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I wake up suddenly after someone kicks me in the leg, "Ouch! What was that for?" I look at my surroundings to find seven guardsmen of every possible species with swords pointed at my face, one of them holding Elizabeth hostage.

Gaia asks both me and the group of guards angrily, "Who do you answer to?"

The wolf who appears to be the leader in his golden armor steps forth and laughs, "If you fear this to be betrayal by Aeneas, you are wrong. We are the Guardians of Fate, a group that usually never shows itself to mere pawns like you two. Fate sends us to claim one of you."

"Who?" I ask groggily.

"Gaia," they answer in unison.

"What did Fate want to happen?" she asks nervously.

"For you to fall to Aeneas, leading to the destruction of the Northern Alliance and the end of the war. That is the only way that world should be."

I question them, "And what if I refuse to kill her?"

"Then I will," the wolf approaches with his sword drawn, ready to attack.

I dash in front of her, blocking the heavy sword with my black iron knife and using light to melt the sword to its hilt, "You forget that you're facing two of the master assassins at once. You may be able to suppress one of us, but you stand no chance against us both."

"As if you two could ever fight on the same side," the wolf boasts, re-establishing his poise, "Even if you could, you have no power to defeat us."

As he speaks, I conjure up images of our combined power in their minds, making them second-guess their confidence.

The leader shakes the visions of earthquakes and dark energy explosions, "Very well, you've made your choice, assassins. Do not believe for a second that this is over. Fate will conquer all, including you, Aeneas. Love is such a weak emotion for an assassin like yourself". The burly ursine that was holding Elizabeth pushes the poor leopard to the ground and leaves her in the dirt as the squad departs from the tent.

I help her up and heal her minor injuries, "What a bunch of scoundrels!"

"I agree!" Elizabeth seconds my statement, still twitching in fright as I let her rest in my reading chair.

Gaia remains in bed as I get my light mithril cuirass and black cloak on, covering my blue-furred tail, "Can I help you, Gaia?"

She tackles me to the ground and yells, in tears, "Why didn't you just kill me?! Stop acting like you care about me! Apparently, it would be better for the universe if I'd just die, so do it!". She exposes her vulnerable neck and closes my paw on my knife.

I teleport to get away from her grip, reappearing in front of her and offering a paw to help her up, "It's easily to 'act' like I care about you because I do. Now if you get up and promise not to lose hope again, I'll let you do anything you want."

The tigress accepts the assistance and demands, "Let me return to my camp and collect my gear for the journey ahead. You may come with me, if you do not have qualms about faking to be my prisoner..."

"Not at all," I reply, hoping that my trust in her is well placed, "Let us set forth!"

Walking out of the tent and following her toward the general direction of her camp site, we evade anyone from the Southern Republics as to not stir up suspicion.

As soon as we are a safe distance away, Gaia confronts me, "Aeneas, I was reading strange signals from your mind last night after you helped me with my dream and I felt the same signal when we were with the Guardians...Are you attracted to me?" I know I'm stuck: she'll read my mind and find out anyway. "You're right about reading your mind...more beautiful as a goddess, huh? You're not too bad yourself," she chuckles as we walk together.

I blush, "I...I'm not even going to argue about that. I'm glad you're feeling better, Gaia"

The tigress purrs lightly, "Oh, am I...A certain wolf reminded me that I can change my fate--and he's a pretty nice guy."

Honestly surprised at her change in attitude, I ask concerned, "Are you alright there, Gaia?"

She groans, "Tell me I didn't say that out loud! Listen: I will not refrain from killing you just because I'm in heat...Darn it! I didn't want to admit that to my enemy! Tell no one!"

"I won't," I stay silent about it even though the fact that she doesn't hate me is a sign that we might be able to trust one another one of these days.

"Don't count on it," she answers my thought with her mind link.

"So are we there yet? My feet hurt!"

"We're here," the tigress whispers, "Can you act as if I'd captured you?"

"Wait a sec", I answer, creating an illusion of chains and wounds on my body faster than she can ask what a 'sec' is.

"Well that works," she shrugs, leading me into the least populated part of the large military encampment. The tigress pushes me inside her tent just as her general rounds a corner. At least, the large lion looked like a general. I can hear their conversation through the tent walls.

"Who was that?" the gruff male lion asks her.

"I found a scout wolf, proceeded to disarm him, and now, I'll torture him until the poor thing tells me something important. Care to watch?"

The lion backs off, "I'm busy enough already, tigress, but perhaps you can visit me for a more intimate gathering after you dispatch with the wolf. It's been much too long."

"Sure," I hear her answer sarcastically, "I wait on bated breath."

"Good day, tigress," he leaves happily, thinking he'll actually have a chance with her.

Gaia ducks back into the tent, grabbing her aqua blue katana and her brown cloak, "That's the guy who kidnapped me. I really want to make him feel the pain he put me through, but I'll settle my scores later. Let's get out of here."

"I'll go get Elizabeth and we'll reconvene at that fountain we fought at yesterday."

She groans again, "You're really bringing that leopard, Aeneas? She can't even fight! Are you just bringing a girl to try to make me feel jealous, because it won't work: I still consider you my enemy."

I laugh at her flustered look, "No, I'm bringing her because she'd be lost without me. Be right back, Gaia!"

---

I regain my footing in my tent and Elizabeth hugs me again, "You're back!".

"Yeah, I am... Elizabeth, I know you could be doing other things, but would you like to go on an adventure with me?"

"Yes! Will there be dragons? Love? Treasure? Or just walking?" she cuts me off in her excitement.

"Anything could happen! Let's go get you some armor so you don't get hurt out there."

I walk outside into the allied encampment, luckily finding Themis, my general, at the blacksmith to repair her claymore.

"Morning, general!" I declare as I come up from behind her, grabbing an intricately decorated rapier to replace the one that Gaia destroyed.

She jumps back surprised and faces me, "Aeneas! What do you need, my friend?".

"I ask of you two major things: first, do I have permission to leave on an impossible quest for peace with the enemy assassin?"

"It pains me to say so, but you may depart, Aeneas. I have a gut feeling that you will survive this mission. Prove me right," the able warrior grants me her blessing.

"Thank you, Themis. The second inquiry is just as important: can you commission the blacksmith to craft sorceress's robes for Elizabeth...uhh, my leopard?"

"Sorceress's robes, eh? I have one specially fitted for healing incantations from a fallen pardine medic. It should fit one of her kind perfectly. Follow me, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looks back at me as if waiting for my permission, "May I go, master?"

"You're a free leopard, Elizabeth. You can do whatever you want!"

She smiles back, "Sorry, Aeneas. It's a force of habit. I will return to you as quickly as I can". She sprints into Themis' tent zealously and Themis chases her down to lead her to the right part of the tent. I think Elizabeth is a little bit hyperactive.

"Hurry up! I'm getting tired of dealing with my people's flirtatious advances on me. If you wait any longer, I might go insane," I hear Gaia's voice in my head. I laugh at her plight and she yells, "It's not funny, wolf!"

A moment after, I spot Elizabeth running down the hill on which Themis' tent stands and towards me in white enchantress' robes. If I hadn't have known, I would have thought she was just a regular field medic for the Southern Republics. As she runs, she unconsciously drains her magical aura by casting healing incantations everywhere.

"Aeneas, it fits! I'm honored that you're bringing me on your mission" she announces happily, then collapses, "I'm tired..."

I heal her aura by re-energizing her body with light, "You must focus your power. Only think of healing when healing is necessary. Otherwise, you'll burn through your aura very quickly, potentially taking the power from your life force. I'm immune solely because the assassins have no auras, but I don't know why".

"Thanks for warning me, Aeneas."

"No problem. Before we go, I just want to talk to you about Gaia," I open up for discussion.

"What about her, sir?"

"It's probably nothing you didn't already know, but I just want you to remember that she may be our enemy, but she's a normal person too. I care about her safety and I know she's very skilled, so respect her, okay?" She nods solemnly. "Great! Keep close to me now, I've never done this, but it should work," I declare, focusing my energy around us both and teleporting us to the fountain together.

---

"About time," Gaia declares apathetically, then looks at me strangely, "Why is that leopard in a medic's outfit?"

Elizabeth contends, offended, "I am a medic! Just because you two have superpowers doesn't mean that I can't help!"

The tigress uses her mind link to avoid speaking to Elizabeth, "Do I really have to put up with this girl?"

"Yes...her aura is perfect for magic and she'll get us into places we ordinarily can't. Leopards are quite adept at using nature to their advantage," I explain, "By the way, aren't you the same girl who doesn't like being judged at first sight?"

Gaia relents, "Fine! I'm just used to working alone, that's all. I'm sorry for insulting you, leopard."

Elizabeth smiles, "It's okay, I've spent most of my life being insulted! That wasn't that bad!" Wow, even I felt badly after that statement.

Gaia replies, also feeling horrible, "No, I'm really sorry. I'm sure you have great ability just like Aeneas claims. Please, don't take offense: I'm just a bitter tigress who wishes someone like Aeneas would have my back when my abilities are being questioned."

Elizabeth admits freely, to my chagrin, "I wouldn't worry about that: Aeneas told me before that he cares about you and respects you as a person, even if you fight against him."

She smiles and teases, "Did he now? Did he say anything else about me?"

"I don't remember: sorry. You can ask him if you want! He's a really approachable type of guy, except when he's working."

I purposely keep my hood up to conceal my embarrassment from the scene. The more I see the two talking, the more concerned I get.

Clapping my hands together, I announce, "So, where to first, companions?"

"I don't know," they both reply.

"Thanks so much for helping," I mutter sarcastically as I use the direction of light in the early afternoon to guide me.

I hear the faint voice of a mystic in my mind, "Head south, assassin. Find the lake concealed by the forest. The leopard you call Elizabeth will help you".

Turning to Gaia, I inform her, "We are heading south into the forest. There, Elizabeth will lead us to our destination. Also, you need to teach me how to speak telepathically, Gaia..."

Marching into the dark woods of this region, we focus more on our safety than our travel, ending up lost within minutes. "Damn!" Gaia exclaims, "Who told you to take this route?"

"Some sort of mystic spoke to me," I reply, scanning for movement in every sector, "Find anything Elizabeth?"

I look at her, expecting a response, but I see her in a complete trance standing in the middle of the roughly-made dirt path. She finally escapes her daydream, "I know this place...I was born at a lake around here! You need to see the place, right? I can take you there: it's right around the bend!"

Energetically, she runs at full speed toward a body of water in the distance. Gaia and I (mostly just me) struggle to keep up as she takes the vanguard position in our party. When we finally reach the lake together, we encounter one of the Guardians (the bear from earlier) harassing a much smaller leopard, breaking stuff around her cave abode. "Help me, assassin. I am much too old for fighting," she calls to me.

Elizabeth yells at me, "Do something, Aeneas!"

Channeling the dark energy I extracted from Gaia's nightmare through my dagger, I dash toward the large bear with a normally impossible amount of force, instantly incapacitating the Guardian. "That's for hurting my friend!" I declare, kicking away a staff which he was improperly using as a blunt weapon. He fades away, defeated, most likely back to whoever sent him. I stumble from the recoil to my own lightweight body and collapse after ensuring the safety of the elder leopard. I don't think charging a person more than five times my weight was a smart move...

---

"Tell me you're not dead! Oh come on, you stupid wolf! Get! Up! Don't leave me feeling alone again!" I hear Gaia yelling and slamming on my chest as I finally regain consciousness hours later. I see dryness in her eyes as if tears were no longer possible having surpassed her capacity for crying.

"I don't think that breaking my ribs will help me," I groan, getting up from the cold rock floor of a cave.

The tigress slaps me lightly, "Don't you dare make me mourn for you again! It was hard faking as if I cared!" She breaks out in tears again, "Screw the act: I thought I'd lost you forever and never be able to tell you...uhh, I said nothing. I meant that as much as you are still my enemy, you deserved a better death: like by my hand."

Smiling that she cared enough to stick by me for all this time, I respond, "I understand that you only wanted me alive so you could kill me yourself. Also, I'll blame all the crying and emotion to your heat."

"Don't talk about that. I'm fine! I'm an assassin: I don't pay attention to such trivial matters like being in heat!" she roughly wipes away her tears and fixes her shiny fur.

As I stand up and regain control of my limbs, I realize that all my weapons are gone. "Where's my stuff?" I ask, feeling a bit too vulnerable without my weapons.

"I gave them to that leopard mystic," the tigress points, "Sorry, I was preparing you for a ceremonial burial an hour ago."

"Thanks, I guess," I bow, dusting off my shoulders, "Let's go find Elizabeth."

Gaia lets me use her as a crutch to get out of the cave and toward the two leopards on the lakefront. The elder leopard addresses me, "Ah, you've finally awaken, Master Assassin! I've just been purifying the staff that the ursine dropped when you defeated him. By the way, how'd you absorb that much dark energy? That was quite the spectacle."

"The energy was from a nightmare...wait, you knew I was just unconscious and you let Gaia think I was dead?"

She answers me with telepathy, "I apologize: I desired to test her fidelity. I am occupied teaching your leopard, Elizabeth, the ways of the healer. Why don't you spend some time with the tigress? Your weapons are beyond that bush."

Walking toward the bush and sheathing my dagger and rapier, I see Gaia walk toward me, "What's up?"

She looks at me quizzically, "I'll assume that's some sort of strange recognition of my presence...I was reading your mind while you were talking to the elder and I heard her tell you that she was testing my loyalty to you."

"I wasn't faking! I was unconscious back there!"

She smirks drawing her katana, "I know: you would have woken up with the way I was trying to revive you. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you need not doubt my loyalty. I pledge my blade to you".

Honored, I reciprocate, "As do I. Could you teach me how to use telepathy?"

"Fine, but you must teach me something too," she counter proposes.

"How about teleporting? It requires dark energy, so you're only going to be able to teleport to me," I explain.

"Okay," she agrees, then tries to play it off, "Even though that ability would be completely worthless: why would I ever want to be close to a wolf? Especially my arch-enemy! Just the thought of that makes me squirm." Finally giving in to her interest, she gets closer to me, "So how do you do it?"

I go step by step, "Well, first, you have to focus on the darkness: not evil stuff, but nighttime or obsidian. Then think of your target, so don't laugh, but think of something about me and focus your energy towards that idea. If you focus, you'll be an expert in no time."

"I refuse to think about you!"

"Then don't learn..."

"Fine, I won't!" she tries to assert her power, but I see my energy fluctuating to her as she squints in complete focus.

Her shadow appears next to me and she follows a second later, "Good job!".

"I...I did it?" the tigress wonders, finding herself next to me.

"Yeah, great job, Gaia!".

"You did an excellent job teaching, Aeneas...uhh, I mean, it was easy, wolf."

"You realize that I don't hate you, right?"

"My job would be a lot easier if you did. Alright, you kept your word, so I'll keep mine. Relax and grant me entrance into your mind..."

I feel a numbness rush over my body and I fall into her arms, "I trust you, Gaia."

Her paws reach the back of my head and I see my recent memories and thoughts played back to me. Some of the memories are not my own, but are visions given to me by Gaia that share her perception of me and what she thinks about me. Apparently, she finds me trustworthy, but still is hesitant to trust any male after what happened to her when she was kidnapped. She heard the Guardian mention love as a weak emotion before and questions if that love might be for her. That's why her heat has been affecting her when she is usually immune to its effects.

"Tell me if what I think is true," she whispers in my ear as she imparts the knowledge of telepathy upon me.

I use my newly-acquired gift and respond, "It is."

Gaia grabs her stuff and pretends that she did not hear my confession, "I need to take a walk. I'll be right back." She disappears into the forest and let her leave even if I feel tempted to chase after her to be assured of her safety. I hear a roar deep in the forest followed by sounds of crying with the barely perceptible voice of Gaia, "Why can't I hate that stupid wolf? He's a male: all they ever want is glory, but he spared me and acts as if he cares about me. Heavens, I wish I could remember my life before being kidnapped. I'm sure it was better than this!"

I see the elder leopard approach me, "Leave her to her thoughts, Aeneas. I am Atalanta, leopardess of the wood. Much has changed about you: I sense that you were never this open to your enemies before."

"Did you know me before I 'fell asleep' and woke up like this?"

"Regrettably, I never had the pleasure. However, I do know about your destiny."

"Is that my stupid fate that the Guardians keep pestering me about?" I groan.

She takes me for a walk, "No, it is quite different."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, Gaia would not die at the end of the quest."

My interest peaked, I implore her, "Please tell me how."

She starts first with some lore, "Both you and Gaia are the Assassins of Contrast. The other two are the Assassins of Nature and they are lesser in ability to you, despite what the historians might say. There is a legend that states that if peace were restored to Novaterrum Arcanum by the two Assassins of Contrast, the power of Fate to corrupt sapient life would be shattered. Fate would simply be a non-issue."

"So Fate wanted us to meet, but expected me to be the old me and kill her?" I ask, confused.

"Exactly! By changing your ways after your sleep, you've changed the way of the world. Fate has no real power, but you two do."

"Wait, but doesn't Fate control everything?"

She explains to me patiently, "Fate is a fallacy, child. You craft your own destiny in this world. If you truly care about Gaia, you will succeed."

"I do, and thank you for informing me," I bow.

Just then, I feel a pull on my body as Gaia teleports to my location. The tigress announces, "I found the outskirts of a village, but I sensed that they were trying to chase me down because they thought I was a threat. Maybe we can rest up there before leaving for your capital."

"Alright, we can. Atalanta, where is Elizabeth?"

The elder leopardess laughs, "She's still practicing outside. She has great ability, especially with that staff. I gave her a healing crystal to augment her raw power: she's ready."

I walk outside and watch Elizabeth as she executes a spell on me with near-perfect precision, instantly healing my bruises and minor wounds (a lot of them resulting from Gaia beating down on my body to try to awaken me). Refreshed, I thank her, "Thanks a lot, Elizabeth. I knew you'd be great for the job."

She smiles, "Thank you for bringing me, Aeneas".

I explain the situation, "We're thinking of resting at a small village that Gaia found past the forest. What do you think?"

She gasps, "You're asking for my opinion?!"

I address her, concerned, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"No one's ever asked before...umm, I'd like to rest!" she smiles radiantly.

"Then it's settled! Let's move, people!" I declare, then salute Atalanta, "Thanks for everything. Remind me to order these forests to be kept as they are."

She laughs and winks, "It was an honor, my king."

"I hope you meant that as a joke," I chuckle nervously.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Only time will tell..."

---

I lead the small group into the forest, letting Gaia take point since she knows the way to this village. The tigress interrogates me, "What did that leopard mean when she called you a king?"

"No clue," I answer, tracking movement in the darkness, "I hope it was a joke."

Gaia sees the same movement, "The Earth trembles. Aeneas...someone is near."

Holding Elizabeth from further advance, the leopard yells, "What?!" Just then, a fox warrior drops from a tree, diving with a spear directed towards Gaia's chest.

I tumble into her to stop the spear from its deadly course, taking a direct blow to my left arm, but easily disarming the enemy by stunning him with a beam of light. He drops his spear and falls to his knees. I feel the pain of the wound, but suffer through it, "What the heck? Why attack us? I seek peace for your people."

Noticing my badly wounded arm, Elizabeth yelps, "Aeneas, your arm!"

"I'm fine," I say, clutching my broken arm as Gaia puts her katana to the fox's neck, "Don't even try." I thought she'd never back me up like that. The leopardess rubs her new staff on my arm and the pain instantly fades. My arms then sears as if on fire as it restructures and mends perfectly.

I bend my arm and it feels as if it never had been broken in the first place, "Wow, thanks! You're amazing, Elizabeth!"

"No problem, Aeneas," the leopardess blushes as I return to the vulpine spearman.

"Look, I don't need to kill you, but I will if you don't tell me who you work for," I threaten.

"I am a defender of the woods, commissioned by the nearby village to patrol their borders," he explains, "I thought you'd be an easy target."

I smile, "Nope, we are two of the assassins of legend. You probably shouldn't mess with us, but I was afraid you represented the Northern Alliance, in which case, we'd be screwed."

"Assassins?!" he looks at Gaia and I, "No...the prophesies of the city folk are true? You come in peace?"

I glare at the fox, "Yes, but who are your people? And what is this prophesy?"

"It's a city for anyone: there are equines, avians, bovines, reptiles (including dragons), cervines (deer and elk), canines, pards, and more!" he counts off the various species on his paw, "Come, I will bring you there and there you can learn of the predictions about you."

Elizabeth, quick to forget, starts up a conversation with the fox while Gaia and I lag behind. "You could have died trying to save me," she says out of the blue, "It was foolish to do so."

I walk along by her, "I couldn't leave you in danger...It seems that your 'village' is actually quite a large city!"

The tigress snaps at me, "Don't change the subject: you almost sacrificed yourself for me. You need to stop doing stuff like that."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like crap when I treat you as a mortal enemy and you treat me like you love...being nice to me or something," she covers up her true meaning, though her blush betrays her, "I can't reciprocate: I think of you as hostile."

"I'm not asking you to love me," I clarify, compromising on my personal affection toward her, "And nor should you feel that I love you. I'm just hoping to make peace and the first step is that we should trust one another."

"Okay, wolf. I will try," she looks both disappointed and relieved at the same time. She's quite difficult to read, but she definitely intrigues me...she'd better not be reading my mind.

---

Following the fox, we finally arrive at the previously-undiscovered city, "Welcome to Onnela, travelers! The City of Acceptance."

The expanse of the marble city unfolds in front of me as the fog of the woods clears, "Geez, this place is massive!" Bakeries, forges, taverns, inns, houses, and even a palace and barracks appear as we walk down a brick road. It is a marvelous city filled with the latest in the region's technology, like oil lamps and purification systems for magical equipment.

The fox beckons, "Come: I'll buy you some drinks."

Together, we walk into a nearby tavern named simply The Mead House and sit at a corner booth. It seems that all eyes are upon us in our strange armor and robes. The fox introduces himself, "I am Midas. As I've said, I am a guardsman here and I'll have to take you to the barracks after this just as a matter of procedure. What about you guys? From talking to your very nice servant Elizabeth, I know you are Gaia and Aeneas, but not much else."

I answer, "First off, Elizabeth is a free leopardess, not a servant. Secondly, I am Aeneas, Assassin of the Southern Republics."

Gaia introduces herself afterward, "And I am Gaia, Assassin of the Northern Alliance."

"You two are very influential people...and how did you end up being a couple?"

Gaia tries to answer coolly, but once again, her blush shows me her feelings, "I am not his mate."

The spearman laughs, "Apologies, tigress, but the way that Aeneas protected you with his life is something only a true mate would do. Also, the way that Elizabeth was talking about you, I just assumed..."

Elizabeth quickly excuses herself in search for a bathroom to avoid Gaia's glare and she also seems nervous about something. I whisper to Midas as a joke about my relationship with Gaia, "It's complicated."

He smiles, "Ah, I see. So do you want anything to drink, assassins? It's been hundreds of years since our last visitors and I owe you for breaking your arm."

We respond in unison, "I'm fine, thanks."

The fox chuckles, "Too cute".

Gaia subconsciously purrs at me until she snaps out of her heat and addresses me, "Uhh...that never happened". I smile and nod.

---

Elizabeth returns to us a few minutes later, looking extremely uncomfortable as Gaia rests her arm around her neck, "I'm sorry, tigress. I did not realize you didn't like my master...I mean Aeneas." Gaia replies to her using telepathy and I cannot hear her statement (obviously), but Elizabeth looks quite happy at the response. Now I'm feeling nervous.

I get Midas' attention, "I think we're ready for the barracks". "Okay, follow me!".

The fox leads us up toward the palace and toward the barracks, where we are instantaneously greeted by praise as "saviors" and "heroes" though we haven't really done much yet. Midas explains as he takes us to a back room, "Sorry about that: people are really excited that you may be the people to fulfill that prophesy...oh, I promise to get someone to explain it, unless you've already heard it". He takes out some sort of identification cards and fills them out for each of us.

I ask, thinking of Atalanta, "Does it have anything to do with Gaia and I conquering Fate?"

"Exactly! How did you know?" the guardsman wonders.

"Yeah, how did you know, Aeneas?" Gaia looks at me, upset.

"Umm...Atalanta told me," I explain. Gaia accepts the answer, "Oh, the leopard mystic...I see."

Done with the ID cards, the fox hands them to us, "Here you are: sorry for not writing the exact truth, but it's the only way to get you into this place legally. I hope you don't mind."

Gaia roars, flustered, "It says I'm married! To AENEAS!"

I laugh, "I can live with that...my wife".

She tackles me to the ground, making me laugh even harder, "Shut up, wolf! I think I'm going to kill you for writing that, Midas!"

The fox smiles nervously, "The only way to be here legally is to claim that you are shunned by those in your homeland. You two couldn't legally be married anywhere else because you're enemies and also different species, so there's your ticket in. Elizabeth, I hope you're not too upset about being married to me..."

Elizabeth blushes and stays silent as if she's thinking about something else.

Gaia slowly rolls off of me and helps me up, "Okay, I can live with this as long as you don't call me 'wife' to my face. Then, I'll still feel like myself."

"I'll respect your wishes, Gaia. I'm sorry for joking about it."

She shrugs, "It's okay: it is a funny situation. I'm just not used to laughter."

"I understand completely, but I think we should get to know each other a little better. Maybe we should talk casually for once...only if you want to."

"I do...and thank you."

---

As Midas leads us back toward the main room, what looks like a regal procession passes by us, with everyone bowing around us. Resolving to fit in with the rest of the group, we bow as well. Two male dragons (one blue-scaled and one black-scaled) in extravagant clothing approach us and the older, black-scaled one says, "Assassins, there are great tales of what you must do for us all. As King of this land, I hereby give you access to all this city can offer you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

He outstretches a claw with a scroll, "This is an invitation to a ceremony in your honor. Please join us tonight."

I take the scroll and nod, "I'm very grateful, Your Majesty."

The King turns away but the younger, blue-scaled dragon remains, eying Elizabeth lustfully, "Leopardess, your beauty stuns me like no one has ever before. I am Prince Draco. What is your name, noble lady?".

"Elizabeth. Why ask me, sir?" she answers uncomfortably.

He makes his exit, "I hope to speak with you at the ceremony, leopardess."

Exiting the barracks, I see a clear night above me, and much of my energy is restored by the darkness, "Midas, where will Gaia, Elizabeth, and I stay after the ceremony?"

"There is an inn by the lakefront with two rooms," the fox recommends, "If you'd like, I could stand guard by the place as you sleep. You and Gaia can share one room and Elizabeth could have the other."

I look at my companions for approval and they nod. "Sounds good!" I answer.

Midas looks dejectedly at Elizabeth and sighs, looking severely depressed all of a sudden.

"What's wrong, Midas?"

The guardsman looks over at me, "Can I be frank with you, Aeneas?"

"Sure."

"I can't tell you why, but I think I'm in love with the leopardess. The way she talks is just so cute and I can't resist her smile," he explains.

I shrug, "I'm fine with that: why don't you tell her?"

"The same reason why you haven't told Gaia," he answers, knowing more about me than I thought, "We're supposed to be enemies. Not only that, but my own Prince wants her! Who am I, a common guardsman, to compete with royalty?!"

I reply, "If you think Elizabeth cares about rank, then you don't know her. Please just tell her: I'm sure she'll understand. I don't think she likes the Prince by the way she looked as he spoke to her."

The fox smiles, "Thank you for your help, Master Assassin. I will tell her soon."

"Anytime, Midas. Just...don't break my arm again," I joke playfully.

Midas shows us the way into the palace and they allow us in even with our arsenal of weapons. The "ceremony" is an audience with the king and I feel severely underdressed to be meeting royalty. The King beckons, "Come friends! Especially the wolf, I must speak to you".

Hesitantly, I take the vanguard and approach him, bowing, "Yes, sir?

"Enough with the bowing, wolf. What are the names and titles of your party?"

"I am Aeneas, Assassin of the Southern Republics and Master of the Darkness and Light. The tigress is Gaia, Assassin of the Northern Alliance and Master of the Earth and Seas. The leopardess is my friend Elizabeth, an Expert Healer of the Southern Republics." Elizabeth smiles at her description as being an "expert."

"A noble party indeed," the battle-hardened King comments, looking over us, "I know that this is a great deal to ask for, but I was wondering if you'd consider teaching my son about combat while you're here. He needs to be exposed to it. I have kept him safe until now, but he needs to understand the perils of the job. Since you have great experience in the field, I really need your help."

Just then, the Prince makes his appearance, slowly making his way toward Elizabeth. In a bind, Midas moves quickly, and I use my gift of good hearing to hear him tell Elizabeth, "Elizabeth, I know I should have told you this before, but I could have chosen hundreds of different excuses to grant us passage into the city, but I chose marriage to me because...I really really like you. Please don't go with the Prince."

Elizabeth smiles, wrapping her arms around him, "I hoped you'd say that." They embrace passionately, to the shock of almost everyone except me.

The King smiles, "That's not something I get to witness very often! Anyway, what do you think?" I restrain my happiness, "I guess I could stick around for a little more time to teach him something. Tell him to be at the barracks in the morning. I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Assassin. (Draco! You will be expected at the barracks in the morning! Don't be late!) You are free to leave." I feel a little bad for the dragon, but I think that Midas appreciates Elizabeth for more than her appearance, so I'll give him a shot (even if he is a fox).

---

Ready to sleep, I rush the group out if the palace in order to set up back at the inn. As the only person from the city, Midas leads us to the inn by the lake and keeps his word to guard our rooms, even after Elizabeth begged him to talk to her instead. Gaia and I were forced to share a room, but the innkeeper found nothing wrong with an interspecific couple that disregards our allegiances against one another.

To tell the truth, I was pretty nervous about screwing our tenuous relationship up. I kept very conservative, not taking off a single piece of armor before climbing into the singular small bed in the room, meaning we had to share it (again). "Goodnight, Gaia!" I call out, "If you wake up early, we can have that talk about each other."

"I will wake up at dawn," she nods, then settles down next to me, "Thank you for saving me from the spear back in the forest. I'm sorry that I act as if I'm invincible or better than you: I'm just nervous. We shall discuss this at dawn."

"It's fine, Gaia. I understand that you want to act independently and I won't restrict that, but I won't leave you in harm's way," I sympathize.

She purrs, "Don't let this get to your head, but you are special, wolf. I...I think I might love...I mean, I appreciate your kindness to me and your patience. Please ignore the strange statements that I make while I'm in heat."

A little disappointed, I play it off, hiding myself in the sheets, "I will, tigress. I'm sorry for playing along with it."

I turn off our oil lamp and I assume that she'd close her eyes and go to sleep. Instead, she tells me telepathically, "I cannot sleep, so I wanted to tell you just to be yourself: feel free to joke about me, I find it funny even when I might act like I don't. More importantly, you make me feel wanted here and I can never pay you back for that feeling. There's only one way to show you my level of gratitude."

I feel a warm body move against my own and I hear a light lusty purr, "This is a once in a lifetime chance here, wolf, and I'm capitalizing." Taking my muzzle, Gaia kisses me again and again until she snaps out of her heat-induced trance, "I'm-I'm sorry, Aeneas...I didn't mean to put you through that situation. Deep down, I guess I'm just desperate for attention. I don't try to be that way on purpose. All I really want is your respect and I know acting that way won't get me that. Please forgive me."

I look at the tigress, her face almost imperceptible in the complete dark, "I won't ever judge you like that, especially when I know it's out of your paws. It's a natural process and it's affecting you for the first time so of course you'll fall victim to your subconscious. But you're strong enough to fight the urge and that's what I respect about you: your courage and ability."

She smiles, "Thank you, Aeneas. I promise not to wake you up again."

"No problem, but I really want to talk with you in the morning, so I need my sleep. Goodnight again, Gaia."

And so I rested and she slept at an arm's length from me the entire night. It was awkward for me to feel the body heat of another person, but I'm sure she felt the same way about my effect on her. I know we need to talk: about our fake marriage, our prophesy, our mission, and more; but I know that sleep is the first step toward all of those tasks. As I finally drift into a dream world, I hear the tigress' voice, "Goodnight, my fake husband". Let it be known that I went to sleep with an amused smile.