"Please, brave champion, I beseech you. Undertake this perilous quest, for the peace of the realm is in danger."

The princess pleaded to her favored adventurer, hands clasped in prayer.

An idyllic Spring noon. The chattering of teenager voices was everywhere as hungry students left their classrooms to find food. It rained during the morning, the atmosphere was damp and in some places, pools of water gathered. It was actually a blessing. The rain washed away the filthy streets and greatly improved the urban aroma.

Oblivious to all that, the princess batted her eyelashes attempting to win the adventurer over. It worked.

"I got it, Pearl. I'm going to get Sora and the three of us are going to ride home today. Drop the act."

Pearl tilted her head. "What act? Oh, darling! Don't let our hard built intimacy deceive you. Here you have a bona fide princess giving you, a registered adventurer, a quest. I could even throw some gold your way if you cared about it. And our peace is indeed endangered. I'd never trust my own body to that man with a hacksaw if he is that cranky."

"You wouldn't even if he was not cranky." Aidan retorted as the three walked. Students changed their paths, avoiding them.

"Point taken. But we need to act before he gets that hacksaw anywhere near our other princess right there. Hello? Dawn? Are you with us, my dearest?" Pearl waved a hand in front of the girl walking with them.

"Yes, she is, Pearl. I'm right here talking to you. What is the matter?" Aidan answered, anxious.

"Are you doing the puppet thing with her again?"

"No. I'm just holding it in the best I can."

"Do you need to visit an outhouse by any chance?" She teased.

"No. Here we are. Cythrel should be inside the library. Let's find her and get a private study room."

They found the elf girl reading books next to the entrance. She overheard them and soon they were in a private room, one of several the library had for groups of students. Aidan checked the room and placed one magic circle for a privacy ward on each corner.

"All set." He announced.

"Good. Are you going to tell me what is going on now?" Pearl was brimming with anticipation.

"Is something the matter?" Cythrel asked.

And Dawn stopped being quiet and reserved. She began to jump up and down, grabbed the other girls for a dance, spun them around all the while shouting repeatedly:

"I am not going to vanish!"

She only stopped when her stamina ran out. Dawn collapsed on a chair feeling puffy, a broad smile, a satisfied face, and a trickle of happy tears.

Cythrel had a puzzled face. She pointed at Dawn and at Aidan silently smiling on a corner of the room and asked the only other tentatively sane person in the room.

"What is going on with the nutcase duo?"

Pearl pondered on what she could say. Everyone knew they had a secrecy vow on what happens during their private tutoring lessons with Astromelicus.

"Apparently it is impossible to take Dawn out of Lumina's body and the Headmaster told her she could keep it. I mean, there is a way but it means killing the three of them, so it is a no-no."

"Sorry, the three of them? Do you mean killing Aidan, Dawn, and Lumina?"

"Exactly that."

"And how are we going to get the princess back now?"

"We are going to use a very heterodox and novel method. One chosen among several others, one that doesn't involve murdering anyone."

"That is great. But how is Lumina getting a new body then? Are you guys making her a new body?"

"Yes, you got it. We are making her a new body."

"If it was so easy like that, why didn't you guys do that before all that drama?"

"It might be simple, but it is not easy. I'm sorry but that is the extent of what I can say."

"Are we getting two Luminas then?"

Pearl shuddered. "Perish the thought. Goodness gracious, that would spell the end of the world as we know. We are making no more, no less than one Lumina and keeping our Dawn."

"Awesome! Are we done here? I'm starving." Cythrel tapped Dawn's shoulder. "Can you wipe away that satisfied face like you were done in by the King of Unicorns, girl?"

"Excuse me? Unicorn who?" Pearl asked the elf.

"It is a legend from my people. The King of Unicorns is a peerless stallion that can shapeshift into an elf rivaling the Summer King's beauty and is the perfect gentleman. Legend has it that his offspring are winged elves and any maiden he lays with can never wipe the smile from her face."

"Wow. Are you making that up right now?" Pearl's head was spinning, Cythrel's dreamy face, as she spoke of that legend, was too much.

"I wish I was. Can you imagine how good that should be? To walk into his meadow, see his perfectly chiseled body, fall in his arms, talk, cuddle get fresh fruit and honey fed directly by him and then... wow." Cythrel shivered from head to toe. Goosebumps appeared on her arms.

"I think I should be glad I can't, but I can't." She sighed, frustrated that she couldn't.

"Anyway, I know how to shake Dawn out of her joy-de-vivre-induced stupor." Pearl crept next to Dawn's ear and whispered. "Here comes the hacksaw..."

Dawn jumped, Aidan moved from his corner. They left the library and met Sora to eat their lunch.

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"What is the deal with hacksaws?" Cythrel asked Dawn. The girl obviously winced at the last word.

"That is classified." She answered, averting her eyes.

"Stop bullying the princess, Cythrel." Chided Sora. "Eat your lunch."

They were in one of the many restaurants dotting the academy square. Suddenly, Aidan got up and excused himself.

Stolen story; please report.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Skippy returned."

Aidan exited and crossed the street into the square. He raised an arm and Skippy landed on it, carrying a scroll on his tail. Several students stopped what they were doing to watch the boy with the dragon.

"How are you, buddy?"

Skippy grinned, whistled, and nodded.

"Did you get bored in prison?"

He hissed laughing and waved a paw as if swatting a fly.

"How is Count Bentley?"

Skippy ran a finger over his neck.

"Really? What happened?"

Skippy imitated a soldier marching, tapped his shoulder, barked what sounded like orders, and then shook his whole body, spastic. Then he mimicked swinging a sword and dying.

"Did Captain Zappy kill Bentley?"

Skippy crossed one claw from each foreleg around one another.

"Did Bentley kill Zappy? That is weird. His magic should be neutralized."

He nodded. Then he made a gesture as if shackles were broken and his arms freed.

"Who killed Bentley then?"

Skippy puffed some smoke then rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Seriously, Skippy? We needed information from him!" Aidan yelled, drawing even more attention from other students.

Skippy gave Aidan the scroll. He opened it and saw the list of names.

"Wow. Good job, buddy. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Skippy patted Aidan's head with his tail and purred. Aidan scratched Skippy's belly and he puffed smoke out of sheer joy.

"Let's get back. The girls are waiting."

Skippy looked at all the pigeons cooing around the square, fighting for breadcrumbs some students fed them. He saluted the pigeons. Aidan looked at his dragon friend, and for once didn't understand the little guy.

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 "Sora, think again. It is perfectly safe. And we won't spend a whole month on the road. It is too much time to leave the girls here on their own."

Aidan was trying to convince Sora of flying home instead of riding a coach. The trip between the capital and their fief was a 12-day long one, but they could do in two or less if they flew.

"We can take everyone with us." She crossed her arms and looked away.

"You know we can't take Pearl away from the capital. It is too dangerous."

"Yes, that is my point exactly. It is too dangerous. Flying over the countryside will paint a target on us. One monsters will be very eager to take down."

"We can fly above arrow range."

"And get eaten by a wyvern or a chimera. No, thank you."

"Well, I think we'll go only Dawn, Skippy and me. It pains me to stay away from you though."

"Would you leave me behind?"

Aidan hugged Sora. "I'm not leaving you behind, you are staying behind because you want. And I was really looking forward to getting you in my room and giving you payback for all the days you woke me up pulling my blankets and exposing myself. I think that will have to wait. It will be only me and Dawn."

Sora held her breath mid-speech and remembered to release it only after Aidan finished. "What?"

"I was a fool for so long, Sora. I thought I had no lust for you back then. It was because you were not like those slutty village girls that only saw me as the Lord's son."

"Thank you?"

"I don't want just sex with you. I want a meaningful relationship. With sex. Do you know what I mean?"

"I... guess not."

"If I were to do it with any other girl, it would be just like using her as a toy, that is why I never did. But with you, together with you, it is different. Because I care about you. Because I love you. So come with me. I want to push you down on my own bed."

The words 'using her as a toy' triggered a recent memory in Sora. Of when she talked to Claire alone in that room after Dawn crashed into the conference room and converted her first devout follower.

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Aidan returned to the room where they were working on the Kingdom's financial reports and found Sora.

"Sora, Claire wants to talk to you. Please go to the room next door, she is in there."

"What does she want?"

"Beats me. I don't think it is anything bad, just go and talk to her."

Sora got up and left. She knocked on the door Aidan pointed out.

"Come in, Sora." The voice of Princess Claire called for her.

Sora entered and closed the door after her. The runes carved in the door frame hummed and flared for a moment.

"What do you want, Claire?"

It was always awkward to be alone with Claire. It brought up so many painful memories. During their escape months ago both made their best efforts to keep their bickering to a minimum.

"Aidan remembered something about his childhood. Of why he named Lumina's body 'Dawn'."

"Yes, I know. We are friends and lovers, we talk about everything."

Claire looked into Sora's eyes. "Lovers? Did the boy grab your tail?"

"Yes." Sora smiled, dreaming and victorious. "In the middle of the ballroom during the Royal Gala. Can you believe it?"

"Oh. That is why you two looked like you needed a bedroom that bad."

Sora scoffed and showed her tongue. "Back to the reason you called me here. Yes, Aidan remembered a small fragment of his childhood with Lumina, what about that?"

"Just a small fragment? How much does he know? Does he remember that?"

There was a palpable fear in Claire's voice. Sora knew what she was talking about. After all, she was the one most affected by what happened. She pushed those dark feelings down her throat and back into the cage she made for them in her heart.

"No, Claire. He doesn't remember. And I don't think he ever will if left on his own."

Claire looked away. Sora was scowling without even realizing. Her anger barely contained. She knew it was a risk to bring that subject up, but Claire needed to dispel her worries.

"You won't tell him, right?" She stuttered a little.

"Of course not! What do you take me for? If I were to tell him, I'd have done months ago. No, Claire. I've held it in all these years. And I probably will, until the end of times."

Her outburst only made Claire even more afraid. She was shaking behind the desk.

"Lumina... I need my sister back, Sora." Her voice was tainted by desperation. Two tears fell down her face. "Aidan has complete control over whether Lumina comes back or not. He could use her as a toy."

"You are getting your rotten sister back. Of that, you can be sure." Sora crossed her arms and tapped her feet, impatient.

"I'm afraid that if he knows the truth he will just make Lumina vanish."

Sora walked forward and slammed Claire's desk. The inkwell tipped and spilled.

"Who the fuck do you think Aidan is? He bled all his lifeblood on that fucking pavement to save Princess Noxious. He endured the pain of feeling her body knit oh-ever-so-slowly at that hospital. He fought the whole winter to keep her alive, to keep her safe, to survive. He took good care of her body. He crafted a dozen new spells just to make sure there is the hope of bringing her back. I was there by his side. He would barely eat."

The barrage was too much. Clare was holding back her tears, but she was too afraid. She was no mage. She was no warrior. She had a lower-D-tier Light affinity, the only proof of her royal bloodline. She could blind Sora, but what good was that? She felt small. She felt vulnerable.

Worse yet, Sora was in the right. Claire couldn't even retort. But the squirrel-kin continued to vent her thoughts.

"Aidan is the best man ever. I bet an arm that he is the one working the hardest for this Kingdom's sake right now. Even more than... nevermind. He stays up all night trying to find a way to resurrect her. He held back his lust, his curiosity and never touched a strand of hair on her body. How dare you fucking doubt him? He will get you your sister back, even if it is the last thing he does. And it might be. He'd do it even if it means his death. Dammit!"

Sora grasped her hair, fought back her own tears and continued.

"This is so fucked up. Why does he have to suffer this much? For a girl that treated him like shit? For a rotten spoiled princess that trampled over every single living being, she crossed including her own sister?

"Yet he toils. Yet he bleeds. Selflessly. He gave his word to bring Lumina back, so that is what will happen. For weal or woe. Remembering what happened or not. I could walk out there and tell him everything right now,

"It - would - change - nothing. Nothing." Sora tapped a finger on the desk after each word.

"That is the kind of man Aidan is. That is his fiber, his caliber. That is the man I gave my tail, my body, my heart, and my life to."

The tension in the room was thick. Claire was afraid. Sora was angry. They never got along because of their respective wards but at a deeper level, they understood each other.

"Is this all?" The beastkin asked, impatient.

"I'm sorry, Sora." Claire lowered her head in defeat.

"You better be. Give me a handkerchief, I can't go outside looking like this. By the Twelve, why did you have to bring that up, Claire."

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 "Sora? Is something wrong?" Aidan asked, shaking her from the reminiscence.

She looked at his face. He was very concerned.

"No. It's nothing."

Aidan tried to smile, but it was a faint scowl. "Liar. You are crying." He pointed out.

Sora wanted to tell him. The truth of eleven years ago. It hurt to keep secrets. She couldn't even look at him. Before she could speak, Aidan continued speaking.

"Look. If I were me from a week ago, I'd think you were upset because of our discussion. But there is no chance you'd shed tears over a simple transportation choice."

Dawn nodded. She was a few steps behind Aidan.

"Aidan, I am..."

He hugged her and his hand automatically found her ears. "It is fine. I can tell it is something you can't say, I won't pry if you promise to stop crying."

He might have Dawn's brain to think like a girl, but he is still a bit away from really understanding feelings like a girl. His words only made Sora cry even more. She held him and bawled. After a few minutes, she recovered enough to speak.

"I'll..."

"Wait. I haven't been honest with you either. I want to go flying because I want to find some monsters. I have several versions of the spell to separate Lumina, but I need test subjects. Monsters."

She nodded. "I'll fly. If I can't trust you, I'm doomed. Let's go home, Aidan. Dawn. Skippy."

"Let's go home, Sora."