Three floors under the ground, Lady Aquamarine and her group found refuge, occupying the second and third floor in its entirety of the building they are in, and blocking the entrance with camouflage and heavy rock. Each floor is really large. The first floor underground only had some Beheaders on watch, taking advantage of the vegetation, the rubble and the ruins, even so, when the entrance is already blocked. The second floor downward, is were Lady Aquamarine and a part of the large group of Aquamarine is located, and right under her, the next floor holds the rest of the many Aquamarines that ended in her group. The walls of each floor gave light, just like how the wall and the entirety of the Grand Castle is diffusing light right now.

Lady Aquamarine is sitting down, at about the center of the room, surrounded by the Beheaders that followed her when she ordered the large group to divide in two. At her side, Priscilla is kneeling, holding Lady Aquamarine’s left leg, which has turned purple, infusing her Aura in order to help heal the leg trauma.

“I hope I took the right choice.” Lady Aquamarine lets escape.

“We aren’t pushovers. I know this was the right choice, My Lady.” Priscilla replies.

“How are you so sure?”

“Well, such a large group running away in a city full of obstacles, with them having attacks that can deal easily with a large group of people at a time, I think it was correct to divide us and take different paths. Less people grouped around when running which gives each person more space, less probability that one person falls down to the ruins and vegetation, more mobility and speed, an easier time defending against attacks since their target is now way smaller, reducing the areas to cover and defend, and more importantly: Those extra seconds we took out of them when they were surprised seeing us dividing and going in on our own ways. Everything came together pretty well I must say.”

“Yes… I could’ve ended pretty bad though.”

“My Lady,” Priscilla says, grabbing Lady Aquamarine’s left leg and pressing the purple part a bit, making Lady Aquamarine flinch “What’s done is done. No matter the choice you would’ve taken, there was a risk on all of them, so stop fretting over what could’ve happened and focus on what is happening now.”

Lady Aquamarine just watches Priscilla as she stares back with a glare.

Priscilla sighs “I can see from where Tomoe took her worrysome attitude.”

Lady Aquamarine counters “I can see from where Tomoe took her easygoing attitude.”

Priscilla chuckles “And I took it from Lorelei.”

“And Lorelei took it from me.” Says Daisy, who just came closer after finally checking on the civilians on the floor under them.

“And now I know why Priscilla reminds me of you.”

Daisy lets a weak giggle escape, then asks “How’s the leg?”

“No good.” Priscilla shakes her head “The strength of the tall one must be outlandish even by Aura standards. The damage done was severe.”

“What did you managed to do?” Daisy asks.

“Well, I managed to heal the bone and join again the muscles, but… she can barely use the leg right now.”

“Forget that.” Interjects Lady Aquamarine “Daisy, did you managed to give Burst to William?”

“I did, but it isn’t much. He needs to pick well on who he will use it.”

Lady Aquamarine takes a hand to her chin and gets deep in thought. Between the many images that run through her mind, Tomoe is the more constant one. The mere thought of her clutches her heart.

Suddenly, Ray comes down from the first floor. Walking right to Lady Aquamarine, he says “My Lady… you need to come.”

“What’s happening?” Lady Aquamarine asks.

“It seems, My Lady, that the leader of the enemy army is calling for your attention, and to do this, he has gotten to the bridge that connects to the gatehouse up at the wall.”

“Don’t tell me… is he yelling?” Daisy asks.

“That bastard must have giant lungs to yell that loudly. After all, Aura barely helps when it comes to the lungs and holding breath.”

“I’ll go.” Says Lady Aquamarine. Standing, she immediately falters to her left, letting a moan escape. Priscilla stands up to grab her, but Daisy gets there first and lets Lady Aquamarine support herself with her own body.

“I’ll give you a hand… and two extra legs for that matter.”

“Thanks.” Lady Aquamarine says. Turning to Priscilla, she says “Stay here. Support Olga in whatever she needs.”

Priscilla nods and says “Yes, My Lady.”

“Right this way, My Lady.” Ray says, and the three of them move towards the stairs.

Getting out to the main floor, and going up two more floors, echoes start reaching Lady Aquamarine ears. Once she goes up the third floor, with the building being one of the tallest in that area, the echoes become loud and clear.

“Tomoyo! I know it is you!”

Lady Aquamarine’s heart takes a jump. It's been a long time since she has heard anyone saying her name.

“Ugh.” Daisy lets escape, and then says “W-wait, that…” turning to Lady Aquamarine, she adds “isn’t that?”

“Yes. Now there is no doubt.” Lady Aquamarine says, biting her lower lip.

“That would explain how he knows.”

Coming close to a window with a lot of vegetation, Lady Aquamarine leans over, and finally catches a glimpse at the gatehouse, high up the wall. A tall man is standing there, with large hair flowing slightly at the wind.

“It is Alexander alright.”

“Ugh.” Daisy lets escape again, taking a hand to her forehead “How long has it been?”

“Three hundred two years… since before Lionheart was murdered.”

“The bastard is alive… Ugh…”

“So… My Lady, the rumors are true.” Ray says.

“What rumors Ray?”

“That you have been the only head and member of house Aquamarine since the cold war started.”

Other memories appear in her mind, memories that she thought she already long forgotten. Shaking her head, she says “Let's focus on what Alexander is saying.”

“Tomoyo!” this time, the yell reached them clear cut. There’s was no mistake, nor difficulty to discern the words.

“Right in front of me” Alexander continue with his clear strong yelling “I have about one hundred Aquamarines, Tomoyo! All captured from our little encounter before.” Alexander makes a pause, then continues “Come to me Tomoyo! If you don’t, I’ll kill off every one of them!”

Alexander repeated these words about three more times, then he sits down.

“What are we going to do, My Lady?” Ray asks.

Biting now the nail of the thumb of her right hand, she finally says “I have to go.”

“Tomo…”

“My Lady! Please think about it.”

“I’ll go alone, Ray. I have to. I… don’t know if my daughter is within those hostages.”

Ray falls into silence.

“Don’t fret Ray. Stay here and guard the Aquamarines in there. No matter what Ray, don’t come out until I come back. All of you will be safe down there.” Stopping for a moment to see Ray’s expression, she adds “I leave you in command Ray.”

Raising his head, Ray answers “Yes, My Lady.”

Daisy then says “Well, time to go.”

“Uh?” Lady Aquamarine lets escape.

“What?” Daisy asks “You know that you aren’t going there alone right? I can’t let you go alone, Tomo. Especially if it is Alexander we are talking about.”

Lady Aquamarine snorts, then says “Time to go then.”

“Yes, My Lady” Daisy says, with a slight smug on her face.

Walking back down and to the streets, suddenly Lady Aquamarine starts remembering her old days, memories long gone by, and as she becomes unable to stop these memories from flowing, she starts thinking about her childhood and teenage years before meeting Lord Aquamarine. Before, there was always a wall: Fuzziness, being unable to bring any memory to the forefront of her mind. Now, she seems to finally have found a hole in said Wall: How long has it been since she thought about the old times?

Focusing more, she thinks of herself, searching deep into her memory. A laugh is the first that comes to her, and the memory of her father raising her by the armpits into the air, as he safely makes her little daughter fly in circles around her. A little tinge of sadness hits her when she realizes that she can no longer remember his face, but she was completely sure that he had a big mustache… right?

Next, a dress came up. As it did, Lady Aquamarine felt shocked since she remembers well that this dress was her favorite one. The memory of her looking at herself in the mirror in this simple one-piece sky blue dress with handcrafted frills and details is a memory that, she remembers, she said herself, at that moment, she would never forget. After all, her own mother worked really hard to include all these classy frills and details on it. Lady Aquamarine can’t remember the face of her mother either, yet her voice came crystal clear to her as she gave young Lady Aquamarine a bit of advice on a really important problem that was bothering her:

Why are you ashamed and trying to hide them? Girls develop at a different pace from each other my little sunshine, it just happens that you are developing way sooner than the rest!

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Lady Aquamarine can hear the giggle of her mother as she embraced her.

Come here sweety. Do you know? Your mother went exactly what you are going through, right now. I can understand your… insecurities. But like your late grandmother told me once “You’re a woman! What are you quivering around like a scared mouse? There’s nothing to be ashamed about! So stop hiding and show yourself as you are!”

Another giggle.

So, don’t be afraid. Yes, things will be different, things will change, but it will be worse if you reject who you are sweety. It is an undeniable part of who you are, a really beautiful developing woman. Make peace with yourself and find satisfaction in that. It will be more than worth it, I can guarantee that.

Lady Aquamarine can remember the gratitude she felt with her mother, when while following her advice, she managed to catch the attention of a young noble rising in his house, and later on again at the wedding. Wisdom can be quite unexpected, as she, at that time, has never heard about a pair of ‘round hooks’ that were so effective.

Then, the long night rose in her memory, covering a long stretch of her life, a period where she lost everything. She may as well be dead inside that tomb for a mansion. Yet, once again, a little ray of light shine through, piercing her darkness and bringing a bit of warmth to her life. The long wavy blonde hair of Tomoe appeared before her, and all the times she has called her mother resonated at once in her ears.

Dawn started to appear from over the horizon, and she was, out of nowhere, living again. How? But right now she was moving once again, took a new goal, a new purpose from the position she found herself in. No one could replace her.

Looking back, it dawned on her how much she has changed. A slight smile curls in her lips.

I pray to Lord Hazuki that you aren’t there, my little sunshine. To the rest, don’t worry, I’m going.

Lady Aquamarine and Daisy enter the perimeter controlled by Alexander. As they keep moving, a couple of enemy soldiers comes out to receive them.

“Who is Tomoyo?” One of the enemy soldiers says while raising a hand to stop them.

“Tomoyo is both of us until you guarantee the safety of both of us.” Lady Aquamarine says.

“What?” The enemy soldier says, being a bit perplexed at the situation.

“I’m going to put it like this: If the one here that isn’t Tomoyo is going to die, then the one that is Tomoyo is going to take her life away with her own hands.”

“Is that so? What if I just tie Tomoyo and get rid of the other one?” another enemy soldier came closer, this one with the voice of a woman.

“We are water tamers, you shrimp,” Daisy says “We can use our ability while being completely tied down.” Daisy then takes a bit of sweat from her body, raising it over her free shoulder “we only need three droplets, and we can slice a throat without a problem.”

“Guide us to Lord Alexander already.” Lady Aquamarine says “It will no matter in the end, once he sees us, he will let the other one stay.”

The enemy soldiers back off a couple of steps and join the other soldiers a couple of steps further away, forming a circle. Moments later, the first one that talked to Lady Aquamarine turned, and says “Come with us.”

Walking a couple of streets more, they finally get to the elevated bridge that goes to the gatehouse. As they get closer, Lady Aquamarine and Daisy can clearly see the one hundred Aquamarines hold hostage, right there, a bit further away from them and the bridge. Lady Aquamarine searches between the hostages, but soon enough she is hit with a sense of relief, seeing how there wasn’t any blonde hair between them.

How strange is motherhood, really. Relief, in the middle of a thousand enemy swords? How strange.

She gives the hostages another look, seeing how all of them are down on their knees. But with this second pass, a slight pain, as if it were a puncture, hit her: Fluffy hair, thin build up. There’s no mistake about it: He is Lacus, one of the Aquamarines that is friends with Tomoe. He is the reason why Lady Aquamarine was able to escape Alexander’s surprise attack with only the wound in her left leg.

I had hoped you somehow managed to get away too…

“Long time no see, Tomoyo.”

At this voice reaching her ears, a chill ran on Lady Aquamarine’s back, from up to down. Turning, she could only confirm what she already knew from far away: The man standing right in front of her is none other than Alexander itself.

“And who this may be?” Alexander says, raising a hand towards Daisy. At this gesture, enemy soldiers that surrounded them engaged their Auras.

“How cruel of you, Alexander. How could you forget about me?” Daisy says, all while she removed the hood of her travel attire.

Alexander goes silent for some moments, but not before long he replies “Aaah, yes, I remember you. I only saw you a couple of times though, and I certainly don’t remember you being a celestial fox. How is it that a person with such little faith and an unnatural logical mind, for a woman that is, now works and serves under Lord Hazuki’s faith?”

“Tha-” Daisy starts saying, but Lady Aquamarine cuts her.

“There are more important matters at hand, Alexander.”

“Indeed, there are, and there isn’t much time left.”

“Don’t have much time left?…” Lady Aquamarine makes a pause, then continues “Don’t you mean, is Gwynevere still alive?”

“Yes, she is, Tomoyo. The curse of Lionheart still hasn’t claimed her, but her time draws closer each day. And I’ll take you with me, by force if necessary, in order to save her.”

“Save her? How? You know that the curse can’t be dispelled. All elven women will eventually die.” Daisy says.

“That’s how it is.” Lady Aquamarine says, not before her heart jumps again when the image of Tomoe appears in her mind.

“That is what all thought!” says Alexander, raising his right hand in a swiping motion “but, when we were certain about our hopeless destiny as a race, something happened: I found the cure, what will dispel the curse from our noble blood!” says out loud, followed by a couple of roars from the enemy soldiers around the area.

“You just have lost it in the face of the certain prospect of losing your wife!” Lady Aquamarine says.

“And exactly how everything that has happened until now has anything to do with the curse?” Daisy asks.

“No, Tomoyo, I didn’t. And good question Daisy. you see, someone actually came to me. He was someone very particular you see, and very convincing. He told me about the cure of the curse, and told me where to find it.” Alexander says, opening wide his arms.

“What are you talking about?… wait… Here?!” exclaims Lady Aquamarine.

“Indeed! He told me about it, Tomoyo! How, under the Grand Castle in the Aquamarine state, lied the last Lord Tree of the late Lionheart, the last Diamond Lord Tree! With one of its fruits, the curse can be dispelled.”

Multiple more images rush through Lady Aquamarine’s mind: Her memories of Lord Aquamarine, the time when Tomoe was little, her entire time locked inside the Aquamarine mansion.

“So, that is why you came.” Daisy says.

“Indeed.” Alexander says.

“And how do we fit into your plan?” Lady Aquamarine asks.

“I need you, Tomoyo. That mysterious man, calling himself an Empyrean, told me that I needed the last living member of house Aquamarine in order to enter the space under the Gran Castle, with the passage being right under the Throne room.”

With her head starting to spin, Lady Aquamarine slips from Daisy’s grasp and falls to the ground on her knees. Trying to stand up again with help of Daisy, Alexander remarks “You surely dealt well with the ambush, but it is good that I managed to deliver that hit to your leg. It will make everything easier.”

Having trouble to stand, Lady Aquamarine changes the subject “I understand everything then. I’m right here, as you requested. Let the hostages go.”

“Uh?”

“Don’t play the fool, Alexander. You have always been a man of his word.” Lady Aquamarine remarks, with her voice starting to break.

Alexander snorts “Oh, yes, I remember well. I’ll do on my promise then.” Then he snaps his fingers.

A sudden loud sound and blast of air push both Lady Aquamarine and Daisy from behind, throwing them to the floor. Turning, Lady Aquamarine a scene of pure terror: One side of the hostages, the ones that are to her left, was completely black. Flames coming out of the charred bodies, with a huge black burnt mark on the ground. On the other side, the other half of hostages were down on the ground too, only with minor bruises, and at the sight of what just happened, tears and moaning started to come out.

Turning again, tears in her eyes, towards Alexander, she tries to speak, but no words came out. Daisy covered her mouth, trying to control her trembling.

“What?” Alexander says “I promised that I wouldn’t kill everyone, right?”

Between the many charred, blackened bodies, no traces of that fluffy hair can be seen.