The awkward silent filled the room. Mallory still sat up in bed, covering herself. Her eyes were obscured by her hair, casting a shadow over them. She had been like that for a while now. The dark elf looked ashamed, while holding the sleeping Prince in her arms. She did not mean to embarrass her.

"I apologize." the dark elf said. "It wasn't my intention to tease you." She scratched her head with one hand and kept holding the Prince with her other hand.

"Who are you?" Mallory asked.

"Huh?" the dark elf blinked, confused. "Oh, you couldn't see my face with the niqāb on." Still, she was a little hurt, as she thought she had at least made some kind of impression on her.

Mallory, with one eye peeking from behind her crimson bangs, looked at this person.

"What about my eyes?" the dark elf questioned, leaning closer. "Do I look familiar now?" She blushed, suddenly realizing how close their faces were.

The dark elf looked away.

"The Queen's handmaiden?" Mallory replied, a bit surprised. "Zhalia?" She raised a curious brow.

"You remembered my name." the dark elf, Zhalia, smiled.

She looked back at her. She paused! Zhalia was taken aback. When her hair wasn't hiding her face, the young knight was beautiful. Scales and all. Zhalia soon realized she was in trouble. Mallory was just her type.

"G-Guess introductions aren't needed, then." Zhalia looked away, blushing again. She rose and walked over to the dresser near the room door.

She opened the top drawer and gently lay the Prince in there. She had padded it with the blanket he was wrapped in. Zhalia dried him off some more without waking him.

"He was left there for you." Mallory said.

"I know." Zhalia replied simply.

"Why didn't you take him and escape?" Mallory looked upset.

"It was the kid." Zhalia answered as she finished drying him.

"What?" Mallory said, still upset.

"He would not leave without you." Zhalia continued, dressing the Prince, who was still asleep, in some fresh, clean clothes. "He was rather adamant about it. He's becoming quite the little man." She smiled, gently stroking his hair.

"He is just a child." Mallory remarked.

"You know he's more than that." Zhalia replied. "By the way, your welcome." She glanced at her in the dresser mirror.

Mallory didn't respond. She was quite aware of that. She had seen his power, but still couldn't believe it. Zhalia glanced again at her in the dresser mirror, this time catching a glimpse of the spidery black veins spreading out from around a bandage on her left hip. She began thinking back…


After having escaped the dark forest – Zhalia snuck in the slum district of Dragonia II with little one and Mallory. With a little persuasion, and a pouch full of coins, she secured a room in an inn. Once settled, the dark elf called on an old acquaintance for help.

Zhalia now wait in the hall outside the room, holding the sleeping Prince in her arms. He had been asleep since they arrived. She figured it was exhaustion. He had been through a lot. Still, she couldn't believe he could summon such a strong barrier at his age. She soon heard the door open. Zhalia immediately covers his face with the blanket. Acquaintance or not, she wanted to keep the Prince's identity a secret.

A young woman dressed in a plain kimono steps out of the room. She had brown hair and dark eyes. She sighed and looked tired.

"How is she?" Zhalia asks, concerned.

"She survived by the grace of the Goddess." the young woman smiled. Her face dropped suddenly. "Or so I would say if she wasn't an X Class Knight. They are hard to kill."

"Val, you did heal her, didn't you?" the dark elf was more concerned now.

"The monster is healed." the young woman, Val, glared. "You will forgive me if I sound less than pleased about it." She wiped blood from her hands with a handkerchief.

Val noticed Zhalia had an unamused look on her face.

"I did all I could do for her." she quickly assured. She breathed a sigh of relief when the dark elf softened her look. "I am more concerned about you."

"It's just some minor burns." Zhalia says. "Nothing a healing spell couldn't fix." Her arm was properly bandaged.

"What about the child?" Val approach her but stopped when she saw her clutch him tighter to her chest.

"He's fine." the dark elf replied.

"Okay." the young woman sighed. She crossed her arms over her chest and glares at Zhalia. "What are you doing? I mean, just what the hell are you exactly doing?"

"Here we go." Zhalia rolled her eyes, as she knew this was coming. "What does it look like?" She checked on the Prince, then glared back at her.

"It looks like you are meddling in business that it isn't your own." Val snapped.

"Thanks for treating her." the dark elf walked by the young woman.

"Have you forgotten what we are?" Val questioned, unfazed.

Zhalia paused at her room door.

"We don't get involve in the affairs of the royal families." the young woman said strongly, with anger. She turned around and faced her. "We purge them."

"We don't do that anymore." the dark elf responded, still facing the door.

"I know." Val turned her back on Zhalia. "But it probably won't matter for too much longer." She looked over her shoulder, smirking darkly.

The dark elf paused again, with her hand on the doorknob. Zhalia turned around and faced the young woman now.

"What did you do?" the dark elf asked, in a quiet but threatening tone.

"Relax." Val said, turning back around. "Like I said, I did all I could do for her. But she's still dying." She smiled as if she was responsible for that.

"Why?" Zhalia questioned, obviously paying her no mind.

"Someone put a curse on her." the young woman was still smiling.

"A curse." the dark elf looked surprised. She then recalled Mallory's fight with General Kojima. "That would explain some things."

"Aren't you going to ask me about it?" Val asked.

Zhalia responded by turning back to her room door. The young woman simply giggled.

"Well, since she's dying, perhaps, she should be put out of her misery." Val suggested, nonchalant.

She would soon find herself looking down the dual barrels of a large caliber handgun! It all happened so fast. Val didn't see her turn around, let alone summon her spellcaster.

"I thought being a handmaiden had made you soft." Val joked, but it was obvious that she was caught off guard.

Zhalia, glaring, didn't respond as she kept the gun pointed at her face. The young woman then noticed something. She took a closer look at her, despite having a spellcaster in her face.

"Oh, I see." Val cooed.

"What?" the dark elf said, still glaring.

"You've fallen in love with her, haven't you?" the young woman smirked.

Zhalia didn't respond.

"I see you are still ever the romantic." Val muttered, shaking her head. She then sighed. "Look, you should leave the monster and the bastard. It's the smart thing to do."

The dark elf raised a brow.

"What?" Val looked at her cockily. "You didn't think I would realize that you are holding one of the King's bastards in your arms, did you?" She smirked.

Zhalia remained silent, unfazed. She was wrong. But her instincts were telling her to put a bullet in the young woman's head. The dark elf feared if given the chance, Val could figure it out. She still kept the gun on her. Zhalia soon closed her eyes and sighed, hoping she would not come to regret this. She dispelled her spellcaster. The young woman gave her a strange look.

"Again, thanks for your help." the dark elf turned back, opened the door and entered the room.

"Be smart and–" the door slammed in her face. "Bitch." She muttered, before walking off down the hall.


Zhalia drifted back to the present. She was still looking at the wounded knight in the dresser mirror. She then saw her pull the sheet up to her left hip. The dark elf had been caught staring.

"How are you are feeling?" Zhalia subtly turned around and faced her.

"How long was I out?" Mallory questioned abruptly.

The dark elf could see she was already assessing the situation. The mission always comes first. She was a X Class Knight, all right. Zhalia found it quite attractive.

"No, no, no, no!" the dark elf shook her head frantically, blushing softly. "I must keep it professional." She regained her composure.

Zhalia saw she was giving her a stoic look.

"Two days." the dark elf replied, feeling embarrassed.

Mallory said nothing. She just looked down. Zhalia looked at the wounded knight with concern. She took a seat next to her on the bed.

"Yeah, you've woken sooner than I expected." the dark elf commented. "It's no surprise. I mean, you are a strong knight." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"What of the Queen?" Mallory slanted her gaze toward Zhalia.

"I think Piper, I mean, the Queen is still alive." the dark elf very much wanted to believe that it was true.

The Queen was. Or so the wounded knight believed. She recalled her being rather confident about not being killed by the assassin. But then again, she could be behind all this. No, the Queen was sincere when she asked her to protect the Prince. Still… It had been two days.

"What are you doing?!" Zhalia watched her try to get out of bed.

"I am going to save the Queen." Mallory winced, clutching her shoulder.

"You are in no condition to save anybody." the dark elf remarked.

"I am still breathing." Mallory glared.

The wounded knight suddenly sensed bloodlust radiating off of Zhalia! She immediately tried to swing her elbow. The dark elf grabbed it and shoved Mallory back down on the bed.

"Bugger!" the wounded knight winced and gasped.

She tried to sit back up but couldn't. Zhalia had her spellcaster pointed at Mallory's head. If looks could kill, the wounded knight would be dead right now. The dark elf was giving her a murderous glare.

"Interesting choice of weapon for an elf." Mallory remarked, obviously unfazed by it.

"Like I said…" Zhalia's eyes softened, and her bloodlust subsided. "You are in no condition to save anybody." She dispelled the gun.

She got off the bed. The wounded knight laid there, looking up at the ceiling. It pained her to admit it, but she was right. It would've been a suicide mission. Mallory needed to get back to full strength. She just hoped the Queen could hold on a little longer.

"Anyway, it isn't safe now." the dark elf walked over to the dresser and picked up a sheet of paper.

"Why?" Mallory questioned as she slowly sat back up.

Zhalia came back and handed it to her.

"What?!" the wounded knight looked shocked.

In her hands, she held a wanted poster of her. A bounty had been placed on her head. And it was a high one.

"I am wanted for the murder of King Goliath and the kidnapping, and possibly the murder, of the Prince." Mallory glared at it.

"It's a good likeness of you." the dark elf laughed. She saw the wounded knight shoot her a glare. "Sorry."

"Just what the hell happened while I was out?" Mallory glared back at her wanted poster.


Continued in Episode 10


Two years... It has been two long years since I last updated this story. I didn't think this would happen. I just hope this chapter was worth the wait for all those who are still following this story. OH! Huge shout out to cud-b-better. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been inspired to finish this chapter. Now here's hoping that it won't take another two years for me to post another chapter.