After Luther closed the windows and door for her, Cleo was able to fall asleep finally. But her mind was full of thoughts and worries.

That night she had a terrible and fearful dream. The people were screaming and running. The town was on fire and so was the castle. People were killing each other on the road. Blood and guts were everywhere. Children were crying while women were forcefully taken to the back alley. She was also being chased by a soldier. She tried to run away but he caught up to her quickly. He pulled her from the arm toward him. Then, he put his hands around her neck and choked her. She tried to fight off but she couldn't. He was too strong. She looked at his face and saw him. It was Raün.

She woke up from the dream, drenched in sweat. She felt out of breath and her heart was pounding like crazy. "It must be because I was too stressed about the war before the bed."

She got up to get some water but the jug was empty so she went outside. As soon as she opened the door, she heard the noises and screams as in her dream. It was the same as she heard when she was young, too. She looked down from the tower and she saw smoke coming out from some cabinets of the castle. People were also running in the courtyard. Her heart sank. "Something is wrong." She rushed down the stairs. On her way down, a king's guard was coming up the stairs and blocked her path. He had his sword out. Blood could be seen on his blade under the flickering lamplight.

When the guard saw her, his face turned to grin as if he found the jackpot. He went in quickly thinking Cleo was a weak little princess who would scream just by seeing a blade.

He was wrong.

"Flaming!" She manipulated the fire from the lamp and burned his face. When the guard was off guard, she directed the sword to him and put it into his chest. "How could a king's guard break the fealty to his king and queen?" She muttered to him. "My fealty was only to lord Mordu'." The guard answered back. She twisted the blade inside his chest so that she did not have to hear any more nonsense. Only after ending the disloyal guard's life, did she realise her fur coat also caught on fire when she did the spell. She quickly took off the coat and threw it down the courtyard. "That's why I hate fur coats."

Then, she heard more noises down the stairs so she kicked the body down to disrupt anyone coming up the spiral staircase. She followed the body close. She readied to attack as she got closer to the noises. She would stab when the enemy was tripped by the body. Near the final steps, she saw a shiny armour so she stabbed the man.

It happened to be her closest friend Luther. He came rushing up the tower to save Cleo but he didn't see the body and tripped over by it.

The blade passed near his throat. He was lucky that Cleo was still drowsy by the medicine and missed her target.

"Oh God! Why didn't you make any noise? I could have killed you. And why are you wearing that armour? It looked like you were an enemy."

Luther looked back at his clothes. They were the same ones he always wore, issued by the crown for the king's guards.

"Right. I should have changed clothes. Anyway, let's go. We are under attack by the Temple."

"I know. Are Louise and Arthur alright?"

"They are fine. Our men brought them out already."

"Good. Do you know why they attack the crown suddenly?"

"Maybe they found out we are the ones supporting the Revenant. We must go, quick to the secret tunnel."

Luther led the way to the queen's chamber where the secret tunnel was. It was the same passage Cleo and her mother used when Mordu' stormed the castle. It led to the backyard as well as to the pathway near the wine cellar. The backyard might already be surrounded so they chose to go to the wine cellar. On their way to the queen's chamber, a few of their king's guards who were loyal to the crown formed a line to protect their king and princess. Cleo told them to come with her because there was no use in giving away their lives for nothing. She understood that good loyal men are more valuable than anything else.

"Once I go inside the tunnel, you must follow me. That's an order. Barricade this floor with furniture and burn them. The fire will keep them away for a while. The smoke will cover the tunnel entrance so you all follow us after that. Every single one, understood?" She gave them the order, to live. It moved their steel-like hearts. They stomped their boots in unison as a salute. Cleo did not stall any longer and went inside the tunnel. On the other side, she saw two friendly faces which were full of worries. When they saw her coming out of the tunnel safely, Louise and Arthur hugged her tightly. So was Maria.

"Wait! Why is she here?" Cleo stepped back after seeing Maria. Cleo believed Maria was an outsider and that she shouldn't even be inside the secret tunnel. Louise insisted that Maria was on their side. They were madly in love and Maria would follow him till the end of the earth rich or poor. Cleo didn't buy it. Cleo was certain that Maria as a Goldfield would choose the temple over them. "She must be a spy. Maybe this whole attack could be her fault," insisted Cleo. Louise shook his head in disappointment. "It is because you are always away that you don't understand her. You are saying this because you don't know her. She is kind, sympathetic and generous even to poor people. Once, she went to the leprosy village and donated a season's worth of food. She is that kind of person." Louise argued. "When the enemy came into my room to strangle me in my sleep, it was Maria who saved me."

"It was an act to deceive you. The enemy didn't try to attack her, did he?"

"That's a delusion. I am the king. It is natural they target me first. Why are you against her so much? Because she was born as a Goldfield?"

As the argument turned heated, Luther broke up the two before it got bigger into a full fire. Fighting among themselves wouldn't take them anywhere, especially if they were in a run. "Let's argue later. We don't have time. There are many curious spectators on the streets now. We can disappear ourselves within the crowds."

When the lever was pulled, the stone wall which seemed unmovable moved like a door and another secret passage appeared. It led to the outside where the bushes and trees densely covered the place. Under the dimly shining moonlight and the big distraction from the castle, no one on the streets noticed a bunch of people coming out of the bushes. Since everyone wore a cloak to go out at night, because they were too lazy to change casual clothes again from their nightgowns, Cleo and her men were able to mix in easily with the crowds.

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Luther told his men to spread out after setting the meeting point. It was a mountain at the northeast of the crown city. They decided to lay low first and then go to the desert later.

Louise and Maria went with the commander of King's guards and his men while Cleo, Luther and Arthur took another path. They mixed in the crowd and disappeared into the narrow dark alleyways.

"I can't believe he would argue with me because of that girl. How could he let himself be distracted by a woman?"

"Well, Maria is...she is good at listening and humble. She is not too prideful, unlike the others."

"Are you on her side, too, Luther?"

"No, I am ...just... saying how his majesty sees at her."

"Crap. What if I am right? We shouldn't have split with Luther. Louise could be in danger and I wouldn't be there for him."

"Don't worry too much. Even if Maria is what Your Highness believes to be, his majesty will be fine. She can't do anything with my men around. Commander Claude is a well-disciplined and loyal man. He won't let his king get hurt."

"Luther is right, Cleo. Don't worry about Louise. You are the one who should be worried. You have a hole in your stomach." Arthur joined in.

Through the alleys between the double-decked houses, the group strode hurriedly in the dark. It became quiet since the people, who were brave enough or curious enough, were near the castles while the rest of the neighbourhood was hiding inside silently. Apart from the occasional cry from a baby, it was dead silent.

"We should go to the farmhouse outside the wall first. I need my blades."

"Sure. After taking a few turns, we can get into sewers." They discussed their routes. But their plan failed when they were intercepted by a group of soldiers from the Temple.

"Halt! Show me your faces!" The captain ordered as soon as he saw a group of suspicious people. Before the soldiers were ready with their formation, Luther charged in quickly and dealt with them instantly.

He threw the robe at them and covered their sight. While in disarray, he bashed an enemy with his armour, slashed another and punched the one behind his back with a spiky gauntlet. The last young soldier who was drafted just the day before was left alive while pissing himself on the spot.

Luther let his guard down for a moment believing he had beaten every enemy and it was when an arrow flew straight toward Cleo. Luther was too far away while Cleo was still in a daze due to exhaustion. The pain from her wound was re-emerging from all the fighting and running.

The metal head sparkled as it flew past a torchlight. It split the air and entered into a flesh penetrating the woven clothes. It entered into the stomach.

Arthur fell on his knees while gripping the wooden stalk of the arrow. Old man Arthur jumped in between the arrow and his daughter like Princess.

Cleo ran to him and pressed his stomach to prevent him from bleeding out but he pushed her hands away and told her to leave quickly.

"I guess this is how far this old man will go. I apologize for not being able to be with you till the end, princess."

"No! I won't leave you behind." Cleo sobbed.

"Cleo. Don't be too stubborn."

"I am not. You can't leave me again, like my parents. I won't let you. You always told me to go till finished once started. Now I order you too. As your princess, I ordered you to live till we finish our job. What will I do with your counsel? Don't leave me. We are supposed to fight the Temple together. We will rally an army in Midlake, then march to Gambit while Indra and Claudia are giving us space in East and West. After we beat the Duke and Mordu' in Ronbask, we will march to Westex and defend the Fork. We defeat the Claudians and everyone accepts the crown as the protector of the realm. That's the plan. But what will I do now? Everything is ruined. So, tell me. How will I beat Mordu' without you?"

Arthur caressed Cleo's head gently with a smile. "Don't lose hope my sweet pie. You are the strongest woman and smartest girl I have ever met. You can do it. And you are not alone either. My son will be with you. And Louise, that man Ethan and Revenant. Many are by your side now. So let this old man rest, will you? You have many things to do. Don't waste time on this old man. Go. I shall always be with you from above, too."

Arthur signalled his son. Even though he didn't want to leave his father behind, Luther honoured his father's last order. He dragged Cleo away by force.

Cleo struggled, cursing Luther for being so heartless toward his own father without noticing that Luther was trying as hard as he could to hold his tears.

During the chaos, another group of soldiers came to them. The soldiers encircled them this time. It was a tough situation even for Luther. If he was alone, he could break through and run away. But Cleo was injured. It was painful enough for her to just walk. Luther instinctively put Cleo behind him. He meant to protect her even at the cost of his life.

However, when the captain of the soldiers saw Luther's face, he told his men to hold down their weapons. "Commander Luther?" The captain asked. He continued, "thank god. I was worried when I heard the Temple has surrounded the castle."

Fortunately, the soldiers happened to be from the garrison, not from the Temple. They bowed down to their princess. They helped carry Arthur out of the town, too. They parted away with the soldiers when they reached the farmhouse where Cleo hid her equipment.

"I can't thank you enough for your loyalty, soldiers. I shall repay your loyalty. But, for now, may I give you another mission?" Cleo humbly requested her men. She had lost her confidence after the throne was seized again by the Temple.

However, as soon as Cleo spoke, the soldiers got down on their knees and put their right hands on their chests. "Your wish is my command. We shall serve our duty and missions until death." They swore their fealty to their princess, and it made her confident once again.

"Go back to your barracks and act like you are their men. In the meantime, recruit anyone trustworthy and tell them to be ready anytime. Once you see my banners flying in front of the city gate, rise again."