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I walk into Gaia's tent, knowing that she'll want to discuss what we had just finished talking about. The tent is completely covered in maps and strategic data for their war against my former nation, the Southern Republics. Being in this room, I feel so out of place. I nervously greet her, "Hello, Gaia."

"Oh hello, Aeneas..."

"What's wrong? Is it what I said?"

"Yes and no. Aeneas, I'm just nervous. I remember the myth now. The one I said that the Northern Alliance has..."

"And what do you think?"

"Well, I might be the 'warrior' that they're talking about."

"You know that I'd support you if you are, indeed, going to be the leader here."

"Yeah, I do. The issue is that it mentions that someone tries to attack me at some point, but it doesn't specify when. I just hope nothing bad happens, Aeneas."

"I hope so too."

Gaia sighs, "So did you finally want to learn about each other tonight?"

"Yeah, that would be cool."

Gaia explains that her powers are somewhat influenced by her mood: she uses water when under duress and prefers earth when calm. I tell her that the time of day affects the strength of my powers and that my mood is affected by the powers I use. The more light magic I use, the more optimistic I am and vice versa.

"We're almost opposites!" she smiles.

"In a good way, of course," I smile back.

"So what's your plan, general?" she asks, taking off the blue robe she had on.

I cough, trying to act professionally again, "Uhh, well I could make us a few trebuchets in the forest cover which could easily breach the walls of the city. We then move the infantry in turtle formation within the breach while I lead a distracting charge straight into their forces. You lead the team that will go through the breached wall."

"And how are you making this equipment?" she wonders.

My paw glows bright with magic, "A little bit of this..."

"Alright. Now promise me that you won't get yourself killed out there."

"I promise," I nod, happy that she cares.

"I'm getting pretty tired, Aeneas."

"No problem. I was about to suggest that you get some rest."

"Would you rest with me?" her tail moves slowly behind her.

"Are you certain? Sleeping together is a bit public at this point," I remind her.

"It's just sleeping. Nothing more. Come on, wolf!"

"Fine, tigress," I slip under the sheets and open them up for her, "Get in!"

She unexpectedly pounces on me, pinning me down with a laugh more appropriate to her age, but rare for her, "Better?"

"Anything's better when you're involved..."

She nuzzles with me before kissing me, "Goodnight, Aeneas."

"You too, Gaia!"

Collapsing on top of me, she makes no effort to move and falls asleep slumped over my chest. In an awkward position, I decide just to let her sleep that way. I want her to have her rest and I feel as if moving her would disrupt her too much. I put one arm around her and stare at the ceiling, hoping that one day, I might make this arrangement with Gaia more secure.

---

"Ready?" I hear Gaia calling.

Shaking my head violently to wake up and running out of the tent, I direct beams of light into the pristine oak forest, making sure my energy was sustained by the light of the sun as some of the trees transmute into the form of siege weaponry as I had planned. "Almost," I tax my reserve of power as the structures are erected.

"Great! I had the troops make projectiles so your plan can work."

The last trebuchet fully completed, I point my hand toward a single weak point in the stone wall of Rjorda and they all aim toward that point, "Thanks...all systems go. I'm ready when you are."

"I've selected my team and I'm taking your leopard and the fox. Your army awaits you by the riverside, general."

"My army? Don't remind me: I'm so used to being an assassin where I didn't have to deal with management."

"You're good at leadership, Aeneas. I'm counting on you. Let's do the impossible," she draws her aqua blue katana in a salute.

I draw my rapier in the same manner, "I know that you're capable of that already."

"Move out!" she roars, calling all her units to mobilize and they form a column behind her, ready at a moment's notice. I wave to Elizabeth and Midas and continue on my way. I hope I don't lose any of my friends here, but all I can do to prevent that is to plan.

She took most of my heavy troops, so I'll have to be cautious about who I have leading the line. Hmm...Maybe I should bait the enemy out by having my vulpine archers lead the charge then fall back as my leonine pikemen engage their infantry. That might just work. Their defenses aren't very good anyway: their military is structured so that they are always on the attack and never defending. The walls are too low to adequately protect any troops and any form of artillery would be exposed to our fire. If we can force their hand and draw them out...it's checkmate.

Strolling over to my men (which is awkward because I was just fighting against foxes and lions a few days ago), I explain the details of my plan and how I want them to execute it. The army of 8,000 would have to be managed by their respective commanders, so I hope I didn't mess up explaining the fine points of the plan to them. I end my speech, "I know that you probably don't trust me because I'm a wolf in your land, but I have a vested interest in seeing this battle succeed. I don't hate you and nor do I hate my enemy, but it's best if we end this fight for liberty here rather than prolong it into a full-fledged civil war. What I need from you is courage. I'll lead the charge: I won't risk anything I wouldn't do myself. We're the distraction, which means I don't need any heroes going solo against the enemy lines. We feign a charge and then hold the line. Clear?"

"Yes, sir!" I hear a chant.

"Awesome. Let's do this."

Getting on the only horse that my men could find me, I supervise the battle formation until the line is fully organized. The morning sun that gleams on the armor of the large army tells me it is almost ten at this point. I glance over at the lush, green fields that will soon serve as the day's battlefield. I feel like all I can do is destroy...it never seems like I do anything to help this land...the trees will just be cover and the hills will serve as fortification and nothing more. That's something I'd like to fix, but the times do not allow me to do so. I must fight or accept the faults of this world. I ride along the front of the line, "This is it! Let your voice be heard proudly! Roar! Howl! This ends here!"

Amongst the deafening noise that ensues, I yell, "FORWARD!"

As the shuffling of my army gets under way, I hear the distinctive sound of a wall falling under pressure. Step One of my plan for Gaia has been completed: the rest is up to her. With the archers in full sight, the loyalist army (as I estimate, probably only 500 troops larger than us) sends out rangers to counter our charge. I cautiously move out of the line of sight of their anti-siege weaponry by sticking to the forested area, which gives my army the tactical advantage as the rangers approached. Halting the troops, I anticipate the enemy advance. I hold the line in a forested area, archers crouching and ready to draw their weapons.

"READY!" the archers and crossbowmen bring arrows and bolts into firing position.

"AIM!" they aim in the general direction of the next patch of forest.

The rangers come into view, realizing much too late how prepared I am for their attack, "FIRE!"

The barrage of arrows and bolts easily whittles away at the numbers of the vulpine rangers and in their wake was only regrettable death and a sense of sorrow. "Good job, everyone. If circumstances were different, I'd congratulate you further, but this isn't over yet. MARCH!" I draw my dueling rapier and ride forth.

Coming back into the city's line of sight from the thick forested area, my intact and well-organized army was not what they expected. To keep the troops safe from artillery, I set one of the catapults in their main barrage on fire using a well-placed shot of light energy. Most of the enemy engineers evacuate their posts, having no water to combat the now raging fire. Obviously disappointed and disoriented by the loss of their rangers and artillery, the city of Rjorda predictably sends out their main infantry, hoping that armored troops would counteract my archer advance.

"Remember the plan," I remind the commander of the pikeman line, a very intimidating lioness who nods in response.

I hear roars as the opposing leonine army barrels in at an unprecedented speed, headed straight into my archers. Why did they have to have the elite troops? Their armor clearly displays the family shield of the king and their weapons seem more artistic than functional. It is as if they thought that expensive equipment was always better. That was a bad mistake to make against this strategy.

"PIKEMEN, STAND YOUR GROUND! ARCHERS, FALL BACK!" As a quick precaution, I send a wave of light toward the eyes of the approaching line that disorients them as they charge, breaking their formation. The plan works like a charm: as the archers retreat, the enemy has no where to run but straight into the leonine line of pikes and halberds awaiting their charge. I feel sick about the casualties on both sides in this conflict so far. I know that I'm with the right people, but I'm hoping that they just surrender so this slaughter won't have to continue.

Using a few spears as prying equipment, my troops breach the main gate of the city and show their happiness with battle cries and whooping. I quiet them down and remind them that many of the people in the area are just civilians as I lead them towards the reassembled enemy line. Just as my archers hone in on the enemy position, Gaia comes from their flank with a devastating charge, routing them and quickly forcing an enemy retreat to their innermost fortress, an extravagant castle built entirely on marble that looks fit for a true leader. One like Gaia. I guess I need to make it clear to her that I really do have some sort of feelings for her. As soon as we're alone, I guess I'll say it and mean it more than anything else I've ever said in my life.

In the wake of our two-pronged attack, just after we began preparations for a siege, the white flag is finally raised at the top of their fortress: they know that they have no chance. Victory is finally ours! Riding up to Gaia, who jumps onto my horse, I smile, "Good job. It's a shame about the losses though."

"I knew you'd say that. I'll make sure that they get a proper burial as defenders of the state, just like you want."

"I never said...oh, wait...you're reading my mind again."

"Also, I will end this peaceably."

"That's nice of you, my lady."

"Keep calling me Gaia. I'm no different now."

"Fine, Gaia. I'll help you finalize the treaty."

Upon entering the white marble fortress, we see the king and general sitting at an ash table across the room from us, having already drafted a treaty to end the conflict.

"Looks like all you need to do is sign," I shrug.

"In front of the man who kidnapped me and the guy who authorized it? Oh, no. You're signing with me."

"Okay, fine. If it makes you more comfortable, I'll sign."

"Thanks, Aeneas."

As we approach the negotiation table, the remnants of the loyalists definitely look surprised to see a wolf (me) with the rebels. I whisper to Gaia, "You think that this is awkward for you? Try being an age-old enemy."

"You'll be fine. Let's get to the table."

The king and general greet us, both dressed extremely well, for the circumstances, "Welcome."

Gaia cuts to the chase, "So...ready to surrender?"

The general reluctantly nods, "Yes, I assume so. My army is in shambles thanks to this wolf."

"Hey! He's not just 'this wolf.' He's the son of two of the Republic's officials and is one of the assassins of legend. He also totally outsmarted you on the battlefield. He deserves your respect!"

I smile and use telepathy, "Thanks for the compliments, Gaia."

"Anytime, Aeneas."

The general scoffs, "Calm yourself, tigress. Or should I remind you of the lesson I taught you the first time you fought me?"

Gaia squirms back, suddenly ashamed of herself as she relives the traumatic experience in her mind. Her eyes dilate, her breathing changes, and she breaks a cold sweat in front of me. Her paws reach for her weapon and she twitches as she restrains herself from drawing it to fight the general for her honor. I drain the dark thought from her mind, absorbing the anger that came with it.

I defend her, stepping in front of the much larger lion and growling in his face, "Yeah, it must have been pretty difficult to face off against an unarmed, untrained, sixteen-year-old, right? That was years ago. This is now. You've lost: now accept it."

The lion, obviously not expecting my forceful reaction to defend Gaia from his vulgar threat, steps away from her in genuine fear of what we can do together.

The king passes the document over to Gaia and explains, "This is our unconditional surrender. You have what you want. Now just leave us be."

Gaia explains to me, tears trickling down her eyes, "We can't just let them go! You know what they did to these people...what they did to me!"

"I understand, Gaia, but violence does not end violence. Let them go. They won't rise against you because frankly, we would beat them again. Come on: do it for me."

"Let me just bring justice upon them. I want to see them pay for what they did. They deserve death! All of them!" a fire of vengeance burns in her eyes, blinding her to the wrongness of the violence she wants to commit as she draws her weapon. I know how ashamed she is, but I can't let her do this!

I grab her paws and force her sword to my feet, "Gaia...I know what they took from you is far beyond my understanding, but you have to see what's happening to you. You're acting exactly like they did: cruel and unfeeling. You and I both know that's not you. You're a kind tigress who wants liberation, not a dictator who desires for the eradication of a whole people."

She calms down, her battle rage finally ending as she returns to her normal self, "You're...right. I...I'm sorry. What was I thinking? Aeneas, please don't think I... Please!"

"I understand, Gaia. Just sign and let this end."

---

As noon passes and the afternoon begins, Gaia signs the treaty, proudly claiming victory over her oppressors with the use of a quill rather than at the end of a blade. I sign underneath her, just because she wanted me to, saying that I had done just as much as she had. The text of the treaty follows:

There will be no prosecution of those who fought against us in the battle in exchange for the promise of total peace. Rjorda will now be a free society and, upon signing the treaty, The tigress, Gaia, will be given the great responsibility of being the Northern Alliance's monarch, though she may still operate as an assassin if she chooses to do so.

After the treaty had been approved of and archived, the King and General leave the castle with the few troops that they have left and ride away from the city, never to return, as dictated by Gaia's decree. With business finally concluded, I notice just how lavish this castle is. Tapestries cover the marble walls and bronze statues of former royalty line the carpeted hallways. Someone could get lost in a place like this.

In the mood for exploration, Gaia and I walk into her flawless new chambers as Queen (which are lined in treasures) and decide to talk about the day's events in a room to ourselves. It was a comfortable setting, reminding me of a feeling that I didn't really understand. Curious, I set aside the strange sentiment until later.

"I'm really glad that you ended the conflict in negotiation," I smile.

"I knew you would be. Aren't you proud that you've ruined another assassin with all your talk about peace and love?" she laughs.

"I am. You know that I won't mind if you leave me to rule your people, right?" I remind her.

"There's no fun in being a leader, Aeneas. It's all about fighting yourself. That's the important part."

"I know, but it's a bit different now and I wanted to give you a choice. Thanks for staying with me."

"No problem. You would have missed me too much if I was away from you."

"That's very true. Thanks again. Maybe we should talk about something important..."

As I made that statement, a cold wind enters the room out of nowhere and the shape of a hooded figure appears and suddenly grabs Gaia, "Help!"

She struggles against the shadowy figure, but the anonymous assailant easily holds her in stasis with some corrupted form of magic. She tries to escape one last time before her eyes close and she seems to be suspended in the air by some unknown force. I know that he's harming her somehow, but the hooded figure doesn't say a word.

"Who are you?!" I draw my rapier and dagger, ready to strike.

"You know me as Fate," a male's voice breathes out icily, bringing thoughts of animosity to my mind.

"What are you doing to Gaia?!" I bark angrily.

"Draining her of her memories. A free Rjorda means a free Northern Alliance. That can't happen. Otherwise, the balance is offset. You two cannot be together. That is not how the world should be."

"It is how the world should be: without violence and war between our people. Now stop hurting her!" I howl, lunging at him with my knife, but the blade encounters no resistance and passes straight through him.

"Good try..." the hooded figure chuckled, "I'm not hurting her. The tigress is slowly forgetting who she is...or was, rather...and will be a nice guard for me at the end of the process. She won't remember you: it's not worth it to fight me."

"You scum!"

He begins to take her away, teasing me, "Oh well. Looks like our little hero can't do anything to save the tigress he loves. Typical. Isn't that right?" he moves to grab her.

A dark aura radiates off of my body as I direct shadow daggers at his chest that he easily defends himself against (but at least keep him from physical contact). I yell, exasperated, "Don't you DARE touch her!"

"Ha! Trying to harm me! That's hilarious!"

"Get away from her. Now!"

"You have no power over me. Or over her for that matter."

Trying to overcome the dark energy that I was dangerously building up, I redirect my energy toward a purging spell, developing an orb of pure light. I reach a sufficient charge on the spell and release it, thinking about how much I'll miss her if I fail here and he takes her away. I can't let her go: it would be worse than death for me. I never before was able to express to her exactly how much she me meant to me and this is my chance to show it.

"I find it humorous that you thought your mediocre incantations could have any effect on the effects of my spells."

The hooded male shrugs at my attempt at a spell and throws Gaia's unconscious body over his shoulder, "I find it humorous that you thought your mediocre incantations could have any effect on the effects of my spells. Better luck next time. Too bad that you won't have this tigress with you for the next battle. Otherwise, you two would be unstoppable together..."

He starts to walk away from me, taking Gaia away.

I hesitate, before yelling the one thing that I was waiting to say, "GAIA! WAKE UP, DAMN IT! I LOVE YOU, TIGRESS!"

She slowly lifts her head, "Ae-Aeneas!" Her body springs to action as she uses the teleportation trick I showed her to travel back to me.

I hug her closely, "Thank the Heavens you're okay, Gaia!"

"What...happened? I feel like I was dead or something..." she shudders as she regains control of her body.

Just as she speaks, Fate throws a dark energy spear directed at Gaia's chest, but I dash in front of it, accepting death to protect her from harm. The spear runs straight through my body and I feel as if I'm on the brink of death, but the wound instantly heals, as if the spear never hit me. Nevertheless, the experience makes me fall to the floor in shock.

"AENEAS! NO!" Gaia unleashes a torrential hail storm of sharp ice that hurts Fate in a way that my blade couldn't. She strikes him repeatedly with her katana, surprising Fate, who thought himself invulnerable to such attacks. Thoroughly injured, he disappears as quickly as he appeared and Gaia runs over to me.

"Just a scratch..." I tried to laugh, but it hurt beyond reckoning.

She cries, "You stupid, stupid wolf! You jumped in front of the spear! Why? I'm not worth it! I should've died for you! You're more valuable to the world than I am!"

"Nonsense. I can't have the Queen dying on my watch, can I?"

"How can you joke like that when you're about to die?" she rips bottom portion of her robe, ready to use it as a tourniquet for me, but upon checking my wound, she finds that my armor is still intact and there wasn't any sign of bleeding, "What? A spear just went through you! You should be dead!"

"Disappointed?" I groan, still feeling pain from it.

"Of course not, but...how?" she carries me into her bed and lets me rest, "What exactly happened?"

I struggle to sit up to face her, until she helps me up, "Fate tried to kidnap you and wipe your memory so that you'd be his warrior and we couldn't defeat him later on."

"I'll enjoy overthrowing that jerk..."

"He obviously didn't plan on us caring for each other so much that we'd do anything for each other."

"You would really do anything for an ordinary tigress like me?"

"You're not an ordinary tigress, Gaia. For one, you're probably the strongest warrior in the world. Secondly, you're the best looking female out here. Thirdly..." I'm interrupted as she shuts my muzzle.

"Oh shut up! You're just saying those nice things because you're infatuated with me."

I remove her paws from my muzzle and laugh, "I am infatuated with you and it also happens to be that you are the best person in the world. It's not that complicated."

She makes a happy purr, "And I have the company of the handsomest and smartest person..." She helps me stand on my own two feet (the pain having mostly subsided) and gives me a hug before realizing that her guard had entered the room.

"I heard a commotion up here. Anything I can do, Queen?" she asked.

"No...yes actually. Tell no one about what I'm about to do..." she leaves the room, leaving me standing there awkwardly in the center of her bedroom.

She comes back holding an ornate ring, "What's that, Gaia?"

"My signet ring. Now our signet ring."

"Wait...that's cheating. I'm your general, advisor, assistant, and ring-keeper? What's next?" I laugh, forgetting how much it hurts.

"My husband?" she smiles, but I can tell her response is serious.

"Are you still in heat or something?" I jest and she pushes me back onto the bed for it, "No! I love you, you annoying wolf!"

I tease, "Annoying? That's pretty harsh."

"Oh, I can be harsher..." she smiles deviously.

"Trust me, I know. How was your sleep last night? I forgot to ask," I wonder as I get myself off the bed the second time.

"It was great! Surprisingly so. The bed we had seemed a bit stiff at points, but it was fluffy enough."

"You do realize what you slept on, right?"

"I said a bed, right?"

"No, you fell asleep on top of me," I laugh.

She laughs back, "Are you serious?"

I nod with a smile.

"Oh, Heavens! I'm so sorry, Aeneas! I didn't realize! That's why it felt all bony!"

"Hey! I have a personality: I'm not an 'it'!" I feign disappointment.

"I know you're not. So I wasn't dreaming when I felt someone pawing through my fur?"

I blush, "Umm...that was me."

She smiles, "You kept me warm all night, Aeneas. It was really nice of you to let me sleep even though it wasn't comfortable for you. You always give me hope about this world, wolf. Thank you..."

After a brief pause, I broke the silence, "I think I might have an idea about how to defeat Fate."

"What is it?"

"Well, you get how once I overcame my rage and thought about you he couldn't keep you under his spell, right?"

"Yeah, it wasn't part of his plan."

"And how when I sacrificed myself for love, the spear didn't actually kill me?"

"Wait! You think that when we show our mutual care, he loses power?"

"Exactly. You started actually hurting him when I was injured on the floor."

"So how does that give you a plan to defeat him?"

"We do the unexpected..."

"Which is?"

I turn around, quickly grabbing a iron dagger which I melt into two matching luminescent rings. I kneel before her and barely get the words out, "Gaia...I love you. Umm...would you, well, be alright with me courting you?"

"Aeneas..." the tigress looks away, "Aeneas, I'm not good enough for you. Marry a wolf! I shouldn't have even asked you yesterday..."

"No, Gaia. I don't care about that. If anything, I'm not good enough for you! I'm still just an assassin; you're the Queen of the Alliance now. I know I didn't commit myself to you yesterday, but I wanted to make sure I was in love with you for the right reasons. My life's not about anything other than you, Gaia, and having you almost taken away from me made me realize that. Now, I may not be the best and I know that you're concerned about what people will think about a cross-species couple, but I don't care if you don't care. If you want to wait or something, that's fine but..."

The tigress wipes away her tears and interrupts my sentence, "I can't stand waiting any longer! I don't care what anyone thinks anymore: I agree. Heavens, I'm dating a wolf...weird, but I'll do it anyway." She takes the ring and slips it onto one of the digits of her paw, letting it glow bright.

"It was a bit improvised. I can always get you a real ring if you'd like."

"It's perfect, Aeneas. What's next?"

"I guess we make it official. If you're really sure that you actually intend to carry on like this in the future."

"Oh, I'm sure. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm in love with you and I won't accept you not being a part of my life. You're my only friend, Aeneas. They say friends make the best couples."

"Who says that?" I ask her, calling her bluff.

She laughs, "I do..."

"I understand if you're anxious. I'm nervous too. I haven't even talked to my parents once about you...but I don't need to. If you're sure about me, then I'm sure about you!" I give her a quick, nervous hug, which she returns.

"So should we find your leopard and that fox and tell them?"

"I guess, but can you carry me? I'm still in pain..." I stumble jokingly.

"Lazy wolf," she teases, running out the door as I pursue her down the stairs and finally reach her when she finds the two.

---

"Hey guys," I greet Elizabeth and Midas while leaning on Gaia in the Main Hall of the castle. The place is decorated in a war-like fashion, shields and axes everywhere with barely any art or long-range equipment. No surprise because of the stereotypical attitude of the Alliance, but I still had a longing to see something less violent around. Elizabeth seems to have just finished healing up fallen soldiers and looks up, happy to see us. Gaia whispers, "Well, tell them..."

"Gaia has something to tell you," I announce .

The tigress growls angrily at me while they wait expectantly, "Well, Aeneas and I have been talking and we're officially dating now, so yeah. That's it."

Elizabeth hugs me, "Yay! I'm so happy for you, Aeneas! That's great, you two!"

Midas laughs, "You're welcome at my house in Onnela anytime. The records do already show you two being a couple!"

I answer, "Thanks, guys. Oh, we also fought Fate, I almost died, and Gaia was winning against all odds upstairs, but that's not as important in the current situation."

Midas wonders, "Oh, Heavens! How did it go?"

Gaia replies, "Aeneas saved me from his spells, but...I think I need revenge. No one tries to hurt my friends and gets away with it. Midas, could you hold the city? Aeneas and I have some preparations to make."

"Of course, Gaia. Elizabeth and I need some time together anyway."

We walk away together, headed for the balcony of the castle that overlooked the city of Rjorda. Despite the title, "The City of Sorrow," the iron city looked beautiful as the sun set and the stars shined from the Heavens, "You have no clue how happy I am that you accepted my proposal, Gaia."

"I'm really happy that you'd ask me."

"Did you want to go talk to your parents about it? I could send you there."

"No. I'd only leave if you came with me."

"We could do that now, if you want."

"No...tomorrow? It's going to be horrible trying to explain it to them."

"Any reason why?"

"I took a vow that I would never fall in love. I told them I could never find a proper mate. That was right before they took me away from them..."

"I understand why you felt that way."

"Aeneas, I hadn't met you yet. I didn't know."

"It's fine by me. I'll help you get there and you can do all the rest," I promise.

"Thanks, Aeneas."

The last rays of the setting sun reflects brilliantly against Gaia's tiger fur and her usually hidden beauty is shown for all to see, "You look great, Gaia. I had to say it: sorry if you're not comfortable with that."

"I am less likely to be upset when you say it, Aeneas," she turns to face me, her hair being blown by the wind, "Are you sure about this? About me?"

I nod, "I'm positive. I'm done denying it, Gaia."

Blushing and looking down, she realizes that her robes are in tatters, "Darn. It looks like I'm wearing a dress rather than assassin's robes."

I look down at my own robes and realize that they're totally torn open and try to cover myself up with what I have, "Yeah. Our clothes are a bit battle-torn," I say, using a little magic to mend both of our robes.

This time, she breaks the silence, "Aeneas...do you have the feeling that we're here for a reason?"

"We are, Gaia."

"Not only for our people, but...us together. Do you think that we were always meant to be with each other? Like how do you explain that elk giving me the necklace I gave you? Or how I met you randomly while walking? I just feel like you are my perfect match. I really want to be your mate: you're the only person I've ever trusted with my life."

"I'm not sure. All I know is that I trust you with my life too, Gaia, and I always want you near me. You make me feel as if I matter."

"I won't ever leave you, Aeneas," she smiles, "So you'd better not leave me any time soon."

"You know I won't."

"Come on, wolf. Let's get back to my room and sleep a little."

"Wait a second. Let's just wait here until the stars shine."

"I forgot about your fascination with the moon and stars, Assassin of Light. Okay, let's take a seat on that bench then."

At some point, we both ended up staring directly into the night sky. The time just went by, without a single memory except for the feeling of her left arm against my right and her paw in mine. The stars beckoned us both to sleep and we followed them, ready to rest after such an eventful day in our lives, together at last...

---

"Aeneas!"

"What is it, Gaia?" I ask, hearing a voice almost exactly like Gaia's behind me, but upon turning, I see a figure with an obscured cloak walking toward me, with no sort of background or environment around the scene...just an open plane.

"Hello! Do you remember the elk?" she asks.

"Yes. And you're not Gaia, are you?"

"That is true: I am not the tigress. I came here to remind you of some of the dangers of your task. It is much more than partnership that you need to defeat Fate, though it is a great first step, I must add. There are relics that you must find before Fate uncovers them. Many are held inside a grotto by a northwest enemy stronghold. Darn, I shouldn't have said that! This whole dream-walking business is harder than it seems, although I have no doubt that you could do it much faster than I did since you sort of do it with Gaia that one time. By the way, I'm Theodora. I'm..."

The vision ends abruptly as the elk returns, leaving me confused, "What happened?"

"I couldn't have her complete that thought. That information is not for you to know."

"But who is this Theodora?" I wonder.

"A very important individual. I cannot discuss her any further. Her words, however, are quite important. You need the relics to have enough power to defeat or at least match up with Fate without almost perishing."

"But where is she? Can you at least tell me that?"

"She is with you," he answers cryptically, "But heed my advice about the relics."

"I understand what you mean about the relics, but something is bothering me about that girl before. Do I know her?"

"Not yet. Though she obviously has a great deal of power as you can see by her ability to dream walk. Now can you focus on the present?"

"Yes. Sorry. I will find the grotto as soon as possible."

"Don't apologize: I understand your curiosity. Theodora was a bit too overt about the location, but yes, there is a grotto that you must find together. Of course, you will be the one using the relics, but the tigress will prove useful on the journey. You already know how powerful she can be. I'm proud of how you jumped in front of that spear, Aeneas."

I clench my chest remembering that moment, "You know about that?"

"Yes. That was a dangerous and foolhardy move, but that commitment is why I knew you were the right person to bring over to this world."

"Thanks. I just hope I'm as good as you think I can be."

"You are. Fate will be somewhat quiet for a short time as he recovers from his wounds. This is your opportunity to prepare for your next engagement. You will win if you have hope. Stay strong, Assassin."

---

"Aeneas, are you okay?" I hear the real Gaia call.

I open my eyes to see her shaking me awake, the sun shining brightly on the balcony, "What! What's happening?"

"Nothing. You were talking in your sleep. Something about a Theodora?"

"Yes! Some strange vision of a girl named Theodora told me to visit a grotto near an enemy camp to get some important items. She sounded just like you, actually."

"That's really strange..."

"I know. It actually bothers me. She was with the Elk, who told me that I wasn't supposed to know anything about her."

Gaia looks shocked for a second, "Aeneas, could it be...? No, that's impossible. Never mind."

"What?" I ask, interested in what she thinks.

"It's nothing."

"Come on!"

"Fine...Can I read your mind to see her?"

"Of course."

Gaia closes her eyes as she focuses on my memories and she seems to take a longer time than I thought she would, "Gaia, are you okay?"

She slowly opens her eyes, looking as if she'd seen a ghost, "Yes. I'm...fine. Just confused. I don't know. Who could she be?"

"The elk told me that she's 'with me,' but that doesn't make sense, right?" I ask her, more for my own sanity.

"Yeah, that doesn't make sense," she affirms, before walking toward the bathroom, "Aeneas, I'm going to go take a bath. I'll be ready to head to my parent's house in about an hour."

"I'll wait here, then," I declare.

"Come with me, actually. We might need to talk."

"About what?"

She condenses water into the bath with her signature powers and I lend some of my energy to heat it up, "Well, this is purely hypothetical, but who wears a cloak?"

"An assassin."

"And who has the power to dream walk?" she slips off her robes and jumps into the bath.

"Apparently me. And the elk," I sit outside of the bath, but still close to her.

"And who does she sound like?"

"You."

"And if she was an assassin of these lands, wouldn't one of us have met her?"

"Yeah, probably."

"And how is she with us? Aeneas, could it be?"

"I thought so at first too, but that would mean..."

"Yeah. There's no other explanation."

"The combination of your skill and my voice: it's too significant to be coincidental."

Shocked, we say in unison, "She's our daughter?!"