…Yeah I'm still alive and writing. I'm slowly going back to all the old fics and updating them when I have the time. I just hope all the Alnel fans won't kill me for updating this first. Then again, not many people read my last Alnel 'My Best Friend's Wedding' so maybe I'm safe.

*Exsinion-sama and several Alnel fans form a mob*

…I'm dead. Well anyway I hope you'll love this fluffy chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean 3 or any of its characters. I just own the time warped storyline.

Chapter 3

It had been a quiet journey out of the forest. Sophia finally felt like she was calming down after all that had happened until she came face to face with a large red dragon. Sophia let out a startled cry before she backed into Glou. The dragon narrowed its eyes in annoyance of the noise and snorted out two puffs of smoke from its nostrils. Glou tried hard not to laugh at Sophia's reaction, but still ended up with a short chuckle.

"Now, now, Greyn. You shouldn't surprise people like that. I don't think I have the energy to chase this one again," he chided playfully to the dragon. Sophia blushed in response to his indication.

"T-this is your dragon?" she inquired to cover up her embarrassment.

"Yes. This is Greyn. I made a pact with him during my Ascension of the Flame…" She listened intently to his words as he rubbed the smooth scales from Greyn's neck to his side. He then checked the saddle and reins before glancing back at her, "Have you ridden a dragon before?"

Her immediate response was shaking her head 'no'. She heard stories from Fayt on how he rode a dragon about as big as Greyn and how he rode the marquis of dragons, Crosell. From the way he talked, he made it seem like it wasn't a hard thing to learn. Greyn shifted a wary eye towards Sophia as Glou mounted him. His golden-green slanted eye showed that he disapproved of her already.

"Well now is a good time to learn. Fort Bequerel can only be reached by dragon flight so just ride sidesaddle behind me and hang on tight," he said as he reached a hand down towards her. Sophia timidly reached for his hand before Greyn rolled his eyes and leaned down for her. The dragon acted like this was an everyday occurrence, making her wonder if Glou actually was a flirt and offered rides to other ladies. Any other thoughts were banished from her mind when she found herself quickly pulled up behind Glou. Greyn crouched down and extended his wings before Sophia had the chance to wrap her arms around Glou's waist.

With a massive jump, Greyn was in the air and flying gracefully through the wind. Sophia almost felt her heart plummet down to her stomach from the pressure of rising into the sky. She felt the wind whipping wildly through her hair and against her dangling feet. When she pried open her eyes, she found plains, hills, mountains, and clouds beneath them. With a small squeak she clung to Glou a bit tighter. She could handle heights from a spaceship or tall buildings, but on top of a dragon was a different matter! After Glou got over the initial shock of her hugging him tighter, he began to chuckle at her again.

When Sophia noticed, she forgot her vertigo and glared at him, "Do you like scaring me?"

"I don't like the fact that you're scared, but yes, I do like it if you're going to cling to me like that every time," he replied over the roaring wind. She blushed and quickly loosened her grip on him. If they weren't several feet in the air, she would have let go and pushed him over.

As Sophia grew more accustomed to flying in the air, she became brave enough to watch the scenery go by in the now dimming light. She couldn't quite figure out where they had started from, but she was able to recognize Kirlsa as they flew over it. It wasn't long before they were flying over the Bequerel mountain path and past the mountain itself before Glou directed Greyn lower. Behind the Bequerel Mines was another mountain that had several caves near the top. The rest of the mountain dropped off to a steep and craggy canyon below, leaving no way for regular travelers to be able to visit the peak.

Greyn let out a greeting roar that was soon answered by several different roars from within. Soon tiny specks were seen at the opening of the largest cave before little torches were lit. Glou raised his hand to the men guiding in Greyn before directing the dragon to land just inside the cave. Sophia half expected the dragon to land with his full weight to the ground and cause a tremor, but instead he floated effortlessly down as if he were just a breeze passing through. Greyn continued to walk down the tunnel with Glou and Sophia still on his back. The men with the torches followed them from behind.

They continued to ride Greyn until they came to a deep cavern off to the side where other dragons were sleeping. The men waited at the entrance as Greyn made his way to the center and stopped. Glou let out a stretch before he planted his arms on either side of Sophia and leaned back into her. He smiled as he glanced into her face from his new position.

"Welcome to Fort Bequerel. This is where I train the Dragon Brigade and where our kingdom raises most of the dragons." He then lifted a leg over Greyn's head and dismounted before Sophia could blush at their proximity. Glou raised his hands up towards her so that he could help her down from the dragon. She accepted his help and landed safely on the ground with one of his arms around her waist and his left hand holding her right one. They stayed frozen like that for a few minutes before Glou snapped out of it and turned to one of the men.

"Tend to Greyn while I show Lady Dirna around."

"Yes my Lord," one of them replied back. Greyn snapped his head to glare at Glou, giving him a look that said 'You're leaving me for this girl?'

Glou released Sophia's hand to scratch his head and rewarded Greyn with a sheepish look. He received an irritated snort in reply. The arm that was still around her began pushing her forward as Glou led them both out of the sleeping chamber. Sophia kept quiet while he guided her down the long tunnel, past more caverns with more dragons within. She was still blushing from the way Glou had been staring at her a moment ago.

He had an intense look in his eyes, like he was studying her. She almost felt like she was his prey, but he didn't have the predatory look. It was more like …amazement. Like he had never seen anyone like her before. But that wasn't the only thing that made her freeze up. She had always loved looking into Albel's eyes because they were such a lovely crimson color, but Glou's were somehow prettier. She didn't see any pain or distrust in his eyes. His eyes were happy and shone with confidence. Maybe once upon a time, Albel's eyes were just like his.

When Sophia pulled out of her thoughts, she realized that Glou had long since removed his arm from around her and she had been following him in a daze. She also noticed that he had been talking the entire time, telling her about the Dragon Brigade and where each tunnel led. It wasn't long before he realized that she wasn't paying attention and stopped.

"Sorry," he started with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I'm not that good of a guide. I'm putting you to sleep aren't I?"

"No!" she denied quickly, shaking her head, "It's not that! It's just that I'm…tired."

She silently hoped he would believe her excuse. She didn't mean to zone out and she didn't want to give Glou the impression that he was boring her. Almost immediately he appeared sympathetic.

"Oh right… You've been through a lot today. I guess you would be tired. …I'll show you to your chambers so you can rest. We'll discuss what to do about your little… problem in the morning."

"Okay," Sophia nodded. Glou looked like he wanted to wrap his arm around her, but restrained himself and continued walking forward instead. Sophia bit her lip nervously and followed him. After a bit more walking, they came to a large set of wooden doors at the end of the main tunnel. Glou continued to stride over to the doors as two guards rushed over to open them for him. They gave Sophia curious glances as she walked by a little less confidently than Glou.

Behind the large doors was a breath-taking sight. The tunnel widened drastically into a grand chamber with several floors. There must have been at least 30 circular walkways surrounding the walls and over-looked the central part of the room. Up above, there was a giant hole in the ceiling that allowed starlight and moonshine to enter. Sophia noticed that they were not on the bottom floor, but were instead on the second or third level. Down below, she could see several men in armor sparring with each other at one end of the humongous chamber. On the other side more men were sitting at long wooden benches, eating and socializing. Suddenly a thought came to Sophia.

"Hey, I thought you said that the brigades were composed of 'snot nosed nobles'?" she wondered as she stopped to glance over the edge of the walkway. She continued to follow him as he placed his hands behind his back and gave her a smug, proud look.

"I did. But I train my brigade to be an army. Right now there are actually five brigades in existence, but only the Dragon Brigade and the Storm Brigade are militarizing its members." Glou paused and threw an almost disdainful glare down at his men, "But don't be fooled. The men below are hardly fit to be warriors… I'll change that soon enough."

"Oh," she answered softly. She was once again briefly reminded of Albel and his dislike of weak warriors. Suddenly she felt several eyes on her and turned to find that all the men below were staring at her. Somewhere along the line, someone had announced that Glou had returned and everyone stopped to stand at attention before him. Naturally they were bound to be curious of the strange girl that was following their captain…

Sophia began to feel self-conscious and suddenly wished the skirt she was wearing was a bit longer. She could clearly see the lecherous grins some of the men were giving her. Glou noticed too and was quick to stand between her and their piercing eyes.

"Men!" he shouted clearly in an authoritative voice, "We have an important guest staying with us tonight and I expect you act in a civilized manner. The Baroness of Belphobe is off-limits and if any of you even look at her funny…"

Glou trailed off to let the words sink in before he let out his favorite sadistic smirk, "…You'll know what I'll do to you."

Sophia watched as many of the warriors visibly flinched and quickly averted their eyes away from her. She briefly wondered exactly what Glou would do to them, but then decided that she was probably better off not knowing. He gave her a curt nod before grabbing her hand and placing it on his arm. He then led her away from the edge and walked her towards a small doorway.

"Filthy maggots, the lot of them," he muttered, guiding her into the small room. Sophia almost chuckled at the realization of where Albel got his 'unique' language, but was distracted when she was pushed on a flat stone plate that was in the center of the room. Glou waved his hand over some runes on the wall before he joined her on the plate. Almost instantly, identical runes began glowing on the plate before it started rising from the ground. Sophia held her breath as they arose several floors up and eventually stopped in a room identical to the one they started in. It took a minute for her to realize that she was on an Elicoorian version of an elevator.

Her thoughts were confirmed when they stepped out of the room and she was presented with a more expansive view of the main chamber. They were now very high up and almost close to the ceiling. She figured that they were on the topmost level of the fort. Glou silently watched her as she took in the view with a slight smile on his face. He soon cleared his throat and gestured to her that they should keep moving. Silence remained between them and Sophia eventually figured out that Glou was probably still stewing over the rude welcome his men gave her.

"Um, so I'm a 'Baroness' now?" Sophia inquired gently to both break the silence and change the topic. He quickly faced her as if he just remembered she was there before he answered.

"Yes. The Belphobe family founded and ruled over the town of Belphobe for nearly 150 years until a group of brigands ransacked the town and burned it to the ground three months ago. Baron Alonze, …we'll say he's your uncle, was sixth in line for the throne. I don't expect you to remember this, but Belphobe was south of Kirlsa and under the rule of Count Woltar and Count Woltar and his lands are under my rule."

She pieced the information together and tried to remember the hierarchy of Airyglyph, "So then you're a Duke?"

"That's right…you didn't know?" he wondered with an amused grin.

"No…your son never mentioned his nobility. I've only heard him called 'Lord' by the people." Sophia wondered why that was since she remembered that Woltar was always referred as 'Count Woltar' and Albel would always curse a man called 'Duke Vox'. Maybe it was a sign of modesty…or maybe no one else knew what Albel was and called him 'Lord' so they wouldn't insult him.

"…Hmm. I wonder if it's because I discourage others from calling me by title? Well no matter, here's where you'll be staying," he said, opening the door to a lavish chamber that was fit for nobility. Glou then pointed to another door that was just across from them, "If you need anything, I'll be just across from you. I'll send a maid over to deliver you something to eat and a change of clothes."

Her stomach rumbled at the mention of food. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had a bite to eat since she had passed out in her present time, "Thank you Glou-for everything."

It was his turn to blush as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Don't mention it! …I'll, uh…take my leave now. Good night…Sophia."

He said her name softly as he bowed and kissed the back of her hand again. It wasn't until the door to his room closed that she realized that she had been smiling dreamily at him from his chivalrous act. With a blush, she closed the door to her room and leaned against the frame. It was in the quiet of her room that yet another thought entered her mind. Didn't Albel once tell Fayt that his mother was a baroness? She wished she could remember if he mentioned what his mother was the baroness of…

Glou paced back and forth in his chambers as he thought of the predicament he was in. He made all those vows to protect Sophia and help her find her way back to her time. He had no doubt he could protect her, but how can he help her get back? He didn't know any runology, let alone any spells that might warp time. He knew next to nothing of Andrea's exploits or details of how she made it into the past. He feared that his help was pretty much useless to her.

He numbly sat down on his bed as he thought back on how the day began. When he first saw Sophia sleeping on the ground, he thought an angel of Apris had fallen to Elicoor. Of course he wasn't foolish to not realize that she actually was human, but he was completely taken back from her beauty. Glou had seen many Glyphian and Aquarian beauties during his teen years, but they were all caked in heavy amounts of make-up and were marinating in expensive perfumes. Sophia had a natural beauty about her and whatever perfume she wore didn't overpower the senses.

But there was another thing that made her so different from all the other women. Sophia was such a delicate thing, and yet she wasn't scared of battle. Sure he's seen lady warriors from Aquaria, but most were too masculine for his taste. Sophia needed protection and she certainly wasn't a fighter, but that didn't stop her from fighting back the best she could. Most other women like her would give up or faint. And her eyes… Glou closed his eyes as he remembered the looks she had given him. She had expressive eyes and he could see inner strength in them.

Glou had every intention of getting to know her, to find out her origins and what made her so strong. …And deep down a little part of him wanted to know if there was a chance he could court her. She was intriguing and he was sure they could get along. If it weren't for the fact that she wasn't of his time period, he would definitely pursue her. Ironic. The first woman he's shown genuine interest in and he can't court her. Even if he could win her heart, there was no guarantee that she could stay. She would probably miss her friends…and she probably had no control or choice should the opportunity for her to return arose.

He found himself pacing in his room again and scowled. He needed to clear his head if he wanted to get any rest tonight. With that thought, he opened the door and strode out. He glanced at Sophia's door for a minute, scowled again, and then walked off. He didn't make it far when a middle-aged man with dark hair blocked his path.

"So is it true that you have brought a lady friend with you?"

Glou nearly cringed at the teasing tone in Count Woltar's voice. What ill luck that he had to visit Fort Bequerel this day. Woltar was one of many nobles concerned about Glou's still single status and lack of an heir. Of course somewhere deep down, Glou imagined that Woltar would still manage to know about Sophia even if he hadn't visited today. Woltar was creepy like that…

"Well…" Glou started carefully, not wanting to create a misunderstanding, "…she is a lady and she is a friend …and she is not staying in my room."

Woltar's eyes lit with joy as Glou resisted the urge to hit himself in the face. All he managed to do was explain that she wasn't a harlot he found off the street.

"So then you are courting a woman! I do hope it turns out for the better. You need an heir-"

"I rescued Lady Dirna, I'm not courting her," he interrupted before Woltar got the attention of every knight and maid in the fort. Woltar's calculating eyes narrowed in confusion as he tried to recall the name.

"Lady Dirna? I never heard of a Dirna save for the Aquarian goddess. Where does she hail?"

"Um…" Glou tried hard to stare into the elder man's eyes and he carefully recited the story he fabricated for Sophia, "She is the niece of the late Baron Alonze. I found her in the company of brigands and helped her escape. I believe that they were the ones who destroyed Belphobe and they must have kidnapped her."

"Belphobe!" he called out in surprise before lowering his tone, "Does the king know there is a survivor?"

He almost cringed again at the mention of the king. Glou forgot that he needed to report to His Majesty about this because he was desperately searching for a way to save the family. Hopefully the king won't expect much of Sophia with her being a girl, but the news that there was a survivor should bring some cheer to the public.

"We just arrived here. I was planning to take her to Airyglyph in the morning."

Woltar calmed himself from the unexpected shock and thought over the information, "Yes, that is the best course of action. I'm quite relieved that there was a survivor after all. …But the poor dear must be startled and confused."

"Indeed…" Glou replied cryptically, making Woltar pause.

"You better treat her well," the older warrior warned with a glare.

"Of course." He glared back, insulted that Woltar would think he'd treat Sophia poorly.

"Be aware that she is feeling lonely now. All of her friends and family are gone and she has no one left. I wouldn't be surprised if she is crying right now."

"She is a strong woman," Glou argued, a little uncomfortable at how Woltar's words were fairly close to the truth. Sophia must have been missing her friends…

"…Perhaps you could purchase her some flowers to distract her from her pain. A merchant just arrived with some," Woltar added with a small secretive smile as he turned away from Glou. Glou was more focused on his worrying over Sophia to realize that he was being set up by the older man.

"Yes…that sounds like a good idea," he agreed distantly.

Woltar let out a full smile as he began walking away, "…And maybe a marriage proposal will take all of her worries away."

"W-what?" Glou turned to face Woltar's retreating form as he was pulled back into reality. He growled when he realized that he sounded like a love-struck fool in front of the aged war strategist.

…But… maybe a small gift would make Sophia feel better. He continued on his way down the hall to seek the merchant Woltar spoke of.

A few hours later, Sophia was dressed in a long flowing nightgown made of white silk as she prepared to go to bed. The maids had come by to serve Sophia dinner and draw a bath for her. They also left her a beautiful gown that a noblewoman had left behind when she had last visited. It was long lavender colored dress with white trimmings and a dark purple bodice made of velvet. It was a gown fit for a princess.

With all this treatment, Sophia felt like a princess. She almost felt like this was all a dream. A handsome knight had rescued her, she was technically swept off her feet when they rode Greyn to the fort, and she was pampered like she was royalty. This was definitely worth getting caught in a gigantic spider's web! With a content sigh, she twirled around once, letting the skirt of her nightgown flow out, and then headed for her comfy looking bed.

"What a stunning beauty you are…"

She froze as she heard the words. Hadn't she locked the door? How did someone get in her room? She faced the intruder slowly and found a man who looked about the same age as Glou. He had brown hair that was neatly groomed, his eyes were a pale blue, and he wore rich clothes that gave her the impression that he was nobility.

"Who are you?" she inquired guardedly as she self-consciously crossed her arms. Even though her nightgown covered a lot, she still felt exposed with the way the man was leering at her.

"My name is none of your business," he replied arrogantly as he took a step further into her room. Her heart began beating harder as her body reacted to the situation. Something was wrong here. This man wasn't someone she could trust.

"Then why are you here?" Sophia continued as she backed away from the stranger.

"Why else? I want to be satisfied. Now come here and perform your duty," he said with a perverted smirk.

"W-what?" she squeaked and then blushed when she figured out what he was asking for. She backed away again before she was within arm's length of him, "H-how dare you come into my room and ask for th-that!"

"Insolent whore! Don't think for a second that the special treatment you have been receiving will relieve you of your job!" Now the man was angry as he stormed over to tower over her. Fury took over her fear as she frowned up at the man.

"I am not a whore…" she muttered darkly. This time the man let out a chuckle as if she had told a funny joke. With a quick glance around her room, he moved away from her to walk over to her discarded clothing.

"I heard reports from the soldiers that the captain returned with a young woman who was barely dressed and showed off her thighs." He then picked up her short skirt and gave her a knowing look, "This is what a whore wears my dear. I don't know what the captain had told you or how you met him, but you are a whore and you were brought here to entertain the men."

"All because I wear short clothing does not make me a whore! Crimson Blades wear short skirts in their uniforms!" Sophia argued heatedly as she tried to storm over to her door and call for help. Obviously this man wasn't present when Glou threatened everyone. By now she was more infuriated with the intruder than she was afraid of him. She was blocked from her goal as the man stepped between her and the door.

"Crimson Blades are whores," he growled as his eyes explored the curves of her body.

"Get out of my room!" Sophia yelled angrily before the man advanced on her.

Glou hummed lightly as he made his way back to the upper floor of his fortress. The merchant was from Peterny and he managed to buy a bouquet of Palmira's Flowers and all of them were still in bloom. There were only fifty delicate flowers tied in a sturdy red thread, but he figured it was impossible to be able to tie one thousand together to make the wishing charm. Still, wishing charm or not, they were beautiful and fragrant. He was sure Sophia would love them.

The sound of something shattering broke him out of his light daydream and alerted his senses. Something was wrong… He quickened his strides over to his room and realized that Sophia's door was opened just a crack. At first he couldn't hear anything amiss until he heard a very masculine voice growling from within.

"You're a feisty young thing aren't you? I'll make sure you never do that again."

The flowers fell from his hand and unto the floor as Glou quickly crossed the hall and threw open the door to Sophia's room. The first thing he saw was Sophia pinned against the wall with a man's fist pulling at her long hair. Glou's vision nearly went red with outrage when he saw the look of fear and pain in her eyes. He clenched his fist and walked over to the man.

Sophia noticed Glou first and managed to let out a smirk of her own, "Your captain ordered that I was not to be touched. You better stop now before you regret it."

"Scream all you want you filthy slut, not even the captain will come save you."

"Is that what you think, worm?"

The intruder's eyes widened in slight fear as he recognized the voice. Almost immediately the fist in Sophia's hair was gone as the man was forcibly pulled away from her. Glou took a good look at his insubordinate underling and noticed that there were bleeding cuts all over his face. After quick inspection of the room, he found a shattered porcelain vase with a bit of blood on the floor nearby. That must have been the shattering noise he heard earlier. Sophia must have thrown it at him to protect herself…

"Glou I…"

"How dare you try to defile the Baroness, Vox!" Glou interrupted the man as he stood between him and Sophia, "I gave explicit orders that she was to be left alone."

Sophia watched in amazement as the man named Vox cowered before Glou. Glou was actually much shorter than Vox and yet still appeared intimidating enough to silence the man. Vox's eyebrows rose when he heard of Sophia's 'status'.

"This girl? A Baroness? But she was barely dressed in rags!"

Glou sighed in disgust, "You fool, have the old fables taught you nothing as a child? Never judge someone by their appearances. Lady Dirna was rescued from brigands. There wasn't much else she could wear."

True that was a lie, but Vox didn't need to know that. For the most part, Vox did look truly apologetic that he attacked Sophia, but he didn't appear too happy at the fact that he was being berated and punished by his captain. Sophia quickly picked up on the impression that Vox did not like Glou and his authority over him.

"My lady," he bowed towards her after Glou was finished yelling at him, "I do apologize for the misunderstanding and I hope that you would find it in your heart to forgive me."

She wasn't sure if she could. After all the things he said about her and about Crimson Blades, she wasn't certain that this Vox was a nice or understanding person. And even though he appeared sorry, she couldn't tell if it was because he really was sorry or that he was sorry that he was caught. But still, she wasn't the type to hold a grudge and she didn't want to get on Vox's bad side just in case it would give him reason to bother her more.

"…I accept your apology. I hope we can put this behind us and forget about it."

Glou had been glaring at the opposite wall and then whipped his head in Sophia's direction when she forgave Vox. She was nearly raped by the man and she forgave him? He then noticed the uncertainty in her eyes and caught the slight grimace when Vox kissed the back of her hand. Was she threatened when he turned away? Or maybe she was frightened enough to say anything that would make him leave.

He refused to look Vox in the eye as he gave his final order, "From now on, you are to patrol the Mosel Desert for the next three weeks. Don't ever let me catch you near Lady Dirna again."

He felt the glare Vox gave him before the man stormed out of Sophia's room. While he was insubordinate enough to not answer his captain, Glou knew he would follow orders. At the very least, Sophia wouldn't have to deal with him for a long time…maybe ever if she was lucky. When he was sure Vox was gone, he glanced at the door. He noticed that the handle was broken clean off from the outside, granting easy access for anyone.

Vox knew better than to break into rooms that were locked so why was he so adamant about getting in? And since when did he ever need a woman to- …well Glou could never claim to know his private life, but still. Vox put the military and the glory of Airyglyph before his needs, he would never seek the company of a woman within the walls of Fort Bequerel. Suddenly Glou's blood ran cold. Surely Vox didn't do this because he thought Sophia was important to him?

Glou knew that Vox disliked him and that he was bitter about the fact that Glou was chosen to be the captain. There were a few times where he would intentionally disobey his orders or undermine his authority by ordering the knights around behind his back. But would he really go so far as to harm the people around him? No… He was probably over thinking the situation. Vox was always sort of an elitist and he probably couldn't stand the thought of someone who looked like a vagabond receiving royal treatment. Come to think of it…he did back off fairly quickly after learning Sophia was a 'baroness'. Maybe that was it.

"Um…" Glou was quickly pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of her timid voice.

"Did he hurt you?" He inwardly cursed at the tone of his voice. He was still angry and it showed.

"…No, but I think I hurt him more." He had to smile at that.

"Good. Vox should be put in his place by a woman. It's only fitting for the likes of him."

Sophia blanched as a thought came to her, "He isn't married is he? I'd feel sorry for his wife."

"No, he isn't. Thank Apris," he replied with a grin.

"Thank Apris…" she repeated, "I would hate to see him have children."

If Glou hadn't already liked Sophia, that would have done it. She had a sense of humor that most women would find vulgar to say in mixed company. While ladies would gossip about the most scandalous things in their private circles, none would ever joke about sex or marital issues. It was taboo for women.

"Well it looks like this room isn't safe for you anymore. Why don't you sleep in my room and I'll stay in here," he said as he guided her to the door. Even though he couldn't see it, her eyes widened and a blush formed on her face at the thought of sleeping in his bed.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he reassured, "No one dares to go into my room and I want to stay in your room and see who else is willing to disobey me."

A mental image flashed through her head of a desperate soldier hoping to get lucky with a girl. She almost chuckled out loud at the look on the imaginary soldier's face as they lift the covers of the bed to find their captain glaring back. For some reason, Sophia felt calm about the situation despite the fact that someone tried to rape her. Maybe she felt safe knowing that Glou was only going to be across from her. She knew that she could trust him to save her when she was in danger. …And it's not like she hasn't been in similar situations before.

At first, when a man would try anything funny with her, Fayt and the others would always be around to save her. And after she learned how to fight from Nel and Mirage, she was able to defend herself. It seemed that some men didn't like women who could fight back and that was fine with her. But Sophia just learned that there were some men who could still overpower her…and if Glou hadn't shown up, who knew what could have happened? Some part of her didn't mind relying on someone coming to save her, but she knew that there might be a day when no one could help her. That's what scared her more than what happened earlier. She didn't want to think about what would happen if her friends weren't there to save her and she couldn't defend herself…

Glou gave a gentle push to the small of her back to move her out of the room. He then escorted her across the hall to his door, but stopped when she noticed something on the floor a few feet away. The Palmira's Flowers were still laying on the floor and appeared to have been kicked across the hall. Probably Vox's doing. Glou left Sophia's side to pick them up and noted that the string had come loose around the flower stems.

"I bought these for you. I was hoping that they might cheer you up from everything that has happened," he offered in explanation before holding the bouquet out to her, "I was going to give them to you in the morning, but…here."

Sophia also noticed the condition of the flowers and placed her hands around Glou's. He slowly slipped his hands away so that the flowers wouldn't fall out of her grasp, but he stayed close by as she leaned in to smell them.

"They're beautiful! Thank you, Glou."

He let out a smile as he prepared to back away and head to her old room, "You're welcome. I hope you sleep well."

But he soon found himself in a mess as a tug on his fingers stopped him. The thread around the flowers had somehow tangled around the fingers of his left hand. He tried to gently yank himself loose, but ended up causing some of the flowers to fall to the floor. Sophia watched with an amused expression on her face before she tried to help him. She moved the remaining flowers to one hand so she could use her free hand to untangle Glou, but she also found that her own left hand was in a similar situation.

"Oops…" she chuckled lightly as she tried to free her fingers.

"Wait, I have a knife in my room. We can use it to cut ourselves loose." Glou kneeled down for a moment to collect the fallen flowers before maneuvering the two of them inside his room. His room was the same style as hers, but he had a desk, bookshelves lined with books, and a collection of swords hanging on his wall. He guided her to his desk and had her let go of the flowers so they could see the tangle better.

It was then that Sophia felt her heart pound. It felt like some kind of omen with the way their fingers were bound together by crimson thread. Wasn't there some kind of legend or fairy tale that involved crimson thread? The thread suddenly appeared stronger as Glou fished a small dagger out of one of his drawers. He made several attempts to cut the string, but a sharp pain would shoot through their fingers and travel to their chest when the knife was close by. Something was wrong here…

Glou's eyes narrowed as he thought of that merchant from Peterny. He didn't seem like the type to sell enchanted items to harm people. But, he was from Peterny. It may claim to be a neutral city, but it's still in Aquarian territory. He dropped the knife as a new sensation spread through his body. It felt warm in his chest, in the same area where the pain traveled. That warmth soon spread all over his body.

"Glou…I feel…hot," Sophia moaned as her face flushed. His face was flushed as well.

"I don't know what's happening to us…" he admitted before he felt his body move on its own. His free hand came up to stroke her cheek and his eyes were glued to her lips. Sophia lost control of her own body as it leaned toward him. They didn't seem to notice or care that their lips were getting less space between them as it felt like their minds blacked out.

"I heard you sent Duke Vox to patrol the Mosel Dessert. What did he do this time?" a voice called out from the door Glou had left open. It was enough to shock them out of the strange spell and bring them back to their senses. They pulled apart as far as they could, given the fact that the string still bound them together, and faced the newcomer.

Woltar's eyes widened as he realized that Glou wasn't alone. He saw the blush on their faces and decided that he must have interrupted a private moment. He gave a quick bow and a smirk, "My apologies, I didn't know you have company."

"I-it's not what you're thinking! I think someone cast a spell on this thread and…" Glou stopped when he found that the crimson thread was gone from their hands. Sophia also looked surprised.

"…What runology is this?" he whispered to himself, loud enough for her to hear. Runology? …Or 4-D programming? Sophia wondered in her mind. Come to think of it, it would make sense. Only the programmers in 4-D space would be capable of sending her to a different time frame or messing with the 'characters' within their universe. No form of runology or symbology could do this. …But then again, if they are responsible, why would they do this? The last time she checked, Luther was defeated and Blaire had taken over the company. Blaire wouldn't allow something like this, would she?

"Now, now, I completely understand. You don't need to make up a story," Woltar grinned as he reached for the handle of the door, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Lady Dirna. I will leave now so you can have young Glou all to yourself."

"I told you, it's not like that!" Glou yelled in embarrassment as Woltar left and closed the door behind him. Sophia let out a small squeak as she finally recognized the man. She just met Woltar! She was sure he would remember her in the future. Did she just mess up the timeline? But he called her 'Dirna'…so maybe she was safe.

Glou heard the squeak and mistook it as one of embarrassment from the strategist's words. He quickly got on his knees before her and bowed his head, "I-I'm so sorry about him and all of whatever just happened."

This snapped her out of her thoughts. She smiled and waved a hand in a dismissing manner, "No, it wasn't your fault. You don't need to apologize."

"But I'm the one who bought the flowers. If I had known that string was going to enchant us, I would have never-" he shook his head as a disturbing thought crossed his mind, "Do you even remember what had happened? I was about to cut that string and then the next thing I know, Woltar was in here talking."

Sophia's eyes widened as she tried to remember. The last thing she remembered was feeling pain in her fingers and her heart and something about a legend involving crimson thread. But when she came to, she noticed how close they were and how one of Glou's hands were on her cheek. Did they kiss? She closed her eyes and gave up trying, "I don't remember either, but nothing bad must've happened. …At least I don't think I'm injured. Are you?"

He sat up and began patting himself to check for anything wrong, "No…I seem to be fine. Still, I better check with that merchant. He might have done something."

"I don't think it was him," Sophia said as he stood up, "I'm not completely sure and I can't really explain it, but I think I know what caused this."

She became worried when he asked for more information. How could she explain the Fourth Dimension to him? Even she still had trouble trying to comprehend the idea of another dimension of people who control their lives in a video game. And she still wasn't sure if they were really behind everything…

"I guess it's another 'future' thing, huh?" he said after a long silence from her.

"Kind of…" she admitted meekly while giving him an apologetic look, "I think it has something to do with me. Strange things might happen around me like with the enchanted string. …Maybe I'm cursed."

"Don't say that. Who would want to curse someone as wonderful as you?" he said reassuringly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Sophia smiled at the gesture and was about to thank him again when he held his fingers to her lips.

"And don't bother thanking me again. It's the truth. Now why don't you retire for the night? It's already getting late." Glou was already heading for the door, but he stopped after opening it, "If you should find trouble in sleeping, don't hesitate to wake me and tell me what's plaguing you. I am only a room away."

Sophia felt warm and giddy after he finally left. Glou was so nice to her, nicer than even her own friends. It was really hard to believe that he was going to be the father of someone who acted so wicked. But a sharp pain brought her out of her thoughts, causing her to notice the red on her left hand. The crimson string was back, looking like four angry little rings around her fingers. It almost looked like it was protesting that Glou had left. The pain stopped after a few seconds and the threads faded away.

…Just what was this red string? And why was it sticking to her hand? Could it really be a curse? Or was it some kind of message?

Once again, these will be slow updates so don't panic when you don't see something new for a few months. I'm also working on getting the other two volumes of the Aquios High novel published. The first volume can be purchased on l u l u . c o m. The link is on my author page. See ya next update!