Serna came racing into the room and saw Caliaphy was busy making her way over to the food table.

"Wait a minute!" The Shield Maiden huffed as she caught her breath, "How did you get here before me?"

"Teeeheehehee!" Caliaphy bragged, "I just did a mad dash without flying cuz' I'm that good.

"Uh huh!" Serna huffed as she walked over to the table, picked up a plate and began to retrieve some food.

Lazheros turned around with his food and joined Alyson but before he did he gave the kurori a look of 'don't do that again.'

"What did I do?" Caliaphy shrugged.

"Small one, you have a tendency to cheat," The bronze man sipped his tea again, "..a...lot."

"Hmph!" The kurori flicked her wings at the bronze man as if to insult him as she strode past.

Serna giggled a little as she got her food and prepared to seat herself.

The princess motioned for the musicians to enter and play a soft morning tune in the backround. She found Willow's friends an odd lot but most welcome, and she'd hoped that her husband would of been able to join them but battles can take a toll on even the most hardy of warriors. She wandered over with her own food and drink accompanied by her hand maidens who flanked her sides behind her. "Tell me, how long have you known Prince Willow, Lord Irzen?"

"I have known the prince for only a year, your Highness," Irzen smiled as he stopped eating to answer her question, "But it feels like I have known him for a hundred years. We first met on the way to the city of Stormhaven which was then controlled by a couple of demons known as the Dunamons."

Alyson cut in, "Sorry but I don't remember you there specifically being there when the Dunamons were hell bent on summoning the Nameless One back to the Realm, Irzen. It was just Willow, Gareth, Heidi, War Scribe, and myself. I believe you came afterwards."

"You're right! I did come afterwards," The Swordsman laughed, "At first, I did not like him. I thought he was too aloof and too emotionless even for a Wood Elf. But as time went by, he started to grow on me. His calm demeanor and sense of loyalty won me over."

"Aloof? Not even close." The elementalist added, "Continue."

"The Princess' question was not directed to you," The Swordsman gave the Elementalist a hard look complete with dagger eyes, "Do you mind?!"

Irzen smiled to himself, "I find Prince Willow to be what is best in Wood Elves. He is honest, forthright, resilient and stubborn. When he asked for my help in saving his homeland, I agreed to join him without hesitation. I did so because I knew in my heart he would do the same for me were my homeland in similar jeopardy. Your brother-in-law may be an excellent Archer and an accomplished Ranger. But he is also an even better friend."

Alyson shook her head playing the 'bad' cop, "Your highness, Willow believes he can change his fate due to him being forced into a 'loveless' and political marriage. I can understand that but make no mistake he can't keep a secret to save his life. A mentor and long time friend and ally of mine trusted him to keep a secret and he failed, utterly. So in my mind he betrayed my trust."

"Seriously!" The Swordsman gave The Elementalist another hard look, "What the hell is your problem?! So he betrayed your trust! You paid him back by breaking up with him. Now you're even! Let it go! You found someone new, you should be happy right now! Get over it!"

Lazheros didn't utter a word as he listened to Alyson's and Irzen's view of the ranger having no imput himself.

Princess Liliandra listened and observed both the swordsman and the elementalist's point of view with an open mind. Some of which she already knew about Willow but perhaps his time away from Northaven had made him a wiser person but there was something else. "Well I thank you for your thoughts on how both of you view and know Willow."

"Your welcome, your Highness," The Swordsman smiled to The Princess before he gave The Elementalist another round of dagger eyes.

The kurori inhaled a bunch of blueberries until she bit into a sour unripe berry and gave the shield maiden a funny look.

Serna did her best to stifle a laugh.

Prince Willow finally came to the dining room though and yawned, "Good morningtide to you all! How is everyone doing this day?"

Caliaphy got up out of her seat blushing and approached the ranger, "Gosh! You're really, really cute, teeheehee!"

"Handsome!" Serna rose from her chair and approached the Ranger as well, "You look very handsome today, Willow."

"Thank you both," The Ranger smiled at The Shield Maiden and The Fairy.

The elementalist looked over and waved to Willow, "Good Morning."

The bronze man also turned in Willow's direction and with a nod acknowledged him, "Good morning, Prince Willow."

"Good morning, Willow," The Swordsman added, "I was just about to tell Alyson how much of a cheap, petty and pathetic little girl she is for not getting over the fact that you failed her test of trust. But in retrospect I think she did you a favor by dumping you. You're way too good to be hooked up with a High Maintenance Hottie like this one."

"Preach! Reverend! Preach!" War Scribe cried out in between bites of her food.

The Prince began to wonder just exactly what in the hell he had just walked into.

Lazheros sighed heavily as he knew where this heated argument was going.

"What is a High Maintenance Hottie?" Serna asked Irzen.

"A woman who is so petty and so cheap and has so much emotional baggage that she simply can't let any of it go long enough to enjoy a meaningful relationship with anyone," The Swordsman surmised quickly, "That is all you are, Alyson, and if you're not careful, that is all you are ever going to be!"

"Oh-kay!" Serna took a step back at that one.

"Are you done?" Alyson drank all of her juice in one gulp. "Shall I repeat what I told you back in Asylum at the lighthouse, for everyone to hear because its clearly obvious to me that you have a lot of pent up rage issues since you're the one taking a back seat in a body that's not your own, human!"

In the blink of an eye, Irzen's demeanor became calm almost to the point of being scary, "Tell everyone what you will, Elementalist, but in answer to your question: I am not done yet. I have one more thing to say. And what I have to say is a warning but it is a warning not mean't for you."

"YYYYYEEESSSS!!!" The Drowling crowed, "And the truth shall set you free!"

The bronze man face palmed and really wished Madeous was here. The platinum knight could defuse any argument on a whim, he was that good and he often put Celestra in her place when she got pushy.

The Swordsman turned towards The Cleric, "Lazheros, as a Cleric of Bahamut, your serve a god who loves justice, shows compassion and embraces mercy. Before I knew Willow as a Wood Elven Prince, I knew him as a Wood Elven Ranger who was in the same position as you are now--a lover of Alyson."

"Irzen, please don't," The Prince knew where this was headed.

The Swordsman pointed towards Alyson without looking away from Lazheros, "Willow loved Alyson as much as you do now. He fought by her side, killed her enemies for her when she needed it, clothed her when she was naked, fed her when she was hungry, comforted her when she wept, sheltered her when she was lonely, healed her when she was wounded and suffered her when no one else could or would put up with her crap."

"HAH GLORY!!!" War Scribe screeched as she raised her hand skyward.

The Swordsman lowered his hand, "And in spite of showing a near infinite amount of compassion, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, respect and love over and over and over again; when it was his turn to feel these things from the woman who allegedly loved him--after he screwed up in a crisis of conscience--what did she do? Did she show him compassion? Did she show him any love? Did she forgive him? Did she even listen to him as he tried to apologize? What did she do?"

"She dumped him," Irzen deadpanned, "Without a second thought, without a single ounce of regret and without a single shred of remorse. Beware this woman, Cleric of Bahamut, like all men you will err. You will make a mistake. Sooner or later, you know you will. And when you do, she will do no less to you than she did to the prince. Heed my warning. In time, you too will suffer the same fate as Willow and become just another ex-lover in a long line of ex-lovers of Alyson, the High Maintenance Hottie."

The Swordsman promptly returned to his seat and resumed eating without another word.

"CAN I GET AN AMEN?" The Drowling crowed once more.