Chef Ryuko bowed to the kobolds.  "Why, of course.  Such brave kobolds as yourselves would truly deserve the being of a fine kobold pie."

"Really?  Bark!  Why, thank you!"  The kobolds eagerly ran over to the table with the pies on it as Lucia grumbled about horrible PUNishment.

Before the kobolds could even take a bite, they found themselves surrounded by Ryuko and the rest of the chefs, armed and aiming their bows and arrows at the stupid mutts.

"Woof?  What's going on?"  The kobold captain quickly glanced at Chef Ryuko.

"As you can see, you are surrounded.  Drop your weapons and surrender now or sacrifice your lives for a prisoner that you don't even know anything about."

About this time, Rinka had waken up from her nap and noticed the strangers pointing bows and arrows at the scared-furless kobolds.  "Hmm?  What's going on?"

"It's an ambush!"  The kobold captain screamed.  "Bark!  Quick!  Go get help!"

"Ambush?!?  Here?  Eeeek!"  Rinka started to fly off from the top of the carriage until someone grabbed her by the arm.  It was Lucia.  Rinka stared at her.  "Wh... what's happening?"

Lucia forcefully yanked her back to the ground.  "Just be quiet and don't try to escape."

As the Karayan agents tied up the kobolds and threw them into that damn forsaken claustrophobia inducing carriage, Lucia and commander Chef Ryuko discussed what happened while Rinka tugged and chewed at her arm.

"Chef Ryuko, I thank you for your timely... ah, rescue.  Although really, I'm still not sure whether I was a prisoner or not."  Lucia took it upon herself to whip the stupid kobold captain right before he got thrown into the carriage, who quickly yelped.  "At any rate, I'm grateful to get away from these damn dogs, but what are you doing here, anyway?  You had specific orders to stay and monitor the food recipients in the forest village!"

Chef Ryuko held his hat in his hands.  "I left some agents behind to make sure the years supply of food we gave to all the contest participants didn't leave the village, Lady Lucia.  However, there was one kid... a photographonogist or something like that named Connell that went to Greenhill and..."

"IDIOT!  You can't even contain a little boy?!?  That devourer of worlds, Gorudo, would never even think about sending aid to Greenhill if they failed to pay their annual rice shipment to Matilda!"  Lucia was about to give Ryuko a severe case of whiplash until he screamed.

"I apologize, but there is no need to worry!"  Chef Ryuko quickly blurted out.  "He left all the food behind with his younger sister and mother, only taking with him a small supply of rations for himself."

"We can't be sure of that..."   Lucia looked at Veeshara.  "Veeshara, while we are in Greenhill, I want you to find that Connell and make sure he never talks to the acting mayor of Greenhill.  He might tell her about that Fuschia Dragon cook-off that was held in the forest village, then she might get suspicious.  Ryuko will give you his description and portrait."  Lucia glared at Chef Ryuko again.  "Any other surprises I should know about?!?"

"Er... well.... yes, there is another... young girl named Wakaba and she actually BROUGHT her food along."  Ryuko anxiously replied.  "But this one wasn't our fault!  She had an armed escort!"

"An armed escort?"

"Yes.  Some Temple of the Silver Moon or something escorted her out of the Forest Village and it would have been suicide to stop them.  They came in, asked her to join, she agreed to, then they left with her and all her food."

Lucia stomped her foot.  The temple of the Silver Moon?!?  Those damn Harmonian samurai have screwed with her plans AGAIN!

"Food?  What's going on?"  Biochis's stupid little boy spoke out of turn again.  Lucia decided not to answer him since he didn't need to know.  Why would he need to know about a fake cook off contest held by Karayan agents for the purpose of getting rid of Greenhill's latest food shipment?  Really, why couldn't he just shut up like Veeshara did?  Realizing he wasn't going to get an answer but not learning his lesson, Paineal decided to add in his useless commentary about what to do with the prisoners.  "We should kill them all.  We can't afford  to take them along, can we?  That's too many prisoners."

"Shut up!"

"But Lady Lucia, I was just offering my opinion and..."

"Did I ever ask you for your damn opinion?  Take this stupid boy away and chain him up for now so I can teach him a lesson later."

"What?!?  You can't do that to me!"  Paineal shouted.

Lucia leaned near Paineal and her eyes narrowed as she whispered to him.  "The whippings shall continue until respect improves..."

"I mean, that is to say, of course your wonderful opinion must be fact!"  Paineal quickly commented.

Lucia sighed as Veeshara whispered to Paineal.  "She prefers 'Her word is law.' to 'wonderful opinion must be fact.'  Saying it the way you said it seems to be like sucking up."

"Shut up, you suck up."  Paineal replied.

Lucia quickly cracked her whip, giving the two a heart attack.  "AHEM!  Now anyway, now that we're here, we must first... COULD YOU STOP THAT!?"  Lucia glared at Rinka, who was still biting her arm trying to get her to let go.  "Do you want me to clip your wings or something?"

Rinka stared at her.  "Can you let me go?  I wanna go home right now.  I think I... er... left my microwave rune there."  Rinka quickly corrected herself as Lucia stared at the fire rune at Rinka's hand.  "I meant... er, my OTHER microwave rune."

Lucia slapped herself in the forehead then slowly let go of Rinka and pointed to the ground.  "Stay."  After making sure Rinka was listening, Lucia continued.  "You really don't have any need to worry...."

"Though we certainly do if we don't kill her, since she could easily fly away and tell everyone about us, here."  Paineal interupted.  Lucia grabbed one of Ryuko's kobold pies and threw it at Paineal.  The pie splatted directly in his face.

Rinka was about to break into tears.  "But... but, Teresa, I thought I could trust you!"

Lucia grabbed her again and glared into her eyes.  "I'll be frank.  You can trust me as long as I can trust you."

Paineal rubbed the pie off his face then put some in his mouth and spit it out.  "Yuck!  How can kobolds eat this stuff?  It tastes like dog food.  But I still don't see how we can manage all these prisoners..."

Sigh.  Idiot.  Lucia was NOT going to kill those dumb kobolds and especially Rinka no matter how much they pissed her off.  She might have to be cold, but she wasn't going to be a monster.  Not like HE was....

"We should kill them all.  We can't afford to take them along."

The blonde man on horseback took off his glasses and wiped them clean, then put them back on.  Lightning flashed as rain fell on the plain of tall grass stretched farther than the eye could see.  Several Jowston state soldiers and Matilda white knights had the convoy of fancy carriages surrounded.  Rounded up were several Karayan warriors, now disarmed, and several servants, maids, bards, and other entertainers of an extravagant nobleman from the south.

"You'll kill us all?!?  I can not believe you!  Do you have no honor at all?!  Sir Alec Wisemail... no not 'Sir', you are not worthy of being called that honorable term by I.  You are a beast!  An uncivilized savage beast who is attempting to trampel over all the poor people of the Grasslands!  Tis true that they might be slighty uncivilized and just a bit vulgar, themselves, but they have more honor than a fiendish animal as you!"

Alec stood there and listened to the flower man talk until the flower man was finally out of breath.  He then took out a file from his jacket.  "It was unfortunate for you, Sir Milich Openheimer, that we should find you now.  I really do regret having to do this.  Stealing eye flowers from Greenhill does not nearly justify the death penalty,  but we are in enemy territory now.  We can not afford to look after you and your entourage.  The Grasslands is a wide open territory.  It would be too easy for you to break and escape, or sabotage us during an ambush, or approximately one hundred and twenty-four other scenarios where having you in our custody would destroy our interests."  Alec turned to the two men, also riding horses, behind him.  "Gorudo, Gustav, I trust we are all in agreement."

Gorudo, a strongly built muscular middle-aged man, nodded.  Gustav agreed.

"Mother?  What's going on?"  A young girl tugged at her mother's dress.

"And the children and women?  I can not believe that you would stoop so low as to slaughter them!  It was a tragedy that I had to bring them with me to rescue them from the iron grip of Geil Rugner only to be met upon by an even worse monster!  I felt guilty enough bringing them to such an unclean land as this, but I never knew that you'd..."

"You shouldn't have taken them along."  Alec wiped his brow.  "Damn you for putting me into this situation..."

Alec put his hand to his chin and started to think when Gorudo quickly ordered, "Kill them now!"

"No, wait!"  Alec shouted.  Instantly the white knights and the Jowston soldiers drew their swords and bows and the convoy was rained upon by arrows...

  When the carnage ended, Alec stood over a few of the dead bodies, then looked down at Milich Openheimer.  "Damn you for putting me into this situation... but there was nothing else I could do."

Watching and kneeling in the tall grass nearby was a young sixteen year old.  Thanks to her training, she had managed to keep hidden from the soldiers, moving away from them whenever they came near, seemingly without causing a single blade of grass to move.  She soon found herself hiding behind a carriage after dodging away from a knight that got too close.  There, she could hear a girl cry.

"Nothing else I could do..."

Ryuko and the few Karayans with him were left to take the kobold captive carriage to an out of the way area.  It was an extreme security hazard and a large risk should they be discovered, but she wouldn't kill them.  There WAS something else she could do.

Lucia stared at the gate to Greenhill as Veeshara, still dressed in her country blue dress but this time with a different hairstyle talked to the guards.  Lucia thought to herself about the hair... curls really weren't very becoming of Veeshara.  This was the first time she ever escorted Veeshara to Greenhill.  Normally Veeshara would come back to the Grasslands herself on a research trip.  It might have been a reason to not trust her, but Veeshara would never betray her homeland and her mother.  Also, she scored really high on that loyalty aptitude test that she took shortly before going back to the Grasslands, so she was definately trustworthy, assuming you don't discard the test results due to the fact that the test came from Greenhill.  Why would Greenhill give its students loyalty aptitude tests, anyway?  And of course, there was the fact that some students followed Veeshara to the Grasslands, but Veeshara never knew about them.  Too bad Biochis got to them before Lucia could.  Ack!  Biochis.  Yet another person who's ass she'd have to kick once she got back to the Grasslands, assuming she ever finds him.

Greenhill.  The leaders of Greenhill have proven time and time again to be the most devious of all the Jowston commanders.  Alec Wisemail would have nothing to do with honour on the battlefield.  His daughter had brainwashed the masses so she could retain power.  And even the one who studied in Greenhill, Sekretia, as much as Lucia hated to admit it, threw away all bounds of emotion in the crafting of her strategies.  But Sekretia, unlike Alec, actually mourned those that got hurt in the process...

Lightning flashed across the plains again as the rain continued.

"Her name is Kasios.  She was the daughter of one of Milich's maids.  I managed to steal her away before any of the men could find her."

In a hastily put-up tent, two men and a woman stood over the sixteen year old girl and Kasios (who was about the same age) besides her.  Kasios was still crying.

One of the men glared at the sixteen year old.  "Lady Lucia, that was too dangerous!  By taking that girl with you, you risked being caught and killed, yourself!  What would your father say?  How would your mother have felt if she were alive to discover you died trying in vain to rescue the daughter of a servant?"

Lucia angrily glared back at the man.  "Lord Biochis, it is my life and if I decided that the girl was deemed worthy of being rescued, then dammit I'll rescue her!"

The woman sighed.  "I'm sorry, Lucia, but I have to agree with Biochis.  However, I must add that what's truly important now is that you are safe.  Please, Lucia, do not do something like that again.  I'd be devastated if the daughter of Motaro were to die so soon."

"Sekretia, if I may, my life is in danger almost constantly.  I can not make that promise, because you know that I was raised to be in dangerous situations like these."

Sekretia protested.  "But to take unnecessary risks..."

The other man raised his arm.  "Lady Sekretia, if I may speak?"

"Yes, Lord Shaleem?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to say that I feel Lady Lucia did the right thing.  She saw a slaughter going on and she did what she could to at least help one soul out of it."

Biochis snarled.  "She risked her life to rescue the daughter of a servant.  Don't you think the daughter of our chief goes above the life of Kasios?"

Shaleem saluted Lucia, then turned to Biochis.  "Lady Lucia is alive and healthy right here, is she not?"

"She could have been slaughtered along with everyone else here!"  Biochis yelled.

Kasios cried out at Biochis' remark.  "They... they killed her... they killed everyone...."

Sekretia knelt down by Kasios as Shaleem shook his head.  "Who could have done this?  Even Gustav wouldn't have..."

Lucia looked around.  "I saw two other men.  Alec and Gorudo.  Alec is the one that gave the order."

Biochis' eyes narrowed.  "So, Alec is here...."

Who knows what the acting mayor of Greenhill could be plotting?  Of all the city-states in Jowston, Greenhill sickened her the most.  Even more so than that demon city state led by the devil in all his many tons of blubbery glory, Matilda.  What's worse, Greenhill was probably one of her biggest threats.  Brute force Lucia could deal with, but the people of Greenhill didn't use brute force.  They resorted to treachery, plotting, tricks, and every cruel method in the book.  Lucia got a little worried about going back there again, because she might vomit at the mere thought of the evil plotting that went on within its walls.

"Teone did what?  Hahaha!  Well, I hope he at least got my homework for me.  What?  He left on his own trip?  Oh, that's odd.  Huh?  My trip to the Grasslands?  Oh, it was rather uneventful as always.  I managed to make a little progress in my research there, though.  Say, how is Jeane doing?"

Lucia quietly laughed.  It almost seemed like Veeshara ENJOYED being back at Greenhill.  Her abilities to con and act are definately underestimated.  Well, if she could withstand being in Greenhill for nearly all her life (except when she's on her "field trips" to the Grasslands) then so could Lucia.

Paineal though... well, the boy could use some torturing so she might as well drag him along, too.

Lucia stared at the paper that Veeshara forged for her.  Hmm... according to it, she was a teacher for Philosophy 202.  If she wasn't sure that Veeshara was completely loyal to her, she could swear that Veeshara was purposefully trying to annoy her.  Philosophy?!?  Oh great, so she had to teach a bunch of stupid stuck up snobbish little nerdy student punks that life was a bitch.  Just great.

The soldier moved aside and let Veeshara enter Greenhill while Lucia motioned to Paineal and dashed into the forest, with Paineal following her.

The forest path brought back some... bad memories for Lucia.  As she walked through it, a vision of a young sixteen year old girl running through it crept into her mind.  The sixteen year old girl was quickly caught by a lady, who scolded her for coming there.  After a small struggle, the girl broke loose and ran to a cabin, with the lady running after her.  She stopped in front of the cavern and quickly quietted down, as...

"LAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Lucia covered her ears.  What the hell!?  How dare someone ruin her train of thought with some stupid singing.  ARGH!  SINGING!  Damn songs... don't people have better things to do?

Lucia glared at the DoReMi elf in front of her.  "Shut up, you little turd!"

With a quick boot, the DoReMi elf was sent flying through the air.

Music... music was a tool of the weak used to distract them from their real problems.  Or a tool of the rich which, like all other luxeries, only added to an empty happiness.  Like alchohol or champagne.  Except music wasn't addicting (Well, to some people it was, but that was a rarity).

Ah, the song.  Sekretia learned the song in Greenhill.  Lucia guessed that it was either a song that parents sang to their children or a little song the students would sing when they were in that depressed stage where they pondered suicide.

  Kasios continued to cry.  "My mother is gone... my master is gone...my life...."

Sekretia spoke softly to her.  "I'm so sorry.  There is nothing else we could do.  I can only give you this song and hope it will comfort you."

Kasios blinked.  "A... song?"

"I learned it in Greenhill. My foster mother used to sing it to me whenever a thunder storm came and it would cheer me up."

Serenka stood up and began to sing.  The roaring thunder in the background seemed to fade away as Kasios watched, enchanted...
 

When the storm seems too dark,
Don't be afraid
  Where ever you may be.

When the light seems far off,
Don't dismay
  No matter what you see.

You'll never have to be alone again.
We will always be with you til the end.

Justice will always come through,
So to your heart you must always be true.

For when the storm seems too dark,
Don't be afraid
  Take courage in your heart.

When the light seems far off,
Don't dismay
  March on.....
 

Sekretia turned to Biochis and Shaleem.  "Find the bodies and give them a proper burial.  Ignore the storm.  It won't hurt us."

Biochis and Shaleem exitted the tent while Sekretia stayed behind with Kasios.  Moments later, Shaleem returned.

"Lady Sekretia, the body if Lord Milich Openheimer is missing."

Biochis entered the tent and cursed.  "Damn, what could Alec be thinking?"

Now where was she?  Oh yes, the little girl stopped in front of a wooden cabin.

Lucia stared at the wooden shack in front of her.  How the hell did this damn thing not completely rot yet?!?  Once Karaya had Greenhill, she was going to personally burn this damn house down, herself!  But for now, she could use it.

"Paineal, you might want to take off that chocobo hat and those ridiculous clothes, now.  Use that cabin and get dressed into something else."

"Huh?  I thought I was supposed to be in disguise."

"TAKE IT OFF!"

"Whoa!  Lady Lucia, I didn't know you were that kind of..."

Lucia booted Paineal into the cabin then slammed the door.  She pondered burning the stupid thing while Paineal was in it until Paineal yelled at her from inside.  "I have nothing else to wear."

"There has to be some spare clothes in that cabin.  Look around."  Lucia sighed.  Obviously Paineal didn't know about the leadership of Greenhill's intense hatred for narcisists.  Specifically, one Milich Openheimer.  Greenhill didn't accept anyone who didn't fit into their preppy little image.  Students had to wear a set dress or suit and stay in uniform.  Heaven forbid that someone actually wear a *gasp!* kimono or robe!  That would be evil and would surely corrupt all of those poor students' innocent little souls!  But it the dress code was just a small reflection of the true superiority-complex Greenhill had for other people...

Another lightning bolt streaked through the sky.

"Gentlemen, I am taking my leave back to Greenhill."

"Alec, are you leaving so soon?"  Gustav looked at the map on the table in the tent then back at Alec again.  "This is the closest we've gone to securing the Grasslands in a long time, and the only difference between this and previous raids was that this was the first time you personally came along.  You now realize that giving your strategies and military aid from all the way in Greenhill doesn't cut it, right?"

"I knew he didn't have the guts to be in the front lines."  Gorudo grunted.  "Can't take the heat, huh?"

Alec sighed.  "Actually, yes.  When it doesn't rain, which is most of the time, the heat here is insufferable.  It's hot as hell and truly unbearable.  But besides that, I would like to take some time to check back on Greenhill.  It's been a while since I've seen the city or my daughter."

"Fine then!  Run back to your stupid college!"  Gorudo sneered.  "But once we take over the fertile earth of the Grasslands, be aware that I'll still charge you the same amount as always for protection since you broke the deal."

"Gorudo, please calm down.  I never said I was withdrawing.  This is only a temporary leave.  I will return shortly."  Alec replied.

Gustav looked at Alec.  "Can we trust you on that?  I still don't see why you'd bother with the Grasslands."

Alec nodded.  "The needs of the people of Jowston come first before any savages.  The lives of a few tribesmen and uncivilized knights is insignificant if that's what it takes to provide more food and a better life for our people.  It is in fact the fault of the tribesmen that they do not take advantage and cultivate these fertile lands and instead wander around as nomads simply hunting the wandering animals."

Nearly invisible behind the tent, Lucia fumed in anger.  How dare he show such lack of respect and question their way of living and their culture!  He had no right...

Gorudo laughed.  "Ha!  Good to see you still have it in you."

"But what if any of the Grasslanders find out that you're gone?  It won't do us any good  for them to know we temporarily don't have our main strategist.  What if someone is spying on us right now."  Gustav stepped in.

Alec saluted.  "My exit shall be kept under wraps.  This is the only time it shall be mentioned.  And this section of the Grasslands is a wide open plain.  Do you really think someone could infiltrate our camp?  Now, if you pardon me, I have a city to attend to."

Lucia smiled.

The Chief of Karaya, Motaro, had four special elites suited to different tasks.

The Right Hand of Karaya, Biochis, had the ability to make sacrifices when needed in order to achieve victory.

The Left Hand of Karaya, Shaleem, made sure everything was kept rational and that Karaya did not move forward recklessly.

The Head of Karaya, Sekretia, who's strategies led large numbers of Karayans to take out large numbers of Jowston troops.  She had once studied a little in Greenhill.  Interestingly enough, she also held a crush on the Chief of Karaya.

Finally, the Shadow of Karaya was in charge of individually choosing select targets then taking them out in combat.  She had in fact been trained in the Nameless countries to the point of her abilities rivalling those of the ninjas of Rokakku, if not exceeding them.  She was none other than the chief's daughter.

And infiltrating a heavily guarded enemy camp when there was no cover was barely a challenge at all to her.

Before the end of the night, Motaro, Sekretia, and Biochis had come up with a strategy to take advantage of Alec's departure and finally get rid of the threat of the one who's been devising all of the attack plans on Grassland for all these years.  And, if he was still alive, save Milich Openheimer in the process.

"Okay, I found some!  I'm done!  Coming out, now."

Paineal exitted the cabin.  The green suit and black pants he was wearing made Lucia's eyes fill up with terror and intense hatred.... resulting in an odd look of intense hating terror.  Lucia strangled Paineal then whipped him thrice in a continuous motion before forcefully chucking him back into the cabin.  "PUT ON SOMETHING ELSE, DAMN YOU!"

Ugh.... that outfit.  That was the outfit HE wore.  The outfit HE wore during THAT event.  Damn damn damn!  Once Karaya had Greenhill, Lucia wouldn't just burn this stupid cabin.  She'd burn the entire damn city!!!  Fire would be the only way to cleanse this land of the evil that took place here.

Course, she'd probably have to evacuate the citizens first.  And... sigh, maybe let them take some of their most precious belongings.  Which... would kinda make the burning pretty pointless.

Sometimes Lucia wished she could be a sadistic bastard like Ruka Blight, too.

"Okay, I'm coming out again wearing something else!  And Lady Lucia, I beg of you to not kick my ass again, this time!"  Paineal jumped out of the cabin.  The outfit he was wearing had a spider insignia on it and a turban.  And it was too big for him.

Paineal adjusted his turban.  "Wow, this outfit is really way too large for me, but I guess it'll do.  I'll just fold up the sleeves a lot.  But it's kinda wierd.  Almost as wierd as that chocobo polka dot outfit I was wearing.  The hat is really funky, though.  Heh, it reminds me of your funky hat."

Lucia kicked Paineal's ass (not literally.  Though she might have to resort to that too if stupid Paineal doesn't learn his lesson soon).  "Don't you EVER talk that way about my headpiece again!"

"Headpiece?  The thing's a damn.... ah...... a damn GOOD headpiece!"  Paineal saved himself.  "But... you always criticize OTHER people's hats..."

Lucia sighed.  "Well DUH!  Only because it's obvious!  I mean, look at him!  That highpriest looks like a damn mushroom, for crying out loud!  Now move!"

Lucia shoved Paineal to the side and entered a cabin.  Five seconds later she emerged dressed with glasses, a black suit and dress, and her semi-short black hair.

Paineal's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, before he began rolling on the floor laughing.  After Lucia pulled him up, he muttered, "No wonder why you wear that headpiece..."

Tired of beating up Paineal for the day, Lucia sighed before dropping him back on the floor.

Just a little more forest and they'd be in.  Despite the fact that it's been more than a decade, Lucia still remembered the path vividly.  Unfortunately, that particular memory just wouldn't go away.  Or maybe it was good that she retained it so clearly, because it definately gave her motivation.  Revenge was a powerful emotional morale booster.  It definately made Highland react rather quickly, only moments after they signed that peace treaty with Jowston.  And for the Grasslands, it united the vastly different societies and cultures there against a common foe...

Several knights of Camaro surrounded the room as Biochis pointed to a location on the map.  "So you see, Lord Telektar, the Karaya are set to take the blunt of the attack.  The Knights of Camaro and the Keepers of the Red Flame shall be there for the taking of Greenhill."

Unlike the Karayan leaders, Lord Telektar wore heavy armour, and his clothes lacked the exotic patterns that the chief of Karaya wore.  Telektar eyed the map intently, then nodded.  "That is a noble sacrifice.  I am impressed."

Several cloaked men surrounding the map looked at each other and nodded in agreement.  Those Keepers of the Red Flame always freaked Lucia out, but they kept to themselves and never caused any trouble in the Grasslands.

Shaleem, who had up to that point an extremely tense look on his face, could barely contain his nervousness.  "Motaro, I do not enjoy this idea of sacrificing lives, Karayan or not, for this.  Isn't there any other way?  They will surely be slaughtered at Muse."

Motaro motioned to Shaleem.  "Shaleem, I understand your concern.  But this is the only way to prevent more futile deaths and bloodshed in the future."

Biochis smiled.  "I have already chosen the Karayans that will go in the attack.  Believe me when I say you will not miss them."

"Biochis!"  Shaleem was shocked.  "How can you say that?!?"

"Calm yourself, Shaleem."  Chief Motaro broke in.  "Biochis has informed me the Karayans he chose know what they're getting into.  They want revenge on Jowston, and they are willing to give their lives for it.  But they won't even have to do that.  We also have a plan which will rescue them from Muse."

Finally, after whacking several man-eating weeds and glaring away several DoReMi elves (which ran away in terror from said-glare) Lucia reached a clearing.  In front of her was the backside of a large building.  The Greenhill academy.

Rinka crash landed in front of Lucia, then stood up.  "Ah ha, Teresa!  I found you out!"

Lucia stared at her, surprised.  "Found out what?  And I thought I told you to stay back with those men."

"I got really bored so I lost those silly chefs when they weren't looking."  Rinka spun around.  "I know now that you're the acting mayor of Greenhill!"

Lucia raised an eyebrow.  "You..... do?"

"Yea!  They say she got sick but it turns out that you must have used that as an excuse to get away from your job or something because you were running around Two River, right?"  Rinka squinted at Lucia.  "Wow.... your hair looks really... wierd, by the way."

Lucia quickly took her headpiece out of her briefcase and meticulously but efficiently placed it back.  "Never you mind about that!  And... they say Teresa's sick?"

"Uh huh!"  Rinka smiled and  pointed to a windowsill.  "And I know that she's lying...er, YOU'RE lying and are really going out on the town because I flew by Teresa's room window over there and looked inside and she wasn't in!"

Lucia raises her second eyebrow.  "She wasn't there?"

Rinka nodded.  "Yea!  But the talk around the place was that Teresa was getting better.  And what a coincidence that when people talk of Teresa getting better, you happen to be here!"

Lucia stayed confuse for .5 more seconds until she looked at Rinka and smiled.  "Well, you found me out.  And now you understand why I had to take those kobolds captive, lest they find me out, too.  But I know I can trust you, right?"

"Of course you can!  I'd never betray my human!"

Lucia shuddered at that remark.  "Right... well, why don't you go... spy on some classrooms or something?  You might learn a thing.  Like how to be a pansy snobby student juvenile delinquent or something like that."

"Or find Chako!"  Rinka saluted Lucia.  "Well, Teresa, I'm off!  I'll see you later!"

"Um, yea.  Bye!"  Lucia waved as Rinka hopped on a nearby bush, hopped to a tree, glided to the top of the building, then glided off.

Lucia gagged.  "That girl is way too naive for her own good."

But why would the acting mayor of Greenhill sneak out like that?  Was she escaping from the stress of work?  If only she knew how much trouble that caused her father.  Course, that bastard Alec was devious enough to think of the most damned solution to his problem possible.

"Gustav hasn't deployed any troops to rescue Muse with the Keepers of the Flame so near to Tinto.  Gorudo, however, as expected is on the move."  Sekretia looked around the forest at the Karayans around her.  "The knights of Camaro and the other tribes have arrived via boat and are ready to make their move.  Biochis has deployed to rescue the Karayans at Muse and we are all in position.  It was lucky that my daughter found this area when she wandered behind the academy."

Motaro nodded.  "Greenhill won't be able to defend its walls and a strike from the forest at the same time.  Alec would have easily seen this plot, but it would appear that Gustav and Gorudo are too stupid to deal with it."

"Yes.... we won't have to worry about Greenhill ever again."  Sekretia looked up at Tomaro.  "My lord... after the war..."  The chief looked at her before she quickly turned away.  "Nevermind."

Shaleem slowly walked into the clearing.  "Er.... Chief, there is someone here to see you..."

All of the Karayans immediately readied their weapons as Alec Wisemail of Greenhill entered the clearing.  Motaro quickly stood up.  "Alec?!?  Quick!  Take this man prisoner!"

The Karayans behind Alec quickly grabbed him.  Alec calmly looked at Motaro.  "Motaro, chief of the Karaya Tribe, I thought you were better than this.  I am but an unarmed civilian and nothing more here to give you a message."

Lucia's father motioned to the Karayans and they let go of Alec.  The chief walked up to him.  "That was fast.  It seems it truly is impossible to catch you off guard.  Even so, can't you see that you have lost?"

Alec nodded.  "I concur, sir.  But even if I may have lost, you can't expect to defeat the rest of Jowston this easily.  Gorudo and Gustav both are established in the mountains.  An invincible defense.  They will continue to raid attacks against the Grasslands, immune to retaliation, whether they have the brain power of Greenhill or not.  The military might of the Grasslands combined will not be enough to uproot them.  So you see, even if I have lost, you most certainly have not won."

Motaro stood there, silenced.  He did not have a retort for what Alec said.  However, Lucia noticed something.  In her training, she learned to detect emotion and personality from the slightest differences in posture.  No matter how much a person tried to hide it, Lucia could see how they were feeling by simply looking at the look in their eyes.  And though Alec was speaking calmly and rationally, she could see that he was afraid.  He had messed up, and there wasn't much he could do about it now.  But she also saw something else that she had a little trouble putting her finger on...

"So, Motaro, now that you have succeeded, what will you do?  It should be easy for you to hold Greenhill, but what would the purpose be?  You'll still have to deal with Gustav and Gorudo no matter what.  The bloodshed will continue on."  Motaro continued to be silent as Alec spoke.  "Might I suggest something better?  I'm sure it's something the Grasslands has wanted since Jowston staged its first raids."

Jowston to explode?

"That thing is peace, is it not?  You want Jowston to leave you alone."

Peace?  Lucia was puzzled.  Jowston has been staging raids on the Grasslands (and lots of other lands, too) since before she was born.  The idea of a permanent peace was puzzling to her, to say the least.

Alec opened his arms.  "Imagine that.  Karaya and all the other cultures in the Grasslands will never have to worry about Jowston again.  I am a man of my word, Chieftan Motaro.  To be honest, I am only involved in these invasions so that Greenhill does not have to be under the iron heel of Matilda anymore.  I am tired of this constant warring.  If it will stop the bloodshed and rescue the city, I will gladly continue the annual food offerings to Matilda and Gorudo will agree to the peace.  I hope you will consider my offer."

Alec left the clearing as Biochis, breathing heavily, entered.  Biochis stared at him and was about to shout when Motaro motioned to him to be quiet.  "Biochis, what are you doing here?  And yes, that was Alec himself."

"Alec?!?  And you let him get away?"  Biochis stared at where Alec was standing.

"He came in peace, Biochis.  And he offered peace as well.  And we will accept that peace."  Everyone was about to speak up but Motaro quickly motioned to them and they all stayed quiet.  "One at a time, now."

"You can't go to peace now!"  Biochis yelled.  "We have them right where we want them!  We can wipe Greenhill off the map once and for all!"

Sekretia didn't say a word.

Shaleem nodded to Motaro.  "I believe it is time to finally stop the bloodshed.  This has gone on too long and to purposefully continue the battle when we know we could all end it here would make us no better than the blood thirsty city state."

"I'm sorry, Biochis, but I must agree with Shaleem this time."  Motaro handed a letter to Lucia.  "My daughter, deliver this message to Alec."

"Father, wait."  Lucia remembered what that other glint in Alec's eyes were.  "I'm not sure if this is the best thing to do.  Jowston hates us!  They see us as nothing more than savages who are undeserving of their lives!  They don't care about us at all!  Why should we give in to Alec's offer.... no... Alec's REQUEST... no, not even that... his BEGGING for peace?  They don't deserve this!"

Motaro sighed and knelt by Lucia.  "My daughter.  Do you remember Sekretia's song?"

"Father, I..."

Motaro quitted Lucia down with a wave of his hand, then softly spoke a few of the lyrics to the song.
 

"When the light seems far off,

Don't dismay, no matter what you see.

Justice will always come through.

So to your heart, you must always be true."
 

Lucia didn't say anything as Motaro turned to Biochis.  "Now Biochis, why are you back here?"

Biochis stared for a little longer before shaking his head quickly and looking at Motaro.  "T... they've all been killed.  The Karayans sent to Muse.  Gorudo wiped them all out."

Shaleem gasped.  "That's impossible!  The evacuation plan was foolproof!"

Lucia stared, then remembered whom she had seen on the list of volunteers who went to create the distraction at Muse.  After coming to reality with what the meaning of being wiped out had for them, all she could do was scream, then break into tears...

Lucia went to the back of the academy and pressed the bricks that Veeshara indicated in her papers.  A door to the back of the academy opened up.  "Come on, Paineal, and be quiet.  We don't want to get discovered taking this secret passage."

Lucia slipped through the door and entered the door, to be met with a bunch of students staring at her and Paineal.  Lucia blinked.  "Um.... hello?"

One of the students pointed. "Hey look!!!  Shin is back!!!!  And he looks flabbier than usual!  And much much younger, too.  MUCH."

Lucia glanced at Paineal.  "You really need to get more exercise."

Another student made an observation.  "And he's with another lady.  Wow, Teresa's going to be really mad when she finds her boyfriend has another girlfriend."

"I bet his girlfriend there is a really ditzy slut!"  Veeshara yelled.

Lucia shoved Paineal away, then stepped up to the students.  "I'm not his girlfr..... Veeshara?!?"

The students, including Veeshara, looked around.  "Huh?  Who's Veeshara?"

"Nevermind."  Lucia took out her papers and looked them over.  "I'm the substitute teacher for Philosophy 202.  And Shin here was simply giving me a tour of the building."

"Oh, that's really good."  Veeshara said.  "We were wondering when our teacher would get here.  You're late!"

"We have a substitute teacher!!!"  All of the students cheered.  What were they so happy about?  It wasn't long until Lucia figured out about the "initiation" process that substitute teachers went through.

As she was writing her name, "Teresa Smartas" on the blackboard, a spit ball hit Lucia in the forehead.  When she turned to see who shot it, a paper airplane slammed into her face.

The students grinned.  Lucia's anger faded away as she slowly forced herself to smile.  "Well now, now that we're introduced, let's begin class, shall we?  And what have you all learned in Philosophy so far?"

One of the students raised his hand.  "One philosopher, Bowlo, believes reality is but a mere imitation of the true forms of life.  People are constantly striving to reach these forms, yet never get to them."

Another student raised her hand.  "Another philosopher, Arsetottle, said life is destiny's way of creating the future.  Each and every person's life, even the evil ones, contributes to a better world as time progresses and evil governments are overthrown."

Veeshara raised her hand.  "I have to agree with the philosopher, Kristis Julg, that said that life is what you make out of it.  If you have a positive outlook on life and work hard towards that outlook, then life will be good."

Lucia smiled again.  "That is correct that all of those philosophers said that.  It is also correct that they are all WRONG!"  Lucia slowly wrote on the blackboard, the screeching of the chalk hurting all of the students' ears.  Afterwards, she looked at what she wrote then turned to the students.

"Now read this message slowly after me.  'L I F E   I S   A   B I T C H.'  There, that's not too hard to grasp, is it?"  All of the students stared in shock as Lucia continued.  "Destiny is like an impudent smelly worm that enters your food then devours your innards slowly leading to your death.  People are assholes, always striving to meet their needs and their needs only.  Life is a hell on earth, which none of you will ever be able to escape no matter how much you wiggle and squirm in an attempt to escape, and..."

One of the stupid brats had the nerve to interupt.  "Miss Smartass, I don't believe life is all that bad.  While not perfect, life for me and my friends seemed to have been pretty comfortable here.  We have food, shelter, friendship, knowledge..."

"SILENCE!"  Lucia glared at the student and she quickly shut her damn mouth.  "Have you ever been outside of this little sheltered pot of a city?  The world will eat your naive little ass alive!  The world out there is full of hardships, backstabbing, treachery, and obstacles.  Take, for instance, the Grasslands.  Here the great Karayans must wander the plains and everyday overcome the wandering herds and heat for the simple every day necessities.  While in Greenhill, you have everything handed to you on a silver platter!"

"Well duh."  One of the students muttered.  "The Grasslands is a terrible place!"

Lucia froze.  What   did   he   say?  It took all her willpower to keep from throwing a knife in that student's cursed throat right then.  "I must disagree."  She said with a large hint of anger in her voice.  "I prefer going to the Grasslands over staying in this damn city any day of the week!"

"Hey, I'm just saying what I heard.  But Vanesa knows!  She goes on research trips to the Grasslands often!"  The student and her co-horts turned to Veeshara.

Veeshara glowed a very bright red glow and nervously looked at the students, then Lucia.  What was she nervous about?  Perhaps she was worried about telling the truth to these stupid snotty brats, because they wouldn't believe her and it might give away her true position.

"Well.... ah..."  Veeshara stuttered.  "It's really.... er... hot there.  Yes.  Very hot.  And there's lots and lots of.... um... grass."

The students looked at Lucia and the original punk who first spoke out spoke up again.  "Smartass, I think you think life is a bitch because you're just disgruntled."

Lucia glared, then slowly smiled.  "Why, you are correct.  Life's not a bitch.  I AM."¹  Lucia's whip cracked through the air.

After class, Lucia and Veeshara were talking behind the academy.

Veeshara sighed.  "Lucia, you know that it gets VERY suspicious when you whip the students... including me!"

Lucia grinned.  "I was only acting natural and unbiased, like you were doing when you hit me with that spitball."

Veeshara rubbed her cheek where there was a slight lash mark.  "Yea..... but you know I was only pretending so I wouldn't be suspicious, right?"

Lucia laughed.  "So was I."

Veeshara looked around.  "Don't you have some things to do before you get out of here and leave?"

"Yes.  I'll be leaving this damn place soon enough."

"Well, I have more classes to attend to.  Just..... try not to create a scene and embarass me."  Veeshara entered the academy.

"Try not to embarass me?"  Lucia REALLY hoped that Veeshara was still pretending to be a student when she said that.  She normally wasn't a juvenile delinquent like this.  Must be the effect of the preppy atmosphere around Greenhill that caused her to be like this.  The stupid students were really beginning to get on Lucia's nerves...

The student laughed at her.  "You don't know the formula for energy?  How could you not know the formula for energy?  It's e = m c squared!  That's easy!  You DO know what 'e', 'm', and 'c' are, right?"

Lucia, posing as a student, could only nervously nod in reply.

After the bell rang, she left the class extremely frustrated and with a pretty big inferiority complex, until she finally thought "Screw them!" and realized that the students were all idiots and she was really the only smart one there.  Unfortunately, that one really mean student that kept bugging her through out class continued to follow her.  At least his information helped Lucia find Alec's office to deliver the letter of acceptance.

And he pointed out Alec's daughter to her as well.

"Who's the really popular girl?"  Lucia sarcastically remarked as she looked at the nonexistant crowd of students around her.

"Eeek!  Watch it!  That's the mayor's daughter, Teresa!"  The student gasped.

"Hmm...?  Really?"  Lucia looked at Teresa as she packed up her bags.  She wasn't looking too happy.  There was a sad loneliness in her eyes that reminded Lucia of the loneliness she felt since no one else her age would get near the chief's daughter, especially when she was also a trained killer.  Except Camus, but he was dead.

And that loneliness in those eyes must have stuck around for more than a decade, unless this lady that Lucia saw just happened to have the exact same glint in her eyes behind those glasses as Teresa from way back when.

Could it be?  This random lady walking in the streets of Greenhill was Teresa?  Rinka did say she wasn't in her room.  Her eyes, the aura around her, the way in which she walked...  It mght have been longer than a decade but the events, occurences, and people that Lucia saw during that short frame of time was forever embedded in her memory.  The woman she was looking at didn't look anything like Teresa that Lucia saw in the portraits.  She had a different hair style and a large overcoat, but if the acting mayor really did sneak out of her room she'd probably be in disguise anyway.  And there was no way to disguise the look in those eyes, even with glasses on.

Yes.  It was true.  There she was.

Teresa Wisemail.

The oh-so-popular loved-by-the-masses acting mayor of Greenhill.  An overglorified girl who was born into her position despite the fact that the government of Greenhill is supposed to be a democracy.  A democracy!!!!  The one who twisted public opinion through lies and distortion of the truth so that she could retain power even after her father died without so much as an election.  The bitch who covered up Alec's atrocities in order to preserve her own good name and retain her popularity!

Of course, Lucia was born into her position too(or 'with her responsibility,' as she likes to refer to it as) but Karaya at least didn't pretend to be a democracy like Greenhill did.  And she had nothing to hide from the people of Karaya.  Damn Greenhill with it's word games and lies...

Lucia suddenly realized that the way she was looking at Teresa was probably extremely suspicious, so she quickly backed off.  As Teresa wandered the streets, Lucia followed, not exactly knowing why.  It has just been such a long time since she's last seen that damn Teresa.  She followed Teresa for a while as the sun set, then she paused.  At around the same time Teresa stopped in front of the Greenhill academy.

   It had suddenly come to Lucia's attention that she was only half-trying to keep from being noticed.  She stayed out of sight but she was too caught-up in her anger to be truly quiet like she was trained to be.

Lucia quickly hid right before Teresa turned around.  Teresa knew she was being followed.  It was time to bail.

Lucia walked up to the window sill that Rinka pointed to, leaned against the building, and sighed.  This was getting pointless.  While Veeshara was an excellent informant and managed to discover that secret entrance to the academy as well as the layout of Jowston, she hadn't been able to access any of Greenhill's plans for the war.  But was that really as big a deal as Lucia made it out to be?  Everything seemed foolproof enough.  There was really no reason for Lucia to be here except to double-check on things, and that wasn't very justified either.  The truth was, the plan was already set in motion and there was nothing to stop it.  Lucia was only here so she could get one last look at Greenhill before finally getting revenge.

Jowston goes to war with Highland, both sides fight to a standstill like always, Karaya takes Greenhill in the scuffle, the main military forces of Jowston, Matilda and Tinto don't help because Tinto is too tired and Gorudo will say "Screw them!" out of spite since they failed to make their food offerings to Matilda.... how could she be sure of that?  Veeshara had told her much of Gorudo's greed and she's seen Gorudo and the spite in his eyes, herself... but that was more than ten years ago.  Gorudo... he MIGHT have changed.  Lucia would have to go to Matilda and find out, herself.  If she could just get a good look at him, and see if the greed in his eyes were the same as those in his eyes long ago, then she'd be sure.

It was hard to think with that damn rope jabbing at Lucia's back.  A rope?  Lucia fumbled behind the bushes and pulled a rope leading to the window out from behind them.  As expected, the acting mayor of Greenhill chose a rather unorthadox method of exitting her house.  Lucia climbed the rope and leapt through the open window, leaned back out the window, and repositioned the rope back into its hidden position.  She didn't waste time looking around, though.  Lucia headed straight for the cabins to make sure Greenhill didn't have any emergency last resort plans that could throw her own plan off track.  Nothing, nothing, some noise from the window, nothing.... oh shit.

Lucia quietly slid under the bed.  Despite the intensity of the situation, her breathing and heart beat were barely audible.  It was a good thing she was used to stealth tactics.  She quickly removed her light colored headpiece and stashed it away in her suit. Lucia heard some footsteps and, while wishing she had time to find an actually decent hiding place, hoped that whoever was coming in wouldn't look under the bed.

The rope she just climbed up slammed into her face.

She must have been under that damn bed with that damn rope in her damn face for many hours before the sun finally set and night time came, until the acting mayor of Greenhill was finally asleep.  Of course the reason Lucia was used to stealth tactics was because she was used to assassination maneuvers.  So she knew when someone was asleep and when someone was simply... falling asleep.  Lucia came out from under the bed like those monsters under the bed that kids have nightmares of then stood up and, after getting rid of the cramps in her back, glared at the sleeping acting mayor of Greenhill.

And... speaking of assassination maneuvers....

Lucia stared at Teresa for a little longer.  It could be so easy.  All she had to do was take her knife, bring it above Teresa's chest, and bring it down upon Teresa's heart, assuming she had one.

Lucia held the knife, looked at Teresa, then put it away.  No.  This was different.  She had killed people before under similar circumstances, but always while they were awake.  These people were trained fighters and she always gave them a chance to fend for themselves before putting them away.  Some of them even managed to survive the skirmish.  The Karaya tribe, being forced into becoming a somewhat militarized tribe, respected combat prowess heavily, and to deny someone the chance to prove that prowess by killing them in their sleep... that was murder, pure and simple.

Hmm... interesting.  This was the first time she ever really saw Teresa in over a decade.  She looked... human.  Of course she'd look human, but Lucia always thought of her as a conniving sneak who twisted words and covered up the truth so she would look good in public.  After all, she would never really be that popular if the public learned about what her father did.

Because no country and no decent soul anywhere would tolerate what Alec Wisemail had done....

"I can not go against the chief's orders, but I will not be there for the peace conference.  I am against peace!"  Biochis left the building.

Shaleem sighed.  "It's sad that Biochis has lost so much faith in humanity that he thinks we can not get along.  Well, I'm off to join Motaro.  Lucia, stay here.  Your father shall be back soon."

After Shaleem left the building, Lucia had nothing to do but wait.  She got bored after a short time and decided to find out where the library was located.  She'd be damned if she didn't find out what the hell 'e = m c squared' meant.  She decided she wouldn't stoop to asking any of those snotty students where the library was no matter how long it took for her to find it.

Lucia managed to wander into the basement of the residents hall, where a bunch of dusty old books lay.  Books?  Was this a library?  She had never seen one before.  It was dark down there, so she lit up the nearby candelabra to see better. Suddenly, a secret passage opened up.  Behind it was Master Milich...
 
 
 

Motaro, Shaleem, Alec, Gorudo, and several Karayans, Jowston state soldiers, and Matilda knights stood in the cabin.

"Interesting decore."  Motaro looked around the quaint wooden cabin where the peace conference was being held, then at the one-eyed plants on the table in the room.  "I apologize.  My other advisor, Biochis couldn't come.  He had some things to do.  Sekretia will arrive shortly."

Alec nodded.  "As it is, Gustav was sadly against peace, too."

Gorudo laughed.  "Without the might of Matilda, Gustav is NOTHING!"

"Yes, quite."  Alec muttered.  "Well, shall we begin?"

Shaleem looked around and sighed.  "I will go see what is taking Sekretia so long."  He left the room.
 
 
 

"Lord Milich?  You're alive?"

"Lady Lucia!  Why, tis wonderful to see you again!!!  Seeing you is so much preferred to seeing these evil beasts!  For they are the true savages that are the bane of all noble people like I!  Oh, and you too of course.  Though.... you could stand to have something more extravagant to wear.  I know of a fine ochre hat that I saw in a shop at the knightdom of Camaro.  Might I suggest that?"

Lucia blinked.  "Um...... yea.  But... I thought Alec..."

"As it is, Alec had failed to kill me.  I was but merely wounded rather severely.  It was fortunate that I was wearing my red suit, lest that foul monster get blood stains on my other choices of dress."

It took a while, but Lucia finally managed to get Milich to explain to her in English why Alec spared him.  As it turned out, Alec decided to ask Milich why he was so interested in the eye flowers around Greenhill.  The eye flowers actually contained a hidden potent poison which, when spread through the air, killed in a few days unless one had the antitoxins taken shortly before hand.  Once the poison started to take effect, it was unstoppable.  Alec forced Milich to give him the secret of the eye flower poison and the antitoxin in exchange for Milich's life.  But why would he....  Lucia suddenly remembered that tint of emotion she saw in Alec's eyes when he was begging for peace.

Milich brushed himself off.  "I thank you, Lady Lucia.  But I think it'd be best that I make my leave now before it is discovered that I am free."

Lucia had already run off.  "Oh god.... Father!!!"
 
 
 

"Then it's settled.  Things shall go back to as they were, except no soldier from Jowston shall ever again walk upon the Grasslands with an intent to destroy."  Alec raised his glass.  His hand slipped and the grass came crashing down on the eye-flowers on the table.

The eye-flowers shrieked before they exploded
 
 

Sekretia grabbed onto Lucia's arm.  "Lucia, what are you doing out here?  The forest has some wild monsters in it and isn't very safe."

"Let me go!!!"  Lucia yelled.  "I have to warn him!"  She quickly broke free from Sekretia's grip and ran off as Shaleem walked up to Sekretia.

"Where were you?  Was that Lady Lucia?"  Shaleem watched Lucia run off.

"I was checking on my daughter.  But as for Lucia, I don't know..."
 
 

"The pollen of the eye-flower is perfectly harmless, I assure you.  I wouldn't be so foolish as to be in the same room with one, otherwise."  Alec brushed himself off.  "Besides, to even THINK of doing something like that during a PEACE conference?!  The people of Greenhill alone would never let me get away with it, nevermind the unspoken international law!"

Alec sighed.  "It was unfortunate that the conference had to end on this silly note, but I look forward to finally having peace with the Grasslands."

Lucia had stopped in front of the cabin just as her father exitted it.

"Besides, to even THINK of doing something like that during a PEACE conference?!  The people of Greenhill alone would never let me get away with it, nevermind the unspoken international law!"

Yes, indeed...  But what if the people of Greenhill never found out?  Milich's documentation of the eye-flower poison was secretly confiscated.  And her father had died days later of seemingly natural causes.  There was no way for Karaya to prove what Greenhill had done to them.  No one ever found out.

No one.  Hmm.  Could that include Teresa?  But that's absurd.  As if Alec'd keep it a secret from his own daughter!

But there's always the possibility....

Very well.  One more chance.  Teresa didn't deserve it, but she'd get it anyway.  Lucia took a piece of scrap paper from one of the drawers and began wrote a few words on it, then left it on top of the drawer.  She then heard some footsteps and quickly dived out of the window, resulting in a painful crash when she hit the floor.

Lucia stood up and ran away.  She walked behind the academy.

Paineal took off his turban.  "Sigh.  Everyone in school thinks I'm a student who's a big fan of Shin.  I don't even know who Shin is.  Heck, I'm not even a student here!"  He then put on his ripped up chocobo hat.  "Wow, when I bumped into this lady named Caitlyn, she confiscated my narcisist outfit and tore it up.  Guess she really REALLY didn't like narcisists."

Veeshara stood up and looked at Lucia.  "Whew.  You were late again.  Does Greenhill have anything that can get in the way of your plans?"

"I had some things to do.  And no, they don't."  Lucia stared back at the window sill and watched it close shut.  Surely Teresa must have gotten her note, then.  "We're going to Matilda next."

Veeshara and Paineal didn't make any noises, but Lucia could tell that they didn't like what they just heard.

Paineal finally sighed.  "I thought we were going back to the Grasslands after you checked on Greenhill for yourself."

"Change in plans.  I need to check on Matilda, too.  Veeshara, Paineal, let's go."

"Lady Lucia, may I stay?"  Veeshara inquired.

"Why?  Do you want to rot in these stupid classrooms here?"

"Yes... I mean.... well, it's about that boy, Connell.  I'm sure he's around, and I need just a little more time.  Besides, I think I can continue to serve Karaya better if I stay here, anyway."

"I suppose so."  Lucia motioned to Paineal.  "Come!"

As Paineal and Lucia began to walk away, Rinka crashed in front of them.  "Teresa!  I found you again!  Where are you going?"

   Lucia rolled her eyes.  "I'm heading to Matilda anonymously for some unfinished business."

Rinka waved her spear around.  "Cool!  Can I come along?  Chako's travelling around and seeing the world with his human, Meg.  I'm not going to let him see more of the world than I do, nope nope!"

Lucia shrugged.  "Whatever..."

Rinka put her spear away.  "Oh yea, I have a message for you from that chef guy.  He said that he got a ride from his brother on a boat that belonged to some Black Dragon group and will be er... sending those kobolds on an expedition to the Grasslands... whatever that's for."

Hmm.  The Black Dragon Group.  Ryuko wasn't too interested in that crazy chef cult but he got dragged into it by his older brother, Ryuki.  Well, at least since the group was centered around an island, it had a good makeshift navy, which in this case allowed Lucia to get rid of that burden without a massacre.

Lucia smiled.  They might have been stupid annoying mutts, but it was good to know she didn't have to kill them after all.

Sometimes to win in war, one must make sacrifices.  Sometimes to defeat the enemy, one must be willing to have lives lost.  But once honor and integrity are gone, there is nothing left to fight for.

Unless you are evil incarnate.

Like Greenhill.

Why the window was open?  Teresa had probably just needed some fresh air and forgot to close it before falling asleep.  After closing it, Mistress Caitlin turned to exit the room when she noticed a piece of paper on top of the drawer.  She picked it up and read it over.

It simply read, "Grassland Peace Conference Log  #2067B with attachment Greenhill Plantlife File #342E"

This was bad.  Someone knew.  And that someone wanted to bring Teresa down.  The poor girl didn't have time to be haunted by the ghosts of the pasts.

Mistress Caitlyn put the piece of paper in her pocket.  Did Teresa see it?  Well, it didn't matter.

Because, as per Alec Wisemail's final wish, she had burned that file long ago.

Sekretia knelt by his deathbed and cried.  She had continued to cry longer than anyone else.  Lucia finally came back into the room and knelt by her.

"Mother?"  Lucia had never called her that before.  "T... The song.  Do you still remember the song?"

Sekretia tearfully looked at Lucia and opened her mouth, but nothing came out before she burst into tears again.

Because the song...