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"Are you both really trained soldiers?" she rolled her eyes, bringing a finger to her lips. "Why would you give away your position like that?"

Thane raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat.

"I, ahem, was just about to crouch down, of course, so as not to be seen."

"Uh huh," Lucy drummed her fingers, clearly not buying the man\'s excuse.

Kel, on the other hand, was less concerned about her skills being called into question and, instead, was watching the Emperor\'s face attentively.

Hopefully, he wasn\'t angry or jealous or jumping to some crazy conclusion.

If that happened, Taegus, or whoever the Teagus-looking person outside the window was, could very well be a dead man by morning.

Fortunately, the Dragon Emperor ignored the window entirely, his glower directed entirely at Kel and Thane, still pressed against Lucy\'s blockade.

Or.. was that not fortunate?

"Dame Lucille makes an excellent point," Calix grunted. "Just what are the two of you busybodies doing right now?"

Thane and Kel exchanged a shocked look, both unhappy being lumped in with the other as a \'busybody\'.

"Go kneel over there and raise your arms until Dame Lucille is done with her reconnaissance regarding what is going on outside the window," the Emperor ordered.

With his head drooping, Thane reluctantly obeyed his master\'s orders and shuffled to the corner.

Kel began to turn back to the window Lucy was guarding when Calix stopped her.

"What are you doing? I told you to go kneel and raise your arms."

"Eh?!" Kel gasped. "Why would-? I\'m not-"

"Think of it as a part of your training," Calix smirked, stepping past her to join Lucy by the window.

Evidently, the Dragon Emperor was angry at Taegus\'s appearance, after all.

"Is the Emperor training you to be part of the Shadow Guard?" Thane whispered as she joined him shamefully in the corner. 

"Um.. not really," Kel shook her head. 

"Ha," Thane snorted under his breath. "Then I guess Calix really does have some weird taste-"

"Thane, turn around and face the wall."

The knight stopped mid-sentence, immediately pivoting on his knees.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

With both Kel and the outspoken knight silenced, Calix and Lucy lingered by the window, neither speaking a word as they watched something on the ground below.

After a few minutes, Calix put a finger to his lips and motioned for Kel to join them.

Hesitantly, she lowered her arms and crept toward him. When she reached him, she stifled a squeak as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

With the Emperor\'s steady heartbeat against her back, Kel gulped and tried to turn her attention out the window.

A man with olive skin and silver hair stood across from another man. Both were dressed in Pandreian style, and both kept glancing around apprehensively, as if they were afraid of being spotted.

"What do you think?"

Calix breathed into Kel\'s ear as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Is that him?"

"That\'s definitely Taegus," Kel whispered back. "But I have no idea who the other man is."

"Altair," Calix replied. "The most recently appointed court official of Pandreia."

"I thought it was strange that such a newbie was selected to join the delegation," Lucy added softly from where she stood.

Neither the Emperor nor the knight looked particularly surprised to see the two Pandreians colluding right outside the window. 

Kel, on the other hand, was baffled.

The spot they\'d chosen to meet at was possibly the worst secret meeting place within a mile radius.

Though they couldn\'t be heard from the window\'s height, they were in plain sight of the Dragon Emperor\'s room. There\'s no way the two men didn\'t realize they would be seen by the Emperor or his guards.

"Why.." Kel scrunched her eyes, trying to get a better look at the scene below.

Calix suddenly chuckled loudly, pulling away from the window.

"Why? It seems your little friend is trying his best to get in my good graces," he smirked, releasing Kel. "Delivering the rebels\' leader on a silver platter."

"Rebels?" Kel questioned. "What do you mean?"

With another laugh, Calix patted her head.

"Whenever a country\'s ruler makes such a big decision, there\'s bound to be pushbac-actually," he paused, rolling his eyes, "no matter what a ruler does, there are bound to be some nagging court officials."

"In this case," Lucy piped up, turning away from the window as well, "we caught wind of rebels lying in wait at Pandreia.. For both their own king and us."

"Oh.. I see," Kel frowned, suddenly feeling left out.

When had they gotten together to discuss the issue of rebels so in depth? And why wasn\'t she included?

"Are you upset?" Calix stroked Kel\'s cheek. "You need a little bit more training before you\'re ready to take on things like this."

"Aha! I knew you were being trained as a Shadow Guard!"

Calix, Kel, and Lucy all whirled around to the corner where Thane was still kneeling with his nose touching the wall and arms raised above his head.

"Ah. I forgot about you," Calix snorted. "Why don\'t you go and guard the room or something?"

Kel didn\'t need to see his face to know the hurt expression the knight made at his master\'s words.

"Even if you are a Shadow Guard," Thane muttered on his way out of the room, "it\'s not like you get included anyway."

"Lucy," Calix turned to the woman who was busy grinning as she watched Thane. "Go chase off those pests, will you?"

"Yes, Sir."

Lucy pounded her chest before disappearing out the door behind her fellow guard.

"Well!" Calix flopped onto the bed. "What a nice introduction to the show waiting for us in Pandreia."

Still frowning, Kel sat down beside him.

"Are you really training me to be a Shadow Guard?"

"If that\'s really what you want," Calix shrugged.

"Really?" Kel tilted her head. "Has that been your goal this whole time?"

The Emperor shook his head.

"Personally, I see far more potential in you than that."