Several months later...

“Maiya! Get here now! We're losing him!” screams echoed from the infirmary, carried by Bonie Lee's voice, frantic and exhausted. Maiya her heal, threw the blood stained plastic gloves in the nearest bin and put on new ones, ready for another set of healing and losing patients... and she hated losing patients!

“What's this one's got, Bon? Another stab wound or anything new?” She began pushing energy into the gash in his chest, a hole about 3 centimetres in diameter and saw it close, but she also felt a slow-acting poison in his blood stream, things were getting interesting now. She fought against the unbearable urge to pull back, leave the poor man dying if only to not be forced to feel the poison on herself as it usually happened whenever she extracted it. “Bonie! Lend me that phial! I need something to put the er in!” the queen ordered, and the brunette didn't need another word. She brought the recipient, no questions asked, not to mention someone's life depended on it.

“Maiya? What poison is it? Is it- ! It's acidic !” she yelled upon seeing the greenish-yellow sizzle and give out smoke in mid-air. “Will the phial last? Maiya?... Maiya?” she continued, though her best friend was no longer listening, she was chanting something under her breath, in a language long dead. Not Latin, Bonie could recognize Latin, it was something else... something like … the old tongue! She breathed in sharply, she hadn't known that Maiya knew this language, thee was no one else alive to know it... ok, maybe Slyth as she was the oldest, but even so... why the chant?

“Bonie...” her friends voice sounded off, like it was far away. “Bon, I need blood, give me some...” and Maiya passed out without a second thought.

“Hey! You! Take over, and please get that to the lab, find out what it is! Oh! And bring blood, the queen needs some!” she yelled, in an authoritive tone. “The war had started about 3 moths ago, during summer as now it was near the end of fall, yet it had started out as a trade of words and insults, of glares and child’s play. Now there was death and weapons, armies and soldiers. Yet all Bonie could think of were the people she had to watch die and the fact that Moonsoo was still in a prison, actually, in the nearest to the battlefield one and nobody was doing a damn thing about it. Sure she could understand postponing it, she could even concur to the decision if someone had at least the decency to look into the case, damn it! But all they were doing was waste time with stupid, useless fire weapons and pathetic strategies she could come up with in her dreams.

“Vlady! Hey! Wait up! I need help again! … Could you maybe check with Adrian about the accadian venom? Please!” she stopped the councillor as she was walking towards the throne room.

“Bonie... what brings you here?” Slyth asked from her pool, her colossal body having regained its initial form. She stood there, gasping for breath every few seconds because of the slow healing rate as she had been forbade any blood due to her addiction.

“How are you today? Better?” she moved forward, ever since Sasha's death Bonie had been taking care of Slyth. It was a way of repaying the young maid for her sacrifice. “Any news on when you'll be able to walk out of here? Or is Adrian too busy for this as well?” she hissed out in anger, having remembered her oppa.

“Oh, I guess Moonsoo Kim is still under lock? Why don't you try doing it yourself rather than waiting for Adrian to find the time, he won't.” and with that Bonie had made up her mind.

Maiya Umbersangue was sick, she had been dizzy all day, early yesterday morning she had had a sharp pain in her arm muscles and now she faints! Great! As if Myungsoo didn't have enough on his plate with his brother in prison and being the supreme commander of the eastern gates, he also had to have a sick wife at home that may or may not know what was wrong with her.

“Claude, send word for Adrian. I wish to know the extent of his study regarding the venom acquired by Bonie and Sora. He'd better have it done, you warn him!” Claude nodded and made his exit by portal. Just then Myungsoo entered, his armour torn and bloodied. Maiya rose, or better yet jumped, from her place upon the bed to assist him.

“What happened?!” she frantically tore off the shirt that clung to his sore gashes and laid him on the bed, on his belly. She had little energy left in her, but it was enough for this on last job. “How'd this happen?” she urged and she prodded his newly healed skin.

“Clever little devices humans made. They're like chains, but when they bind you the grow thorns, metal ones, ingenious really, had they not hurt so much, that is.” he smiled dazedly, and let sleep take him. Maiya sighed in amusement and worry as she knew he would do the same tomorrow. She was always worried about him, while she was safe her, in the palace, he was outside, in the heat of the fights, where people died every hour of every day.

“Ohh, how I wish you weren't so stubborn sometimes!” she murmured as she leaned to kiss the skin of his shoulder-blades. He stirred but did not awaken. Then Maiya stretched and let her head fall against the headboard, releasing a breath. She was tired, still, but she couldn't go join her husband yet, Adrian was soon to come and she was in her hospital robe. She slowly got up, moved to her closet and took out a pair of jeans she'd bought during their honeymoon and a red silk blouse.

“Adrian, perfect! I was just getting ready!” she exclaimed as she stepped into the parlour, the brown haired man averted his eyes and she picked up the gesture as it was out of shame. He had paid no attention to the venom, she realized.

“Your majesty! I am awfully sorry, but I have not had the time to find whether the demon venom could be neutralized thus being able to let the cannibal out.” At her glare her reaffirmed, correcting himself. “I meant Sir Kim... your Lordship, ma'am.”

“Find time now, I want that formula by the end of the hour! Move Adrian!” She wasted no time in pleasantries, they needed Moonsoo on the battlefield, everyone agreed to that, but for him to be left free as well, would be even better, for the clan as well as for Bonie. She had been forbidden to go to the Midnight Dungeon since the beginning of the war so she had not seen him in over 3 months. Maiya felt a deep sadness at the thought as she knew how much Bonie loved her Brother-in-law.

“Maiya?” she heard her husband call from the bedroom.

“Yes?” she called, unsure if she should go to him or not.

“Come here please. I … Just come.” he sounded odd even for him, there was a thickness in his voice that she hadn't heard before, ever. She turned around, opened the wooden door only to find him out of bed. However that was not so surprising as was what he was holding in his hand.

“Myungsoo … it's not what you think.” she began, but she was cut off soon enough.

“Oh really? So it isn't as though this is a test pregnancy that says positive?” he shook, made to choose whether to be happy or disappointed. How could she not tell him?!

“No, not that. What I meant was-”

“How could you keep this a secret, Maiya?!” he scream and she flinched, but her resolve was absolute.

“No! It isn't mine! Listen to me!” she grabbed his arms and obliged him to look in the eye. She wasn't lying.

“Then whose?” he whispered, broken. For a second he had wished, hoped for it to be true, yet at the same time cursed the possibility. There was no way a child could be brought up during wartime.

“It's... I can't.”

“Maiya, please. Who?” he begged, he needed to know the truth now, if only to put his fears to rest. He had to know and she would tell him. Then she whispered, broken and distressed …

“Bonie's...”