Haeryn's brow furrowed when the mages appeared around them. He glanced around. One. Two. Three. Four. Four mages, as well as the man that now stood before him and his companion. They were outnumbered, and though he didn't show it, the use of magic made him nervous. He turned slowly, bringing the point of his arrow to rest on one of the mages. If he had to strike, he would, but spilling blood here could bring nothing but negative consequences. Still, he had no intention of being captured. An orange light burned in the east. Sunrise was upon them. It seemed he'd led the duo on for longer than he thought.

 The brilliant green eyes beneath the white hood followed the appearance of the shadowmages, but came to rest on Rat as he made his entrance. He offered them terms for surrender. A shame they wouldn't be accepting them. The woman took a slow step forward, and a slight smile crossed her lips. The next instant a flurry of footsteps cut through the morning air. In a flash of white she stood in front of the man, within arms' reach. She locked eyes with the rogue, her expression the same as before. Her movement had been extremely quick, but she showed no sign of exertion. After a moment, she spoke, in a voice low enough that only Rat could hear her. "My name is Celeste of Redmoon. I am the Sword of Queen Angelica Octavia, Empress of Lyok. I assure you, you do not want me as your enemy." She made no move, her eyes focused in an unblinking stare. "Now, we can dance, and I can show you [i]exactly[/i] what I mean, or you can be civil about this and call off your dogs." The rising morning sun shone bright against the woman's cloak, and illuminated her face. "The choice is yours."

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 Sophia jolted up in her cot, breathing heavily. Her sleep had been fraught with terrible dreams, despite the wine's best efforts. Her eyes darted around the room in a panic, half expecting to find some ominous figure standing over her. Instead, she awoke to a tranquil room slowly being filled by warm sunlight. She sighed. She'd made it through to another day, at least. The girl turned, allowing her feet to hang off the edge of the bed and looked towards the sunlit window. It was a beautiful sunrise, she thought. Even nature had it's ironies. She looked over towards Eva, who evidently had fallen asleep sitting up. The woman's head was slumped downward, her hair hanging in her face. The Princess quietly stood up, taking a moment to steady herself. She tiptoed across the room and looked out the window. Outside, Mullen's streets were bustling with life, as if nothing had happened. She wondered what the new day would bring. Her eyes glanced to the table where she and Gareth had placed their belongings. The sunlight shown brightly against the well-polished helmet. Sophia shook her head. She looked towards the other bed and whispered. "Gareth, Gareth are you awake?" Her soft voice floated through the room like the lilting tune of a songbird.