Chapter Six

The two men waited for Tamaki's men to arrive. When they arrived Genova asked them about Arabella's situation. When they were met with sad faces Genova knew that the damage was worse than he had expected.

"Just how hard did he hit her with that fire ball?" Genova asked as they raced towards the village.

"He didn't hit her with it." One of the guards said.

"I thought she was hit by a fireball." Michael said.

"No It was released into her back." The other guard said.

"What do you mean?" Genova asked.

"I mean, he pressed his hand into her back and released the fire ball like that." The first guard said.

"That explains why she couldn't defend against it." Genova said.

"How the hell is she still alive?" Michael asked.

"The Commander. He used his spatial jump to catch her and put the fire out." The second guard said.

"She put up one hell of a fight too. Never seen anything like it. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time." The first guard said.

"I don't understand what happened myself, and I was there." The second guard said. "The soldiers, the whole village, and even the refugees were all present. It was horrible."

"I have killed people and have never heard a scream like that before." The first guard said shaking his head.

"I guess everyone was quite shocked." Michael said.

"Shocked? More like enraged." The second guard said.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

"Watching her fight was the single most beautiful and captivating moment that I have had in my entire life." The first guard said.

"It was like my heart had been dead but watching her had caused it to beat again. It made me want to follow her to hell and back." The second guard said.

"Hey, I don't think that the Commander would appreciate that kind of talk." The first guard said.

"What? Why?" The second guard asked.

"He might think that you like her and that would ensure an early death for you." Michael said laughing.

The guards looked at each other in shock. They were surprised that someone could say something like that about their commander. They shook their heads in disagreement.

"You're thinking that your Commander would never act like that right?" Genova asked.

"Let me ask you what that soldier's face like during the match?" Michael asked.

"His nose looked like it had been smashed in and he had two black eyes. Why?" The first guard.

"How do you think that he got in that condition?" Genova asked.

"A fight. Obviously." The second guard said.

"Yes but with who?" Michael asked.

"I don't know." The first guard said.

"I do." Michael said with a laugh.

"He got it because he argued with the little lady in front of your Commander." Genova said.

"What?" The first guard asked.

"He is very particular about her. I would watch what you say and how you say it when it comes to her." Genova warned. "You don't want to make the list that he has been slowly building"

"List? What list?" The second guard asked fearfully.

"He has a list of people that have disrespected her." Genova warned. "Don't let his mild and cheerful manner fool you. He would gladly kill for her."

The two guards looked at each other in surprise. This was the first time that they had heard about such a thing. They found themselves wondering if he would really go that far for her. Still he had practically lept into harm's way for her when she had been struck down at the arena.

When they arrived at the village there was a loud commotion in the village square. The four men looked around in surprise. They did not expect to see such a sight when they arrived. When they looked around they noticed that there were people trying to attack the guards.

"What is going on here?" Genova demanded.

"We want to leave! Such people should not exist!" A woman yelled.

"We have the right to seek asylum elsewhere. You do not have the right to detain us!" A man shouted throwing a rock at the guards that were blocking their path.

Due to the guards detaining people it had caused the other refugees to feel stressed and they were beginning to join in with the other two. Genova and Michael looked at each other and nodded. They approached the people that were fighting against the guards. Genova drew energy into his hands and clapped them together. The action resulted in a sudden rumbling of thunder. A few people screamed and ducked covering their hands.

"Everyone settle down right now." Genova ordered. "I will explain why you are being detained."

The two people causing the fight glared at him while everyone else murmured under their breath to each other. A few people cast doubtful glances around the area.

"Thank you, Lord Genova." Tamaki said as he stepped out of the estate. "Please continue."

"Commander Tamaki," Genova said bowing his head. "Now, please let me have your attention for a moment. We are what you would call Vosat." When the refugees heard this they gasped.

"Did we find the village?" The man asked.

"No. In fact, this is a check point. I have been informed that there has been an attack against a Vosat here." He said. "Is this true?"

Everyone nodded their heads slowly.

"What does this have to do with us?" The woman demanded angrily. "And why are you here?" Genova raised his eyebrow at the woman's questioning and tone of voice.

"We are here to help provide the people of this village with protection as for what the attack has to do with you, well you see someone very important from our village was just attacked. This means that we have something called a trial but before we can have a trial we have to investigate." Genova said.

"Investigate what? We all saw that he attacked that girl." The man said angrily.

"Yes, he did attack her. However, we are not sure that someone else had something to do with it. Therefore, we request your cooperation in our investigation."

"This is bull shi-"

"If you try to leave you will be seen as an accomplice and be imprisoned. If you cause a disturbance then you will be imprisoned." Genova interrupted the man.

"This is bull shit!" The man raged.

Tamaki and Michael watched the man and the woman. Their reactions were suspicious. To them it made since that they were the most likely candidates as the Council's hired men. They made a mental note to watch them carefully.

"I thought that she was a powerless Vosat. What makes her so important?" A villager asked.

"She is our diplomat as well as the person that requested that the refugees be allowed into the village." Tamaki said making sure to leave the name of the village out. A few people began to murmur is surprise.

"Is she okay?" Another villager asked.

"We have our best healers on it." Tamaki assured. "It is our hope that she will recover swiftly and without any lasting effects from the attack. Now everyone, please disperse from the area."

The man and woman glared at them but left the square without complaint as did the others. They watched the people leave then were escorted into the estate. Where Tamaki set them down and explained what the Grand Elder had told him.

"She ordered you to tell them that they were being detained?" Michael asked.

"Yes. She wanted to test them and see who would act out against the detainment order. I didn't want to come out yet because I was able to show her what was happening without anyone noticing. I can't tell you how glad I am that you arrived when you did." Tamaki said.

"What are we going to do about those people?" Michael asked. "It would seem that they are in a hurry to make it to the village."

"Yes but what for?" Genova asked. "It's possible that they could be the people working for the Council."

"It's also possible that they're not the people working for the Council." Tamaki said.

"Do you think that people working for the Council would act like that though? I mean it would seem that they would be the ones to sit back and watch everything unfold without adding to the commotion." Michael said.

"The only one that would be able to tell who was working with the Council can't even move right now." Tamaki said.

"How is she doing?" Genova asked.

"She's still unconscious and the healers are working in shifts to fix the damage done to her." Tamaki said.

"Can we go see her?" Genova asked.

"No. Only women are allowed in the room right now."

"Why only women?" Michael asked.

"Her clothes were practically burned to ashes. It wouldn't be proper for you to see her." A woman said coming into the room.

"Camilla, how is she doing?" Tamaki asked. The men stood up as they waited anxiously for her answer. The woman stood there twisting her hands.

"We have done everything that we can do for her." She said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked.

"She isn't regaining consciousness. It will take time for her to recover. I don't even know if she will wake up again or not. As we are right now, we can't help her." She said sadly.

"What does that mean?" Michael asked.

Tamaki's face contorted in sadness. His legs began to grow weak and shake as he stumbled backwards. When his legs hit the back of the chair he slumped down into it with a heavy thud. His head dropped into his hands as the world around him came crashing down. Why did she have to be the one that always suffered? Why couldn't he have just told her not to fight? He wondered. Why didn't he lock her up?

"Tamaki, I think that now is the time to call Horace." Genova said.

"What?" Tamaki asked.

"We need him. I think that there is a real danger to losing her completely if we don't." Genova said sadly.

"I never should have let her fight him." Tamaki whispered shaking his head.

"What do we do?" Michael asked looking at them.

"I need to inform the Grand Elder." Genova said. His mind raced as he tried to pull himself together. Horace would be the one that was most capable of saving her. It would seem that she had been attacked by more than just fire but he wouldn't know what until he looked at her. Before the maid walked away Genova called to her.

"What is her current condition?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked puzzled.

"What are you treating her for?" He asked.

"We're treating her for the fira." She said.

"I don't think that it was just a fire attack." Genova said.

"What do you think happened?" Michael asked.

"I don't know. Tamaki, you need to pull yourself together and call Horace!" Genova ordered. Tamaki looked at him with glazed eyes. "Shit!" Genova cursed.

He stalked over to Tamaki and shook his shoulders. When Tamaki just sat there Genova punched him in the face. Tamaki's head snapped back when he looked at Genova again he seemed to have regained his normal expression.

"What the hell, Genova?" Tamaki asked as he held a hand to his jaw.

"Contact Horace!" He yelled.

"But you heard her."

"It doesn't matter because she wasn't just attacked with fira!" Genova yelled. "Horace is the only one that can fix this!"

"Okay." Tamaki said.

Tamaki took a deep breath and contacted Horace while Genova reached out to the Grand Elder to inform her of the current situation. The healer, Camilla, looked at Michael with a puzzled expression. Michael shook his head. He was unsure of what was happening as well.

Tamaki finished his transmission and stalked out of the room. He knew that if they were calling Horace it had to mean that someone had poisoned the arena. What kind of poison it was though, he did not know. Tamaki ordered his guards to follow him to the arena. When they arrived he had them take samples of the dirt there. He didn't know what he expected to find but he wouldn't stop until he found the answer. He collected samples from where she slid through the fire. If anything this would be where she picked up the poison. He thought.

When they returned Horace had just arrived. Tamaki shook his hand and lead him inside. He informed a guard that he would take the collected samples to the alchemist in Hiroki Village for examination and that it was a high priority mission. The guard nodded and opened a spatial portal to Hiroki village. The he instructed Nostace to cover her body before they entered. Nostace sighed and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Tamaki asked.

"We can't cover her wounds yet. Putting anything on them would risk infection." She said sadly.

"Then we have no choice." Tamaki said starting up the stairs. When the female healers blocked his path he cursed. "Get the fuck out of my way." He ordered.

"We are sorry Commander." One of the women said. "We cannot allow you in there. It wouldn't be appropriate."

"Then you kill your princess!" He raged. Horace and the women stared at him in shock.

"What do you mean?" Horace asked.

"The Princess has been alive this whole time. We hid her for her safety." He said. "Now move!" He ordered.

"Is this true?" He asked turning to Genova and Michael. The two men nodded their heads. "Get out of the way this instant!" Horace ordered as he pushed past the women.

"My Lords it is not proper! You should not see her in such a condition!" Camilla said.

"I don't care! If we can save her then who are you to stand in the way?" Tamaki said.

"But there is nothing that we can do to help her anymore." Camilla said. Tamaki and Genova cornered her.

"The only one who can save her is Horace and you would deny him that chance? Because it's not proper?" Genova asked.

"Something is not right about this." Michael said. "What did you do?" Camilla backed away.

"I didn't do anything." She said taking another step backwards. When the men advanced on her she ran up the stairs and into the room where Arabella was sleeping.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Horace demanded when she jumped on the bed and held a dagger to Arabella's neck. Horace was surprised to see her condition. Arabella was laying on her stomach. Her bare skin had been severely burned but what caught his attention was the smell of something rancid.

"She is useless! What could she accomplish with no power? Do you think that people would accept her even if she is our princess?" She demanded. Tamaki and the others burst into the room in time to see that Arabella's condition had more than deteriorated.

"She is your princess!" Horace yelled.

"No Princess of mine is weak or useless." She said raising the dagger. "Jack should have killed her when he had the chance." Tamaki and Genova cursed as she tried to plunge the knife into Arabella's neck. Horace jumped into action and grabbed the healer by the hair on her head.

"Detain her." He said dragging her away from the bed.

Camilla raged and screamed as the men drug her out of the room. Horace sat down and looked at the unconscious Arabella. He wasn't sure how she had ended up in this state but he vowed there and then that he would fight so she never experienced such pain again. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and began to check for any wounds that were hidden by the burns. When he couldn't find any he looked a little puzzled. Then he caught a whiff of that rancid smell again. He groaned when he realized that it was coming from her mouth. He knew then that the healer had fed her poison when no one was in the room.

After concluding where the poison had been given to her he stood up and looked around the room. That's when he noticed a little girl standing there watching him.

"Are you from this village?" He asked her. She shook her head no. "Are you with the refugees?" She nodded her head. "I see. Is there something that you needed?"

"I wanted to know if she was okay." She said sadly.

"I am going to fix her up and she will be right as rain." He said smiling softly at her. "Can I get your help?" He asked.

"Mine?" She asked.

"Yes. I need another healer in here to help me. There was a woman that arrived with me. Can you tell her that I require her assistance?" The little girl nodded and did as she was told.

When she returned with a tall woman Horace thanked her and asked her to wait down stairs. The little girl nodded her head sadly and left the room.

"What's going on Lord Horace?" She asked him. "Who is this?"

"This is our Princess. It would seem that some people tried to get rid of her." He said. The healer's eyes widened in shock.

"What happened to her?" She asked.

"I'm not sure but it looks as if she was attacked with fira. It looks like she was starting to recover when one of Tamaki's healers poisoned her." Horace said.

"Why would they do such a thing? Did they know that she was our princess?" Horace shook his head. "How could they not know?"

"Did you know?" He asked.

"No. I thought that she was dead."

"Exactly. Everyone believes that she is dead and what I am about to tell you does not leave this room." He said. The healer nodded her head. "Our Princess nearly died when she was eight. In a final act of self preservation she lost all of her memories of her childhood. She doesn't remember me, Lord Tamaki, or any of the other guards that grew up with her. The only one that she remembers is Lord Genova as he was the one that was allowed to remain with her. You cannot and will not address her as Princess until she has regained her memories, though I cannot say exactly when that will be." He warned.

"Yes, Lord Horace." She said.

"I think that it is time to set to work. This particular poison was fed to her so we should be able to heal it. Do you recognize that smell?" He asked.

"Yes, Lord Horace. It is the smell that the dust angel puts out." She said.

"Good. Grab your tools. Our Princess needs us." He said.

The healer nodded and set to work on helping him heal the poison and her wounds. As they worked the healer noticed that there was a secondary poison. When she told Horace about it he frowned and placed a hand on her head. It was true. She had been poisoned twice. Horace sighed. He didn't know how the second poison was given to her and tried to rack his brain on what it could be.

"Horace, we have a problem." Tamaki said rushing into the room. "She was given a poison called Eternal sleep." He said. Horace and the healer looked at each other in surprise.

"How did she get poisoned with such a thing?" Horace asked.

"When she was attacked after winning a match against a guard that challenged her he launched a fira in her back. It was all over the arena and she inhaled it twice." He said. Horace cursed under his breath.

"So she was poisoned at the arena? I don't see how." He said.

"We sent samples of the dirt at the arena. It had been laced with the poison." Tamaki said. "Some of the guards took video of the match so I sent a copy to the Grand Elder. I will make sure to show it to you when you are done." He said.

Horace nodded his head. He was relieved to know what the second poison was. The healer sighed when Tamaki left. She didn't know how people could do something like this to someone. When they were finally done the sun was beginning to give light to a new day. Horace nodded satisfactorily and signaled to his healer that it was time that they leave the room. When they went down stairs they found the little girl sleeping next to the fire. Tamaki and the others sat up discussing what they should do next. It seemed that they were at an impasse and couldn't make up their minds. Horace cleared his throat to let them know that he had arrived. Tamaki and the others stood up and waited for him to join them before they sat back down.

"How is she?" Tamaki asked.

"She should regain consciousness soon." Horace said. "I don't know what happened here but I can tell you that more than one person could have died here."

"What do you mean?" Genova asked.

"The first poison in her system was Eternal sleep. Eternal sleep causes a person to fall into a deep sleep. It is not something that most people walk away from." Horace said. "The amount that was in her system would be enough to take down a whole army."

"We were able to successfully remove both poisons from the princess. She will make a full recovery." The healer said. "There will be no scaring from the fira either." She said.

"Thank you" Genova said with a relieved sigh. "I can't thank you both enough."

"There's no need. I would gladly help her." The healer said bowing her head.

"So can anyone explain just how all of this happened?" Horace asked.

"Where do you want me to begin?" Genova asked.

"Is it really that long of a story?" The healer asked. Genova nodded.

"Then the beginning." Horace said. "What the hell is she even doing out here?"

Genova sighed and explained everything from the very beginning. He explained why and how they hid who she was. He explained how she came to be outside the village and in this particular village. He explained everything up until she left Michael's village and came back here.

When he finished explaining Tamaki took over and explained the events that took place leading up to her getting hurt. He explained how she was the one that had asked the Grand Elder to let the refugees in to the village and how the Council had hidden people in the group of refugees that were being detained until Arabella was able to wake up and investigate who was who. He explained that Jack had gotten angry with her when he learned that she had made the request of the Grand Elder and that she was the rumored Vosat without power. He explained everything then he showed them the recording that some of the guards had taken during the match. Everyone watched in awe as she battled the soldier. Horace nearly fell out of his seat when she slid through the fire and charged him with everything that she had. They watched as she disarmed her opponent and won the match. What they saw next made them sick. Her back was turned and she was thanking everyone for watching the match. It was then that he pressed his hand into her back and released a fireball into her.

"What the hell?" Horace whispered.

"That's what happened. That is how she ended up like that." Tamaki said.

Genova and everyone looked at him in shock. They had been unaware that the methods used to attack her were so heinous. Horace stared at the image playing before him and blinked his eyes a few times in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. No one could have stopped that.

"Can you play it again?" Horace asked.

"Why?" Genova asked.

"I think the poison took effect before the match was over."

They watched the video again and when Horace instructed them to slow it down they did. What they saw horrified them. She was beginning to collapse before he launched the fire ball into her back. Horace swore under his breath.

"She never stood a chance of being able to defend herself." Genova whispered.

"Why would someone do something like this?" The healer asked.

"Because there are people like Jack and Camilla that are angry that refugees were allowed into the village. They think that they should be allowed to fend for themselves." Genova said.

"But the Council would kill them." She said.

"We know. But there are Vosat that do not care." Tamaki said.

"There was something that we saw when we were working on her. She has a scar that is quite terrifying to look at." Horace began. "We do not talk about it." Genova said.

"It was from that night." Tamaki said. Horace's eyes widened.

"The night the village was attacked? How could she survive something like that? I know grown men that have died from less."

"I don't know but she did." Tamaki said shaking his head.

"Lord Tamaki," Nostace called. "She's awake! She woke up!" The little girl yelled excitedly as she ran down the stairs.

"Thank goodness." They breathed.

"Thank you both." Tamaki whispered as he took a shaky breath. "Thank you."

After that no one wasted another second and they ran up the stairs to Arabella sitting up in the bed with the sheets pulled up to her chest. Everyone stopped in their tracks when they saw the tears falling down her cheeks. She took a shaky breath and clenched the sheet to her chest.

"Arabella, what's wrong?" Genova asked.

"I thought that I would forget you when I saw you like I did everyone else!" She wailed. "I don't want to forget anyone again." Genova and the other's rushed to her side.

"It's okay." He whispered as he soothed her.

"No. What if something happens and I forget again?" She asked. "I don't want to forget anymore. I want to go home!"

"Arabella," Tamaki began. She looked up and blinked at him.

"You," She began as she stared at him. "Who are you to me and why do you look at me with such sadness? I have been wondering this for a while now." She said. Tamaki looked away from her trying to avoid her probing gaze. "And who are they? Why do I feel like I have seen him before?" She asked. Genova sighed. "Horace... You're Horace." She said knitting her brows. "Why do I know you and why does Tamaki plague my dreams?" She asked. "I need to get out of here!" She said suddenly standing up. The four men covered their eyes quickly. They wondered why she was so comfortable walking around like that in front of them.

Arabella proceeded to get dressed until her hand brushed the scar on her stomach. She ran to a mirror and looked at her scar with wide eyes. As she stared at it a memory began to form in front of her eyess. She was a child again and running after a boy. She was laughing until she noticed something that caused her to stop. She looked to her left and there she saw it, a flaming arrow was hurling towards her. She stepped back a little in fear. Before the arrow reached her the little boy pushed her out of the way.

"Tamaki!" She yelled.

"Come on, Princess. We need to hide." He said grabbing her hand. He hoisted her into his arms and opened a spatial portal. He ran through them hoping to escape the trouble that was sure to find them. To his surprise a large figure jumped out in front of them.

"Give me the girl and I might let you live!" He ordered.

"Never!" Tamaki yelled as he grit his teeth and ran to his right.

However, he wasn't quick enough. The guard caught up to him and grabbed him by his hair. The boy cried out in pain and squeezed her tightly against himself. He wouldn't let them take her. He vowed. To his surprise they grabbed her by her hair and began to pull her from his arms.

"No!" He cried. The Guard that had a hold of his hair punched him in the face. Tamaki fell to the ground as the world around him began to spin. The guard laughed and proceeded to kick him. Tamaki had the air knocked out of him and lay on the ground coughing . When they tried to drag her away he charged at them. One of the guards raised their sword to him. Tamaki prepared himself for the blow. When Arabella saw this she kicked the guard that had her by the hair in the shin. When he went to hit her Arabella took the hit full in the face. She chose that moment to grab his arm and bit him until she drew blood. The guard dropped her and howled in pain. Arabella ran and threw herself between the guard's sword and Tamaki. As she lay there bleeding Tamaki held on to her tightly. Blood covered his forehead. The Guard was going to run his sword through her when someone jumped in front of her taking the full force of the guard's thrusting blade. Arabella's eyes widened as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Mom!" She cried.

"Your Majesty!" Tamaki yelled.

Blood filled her vision and her breathing grew ragged. Her hand clenched at the scar that covered her torso. When the memory faded Arabella slumped to the ground. The healer gasped and grabbed a sheet and draped it around her shaking shoulders.

"Arabella," She called shaking her shoulder.

When Tamaki heard the commotion he looked up to see that she was sitting on the floor shaking. He cursed under his breath and ran to her side. He peered into her face as her eyes were beginning to focus again. He let out a relieved sigh.

"Are you okay?" He asked her. Arabella looked at him for a moment as if she was just now seeing him for the first time.

"Tamaki?" She breathed softly. Her breathing became ragged as she took in the familiar features of his face. Her hands shook as she reached out to frame his face. Tears filled her eyes when she saw the scar. "I remember you." She whispered. "I remember that night. I remember-" Here voice caught in her throat as she tried to tell him that she remembered that night.

"Shh. It's okay." He whispered smoothing the hair from her face. As she stared at him tears began to fill her eyes.

"I've missed you!" She wailed as she threw herself against him. Tamaki enfolded her in his arms and cradled her against his chest.

"I missed you too." He whispered as she buried her face into his neck.

Everyone stared in shock at the display. They didn't expect her to gain some of her memories back. Still they waited for her to calm down before they left the room so that she could dress in peace. When she was done she joined them down stairs.

"So what do you remember?" Genova asked.

"Not much. I remember Horace and Tamaki. I also remember that night. I remember sparing with Michael when we were kids. Other than that not much. I still don't know how I knew you but I do know that we were friends." She said picking at a thread on her pants.

"Still I can't believe that you remembered us." Horace said.

"There's just something that is still bothering me. I keep remembering parts of things that happen and then somehow before I can grasp what's being said everything begins the fade away." She said with disappointment.

"You will remember when you are ready." Genova assured her. She looked at the four men before her. She was tied to each of them some way or another. Still she wondered why she couldn't remember who she actually was. It felt like a big piece of the puzzle was still missing. As she sat there she found herself lost in thought. She wasn't sure how long she sat there but someone calling her name pulled her from her thoughts.

"Arabella, we need you to watch this." Tamaki said as an image popped up before her.

"What's this?" She asked as she looked at it.

"It's video from your match." He said.

"Someone recorded it?" She asked.

"A lot of people recorded it. We were just about to go through them to see if we could find the person that first poisoned you." Genova said.

"Just how many times was I poisoned?" She asked.

"Twice." Horace said.

"That many?" She asked. "How in the hell am I still alive?" She wondered aloud. Nostace and the healer looked at each other in shock.

"Should she be speaking like that?" Nostace asked.

"What do you mean?" Arabella asked confused that she would ask such a question. Tamaki gave the girl a stern look

"Nothing." She mumbled. Arabella shrugged and began watching the video of her match. To her nothing seemed out of place until she got to the part where she slid through the fire. There she noticed something rather odd.

"Can you stop it here?" She asked. Tamaki stopped the video. "Thank you. Zoom in there." She said peering at the person that caught her attention.

"What is it?" Genova asked. As she stared at it.

"Something is not right about that person." She mumbled to herself. What is in their hand? She wondered to herself. "Is there video with that same person in it?" She asked. Everyone checked their video "There!" She shouted and pointed. "Stop it there and zoom in." Genova did as he was told.

"What do you see?" Horace asked.

"That!" She said pointing. "Do you not see it?" She asked.They shook their heads.

Arabella jumped up and was about to go outside when she noticed a little girl looking at the video with a horrified expression. The little girl had tears in her eyes. Arabella looked back at the video then at the little girl.

"Do you know that man?" She asked her. The little girl nodded . "I see. Can you take me to him?" She asked.

"What?" Genova asked.

"You can't go!" Tamaki said.

"I will go. There is something that I need to know." She said.

"He can't meet you." She said.

"Why not?" Arabella asked.

"Because." She cried softly. Arabella sighed. She already guessed what was happening.

"Can you tell your daddy that I need to speak with him. No harm will come to him." She said. The little girl shook her head. "Are there bad people that won't let you speak with him?" She asked. The little girl nodded her head. Arabella sighed and scratched here head. "I see." She said. "Don't worry. I will help him." She said walking up the stairs.

"What is she doing?" Horace asked.

"I think she figured out what happened." Genova said.

"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked.

Before he could answer Arabella was racing down the stairs. When they saw her with her bow and arrows and swords they got up to follow her. Arabella turned and faced them with a stern look.

"Do not follow me." She ordered.

"But what if something happens?" Tamaki asked.

"I will be fine." She said walking away.

"Are we going to listen to her?" Horace asked.

"We follow and only intervene if she is in trouble." Genova said. "Do not get caught or she will tear you a new one and I don't think we want that." They nodded their heads and followed her from a distance. To their surprise Arabella used the shadows and scouted the building and the people inside. She disappeared into the shadows and climbed up a tree whose branches were hanging over the building. She dropped down onto the branch and took her quiver full of arrows off and hung it from a tree branch. She waited for one of the Council's hired men to pass by. She drew her arrow and let it fly. The arrow hit its mark and the guard went down without making a sound. Arabella hopped down from the tree and moved the body to the woods.

Tamaki and the others watched in quiet shock as she felled the three guards making their rounds outside the building. They looked at Genova who just shrugged his shoulders as if it was a normal occurrence for her to do something like that. They continued to watch as she infiltrated the building without anyone noticing.

"What the hell was that?" Tamaki wondered.

"It's like she's a goddamn assassin." Michael whispered.

"Yeah well, she has had a lot of time on her hands to learn a lot of interesting things." Genova whispered. "At least the two of you got out of being her little test subject."

"Its these moments that I do not envy you." Tamaki whispered as he patted him on the back.

"You grew up with that maniac?" Horace asked.

"Yeah. You guys got to escape but the horror continued for me." He said shaking his head.

"How did she get so good at that?" Michael asked. The two men pointed at Genova who looked terrified. "Really? You taught her all of that? You must be a genius." He whispered.

"No. She read about it in books and then decided that she would use me for practice." Genova said. "It was a nightmare. I became terrified when she would ask me to help her with something. Then she got smart and stopped telling me beforehand what she was studying. Those were horrible times."

"He's not the only one who suffered." Tamaki said. "Still, we need to make sure that she doesn't get hurt while she plays infiltration." He said. "We will talk about our favorite Arabella horror stories later." The men nodded and continued to watch for any signs that something was amiss. While they waited a few people passed them and said hello. A few villagers asked how Arabella was doing and the guys assured them that she was better. One of the villagers looked towards the house that they were watching and noticed that there was a cloud of smoke leaking out from under the door.

"What's that?" They asked. As soon as they asked the question the door opened and Arabella was carrying a badly beaten man on her shoulders.

"Oh come on!" Tamaki all but shouted. The men and the villager raced towards her but Arabella was already standing before them.

"What is happening here?" The villager asked.

"Get the guards. I found the men that were acting for the Council." She said as she pulled a black cloth away from her face. She handed Horace the man.

"Who is this?" He asked.

"He is the man that poisoned the arena. What I don't know is why. The little girl at the estate is his daughter, I think." She said. Arabella pulled the mask back over her face and went back into the building while Tamaki called for his guards.

"I don't understand what just happened." The villager said as the men ran towards the building. "Still I can be of some assistance if you will let me." They looked at him dubiously but continued towards the building anyway. When they got to the building the guards were arriving and Arabella was dragging the Council's men out into the fresh air. The guards began to restrain them while Tamaki gave orders. Genova was over seeing the transfer of the prisoners when they heard a scuffle from inside the building. Everyone stopped and looked towards the building. Tamaki went to move towards it but a dark figure came flying out of it.

"What the hell?" Tamaki cursed as he looked down at the person laying there groaning in pain.

Arabella walked out of the building and sighed in frustration. Everyone looked between the two of them unsure of what to make of the situation. Arabella pulled the cloth from her face again and squatted down in front of him.

"You really shouldn't mark a lady's face." She said with an annoyed expression as she pointed at the gash on the side of her face.

"You think you're a fucking lady? You're just a bitch that got lucky." He snarled and spat in her face.

Arabella closed her eyes and took a calming breath. When the guard began laughing at her she let the fist that she had balled up fly hitting him square in the nose. The guard's head fell backwards as he howled in pain. Arabella frowned and wiped the spit from her face. The soldiers began to laugh as he rolled around on the ground with his hands covering his nose.

"Someone get him out of here, please." She said standing up. Tamaki and Michael cracked up laughing as she walked away from the group of people that were assembled outside the building.

"That was awesome." Michael said laughing.

"I hope someone recorded that." Tamaki said.

"Is there someone that we can assign to her so that we don't miss out on things like this?" Michael asked.

"Yeah she's got one, Genova." Tamaki said.

"Nope. I don't do that anymore. She nearly kicked my ass the last time. Never again." He said holding up his hands.

"Why not?" Michael asked. "Chronicling her adventures alone would be a dream come true."

"Nah. She can get pretty mean when she is in a bad mood." Tamaki said in an understanding tone.

They continued to oversee the people being detained. When it was done Arabella had rejoined them. By then many of the villagers and refugees were gathered outside the building and asking questions. Tamaki and Genova were doing their best to answer them without giving them too much information. Arabella sighed and shook her head.

"We received word that some of the Council guards were traveling with refugees." She said. "In order to keep the peace in the village and protect the refugees we kept their presence quiet until we could figure out who was with the Council. Thanks to the soldier that challenged me to a match we were able to come up with a way to keep the refugees here without raising suspicion. I do apologize for keeping it a secret but as of tonight the village is safe."

"What about the woman that left?" One of the villagers asked.

"What woman?" She asked.

"She was here earlier until some of the refugees made a fuss about being kept here." One woman said.

"Was she one of the people that were yelling at the guards?" Tamaki asked.

"No she was standing in the back until just before those two showed up." A kid said pointing at Michael and Genova.

"Shit!" Tamaki cursed "I'm sorry, Arabella. It would seem that one of them escaped." He said bowing to her. Arabella took a deep breath and shook her head.

"It's too late to do anything about it now, right?" She said.

"No it's not!" Michael said. "Didn't Tamaki say that he was recording the whole scene outside?"

"That's right!" Genova said. "Does anyone remember what she looks like?" He asked. One hand shot up.

"I would know her if I saw her." A little girl said in a small voice from behind them.

Arabella turned around to see the little girl that she had talked to in the estate. She smiled gently at her. The little girl nodded her head at Arabella. Arabella walked over to her and got down on her level.

"Do you think that you could point her out?" Arabella asked.

"Yes." She said nodding her head.

"Okay. Then come with us." Arabella said. "Oh! Someone might want to get the people that are in the woods. They might be Council guards but they deserve a proper burial." She said walking with the little girl back to the estate

"Genova, take over here." Tamaki said following them to back to where they were staying. Genova nodded his head and instructed the soldiers to get back to work. The villagers and refugees dispersed while everyone carried on with their orders.

While Genova was making sure that everything outside was taken care of Tamaki and the others were inside going over the video. The little girl watched as the video played out the commotion from the previous day. Arabella held her hand to help reassure her. When she noticed movement at the back of the crowd her hand began to shake. Arabella rubbed her hand and soothed her. The little girl looked at her and nodded her head.

"Stop it here and then zoom in." Arabella said. Tamaki did as he was told. Arabella turned to the little girl. "Is that her?" She asked. The little girl's hand trembled as she looked at the woman in the image.

"Yes that's her." She said softly. "Please don't hurt my daddy." She whispered.

"What do you mean?" Arabella asked.

"My daddy didn't want to do it." She said crying.

"I understand." Arabella said laying a reassuring hand on her head.

"No you don't. They have my mommy and little brother." She said wailing.

Arabella and Tamaki's eyes widened in shock. They didn't know that they had family that were being held hostage. The little girl looked at them with wide eyes filled with tears. Arabella and Tamaki cursed the Council at that moment.

"Why don't you go see how your father is doing?" She said. "My friend and I are going to try and figure something out."

The little girl nodded her head and slipped out of the room. They watched her go. When they were sure that she was gone they decided that it would be the time to talk about the next steps that they should take. Arabella sighed and looked at Tamaki. He could sense the uneasiness that was beginning to build inside her.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I just feel like we're over looking something. I don't know what it could be but something about all of this just isn't sitting right with me." She said gnawing on her thumbnail.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I don't know it just feels like this is too easy." She whispered.

"Too easy?" Tamaki asked. "There was practically a whole platoon of Council guards here and we have to find a way to rescue a woman and her son from the Council. What about this seems easy?" He demanded. "From here it would seem that everything just got more complicated."

"No. We're missing something. There is something that we over looked." She insisted.

"Maybe you're looking for smoke where there is none." He suggested.

"No. My gut is telling me that something isn't right." She said softly.

"Well, whatever it is will have to wait. We can't spend time chasing our tails over a hunch." He said.

"Tamaki, do not brush me off." Arabella warned. "I don't know what it is that is bugging me but something just isn't right about any of this." She said.

"Look, I am not brushing you off. I just think that maybe you feel like this was too easy because you expected it to be harder than what it actually was." Tamaki said.

Arabella glared at him and stormed off. Tamaki sat there staring at her in surprise. He knew that she was always a bit difficult to handle when she got like this but he didn't want her to look for things where there were none. He sat there and ran his hands through his hair.

"Where did Arabella go?" Horace asked.

"I don't know." Tamaki said with a sigh.

"What happened?" Horace asked.

Tamaki sighed and looked at him shaking his head. He really didn't know what to make of the whole situation. He stood up and began to pace and recounted his conversation with her before she stormed out.

"Why would she think that she missed something?" Horace asked.

"I don't know." Tamaki muttered. "All I know is that she got angry when I suggested that she was looking for smoke where there was none."

"Hmm. I don't know what to say." Horace said. "Although it would seem that maybe she felt like you were dismissing her when you didn't intend for her to feel that way." He suggested.

"Maybe." He said. "By the way how is that little girl?"

"What do you mean?" Horace asked.

"The little girl. She said that the man you were working on is her father." Tamaki said.

"I don't know who you could be talking about. No one has been up there except for myself and the healer that I brought with me." He said rubbing his chin in thought.

"Hmm..."Tamaki mumbled. "I wonder why she didn't go up there? She seemed like she was really worried."

"I don't know. It would seem that maybe she was too afraid of going up there." Horace said.

"Yeah." Tamaki said.

"You should go look for her." Horace said.

"Okay." Tamaki said standing up.