Universe Ten; Nireavat; Alusia; Imperial Palace.

Arint tussled his hair as he walked down the corridor leading to the portal room, worry clouding his thoughts. There were a dozen questions he ached to have answered however in the end he just wanted Gabriel to get back safely.

He came upon the door leading into the room and stared blankly at it. He had not slept in two days but he barely felt it, and he hoped against all odds that Gabriel would somehow made it out alive.

He was well aware that the prince was steeped in secrets, and while he had learnt to live with it, he wondered what would prompt him to stay back in a place that had morphed into hell. Why send Arint out and stay back? Gabriel often did stupid things but that was in a league of its own.

The boy ran a hand through his hair, sighing with both anger and worry. He placed a hand on the doorknob and paused to ponder and pray. It wasn't the first time he was checking on the portal room, wishing that Gabriel would miraculously appear on the other side. He hoped it would be the last.

The door swung open and Arint stared blankly at the scene that faced him. Gabriel approached at the doorway briskly, a manic grin he had never seen the Maeser water stretching across his lips.

Arint shut the door and closed his eyes. Clearing his mind, he opened the door once more. Gabriel stood before him, bemused.

"Damn," Arint murmured, shutting the door once more.

....

Nireavat, Alusia, Imperial Advisor's Manor.

A woman with auburn hair sat on a seat twisting a silk handkerchief, four maids standing around her. She gazed anxiously at the runes that formed a circle on the marble floor, tear streaks running down her cheeks.

A moment later the runes lit up and her eyes widened, gleaming with hope as a figure appeared within the portal. The vague silhouette she saw was enough. She raced forward, disregarding her attendants and all she knew of propriety to embrace her daughter.

Valerina drew out of the embrace, looked at her mother, and gave a cheeky grin. She was slapped. Hard.

...

Siadro; Imperial Palace, portal room.

Ellen's legs gave out and she fell to her knees with Voscov in her arms. Powering the portal had been the last straw for her. She took a few moments to catch her breath, disregarding the hurried footsteps drawing nearer.

A pair of feet came into her vision and she gazed upward to find Lynica looking down at her, eyes red and swollen. The aide sniffed.

"Thank you," she whispered, squatting low to take Voscov from Ellen.

"You don't need to," Ellen chuckled tiredly. "On the other hand, a warm bath would be welcome. A change of clothes too; nothing too cumbersome preferably." She passed out.

Ellen awoke hours later to a dark haired little girl staring intensely at her.

"Hello," the girl greeted, propping her elbows on the bed where Ellen lay.

Ellen blinked at her, unable to muster the strength to speak.

"I'm Sera."

Ellen stared.

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Sera clambered onto the bed to better stare at the Maeser.

"How are you? Are you alright now?"

Ellen stared.

Sera fiddled awkwardly with her fingers.

"You have pretty eyes," the little girl ventured.

Ellen chuckled amusedly and rose. "I am Frandus, first name Ellen, last name Rantiavum, legacy name Livrosun, courtesy name Sjon," she introduced. "And you are?"

Sera slapped her forehead as a look of realisation dawned upon her.

"I am Kristine." She gave a swift bow. "First name Sera, last name Iluhiem, legacy name Dalha. I don't have a courtesy name yet."

"Ah, you're Voscov's sister!" Ellen exclaimed pleasantly. "You look so cute and loveable - absolutely nothing like your brother!"

Sera beamed up at her, the earlier awkwardness forgotten. Ellen laughed, finding the little child endearing, and stood. A blue silken gown fell around her as she rose and with a start she found that she was clean, her hair had been brushed, and she had been fitted into fresh clothes.

"So, what brings you here, Sera?" The Maeser asked as she danced around to the side of the bed.

"That's right! I heard it was you who brought V back?"

Ellen nodded.

"What happened in Sealarios? How come V is injured?" Sera asked. "I keep asking Lynica but she doesn't want to tell me."

Ellen placed a finger on her chin and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, pretending to ponder.

"Well," she began. "Some bad people did some very nasty things over there."

"I know they did something nasty! What did they do?"

Ellen fell silent for a moment, gazing at the little girl. Moments later she clapped her hands.

"Alright! I'll tell you everything that happened. It was on a very bright afternoon and Voscov and I had been enjoying tea, on the verge of becoming the best of friends! Suddenly, out of nowhere, we were surrounded by fifty assassins!"

"Fifty?" Sera asked sceptically.

"Did I say fifty? I meant five hundred!"

The Maeser proceeded to regale the little girl with the tale of how she, Voscov, and a belatedly added Lynica had confronted and fought against five hundred assassins for three days. That they did so without rest was a matter of course, with Ellen being the fastest, most effective fighter in their team. She had darted around the battlefield with extreme speed, saving Voscov and Lynica countless times.

Lynica did not quite feature in the story but Voscov did - and quite a lot. According to Ellen, he was almost always messing up and mis-timing his attacks to the point that she ended up sticking to him so he would not get too injured.

Sera was completely enraptured, her eyes all but sparkling as she listened to Ellen brag about jumping from a twenty foot tall wall. When asked how she managed to survive the fall, Ellen offhandedly replied that it was because she was an air manipulator. At that moment Sera revealed excitedly that she was an air manipulator too, even though her control was still unstable. She also added that it would be easy to find a twenty foot drop somewhere in the castle.

Ellen backtracked immediately and warned her not to try jumping from such a height at home... or anywhere else for that matter. The little girl nodded obediently but Ellen could not help but feel uneasy in her heart.

Eventually the story ended and was brought to a satisfactory end when she and Voscov barely managed to jump into the portal in time.

"But how was he injured then?" Sera asked with concern and Ellen realised that she had forgotten to fit that part in.

"Well," she said awkwardly, wracking her brain for some excuse. "He slipped."

"He slipped?" Sera repeated, incredulous.

Ellen nodded gravely.

"V really does not hold a candle to you," Sera tutted.

Ellen nodded once more, her expression sympathetic and sad.

With the story done, Ellen and Sera walked out of the room, hand in hand and suddenly the best of friends, to go meet the emperor and his spouse. She greeted them briefly, checked on Voscov to find him asleep, before heading for the portal. She and Sera parted ways at the door to the teleportarium, and as the door shut with a barely audible click, the perpetual smile she had kept on her lips for Sera faded.

"Voscov has a little sister, huh," the princess murmured, thinking.

A moment later she shrugged and stepped into the circle of runes making up the portal. A light sprinkle of copper dust saw her spirited away into the void.

...

Xerdes; Liremack; public teleportarium.

The light of the portal flashed and Ellen arrived with little fanfare. Her eyes fluttered open and an empty room entered her sight. It was a public portal; the room should not be empty.

The double doors swung open, thudding against the walls, and two rows of lightly armoured knights marched in. Ellen smirked, her chin rising as she watched them spread out before her and stand at attention. A moment later Camilla strode into the room, clad in a riding dress, and came to a stop at the head of the legion. She fell to a knee, a fist against her chest in salutation, her head turned to the floor.

"Camilla, named Panariello, of House Estancia, and all with me greets the one true heiress!"

The soldiers behind her knelt in unison, their fists hitting their chests in a ringing salute.

"Greetings Your Grace!" They echoed.

Ellen's smirk widened as she looked upon them. Camilla certainly was reliable.