"Maybe I was wrong—maybe you are strong enough… to defeat Jack."

Everyone had called Maze a traitor when they heard, and in the aftermath of Jack's demise the mage's statue had suffered a bit of abuse. The Hero stopped it, scolding them for their immaturity, and later that night had cleaned it off as best as he could. Briar asked him why that night; eying the statue as though she wanted a piece of it… or a damned good chunk. He told her that he couldn't let go—she left him alone. Maybe she understood just a little.

But only a little because the whole people-thing just wasn't Briar Rose.

The Guild Master had been weary—weighed down by both the idea of Maze's deceit and death and the fact that he was now the Guild's owner. He gave Maze's old quarters to the Hero without asking questions. It was one less place to worry about. But Scythe had asked, and the Hero only told him that he was going to remember. The robed hero had regarded him with an unreadable look and moved on. Perhaps Scythe understood a little as well.

But that was just speculation because Scythe was a riddle he didn't have the answer to.

The Hero kept the fire burning and turned the lanterns down the stairs on at night. The fire was for his own sake and the lights… well, they were on for the sake of being on. No one else would approach the old abode of "that traitor." So the Hero stood by the window with his arms folded behind his back—staring at the stars through the glass, assured that he would never be bothered. He mused, mostly about Maze.

The man who had saved him for Jack of Blades (or did he, really?).

He had found Maze's old journals hidden away in the bookcases—taken it upon himself to read them. It seemed that Maze sometimes wondered that himself. Why exactly had he saved that little farm boy? Was it because of his bloodline or because he was reminded of a certain something that he never seemed to mention in words? And the Hero (thought he) saw subtle little hints of pride on the page where Maze recorded his graduation from the Guild.

Everyone had called Maze a traitor when they heard, and in the aftermath the Hero realized something. Of every person in Albion—he was really the only one who knew (and it caused a ghost of a smile to flit across his lips when he thought about it). He and he alone knew who really got Jack in the end.

(AN: This little one-shot was inspired by that line in the beginning, among other things. Maze remains my favorite character, I knew since his entrance that I'd eventually get to fight him, and I had a lot of fun doing it. More fun than fighting Jack ;P. Sorry for any spoilers, but I doubt that I'll get many readers anyway.)