paid up. She turned to look at Locien, giving him a key. "You and Ildhrenion can share a room and me and Theodin shall be in the other. You don't mind, do you?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't. It wasn't like it mattered anyway.

As Theodin announced that he needed to leave and he'd be back soon, Elehna looked at him filled with concern. "Be back soon, Theodin... And be careful." She said before he left. Frowning she sighed before looking to Locien and Ildhrenion. "I hope he is alright..." She said quietly before saying a little louder. "I'm going to wash and change, I shall meet you down here in the tavern at midday." Elehna said before heading up to her room. She washed, getting all the dirt from her face and hair from where she had been in the tunnel and changed into a really basic dress the Tavern provided in a wardrobe. It was plain but it would do. She prayed Theodin would be return soon.

Theodin left in silence, silently keeping his promise. He would return soon. He made his way through the town, coming upon a small chaple. He went inside, reemerging around twenty minuets later. He found the supplies he needed, and went to the chaple graveyard.

~+~+~+~+~

Nearly half an hour later, there was a new cross there, Rivera's family crest hanging from it. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Theodin was on his knees in front of it, eyes closed, tears leaking out of them slowly.

"Ssifisv persvek martivir, Rivera. Si geou malrak jilg wux persvek sia kornari. Si mi bivai si jahus ti mobi ihk wux lae si jalla tepoha coanwor. Seyet'toon...Myvish."

After a few more minutes, he got up, making his way back to the inn where they would be staying. He connection with Elehna told him that she still felt guilt, but there was nothing he could do about that. Only she could find the answers she needed. All he could do was stay by her side. He returned, his heart lighter, but nonetheless sorrowful. He sat at the bar, not wanting to head up just at the moment.

Once Elehna finished doing her hair, trying to look the best she could even though she felt horrible as she was filled with guilt and grief on the inside, she looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment or so, her eyes focused on the pendant around her neck. It was the one Theodin had given to her. Her hand reached up and her thumb ran across it. Her heart began to pound a little quicker against her ribs, unable to describe how she was feeling but something stood out from the rest: The need to see Theodin.

Without another moment's thought, Elehna ran out of the room and down the staircase which lead to the bar. It had been almost an hour since they had all parted and she scanned the tavern to see if any of them had arrived yet. Her heart felt lighter with relief as she saw Theodin sitting at the bar. She sighed and made her way over, getting a few looks from drunken elves as the female walked across the room. She stopped at Theodin, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" She asked gently, examining his face as she spoke. Her hand moved from his shoulder and went to stroke his hair once, gently. It had gotten longer than she had ever seen it, but it suited him none the less.

The noise within the Tavern had reached a high as it became midday. Elves had come in for food, whilst others drank their afternoons away. It didn't particularly bother Elehna but it was new to her, having never stayed in a Tavern before. It was not somewhere a Princess was allowed to be... But none of that mattered anymore.

"Letting her go." Theodin siad softly. He could feel the eyes of every male follow Elehna as she had made her way across the room, and it set his blood boiling. However, so long as none of them moved, he would say nothing. His purple eyes shifted to her face. "Are you alright, Elehna?" He asked even though he knew the answer. None of them were alright, though it seemed Elehna was the worst, and Theodin could hardly blame her. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arm, assure her that everything was going to be alright.

He didn't move. No matter what he wanted, his duty came before his heart.

Locien was next to them drinking a small drink, With his swords out in a guard like matter. He did tell them he was going to act like their bodyguard. he then walked around the Tavern asking people about the dragon and what about it he needed to be concerned of. Ildhrenion took an early rest in the room.

From what he heard, it was a black dragon, one of the more vicious kinds of dragons in Locien's book. That means that they schedule their attacks at a certain time. He'd have to be prepared for it. When he saw Elehna coming down and some of the drunken males looking at her, a sharp blue glare was all that was needed for them to look back at their glasses. A bandit came in however, a large elf with a few scars.

"Alright mates! give me the protection money owed for the Dragon!" The Bandit bellowed "Come on you lo-" he was interrupted by the low chuckling of Locien.

"What if I got rid of the dragon?" Locien chuckled. "I would do it for free even." This caused some murmuring to buzz in the tavern. The bandit though, looked mad enough at an upstart to punch Locien in the face. Locien however caught it. "Well well, nice way of shaking hands.... although, your stance is horrible." As he said it he kicked the bandit in the groin area and when he crashed to the ground drew Fenris Moon and pointed it at his face. "Get the heck out of here." he said as he turned his back and sheathed his sword.

"So sorry for that Milady and My good friend." He said to Elehna and Theodin, trying to sound the part of a Bodyguard and Ex-slayer. "Old Slayer habits."

Elehna hardly noticed the eyes following her across the room. Her focus was on Theodin and nothing else. A faint smile reached her lips as he told her where had gone. Something made her feel a little more at peace, knowing Theodin had given Rivera the send off she needed and deserved. "Thank you..." She whispered, lowering her head. She was the same height as Theodin as he sat on the barstool, making it much easier for her to look at him directly in the eyes. "I shall make sure to say goodbye also, Locien shall do too." She said before lifting her eyes back up to look at him.

The young Queen smiled a little more as he asked her if she was alright. Of course, she wasn't about to tell him how she really felt... They both knew that Theodin would feel how she was feeling due to their bond. She gave him a knowing look yet nodded as an answer. "I shall be fine, we all shall be." Was all she said before looking around to the bandit who entered, causing her to raise an eyebrow. She watched near by Theodin as Locien sorted him out.

"That's quite alright." Elehna said, also acting the part. She couldn't help but smirk a little at Locien as he seemed to be getting into the part of being a bodyguard and slayer very well. It lightened up the mood a little, even if it was a serious matter. She turned to Theodin for a moment, also flicking her eyes over to Locien. "Well, gentlemen... Aren't you going to get 'your lady' a drink?" She asked with a weak, cheeky smile. Had she not been grieving, she would have been a lot more enthusiastic, but still. She was going to experience the wonders of true nitty-gritty alcohol. One day off wouldn't harm anyone - they needed it.

Despite the feelings, Theodin could not help raising an eye brow and a slight smirk at Elehna. He doubted she had drank anything other than the wine served within the palace, and wondered how she would handle it. With a slight chuckle, he nodded, and hailed the barkeep. "Bring us a few. The Lady is calling."

When the drinks arrived, and Theodin drank, his muscles immediately relaxed. This was something he needed, and hadn't known it.

Elehna giggled lightly as Theodin ordered the drinks and she turned away for a moment, grabbing a barstool and bringing it in between her chevalier and her 'bodyguard' for the night. She sat down and nodded to the bartender with a grateful smile and took her rather large glass of liquor and stared at it for a moment. She glanced over to Theodin who seemed to relax rather quickly after drinking quite a bit of it fairly quickly. She then glanced over to Locien on the other side of her who also seemed to easily drink the liquid.

The large glass was rather intimidating, having never tried anything like it before. Every male and the few females who laughed loudly in the corner of the room seemed used to the alcohol, as though they were brought up drinking it. It was safe to say that Elehna had only been used to wine within the palace, and even then it was only a small glass.

Wrapping her hand around the glass, she brought it to her lips and drank a little bit of it. It was certainly an... unusual taste. A lot rougher than what she had ever drank before, and at first it was rather unpleasant and had a rather nasty after-taste to it. She pulled a face of dislike but before she knew it, she sipped at it again as if she was trying to get rid of the nasty taste with the cause of it. Putting the glass down for a moment, she sighed. "It's cheap and nasty, but it shall do." She commented, realising she really wasn't used to being with normal citizens. She wasn't about to complain though, she quite liked it in a way... It was relaxing and different.

It took her a good hour just to down one glass but in all fairness, it was a big glass for an amateur. The Bartender had been watching the three drink, certainly Elehna as the female seemed to struggle to get it down her, until she reached the bottom and finished it quickly, obviously getting quite drunk. Poisoned by the alcohol, Elehna seemed to cheer up quite a bit. "Another.. Another of your fine... stuff." She said, pointing to the empty glass. "And for my friends... my dear friends."

The Bartender laughed at the female and nodded, giving her her wish. She took a sip of her new glass before turning to Theodin. "You, Theodin Pyren... need to stop worrying too much... Don't you think he should stop?" She asked Locien before giggling. "I shall return..." She said, stumbling off her stool to try and head outside. She was becoming hot in the tavern, she need some air.

Somehow Theodin managed to keep his composure and not burst out in laughter at how the alcohol was affecting Elehna. He had downd three before she had even finished her first, and by the redness in her face and the sparkle in her eyes, she was already drunk. She had deffinately never drunk anything besides wine before. But these were explicit circumstances. Elehna needed this.

Standing up after her, he caught her as she stumbled a bit. He smiled down at her, helping her outside. "If you want me to stop worrying, than I shall, my Lady."

Elehna laughed softly as Theodin caught her, before wrapping her arms around his so she could stand properly. With his help, they both made it outside standing. She inhaled deeply before exhaling, the coldness of the air making a mist as she did so. She giggled as she did so, her vision not quite normal. "Oh and stop calling me... Your lady... My name is Elehna."

She smiled up at Theodin before shivering a little as the cold hit her suddenly. She was only wearing a simply knee length dress after all. It was all the Tavern had to offer. She'd have to purchase some new clothing at some point if they were to stay a little while. She approached Theodin and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him. He kept her warm. Her eyes closed. "You restrict yourself, Theodin... You always go by your duties and never by what you want... What do you want in here..?" She tapped on his chest lightly, not paying much attention at all. Her mind was screwed and she hardly realised what was she saying. Had she been sober, she would have been embarrassed to ask that.

Theodin smiled down at her, a sad sort of smile. "You already know what I want, Elehna. But you also know, I am just a knight. You are my Queen." He couldn't help the soft laughter that escaped from him, knowing that it was more the alcohol talking, and not her. Still, he had known she wanted to ask him the same thing, even though she already knew what truly lay in his heart.

His love for her, though he dare not say it. Even if she did truly return his feelings, he doubted they would be accepted. "I have always gone by my duties. Besides you, that is all I have left in this world." He was slightly aware that it was the alcohol talking inhim as well, though not nearly as strongly. His arms wrapped around her as she clung to him, keeping her warm, protecting her. Just like he was supposed to.

Elehna sighed and continued to hug, or some might say, cling onto him tightly. She felt happy and she knew even if she was sober, she'd still be as happy. In his arms was where she wanted to be and it was where she truly belonged but was it that hard to get it into his head what she didn't care if it was acceptable?

"Theodin..." She muttered, looking up to him and holding onto his arms now as he had his wrapped around her. "But I want what you want... I don't care if... people... judge. I don't care anymore..." She paused for a moment, looking up at him. "I.. I-" She went quiet, feeling nervous about saying it even if she was quite drunk. But she knew her own feelings, even if he probably wouldn't believe it in her state. She simply had a lot more courage. "I love you."

For a moment, all went quiet. She suddenly realised how much of a fool she had probably made of herself and she pulled away. "I should.. go back inside... it's cold." The young Queen said as though nothing had happened. Once again, she was making things worse... So she thought.

"I love you."

The words echoed through Theodin's head, unwiling to believe he had truly heard it, even when he knew it was truth. "Elehna..." He smiled down at her, even as she tried to get away, he simply held her closer. He couldn't lie to himself any longer.

"I always told myself that I would simply be content watching over you as a knight, and then as your Chevalier. But all I was doing was lying to myself. When I heard you were engaged to Huor, I told myself nothing was wrong, even when it felt like I was dying. When I had seen the way you had looked at Raizel, I told myself that so long as yo were happy, then I would be too, even though all I could truly feel was my heart breaking. But how could I expect anything different, when I had never expressed my own feelings, just like the coward that I was, that I am?"

He pulled her close, and whispered, "I love you, Elehna Rashna, just as I always have. I want nothing more in this world than to simply be with you."

Locien silently watched the two lovers finally affirm their love for each other when he secretly went out to check on them. "Fantastic. Truly, the Power love bears is.....magnificent." he thought in his head. He silently sighed again. They found each other, and since Rivera was dead, he was all alone. Such is a fate for a Dark Elf at times.

Such is a fate of the Fenris.

He scanned the skies for anything in the air. "Uhh not to be a crasher for your newfound love, but if I'm calculating right this Dragon comes regularly, I want you two lovebirds inside and safe when that happens." Locien stated. "So you guys can go on ahead. I'll watch the skies. Elehna, Theodin, You guys know what to do. I know I might sound crazy and maybe I am a bit after Rivera's death, but I am taking no chances with a dragon. Killing it is the only leverage I see so far as to get support back."

Locien sighed as he thought of Rivera again. He missed her. Too much. He knew he had to let her go, to find another to restore his clan with. The problem was However, how could he find someone as beautiful as Rivera, and as kind, and as determined as her? That was the question in his mind as he watched the skies for the beating of Large wings.

Elehna had tried to pull away from Theodin before he pulled her closer, she had been scared to have made things awkward between them. However, as he pulled her closer, she seemed to be in shock as he told her that he loved her back in a sweet whisper. A true smile appeared across her face for the first time in a while at the news. She had about to lean up and kiss him softly, but Locien's voice stopped her from doing so as he spoke of the dragon. It didn't matter, she was just happy to know Theodin loved her and accepted her own love.

Looking over to Locien still in Theodin's arms, she let out a small yelp which could have been mistaken for fear but it was in fact a laugh. "Ohh... That's quite alright- Locien." She said, straightening herself out and turning so she could face him. She felt off balanced but that didn't stop her. It wasn't effecting her thinking at all, she just felt it difficult to express what she thoughts in her usual civilized way and look serious about it. It was quite frustrating to say the least but yet so... amusing.

"I completely understand... We shall go inside and... drink- You just be careful, won't you?" She said, walking over to Locien and patting him on the cheek. Why.. oh why did she do that? "We need you and I'm only just starting to get to know you. We don't know a dragon...Eh-." Her smile was wide and friendly before she felt Theodin pushing her back into the Tavern, making her laugh.

Once back inside the Tavern, Elehna looked around at the Tavern and sighed. "Theodin... I don't want anything else to drink. It's making me feel different, I don't like it." She said before making her way up the stairs of the Inn. She stumbled a few times but she always felt someone keeping her up.

Back in the room they planned to stay in for the night, the young Queen practically fell onto the bed and closed her eyes straight away. Letting out a deep sigh, she opened an eye and looked over to Theodin. "Thank you... Thank you for everything... I meant what I said, I really did." She was serious and it took her a lot of effort to say it in that way. Closing her eyes again, she fell asleep almost immediately.

Since he was in his spiritual elf disguise, Locien turned slightly pink from embarrassment as Elehna patted his cheek but he also sighed. He had no one to love him. He then looked back up to the skies. He slowly head the beating of leather wings soaring through the skies. Most of the townsfolk ran inside whilst the bandits got ready for defending the village. He just stood, giving just a cold cold stare as a large black Dragon, almost as big as a house, soared through.

Locien simply slowly started to walk towards the beast as it landed in front of a barricade and slowly started to tear it down. He silently drew his swords and spun them around in a circle. He openly glared at the dragon as he walked out into the open through the barricade. The Dragon seemed to look at him confusedly, the beast possibly sensed the ring's enchantment. That meant it was confused on what race it was. Locien wasn't fixed to telling him. His eyes flashed into a furious blue shade as he charged at the dragon in a fierce battle cry.

The dragon snapped at the disguised Dark elf, whilst he ducked and grabbed onto it's neck and started to climb up it to get to the back of the head. The dragon however started to shake around it's head to try and shake poor Locien off.

"Crap." was all Locien said before he was being shaken. he tried to strike at the beast with his sword but it finally managed to throw him off. He landed in a hay pile before he jumped back out and rushed it again. The dragon struck again but this time he dodged it and went for one of it's front legs as he swiped at it with Fenris moon. The dragon felt that as it then swatted Locien and sending him towards the tavern and hitting the wall, hurting him. Locien tried to get up and then he saw blood, he was cut on his shoulder and it stung him to get up. The dragon was about to strike again until it saw a cloaked female approach him and looking at his injuries. The dragon simply nodded it's head at the woman and then turned it's attention to the Bandits and started to attack them.

---

Locien started to black out, but he did hear a female's voice, he mistook it for Elehna's however as he fell unconscious. The words he heard before blacking out were, "Are you hurt?"

"I quite like what you've done with the place. Seems fitting for the citadel of a dark lord." Beleth spoke casually as she followed Raziel through the halls of the Lost Tower. Rather, that was supposed to be the case, but she seemed perfectly capable of finding everything she needed to on her own and walked ahead of the dark elf. The last fifteen minutes or so since he broke the seal on the sword had been quite hectic. He didn't stop wondering if releasing the demon was the right choice, because with his eyes and experience, he could tell it would be easy for her to kill him anytime she wanted to. That was, of course, not taking the Heart into account, but he could no longer afford such luxury; even if it responded to him for now, he highly doubted it would last for long now that he let Beleth free.

This experience also had some learning involved, however. For example, he learned that she was never technically sealed inside any sword; she was a shape-shifter, and the sword itself was her stuck in a single form and unable to change. That actually made a much better explanation in general, although it also raised more questions. Some of them Beleth answered for him, mostly indirectly, and some he assumed he had found answers to on his own, but none of them really mattered. Even if was interested in knowing how anyone was able to restrain her out of sheer curiosity, he had no need of that knowledge. He turned out to be sorely mistaken about the one person he thought he could actually trust; trusting a demon and promising himself to always tell her the truth was probably a specific way of coping with that.

"Please, turn down the angst. It's only alright when I caused it in some way." The woman smirked without even bothering to look at Raziel. "What, did you think just because I'm no longer a sword I could no longer read your mind? How would that even make sense, for me to lose some ability I had when my powers were harshly limited?"

"Well, that's great and all, but when have you been here before?"

"A really long time ago. It was - what do you call them - the Aesir that sealed me as a sword. You should know by now they lived in harmony with the world around them, and the demons were little different. It wasn't eternal peace for all, but rather, they accepted all, well, most conflict as natural and could easily forgive for the death of a loved one. Not that they didn't care for them, but they just lived differently from how your people do." The woman shrugged. "Of course, by your people I mean the current sentient beings on the planet, not dark elves in particular. All this racial diversity is still rather confusing."

"This racial diversity has been around for thousands of years. You-"

"I was unable to move on my own, and most of my attempts at communication ended with people trying to destroy me. And people whose will was weak enough for me to dominate usually didn't have anything worthwhile in their heads." She cut him off. "Besides, just how long do you think I have been around by the time the outlanders came?"

"Outlanders?"

"That's what we called the ones you are more familiar with as 'gods'." The demon explained in an irritated voice. "You're pretty slow, aren't you?" Raziel didn't answer; letting her get a rise out of him was the last thing he wanted. "Anyway, as the demon queen I got to visit the High Palace - this place - more often than you'd think. Of course, back then it was quite a bit less imposing. So, good job redecorating. It really suits me."

"Suits you? This place is still mine. You are just-"

"What? A helping hand?" She asked with a light laugh as she turned around. "Get real, boy. Now that you've released me, I am going to be in charge. You may be insanely powerful for this era, but I was all that and more on a different scale."

"Yes, I was wondering about that. I am used to seeing people taller than myself, so being eight feet tall isn't going to impress me."

"Oh, sorry, am I making you uncomfortable? But this used to be average height for women the last time I had a body. Don't tell me you never thought how everything in this place seemed gargantuan?" Beleth smirked. "And what do you think would be the point of a weapon that nobody could swing? If they hadn't intended to use me, the Aesir could have sealed me in the form of a kettle." She shrugged. "But for them, the 'ninety pound monstrosity' was just an unusual and slightly heavier than normal longsword." The demon explained. "I just have to ask, would you still be bothered if I were a male or some monstroust creature? Or is it just that men hate feeling small next to women?"

"I thought a demon was supposed to be evil, but so far, you're just being bratty." Raziel said in a bored voice. He did not like being talked down to; nobody did, but he didn't have to deal with that in a long time.

"And you're being boring. I guess your youth is only in appearance." The female replied, once again scoring in their verbal match. She smirked as she could see the dark elf grow ever more irritated. This sort of strange dialog, where they mocked each other without resorting to actual insults, was something like a classic pastime for those of the "evil" conviction.

"Says someone who's many thousands of years old. You're pretty bold, walking around naked at your age."

"Now that's just low." She smirked and entered a seemingly random door that they just approached. Raziel blinked a few times before following her inside, realizing it was his chambers that she entered. "Don't you know it's bad manners to talk age at women?"

"Please, you're a demon. I hardly think the concepts of mere mortals apply to you." He replied once again as he followed her inside, finally feeling like he had the upper hand.

"Are you still stuck on appearances? That's pitiful. But, fine, if it bothers you that much..." She trailed off, and her form started changing. Raziel scowled as her transformation ended. "What, no good?" A girl that looked identical to Elehna asked him and laughed. Even the voice was the same, but of course, the princess would never be saying the same things in the same way as her. Or rather, the person he imagined her to be wouldn't; as for the real one, he really didn't know what she was capable of anymore.

"Don't you dare-"

"Oh, be quiet. What are you going to do about it? Kill me?" The female smirked. "Disregarding the part where you couldn't, you won't dare make an enemy out of me. I am much too valuable to you, and as long as you can count on my help, you will put up with any mockery or insult. And I'm not just saying this; I am taking it directly from your own thoughts. Besides, I thought you wanted to get this girl into bed?"

"I have no intention of explaining myself to you, especially if you can read my mind." The dark elf finally replied after a few seconds of getting his temper under control. "In the past, I would get mad because this is insulting to Elehna. I don't care about that anymore; the person I loved never existed in reality. But I am tired of you making fun of me already. You could have been doing that all along, in fact, I would likely trust you more if you were more casual before. Why start now?"

"Stop being so serious all the time." Beleth said with a small pout as she changed back into her original form, except for the size. "I am just happy to have my body back. I intend to cut loose a bit, and you should probably try that, too. Why be depressed? So the girl you loved betrayed you; tough, but you've had much worse. And if you think you were just lying to yourself all along, then it should be even easier for you to cope with." She shrugged. "So, think for a moment, and tell me: why are you sad?"

"Why am I sad?" Raziel repeated her question and thought about his answer carefully. It was a very good question. What the demon said made perfect sense, and he doubted the fact he was mistaken or that something he wasn't expecting happened could upset him this much. After all, she wasn't expecting Beleth to be a woman, but he didn't feel upset about it. The situation was different, but the principle was the same. "I guess it's because I believe I should feel sad, depressed and devastated even, just like I believed Elehna to be someone she wasn't. But thinking about it, there is no reason for me to feel that way, and now that I've said this out loud, I don't feel as strongly about the whole thing."

"Good. Why focus on the negative sides of life? Pretty much everything has an upside." Beleth said as she approached the dark elf. "A girl broke your heart, but now you are wiser. I was stuck as a sword for aeons, but I had a lot of time to think. If someone hurt you, don't dwell on it. Plot your revenge, and enjoy yourself in the meantime. That's what I intend to do."

***

Inael had a relatively peaceful time in the recent past. He had watched the forest scene between Raziel and the other elves play out from a distance and fled before the green flame had a chance to trap him. He heard the Overlord announce what sort of wicked magick it was, and he doubted any of them would be able to escape it. Perhaps it was a waste, but at the same time, he thought it was good riddance; being betrayed by the Overlord didn't redeem any of them in his eyes, it was merely their punishment for their ignorance. They deserved it fully, and should they survive, it would only be the first step towards redemption.

After leaving the forest behind, the paladin traveled to a nearby town and decided to stop there to rest and plan his next course of action. The reason he left his brothers and sisters in Morlay was to track down the remainders of the royal family and, if necessary, eliminate them. But it seemed as though the king and queen were no longer a problem, and the Overlord had unknowingly helped him a great deal with the princess. He wasn't about to carelessly assume she was dead, but more importantly, he was no longer sure that was a problem. Her unreasonable and no longer existent trust of the evil man aside, she appeared more open-minded than her late father. Perhaps she would be willing to cooperate; of course, he also remembered that the Overlord accused her of breaking a promise to him, and while she should never have made one in the first place, once made, a promise should be kept, regardless who it was made to.

If he chose to assume Elehna dead or no longer significant, he had two choices of what to do next. He could return to Morlay and aid in keeping its occupation by the Allied Forces peaceful, or he could go after the Overlord on his own. The problem was, the latter option was simply insane while the former was not something he would be much help with; he was many things, but a diplomat was hardly one of them. As he hesitated to make a final decision, he spent two days in the town, resting, planning and trying to get used to his new vision. It was not easy; he could see a lot of things nobody else could, but at the same time, many things evaded his sight. Why he was spared from blindness, he knew not, but there had to be a meaning to it.

Baleful about his hesitation at first, Inael saw it as a blessing when familiar auras entered the town. Of course, only one of them really mattered as far as he was concerned, that of the princess, or rather, queen Elehna. He chose not to approach them at first, keeping his presence a secret as he decided to observe them for a short time. It wasn't that hard: he let Starfury wander on its own for now, knowing that the unicorn would come right away at the first call, and left his impressive armor at the room where he was staying; without it, they probably wouldn't even recognize him. He had since had a chance to wash up and had a simple white bandage covering his eyes, and while a blind man with his physique would look suspicious, he doubted it would give him away until he was ready to confront the elves.

"Thank you... Thank you for everything... I meant what I said, I really did."

Theodin watched her fall asleep, sitting in a chair. He had a slight smile on his face as he did so. Softly, he whispred, "I know, Elehna...I know." He realized that the alcohol was getting to him as well when he started to drift, even upright in the chair. He didn't bother to move, falling asleep in a sitting position.

Rivera haunted his dreams. And it showed on his face even as he slept.

Elehna woke up early the next morning, feeling slightly rough. Was she coming down with something or was she experiencing her first ever 'hangover'? Either way, it didn't bother her too much. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her bed, only to look around the room and find Theodin sitting in a chair, asleep. He looked troubled in his sleep, his face not as peaceful as it should have been. Sighing gently, Elehna got up from her bed and went to stand next to his chair.

The Princess remembered what she had said to Theodin the previous night, and it shocked her to remember her being so confident about it. Now fully sober, she couldn't even imagine having said what she had said to him now. She was happy she had done though and she had meant every word. Elehna sat down on the arm of the chair and ran her fingers through Theodin's hair gently as he slept. She didn't like seeing him being haunted by dreams.

"Oh Theodin..." She whispered gently, watching him. He looked so handsome and was in all a beautiful person. It was obvious that he was Rivera's brother, both were stunning to look at... In Elehna's eyes atleast. "I promise everything shall be alright..." She said quietly before sighing gently and standing up. She went to freshen up before she'd then proceed to finding Locien and Ildhrenion.

The cloaked woman was just about leaving Locien and Ildhrenion's room, to go and sit amongst the patrons at the bar. She had just told Ildhrenion what he needed to know about her, and what she intended to do now that she saw who and what Locien was. She passed Elehna as she went down to the Bar. "Pardon me." She said in a grim tone as she continued to walk. "He does exist.......Locien, how long have you been missing from us and your Father's clan, the lamentations are the same, Zianro and his clan are dead and you, dear child the last of his and our dear Beloved Chieftain's daughter.... O fate, thou showed thy grim face upon him!" The woman thought as a small silent tear streaked across her Dark Purple skin.

---

Locien in the meanwhile was waking up and sitting up and alert. "I have to go and kill that dragon." Locien said but Ildhrenion's hand stopped him.

"My Foster son, You know better. At any rate you accidentally mistook a Maelthra Clan's Dragon for the real deal, which need I remind you, may be much bigger then you think." Ildhrenion said. "Don't play stupid with me either Locien. I know what you're trying to pull with trying to kill this village's dragon. You are planning to do what your father did when he received his magic? Are you even prepared for such risks? A dragon's power is dangerous to use, it nearly exerted all of Zianro's strength to even successfully defeat the dragon he killed."

"Foster Father I have no choice since I'm dealing with Raziel, a powerful magic user! Poet's sake why can't I even try to not only help Elehna get back on her throne and gain possibly the Enemy's ability in magic?" Locien was about to say more but a Puzzling thought crossed him. "Did you say the Maelthra clan? The clan that is descendant of the First Dark elf? The First of the clans that withdrew from other activities to try and do the impossible and tame a Dragon?" He said in a hissing and peeved tone.

"Don't insult the origin of which Your Mother came from." Ildhrenion said. "How do I know it was a Maelthra Tok'nowe? She saved you from being eaten by her dragon. It seems that the Maelthra have also been keeping an eye out for any sign of their lost Daughter's son." Locien simply turned cold after that.

"If this is the truth why was she here?" Locien asked.

"Locien, She's probably here for the same thing you are, the Dragon threatening the village. Why her dragon got pissed I do not know, Maybe one of those bandit idiots tried to assault her or something and she had no other means to defend herself, who knows?" Ildhrenion said with a calm look in his voice. "Anyway, I think Elehna is probably gonna look for us in the next few minutes. Give her a report on last night's events."

"You'll always protect me, right?"

"Promise you'll never leave?"

Theodin's eyes snapped open, showing more weariness than before he fell asleep. It had been a long time since he had dreamt of that night. He stared down at his hands. "What is wrong with me?" He whispered, sighing. He looked around, realizing Elehna had already left. "I hope she slept better than I did." He vaugly remembered a hand passing through his hair even as he slept, as he dreamed. He smiled softly at the memory, and also of the previous night. He got up, and headed for the bathroom, washing his face. He stared at his reflection. "Come on, Theodin...pull yourself together."