Both Prince Birch and Princess Cauladra silently looked on at Quake with a raised eyebrow.

"Gee, Quake, hungry much?" Irzen quipped while he added a few choice meats and vegetables to his own plate.

"Umm, well only you presently have seen my actual form, Irzen. They haven't" She gestured towards Birch and Cauladra, "I may appear human but I'm not. I am elemental dragon. Fire and Earth. Fire is all consuming and I mean when I'm hungry, I will put the lady to shame when I eat."

"Yeah, I bet!" Irzen just laughed before he turned to Prince Birch and Princess Cauladra and chuckled, "Your Majesties, it's not polite to stare."

"Quite right, Lord Drow!" Prince Birch snapped out of his amazement before he began to sit down at the table.

"Indeed!" Princess Cauladra shook herself before she regained her full composure, "We should be feasting instead."

She grinned, "At least its food and not just hearty beverages. Thank you for the fine food, your grace."

"You are most welcome, Lady Quake," Princess Cauladra replied as she took her seat.

"And thank you for all of YOUR help in dealing a final death blow to vampires and blood mages which plagued us as of late," Prince Birch added with a knowing smile, "Your contributions to our cause not only ensured our victory but also hurried it along!"

Quake raised her goblet up to them and drank down its entire contents, "Cheers!"

"Skoal!" Irzen raised his globlet up to the Elven Prince and Princess and drained it.

Both Prince Birch and Princess Cauladra raised their glasses, "May fortune and victory ever favor you!"

"Huzzah!" Quake added another cheer.

All three Elves in the room laughed at the Dragon Elemental.

The elemental had sparkly eyes now with all the admiration going about the dining hall. She was on cloud nine until she saw a glint of light and shadow in peripheral vision. The brothers of light and shadow were coming back. She was so excited, that she jumped up from her seat and exclaimed, "They're back! Woot! My brothers are back!"

Irzen rose from his seat as well and looked around the room, "Mermidon and Dragolem?! Where?!"

"I don't know for sure I just know they are coming, or on their way." She said all dreamy like.

"Better that than them not coming at all, I guess." Irzen returned to his seat somewhat anti-climatically.

"What is a Mermidon and a Dragolem?" Princess Cauladra asked Quake.

"You have brothers, Lady Quake?" Prince Birch asked, "Fascinating! I did not know elementals had families let alone kinfolk."

"Huh?" Quake shook her head, "No. They evolved from stone draconic elementals. They have one final phase of their evolution so to speak. They are twins like the opposite sides of a coin, one good, one bad."

"And they are brothers you say?" Prince Birch rubbed his chin in contemplation, "Fascinating! With one being evil and the other good, I suspect they quarrel quite a bit with you serving as the voice of moderation, eh Lady Quake?"

"First of all, I'm not a lady. I'm a rooting tooting gal. Two, my brothers don't fight each other, they simply avoid each until the right time comes around and they start kicking some serious butt." The elemental said cleaning the meat of the t-bone steak.

******

Captain Lion walked over to the desk and pulled out a bottle of blood wine, emptying the entire bottle to sate his thirst. Then sat down in the high back chair and closed his eyes to rest.

The kurori opened her eyes and wrinkled her nose to the sound of Serna sleeping. Slowly she sat up and looked about to see Captain Lion sitting in the high back chair resting, "Ulp."

"Behave, kurori, or you may find yourself elsewhere." Captain Lion said with his eyes closed.

Caliaphy blinked out of the shield maiden's lap and onto the chair opposite of the captain's desk. "Umm....so how long she been asleep?"

"Not long, Eladrin. Now that I know what you are, my perspective has changed, however, you have yet to make amends." He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Hmph!" Caliaphy's wings twitched, "Still looking for the one to fill the gap. Didn't work with Alyson, Vampire King."

Captain Lion leaned forward now, "Careful, you don't wake the girl. I have not forgotten the agreement between your king and I. She is your charge, Eladrin. I know this now what you could not have with Alyson, so you are making up for lost time with Serna. Regardless of my old status, it doesn't exist here in the Realm. I am just an ally, friend, and servant of the Guardian of Asylum."

Serna moaned in her sleep wistfully.

At the sound, Caliaphy turned in Serna's direction. A look of pure mischievousness appeared across her face. She tip toed across the captain's quarters and produced a multicolored brush. She went about 'painting' Serna's face like a flower and added the finishing touch with glitter.

Captain Lion took a deep breath and leaned back. He was partially amused by the Kurori's artistic side but at the same he knew full well it would be only a matter of time when Serna woke up and saw her reflection.

Serna slowly began to wake after Caliaphy finished applying the last of the glitter to her face, "Huh? Wha--what is going on? Did I fall asleep or something?"

Caliaphy hid the paint brush behind her wings, "Oh. Hi Serna. I was just drawing like Alyson used to do. You'll know when you see it."

"Oh! Hey, Caliaphy, what happened to you? Where did you go?" The Shield Maiden asked the Kurori.

"Oh, yeah. I had to grow up and kick some evil bad guy's butt. He ain't never ever coming back. He's permanently D.E.A.D. dead. Guess that's what the Bronze Man and the Elder told me a really long time ago." She danced around proudly.

"Awesome!" Serna ran over to Caliaphy and gave her a hug, "That's wonderful! When you put your mind to it, there is nothing you can't handle, Caliaphy."

The captain watched quietly as the Kurori's paint brush vanished. He stood up and walked over to the table where a plate of fresh roast beef lay. Something his crew always prepared for him when his true nature came out, a pleasant way for him to sate his hunger.

"Captain Lion, um, how did things go? Did you and the rest of the others defeat those mean, nasty vampires?" The Shield Maiden asked the Captain.

"Hmm," He looked up from his dinner and swallowed the piece of meat before replying. "Yes. The vampires have been defeated and driven off, if they're any left. Furthermore, the city is once again safe for everyone including the citizens."

"That is good to hear, Captain Lion," Serna breathed a sigh of relief, "I am glad East Port is free of those mean, nasty vampires. Is everyone doing alright? No one was harmed were they?"

"Everyone is fine at least to my knowledge," He sipped his wine between bites, "Although it seems that certain enemies regardless of who they are or where they come from seem to target Irzen and Madeous."

Caliaphy fluttered over to the book shelf while they were talking quietly humming a tune.

"Why is that?" Serna scratched her head, "Alyson is the most powerful one in the group. I would expect more enemies would want to destroy her than either of them. What do you think?"

"Ah, well that is something you should ask yourself, young lady. Irzen and Madeous represent the leaders of the group with the most experience which is why enemies tend to gravitate towards them. If they can take down the leaders, the rest would fall or scatter." He took another sip of wine.

"Oh!" Serna quipped, "Now that I think about it, that makes perfect sense." The Shield Maiden turned towards The Fairy, "Caliaphy, what in the Realm are you doing? Please don't be up to any mischief! That's the last thing we need right about now."

The kurori turned around with a book in her hands. It was open and she genuinely was reading it. "Huh? You're silly, Serna. Seriously though you really should enjoy being a kid instead of trying to be all grown up."

"I am enjoying being a kid," Serna retorted honestly, "I'm just a kid with a shield who likes to bash mean, nasty baddies in the face with her shield. That's all!"

"Uh-huh. Sure you are," Caliaphy glanced back down at the book again. She was mimicking the Bronze Man from that time Alyson was little. She was very stoic and serious about the content before turning the page over.

"Well, of course, I am." Serna replied, "It's fun beating up mean, nasty baddies that deserve it!"

Captain Lion continued to eat the remainder of his meal and sat back in his chair when a knock interrupted their conversation. "Enter."

Maxim entered the cabin, "The ship is ready to set sail, sir."

"Very good. The other ship and its crew ready to be on their own?" He inquired.

"Aye sir," Maxim glanced down at the kurori shaking his head and then over to the shield maiden and cracked a grin followed by a low chuckle.

Serna gave a Maxim a strange look.

"That is all, Maxim." Captain Lion gestured towards the door.

Maxim left and closed the door. Once outside on the deck, he burst out laughing hysterically.

"Wait a minute!" Serna opened the door and walked towards Maxim, "What's so funny?!"

As soon as Serna came out onto the deck, the rest of the crew burst out laughing. Maxim tried so hard to compose himself and fell over clutching his stomach. The sound of the raucous laughter brought out Sir Gonagle and Spencer. The two gnomes looked at each and sighed.

Spencer approached with caution, "Umm...Serna, you might want to look at yourself. I mean your reflection."

Sir Gonagle grumbled, "Blasted kurori."

"Why? Do I have egg on my face or something?!" Serna replied as she patted her face to see if anything had landed on it.

"Not quite." Spencer gestured for her to go back inside the captain's quarters, "there's a mirror inside."

The kurori heard the shield maiden coming towards the door and closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. Then moved out of the way for Serna and waited.

"Oh-kay!" Serna returned to Captain Lion's quarters, found his mirror and took a hard look at herself before she snapped in a bellow that reminded one more of a demon-possessed child than that of a little girl, "CCCCCAAAAAAAALLLLIIIIIAAAAAAAPPPHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

Captain Lion held his breath.

Caliaphy stood in the open doorway giving Serna a thumbs up, "Teeheehee!" Just before she bolted off the ship and towards the palace.