Hellllooooooo people! Just wanted to mention - I was really surprised to see how many people reviewed the last chapter of this story, not to mention the people following/faving it - you guys rock! xD It's such a privilege for me to be able to get feedback from my readers, and I'd really like to thank each and every one of you for continuing to support both me/this story. Like I said previously - there was a point in time where I really did think writing this was a huge no-go and that it would be impossible to finish - but YOU, my readers, are the ones who have motivated me to continue, and for that I couldn't be more grateful! :)

Ok, so now that we're past all that cheesiness - here, lo and behold, is Chapter 6! This one was a little tricky to write - but I really did enjoy the whole process. And I reaaaaaallly hope you all enjoy this one! There is some mild swearing, violence and spoilers in this chapter - just for the heads up.

So to end my commentary - I'll shut the f*&k up and let you read! :P

Light softly filtered through the stained glass windows of the large room, reminiscent to that of an ancient library or church. He was sitting on the floor inconspicuously behind a large bookcase. Fiora was sitting with him. She said something to him but her voice seemed inaudible. There were other voices too - voices that were unfamiliar to him, drifting through the room. These voices were the ones that he could hear, and he strained his ears to try to understand what they were saying.

Immediately a feeling of dread washed over him. Whoever these voices belonged to… they were planning something. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

It was nightfall. Eruptions of shouts and laughter could be heard all over, hand-painted floating lanterns lighting the black sky. He could hear the sound of various instrumental bands playing joyfully, the scent of fried food and spices intoxicating his sense of smell. He saw Melia laughing as she took Dunban's arm, as he escorted her through the mass of people and various vendors of what looked like a huge festival. He tried to follow them, but the mass of people before him seemed to block his view. He called out to them, but to no avail.

At least they're enjoying themselves, he thought.

The shouts turned into screams. He could hear gunshots as people fled. He'd been pushed over, and tried to get to his feet as people stampeded like berserked animals around him. He craned his neck to get a better view over the mass, pushing his way harshly in the opposite direction of the flow of people.

Then he saw her.

Melia's body was limp as they dragged her from a large podium overlooking the "festival", strange entities clad in purple armor and silver masks. Shulk called out to her, but suddenly gasped aloud in pain. Blood dripped from a wound in his leg and he crouched down, waiting for is strength to return. He could only watch as Melia was taken away.

Dread continued to build steadily in the pit of his stomach. For whatever reason, their masks seemed familiar - with hollowed eyes and deceiving smiles.

He and Reyn were arguing viciously. Amidst their quarrel he tried to take note of where he was. He had been here before, but not just with Reyn. Wherever they were it was as silent as the grave, but a serene yet eerie aura hung in the atmosphere. The metal corridors were endless, emanating a quiet, but bright light. As they ran through a door it vanished before them, allowing them access to a larger room with a long pathway leading to the centre podium.

There was dead weight on him - he knew they would have to inevitably fight. Who they would fight, was another matter entirely.

Fiora was surrounded by what looked like about two dozen of the strangely armored fiends in a large clearing. He could tell they were people, and he'd seen them before when Melia had been dragged away. Fiora gripped her arm as they approached her, ready to finish her off. She, like his leg, had a large gash sprawling across her uniform. Suddenly, there was a huge blast. Many of the armor clad soldiers flew back as Fiora retaliated in the battle. She shouted something - to whom, he knew it was not him. She looked intensely determined but he could also tell she was on the verge of tears. Whoever she had shouted to...he knew...this person was important, and what she had said to them was just as equally crucial.

Crucial to what, he had no idea.

Darkness surrounded her. Melia was on the ground, her eyes hazy. She reached out a hand to someone, someone he couldn't see. He wanted desperately to reach out to her instead and take her hand in his, but his body betrayed him and all he could do was look on at the scene, powerless to do anything.

He knew what was going to happen.

His stomach dropped when he heard a gunshot.

"Meliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Conspiracies in Alcamoth - Chapter 6

The streets of the Imperial City were flooded with morning light as Sharla and Reyn walked beside one another, High Entians passing by from left to right. It was a beautiful day - they had only been walking for a few minutes, but Reyn already seemed slightly irritated.

"This has gotta be the most boring thing I've ever done. Morning walks are for old people!" Reyn said as he yawned widely. Rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms above his head, he gazed around. "Not to mention that I barely got any sleep last night. And you know I'm not a morning person!"

Sharla looked up at him, an unamused expression on her face. "Oh quit complaining, will you! This was supposed to be for your benefit. You're not a little child anymore, so stop acting like one!"

Reyn shrugged, a tired grin stretching across his face. "Everyone knows I'm a kid at heart."

Sharla shook her head, but couldn't help but smile at his comment. "I know you're tired, but the fresh air will do you good - especially since you drank like a dying fish last night."

It was Reyn's turn to look unamused. "Hey, I wasn't the only one! Plus, that furball had it coming - he challenged me to a burping contest! How could I resist?"

Sharla sighed. "I don't know Reyn, but you really have some growing up to do-!"

It was at that moment that Reyn had come up behind her and scooped her up. "Reyn!" she squealed, a little embarrassed at the scene they were making in front of some of the passerby's. "What are you doing?!"

"Something a grown up would do." Reyn smirked, as he started to carry her down the street, like a sack of potatoes flung over his shoulder. "Want a piggyback ride?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Does it look like I'm kidding?"

"Oh for the love of - will you just put me down?"

"Fine, fine - have it your way." Reyn set her down on a nearby bench. He smirked at her reaction as she scrambled up, fixing her pants and shirt - a slight blush on her cheeks. Afterwards she stood atop the bench, facing him with crossed arms.

Reyn imitated her. "Oh come on, you enjoyed that."

"Easy for you to say!"

Reyn shrugged again. "Last chance for a piggyback ride." When he got no response and a glare, he added, "My offer will expire in 3….2…..1…."

Sharla sighed. "If it will get you to be quiet for at least a minute, then alright."

Reyn gave a fist pump. "I knew it would work!" He turned around and crouched low so that she could climb onto him. "Hop on!"

Sharla couldn't help but chuckle as she gently climbed atop his shoulders, to which he helped to hoist her up. Holding onto her, he craned his neck to look up at her. "You comfortable up there?"

Sharla laughed. "I hope I'm not too heavy!"

Reyn smiled at her. "Nah, you're fine."

Sharla ruffled his hair with a smile. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this."

"Well, it's not every day I get to spend quality time with you. Figured this might do the trick."

At this statement Sharla looked down at her boyfriend with a tender smile. She gently bent down to kiss him on the cheek to show her appreciation. "You're doing a fantastic job."

It was Reyn's turn to smile as he walked on, Sharla gazing around at the city from a new height. A group of young High Entian boys ran by them, their laughter scattered to the wind - one of the boys shouted "Look at her, what's she doing?" as he pointed at Sharla. As they walked on further other couples, city patrollers, and elderly folk who passed by them couldn't help but either look confused or smile up at them.

Sharla laughed. "Seems we're still drawing everyone's attention."

Reyn grinned. "Yeah, most of them probably can't believe I'm carrying a supermodel."

Sharla gave him a gentle smack on the head, smiling at his attempt to compliment her. "Oh Reyn! You've really got to stop saying things like that-"

She was interrupted by the sound of shouting, coming from a nearby alleyway. Reyn seemed to notice this too. "Wonder what's up." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the noise. It sounded like the voices of children.

"Let's go see. For all we know someone could be in trouble." Sharla stated, as they made their way over to the entrance between the two buildings.

Before them lay a rather terrible scene. The voices were none other than the group of children that had passed them by earlier. However, it seemed that a fight had started. From the looks of things, one boy had been hurt badly and sat on the ground weeping, while some of the others stood around him, laughing. One of the boys was crouching down, as if trying to help and defend the boy who had been hurt.

"Let me down, Reyn. This looks pretty serious." Sharla said, her tone worried and rushed as she looked on at the scene.

"Right." As Reyn set her down, both of them ran over to the circle of kids.

"Oi!" Reyn yelled, as one of the older looking boys was about to punch the crouching boy in the face. "What do you think you're doing, you little git!"

At the sight of both Reyn and Sharla, the boy retrieved his fist quickly. Some of the boys fled. However, a few stayed to look on at the scene. Sharla immediately crouched down to help out and protect the boy that had been injured.

"What do you want! This isn't any business of yours!" The main bully shouted up at Reyn.

"Whoa!" Reyn said, looking sharply at the boy. "You've got quite a mouth. Do your parents know that you're this rude to people?"

"My parents told me never to talk to strangers! Especially Homs! You're not even supposed to be in the city!" The youngling shot back. A few of his friends nodded in agreement. Sharla and Reyn exchanged glances at this response.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you've beaten this poor boy up!" Sharla intervened, her tone calculated and motherly.

"If you all know what's good for you, I suggest you all leave before you get into some serious trouble!" Reyn said, rather harshly. The boys took a few steps back, realizing how much older and stronger Reyn seemed to look standing in front of them. "Now! Before I track down all of your parents and explain to them what you've done!" he said, rather loudly. With that, all of the boys fled - the main bully giving Reyn a glare before getting away.

Sharla turned to the boy who had been hurt, who was sobbing, tears running down his face. "It's alright, you'll be fine now. Did they hurt you very badly?"

The boy shook his head, holding out his arm which was bleeding. "They just pushed me onto the ground. It's just a scratch." He tried to wipe his tears away, as if trying to hide the fact he'd been bullied.

"Here, hold out your arm." Sharla suggested. The boy looked at her, a little confused as to whether he could trust her. "It's alright! I promise. I'm going to heal your wound, I'm a medic."

Finally, the boy extended his arm, and Sharla (who had thankfully brought her rifle along) fired an ether bullet into the air, to which the boys arm healed very quickly. "See, that wasn't so hard was it?" Sharla said, smiling gently at the boy as his friend helped him up.

"Thank you." The boy smiled up at both Sharla and Reyn shyly.

"It's no problem. Now, why were those boys trying to hurt you?" Sharla asked, worriedly.

His friend spoke up. "It's been happening to both of us for a while now…" He spoke as if the answer was obvious.

Reyn crossed his arms. "You mean this has happened before? Why haven't you told your parents? They should know about it."

The boy shook his head. "You wouldn't understand. We get picked on because of our parents! Because of who we are!" The boy who'd been hurt previously nodded.

Both Sharla and Reyn looked confused. The hurt boy touched his headwings. Sharla noticed they were not as long or thick as the other boys' - the bullies, had been. They appeared to be very small and slender - very much like Melia's. Suddenly, she understood.

"It's alright, you don't have to explain. Come on, let's get you both home safely - how does that sound?"

As both boys nodded, Reyn looked at Sharla with a confused expression. Whispering, he asked, "What was that about?"

Sharla sighed as she looked back at the two boys, who were laughing about something together. Their smiles made her heart ache.

"They're half-High Entian, half-Homs." She whispered back.

"A library you say?"

Shulk was pacing the room. "Yes, it looked like a library. There were bookshelves, and Fiora was with me. There were voices - other people there having a conversation, but I couldn't see them. Their voices seemed unfamiliar to me."

Dunban sat on his bed, motionless - his hands clasped in front of him. He motioned for Shulk to continue, his eyes equally tired but nevertheless interested. The two had conversed for what had seemed like a very long night - both had lost sleep over talking about Shulk's vision from the previous day. Neither Shulk or Dunban had even thought of sleep anyway - it was Melia's life that was on the line, according to Shulk. As the night progressed Shulk had noticed that Dunban had been relentless in his pursuit to obtain all the information he could about his vision. It was very early in the morning, and both were still as keen as ever to try to understand their future situation.

"It seemed like whoever they were, they were planning something - like a sort of conspiracy. I feel it almost has something to do with Melia having to….die. Anyway, Fiora and I were trying to listen in on the conversation from behind a bookcase without being noticed."

Dunban nodded. "Time of day?" he asked.

After a moment of thought, Shulk shook his head. "I can't entirely be sure - it could have been either morning or midday."

Dunban let out a small exhale of air. "Continue."

"Then the vision changed. It was nightfall and there was some sort of festival taking place, but I'm not sure what it was for exactly. You were with Melia - you were enjoying the festival together. I was trying to get to both of you although I wasn't physically in the scene…but people seemed to block me off. It was almost as if I was trying to get to you to tell you something….important."

Dunban looked up at Shulk at this description. "Hm. I'm guessing you don't know what it was that you wanted to tell us…"

Shulk shook his head, a little aggravated with himself internally. "No, unfortunately. Everything was so vague and a little confusing. I mean, I can remember all of the minor details of where I was…the places, the smells, the faces…..but for some reason, with my own actions I don't have a clue as to what I was doing…"

Dunban looked at his friend with concern. "Shulk, it's alright - you're doing the best you can with the present situation. Don't beat yourself up - we can still try to find a way to turn this around."

At this statement Shulk finally stopped pacing and took a seat next to Dunban. "You're right….thank you Dunban."

Dunban smiled. "Not a problem."

Shulk continued on with his vision. "The next scene was when I saw Melia captured. It looked like she was about to make some sort of speech, but she'd been drugged and taken away by these people in strange armour. They had silver masks, I remember their armor being distinctly purple. I was trying to get to her, but people were fleeing the scene and again, blocking my path. I had been wounded…." he stopped talking when he noticed Dunban's expression. "What is it?"

Dunban looked concerned. "You said whoever had captured Melia wore purple armour and masks? From my knowledge, I think we might be dealing with the Bionite Order."

Shulk looked puzzled. "The Bionite Order?" Then his eyes lighted as the realization hit him. "You mean that group of assassins we encountered the last time we were here? They do fit the description! But I thought we'd gotten rid of them…"

Dunban shook his head. "For all we know, their Order has probably grown stronger and recruited more of the High Entia while we've been away. If this is true, then Melia is probably ignorant of the situation."

It was Shulk's turn to sigh. "To make things worse, after that part of the vision Reyn and I were in some sort of serious fight. I know for sure that we were in the High Entia Tomb. We were about to confront someone, but again, I'm not sure who it was or why we were there. I'm assuming it was where they took Melia after she was captured, and we were going to fight off the Order."

"Could be." Dunban said, thoughtfully.

Shulk continued. "In the next scene, Fiora was surrounded by the Order and she was hurt pretty badly. She was speaking to someone, but I know for sure that it wasn't me. She was defending herself very well…then came the scene with Melia….." Shulk paused before continuing.

"She was on the ground, wounded very badly….she was trying to reach out to someone. I wanted to help her…but I couldn't, I could only just look at her. I felt so powerless. Then I heard a gunshot and I knew…she'd been killed…."

Shulk could see distress etched into Dunban's face. "I see. So you don't know for sure whether she was killed. You didn't see it actually happen? You just heard the gunshot?"

Shulk nodded. "I didn't see her death physically happen. I don't know…I just heard the gunshot and in my heart I knew she had died. It was almost as if the vision hadn't shown me her death out in the open because it would have been too painful to watch…."

After a moment Dunban stood up. "Alright. If we're going to save Melia, we'll need a concrete plan-"

He was cut off by the door and someone walked into the room, unannounced. "Dunban, I need to borrow some toothpaste…" The person stopped talking when they noticed Shulk. "Shulk? What are you doing in Dunban's room? And Dunban, why did you just say you needed to "save" Melia?"

With her hair a little messy and still in her pajamas and bunnit slippers, Fiora looked at them rather suspiciously.

Dunban and Shulk exchanged glances. Finally Dunban nodded at Shulk, giving him the cue.

Shulk sighed. "You'd better sit down, Fiora."

The corridor was quiet and dimly lit as they both ran from one of the palace transporters, trying to be as quiet as possible. Fiora was ahead of him but Shulk quickly drew her into the side of the wall with him, her back almost colliding painfully with it. Fiora gave him a look of confusion and annoyance, but this soon turned into a look of surprise as two High Entian imperials walked by, their voices and footsteps echoing as they conversed with one another. Shulk gave a sigh of relief when they were not noticed, and Fiora gave him a nod - indicating her thanks. As they stood for a moment, Shulk tried to recall what Dunban had told him earlier - the first stage of their plan to save Melia.

"Take Fiora with you - it was what your vision predicted. You've only got a little time to spare before the morning is up…for all we know, this meeting you saw in your vision could be taking place right now. Try to be as subtle and quiet as possible. If you are seen, make the best of the situation and do not draw attention to yourselves. Most of the guards should be on patrol outside of the palace so I'd say you both have a fair chance of not being spotted unless there's strict surveillance. Remember, the High Entia are not to be taken lightly."

As they both continued on, Shulk could feel his heart pounding. I've got to find this "library"…or whatever the room is as soon as possible! Was his only thought as both he and Fiora continued to search. His thoughts were abrupt when he heard Fiora's whisper from the end of the corridor.

"Shulk, I think I've found it!"

They both entered the room with caution. Sunlight streamed through its stained glass windows. Just from that observation alone, Shulk knew he was in the right place as it was exactly as he had remembered it in his vision. The room was not a church, but a library as he had previously guessed. It was vast, but completely silent. The lower floor that they occupied contained exquisite marbled tables, chairs and furniture, surrounded by huge bookcases filled to the brim with dusty volumes. Expensive looking chandeliers of modern architecture hung from the ceiling, and Shulk couldn't help but feel enveloped by the space.

"Shulk, is this the right place?" Fiora was looking at him, hope in her eyes. After both he and Dunban had explained his vision/the situation to her, Fiora had been more than willing to help out. As he gave her his approval and motioned for her to follow him, Shulk couldn't help but feel partial regret. Although he had seen Fiora in his vision at this particular place, he felt dread. Now that Fiora was involved with the whole charade he knew that she was now at risk, more than ever. His vision alone had perceived this.

As they both took a seat behind one of bookcases with an inconspicuous view of the sitting area, Fiora seemed to have read his thoughts. "Shulk, stop looking so worried. We'll get through this, I know we will." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "If Melia is at risk, I don't mind putting myself out there to help her. She's our friend…she's a part of our family now."

Shulk sighed. Heavy dread consumed his heart - if only Fiora knew what he did. How she had looked in his vision when the Bionite Order had almost finished her off. Perhaps if she hadn't gotten involved, she wouldn't have had the chance of getting hurt. "Fiora, I shouldn't have brought you along. I shouldn't have let Dunban persuade me to-"

Fiora shook her head, so as to cut him off. "No Shulk, Dunban was right. In fact, I'm very glad you told me about your vision."

When Shulk gave her a perplexed look, she continued on. "Shulk. I don't want to shy away from your problems - I want to face them with you. Please don't ever think that you can't tell me anything that's bothering you - because you can, and should. I want to be there for you - always."

"Fiora…" Shulk half-groaned and half-whispered, finally giving up and kissing her abruptly. In the heat of the moment, he thought back to the situation randomly. This definitely isn't best place to make out…or is it? Wait a sec…I always wanted to kiss Fiora in a library! His thoughts were put on hold when he felt her smile under his kiss, and he knew from that alone that she would have his back, in any situation.

The sound of the library doors opening made both of them pull apart. Glancing out from behind the bookcase, Fiora gave him a slightly nervous look. "It looks like a group of people. They just look like ordinary High Entians…probably royals, from their clothes. It looks like they're all about to sit down…"

Shulk peered over her to get a better view. "Okay. We'll have to get a bit closer to hear any sort of conversation…" He trailed off when he noticed the group of them split, as if they were searching for something…

Shulk paled. They were checking the room for any civilians. "Bloody hell! Fiora, they're coming this way! We've got to move - now!"

Fiora was already two steps ahead of him. Grabbing his hand, she yanked him forward and maneuvered him behind several bookcases until they reached one the High Entia had already checked previously, which concealed them in the shadows. Shulk gave a sigh of relief as the group finally pulled back together. God, he loved Fiora.

"You are sure there is no one else present here?...Very well, we shall begin."

Shulk motioned to Fiora. The conversation had started. It would be too risky to try to look out at the participants from behind the bookshelf they occupied. With this observation Shulk realized that his vision remained true - he would not be able to see their faces.

"You are all aware of the events that should precede, intercept and conclude tonight's formalities. You are all aware of our goal. If this should go accordingly, then what we seek should be brought here to the palace immediately to be dealt with."

Fiora gazed at Shulk. "They must be talking about Melia," she whispered, and Shulk nodded. From what he could hear, the High Entian talking was male, and sounded like a sort of commander. He closed his eyes, to try to take in the voice he was hearing. Perhaps he could match the voice to a face later on, if given the chance.

"Guards should be posted everywhere on site. Remember, these Homs we are dealing with are not of the ordinary. They are the ones that defeated a God and created this world which we live now. They are strong, but we must be stronger. It is most plausible that they will try to evade their detainment, but this should not detract from the mission."

Both Shulk and Fiora met each other's gaze. Shulk shook his head. "They tried to detain us in Whitewing Palace the last time we were here."

"Be on guard of Empress Melia at all times. She should not leave your sight. You all understand this?"

There was a silent murmur of approval before the head of the meeting stood up, judging from the scape of his chair against the floor. "I will give the signal once the time of the night is appropriate. Remember what is at stake. This mission must be accomplished. Now, let us go."

The echo of chairs scraping against the floor was more prominent, and finally, the footsteps died out as the doors to the library shut. After giving it about a minute or two just to be sure of anyone else in the room, both Shulk and Fiora retreated from their hiding place.

Shulk sighed. "Whatever they were planning is definitely happening tonight. We were lucky to have heard this conversation." After a moment he gazed at Fiora."We've got to tell Dunban."

Fiora nodded silently. "Let's go."

It was a few hours before Shulk and the others found themselves seated at lunch in Whitewing Palace, which the High Entia seemed to have "graciously" offered. Melia seemed to be the only one of the group who hadn't been present. Knowing that declining the meal would be futile or look suspicious, Dunban had persuaded Shulk to go along with the High Entia's plan. "We cannot afford to give them any suspicion that we are aware of the situation. That would be dealing our cards too early. For now we play along until the time is right."

Dunban and Shulk had also de-briefed both Sharla, Reyn and Riki on the matter after they had come in from their stroll around Alcamoth. Melia now remained the only one who had not been told about Shulk's vision.

"You can't be serious!" Sharla had said, rather surprised and shocked. "They've already done away with Emperor Sorean and Kallian. How could they do this?"

Riki looked at all of them, rather terrified. Then he looked angry. "As long as Heropon Riki is around, no one will touch Melly!"

Reyn had folded his arms. "Who knew this lot still had it in 'em? Can't say I'm surprised. This place…these people…always made me feel uneasy. Except for Melia."

There was a moment before Sharla spoke up again, a realization suddenly hitting her. "Those boys we helped this morning…..Reyn! I understand!"

Reyn looked confused at this remark.

Sharla gazed at Dunban. "Melia isn't a pure blood. That's probably the reason why she has conspirators after her! They probably want to do away with her since she doesn't follow tradition. Now that Zanza's been defeated, there's probably no chance of the pure bloods being turned into Telethia anymore…or something along the lines of that. That means, there would be no need for royalty to continue Emperor Sorean's legacy of the High Entian/Homs mixed race."

Reyn looked dumbfounded. "You got that all from that little incident we ran into this morning? Those were just a bunch of little kids!"

"Reyn, Sharla may be right." Dunban stated thoughtfully after a moment. "The High Entia may still be reserved in their thinking towards Homs, let alone every other race. It's been that way for thousands of years. Tradition is the only thing these people have left from the war. To overthrow Melia is to keep that heritage going. If my judgement is correct, the way they've been treating us specifically might have just been all for show."

Reyn smacked his fists together. "Well, that's messed up. Not to mention they want to detain us here…again!"

Dunban gave a harsh chuckle. "If they think that will work, they are all sorely mistaken."

The sound of sliding doors was suddenly heard in the midst of the conversation. To the friends surprise, Melia entered the room. There was no sign of any guards with her, which both Dunban and Shulk thought to be strange.

Shulk was about to go to her, but kept himself in control. Everyone noticed the involuntary movement. Melia looked a little confused, but straightened.

"Good afternoon to you all. Sorry I could not join you for lunch…as I mentioned yesterday, I have been very busy with planning. Tonight is the night of the city's anniversary, which is why I am here. I would like to invite you all to the annual festival we are holding to commemorate this special occasion."

There was a pause before Shulk stepped forward. "That sounds great, Melia!" He inwardly cringed after he'd made the statement - to him, it had sounded fake.

Fiora seemed to follow suit quickly, speaking rather convincingly. "That does sound exciting! I'd love to see what it's all about."

Melia smiled. "Very well. Traditionally we start as soon as the sun goes down. I'll have some of my maids bring suitable attire to your rooms. I hope to see you all there - it will be quite the festival!"

Everyone nodded. At this approval she turned to leave, exiting the room.

The comrades were once again left alone to contemplate.

Dunban however, seemed to have other plans as he too swiftly exited the room.

She wasn't more than a few paces away with him before he caught up with her. Looking a little surprised, she gazed up at him with a smile. "Hello Dunban."

There was a pause before she noticed the way he was looking at her. He wore a sort of pained expression. "Is there something wrong?"

Dunban didn't react to this question, but tried to change the subject. For the first time in a long time, words eluded him. How could he say what he wanted to say without giving her any suspicion of his intentions?

"Melia. Will you be needing an escort tonight?" He hoped he hadn't sounded pushy, but it was the best excuse he could think of. It was a tradition that the royals of Alcamoth would have someone to accompany them at any formal event. Usually, another royal or someone of high status. To which he figured he was neither, but still hoped she might consider him regardless.

At this question, Melia's confusion melted away into a half-smile, half-smirk as she raised an eyebrow. "You want to be my escort to the festival?"

Dunban stood his ground, not blinking for a second. If his plan to save her was to go accordingly, she would have to say yes. "It would be my honour and pleasure."

After a moment, Melia moved towards him. "I thought I would do away with the whole "escort" tradition this year. However, since I am Empress I do have the power to choose who might accompany me.

There was a pause between them. Both locked eyes for a minute. Melia noticed that something about his attitude had changed. She could see his eyes almost speaking on their own - she knew that look, but it was rare. He was serious, but at the same time, worried. She could tell.

"Very well. You may be my escort for the night."

Although he smiled and thanked her, inwardly Dunban felt himself soar. Not only was it a huge privilege to be her escort, but he had gained an important advantage - they were basically tied together for the night. If he was near her, there would be virtually no chance of any harm befalling her - he would make sure of that.

As the two continued on through the corridor chatting, Dunban made an internal compromise with himself.

He would protect her at all costs.

Author's Note: This chapter was supposed to have A LOT more in it. Trust me - when I said shit would go down, I meant it. However, what I had in mind was wayyyy too much to fit into one chapter alone, and I wanted to try to be consistent with the number of words. To all of you - I really apologize for the mistake. I promise you guys - all hell will break loose in the next chapter- the major fights, the festival, and yes, bandit masks and code names will be a part of it! This chapter was basically a prelude to all of the above. From Shulk's vision, I'm sure you all got a little taste of what might happen later on…

And the library kiss scene - I just pictured Shulk having this weird fantasy of kissing Fiora in a place of "knowledge", just because he loves his books :P I just wanted to play around with the stereotype of nerdy guys wanting to kiss their girlfriends in libraries. 'Nuff said.

Again, your reviews are always welcome an appreciated! I'm not kidding when I say a little motivation goes a looooongggg way. As a writer, it's almost vital to get constructive criticism - it not only lets me know where I'm at with the story, but what I'm doing right/wrong and where I can improve. To be honest, getting a review makes my day - and I'm sure other authors out there would say the same! :D

Thanks for reading ya'll! I promise - the next chapter will be EPIC xD Until then, see ya on the flip side! :)