Mariya enters the Marketplace, and see's Emma waiting for Andrew, surrounded by her guards. She goes over to Emma and smiles. "Hey Emma." She says, smiling. The Knights bow.

Emma curtsies. "Queen Mariya." She says. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Mariya says. "The symbols for the world are here. Merlin made yours and Andrew's work the same as the castle staff, if for some reason your not with your guards, and are in need of an assistance, just squeeze it. In retrospect, I should have given Andrews to him when I saw him."

Emma laughs. "I'll give his to him, he should be home soon."

Infact, Andrew arrives then and kissess Emma. Mariya gives them both their symbols. "Just put them on either a bracelet or a necklace." She instructs. She then goes around and gives symbols to the rest of the resident's making her way up to the castle.

Xildus watches for a moment before he gives a nod, disappearing for a moment as he begins to deliver the invitations.

Mairya enters the castle then, and gives Erik his symbol, which he adds to his necklace. Mariya then goes and finds Vanessa, and see's her talking with a couple. The man is tall and stragly, with orange hair. The woman is shorter with black short hair. They were holding hands.

"Is everything okay?" Mariya asks, coming up to them.

Vanessa turns. "Oh, Queen Mariya. Let me introduce Linguini and Colette Gusteau((Yes, the same ones from Ratatouille.)) They're asking for a job here, but I wasn't sure I could hire them as chef's."

"Of course you can." Mariya said, and handed Vanessa her symbol. "Odd, there are two extra." She says. She hands them to the couple. "Welcome to Malestrom."

"Thank you, your majesty." Colette said, smiling.

"Do they-"

"Yes, they saw the Nobodies, I've assured them that they will leave them be and not attack." Vanessa says.

"Very well then. If I may give you your first job, may I have something to eat?" Mariya asks, sitting.

"What would you like?" He asks.

"Anything is fine." Mariya says.

They both nod, and head to the kitchen.

Some time later, Xildus returns, having delivered all the letters aside from those that were for recipients who were unavailable (i.e. Mario and Axel). He soon settles down on the bastille, taking a small rest from the various world jumps.

Mariya talks with Vanessa as she waits for her food, and smiles when Colette comes out with it. "Enjoy." She says.

"Thank you." Mariya says. She takes a bite. "Delicious."

Vanessa takes a fork and takes a bite. "Very Delicious."

Colette smiles.

Xildus soon walks into the castle, rested up and ready to get back to work. He looks for either the Nobodies or Mariya, whomever he encounters first.

Mariya is still eating, enjoying every bite of the food.

A Samurai sits infront of the dining hall door, and looks as if he was sleeping. This nobody seems different somehow, as if he's older...perhaps he was.

As Xildus approaches the dining hall, he notices the Samurai, stopping to tilt his head as he tries to recall who this particular Nobody is. It was definitely not one he remembered.

The Samurai looks up at him. A girl came to Malestrom today. She was acting rather odd, always looking over her shoulder like she was expecting someone following her. She headed to the Arena. I cannot say for sure f she is still there. I thought I'd better stay with the Queen incase this girl is dangerous. It says.

Xildus blinks, but he gives a nod and leaves, taking a final look back at the Nobody before heading toward the arena.

The Samurai doesn't move from his spot, but he seems oddly familiar.

In the arena, a shadow moves in one of the archways, seeming to have seen Xildus, it flees into the halls of the Arena.

Xildus notices the shadow, and grimacing, he summons Winner's Proof and speeds after the shadow.

The shadow turns out to be the girl, coming to a dead end. The girl turns to Xildus, looking for a way around him.

Xildus stops, standing a distance away from the girl and ready for anything. He tries to see who this mysterious girl is, squinting into the darkness.

The girl has long, sky blue hair, sky blue eyes and a pail face. She wore clothes the same color as her hair and eyes. She was still searching for an escape, but when she saw none she backed against the wall and prepared herself for Xildus' strikes.

Xildus doesn't attack, however. He had no reason to hurt her, as she had done nothing wrong...yet. Instead, he utters a small, questioning "kweh?" toward her.

The girl remains still but she losens up when she's sure Xildus wasn't going to hurt her, for now. "Is there something I did?" She asks, noticing the symbol. She wasn't to familiar with the royal knight symbols, but she was sure that was one of them. "I was just wandering around town."

Xildus silently draws a piece of paper from his cloak, writing on it with his feather pen before rolling it up, setting it down, and kicking it toward her. She seemed harmless enough, but if she is a threat, it never hurts to keep a distance.

Once unrolled, the parchment reads, "You've been walking around and acting strangely, looking over your shoulder occasionally as if you're seeing if someone's following you; your running away from me without a second thought only adds to the suspicion around you. So, who are you, and why are you acting in this manner?"

The girl reads the note. "Oh..." She murmurs. "I'm sorry...it's just...my world was destroyed, and ever since I've been wandering the universe looking to see if anyone else survived. After a couple worlds, I noticed these shadow creatures, at first I thought nothing of them, but they started following me, and one attacked me, but I managed to run away from it. The same thing happened the next world I went to, but a group attacked me, again I ran."

She sighs. "Every world I went to the shadows followed me and attacked me. So when I came here, I kept looking over my shoulder, keeping an eye out for them, but it seems none are here. When I saw you...I thought you might be one of those creatures, so I ran."

Xildus is silent as he listens, and as he listens, he watches the girl closely. He tries to read her soul, her mind, anything that could tell him if she's telling the truth or not.

The girl seems to be telling the truth, whiping a tear from her eye. She tosses the parchment back to him incase he wanted to write something else. "I can barely sleep, I always think I'm going to be destroyed, or wake up not knowing where I am." She says, fear in her eyes. She sinks to the floor, and hugs her knees.

Xildus is silent before Winner's Proof disappears. He makes a gesture, suggesting for her to follow, and he walks back toward the castle while slowing writing something for later.

The girl follows, trying not to look over her shoulder as they walk. As far as she knew, this world was heartless-free. She wonders, though, where Xildus was taking her.

Back at the castle, Serene is following Mariya to a bedroom, where they go inside and Serene puts a 'Knock before entering' sign on the knob. The Old Samurai sits infront of the door, ready to strike anyone who would are try to hurt Mariya.

Xildus soon returns to the castle, approaching Mariya's room. He gives a nod to the Samurai, quicking shooting off a small message about the girl to it before knocking on the door.

The Samurai nods, and looks up and down the hallway for any movement before leaning on the wall behind him.

"Come in." Serene says. The door opens.

Mariya appears in the room, and hands something to Serene. She spots Xildus, and sits on the bed. "Is everything alright, Xildus?" She asks.

Xildus nods, giving a handwritten note to Mariya. In it, he describes the situation with the girl and asks Mariya to help her.

Mariya reads the note, and looks to the girl. “What's your name?” She asks, a kind smile appearing on her face.

“Azure.” The girl says, putting her hair behind her ear.

“Well, Azure, when did you notice the heartless following you?” Mariya asks.

“Heartless? You mean those shadow creatures, right?” She asks. When Mariya nods, she says. “A week ago, not long after I found myself in Traverse Town, I think that was the world's name.”

Mariya stands. “I'll be right back, Serene.” She says.

Serene nods, and scribbles down notes.

Mariya and Azure walk down the hall, Mariya asking Azure a few questions. The Samurai follows them, at a distance. Azure looks to the Samurai, a bit nervous. “It's okay, the Nobodies won't hurt you. They're just making sure I stay safe while I'm here. The castle security system won't be online until my husband and Mario come back.” She says. Mariya gives Azure a room near the castle's small library. “If you need anything, just ask the Nobodies or the castle staff."

"Thank you, oh, what's your name?" She asks.

"Queen Mariya, but please, just call me Mariya." Mariya says.

"Thank you, Mariya." Azure says, going in the room. She shuts the door behind her. Once on the bed, she instantly closes her eyes, and falls asleep, her wings appearing.

Mariya smiles a little, and then heads back to the room where Serene was.

Xildus follows as well, simply acting as an aide as necessary. As they walk away from the room once Azure is inside, Xildus pauses, as if he felt some small, odd change from inside the room. He looks back, hesitant for a moment before deciding to investigate later, after the girl has had some peace.

Serene hands Mariya the object. Mariya looks at it and she holds her head. "Are you sure this is right?" Mariya asks.

"Positive Mariya." She says. "Your pregnant. Do you want to send word to Axel?"

Mariya seems in thought. "I don't know." She says. "I'll wait a bit...he might be somewhere were Xildus won't be able to get to him without notice."

Xildus is silent, standing outside the room as he overhears this conversation. He is intrigued by this development, and he stands ready to deliver news if needed.

“Alright if that's what you want.” Serene says.

“I'll let you know, Xildus.” Mariya says, leaving the room and going to the library. The Samurai follows, more vigilant then ever.

Xildus nods, heading back to the stables for a small rest. He settles down in his "nest", soon drifting off into a light sleep.

Mariya sits at one of the tables in the library with a book, but it seems she can't get herself to read it. She was putting a hand over her stomach, thinking of how her father would have been so happy for her. A tear runs down her cheek.

A couple hours later, Azure awakes, and her wings disapear before she leaves the room. She goes to the library and sits across from Mariya, aware the Samurai is intently watching her. "Are you alright, Queen Mariya?" She asks.

"I was just thinking about my dad." She says. "He passed away not long ago."

"I'm sorry." Azure says. "I don't know if it makes you feel better, but on my world, we believed our departed still lived on as spirits, protecting us and guding us onto the right path for us."

Mariya smiles. "Yea, that does make me feel better."

Azure smiles. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I feel safer here, for some reason." She says.

"Perhaps becasue Maelstrom Peak is Heartless Free." Mariya says. "Your welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thanks." Azure says. She stands, and bows. She gets a book, and gets a cup of tea before going back to her room. She shuts the door behind her and sits on her bed. She takes a sip of tea, and puts it on her nightstand before letting her wings out. She then starts to read.

Xildus continues to relax within the stables, but soon, he grows restless and leaves, exploring the castle some more and soon reaching the library. He then begins to scan the shelves for a suitable read. He soon stumbles across an interesting book titled "Gysahl Fields", and he is later in a chair reading the book.

Mariya is reading her book as well, seeming to be enjoying it.

Xildus continues to read about this place known as Gysahl Fields, but as he reads, he feels a strange feeling, as if this place in the book was familiar. After a few minutes of this discomfort, Xildus gets up and goes to Mariya, showing her the book.

Mariya looks at it and blinks. "I've seen that." She says. She walks off, and returns with an Album that she brought from Radiant Garden. She stops when she finds the picture of some feild filled with Chocobo's. "You think this is the place?" She asks.

Xildus looks at the pictures, silent before nodding.

"Have you been here, Xildus?" She asks.

Xildus is silent, shaking his head. It felt familiar, but it was not ringing a bell; in his entire existence, he had never been to such a place, but why does it seem to call to him so strongly?

"Well, I don't know where this is...this album is pretty old." Mariya says. "I doubt anyone knows where this is."

Xildus is silent as he looks at the pictures some more. He flips through the pages slowly and carefully, but soon, he stops and removes a picture from the album. He holds it up, showing a picture taken at night. Although the picture shows nothing special, it can be noted that there are several bright stars in the sky. Perhaps some familiar stars were among them?

Mariya looks at the picture. She points to one star. "That's Destiny Island." She murmurs. She slides her finger to another star, which seemed brighter. "Radiant Garden...."

Xildus tilts his head, trying his best to picture the stars in relation to this world. He then looks to Mariya, silently asking if it could be found using the stars.

Mariya just slides her finger to two stars near each other. "Neverland...." She murmurs. She then looks up. "I think we might be able to find this place. We'd have to ask Tron, though. I'll come with you. Let me ask Serene if its ok if I go through the portal." She says, and goes to find Serene.

Serene is reading over Axel's mother's medical records, lookking over the pregnacy symptoms. She looks up when Mariya approaches her.

Azure is asleep again, her one wing covering her, acting as a blanket.

Xildus nods and follows, a bit eager to find out why he seems to have such an attachment to this world in question.

Mariya finds Serene, and asks her. Serene nods. "I don't see why you couldn't, I'd say no to a darkness portal, since theres no way of telling if the baby is effected, but your light portal should be fine, I'll come with you." Serene says.

Mariya nods, and opens a light prtal she turns to see the Samurai watching them. "Don't worry, I'll be well protected in Radiant Garden." She says.

The Samurai nods, and bows before walking off.

Mariya sighs, and steps through the portal, Serene following.

{Mariya and Serene to Radiant Garden.}

Xildus also follows them into the portal. He can only hope that he will soon find some explanation for this place's strong pull on him.

{Xildus to Radiant Garden}