Donovan: So, you finally decided to start on this.
GF: Yep! Before anyone gets confused, this WILL have something to do with Yu-Gi-Oh! by the end of the prologue. Donovan, you're still in charge of the disclaimer, so go on...
Donovan: *sigh* GriffinFire doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! She doesn't own King Arthur and everyone who comes with him, either, but she does own me.
GF: All right then! Let's get this party started!!
Donovan: What party?!? I thought this started with me getting my soul sucked out!
GF: *blinks* Um, yeah. Anyway, on with the fic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dragon's Daughter, Demon's Hope
Prologue
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The disgraced knight was led before King Arthur Pendragon in chains. He had been stripped of his armor and weapons, and was dressed only in a simple tunic and breeches. His unruly black hair was matted, but his sapphire-blue eyes still held a glint of defiance.
Arthur absently stroked the pentangle about his neck as he mused over this would-be assassin. Donovan was only eighteen or so, one of his youngest knights. The king shook his head. He had seemed so promising. But now...
He turned his mind back to the present. Donovan had attempted to murder him the week before. Arthur shuddered at the memory. The young knight had been caught, and sentenced to death.
The blue eyes of Donovan, former knight of the Round Table, glittered with malice as they stared into the brown eyes of Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, as if trying to look into his very soul. The king tore his eyes away, and Donovan searched the crowd that had gathered.
His eyes stopped on a tall, fair-haired young man a little older than himself. This was Mordred, Arthur's own son, but also conspiring against the king. His pale grey eyes did not meet Donovan's. He stared blankly through the young knight, obviously deep in thought. His fellow conspirator caught his attention, and slowly shook his head. Mordred looked distressed. He had been working out a plan to free Donovan, but Donovan obviously wanted him to do nothing.
Donovan's eyes again settled on the king, and he spoke. "You will die, Arthur." He spat out the name as if it were a curse. "My death will be avenged. But surely it is better to die than to go on living in a kingdom under your tyranny." He glanced quickly at Mordred, making sure that the king's son had gotten the message.
A low voice spoke from the shadows, and an ancient-looking man stepped into the light, the left half of his face obscured by his silver hair. "Well, then. Of course we won't kill you now, as it clearly won't be a punishment. I have something much more interesting planned for you." He brushed his hair back slightly, and the young knight stepped back involuntarily as he caught a glint of gold behind the silver curtain where the old man's left eye should have been.
"Merlin," hissed Donovan, his face contorting in rage as he silently cursed the king's pet magician.
Merlin smirked. He looked toward the king. "With your permission, my lord?"
The king nodded. "Go on. This may prove interesting."
The sorcerer's smirk widened to a cruel grin. He pulled the sheet of hair away from his face, revealing that his left eye had been replaced by a golden object in the shape of an eye. It glittered coldly and began to glow red. Donovan's eyes grew wide, and he shrank away from the wizard.
The red glow intensified, and the crowd gasped as one as a red beam leaped out of the golden eye and toward Donovan.
Donovan himself was glued to the spot as the beam struck his chest. It seemed to tug at him, as if trying to rip out his very heart. The knight let out a bloodcurdling scream as a shadowy ghost of a thing was wrenched out of his body.
The shadow looked exactly like the young man now collapsed in a heap on the ground, but translucent. The red shaft of light was now focused on the transparent Donovan, and was twisting him about, stretching him... and then the ghost was no longer humanoid, but seemed to be a long, serpent-like dragon.
Merlin laughed in triumph, and held up what seemed to be a card. The dragon-creature was pulled toward it, screeching and struggling, but to no avail. As the translucent creature disappeared from sight, it began to appear on the card.
But even as the last of the dragon was dragged into the card, letting loose a final, heart-rending shriek, a clear voice from behind the king's throne began to chant a spell:
"Soul imprisoned, caged and chained, Bound to battle, forced to fight, 'Til dragon's daughter, demon's hope, Brings you back into the light."
A woman, dressed in shimmering blue, stepped out from behind the throne. Her hair was silvery-white, though she did not appear old. Her eyes, the clear green of lakewater, flashed angrily at Merlin.
Merlin glared at her. "Nimuë," he growled, baring his teeth. "You've interfered with my experiments for the last time, Lady duLac!" He raised his hand to cast a spell, but the Lady of the Lake remained calm and cool.
"You have no power over me, Merlin," she said softly, "and you know it. But I do have power over you. Sir Donovan will not remain trapped forever." She extended her hand. "Give me the card."
The magician glared at the Lady, and she stared back, her arm still extended, her hand open expectantly. Merlin looked away, and put the soul card into her waiting hand.
* * * * *
Later that night, Mordred sat in his room in the castle, his head in his hands, not knowing what to do with himself. His greatest friend, the only person he had ever trusted - apart from his mother, Morgan le Fay, the king's half-sister - was gone.
As he pondered, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jerked backward, surprised, and groped for his sword. But then he saw that it was Nimuë, and he relaxed. She silently pulled something out of her robes, and pressed it into the young man's hand. He looked down, startled. It was the soul card, now embellished with a picture of the dragon that Donovan had become. Mordred gave the Lady of the Lake a questioning look.
"Keep this for me," she whispered. "Pass it on to your children. As long as the card is safe, Donovan will have a chance of returning."
She left as silently as she had come, leaving Mordred staring down at the soul card.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GF: Aaand we'll end it right there. In case you didn't get it, Donovan is now the Serpent Night Dragon. Next chapter we'll be in the present, and on our way to Japan. You probably won't be seeing any of these people anymore, except for Donovan, and possibly Mordred.
Donovan: Urggh... X_x You had to put me through that, didn't you? If I - and I quote - "let out a bloodcurdling scream," I was surely in a lot of pain. WHY do you have to DO this to me!?!?
GF: Well, getting your soul ripped out of your body is hardly painless, and we need to get you some sympathy, so people will review! *grins* Hint, HINT!
GF: Yep! Before anyone gets confused, this WILL have something to do with Yu-Gi-Oh! by the end of the prologue. Donovan, you're still in charge of the disclaimer, so go on...
Donovan: *sigh* GriffinFire doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! She doesn't own King Arthur and everyone who comes with him, either, but she does own me.
GF: All right then! Let's get this party started!!
Donovan: What party?!? I thought this started with me getting my soul sucked out!
GF: *blinks* Um, yeah. Anyway, on with the fic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dragon's Daughter, Demon's Hope
Prologue
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The disgraced knight was led before King Arthur Pendragon in chains. He had been stripped of his armor and weapons, and was dressed only in a simple tunic and breeches. His unruly black hair was matted, but his sapphire-blue eyes still held a glint of defiance.
Arthur absently stroked the pentangle about his neck as he mused over this would-be assassin. Donovan was only eighteen or so, one of his youngest knights. The king shook his head. He had seemed so promising. But now...
He turned his mind back to the present. Donovan had attempted to murder him the week before. Arthur shuddered at the memory. The young knight had been caught, and sentenced to death.
The blue eyes of Donovan, former knight of the Round Table, glittered with malice as they stared into the brown eyes of Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, as if trying to look into his very soul. The king tore his eyes away, and Donovan searched the crowd that had gathered.
His eyes stopped on a tall, fair-haired young man a little older than himself. This was Mordred, Arthur's own son, but also conspiring against the king. His pale grey eyes did not meet Donovan's. He stared blankly through the young knight, obviously deep in thought. His fellow conspirator caught his attention, and slowly shook his head. Mordred looked distressed. He had been working out a plan to free Donovan, but Donovan obviously wanted him to do nothing.
Donovan's eyes again settled on the king, and he spoke. "You will die, Arthur." He spat out the name as if it were a curse. "My death will be avenged. But surely it is better to die than to go on living in a kingdom under your tyranny." He glanced quickly at Mordred, making sure that the king's son had gotten the message.
A low voice spoke from the shadows, and an ancient-looking man stepped into the light, the left half of his face obscured by his silver hair. "Well, then. Of course we won't kill you now, as it clearly won't be a punishment. I have something much more interesting planned for you." He brushed his hair back slightly, and the young knight stepped back involuntarily as he caught a glint of gold behind the silver curtain where the old man's left eye should have been.
"Merlin," hissed Donovan, his face contorting in rage as he silently cursed the king's pet magician.
Merlin smirked. He looked toward the king. "With your permission, my lord?"
The king nodded. "Go on. This may prove interesting."
The sorcerer's smirk widened to a cruel grin. He pulled the sheet of hair away from his face, revealing that his left eye had been replaced by a golden object in the shape of an eye. It glittered coldly and began to glow red. Donovan's eyes grew wide, and he shrank away from the wizard.
The red glow intensified, and the crowd gasped as one as a red beam leaped out of the golden eye and toward Donovan.
Donovan himself was glued to the spot as the beam struck his chest. It seemed to tug at him, as if trying to rip out his very heart. The knight let out a bloodcurdling scream as a shadowy ghost of a thing was wrenched out of his body.
The shadow looked exactly like the young man now collapsed in a heap on the ground, but translucent. The red shaft of light was now focused on the transparent Donovan, and was twisting him about, stretching him... and then the ghost was no longer humanoid, but seemed to be a long, serpent-like dragon.
Merlin laughed in triumph, and held up what seemed to be a card. The dragon-creature was pulled toward it, screeching and struggling, but to no avail. As the translucent creature disappeared from sight, it began to appear on the card.
But even as the last of the dragon was dragged into the card, letting loose a final, heart-rending shriek, a clear voice from behind the king's throne began to chant a spell:
"Soul imprisoned, caged and chained, Bound to battle, forced to fight, 'Til dragon's daughter, demon's hope, Brings you back into the light."
A woman, dressed in shimmering blue, stepped out from behind the throne. Her hair was silvery-white, though she did not appear old. Her eyes, the clear green of lakewater, flashed angrily at Merlin.
Merlin glared at her. "Nimuë," he growled, baring his teeth. "You've interfered with my experiments for the last time, Lady duLac!" He raised his hand to cast a spell, but the Lady of the Lake remained calm and cool.
"You have no power over me, Merlin," she said softly, "and you know it. But I do have power over you. Sir Donovan will not remain trapped forever." She extended her hand. "Give me the card."
The magician glared at the Lady, and she stared back, her arm still extended, her hand open expectantly. Merlin looked away, and put the soul card into her waiting hand.
* * * * *
Later that night, Mordred sat in his room in the castle, his head in his hands, not knowing what to do with himself. His greatest friend, the only person he had ever trusted - apart from his mother, Morgan le Fay, the king's half-sister - was gone.
As he pondered, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jerked backward, surprised, and groped for his sword. But then he saw that it was Nimuë, and he relaxed. She silently pulled something out of her robes, and pressed it into the young man's hand. He looked down, startled. It was the soul card, now embellished with a picture of the dragon that Donovan had become. Mordred gave the Lady of the Lake a questioning look.
"Keep this for me," she whispered. "Pass it on to your children. As long as the card is safe, Donovan will have a chance of returning."
She left as silently as she had come, leaving Mordred staring down at the soul card.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GF: Aaand we'll end it right there. In case you didn't get it, Donovan is now the Serpent Night Dragon. Next chapter we'll be in the present, and on our way to Japan. You probably won't be seeing any of these people anymore, except for Donovan, and possibly Mordred.
Donovan: Urggh... X_x You had to put me through that, didn't you? If I - and I quote - "let out a bloodcurdling scream," I was surely in a lot of pain. WHY do you have to DO this to me!?!?
GF: Well, getting your soul ripped out of your body is hardly painless, and we need to get you some sympathy, so people will review! *grins* Hint, HINT!