Everything went by in a blur. I got fed up with myself and went to my room. Just as I expected, Desmond was sleeping like a baby and the constant sound of his snoring tempted me to slap him. But eventually, I calmed myself down and went into a deep, peaceful slumber.

   The smell of bacon and omelette stirred me from sleep. Unable to prevent a yawn from escaping my lips, I rubbed my eyes and looked around for the source of the smell. Desmond only wore a pair of muddy brown trousers, revealing his beautifully pale abs. A grin reached his chiselled face when he caught me moving towards his direction.

   "Food..." I rasped, sounding like a starving zombie.

   With a quick nod from him, he quickly took a tray of food from his back and handed it over. My hands itched to just shoving everything in my mouth there and then but I had to acknowledge Desmond's presence. Ordering my ravenous body to behave itself, I took the salver and headed towards the bed with rigid motions.

   I was about to take my first bite when Desmond stopped me. Annoyance swept across me. "What do you want?" I snapped, hunger overpowering my manners.

   After a brief moment of hesitation, his head shook and gestured me to continue. Jackass, I cursed in my mind as I started chewing. Instantly, the taste of rough, salty cardboard triggered my taste buds. I made horrible sounds of retching as my hand reached out for a glass of water. Unfortunately, there was no sight of water anywhere.

   Is this why he stopped me? I pondered, trying my best to wipe the taste off with my hands. He heaved a sigh at me. I had the right mind to spew a couple of insults but when he guide one of my sharp nails toward his hand, no words came out from my lips. With one elegant stroke, my nail gave his wrist a neat slash.

   During that time, my eyes remained glued to his; wondering what was about to happen. Eventually, the slash began to bleed and Desmond held his blood with a cupped palm. I didn't say anything when he splashed the crimson liquid on my breakfast. 

   "Go on, it's better now." he nudged me.

   Hesitant, I took the fork and stabbed a bacon before putting it in my mouth. The familiar taste of blood filled my mouth - it felt as if I'm soaring high in the skies with angels singing to me. A minute barely passed before the entire meal had been completely ravished by me. Desmond looked impressed with my eating skills.

   After shooing him out from the room, I went to the cupboard and grabbed another dress. This time , however, its purpose was geared towards comfort and flexibility. With that, I discarded the clingy red dress on the floor and slipped into the comfier clothes. The green fabric fell just above my knees, decorated with white, fluffy lace. I fastened a brown leather belt around my waist in case the size of the dress did not fit me.When I opened the door to call him in, the old satyr named Edgar stood beside him. 

    He looked like he was in a hurry as he gave a light pat on Desmond's back. I was about to ask him what he's doing here when he galloped away into other direction. My forehead creased at his somewhat annoying attitude.

   "What did he say?" I asked, opening the door wider for Desmond.

   "Told me to gather our friends to meet Cuchulainn. He's in the main building," he said, changing to another fresh pair of clothes while showing his back to me.

   I replied him with a grunt before heading towards the maids' room. The sound of weak groans emitting from their place caught my attention. Rapping on their wooden door, worry swept over me. What is happening in there? I wondered, getting impatient. Thankfully, soon the door opened and revealed a pale looking Gwendoline. She plastered a weak smile on her face as she smoothed down the wrinkles on her skirt.

   "Yes, princess?" she greeted, wiping her sweaty forehead.

   Concerned, I questioned her about what happened in there. Gwen said there was nothing a little too quickly. Suspecting a lie, I was going to enter the room when Margaret wobbled her way towards me. Her clammy hands took mine as she assured me that everything was fine. Sneaking a peek behind her, their bedroom looked ordinary. Nothing went out of place.

   "We were told to see Cuchulainn," I informed them, noticing their lips trembled ever so slightly before they bit it again.

   Their heads bobbed up and down before trailing behind me. We sauntered to Lincoln and Liliane's room to tell them the same news. When we arrived, I saw Desmond chatting with the brat. I almost concluded that their last night's argument reduced to nothing but every now and then one of the guys would try to intimidate the other.

   "Did you tell him about Cuchulainn?" I poked the elf's arm.

   "Yes, yes!" he exclaimed, looking guilty all the sudden.

   The impulse of interrogating them came but I managed to keep my lips sealed. With that, I swerved around and joined the maids. No conversations were sparked, no simple remarks, nothing. The air around us seemed gloomy and dreary. Lincoln and Liliane didn't exchange flirty glances either; they looked too preoccupied with their own thoughts. Desmond's expression remained unchanged even when I tried to crack him up with some lame jokes.

   But it was Gwendoline who worried me the most. Her welfare seemed worse off than Margaret. She would occasionally lose her footing - even though we were walking on the pavement - and despite her pale, sickly face, a false giggle would escape from her lips.

   How glad I was when we finally reached the headquarters. Margaret had to hold Gwen as we climbed the stairs. The level of my apprehension increased. What really happened back there?  Endless trails of thoughts filled my mind. This time, the guards let us in without any delay. The look of fear mixed with respect mirrored in their milky brown eyes as we passed them.

   Soon enough, I found myself stepping into the ancient library. Nothing really changed from my last visit. If there was any, Cuchulainn added several stacks of books into the limited space on the floor. Sparing a worried glance at Gwen, I watched as her frail, almost lifeless body dropped to the ground.

   "Gwen!" I shouted, rushing to her crumpled body. 

   One of her hands flew to her head. A really weird smile crept up on her blanched face, which looked more like a pained grimace. Holding her head with the utmost care, I couldn't help but notice her usual red hair started to lose its exotic color.

   "Don't lie to me - what really happened to you and Margaret?" A cold, hard hand squeezed my heart at the thought of them dying.

    A fit of coughs wrecked her as she rasped,"Nothing, really."

   I could feel frustration rising within me. But I couldn't lash it out on anyone. Especially not Gwen. The heavy sound of hooves came to my side and Cuchulainn craned his neck to take a look at the lying maid.  Glad for an interruption, I stared at him with helpless eyes. Various of emotions crossed his face as he inspected Gwendoline.

   When he finally finished, not even a single word left his lips.

   "Any explanations?" I spoke, eager to know the truth.

   Cuchulainn averted his eyes from my speculating ones. "Goddess Epona didn't grant me that knowledge, princess." 

   I could sniff a lie miles away. But the reluctance of him made me more anxious than before. It's pretty clear that whatever they were trying to hide from me was a serious matter. 

   Offering a hand to the maid, she gladly accepted my help and stood up unsteadily. "Thank you, princess." she murmured, sincerity filled her once melodious voice.

   "I called you all because my Goddess showed me something important in my last night's vision," Cuchulainn explained. "It's about... King Marcus. He went missing in a fire, didn't he?"

   Silence settled on the cramped room. Eventually, Desmond fessed up and told him everything. By the time he finished, everyone looked at the centaur for any bad reaction. After a moment, he crossed his arms over his well-toned chest. Desmond forced him to promise that he wouldn't tell this to anyone.

   So he wouldn't, right? I wondered. 

   That centaur can break promises if he wants... My inner voice answered in a snarky tone.

   Shut up.

   "Well, I actually suspected that something went wrong when Princess Artemis came without him." Cuchulainn confessed, running his fingers through the already tangled mess called "hair".  "There's something else in my vision too - something is going to happen today. That might be able to help us find King Marcus."

   My eyebrows knotted together. "What 'something'?"

   A weary sigh escaped from his lips. "I wish I know more too, princess."

   The sound of Gwendoline's labored breathing caught my attention. "Well, we're going back now since Gwen - "

   "Wait, I have another matter to ask..." The centaur stopped me, uncertainty etched on his face. "Can I join you in search of our king? I hope it's not too much to ask but I want to be some help in finding him."

   I didn't see that coming. "Uhh..." My lips turned into a thin line.

   "Sure, join the fun." Lincoln piped in, giving a lopsided smile to me.

   The centaur looked relieved. "Thank you, Lincoln."

   Huffing at them, I bid them goodbye before bringing an exhausted Gwendoline on my way back. Margaret followed me and soon enough, the entire party trailed behind me. Except Cuchulainn; he said he needed to do some research. 

***

   Placing the unconscious maid on her bed, I raked my brain for any conclusion on how she ended up like this. But the more I tried to find answers, the more lost I became. Margaret's welfare seemed better than her but not too much. If this keeps going on, who knows what will happen...

   "Alright, so can you take care of her?" I put a warm smile on.

   She looked at Gwen with pitiful eyes. "Yes, of course."

   My feet felt heavy to leave them just like that. Sparing one last glance at them, I closed the door behind me and released a soft sigh. Lincoln and Liliane didn't bother about visiting Gwendoline - they just went back into their shared room. Probably flirting again, I thought bitterly. Desmond insisted on following me to the maid's place but eventually I managed to talk him out of it. They didn't exactly welcome him with open arms anyway.

   I looked at my own room. The lack of activities in this few days really got into my nerves. Stretching my bones, I decided to take a short stroll in the plains. Several centaurs eyed me with suspicion but not even a single care was given to them. The freezing gusts of wind raised goosebumps all over my body, reminding me that winter is just around the corner.

   Despite the cold weather that seemed hell bent on chasing me away, the serene beauty of the plains took my breath again - no matter how many times I look at it. Blades of long grass swayed together whenever a random breeze blew. The harmonious sight of it calmed my nerves down. 

   I was about to close my eyelids for a moment of peace when an annoyingly familar voice broke the calm aura. Damn you, asshole. 

   "Why are you here?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow.

   Pissed with his intrusion, I crossed my arms across my chest and said,"I'm the one who should be asking you that!"

   He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Whatever. I have news for you."

   "What?" I snapped, hoping that he will leave me alone soon.

   He shoved a piece of old yellowed paper into my hands. Impatient, I read the rather messy handwriting.

   To Mr. Edwards,

   With all formalities aside, I wish to address about the rather urgent matter. I knew  about your wicked intentions on getting the throne. I have no grudges against you but without the High Blood within you, I cannot grant your wish. You know how the rules work. With my heir gone, there is only one who fits to stay on the throne - me. Truth be told, I wish to retire and have someone take over but there's no one else other than me. 

   I'm coming to your country as soon as possible to discuss further regarding this. Writing letters isn't the best way to end this issue.

     From,

King Marcus.

   "Where did you get this?" I said, suspicion in my voice.

   "Liliane. Liliane found this for me." Was all he said. "We're going to America."

~~~

A/N

We're going to USA, woot! There will be more action and less talking during their visit to U.S. Actually, there won't be a lot of sitting around once the next chapter starts :D More battles, more romance, more gore. Hope you like this idea!

Vote if you like this idea and comment to suggest interesting locations and activities for them during the visit to U.S!

P.S: I edited their travelling location because it just clashes with things that need to happen in a busier, more modern country. I'm not saying France is not modern and all - it just doesn't felt right. Besides, I know little about France while I can ask my U.S friends' about their country and shiz. Sorry to let your hopes high :P Though I think I will put France as the next country to visit... 

Ciao,

~Jen