Title: Dragon Seer
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and all associated characters are the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi.
Summary: In a world of warring kingdoms, false accusations and invisible dragons, how far will you go to save a friend? AU. For Defen.
Dedication: For Defenestration of the Mind by LadyBlackwell.
A/N: Originally posted on 12/25, on an alternate account called 'The Secret Santa Project.' Has since been removed over there to comply with FFNet's posting guidelines.
==o==
Once upon a time, there was a tiny kingdom on the edge of a vast forest. The people of the kingdom were hard-working and kind, their king was wise and just, and all the land was bountiful and prosperous. It was a good kingdom, a peaceful kingdom, a kingdom with air as sweet as the lavender that grew alongside its deep, clear pond; with magic as ancient and strong as the fir trees in the vast, dark forest ; with origins as misty as the fog over the northern mountains. It was the Kingdom of Minodo. It was the Kingdom of the White Dragon.
They say that the White Dragon has guarded the Kingdom of Minodo from time immemorial. She is what makes the magic so strong, the fields so rich, the air so clear. She is powerful and good, and as long as she watches over Minodo, it will know no war, no famine, no strife. She is a harbinger of peace.
The people of Minodo feel her presence, even though they cannot see her. The White Dragon is invisible to the human eye, her touch as substantial as mist. She appears to but a single human every generation, and that human is celebrated, respected, honored. That human is called the Dragon Seer.
This is the story of a Dragon Seer.
==o==
Anzu was eight years old the first time she saw the White Dragon. She was at the banks of the pond not far from her family's farm, the pond where the White Dragon was said to drink. Crawling on her hands and knees through the mud, her palms dirty, her summer dress ripped and soiled beyond repair, she peered through the reeds, shielding her eyes against the light from the setting sun, in hopes of catching a glimpse. But a familiar head of white hair blocked her view.
"Ryou," she whispered. "Move over. I can't see."
Ryou, also on his hands and knees, turned around slowly. The mud made a squelching sound beneath his hands and the reeds crunched softly as they bent down under his weight.
"There's nothing to see yet," he said with a smile. "But you can go in front if you want. Remember what I taught you back in our hay loft?"
Anzu nodded earnestly. "Don't see what's there," she whispered. "See what isn't there. Right?"
Ryou just smiled again and flattened down the reeds beside him, giving her space to crawl around him. As quietly as she could manage, she crept forward through the reeds, gradually approaching the bank. At last, she reached the edge of the pond. Drawing back the reeds in front of her face like a curtain, she peered through, waiting for the dragon.
Waiting…and waiting…and… waiting. It was almost more than her eight-year-old patience could bear. Her feet were starting to fall asleep underneath her, and even at twilight, the hot summer sun was making her sweat and drying the mud on her hands unpleasantly. Still though. This was the dragon. Not just anyone could see the dragon…she just wished the dragon would hurry up a bit.
She was about to turn around and ask Ryou what the holdup was, when suddenly, there was movement. A rustle in the reeds across the pond.
She focused, just as Ryou had taught her, honing her energy in, sharpening her mind's eye, concentrating with all her might. The rustling continued, as if someone were making their way through the reeds towards the pond. She leaned in closer, closer until—
A frog jumped out from the reeds and into the pond.
Now that was just frustrating. For lack of a better response, Anzu glared and stuck her tongue out at it.
The last rays of the setting sun reflected off the surface of the pond, staining it orange. It was beautiful, actually. Peaceful. Anzu barely noticed when the ripples started.
The ripples started in the center of the pond, at first tiny, then growing. Concentric circles, one after the other, consistent, even, steady. It was almost hypnotic. Anzu stared for a few moments, watching the ripples grow from their origin and spread across the pond, until Ryou's words floated back to her consciousness.
Don't see what's there. See what isn't there.
Anzu tore her eyes away from the hypnotic ripples and back to the bank of the pond.
Anzu had many preconceptions about the appearance of the dragon, some based in her own childish imagination, others handed down through the kingdom's folklore and mythology. Some said that the dragon was small, the size of a horse, while others said it was as vast as the kingdom itself. Some said the dragon had three heads, others would swear it had eight legs, or five tails or a thousand eyes. Anzu had prepared herself for all manner of strangeness in the dragon's appearance.
She had not prepared herself for what she actually saw.
The dragon was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
She was crouching over the pond, cupping pale hands to drink its clear water. Her hair was long and thick and pure white, and it billowed behind her in the wind. Her eyes were cast down, and she seemed to have no idea that she was being watched.
Anzu crept forward to get a closer look, silently, silently—
CRACK
A twig snapped beneath her palm. With a start, the woman whirled around and looked at her, and Anzu had just a moment to notice the dragon-woman's piercingly blue, impossibly blue eyes. Anzu gasped, and a fraction of a second later, the woman was gone, an enormous, semi-transparent, scaled dragon taking her place. Moments after that, the dragon faded completely.
Anzu craned her neck over her shoulder to look at her friend. Ryou was still kneeling behind her, still smiling cryptically.
Anzu grabbed him by the shoulders. "Did you see her?" she demanded excitedly.
Ryou looked past Anzu to the pond behind her. "Of course I saw her," he said quietly. "She's still there." He sighed, still looking beyond her towards the pond. "You can't…you can't see her anymore?"
Anzu shook her head. "She … she was a woman. And then she was a dragon, and then she was just gone." She scrunched up her nose, annoyed. "How come you can see her and I can't? That's not fair!"
Without warning, Ryou pulled Anzu into a tight hug. "I think," he said tentatively, his voice quieter than it had been even when they were waiting for the dragon to arrive, "I think this means I'm the Dragon Seer."
Anzu returned the hug immediately. This…this was a really big deal. Secretly, every peasant farmer hoped that his child would be the Dragon Seer of this generation, that his child would be the one to journey to the castle and leave behind a humble birth for the wealth and honor that accompanied the title. Not to mention the fact that Ryou could, by definition, see the dragon. The dragon itself—Anzu would almost have been jealous, if she weren't so happy for her friend.
"Thank you for teaching me," she said softly, pulling away from the hug to look him in the eyes. A prick of hopefulness suddenly stabbed her heart, and she asked, "Maybe…maybe I could see her too? I mean, I saw her a little…the woman…and the dragon, but only for a second? Maybe I could be a Dragon Seer too? I know there's only supposed to be one in every generation, but…but maybe this time it's different! Maybe we can both go live in the castle! Maybe we can both be the Dragon Seer!" She finished more loudly and excitedly than she'd started.
Ryou pulled her back into a tight hug. "I'd like that, Anzu. I'd like that a lot." She could hear the smile in his voice and the wind in the reeds and smell the lavender sprouts on the shore. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the white hair of the dragon-woman, feel the pierce of her stunning blue eyes.
They played at the edge of the pond for the rest of the day, happy peasant children among the crushed reeds. They played until the frogs started to sing, until the stars came out, until they heard their mothers calling them to supper. It was the happiest day of Anzu's life.
==o==
Ten years later
The pond was dark, and the air still, the summer heat oppressive even into the night. The only sound to be heard was the slow, harsh song of the cicadas around the pond. The moon, which reflected in the pond's calm surface, was the only source of light, and the reeds cast weird shadows in the marsh.
White hair glistened in the moonlight.
And then: a glint of metal, a woman's scream, changing, morphing, to an animal scream , a roar, a rush of air like something enormous taking flight, a knife thrown to the ground in haste, rapid hoof beats back out through the marsh, towards the village.
The reeds rustled at the movement, and then fell silent.
==o==
When Anzu was called before the king of Minodo to speak on Ryou's behalf, she hadn't spoken to Ryou in almost ten years. Soon after he'd revealed that he was the Dragon Seer, he was whisked away from his family's farm to the highest towers of the kingdom, his peasants' clothes traded for fine silks. He was given a nobleman's education and privileges, and Anzu had only seen him from afar, among the king's retinue at festivals, a polite but distant expression on his face.
Anzu herself had lived a fairly typical peasant's life. She worked on her parents' farm and cared for her younger siblings, and she never told a soul about the day she saw the dragon. She hadn't had a chance— once Ryou was officially named Dragon Seer, there was little she could do. The palace was far away from her little village, and she had no say in such official matters. Even if she were to announce her experience with the dragon to the world at large, the word of a peasant girl was utterly meaningless in the court.
But secretly, furtively, she always dreamed of more. And just as quietly, she also missed her best friend. She dreamed that one day the king would call her before the court. He would announce that Ryou had told him that she, too, was a Dragon Seer, apologize for keeping her waiting so long, and allow her to be with her friend once more.
Even after ten years apart, Anzu was not one to abandon a friend. And now he needed her.
Which was why at this very moment, she was able to beat down her nervousness, stand straight and proud in the throne room, and stare confidently into the eyes of King Atem himself. Still, it was almost more than her nerves could bear when the king rose from his golden throne and began to speak.
"You understand Dragon Seer's crime is very serious," said the king, his voice echoing off the marble halls of the throne room, off its high, vaulted ceiling. "Last night, he attempted to kidnap the dragon, with the intent of selling it to our enemies. You do know about our enemies, don't you?"
Anzu nodded, slowly. The increasingly un-diplomatic diplomacy with the Kingdom of Shadow was one of those secrets that everyone knew, a topic for gossip over the laundry, but until now, nothing to get too concerned over. After all, no harm could come to Minodo as long as it was under the protection of the White Dragon.
The king cleared his throat, and continued. "And you must understand, the kidnap of the dragon would not only weaken our own kingdom. It would also extend an insurmountable advantage to the Kingdom of Shadow. War would be almost inevitable." He looked down, no longer meeting Anzu's eyes. "And because of the grave nature of the Dragon Seer's crime, the only fitting punishment is death."
Anzu gasped, and her mouth started to move on its own accord. "Ryou would never betray his kingdom!" she blurted. As soon as the words were out, she clamped hand to her mouth in horror. She had just told off the king.
Fortunately, King Atem didn't look at all offended. Instead, he cast his eyes down, looking somewhat dejected. "He pled guilty to the kidnapping charges, Lady Anzu," said the king softly, apologetically, using a title that Anzu had no business being addressed by. "He proclaimed his guilt the moment he was asked. I…I act only in what I see to be the best interests of the kingdom. That is why Ryou hasn't been executed yet. That is why I called you here."
The king met her eyes again. "Ryou has testified that he was not successful in kidnapping the dragon. He claims that the dragon fled off towards the Northern Mountains, frightened after the attempt. And though its power no longer protects us, he swears that it hasn't fallen into the hands of our enemies."
"Anzu," he said, and here he looked at her with an expression she'd have never expected to see on a king, beseeching, almost pleading. "Ryou testified that you are able to see the dragon in her human form. Is this true?"
Anzu stood silently for a few moments, temporarily stunned by her current situation: a twisted parody of her childhood dream. She finally managed a shaky "Yes."
An expression of reliefpassed over the king's face…he almost looked like he might smile, but he quickly regained composure."Then, as your duty as a subject of Minodo, we need you to journey to the Northern Mountains and return the dragon to us."
Anzu found that her head was nodding in confident agreement before her brain had a chance to process what had been said. Everything was moving so fast, she just needed a moment to think and—
But before she could get a moment, the king continued. "Understand, Anzu…I am not an unreasonable man. Should you succeed in returning the dragon to us, you will be rewarded handsomely. Land, money…make a demand and I shall satisfy it to the best of my power."
"Ryou's life."
Anzu spoke automatically, reflexively, almost before the king had finished his sentence. Once she'd spoken, she considered her words for a moment. And here, she wouldn't change a thing. What else would she ask for?
"The life of a friend," the king said, and Anzu could tell from his voice that he was suppressing a smile. He paused, as if considering. "Very well then," he went on. "If the dragon is safely returned to Minodo, Ryou's punishment will be lessened to house-arrest within the palace. You will be appointed Dragon Seer, and periodically the two of you will be allowed to visit. Are these terms acceptable to you?"
Anzu nodded. "Yes, my king," she said with a deep bow. "But… How will you know …when …and if…the dragon is returned?"
The king smiled, a true smile this time. "Very few can see the dragon," he said. "But all can see the never-ending ripples in the pond. We will know because the sky will be clear again, the people's hearts light again, and the air will once again smell of lavender." He looked off, out the palace window, far away for a moment. But he quickly snapped back to the matter at hand. "But I imagine that you have other questions, Lady Anzu."
Anzu fidgeted uncomfortably and nodded. "Just one," she said. "How will I know where to look for the dragon? "
"Ah," said the king. "That is a question for one who knows more about the dragon than I. That is a question for the Dragon Seer." With a snap of his fingers, he summoned his guards. "Escort her to the dungeons, please, and allow her to speak to her fr—er…the prisoner."
Anzu bowed deeply once more, as the guards motioned her away, leading her into the dungeons, and back to her friend.
==o==
Far to the East, in the murky throne room of a shadowy castle, another king also spoke of quests and dragons, of danger and reward. The man before him kneeled as if in supplication, the black cloak thrown around his shoulders billowing out on the dark mahogany floor, his long white hair covering his face and the derisive smirk hidden there.
The white haired man stood, bowed deeply, and strode out through the wrought iron castle door. As he pushed the door open, one arm brushed against the engraved crest of the Kingdom of Shadow.
Once in the courtyard, the man pulled his hood over his hair, and mounted his horse. Just for an instant, the wind caught his cloak, and something sharp and silver glinted in the light, and then was gone. A minute later, a black horse was galloping away from the Kingdom of Shadow and into the vast forest.
==o==
The dungeon within the castle of Minodo was not as horrible as some, but it was dark and dank, the cells cramped, the walls lightly mildewed. A guard led Anzu down the winding spiral staircase and into a corridor dividing the two rows of cells. The noise they made scared one of the fat rats making its home in an empty cell, and it down the corridor, away from the disturbance. And there, curled in the corner of the cell farthest the door, was a tired, dejected, and thoroughly unhappy-looking Ryou.
Anzu broke away from the guard and ran to his cell. "Ryou!"
Ryou's eyes grew wide and he turned to face her, staring in shock for a moment, as if he couldn't believe that the woman he was looking at was really there.
"A-Anzu?" he whispered, shakily.
Anzu nodded and regarded him piteously. This eighteen-year-old Ryou was a taller, sadder version of his eight-year-old self. His white hair was limp and stringy, his naturally pale skin now almost ghostly. Though he'd only spent one night in the dungeon, it seemed that it had taken quite a toll.
He was still Ryou, though. Even while probably contemplating his own execution, he managed to smile for his friend.
"I can't believe you're really here," he said. His voice was thin, but happy.
"The king sent me," she said quickly. "He says—oh, never mind, we can talk about that later. Ryou, what happened?"
Ryou just walked slowly to the front of his cell, and leaned his forehead against the bars, eyes cast down. "I missed you," he murmured.
Anzu didn't know quite what to say to that, so she just reached through the cell bars and took his hands in hers. They were freezing.
They stayed like that for a long time, holding hands through the bars, not meeting each others' eyes.
When Ryou finally broke the silence, his voice was so quiet that Anzu would have missed it if he hadn't squeezed her hand.
"I didn't do it."
Anzu sighed in relief. "Oh Ryou, of course you didn't! I knew it wasn't true, I knew you wouldn't try to betray us to our enemies, and I knew you certainly wouldn't try to hurt the dragon! Oh, I was so worried; I'm so glad it's not true! But…why did you plead guilty?"
Ryou looked away. "That's not really the question you came down here to ask, is it Anzu?"
"Ryou…"
"A dozen witnesses saw a white haired man arrive at the pond at night; a dozen witnesses saw the ripples in the pond that announced the dragon's presence. They saw a knife, a rope, a horse…a man who they knew could see the dragon…what else were they to think?"
"But…it wasn't …you…" Anzu began, confused.
Ryou shot a glance out of the corner of his eye in the direction of the guard, who was still standing on the opposite side of the corridor, near the staircase. Ryou must have judged him to be sufficiently far away, because he muttered lowly, "Turn to the side and lean your head against the bars."
Anzu followed his directions, pretending to pay attention to the rats in the dungeon corridor.
"It was my brother."
Anzu opened her mouth and was about to protest that that was ridiculous, that she'd known him from babyhood and he didn't have a brother, but Ryou went on.
"He was…taken from my family, very soon after the two of us were born. We weren't sure by whom." He hesitated a moment, as if trying to think of what to say. "It could have been the old hag who lives in the forest…although I think she'd be more likely to eat a child than raise it. The Fair Folk in the forest sometimes take children to raise in the Faerie Court. I guess that would explain why he came back…off."
Anzu nodded in understanding. The forest was full of many dangers, but most feared were the hag and the eleves...No, Fair Folk, she mentally corrected herself. 'The Fair Folk' was the name you called the elves if you didn't want them to kill you in the night. They were a beautiful people, but they followed a different code of morality than the humans. Put simply, they saw things differently from people, mostly in that they saw people as things.
"His name is Bakura," Ryou continued, pushing thoughts of murderous elves from Anzu's mind. "I've only spoken to him once since his return…all he told me is that … since he's my twin, he's also a Dragon Seer. And now he's in league with the Kingdom of Shadow." He paused and bit his lip.
"Ryou, why didn't you tell the king?" Anzu demanded. "You've been sentenced to death!"
Ryou just shook his head. "I don't betray my family," he said. He took a step back and looked her in the eyes, finally speaking at a more normal volume. "And I don't betray my friends."
Anzu just stood there for a moment, shaking her head. What a stupid, selfless, Ryou thing to do. It was just like that time when they were eight and he'd—
"Was there something else you'd like to ask me?" Ryou asked, breaking her train of thought. "I don't imagine the king sent you to his dungeons just to pay a social call. He's asked you to find the White Dragon, hasn't he?"
Anzu nodded. "He said…he said you testified that I was…sort of a Dragon Seer as well. He hopes that I can track her down in her human form, since that's the only form you taught me to see her in." Anzu drew in a breath, sharply, and went on, anxiety rising. "Ryou, I have no idea what I'm doing! I have no idea where she's going, where to find her, where to look—I'll have to go through the forest and –I can't do this!"
"Shh…" said Ryou, soothingly, pressing a finger through the bars, up to her lips. "You can. I know you can. Now, I imagine you'll be going alone. The king hasn't mentioned sending you with a guard, has he?"
Anzu shook her head.
"Good," Ryou went on. "That would only slow you down, frighten the dragon. No, you can do this on your own. Now, let's think about what you need to know before you depart."
Anzu thought a moment, and then asked, "Where is the dragon going?"
Ryou smiled. "Oh, that's a simple one. Bakura's kidnapping attempt last night frightened her. She no longer feels safe in Minodo, so she's returning home to the Northern Mountains."
Anzu gaped at him. "I have to search the entire Northern Mountains for a dragon I can't even see most of the time?"
"Oh, no," Ryou said quickly. "The journey to the Northern Mountains is long, and the dragon isn't used to travel. No, she'll make the journey in three days. Do you remember the pond where you saw her for the first time? There are three ponds just like it, between Minodo and the Northern Mountains. The other three are nestled within the vast forest. So you'll have three chances to return the dragon."
"But how will I find the ponds?" Anzu demanded. "And how will I know that the dragon will be there at the same time I am?"
"The dragon appears in her human form at the last light of the setting sun," said Ryou. "As long as you're at the pond at twilight, the dragon will appear to you. And as for finding the ponds…well, some are easy to find, some are more difficult. The forest is full of life, some of it friendly, some of it cruel… But I know beyond a doubt that there are creatures in there who will help you."
"And then…once I do find her…how do I return her to Minodo? I can't…I can't kidnap her like Bakura tried to, that would just be cruel," Anzu said, looking worried.
Ryou gave her a look, a look that Anzu recognized from childhood as his 'stop being stupid' face. "You…you talk to her of course," he said. "You try to convince her to return, that Minodo needs her, that harm won't come to her again."
Anzu nodded, not sure what to ask next. Ryou just smiled at her, and Anzu noticed that his voice was strongest when he was helping her, that he looked much healthier now that he'd gotten a chance to speak to a friend.
"One more thing," said Ryou, growing serious again. "Bakura … he won't give up after a single attempt. Spies for the Kingdom of Shadow are everywhere in court. It shouldn't take him more than a day to get the news that Minodo has sent someone after the dragon, and then he'll try again. You…don't want to face him."
Anzu must have looked frightened, so Ryou continued.
"But…the faster you complete your quest, the lower the chance that you'll run into him. The first pond should be easy for you to reach by sunset…it's just an hour's journey from Minodo, if you take a fast horse. The path through the forest there is clear, and you shouldn't run into any trouble. Yes, it would be best for you to visit the first pond tonight. At sunset."
Anzu suddenly felt much more hopeful. If the first pond was so close, perhaps this quest wouldn't be so difficult. "Perhaps I can even complete my quest tonight!" she said hopefully.
Ryou just smiled cryptically. "Perhaps." He squeezed her hands again. "Now go Anzu, you haven't got much time before sunset."
Anzu pulled away and nodded. "Goodbye Ryou," she whispered.
Ryou said nothing, but motioned her to leave. As she walked down the dungeon corridor back to the guard, she could just barely make out his voice.
"Goodbye Anzu. Good luck, my friend."
==o==
An hour later, Anzu had been given a sword and a white horse, been wished Godspeed by the king, and was now galloping off on the main road through Minodo. She slowed only slightly as the cobbled road outside the palace became a dirt path, as the dirt path became a winding trail, as that trail left the final outskirts of the kingdom and reached the border of the forest.
At first, Anzu approached tentatively, Ryou's words of children-eating hags and vicious elves still ringing in her ears. But soon her mood lightened. The forest wasn't as dark as Anzu expected it to be. The region nearer to Minodo had been thinned by woodsmen, and so the late afternoon sun filtered through pleasantly, casting soft shadows of leaves on the dirt trail. It was almost idyllic. Even in her rush to get to the first pond, Anzu found the soft greens of the forest canopy and the quiet chirps of the birds soothing. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
Anzu arrived at the pond just as the sun was beginning to set. The pond was as easy to find as Ryou had said it would be, and it marked the end of the trail she had been following. The area around the pond was clearer than the surrounding forest, the trees smaller, and flowers were able to grow: not lavender like the pond in Minodo; here there were lilacs. Goldfish as big as Anzu's arm swam beneath its surface, catching the light on their scales. Anzu tied her horse to a tree a short distance away, where it began to graze on the soft grass. She sat down at the shore, hugging her knees, and waited.
And waited. The sun seemed to be taking a lifetime to set, ever so gradually sinking lower in the sky, but never quite reaching the horizon. Fortunately, her patience now was much greater than it had been when she was eight years old. And this time, she knew what she was looking for. She kept her eyes firmly on the surface of the pond, waiting for the ripples.
They began almost imperceptibly, a tiny pinprick at the center of the pond, a circle, gradually multiplying into many, ever expanding outward. They were just as hypnotic as they had been the first time she'd seen them. With effort, Anzu tore her eyes away, upwards, to the last rays of sunset filtering over the horizon.
And there she was.
White hair blowing ever so slightly in the gentle breeze, a sharp contrast against the darkening sky, on the other side of the pond stood the White Dragon. She stood tall, shoulders squared, facing Anzu directly, as if she had been expecting her. With effort, Anzu met her gaze, staring directly into her piercing blue eyes.
Anzu felt … frozen, for lack of a better term. She couldn't move or speak, partly in fear of driving the dragon away, but also partly from her reluctance to break the perfect beauty of this moment, the wonder of staring into those fathomless, piercing, impossibly blue eyes. The dragon-woman's white hair was framed against the darkening sky, the scent of lilacs hung in the air, and Anzu could just barely hear the quiet wind through the forest around them.
Anzu almost jumped when the dragon herself was the one to break the silence, calling a greeting across the pond.
"Hello," the dragon said, and her voice was sweet and soft.
"H-hello," Anzu responded, still unable to tear her eyes away from the dragon-woman's.
"I am Kisara," said the dragon-woman. Though she spoke quietly, Anzu could still somehow hear every word perfectly. "Do not be afraid. I remember you."
"Kisara," Anzu repeated. She had never considered that the White Dragon had a name beyond…well, White Dragon. It seemed almost…disrespectful to call her by any other name, like she was lowering the dragon to the status of a normal human when she was clearly far superior.
"Why do you stand so far away?" asked Kisara. "Are you afraid?"
Anzu paused a moment to consider that. Was she afraid? At the moment there was a lot she was afraid of. She was afraid of facing the forest; she was afraid of failing in her quest, of Ryou being executed, of losing her own life on the way. She was afraid that the dragon would never come home and that Minodo would fall to the Kingdom of Shadow. She was afraid that whatever she said to the dragon now wouldn't be enough, that it would frighten her or insult her, or that the dragon would fly away, never to return.
"I—," Anzu started, not quite sure where to begin. She was nervous, and when she was nervous she had the bad habit of blurting things out without thinking them through. "I—that is…" she fumbled, and then blurted out, "The Kingdom of Minodo needs you desperately, and you must return!" She spoke the last part very quickly.
Kisara's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but when she spoke her voice was even. "Whatever do they need me for?"
Anzu swallowed. She couldn't help but feel like she was walking into a trap, but she continued anyway.
"The Kingdom of Shadow is plotting against us, and we won't last long without your protection!" Anzu's voice was loud, even to her own ears, and almost gratingly earnest. Still, she pushed on. "We need you to return, or Minodo will go to war!"
Kisara's face fell, and Anzu knew immediately that she'd said the wrong thing.
"That is to say," Anzu floundered, "The man who tried to kidnap you wasn't from Minodo, he was from the Kingdom of Shadow, and we would never try to harm you and—"
Kisara raised one pale hand, cutting her off. She looked down sadly, her white hair hiding her eyes. "Anzu…" she began, and her voice was now so quiet that Anzu could barely hear it, "Do you know how long I've protected the Kingdom of Minodo?"
"N-no." As far as Anzu knew, the dragon had always been there, like the forest or the mountains, since the beginning of time.
"Five hundred years," said Kisara unhappily. "The people of Minodo have grown used to my presence; they think I'll never go. But…I'm just…I'm just a shield to them, like this forest is a shield, and nothing more. I know the man who tried to kidnap me was from the Kingdom of Shadow. I know that the Kingdom of Shadow would use me to make itself undefeatable, just as Minodo has. But how is either any different from the other?"
She looked up again at Anzu, and her voice was suddenly much sharper. "I will not be used as a tool of war," she said. "Minodo can fight its own battles."
And with that, her form faded, appearing briefly as the translucent profile of a shining dragon, fading as it flew into the air, away from the pond, and finally disappearing altogether into the blackness of the night sky.
Anzu just stood there for a moment, staring up long after she'd lost sight of the dragon, all energy gradually draining from her body. Exhausted, she hung her head. At her feet, she saw the very end of the trail, where it came to a dead stop at the edge of the pond. Ahead of her there was only vast, dark forest, and she had no path, no guide, and at the moment, very little hope.
It suddenly struck Anzu's mind how ridiculous this all was. She was a peasant farm-girl, alone in a dark forest, wielding only a borrowed sword she didn't know how to us, and her only talent was blurting out inappropriate things at inappropriate times. This pond had marked the end of the trail and she had no idea how she would go on through the forest without it. This was never going to work. Tomorrow, Bakura would find the dragon, the Kingdom of Shadow would declare war, the Kingdom of Minodo would fall, and there was nothing, nothing she could do about it. Ryou would die—
No.
Ryou would not die. She would never let that happen. She wondered vaguely what it said about her, that she was more willing to give up on her kingdom than her friend…but she quickly decided it didn't matter very much. The end result would be the same. She would find the White Dragon, and she would convince her to return to Minodo. Forest or no forest, Bakura or no Bakura, she would not fail her friend.
With new resolve, she unhitched her horse, and set off into the darker regions of the forest.
==o==
That same night, when the moon was out and the stars shone bright against the black sky, the white haired man with the dark horse arrived at the lilac pond. He hitched his horse to a tree and allowed it to drink, its black mane dipping ever so slightly into the clear water of the pond. A pale hand emerged from the dark folds of his cloak and he bent down to grab a handful of grass from the base of the tree where Anzu's horse had been tied just hours before. He sniffed the uprooted grass briefly and then threw it down. With a sharp tug, he pulled his horse away from the pond and spat into it, disgusted. Moments later, horse and rider had disappeared into the forest, determinedly making their way to the North.
==o==
Anzu was lost. She had journeyed a few miles farther the previous night, wanting to use her sudden surge in confidence to make as much progress as she could. But the forest was so thick in this region that her progress had been practically blind, the dense canopy of trees blocking out what little moon and starlight there was to light her way. And even in the morning, the forest was too thick to make out the direction of the rising sun. Anzu had to admit that she was utterly lost.
To make matters worse, she was hungry. In her haste to leave the castle as fast as she could and reach the first pond before sundown, she had forgotten to pack any food. And her life on the farm, while far from wealthy, had at least been relatively sheltered—she had no idea which of the forest plants were edible and which would cause sudden death. Hunting was out of the question, unless she could somehow convince a bird to stand still while she attacked it with her borrowed sword.
She eventually resolved to grin and bear it, and had been progressing somewhat aimlessly for some time, when she suddenly smelled something in the air. And it smelled delicious—a hint of roast goose, perhaps, or pork, the scent wafting over from somewhere to her right. Well, then. Even without a sun to guide her progress, Anzu could certainly follow her nose.
Follow it she did, and it wasn't long before she stumbled upon a tiny wooden cabin in a clearing, smoke merrily winding out of its chimney. That looked promising. And hadn't Ryou said that she would have to rely on the assistance of strangers to find her way?
Anzu's stomach growled again, and that made up her mind. She walked up the wooden front door and reached for the knocker. It was shaped like a dead frog. That was a little offputting, but she was really quite hungry, not to mention lost, so she knocked anyway.
Tap tap tap...tap tap.
Anzu heard light footfalls coming from within the cabin, almost synchronized with her knocking, as if the person inside had been expecting her. A few seconds later, there was an earsplitting creak as the cabin door was pulled aside.
Standing behind it, looking somewhat impatient, was an odd-looking old woman. She was hunchbacked and snaggletoothed, her face crisscrossed by wrinkles, her eyes a solid milky white—Anzu supposed that she was blind. But her white hair was thick and clean, and her remaining teeth, though crooked, appeared healthy. She looked...trustworthy?
There's an old hag who lives in the forest…I think she'd be more likely to eat a child than raise it.
Just as Anzu was about to greet the old woman, Ryou's words floated back to her consciousness. Oh dear. Anzu had half a mind to turn tail and run away on the spot. She might not have been a child anymore, but she wasn't about to dine with someone who ate them. Particularly when she herself was not-so-very tall for her age, and probably could be folded to fit into an oven if need be.
Anzu was jolted from her increasingly morbid thoughts by a kind of a...scraping-honking noise. The hag was apparently clearing her throat...thoroughly. After about half a minute of the noise, during which Anzu stood, feeling both increasingly afraid and increasingly awkward, the hag finally finished and began to speak.
"You know, in polite society, when someone opens there door to you, it's common courtesy to say hello. And introduce yourself! Honestly, you young people these days are nothing but sourpuss faces and gristle."
Anzu started to back away, but the hag just kept talking in the doorway.
"Not that I'd know from experience, of course," she said, and if Anzu was any judge, she was actually getting louder and squawkier the farther away Anzu got. "No, no I never eat children, come back dearie, come back. That's my sister down the lane. She's the evil forest hag. I'm just the nice little old lady with the frog-shaped doorknocker."
Anzu took a step forward again. "It's very...nice," she offered tentiatively.
"Do you like it?" asked the hag happily. "My Brutus made it for me. He's one of my chilluns. Adopted, of course. All those little orphans who defeat my sister...well, they've gotta have some place to go, ain't they? So I take 'em in, teach 'em a craft...very important, knowing a craft is, very important indeed."
"Oh..." said Anzu politely. "Yes... Very..."
"And I feeds 'em too!" squawked the hag, proudly. "Get 'em nice and healthy on the wholesome food of the forest." She grinned, toothlessly.
Just then, a little boy of about seven ran to the door. "Gran," he cried. "Where's my breakfast?" He turned to Anzu, making a face. "Who're you?" he sneered.
"Now Alexander," admonished the hag, "we must be polite to our guests. And breakfast will be ready presently. Oh, look at the time, we've been wasting too much time with pleasantries and I haven't even invited our guest in. Miss Anzu would like to join us?"
Anzu weighed the options in her head. On the one hand, it was incredibly unnerving that the woman apparently knew her name without being told. She certainly looked like a witch, so psychic powers were not beyond the realm of possibility. But on the other hand, her animated squawking and the presence of a grandchild didn't scream 'evil-child-eater' to her. She decided to take a leap of faith.
"That would be wonderful," said Anzu politely. "Thank you for having me."
The hag smiled and beckoned her inside with a crooked finger. The cabin was small and musty, but clean, and something absolutely delicious smelling was roasting over the fire. The hag led Anzu to the wood-slab breakfast table, her grandson—Alexander, apparently—skipping along in front of them.
The old woman turned to her grandson. "And would you like a hot breakfast or a cold breakfast this morning, dearie?"
The boy sat delicately on his woodstump chair. "Cold, please," he answered.
"Alright then," said the hag. "I'll go fetch it from the pantry." She hobbled off at a surprising pace for someone of her size and age, stopping at a wooden cabinet nailed to the wall. She threw the door open.
It was all Anzu could do to keep from screaming.
It was full to the bursting with dead frogs.
Raw frogs, pickled frogs, dried frogs, frog slices, frog cubes, frog sausage, frog kebab... if it could be done to a frog, it was in that pantry. The hag grabbed a dried frog and tossed it to her grandson, who began to nibble it eagerly.
The hag turned to Anzu. "As I said, my children grow up big and strong because I feed them the wholesomest food in the whole forest. And you, Miss Anzu, what will you be having for breakfast this morning?"
Anzu didn't have the hag's psychic powers, but she knew without a doubt what was roasting on the spit. Still, it did smell pretty good, and she was awfully hungry. And witches, even good witches, weren't people you wanted to offend. "I'll have...uh...the hot breakfast, please?"
Within a minute, Anzu was staring at a roast frog on a plate, and trying to ignore the fact that the frog was staring back. She turned the plate away from herself and cut herself a dainty bite of the leg.
It tasted nothing like chicken. But it was surprisingly tasty nonetheless.
A half hour later, breakfast was finished and Anzu was squared away with a knapsack full of dried frog legs for the road. Alexander went off to play with his toys, leaving Anzu and the hag alone at the wooden table. They sat for a moment in comfortable silence, the hag doing the washing up and Anzu sitting at the table, thinking.
She was trying to think of a way to politely ask the hag directions to the second pond. But she'd already scared away the dragon with an excessively blunt demand, and she didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
Thankfully, the hag's psychic powers spared her the trouble. Once she'd finished the washing and creakily set herself back down on her wood stump chair, she asked, "So...that's a mighty ambitious quest you've got for yourself. Tracking down a dragon. Reasoning with a dragon. All to save your kingdom and your best friend's life. Admirable, that. But you're struggling, yes? I can see it in your eyes."
Anzu sighed. "Yes. It's the reasoning with the dragon that I failed at. She doesn't seem to want to protect Minodo anymore. Or... she does, but she also wants more than that. I just...I don't understand. And how can I talk to her if I don't understand?"
The hag gazed off into her fireplace and was silent for a moment. "You know," she said, "It's not often I get visitors. I'm old and blind and frightening, and rumors of child-eating can dampen your social life like none other. I'm grateful that you came inside."
Anzu hesitated, wondering what the old woman was getting at. "You're welcome," she replied politely. "And thank you for the breakfast."
The hag just smiled and went on. "It's funny, that. You came in not knowing if I was good or evil. You ate a frog not knowing if it'd be delicious or vile. Now, maybe you were just trying to be polite, but even politeness's got something bigger behind it." She tapped her wrinkled chin, contemplatively. "And I think ...I think that's trust."
Anzu tried to make the connection. "You think...the dragon doesn't trust us?" Anzu asked hesitantly.
"Well," said the hag, "look at it this way. What reason does she have to trust you? What reason does anyone have to trust you? Maybe your kingdom's put its faith in you, but that's only because you're its last hope to avoid a war. Maybe your friend trusts you...but would he still trust you if it weren't his neck on the line?"
Anzu bristled a little at this. "Ryou's my best friend," she snapped. "And friends have faith in each other. He'd trust me no matter what, just like I'd trust him."
The hag smiled. "Well, there's your answer then. Befriend the dragon."
Anzu drummed her fingers and thought about this. She wasn't sure she could make a friend in two more brief meetings, but she was certain that she'd try. Ryou was counting on her.
"Alright," she agreed.
The crone smiled. "And now I imagine you'll be needing directions to the second pond on your journey, eh? That's a very lovely pond, the rose pond they call it." She smiled cryptically. "I'll take you to the pond," she said. "I'll even give you up-to-the-minute directions. But only if you let me come with you. I've heard that just to smell the roses that grow around it is to feel young again."
Anzu accepted without hesitation.
A few minutes later, after Alexander had been told to be a good boy, after the door had been safely closed and locked, Anzu and the hag were on their way. Anzu led the horse and the hag rode sidesaddle, squawking directions all the way. Even as they crossed into the darker recesses of the forest, the future suddenly looked brighter.
==o==
He rode his horse hard through the dense forest undergrowth, and he knew his way forward from the moss on the trees. He progressed ever onward, with no care for sleep, for food, even for drink; his horse seemed to be more machine than animal. He never stopped. He never slowed. He simply went on, ever hunting, ever tracking, ever following the scent of roses in the air.
==o==
Anzu and the hag arrived at the rose pond as the sun was just beginning to set. This pond was larger, surrounded by an enormous field of rosebushes on one side, and a patch of clear land on the other. Anzu helped the hag off of the horse's back and started to hitch the horse to a tree, but the hag placed a hand on her arm to stop her.
"Let him roam free for a while," she said. "He likes you, I can tell. He'll be back."
Anzu followed the hag's advice, dropping the reigns. The horse whinnied a little and paced on the spot, tossing its head as if unsure of what to do next. But when the old woman patted him on the behind, he took off at a happy gallop, first making a circuit around the small clearing, then trotting off into a thinner region of forest nearby.
Anzu was anxious to get to the bank and wait for the dragon, but the old woman insisted that they stop behind the rosebushes so that she could smell the flowers. She crouched down low, motioning Anzu to do the same, and pressed her face so closely into the petals that Anzu was surprised she didn't scratch her chin on the thorns. The flowers truly did smell beautiful, Anzu noted, sweeter and more vibrant than the lavender at home, which always made her sleepy. They stayed like that for a long moment, oblivious to all but the scent, when suddenly —
Clip clop...clip clop...clip clop...
Hoof beats.
Anzu had just begun to wonder if it was her horse, returning already, when she felt a gnarled hand on her back, pushing her down. She didn't need to be told twice. Not caring as the thorns scratched at her face, she crouched between two thickets of rosebushes, folding her body down as small as she could. The hoof beats grew louder and the sky grew darker. Anzu knew she was missing the sunset, and with it, the dragon, but she didn't dare move. Her fears were confirmed as the when she heard a harsh voice call out over the pond.
"Dragon."
Anzu curled herself even tighter, trying not to breathe too loudly.
"Bakura," Kisara returned, and her voice was strangely calm.
"Let's not waste time with pleasantries," said Bakura. There was a pause and the sound of metal on metal- the drawing of a sword.
Anzu couldn't see what happened next, but she could hear it all too well. A woosh of air as the dragon took flight. The harsh clang of sword against scale. The dragon's cry of pain, which quickly became a roar of rage, a strange sound like a gust of wind that she'd never hear before. A man screaming, and then cursing. A flap of wings loud at first, then gradually diminishing into the distance. The footfalls of a man standing, his groan of pain, the whinny of a horse, and then sharp hoof-beats galloping off to the north.
Anzu stayed there, crouching, hidden in the rosebush, for a long time, long after the sky was full dark. She only moved when she felt a cold nose against her neck, and saw a white mane out of the corner of her eye. Her horse had returned. She wondered why she hadn't heard hoof beats.
She turned around to ask the old woman if she had heard anything, and stopped short. Her eyes darted left and right. The woman was gone. There wasn't even an impression in the rosebush to mark where she had been.
Anzu started to panic. The old woman had been so kind to her, feeding her, helping her find her way—and now she was just...lost? Had Bakura taken her? She could only imagine what uses the Kingdom of Shadow would have for a witch of her power...
"Grandmother?" she called, realizing she didn't actually know the old woman's real name, "Old woman of the forest, are you there? Can you hear me?"
Anzu jumped, but then calmed deeply when she heard a voice say, Of course I hear you, child.
It didn't even surprise her that the voice seemed to be speaking within her own head. This was apparently another of the old woman's psychic powers.
Don't worry about me, Miss Anzu, said (thought?) the old woman. I'm safe and sound. You have a mission to complete. And you know what to do next. The voice echoed within her skull for a moment, and then was gone completely. Anzu was alone again.
She patted her horse and thought. Did she know what to do next? The old woman had spoken of trust. She had to get the dragon to trust her. But then, there was also Bakura to contend with. He'd beaten her to this second pond, and he had an hour's head start to the third. And he seemed like an impossible force; even the dragon couldn't defeat him on her own —
Oh.
She wanted to kick the ground or punch something or tear her hair in frustration. That was how she had to get the dragon to trust her? That was how she was going to have to save Ryou and Minodo? She, a farm-girl who'd never used a blade sharper than a trowel, was going to have to defeat the agent of the Kingdom of Shadow in armed combat. It would almost have been laughable, if it didn't make her want to cry.
And she would have cried, except that just at that moment, she felt something sharp stick into her shoulder. She turned and had just enough time to register it as a dart before she fell.
She was unconscious before she hit the ground.
==o==
Anzu woke up on a damp, stone floor, not knowing how long she'd been asleep, choking on some sort of thick perfume that hung in the air. She blinked, blearily, trying to take stock of her surroundings. Stalactites and stalagmites jutted out of the ceiling and floor— it was a cave. A weird blue light filtered down from adjoining passageways, giving unearthly color on her skin and all her surroundings. Pink curls of incense wound lazily in the air smelling oppressively, cloyingly sweet.
"Welcome," intoned a low voice, "to the Faerie Bower."
Anzu turned. Behind her sat a man...or, almost a man. His limbs were just a touch to long and thin...stretched looking, almost, his jaw and eyes too hard to be quite human. He was wearing only a deerskin loincloth, and a crown of dried flowers sat atop his close-cropped, messy white hair. But what truly gave his identity away was his ears: they were pointed.
And though Anzu had never seen a member of his race before, she knew immediately what he was. He was one of the Fair Folk. One of the Faeries. One of the race so feared that even Ryou, a dragon seer, a condemned man, dared not speak their true name.
He was an elf.
"Do not fear, little mortal," he said, and his voice was sticky like honey, his mouth twisted in a cruel smirk. "I hope you enjoyed your day-long rest."
Anzu said nothing, and fought to suppress a shudder.
"Is the little mortal deaf?" asked the elf, "Is it a coward? I have said that it should not fear. Does it defy me?"
"N-no sir," Anzu stuttered, and the elf laughed.
"No! No sir!" mocked the elf in a high-pitched falsetto. He lowered his voice down to a dangerous whisper. "Do not cross me, mortal. I brought you here to propose a trade. You do not want me to decide that you aren't worth the effort."
Anzu took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. "I am willing," she said, voice even at last, "to accept any trade you propose to me."
The elf laughed, and his laugh was low and harsh and cold. "That's right, little mortal. Good answer."
He stood up from his crouching position on the floor and walked to the other wall of the small cave to a stone altar that Anzu hadn't noticed before. Lying there, she saw a leather breast plate and leggings — light armor. Something glinted in the blue light— a sword.
"This armor," said the elf, and suddenly his voice was more reverent than mocking, "is the finest that elves can make. It bears powerful protective charms—it's cannot be pierced by any weapon forged by men. The only weapon which can break it is...this." He hefted the sword into the air, the blue light reflecting off the blade. "This is elf steel. It cannot miss." He smiled.
"With these weapons," continued he continued, "that little...pest who gave you so much trouble at the rose pond...the one you were hiding from like a frightened child...well, he will be no match for you anymore. You will strike him down like the insect he is."
He walked back across the cave and bent down low, hissing directly into her face. "And in return, I ask only that once the Dragon is returned to Minodo, the Dragon Seer be sent to me."
Anzu's eyes widened in shock at the very thought, but the elf misinterpreted her reaction.
"Oh, don't look so surprised, mortal. I know of your little quest, and I have a stake in it. You see, we elves used to have a Dragon Seer of our very own—Bakura I believe you call him. But we call him pest. Insect. He betrayed us, gave up the promise of eternal life as a servant of the Faerie court to sell out to the Kingdom of Shadow. We want him dead. And we want a new Dragon Seer."
He glanced at Anzu again, her face still pale and unspeaking. "Don't fret. We elves may eventually seek out the White Dragon of Minodo to take as our pet, but not for a very long while. There are other dragons in the world, you know, more powerful even than she. The Dragon Seer is invaluable. And we must have another."
"Never."
Anzu's voice was a whisper, but a raw one, full of emotion. She hadn't come this far to sell out.
"I will not betray my friend," she said.
The elf's eyes grew colder. "I could kill you now," he said. "I could strike you down right here, and Minodo would die, and your friend would be executed, and your bravery would not make a single speck of difference."
Anzu backed away slowly, but held his gaze.
"Do you really think you can defeat Bakura?" he asked. "You're a farm girl, a peasant, a nothing."
"I've come this far," said Anzu quietly, coolly.
"So far from home," mocked the elf. "Poor little farm girl. Do you really think that you can defeat me?"
For the first time since starting her journey, Anzu drew her borrowed sword from its scabbard.
"I can try."
There was a long silence in the cave. And then, suddenly, a shifting.The elf was suddenly far away, past the far wall of the cave, almost as if he wasn't there at all. And then slowly, he began to clap.
Clap...clap...clap...
There was a whoosh of air, a rush of wind, growing louder and louder, becoming almost deafening...clap...the cave went black; Anzu couldn't see a thing...clap...Anzu felt a weight on her shoulders, and chest, her fingers clasp around something heavy and cold...clap...She was sitting on something, something moving under her...a horse?
And from far beneath her, she heard a voice say, Congratulations. You are worthy.
o==
The man on the black horse never saw the woman coming. She rode a warhorse and wore elf armor, swinging that blade of magic steel, and it was as if she'd materialized up through the ground itself. The two warriors locked eyes, both confused for a moment, but rapidly steeling their gazes, preparing for battle.
He was the first to charge, his black horse galloping at her furiously. He screamed and heaved his sword at her breastplate with all his might. She doubled over, and as his horse overtook hers, he thought for an instant that he might have cut...but no. She'd just had the wind knocked out of her, and she quickly straightened up.
There was no battle cry when her warhorse charged; she gave no scream of rage. She simply raised the elf blade, struggling only slightly beneath its weight. And with all her might, she heaved it into his chest.
It should have cut. By all laws of magic and physics, the man on the black horse should have been sliced in half. But in defiance of all logic, it repelled him, throwing him forwards, flying, limbs splayed through the air, farther, farther...
The momentum carried her as well, spinning her sideways off her horse, the elf blade spiraling out of her hand as she fell, fell.
The pair landed one after the other, facedown on the banks of a pond filled with water lilies, just as the last rays of sunset were leaving the sky.
o==
Anzu was awakened by soft hand against her shoulder, a softer voice whispering in her ear.
"Anzu, wake up."
Anzu shifted a little, towards the voice, her eyes still stuck shut and something wet and cold adhering to her cheek...mud, somewhat dried now. She heard a slight splash, like a hand being dunked underwater, and then that soft hand began to wash the mud away. Anzu's eyes unstuck at last and she blinked. She was standing at the edge of a pond full of water lilies, long after sunset. And there in front of her, her white hair illuminated in the starlight, stood Kisara.
"Kisara," Anzu breathed, and the dragon-woman smiled.
"Welcome to the third pond," Kisara said. "Welcome to the end of your journey." She tucked a strand of hair behind Anzu's ear with her thumb. Anzu noticed that, even though the mud was now gone from her face, Kisara hadn't moved her hand away from her cheek. It was smooth and warm...familiar. Anzu smiled.
"Have I earned your trust, Kisara?" she asked.
Kisara looked contemplative, but she didn't move her hand from Anzu's face. "Have you?" she asked, rhetorically. "Tell me. Why should I return to Minodo? Why should I protect them against the kingdom of shadow?"
Anzu...should have been more nervous. After all, this was her last chance, her last pond, her last opportunity to win the dragon back and to save Ryou. And yet, something in Kisara's smile, in the hand on her cheek, told her Anzu had already won. She spoke anyway.
"I know that the Kingdom of Minodo thinks of you as its protector, its shield, as all that stands between us and the Kingdom of Shadow. But now...I know the weight of that responsibility, of being the only person who can help, the last chance at a hero. It's...it's lonely." She met Kisara's piercing blue eyes.
"But..." Anzu continued, "you won't be facing the Kingdom of Shadow alone, Kisara. And I cannot speak for the entire kingdom of Minodo, but I can speak for myself. I will never leave you. I will always stand beside you. I have fought for you, risked my life for you. I…I care about you."
Kisara closed her eyes for a moment, taking it all in. After a long pause, she spoke. Her voice was suddenly much quieter, almost child-like.
"What if I can't do it? What if the Kingdom of Shadow is too strong and Minodo falls, even with my protection?" She pulled her hand away from Anzu's cheek, and her face grew worried. "I—" she began, but Anzu cut her off by taking her hand, quieting her by interlacing her fingers with Kisara's.
"It is not enough that you trust me," Anzu began. "You have to trust yourself." She thought of her fight with Bakura, of standing up to the elf lord. "Even in the face of insurmountable odds...you mustn't lose faith in yourself."
Kisara squeezed Anzu's hand, and Anzu remembered another gesture just like it, not long ago, holding hands through bars.
"My dragon seer," whispered Kisara.
Kisara cast her eyes across the pond, and repeated the words Anzu had heard so long ago. "Don't see what's there. See what isn't there."
The water lilies spread, drifting outward from the center of the pond, and slow, hypnotic ripples began to form. "See what isn't there," continuing Kisara, casting the second line of the spell at last "And there, then, will it be."
The ripples expanded outward, outward, outward, but Anzu tore her eyes away, forcing herself to look Kisara in the face. Something very strange began to happen.
Kisara's face was simultaneously young and old, not shifting, but...layering, images superimposed, one on top of the other. There were hundreds of faces beneath that white hair, and yet Anzu had no difficulty discerning them. Beneath Kisara's face, there was the face of the dragon, then the face of the hag and her son, the white horse Anzu had ridden, the elf.
There was Bakura's face. And Ryou's face.
Anzu was lucky that she was holding the dragon's hand to steady herself, because otherwise the shock would have knocked her down. Ryou's face floated to the surface of the layers, and in the blink of an eye, without any perceptible change, Ryou was standing where Kisara had been.
"Hello Anzu," said Ryou.
Anzu stared at him, wide eyed, pale, almost unable to speak. "What just happened?" she asked.
"I completed the spell," said Ryou. "I revealed myself to you in all my forms. I made you the Dragon Seer. The First Dragon Seer."
For lack of a better response, Anzu threw her arms around him and collapsed against his shoulder, overwhelmed.
"You're..." she whispered, stupefied. "You're the dragon. You're Kisara, you're—"
She faltered and he nodded, raising his hand to stroke her hair soothingly. "I have many forms. Some human. Many not. There has never been a Dragon Seer, Anzu. It has always been me, in one form or another, just pretending. For five hundred years I've been alone, visible only to myself, Minodo's lonely guardian. For a long time, I believed that I would be content to stay that way for all eternity. But then ... you came along."
Anzu shook her head, confused but still holding him. "But why now?" she asked. "Why me?"
"Destiny brought you to me," said Ryou. "The Kingdom of Shadow is an almost insurmountable foe, one I cannot face alone. But who protects the protector? Your quest was a test—I needed you to prove your bravery, your selflessness, your ability to trust—and you passed with flying colors. I need a Dragon Seer who I can trust to protect me with her life. I need a friend who's brave and confident and true. I need you Anzu."
Anzu felt a tear prick at her eye. "You have me," she said, and hugged him. "You always will. And we will protect each other."
==o==
That night, dragon and seer flew back across the vast forest, a white streak across the black sky, back towards Minodo, back towards home. In the months that followed, they stood strong against the advances from the Kingdom of Shadow, and through their combined efforts, Minodo once again became known as a kingdom of peace. And for generations to come, the dragon and each of his seers lived together, fighting alongside each other, protecting each other unconditionally.
They lived happily ever after.
==o==
A/N:
MANY thanks to the7joker7 for his help with the plot. Without you, this fic would've been a pile of goo.