Arc 2: Noble City IIIS: Perspectives II

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihon-koku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 2: A City A Diplomacy A Dragon.

Noble City IIIS : Perspectives II

Where does she even begin?

Adventure had been a part of her family for a very long time. Exploring vast lands and seas, meeting new people, and even hunting massive beasts are all possibilities. As a young girl, she was still figuring out her place in her family, and as the daughter of the Orient's famed circus business, she had plenty of opportunities to forge her own path.

For her father's part, he had finally realized his dream of bringing happiness to the creatures and people he encountered during his own adventures by providing a place where they might discover their own purposes in life.

In the middle of it all, she was given the responsibility for making these creatures feel at ease in their new home. However, it appeared that gigantic wooden or iron cages placed in a large tent did not look like the part and more a of a prison for them.

She didn't appreciate how they were dragged into that part of the process, even though her father owned a big plot of land where the rest of the creatures could have their own privacy and freedom in the end.

It was unfortunate that several remained and are now performing without even obtaining appropriate rest, occasionally abused, and mostly served their duty as the chief source of money and profit for the business.

Carrying a single basket and a lantern, the little girl stood boldly in front of the massive iron cage, and as she carefully removed the shroud that covered it, a glimmer of excitement entered her eyes as she finally spoke.

"Sorry for being late, Mr. little foot," she said as she sat down on a small stool. "The rehearsals just ended, and father wanted to make sure we remembered our steps," she explained as she looked up.

In the darkness beyond the cage, a pair of huge slitted yellow eyes emerged followed by a slight growl indicating that she had got its attention.

Instead of being gripped with dread, the small girl's lips curled into a smile.

She reached out and softly patted the dragon's snout without reluctance. The creature closed its eyes slightly as it sensed the girl's comforting greetings.

It was constantly yearning for that special affection that it hadn't felt since being torn from its mother.

It was fortunate that it was covered in darkness since it did not want the small girl to see the blood marks of the different people who had before sought to inflict pain and control it.

When it saw the only friend it had made in this dreadful prison, its eyes softened and relaxed.

The little girl, for her part, grinned as she picked something from the bread basket she was holding.

The creature's attention were drawn to what appeared to be a rectangular-shaped yellowish-golden bread the size of a large box, as though it knew the type of snack. Its eyes opened with delight as it waited like a puppy.

"I just knew you liked this kind of snack," the little girl replied, laying the bread a few inches away from her friend. As it ate the snack, the food disappeared in front of her." If you're wondering, my father had a friend from one of the Dwarf Kingdoms, and He sent us a lot of these snacks," she revealed.

The dragon ended up eating several more breads, and for the first time, it was not frightened and seemed to enjoy its meal.

In truth, the creature remembered a group of dwarves entering its domain to make an offering. It was the first time it had tasted such wonderful food, and it eventually became the food that would represent a way to make peace with them.

In fact, it was a long-time favorite snack of folks who resided near the mountains.

The little girl continued observed the creature in the midst of the silence around them. Not too long, she was able to strike a small conversation even there was an obvious communication barrier between them. Nonetheless, she spoke...

"You know...Mr. Little Foot, I wonder why father didn't let you stay in the fields.." She innocently remarked." It's a much better place there than being here..."

The creature responded with a small growl.

A wave of disappointment filled her eyes. Thanks to her habit of eavesdropping, she found out it was a decision made by the other heads of the circus to let it stay here, for fear of it causing ruckus amongst the other circus animals.

To her protest, the creature wouldn't even harm someone unless it was being threaten or facing a stressful situation where its life was on the line.

All of it goes back to the latter's captors and as well as the intended purpose of them.

""I'm sorry you have to be in this mess," the little girl said, her solemn expression changing to a hopeful smile. "Whatever happens...I'll look after you and make sure no one hurts you."

In the midst of this, a gust of wind rushed by her, and for a little minute she felt as if someone was observing her from afar, before turning around to confront nothing but the dimly illuminated surroundings.

She blinked a number of times, unsure what was going on since it seemed like something had occurred without her knowledge.

Perhaps it was one of the guards who got himself drunk again, clumsily breaking things down in his way.

Could it be that a dog is chasing a cat in the vicinity, or vice versa?

Or was it just her imagination?

Despite this, she shook it off and sought to resume the conversation, yet when she finally turned back towards her companion, she met him in the eyes.

The creature's expression was somber as he peered into her soul.

For a few moments, the little girl froze before recognizing what was going on.

"You wanted to tell me something, Little foot?" she whispered as she approached it slowly.

Despite the warnings not to touch it, a part of her was compelled to do so. She was only just few inches away from her friend when she raised her hand and finally touched the creature's skin.

Then memories began to flicker before her eyes. Moving landscapes and sights of mountainous regions, followed by recollections of hundreds of dragons and countless communities having thrived there for a very long time.

Among all of them, one scene in particular had piqued her interest.

A massive ancient temple towers above the mountains, and within it resides the most fearsome dragon that have ever lived on the land. As the lands' guardian, the familiar huge red figure presided, and behind her was the creature itself.

Her friend...

Soon, her recollections would transport her to a group of people who had ventured into the area. They donned what appeared to be soldier's armour and brought their best weapons with them.

The girl looked horrified as these men progressively began to cause turmoil in the region, particularly by hurting and capturing her friend.

As for its mother, she attempted to save her offspring but was eventually cut down by the dark sword of a cloaked figure, who sent her to an unknown place.

'Oh no..."

The little girl wanted to helped, but unfortunately she wasn't able to move her body and could only watched in sorrow and anger.

"Let him go!"

She demanded, and even tried to stop them, only to fail and be ignored by the men.

Alas, the little creature could roar in agony and finally it looked up towards the sky and roared once more.

By then, the memories ended and she was brought back to her own reality. She gasped for her breath as her mind tried to comprehend what she had seen.

She returned her gaze to the creature, seeing its sorrowful eyes as it completed its goal of telling her the truth about its imprisonment.

Silence returned as quickly as it had gone.

Not long after, the drapes opened and a group of guards led by a middle-aged man entered the premises.

"Leia! What are you doing here!?"

Her father had arrived, accompanied by furious and concerned expression.

"How many times, I've told you not to enter this place! It's too dangerous!" He began to scold her daughter.

"Father, you must free him...This is not his home."

"Nonesense!"

The little girl tried to muster the strength to speak up, but she was quickly removed from the scene. Her only move was to look at her friend, who was now encircled by the same soldiers, ready to tame him anytime he struggled and broke away.

The father did the same, giving the poor thing a stern look before leaving the rest to the guardians. Not seeing that a hooded figure remained on top of the iron cage, keeping situation under control.

The hooded figure then turned to face the little girl, raising his hand and saluting her.

Apparently, visiting hours are over.

The moon has risen as the day of reckoning approaches.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is He waking up?

"No, I don't think He's going to wake up."

"What happened to him?"

"Oh no! Looks like poweful magic had rendered him into a sleepless curse!"

Finding himself in the darkness, it was the various voices that kept calling his attention. Confused, Albrecht tried to follow the voices only to lead him to the same surroundings.

An Endless Void...

He tried to recall what had happened, but his memory refused to cooperate. He tried to yell, but no voice came out of his mouth, and the thought of being stuck in this unending emptiness occurred to him.

However, a little ray of light appeared over him moments later.

"For fucks sake, Let me handle it."

He immediately recognized the annoyed voice..

And the next thing he knew, the light grew bigger and powerful enough to engulfed him.

He could hear and feel everything from that point on.

The bustling noises of an inn, the voices of familiar people, and a very sharp unfamiliar smell that instantly brought him back to his senses.

"He's awake! Guys' Albrecht is alright"

"Master Ramsay, used his mysterious magic again and it never ceases to amazed me!"

Following that, multiple voices neared him, and when the boy opened his eyes, the only thing he could see out of the blurry vision is none other than the blonde chef himself. Staring at him with a serious look.

"For the last time, Don't call me Master you dumdum!"

"Sorry chef!"

"And No! That was not fucking magic, ever heard of smelling salts before darling?"

The situation had turned into a much better note as the boy found himself resting on a bed while being surrounded by his companions and some of the staff from the Lonely Lamb. All were curious faces while some gave concerned looks, especially for the ones that brought him here.

"W-What happened?" Albrecht had finally said something.

It didn't take too long for him to get a response.

"I don't know big boy, you better ask them instead..." Chef Ramsay replied back, as he stood up." Closing time got delayed because of your arrival, but shit fucking happens eventually." The blonde man shrugged and added, as he left the room.

"I'll leave you guys here for awhile..." He said, disappearing from the scene." Things are still a mess downstairs..."

Once the old geezer chef had left, now that the boy was bombarded by questions and became even more confused.

Giselle emerged as if she were a phantom from the corner of his eye. Her calm-concerned eyes met the boy's "Albrecht, are you alright?" She responded with her own words, also checking the boy if he still had Injuries.

Instead of being startled, the teen rubbed his temples in irritation. "Yeah, I'm fine Giselle," he simply said before returning to his question.

"Can someone kindly explain what happened and why we're back here?"

It seemed that his mind was still in the mission, forgetting important part which led him to be here.

Few moments of quietness went by before a certain cat girl answered him.

""Well, Boris and I had just packed up after the successful festival promotion, and we were planning on waiting for you two until Ms. Giselle arrived carrying you unconscious," Selina had stated as she came in through the door.

The teenager grew even more perplexed.

"I was...? But I..." He wondered until his mind finally engaged and the memories began to flood in.

He finally remembered.

The sacred offspring inside the lone iron cage.

The little girl.

And the mysterious hooded figure, whom he had briefly crossed paths with.

"Someone had attacked you and almost killed you...Am I correct?" Giselle spoke once again, carrying a serious tone.

The boy immediately stopped being in denial and nodded to the Draconian's clarification.

"Yes, I was just this close to capturing the offspring but...I really don't know what I've encountered after that."He explained.

At the same time, another recognizable voice emerged.

"You encountered something that is not even mortal."

In a small of flash light, a certain spirit familiar appeared just right in front of him. The rest of everyone stared at the newcomer with very surprised looks.

Albrecht widened his eyes, finally remembering the last pieces of the memory.

"Y-You're the one who saved me..."

As he landed on the wooden table, the little Chirithy simply shrugged. "Barely..." he responded.

"But it's great to finally meet you, Albrecht," he continued with a smile.

"I am Terra..."

The boy looked at him in surprise, realizing that all that had happened before was not a dream. "Uhh, nice to meet you," he said, unsure what to say next.

"Tell me, Albrecht, what did you recall before you were unconscious?" questioned the familiar.

By this point, the teenage adventurer was trying to remember anything. "I-I was about to sneak up on the dragon and drop a sleeping spell on him when I noticed someone standing on top of the cage."

The others kept quiet while they listened.

"I-I'm not sure what it was, but it wore some type of cloak, and I only realized it had been following me since I entered the tent..." the boy explained, shivers running down his spine.

The young Draconian's expression became puzzled as she pondered the identity of the mysterious attacker, and the more descriptions he provided, the more concerned she became. Certainly, the type of power that the attacker possessed was alarming.

"And when you came to the rescue, It was already behind me and-"

Terra volunteered to finish his sentence.

"Going to chop your head off."

Another round of silence then took over.

Albrecht stared at the familiar spirit with widened eyes." Y-Yes, something like that." He remarked, before taking a glance at his apostle friend.

"Do you have any idea what could have killed me or the person guarding the cage? " He then inquired.

Terra could only sigh, "Well, I guess whatever attacked was obviously human in form." He then added, "But, I don't have a definitive answer so far." He explained." It could possibly be a mercenary for hire or a Hero warrior that is using dark magic."

"Dark magic...?"

"Correct! You saw the dark essence itself emanating from your attacker... No ordinary guard could have had that form of power." Terra smirked. "Looks like they paid someone from outside of this realm to kill whoever comes across the beast." He questioned. "As if it's not just there to be part of the circus debacle."

Giselle then blinked a couple of times." Do you mean there's more to this than meets the eye?" Her suspicions were starting to arise.

Terra simply nodded.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me Giselle." The Chirithy smiled and said." Now, you know that this is not just some normal illegal smuggling of sacred dragons to perform in a circus."

"Then what the heck is really going?" The boy then said.

Quietness took over once again.

Terra couldn't believe he was going to share the most of the crucial facts he had obtained throughout his own personal investigation. He took the decision, though, because he believed the others in the room could be trusted.

"My investigation is still currently in progress, but I was able to acquire some details regarding more about the transactions," the Chirithy remarked, lifting his hand and summoning a single envelope with a bit of his power.

"And now I know that the circus was not contacted by just any ordinary organization."

The envelope which in turn bear a familiar red seal.

I don't understand...Why is the Empire involved in this? " Giselle questioned, still stunned. "I always suspected it was going to be a separate organization unaffiliated to them," she remarked.

Why are they even interested in capturing the Flame Dragon's offspring?

Terra smirked back, "It's because it's only a distraction or a signal for something more bigger," he explained.

"Whatever intentions they had, they're going to finish this war starting with the city itself."

The room became quiet once again as the rest found themselves struggling to absorb the revelation of the plot to destroy the city of Maihark.

The question now was how they were going to respond to this?

"We're gonna need all the help we can get..." Terra spoke once again as he gazed upon the Draconian apostle with a confident smile.

"Starting with you of course..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group couldn't believed that they would be returning back to headquarters during the night.

When the streets were all on their way to sleep, the green iron fort was the only one that remained very much alive, continuing to make noise that would have disrupted the peace completely, but fortunately, not a single soul was reacting to their presence.

It was even quieter inside the vehicle.

"So, did you guys find anything?" Hitoshi had been meaning to ask the other group.

Unfortunately, the most of them were not in the mood to chat at this point. Exhaustion had clearly caught up with them, as Tomita, Higashi, and Shino were already napping. He and Kurata, who was driving the vehicle, have been the only ones awake.

"Not a single trace of any villager..." Kurata sighed." Turns out, What was left of Ms. Tuka's relatives had chose to stay in the city and who knows which part..." He explained.

"It's going to be a needle in a haystack situation."

It was definitely a downer and to know that they almost barely survived the challenges in the wilderness.

Hitoshi could only gaze in disbelief at the news." Oh, that's kinda sad..." he muttered, leaning back in his seat and looking at the elf girl, who was surprisingly still awake..

"So what happened with you guys at the library?" It was the Otaku soldier's turn to ask.

"Nothing much." The young man replied casually." Aside from Tomita sleeping his ass off, I became somewhat of an Assistant Librarian."

Kurata widened his eyes." You did...?" He remarked, wondering if the latter secretly brought his resume for the place.

"Yeah...for some ghostly librarian lady, who used to work there a long time ago..." He replied back, recalling the certain scene and still in disbelief for not noticing that the old lady was alredy floating in the air by the time he had crossed paths with her.

"And you're not creeped out about it...?"

"Of course I am...But I'm ain't afraid of no ghost..." Hitoshi then sighed, remembering an even more scary scenario back at Coda village." What matters is that we found what were looking for."

Kurata widened his eyes in surprised." Oh yeah, you haven't told me that yet." He remarked." What did you find exactly...?"

Another sigh emerged from his friend.

"Just a book..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lelei was tired, and after what felt like hours of reading, her eyes had finally given up, not because she had failed her mission.

She did miss the cool atmosphere inside the green vehicle, and she relished every bit of it as a chance to recover before attempting to read the book she had brought back.

The mage laid her head on the comfy cushion, spending much of her time looking out the window and admiring the city's now silent streets which were lit up by beautiful street lamps. The scene was enough for her to dive deep into her thoughts.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself.

The first time she had questioned her actions. Was this all meant to go nowhere?

Was she just wasting her time?

She glanced towards her right and saw her elf friend, whom was probably in the same position as she was.

Silent and Lost...

A sad smile formed around her lips, as there was nothing she could do but to only support her emotionally, despite the disappointment that filled the entirety of her day.

It seemed that it wasn't that easy pursuing ones goal.

Lelei sighed focusing back on herself and the book on her lap. A great deal of encouragement began to overwhelmed her as her eyes stared at the book.

"There are no accidents...My dear."

Before she knew it, she grabbed the book and finally opened it.

A blank page greeted her eyes.

She flicked a page, and an identical blank page greeted her.

She flipped through more pages, and the same blank empty area kept appearing.

Soon, she found herself in a state of mild desperation, wondering if she had been led down a dead end.

"There has to be something here..." she cried inside her head, refusing to give up at any cost.

She went through every page, looking for any signs of clues or hidden symbols. It would be absurd if there wasn't one.

She had come a very long way for this and she will not stop until she found a hint of it.

And finally it came to the last page.

The young mage halted as she immediately felt something different. She flipped a page one more time and saw a small folded parchment which was attached to the last page itself.

Lelei, for a brief moment had looked around her surroundings just to check if she was in a safe area. Immediately, she took the small folded parchment and began to unfold it gently.

As she held her breath out of anticipation, she finally came face to face with its contents.

A simple parchment carrying important information that would help turn the tide of the war.

And when she did see it, several illustrations welcomed her. Mountains, forests, seas, and even kingdoms are among the places that are interconnected in some way. Some of them appear to display an unfamiliar symbol.

The more she looked, the more she realized that these locations housed something precious and that this had been carefully orchestrated for a very long time.

The only symbol that struck familiarity to her was the crest of the long defunct Alliance of Men, Elves, Beastmen, and Dwarves.

Lelei blinked a few times as she realized. Her gaze was drawn to a miniature image of Qua-Toyne, which had a similar small sign drawn immediately above it. Finally, a set of digits were scribbled beside the drawings, indicating a specific date that immediately concerned her.

It was then that she realized that the city was not always safe, and that she needed to act quickly and notify the ones in-charged before things become too late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wait...So you're telling me that you rode a horse around the city with a bunch of knights just to find a girl, who ran away because she was stressed?"

Yuji could only force a smile." Pretty much, and she was a princess from some small kingdom to be specific," he stated as he sipped his bottled water." And...she rode a griffin."

Itami couldn't think of anything to say. He could tell his companion had had his own experience, and the fact that he witnessed a mystical creature from fantasy being summoned directly in front of his friend's eyes was already too much for him.

"Damn...I wish I was a part of that." The Japanese Lieutenant remarked, no matter how things weirdly went.

The young writer slightly cringed." Oh you don't want to be a part of it." He muttered under his breath, remembering how the group almost caused destruction across the city.

The last thing he needed was a quiet place to unwind. He never expected to return this late. Fortunately, there was the guest palace courtyard, with its expansive meadows and stunning views of the moon and night sky.

Itami was generous enough to escort his friend to the designated spot. Nevertheless, with the same objective of unwinding. The small dinner party appeared to have messed up his thoughts in the sense that the environment was a little too glitzy and hectic for him.

"So, any clue what kind of kingdom this Princess Pina comes from?" he inquired, also wondering about her full name.

Yuji shrugged in return." Well...She didn't tell me exactly, but I guess she prefers to keep her identity in secret...if you know what I mean..." He gave a chuckle.

"I mean, that's good...You just can't expose your true identity to the masses like that," Itami observed. "Besides, I've met enough royalty and nobility in a day." He exhaled a tired breath.

"Really?

" Yuji lifted both eyebrows as he imagined the Otaku Lieutenant surrounded by high-ranking officials.

"Oh yeah...you need to level up your image as a representative even if you're just a random soldier," Itami explained, still reeling from the situation. " Despite, The US leading the way, we still need to show that we can adapt and be leaders of our own, even if you're in the backseat."

The wind blew passed by him.

A small smile crept upon the writer's lips." That's the first time, I've heard you speak like that."

Itami chuckled." What do you expect?"

"I'm assuming you want this to be finished so you can read manga all day or attend that special anime event back at Ginza," Yuji predicted, as his words made both of them giggle.

"You read my mind, Yuji..." Itami laughed. "If it weren't for this Gate thing, I would be meeting my favorite manga author by now." He added, "But then...I am glad that this happened..."

"Why...?" Yuji inquired.

"Of course, to help people," he said simply, looking up at the night sky. "I want to help as many people as I can." he added.

The whole Gate incident was simply a wake-up call for him to face his purpose.

"What about you man?" Itami then asked, curious to know the latter's thoughts.

Memories began to flash before Yuji's eyes as he remembered a certain person." "Well...I am still looking for my own adventure...And I know it sounds cheesy," Yuji said, chuckling slightly.

How many places does he still need to go in order to find peace?

"But something tells me that no matter where we go, there will always be that trigger point to ramp things up," Yuji said, shifting the subject.

"What do you mean?" Itami blinked a number of times.

For a brief period, there was silence.

"Remember the entire Coda Village stuff from awhile back?" He inquired, attempting to reignite the man's memories." The village councillor who didn't believe us and even asked us to leave..to leave..

Itami nodded." Yeah, I remember the guy, He's the one who summoned those crazy demons according to Miss Lelei right?" He remarked." To think that he was the one responsible for everything that happened in that village."

"Exactly, there will be a person like him that would really spark things up to the point that we would be facing the same crazy stuff again." Yuji had guessed, raising a hand." Don't get me wrong...It's not a prediction...just a hunch."

The wind grew stronger once again.

Both men felt the underlying madness that continued to permeate the entire situation as the atmosphere shifted. Particularly, Itami as he recalled the dubious behaviors of the elder elves and, in addition, the statements made concerning them by a certain Rory Mercury.

"Don't be too comfortable with the people around you..."

"Just a Hunch Huh...?" He whispered.

Yuji slowly nodded as his gaze shifted towards his journal. There was so much stuff to input right now, so many events that had transpired and many of them made an impact throughout the day. Nonetheless, He already knew where to start.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It was the sound of the birds that woke her up.

The early morning sky greeted Parna as she opened her eyes. The sun was about to rise, and despite the headaches she was still experiencing, she had no choice but to wake up and start the day.

The warrior bunny arose from her bed and made her way to her room's balcony.

She was met with a stunning view of the bay and the horizon. A final chance for her to enjoy the serenity of the morning.

She kept looking at the vista of the Noble City, and a sense of regret overwhelmed her.

Why did this nightmare have to follow her even after she had settled into her new life?

In the midst of her musings, the young woman noticed a lone white dove which perch on the balcony's edge. A little dove carrying small scroll in its claws.

Parna stared at the small creature for a few moments, feeling her heart beat fast, she eventually mustered up the courage to walked straight to the dove and removed the small scroll from it. She opened the scroll without trepidation, only to be met by a familiar symbol.

The symbol of her tribe.

By that then, she felt an overwhelming confidence that manifested from within. For the first time, a smile formed around her lips as she recalled the pledge she made when she joined the cause to defend her tribe.

Parna knew the time has come to set the plan in motion, although she still had to fulfill one last request.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fields of Ejei had been an integral part of history. Besides it being used for farms, major events such as the regrouping of the alliance against enemy forces had also taken place here.

For a young boy farmer, this was a place where he could harvest the newly fresh corns that had reached its complete form. With only his cart which was driven by a lone Chocobo, the boy began work as early as he could, eager to return to his home village as well.

He was well aware of the tensions rising between the Imperial forces and the Principality's own Noble army. The fact that the main imperial camp was not far away from here.

He hurried himself as took many corns as he can, placing it to the empty wooden baskets and in the middle of his work that the wind began to grow stronger.

In the midst of the silence, he felt tension in the air and a few moments passed, he could hear a growing noise.

When the young farmer boy looked up, he saw flocks of crows swooping over him. His body stopped in wonder as he watched the odd spectacle develop, and he knew that anytime crows appeared, it was an omen of impending death.

His concerns did not disappoint him as their numbers increased and each began to produce a distressing noise.

Not long after, he noticed massive groups of wyverns approaching from the west.

His jaw dropped in amazement as he saw these many for the very first time, and upon closer investigation, he discovered the many armoured riders directing the wyverns. Giving him the impression that they were on their way to a certain stronghold.

It was a grand display of the imperial air force and he doubt the famous military bastion could handle such a sight. Let alone be stunned just like him.

As the rallying cry echoed throughout the fields, the wyverns proceeded to make their ruckus.

At that same time, the young farm boy turned to face the enormous hill that towered above the modest farmlands. His gaze was drawn to the hill's massive crater, and before he knew it, a colossal crimson dragon emerged from within, roaring menacingly in the midst of a massive wyvern army display.

The boy shivered in horror as he saw the red dragon heed to a mysterious call from the west, finally taking off further towards the dawn.

"F-Flame Dragon!?" The farm boy uttered, while still processing what he had just witnessed.

This could only mean one thing, and much to the boy's confusion, the fabled creature had finally set her sights on the Noble City of Maihark.

Eager to settle the score and reclaim what was stolen from her.

CHAPTER END