The travel back to the camp was uneventful. No monster met, and Arca silently walked a bit behind Maximilian.

When they arrived and the others looked at them, it was another story.

"What the...captain?"

Paron was the one who talked for the soldiers, all looking at her with round eyes. Arca straightened herself after an instant of hesitation.

"You have something to say, Paron?"

"Yes, madam. We all think, with all due respect, that you look damn sexy in that armour."

Paron then received a slight punch in the guts by Arca.

"Remember your place soldier...but thank you, to all of you."

"Arg, yes captain, you're welcome captain. Forgive the curiosity, but where did you find a stuff like that?"

"I...well..."

Arca looked at Maximilian a moment, silentiously pleading for help.

"It's from me, we made a bet and I lose."

"A bet? What bet?"

"I bet with her you won't be curious about her new attire, and she bet you would all be too curious to mind your business. Seems like I, indeed, have lost."

Maximilian smiled at them and pursued his way to rejoined Arima, Alariel and Lin-Lin, a bit aside, followed by Arca.

The three all looked at Arca from head to toes. It was Arima who spoke first.

"Arca...you look beautiful."

As she was talking, Arima walked around the semi-orc, examining her new equipment.

"The colours are so pretty, and the violet is a very good combination with the light green of your skin...it almost look like a dress."

"My lady, please, I'm embarrassed."

"Oh, sorry."

Seeing the slight red on the semi-orc lady, the little Arima stopped her observation and came back where she was before, sitting around the little sphere of fire Alariel had made. Speaking of Alariel, it was her turn to spoke.

"Beauty put aside, it seems to be a very fine piece of equipment you've found, a present of our new friend?"

Arca slightly nodded in agreement, playing with the fingertip of her new gauntlets. Maximilian laughed at her reaction and sat back.

"I understand the matter between you two has been dealt with?"

"Indeed lady Arima, we can now pursue our little conversation. And as I've been entertained by this little interlude, I'll let you ask the next question."

Arima looked at Arca and Alariel then cleared her throat.

"Very well. You said you're going up, but all the people who are looking for treasures generally go down inside a dungeon, what is different with you?"

"The difference is that I'm not looking for treasures, those I've find already. What I'm looking for is the exit of this dungeon."

"You're looking for the exit? Can't you just teleport elsewhere? You seemed to be a powerful mage, what's stopping you?"

"A very simple fact lady Arima, I've got nowhere to teleport to."

The three woman looked at each other for a few minutes before Arima started to talk again.

"Nowhere? You've never touched a journey crystal before?"

Lifting his index, Maximilian smiled.

"Just once, one day ago."

"One day ago? But it cannot be. The nearest crystal is the one outside the dungeon, and it took us several days to arrive here... so it means..."

As she talked, she seemed to realise what it meant, her eyes slowly opening wide.

"Exactly, the journey crystal in the throne room at the last level, who is situated just under this one for information."

The three woman gasped at the same time, looking at each other with a smile on their face. Fearing a big let down, Maximilian intervened.

"Before getting your hopes up. What are you looking for down there?"

Seeing his serious face, they calmed themselves immediately.

"It's not what, but who. It is said this dungeon is where the great black dragon lives. That's him we came here for."

Seeing the three woman looking at him, eyes full of joy to see their quest finally accomplished, Maximilian sighed.

"This...won't happen."

And the hope shivered in their eyes.

"What? Why? Was this a lie? The black dragon isn't living here?"

"No no, your information were right. But he is....not living anymore."

And despair replaced the hope. Arima visibly let herself go, he straight sitting figure now bowing, as if crushed by the weight on her shoulders.

"He...he is dead....all is lost. After all this, we failed..."

She wasn't even crying, she was just dismayed, all fighting spirit had left her eyes.

Arca and Alariel were trying to comfort her but seemed almost as desperate.

"I'm sorry for the bad news."

"No, sir Maximilian, don't apologise, it's not your fault. It's not as if it was you who killed it...Now that I think about it, how do you know he is dead? "

Maximilian thought about it a few seconds.

*I could tell them It was me who killed him, but there's a risk it would complicate things. Although I'm not really alright with lying to a child...semi-truth it is then.*

"I saw his body."

"His body? But how can you be sure it was him?"

Arca and Alariel looked at her, surprised by the silly question. Maximilian scratched his cheek, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"Well, it was the corpse of a dragon and it was black, so..."

The silliness of her question seemed to appear to Arima, who got red.

"Sorry, it was a silly question. It's just that...you don't know how important it was for me."

"Would you care to explain? To be honest, I have some trouble understanding what a royalty like you could want of a dragon."

"My lady...maybe I should explain?"

Alariel put a hand on Arima's shoulder, catching the girl's attention. Arima agreed and it was Alariel's turn to speak.

"As you have realised, lady Arima is a royalty. To be more accurate, she's the third and last born child of Aremik, king of Griffinia."

"Griffinia? Is that the name of your kingdom?"

"Indeed, from the south border of the red sand desert to the white mountains of the north, from the ocean on the west to the great wall of centralis, that is the kingdom of Griffinia."

Maximilian clapped a bit.

"Very good presentation."

"Thank you. How much do you know about the usage and rules of our kingdom?"

"More or less...nothing at all. Assumed that I'm new on this lands and, by extension, unaware of your laws and usages."

"What do you mean by ''new on this land'' ?"

"To keep the explanation simple, I've been teleported on this land from another one by...let's say a powerful mage. I'm on a discovery journey right now, a freshly started discovery journey. And before you ask, I don't have a lot of memories of my life before the teleportation spell was cast on me. Some memories about my parents and master, but nothing really helpful."

* Okay, that was a lie, I don't like that. But how else am I suppose to explain where I came from to them?*

Arima had a sorry look on her face, Arca didn't seem to know what to think and Alariel looked a bit doubtful. She continued.

"Amnesia, really? That's too bad...But let's continue our conversation. For you to understand what I'm going to explain next, you must know there is a very old rule concerning the handover of power in Griffinia. In some other countries, it is common knowledge the oldest son, or daughter if no son is born, is by default the one expected to be the next king or queen to sit on the throne. But in Griffinia, that's not how it works. In Griffinia, every one of the king's child can try and be the next ruler of the land."

Maximilian looked at Arima, still silent.

"That's why you're here? You want to be the next queen?"

Arima seemed to be lost in thoughts, it was Alariel who answered once again.

"It's a bit more complicated."

Maximilian stayed silent, making a gesture signalling her to go on.

"The ceremony hasn't begun yet, what princess Arima is looking for here isn't the crown, but a mark of worth."

"A mark of worth?"

"Yes. A mark of worth will allow her highness to talk and be heard by her father, not as a little girl, but as a trustworthy adult. And by doing so, she will be able to let her voice be heard to the assembly, as well as her request."

Alariel seemed to have finished. Maximilian waited a bit for another piece of information, but it wasn't coming, so he decided to directly ask the concerned princess.

"And that request you came here for is...?"

"I...I want to set my brother free..."

And silence came back.

"Arima, I won't be able to understand what all this is about with you stopping explanation every three words or so. Please explain everything to me, and don't stop until you're finished."

Arima, this time, looked at Arca as if to confirmed Maximilian could be trusted.

"Go on Princess, tell him."

"All right. My brother, Alberic, is the second child of my father, and my only brother. One year ago, he has been imprisoned, accused of treason against the kingdom. People say they've found evidence showing he was...conspiring with demons against Griffinia."

*Demons?*

"Damn. Demons? Really?"

"BUT HE DIDN'T DO IT!"

Arima had screamed those few words, but the red on her cheeks showed it was unintentional. Maximilian smiled a bit at her reaction.

"You seemed to be sure of yourself, but what makes you believe he isn't guilty?"

"Because I know my brother, Sir Maximilian. He is a follower of the goddess of light, a fervent one. He is kind, just and would never, never enter into a pact with those filthy creatures."

"Oh I believe you, Arima, but I'm wondering if the assembly would be convinced by your words, although heartwarming, without any proofs."

"What do you mean?"

*And this is where I thank my hours playing investigation games.*

"What I mean is that you need proofs to exculpate your brother. Being heard by your peers is a thing, but convince them will be harder, at least I suppose."

"But...I think my words will reach them."

"Think Arima, think. If your brother is innocent, how come he as been arrested?"

"I...I don't know, somebody must have made a mistake or something."

"Arima..."

Maximilian made her stop by saying her name.

"Believe me, something this big, a prince accused of treason? And by conspiring with demons, no less? This is not a mistake. If your brother is innocent, then it means someone framed him."

"Framed? You mean someone deliberately lied about my brother to make him imprisoned? But why?"

Maximilian shrugs.

"Who knows? An enemy ? A love rival, I'm sorry, I'm not familiar enough with your country politics, I could not make anything more than assumption, maybe your friends here would have some ideas on the subject?"

Alariel and Arca were visibly thinking hard about that.

"I couldn't say for sure, politically speaking, the prince hadn't a lot of power, being nothing more than a pretendant to the crown, but who knows...you have an idea Arca?"

"Sincerely, I don't give a damn about politics or other things like that. All I know is that the prince is a rightful man, he has, on numerous occasion, helped the guards assuring the protection of the kingdom, by assuring some funds were delivered to who needed them the most, or even by fighting at our side against kingdom's enemy."

Maximilian listened to them patiently before speaking.

"So, no idea whatsoever ?"

Arima sighed a bit.

"Not really. But it doesn't matter anymore. Now that the black dragon is dead, It's not as if I could have any mark of worth, to begin with..."

"Question. What was that mark of worth you were looking for?"

"Here, look at this."

From under her cape, Arima took out a piece of paper she gave to Maximilian. Unfolding it, the man saw a picture on it, representing nothing else than a coat of arm. More precisely, it was the one having the lion with wings on it.

"That's what you're looking for?"

"Indeed, this coat of arm is my family's one. It has been lost several decades ago, and no one has been able to find it since."

Something bothered Maximilian.

"But...if it has been lost for so long, how can you be sure it is here?"

Alariel was the one to answer.

"That's because of the seal of proof."

"The seal of proof...the one proving the authenticity of the thing?"

"Oh, you know about it? I'm impressed. Yes, that one. Of course, it is used to prove the authenticity of the coat of arms, but it also allowed, by using a complex spell, one member of the concerned family to localised it."

"That's convenient... but if that spell exists, how come no other member of your family has ever found it before?"

"They have tried...but always failed, no member of the different expedition has ever seen the end of this dungeon and come back alive. Most of the time, the group retreated before reaching the end, beat and almost all killed by the creatures living in here."

"That's a pity...so, what about you?"

Arima looked at him.

"hmm?"

"You almost reach the end, but this would have made you faced a black dragon. What would you have done at that moment?"

"I would have tried to reason with him. Certainly, a creature such as him would have understood the situation and..."

"Stop."

Lifting a hand, he made the little girl stopped her explanation.

"What is it?"

"Arima...how old are you?"

"What does my age have to do with this?"

"What does it have to do with this? You're deluding yourself girl, that's what it have to do with all this. I can see you look young, but the way you see things is like a child playing a game."

Arima was clearly insulted by his words.

"I, I don't permit you to speak to me this way, Sir Maximilian. I'll let you know I'm ten years old and am not some child playing a game."

Seeing her spoke in a kinda haughty way annoyed Maximilian who stood up.

"Oh really, you're not playing a game here? So you are conscious of what is at risk here? You realise what would have happened to you if the dragon decided he wanted to make you his dinner?"

Arima was destabilised by Maximilian's words, and it showed on her face. Alariel wasn't saying a thing, waiting and observing. Arca knew better than try and stopped him. Maximilian pointed at the little Princess.

"You didn't even think about it, did you? you thought it would be easy? just follow the indication of an old spell to go retrieve an ancient coat of arm to be heard by adults? Wake up, child, they wouldn't listen to you. You would ask what you want, and then what? Somebody would come and opposed to your wish some way or another, and you would not be able to do anything about it."

"I....I..."

Maximilian didn't let her talk, speaking just a bit louder to made her shut up.

"And here, in the dark of this dungeon, after brave soldiers have come for you, lose their life while protecting you, you just sit on your ass because someone you don't have known for more than a few hours is telling you there's a bit of change in your plan? If it is not acting like a child, then what is it?"

Around them, the soldiers in the camp had heard what was going on and were keeping ready, seeing Maximilian raising his voice against the princess, an order from her or one of the guardian would see them attacking Maximilian. Even if, by doing so, they would have died almost immediately.

"I'm asking you again, child. What would have you done when facing the dragon? What can you offer to obtain what you desire?"

"I...I don't know..."

At her words, Maximilian hit the floor with his foot, making the sound echoed in the room, and even made the ground shake a little.

"THINK! You are not in your little castle surrounded by servants anymore. Do you want to be treated as a grown up? Then act like one. Think about situations before they happened, anticipate. You have people counting on you, trusting you with their life, if you're not able to rightly guide them, then stop now and accept the fact you simply cannot win, go back to your life as a little girl. If you cannot fight for what you desire, why should other do it for you?"

"SHUT UP!!!"

The little princess, tears of rage in her eyes, had stood up to faced him. Naturally, she didn't reach higher than a bit more of half his height, but she had stood up to him anyway.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF ME? YOU THINK I DON'T CARE? EVERY SOLDIER WHO DIED IN HERE, I WILL LEARN THEIR NAME AND PERSONALLY GO TO THEIR FAMILY! I WILL MAKE SURE THEIR DEATH WASN'T IN VAIN."

"My question is still the same child..."

crouching to put his face at the little girl's level, he plunges his Blue/ gold eyes in her green's, he kept a serious face all along.

"...What do you have to offer, what can you give to obtain what you desire?"

And it was at that moment, when the rage in her teary eyes became will, when a new flame appeared in them, it was at that moment Maximilian knew his words had reached her.

"Anything. I'll speak, I'll buy, I'll convince, and if I must, I'll fight. I will not give up until my brother is free."

Maximilian smiled at the little girl, patting her head.

"Finally..."

Maximilian stood up and took a few steps back then, in a slow and graceful movement, bowed to her.

"Hello princess Arima, it is a pleasure to meet you."

All in the room looked at him, astonished.

"Sir Maximilian? What exactly are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious, I'm bowing to a noble who I think deserve it."

"But...before, you wouldn't bow to me, so why now?"

"The answer is in the question princess, now I trust you will act as a good princess, a true noble meant for leading. I don't bow to children, but to you, I think I can."

Arima looked at Alariel and Arca, before looking at him once again, a little smile on her face.

"All you said was for me to realised I needed to grow, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was, sometimes a good scolding is better than days of teaching. I'm glad you understood it quickly... and since you've finally grown up enough to realise you have to fight sometimes..."

From the havenbag, Maximilian took out a dagger. Slightly curved, the pommel in jade with the extremity representing a little lion head made of gold. The scabbard of the little blade was made in black wood, decorate with little golden leaves. He handed it to Arima, who took it in her hand, hesitantly.

"It's...beautiful, but sir Maximilian...I'm not a fighter, I wouldn't know how to use it."

"Then learn it, grow stronger. Arca said some could be after your life, never again should you be defenceless."

Nodding in agreement, Arima took out the blade of his scabbard, revealing a silver blade shining at the fire's light. She looked at it for a minute.

"I will, sir Maximilian. I'll learn, I'll become stronger, and then I'll save my brother."

As she was paying attention to her belt, attaching her new weapon on her side, Maximilian took something else from the havenbag.

"This could help you in the process..."

She heard everyone around her breathing in as one, silence made around her.

"What's the mat..."

And as she looked what Maximilian was showing to her, she too breathed in.

In the hands of the tall man, after all this time and suffering, it was there. The coat of arms of the Griffin family.

"Is....is it?"

"Indeed, would you want to see if it is authentic?"

She just nodded in agreement, reaching with a trembling hand to take the artefact they had come for. As she turned it around, she couldn't suppress a single tear of joy as she exhalted, the seal of proof shining at her. Showing it to the others, they were as surprised as they could be.

"That's it, that's the real thing...finally, we have it. Oh, sir Maximilian, this is a wonderful gift, I will never forget it."

"A gift? Who said it was a gift?"

As quick as he arrived, the sentiment of joy disappeared, replace by apprehension, for some. Worries, for others...and preparation for fighting by four ones, silently circling around Maximilian, in the shadow.

"What do you mean, Sir Maximilian? Didn't you say it would be useful to me?"

"Yes I did, and I think it. Now, the dagger was a present, as was the little teaching about your duty. The coat of arms, however, I'm not inclined to separate from it like that for free."

The four soldiers who had circled around tried to attack him from behind, the idea the artefact could escape them simply too hard to accept. They didn't reach him, their feets blocked in the ground, buried under stones acting like shifting sands.

"I love earth magic, it's very useful...now if those fouls could calm themselves, maybe then will we be able to discuss."

"Discussing what, sir Maximilian?"

"But the price of course."

She seemed shocked, apparently not expecting that.

"The price? But this is priceless!"

"Then this is a perfect opportunity for me to see if you really have grown up..."

Joining his hands, he crossed his fingers before his nose, just under his eyes, looking the taken aback princess in the eyes.

"What do you have to offer? what can you give to obtain what you desire?"