The crowd roared their excitement as Tina looked around, panting. Her shoulder throbbed with pain as a tickling sensation trailed down her arm. She stretched at it and felt warm liquid. She brought it up into her eyesight. Blood. She was bleeding. She spotted the strange looking demon standing on the far side of the ring, looking smug. She half turned, looking at her team, standing on the side of the ring.

  Blaze; the Captain of the team, a tall black haired young man with a sparkling blue eyes; stared at her. She could read the worry and anxiety of seeing her injured. His fist curled tightly as he looked like he was ready to spring into action.

  The childhood rival, turned best friend was the tallest of the group, standing nearly a foot taller then the captain, looked livid and pained. He was old fashion, believing females shouldn’t have to fight, that they were to be protected and more importantly cherished. It had been an on-going fight between herself and him to participate on the team. His black hair, usually slicked back, fell around his face as his hazel eyes stared past Tina, to her opponent.

  The third member of the team was a hybrid of a demon and a human. His blue roots were showing. She knew he would be forced to dye his roots back to black when they returned to school. The Japanese school system was weird like that. They didn’t like different hair colors. They forced non-black hair colored to dye their hair black. His green eyes glittered brightly with anger and worry. He held a white rose in a clenched fist. She could have sworn she saw blood dripping from between the closed fingers.

  The last member of the team of 5 was a full blooded demon. She didn’t understand why he would be willing to part of their team when he had no reason to be on it. However, his red eyes met hers. She read concern and worry in the red rubies before they snapped to something beyond her. He snarled out, “Watch out!”

  Tina’s head snapped back to her opponent and jumped backwards, dodging an attack that would have knocked her out of the ring or worst. She didn’t want to think about the worst aspect. She landed unstable feet and stumbled back, trying to find her balance again. However, she overbalanced and fell to the side, landing on her hip, hard.

  Laughter rang out. It echoed off the walls of the stadium. She frowned. She didn’t remember falling or the laughter.

  Tina climbed to her feet as the crowd called out in mockery tones. She blinked as her mind register the mockery. Some of it was childish and she wanted to turn to them, ready to call them out on it when she saw the incoming attack. She flipped backwards, dodging the attack. She landed in a crunch. She reached behind her to her quiver and felt for an arrow. They were gone. She glanced around, thinking they might have landed on the ring. Her eyes scanned the ring then she heard laughter coming from where her team stood.

  Their faces had turned from worry, anger, and sympathetic to disappointed like they knew she couldn’t win. However, the red eyed demon stared at her with mocking look in his eyes and laughed. The others on the team didn’t stop him. In fact, it was the opposite, they joined in on his laughter.

  Tina frowned. Something was wrong. This was not how she remembered it.

  “Oh but it happened this way,” a familiar dark voice rang out. It echoed around the stadium. Tina spun around, looking for the owner of the dark voice. She spotted a shadow from the corner of her eye. It vanished when she turned her head to view it. She sucked in a breath as she saw her opponent lunched another attack. She barely dodged it, rolling to the side. “You don’t remember it. You wanted to see them a good teammates and friends, not mocking bullies.”

  She shook her head, trying to ignore the dark voice. She couldn’t believe it would haunt her, even in her dreams. She turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Her eyes widened as she gasped. She looked up at the red eyed demon. The sword he carried pointed at her throat. She couldn’t shallow without taking the chance of cutting herself. He gave her a smirk before he pulled the sharp blade away from her throat. She shallowed with relief. He drove the blade forward.

  Eyes snapping open, Tina took a deep breath, laying there for a long moment, thinking, before she sat up. She thought she had stopped nightmares about the Dark Moon Tournament. She sighed. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped from underneath the covers. She pushed from the bed and fought off a shiver as she felt the cold stone beneath her bare feet. She spotted the curtain she had closed after Remus left the night before and hurried over to it. She grabbed the middle and threw it open, wide.

  She immediately half turned her head and closed her eyes as the bright morning sun gleamed into her room. She blinked away the black spots as she kept her gaze away from the window then she turned to peer out the window, looking up at the sky.

  It was a clear cloudless blue sky as far as the eye could see on the right half of the horizon. The sun - Sol - poked over the edge of the sky, brightening it up. Tina took another deep calming breath as a crocked grin pulled at her lips.

  “Morning Sol,” Tina started, “Thank you for lightening up the day.” She allowed her arms to drop back to her sides and started to turn away when the other half of the sky caught her eye. Dark storm clouds brew over the ocean. “Of course, someone had to go and tick off Thor, first thing in the morning, too. He’s being a real kill-joy, that Thor, isn’t he, Lady Sol?” she sighed then she started her morning prayers, “May Odin grant me wisdom today. May Thor grant me Strength and Protection to get me through the day. May Sol light my day. May Loki give me the creativity I need to survive the Chaos of this day.”

  She turned her gaze to the wall where she spotted a group of men led by a red head man running down the stone path. She narrowed her eyes. She could have sworn she had spotted Genesis leading the men while Reno brought up the rear. She guessed even on a national day of mourning, the Military didn’t take a break.

  A knock echoed through the bedroom, coming from the common area. Tina turned away from the window as she saw a bolt of lightening streak across the stormy sky. She just shook her head. She heard a voice call out from the Common Area as she grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and threw it on before she stepped into the living quarters of the family Suite. She spotted Sebastian walking in, followed by a maid.

  The maid appeared to be in her mid-20’s with long black hair, tied up in a high ponytail that swung back and forth as she walked behind the Head of the Butlers and Maids. She wore the uniform Tina had seen the other maids wear. Tina took one look at the new maid’s face and felt a strong sense of familiarly. The new maid’s face and eyes looked familiar. However, Tina couldn’t identify why.

  “Good morning, Lady Valentina,” Sebastian greeted Tina with a bow.

  “Morning, Sebastian,” the red head lady replied, sending the Head of the Butlers and Maids a smile. “I guess I’m getting a new maid.”

  “Yes, you are, my lady,” Sebastian nodded, “Your previous maid had a family emergency to deal with and put in a request for a few weeks off to deal with the problem.” He gestured to the familiar looking maid at his side, “This is Kagome. She will be serving you from now on. She is one of the new hires, so, please don’t scare her off already.”

  “Goosh, Sebastian, you make me sound like I’m some sort of Monster,” Tina teased Sebastian.

  “Only because the rumor mill,” Sebastian gave her a wink, “Your actions since you arrived has spurred up the mill to give such delicious rumors about you, my lady.”

  Tina let out a giggle at that before she commented, “the Joys of being new to Court. They are always looking for a juicy story.”

  “As much as I would like to stay and chi-chat, my lady, about the Court’s rumors with you,” Sebastian started, “I have much to do today. Have a good day.”

  “You too, Sebastian,” Tina said. He walked out of the room. Tina turned to the new maid, “Kagome, right?”

  “Yes, my lady,” she replied in a cheery tone. There was something off with her tone, Tina mused, it almost sounded fake in a way. “Have you already bathed?”

  “I will take one tonight after dinner,” the red head replied, “However, I do need to get ready for the —“

  There was a knock at the door. Kagome moved to open it, moving with grace of someone who was used to walking silently. Tina heard a soft conversation then Kagome turned to her, “It is Lady Rosemary, requesting to come in.”

  Tina nodded with a smile. Rosemary was really her cousin. She remembered the conversation with Remus during his midnight visit. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest as Rosemary hurried in, followed by another maid with blond hair.

  “Morning, my dearest cousin,” Rosemary greeted Tina, “This is my maid, Lily.”

  A woman with reddish-blond hair stepped around Rosemary, wearing the same uniform as Kagome did, held a large bag in her arms. She set the bag down and gave Tina a curtsy, muttering a simple greeting before she grabbed the handle of the bag and went to the vanity.

  “Morning,” Tina chirped in response and gave Lily a nod in greeting. “So, what brings you over this early in the morning?”

  “To get ready, of course,” Rosemary giggled in response, “Almost everyone in the family get ready together for important events. I have no doubt Remus, Jacob, and Genesis are getting ready together with their butlers. If Natalie were here, she would be getting ready with us, girls.”

  Tina blinked. Most of time, growing up, she usually got ready by herself for important events. Natasha did the same, even though Tina tried to help. She knew if her mom or grandma could, they would have helped Tina getting ready for prom and homecoming, but they were both working at the time, trying to recover what savings they had allow to dry up, thanks to all new taxes that were put in place by the President’s Administration.

  ‘It had been a while since I had any girl time,’ Tina admitted to herself, trying to remember the last time she had girl time. It was early in her previous relationship, perhaps during the first couple semesters of college. Either way, it had been a long time for any girl time.

  “I brought some of my stuff,” Rosemary went on while Tina half-listened as she was lost in her thoughts. “We have to look our best since we will be a part of the Funeral parade,” Rosemary explained, “And since this is the first time you will be a part of an town event, you will have to look exceptionally good. Some of the folk will treat this as your debut, Valentina, into society.”

  “Tina,” Tina corrected Rosemary, “Please call me Tina.”

  Rosemary smiled as she went on, “Tina. I have no doubt your officially debut will happen once Lady Freya says you are fit to have a debut ceremony at the White Hall Estate. I know you will have plenty marriage offers flying in once that happens.” She paused, “You are beautiful, Tina.”

  Tina sent her a small smile, saying, “Thank you, Rose. I haven’t felt beautiful for a while now.”

  “Nonsense,” Rosemary waved her hand in the air as her servant set out items from Rosemary’s large bag - Make up in different containers, make up brushes of all sizes, and several hair brushes - on the vanity. “I think you just need some make up and even the Queens will be jealous of your beauty today.”

  Tina rolled her eyes in amusement, but she straightened her back a bit more and her chest rose in confidence. She said, “Thank you.” She glanced around the room, noticing another maid - it wasn’t Lily or Kagome - stepping out of the room, leaving behind a long bag. “What is this?” Tina gestured to the bag.

  “My dress for the funeral parade,” Rosemary stated, “My mother bought it, recently, once we got the news about the King.” She wondered over and grabbed it. Rosemary looked about the room and spotted something before she hurried over to it and hang the bag off a hook. She removed the dress from the bag and allowed it to hang down.

  The dress was something Tina would immediately classify as a medieval style. A gold color cloth band wrapped around the shoulders of the shoulders, possible holding up the dress and leaving the shoulders bare. The shelves of the dress were black see through looking cloth. Another gold band wrapped the waist of the dress, but instead of stopping at the point where the ends met, it continued down, stopping between the knee area and mid-calf. The body of the dress, Tina could tell, was black velvet.

  Lily stepped into Tina’s view of sight and placed a cloak beside the black dress. It was a night and day difference. The cloak was a bright green and lighter shade of green with a four leaf clover pin at the seam of the hood. The pin was in the shape of a crest. Tina recognized the crest as the symbol for the House of Clover - Rosemary’s House.

  “It’s beautiful,” Tina stated.

  “Have you chose out your dress, yet, cousin?” Rosemary asked.

  Tina gave her a sheepish grin and confessed, “I haven’t really gone through the wardrobe, yet.”

  “Well, we don’t have to be ready until almost 11,” Rosemary frowned, “We have some time to check your wardrobe out.” She grabbed Tina’s hand and dragged her to the walk in closet, giggling. Tina let out a girlish giggle as she kept pace with her cousin. It was nice to hang out with another woman close to her in age, Tina mused. She didn’t remember the last time she was able to hang out with Natasha and play dress up.

  The young women stepped into the walk in closet. Tina smiled as Rosemary gasped, “You have so many dresses.”

  “Yeah,” Tina agreed, “Apparently, Grandma had a fondness for dresses.” She paused, thinking about Aunt Nami, “Which is funny. You won’t know it from the way she dressed now. She usually wears fighting gis.”

  “Fighting gis?” Rosemary half-turned and looked at Tina with an raised eyebrow.

  Tina nodded, “Fighting gis are outfits that martial art fighter use as an uniform.” She frowned, “Kinda like how the Knights dress for battle, minus the armor, but weaponry is optional.”

  “How do they fight,” Rosemary asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

  “With their bodies,” Tina explained with a smirk, “But enough of fighting.” She glanced at the dresses hanging up on the crude hangers and poles, “Which dress do you think I should wear today?”

  “Hmm,” Rosemary immediately turned back to the dresses and reached out, pulling one dress out, looking at it then she placed it back. “It has to be black,” she said, “Since the entire kingdom has to be in mourning. However, there can be a secondary color like red, your house colors, etc.”

  Tina nodded, but she didn’t understand why the entire kingdom has to be in mourning. When she voiced that question, Rosemary sighed, “Belladonna, while she was High Queen, made it a degree. If one member of the Ruling Family passes onto Heaven, the entire Kingdom has to go into mourning in support of the Ruling Family.”

  Tina cocked her head to the side, commenting, “I guess there was a very unpopular member of the Ruling Family for her to put that in place.”

  Rosemary nodded, “I don’t remember which family member it was though.” She frowned. “It could have been one of her eldest children whom was mysteriously killed.”

  “Mysteriously killed?” Tina rose both eyebrows at that.

  Rosemary hummed as she searched a good enough dress for Tina to wear, explaining, “If I remember from my history lesson, Prince Othello was killed in year 2016 while he was visiting the Black Estate. When he was found, his body was drained of blood.”

  “Vampire attack?” Tina asked, “Assuming Avalon has Vampires, of course.”

  “That was the first thought,” Rosemary nodded, “However, when the Battle Mage Merlin took a closer look at the body, that was not the attacker.” She turned to the red head, “It was a demon.”

  Shock went through Tina. A Demon who drains a body of blood. It sounded like a Koumori. They had been known to feast on human blood and flesh when they had a chance. She asked, “Was the culpit ever caught?”

  “I don’t know,” Rosemary confessed, “I think so.” She frowned. Her eyes stared at the dress she had pulled from the pole, unseeing. “That is something I’m going have to ask around about because I really don’t know.” She looked at Tina. “Why?”

  “I have experience with demons,” Tina explained, “Some of them are extremely powerful and level a kingdom like Camelot with a flick of their wrist, but what you are describing sounds like a Koumori.” She paused, glancing at the dress in Rosemary’s hand. It was a layer dress. The outer layer was a black velvet, but the inner layer was a silver shimmering fabric. When Tina touched it, it felt almost like silk.

  “A Cool-more-e?” Rosemary sounded out the word.

  “Kourmori,” Tina corrected, “Think of them as bat demons. They have the form of a human, but have bat characteristics like wings, being able to see in the dark, flight, and a few other things I don’t remember right now.” She explained. She opened her mouth to say Aunt Nami, but she caught herself at the last moment and said, “Grandma was teaching me the different types of demons before I met my ex and decided to leave that lifestyle behind until recently.”

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  “That’s good,” Rosemary gave Tina a look of approval, “While I think a woman should be able to do what she pleases, there are some things a woman just can’t do.”

  “Oh?” Tina felt amusement spread through her, “What is that? Hunting demons?”

  “Yes!” Rosemary shot back. “Demons are dangerous! According to the bible…”

  Tina cut her cousin off before the other woman could go on a rant, “What do you think of this dress?” She gestured to the one they held.

  Rosemary snapped her mouth shut. She narrowed her eyes at Tina. She sighed and turned her gaze to the dress. She smiled, “This will do.”

  “Well, then,” Tina shot a grin at Rosemary, “Let’s get ready for the parade.” She turned on her heel and walked back into her bedroom. She heard Rosemary let out a soft growl then a series of words about how Tina changed the subject before she could have made her point. Tina shook her head, slightly. There were things better off not said. Anything to do with Christianity and Demons was one of them.

  To many Christians, there were no differences between a demon and a Greater Hell Demon. Tina knew there were two types of Demons. The run of the mill demons that she had encounter and then there were the Greater Hell Demons. The Greater Hell Demons were the Fallen Angels who transform from their time in the fiery pits of Hell and nothing better to do than Fight with each other to get stronger, Feed on innocent souls, and Fuck with the females of their race and others.

  Meanwhile in the White Hall Family suite, Genesis shook his head as a couple of the guards assigned to the patrol the town during the early morning hours walked into the common room. Between them, his cousin, Jacob, stumbled over his own feet and gave the red head general a drunken grin.

  Genesis sighed before he gave the guards instructions, “Set him over on the couch.” They did and walked out of the Family Suit. He turned to Jacob, giving his cousin a disappointed look. “So, Jacob, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  Jacob rolled his head on his shoulders and his drunken glazed eyes rested on the General. With a pleased smile, he replied, “I had fun.” There was a pause. “You would do the same if it was you…getting married against your will, to a woman you never met.” Jacob lend back against the couch, “I don’t know what she looks like, what she talks like, or anything about her.” He brought up a hand and rubbed his face, “So, I thought it would be best to have fun now, since I don’t know if I will have any in the future or if I have to leave the house to have fun.”

  Genesis knew what Jacob felt like. Ever since he heard that his grandmother was trying to set up marriage arrangements, he worried if he would be forced to be with a woman who were less then pleasing to the eye, maybe an air head, or straight out boring. While Genesis was getting lucky on not being forced to get married, yet, that luck didn’t extend to Jacob. The acting Head of the White Hall Family knew he would be acting the same way if it was him instead of Jacob that had to travel to the Southern islands.

  The red headed General knew the reason why his lovely grandmother hadn’t been able to find him a wife so far, was to his reputation as an Explosive warrior. Most of the time, he worked with the General mindset while he was out in public and most of the stories that were spread was of him losing his temper on his men when they did something extremely dangerous to their job, or how he love watching a makeshift bomb going off at the correct moment and how his enemy reacted to the explosives.

  However, he often wondered how long it would be before one of the ladies his grandmother sought for him or a member of the Court decided to it was worth the trouble of trying to gain his affections and told his grandmother the dread ‘yes’. He knew, off the top of his head, several ladies of the court were activity looking for a husband and a couple of them would love to snag him up. He shuddered, silently, thinking of Lady Margiette of House Black and Lady Victoria of House Flora.

  Both ladies were a force to be reckon with on the best of days. Lady Victoria came from one of the old families, nearly as old as the White Hall Family, dating back to the early days of Camelot. However, over the years, the House Flora had lost their wealth, demoting them back to the status of a minor family. Genesis knew if Victoria managed to get her hands on him, it would mean an increase of wealth to the Flora Family with the White Hall Family paying the Bride price.

  It would be the same with Lady Margiette, despite the fact, the White Hall Family and the Black Family have been at odds for the last century or two. If Genesis married Margiette, it could be viewed as a treaty between the two families. Genesis shook his head. He wouldn’t marry either of the ladies. They were not what Genesis was looking for in a wife.

  He resisted the urge to sigh. Perhaps it was time to settle down and start his search for a wife. He knew the type of woman he wanted - strong willed, kind, gentle, and caring, intelligent, and someone he could talk to. In some ways, Valentina fit the bill, but she was too close on the family tree for his comfort, being his first or second cousin through Great Aunt Nami.

  There was something else about Valentina that set the idea of her being his wife off. It was him queasy to his stomach and left a bad taste in his mouth. He would marry Lady Victoria or Lady Margiette before he would take Valentina as his wife.

  “What are you thinking about?” Remus cut through Genesis’ thoughts.

  “Marriage,” Genesis stated, “How long I have before a woman decides to ignore the stories about me and maybe I should start searching for my own wife before Grandma announces she had found me one.”

  Remus nodded, “That would be a good idea.” He sighed, “I do admit, I’m thinking the same thing.”

  “Lucky you,” Jacob groaned, “I didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

  Genesis glanced at Jacob who held his head in his hands. He sighed, “Well, cousins, let’s get ready for the funeral parade. Jacob, maybe a bath will help you get your head on straight.”

  Remus agreed and Jacob slowly stood up from the couch, stumbling a bit before he found his balance. Genesis reached out and grab Jacob’s arm, steady him. Jacob muttered something before he walked over to one of the side rooms, obviously planning to go with Genesis’ suggestion.

  The General turned to one of the butlers and asked, “Could you make sure he doesn’t drown himself while he gets cleaned up, please?”

  “Yes, sir,” the butler replied and followed Jacob into the side room.

  The General turned his gaze back to the door way to his room. He would be wearing his Military uniform. A part of him was glad his grandmother wasn’t here to witness the parade. She would have thrown a hissy fit over his choice of wardrobe. He knew she didn’t approve of him taking the Military route instead of following in his father’s footsteps to Knighthood. When she had found out that Victor and Vincent were, it appeased her enough to let Genesis walk the path he wanted to take in his career.

  “So,” Remus started, “Are you planning to name a proxy for the parade?”

  Genesis glanced over at him and nodded, saying, “I think it would be best if I named you as my proxy.” He walked into his room with Remus following him.

  “If I may, Genesis,” Remus said, “Perhaps you could choose another. One closer to you on the family tree then myself.”

  “Who?” Genesis chuckled, “Jacob?”

  “Nope,” Remus let a small smile to pull at his lips at the thought of Jacob becoming the proxy of the White Hall Family. Their cousin wouldn’t know what to do if something should happen. “Lady Valentina.”

  Genesis paused, thinking. He didn’t know what to think about Valentina taking over as proxy. She was strong willed and not afraid to challenge those on a higher station then herself. He remembered how she acted in the Seasonal Throne Room and on the Training Grounds. He barely remembered the aftermath of his punishment, but from Remus’ retelling, she had taken charge, ordering the seconds around like he would or a Lady from an Ancient and Noble House would have.

  “Why?” He asked, entering his room. He spotted his formal uniform laying on the edge of the bed. One of his towels laid beside it. He grabbed the towel and threw it over his head, rubbing his damp hair, trying to get it a bit dryer. His gut told him it wouldn’t stay that way long. He had spotted thunder clouds rolling in while he kept to his routine, running over the inner walls with his men. He let out a sigh and tossed the towel back onto the bed for later. He strolled over to the night stand and grabbed his brush, running it through his shoulder length red hair.

  “For several reasons,” Remus stated, walking in with his own outfit for the day. He went to the far side of Genesis’ bed and tossed the clothes down before he reached for the bottom of his tunic and pulled it over his head. He allowed it to fall onto the top of Genesis’ bed. “One of the reasons, she knows how to take charge when another woman would have freaked out.”

  Genesis nodded as he reached for the bottom layer of his formal winter uniform and held it up. He looked it. It was a dark tan color. He narrowed his eyes into a glare before he glanced at his cousin, commenting, “Have I told you how much I hate getting dressed in this thing?”

  “Nope,” Remus sent him a smirk, “I do believe this is the 15th time you have complained about it since you heard about the funeral parade.”

  Genesis sent him a rude gesture with a hand before he moved the layer behind him and slipped his arms through the sleeves. He jerked it up over his shoulders and straightened it over his torso. He buttoned the bottom layer up before he reached for the second layer, a light tan color, and slipped it on over the first layer. He reached for the bottom of it and started to button it up. He asked, “you said there were several reasons why I should choose Valentina to be my proxy. What is another reason?”

  “She’s closer to you on the family tree then Jacob, Rose, or myself,” Remus explained with a nod.

  Genesis hummed. He knew that alone carried enough power with the Court during times of crisis or at least it did in the Court of Camelot. There have been times where a Proxy had been used by another noble family when they couldn’t be there in person for various reasons. In his opinion, the laws for the ancient and noble families were known to be complicated. He wouldn’t have time to give Tina the run down on those laws.

  “Another reason is she isn’t afraid to speak up against the Queens of House Drake,” Remus pointed, “If it becomes necessary.”

  Genesis felt a smirk pull at his lips as he grabbed the third layer. It was a dark rich leather jacket. He slipped it on, saying, “That is true.” There was a hint of laughter in his voice. “Help me put the breast plate on, would you?”

  The red head General grabbed the breast plate with the White Hall Family Crest engraved in the huge chest piece. He placed it over his head and allowed it to settle down on his shoulders. He grunted when the weight was placed on his shoulders. He hated wearing the armor. He would prefer to have the simple leather armor that his archers used, but he considered himself a front line fighter and needed to stay alive through out the entire battle. He wished he didn’t have to dawn it for the funeral parade.

  The butler assigned to him strolled over to him and helped tie the straps of leather on Genesis’ sides.

  “The last reason is a bit more personal,” Remus admitted, giving Genesis a sheepish grin. The General raised an eyebrow at him. “I am more willingly to listen to her then I am to Jacob or Rose.”

  “From her previous actions?” Genesis asked. Remus nodded. The General let out a sigh. “I do admit I am curious on what she did to gain your loyalty like that.”

  Remus gave him a smile, saying, “One day, I will tell you. Until then, I will leave you wondering.”

  Genesis shot him a glare as Remus began to dress in the three piece mourning suit. It wasn’t long before Jacob joined them, looking more awake and alert then he did when he was dragged in. He took a deep breath and dressed in his own three piece mourning suit.

  A knock rang out, echoing through the Armstrong family suite, silencing the conversation the women were having. Tina took a deep breath, slowly closing her eyes, centered herself and opened her eyes again as she slowly stood up from the armchair by the fire. Kagome peeled away from what she was doing at one of the small tables and answered the door before she stepped away with a small bow, allowing the person who knocked to enter the Suite.

  Genesis swept into the suit followed by Remus. Tina paused, looking her older brother - cousin! - over. The way he was dressed reminded her of how the 4 star General dressed for a political function in Washington DC with various medals over the breast areas of the jacket. The only difference between the Washington DC Generals and Genesis was the fact, Genesis wore a red duster that appeared to be brand new or at least the leather looked like it was polished. The General did wear a breast plate with the White Hall Family crest engraved on it.

  Remus, on the other hand, appeared to be a three piece, black suit. The style of the suit was something Tina had seen in a documentary of a member of the British Royal Family’s funeral, but the major difference was Remus wore the crest of his house on the left breast pocket on his suit jacket. His tie also had his family crest, but the tie was in his house colors.

  Bringing up the rear, Jacob shuffled into the Armstrong Suite. There were a few differences between his and Remus’ suits. Jacob’s tie was in his house colors. The Crest of House Morning Glory was on the tie and the left breast pocket of the jacket.

  The three men were sharp looking.

  “My, my,” Tina started, “It appears, Rose, we might have to run interference for our handsome cousins to protect them from some of the handy women who are looking for a wealthy husband to wed.”

  Rosemary shot her an amused look, “I think I may have to agree.” She glanced toward the three. “Can’t take away Lady Freya fun, can we, dear Tina?”

  “Of course not,” Tina smirked.

  Rolling his eyes, the General asked, “Are you ladies ready?”

  “Of course,” Rosemary chirped, “As usual, we had to wait on you, boys.”

  Tina reached out and grabbed the cloak she was suppose to wear for the day. She glanced toward one of the open-curtain windows. Dark gray clouds brew in the distance. She sighed. She knew it was going to rain. She could hope it didn’t last long.

  “Lady Valentina,” the red head young woman turned away from the window and looked at her -older brother - cousin. He stood and held out an arm, “I would like to have a word with you. May I escort you down to the courtyard?”

  “I hope I’m not in trouble,” Tina gave him a small smile. Amusement danced through her.

  Genesis chuckled, amused, and replied, “No. At least, there is nothing that has been brought to my attention for you to get into trouble.” Tina wrapped her arm around his offered arm. “Unless there is something you want to tell me.”

  Trying to keep the conversation light, Tina hummed, before she commented, “Nope.” She popped the ‘p’ sound. She did partly want to tell him who she was, but she didn’t know how he would react to that knowledge, despite what Remus had informed her late last night. “So,” she started as Genesis guided her out the Armstrong Suite and down the hall, leaving the White Hall Wing, and headed through the various hallways leading to the Courtyard. She asked, “What do you want to talk to me?”

  “It is really a favor to ask,” Genesis started, “I know I have almost no right to ask this of you, but it was Remus’ idea, so, if you want to, yell at him for it.”

  Tina turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the General, feeling a bit of a mixture of confusion and amusement. She turned to look over her shoulder at Remus. The named man just grinned brightly at her and waved. She raised her eyebrow before she directed her attention back to her escort.

  Genesis took a deep breath before he began, “I will be riding with my branch of the Military during the parade. I need a proxy to act as the Head of the White Hall Family while I attend to my Military duties.”

  Tina lost her amused smile as she stared at Genesis. It was a good thing he did confess it was Remus’ idea. She was not expecting to be put in a position like that. However, Remus did know the truth behind her secret relations with Genesis, even though the General wasn’t aware of it. She bit her lower lip as she reached the conclusion and voice it, “You want me to act as your Proxy in case something happens.”

  “Yes,” Genesis replied.

  She didn’t say anything for a long moment as Genesis guided her to the Courtyard. They reached one of the archways for the Courtyard and behind that, Tina could see the open top carriages lined up. She spotted House crests on the side of the carriages and frowned when she spotted the Crest of the White Hall House on the carriage directly behind a familiar red dragon crest. Lady Morgana was being helped into that Carriage by Merlin. He climbed in after her.

  “Lady Valentina?” Genesis caught her attention again. She turned to him as he stepped through the archway and pulled her to the side.

  “Why do you want to make me the White Hall House proxy?” she asked, finally.

  “You know how to handle yourself in a crisis,” Genesis started, “You are closer to me on the family tree then the rest of our cousins currently in Camelot.”

  Tina frowned, looking at him with a confused look. “How does that give me the right to be your proxy?”

  “Laws of Camelot,” Genesis waved his hand, “I don’t have time to give you the run down on the various family laws and how they will benefit each family.” He sighed. “The third reason is you are not afraid to speak up against the Ruling Family if it become necessary.”

  Tina glanced down at the ground, feeling embarrassed as she remembered what happen the previous day in the Seasonal Throne Room when she introduced herself to the Queens of Camelot.

  “I should really apologize for that,” Tina started, “I spoke out of turn.”

  “While it had been a long while since someone spoke that way to Queen Belladonna,” Genesis admitted, “It was still good see that someone was willingly to remind her that she wasn’t the High Queen anymore.”

  He looked at her before he went on, “Remus, for whatever reason, is more willingly to listen to you if you have to give any orders then to Rosemary or Jacob.”

  Tina turned to him with an wide eyed expression. He nodded. “That statement alone from him showed me the wisdom in appointing you to be the Proxy Head of the White Hall House while I fulfill my military duties for today.” She tried to opened her mouth to question, but Genesis beat her to it, “Remus didn’t tell me the reason behind his statement, just he will tell me one day.” His eyes met hers in a pleading look, “Please, Lady Valentina, would you be the White Hall House proxy for today?”

  Tina turned away from the pleading look. It didn’t suit him. She chewed her lower lip as she watched as Remus helped Rosemary into the open top carriage with the White Hall Crest on the side, allowing her to take a seat in the middle of the second row before he climbed in to the carriage himself, claiming the seat on her right. Jacob walked around the carriage and climbed in, sitting next to Rosemary, on her left.

  The way they were sitting - those three already decided she was going to be sitting in front of them. She sighed. There was a part of her that didn’t want to be in the spot light. She knew she would be leaving in a couple days. She didn’t want to make any sort of impact on Camelot, its polities, or its people.

  However, the other part of her was screaming that this was a chance of a lifetime, she wouldn’t be able to get another chance to be part of Camelot’s History, and be able to experience something that usually happens once in a life time. On the plus side, she would be able to help her brother for the time being. It was a pleasant surprise when she thought about it. Maybe she could put someone like Genesis, Remus, Rosemary, or Jacob on a path to change Camelot to bring the Kingdom up to modern day United States standards, at least.

  There was a third part of her whispered there was a reason why she was there in Camelot, during the transition between the Ruling powers. Everything she had went through until this point had prepared her for this. This part longed for an adventure, a meaningful purpose, and to have a destiny, to be part of something greater then herself. It would be mean being apart of a team again.

  The part of her that was trying to heal from the heartbreak she experienced nearly a month ago, spoke up. She could start over in Camelot. She could fashion herself to be someone with great influence or an adviser to someone with great importance. Hell, she could even go on a quest to find Lord Godric’s mysterious flame breathing creature he had mention the night before at dinner. This world had many possibilities for Tina.

  Tina sighed and looked at Genesis before she answered him, “Yes, I will be your proxy for the day.”

  His eyes widened with surprised delight and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. He whispered in her ear, “Thank you, Lady Valentina.”

  She stared, opened mouth over his shoulder. She was barely aware Reno stood several feet away, watching them. His head was tilted to the side as confusion colored his face. Meanwhile on the far side of the Court yard, Tristan stood over by a carriage with a crest she had never seen before with an raised eyebrow, watching them.

  Genesis pulled away and grabbed her hands. He brought them up to his mouth and kissed the back of her knuckles. He gave her a grateful smile, “You have no idea how much you are helping me right now, dear cousin.” He glanced at the courtyard before he stated, “I’ll escort you over to the carriage before I join my men.”

  Genesis guided her over to the White Hall Carriage. He stood by her as she grabbed the long skirt in one hand before she placed a foot on the step on the side of the Carriage then climbed in, holding onto her cousin’s - brother’s - hand. She let go of his hand and settled in the middle of the front row. She felt the clasp for the cloak pushed on her neck. She twisted her neck side to side, trying to get comfortable. She adjusted her skirts and pulled her cloak up from under her. The clasp immediately stopped feeling like it was trying to choke.

  “Again,” Genesis started, “Thank you, Lady Valentina.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tina tried to waved it off, “It just means you owe me one.” She grinned at him. He nodded in understanding before he hurried away, heading to Reno.

  Tina heard a shifting sound over her right shoulder. She glanced over it to see Remus lending forward. He cupped the back rest, separating the two rows. He commented, “So, Genesis made you the Proxy and you said yes.”

  “Apparently, a little birdie chirped annoying in his ear about that,” Tina narrowed her eyes at him, “He isn’t the only one who owes me a favor, now.” She gave him a pointed stare.

  Remus chuckled and replied, “Actually, I think, we are even, Lady Valentina.” He gave her a smirk, “Remember our conversation from last night.”

  Tina huffed in annoyance, saying in a defeated tone, “Alright.” She turned away from him. She heard his chuckles as he settled back against the second row back rest. She looked forward. She frowned, catching the glances of Merlin and Lady Morgana sent her way from the carriage in front of the White Hall carriage.

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