Author's Notes: Some of you may notice the lack of updates for Rekka No Ken. Well, that's because my old computer DIED on me and most likely took all my files with it. Including Chapter 20. So, while I'm stewing in my depression (sarcasm) I figured I'd use that to bring you guys a story from a series even nearer and dearer to my heart than Rekka No Ken. That being, Dragon Quest, specifically, the fifth one! This game is without a doubt a gem among gems. Both for its story and for it mechanic of recruiting monsters onto you team to fight alongside you (This was before Pokemon and the like). This series is far too underrated, especially when compared to *shudders* Final Fantasy. Not knocking FF, but they've been pushed far too much into the spotlight for the West. Enough with me ranting, let's get down to the juicy details!

1: This will be a retelling, but with far more of my own ideas put into the story. I don't plan on making this as tried and true to the plot of the original game, but it should at the very least lead to the same ending.

2: I will be making polls for this game a certain intervals where you all can influence the story (One or two being major changes, which I will tell you in advance).

3: In game side-quests and items may be worked or at least written into the story. So there may be a little lamp shading of the kleptomaniac protagonist tope more often than not.

4: This story may take the spotlight as I put Rekka No Ken on hiatus until I can recover my work. So to those who love Rekka No Ken... the only material you might see for that series for a while will be the Side Stories (which I have been neglecting, I admit).

Chapter 1: Birth of a Hero

Year 750: Age of the Dragon and Goddess

Far away in the Southeastern continent, in the kingdom of Gotha; a castle town unlike any other, with the citizens living within the large walls of the castle, at the bequest of their king in order to better protect them. The castle itself is large, even by royal standards, with new perimeters and rooms that were finished not even ten years ago to accommodate the citizenry. Within the large walls, is the castle itself. There are four towers, each at a different corner that serve as outposts and watch towers for the soldiers stationed within them. For those positions, one can see for several miles thanks to the flat plains and well kept roads leading to the castle from the Gotha Path. Attached to those towers is the main body of the castle; the castle commons, where the shops and homes of the citizens takes up almost all of the area. The inn, item, weapons, and armor shop take the ground floor of both of the southern towers and the first two rooms within the castle. Aside from those, all other rooms and houses within belong to ordinary citizens. Then, at the very end of the commons, atop a flight of stairs, is the Altar of the Goddess for mass and confessions. Then, at the very end of even the commons, is the original castle. It is easy to identify because of its proud, navy blue bricks that decorate its roof and its large insignia, emblazed on a large, red cloth with a mighty bird of prey stitched in gold, its wings extended as if it were about to take off in flight.

But Gotha itself is not important, at least, not yet. What is important however, is what is going on inside closed doors to only but a select few. Today, of all days, is an important one. Today is the day, that king Pankraz and his wife, Queen Madalena, of the Loftinians, a people whom once had the power to open and close the gates of the Demon Realm, await the birth of their first child. It is there, in the throne room, where this tale unfolds…

The sounds of an old grandfather clock tick in the background of a majestic throne room as a man worriedly paces back and forth as four other men watch him from afar. The man is dressed in a regal brown cloak, with white cuffs and thick leather boots, with a heavy deep red cape tied around his shoulders. His attire is incredibly high-end and shows signs of incredible nobility, but his appearance appears to be the exact opposite of someone of noble birth. His hair, a dark brown, easily mistakable for black, is frizzy and spikey, is barely contained in a ponytail. His face, while carrying a gentle smile at times, is chiseled and sharp, his eyes are a deep brown, and filled with confidence befitting one who had bested many a monster and man alike. However, this was one of the few times where those eyes didn't contain the usual confidence they held.

"Please, your majesty," one of the men standing in front of the door of the throne room begs, his appearance strongly similar to Pankraz, though much less rugged, "Take a seat. It won't do you any good to worry so."

Pankraz stopped in his tracks as he turned to face the man who had addressed him, "You're right," he admitted with a heavy sigh. Walking over to his throne, a long seat with red upholstery embroidered with gold along its edges. However, not even two minutes past before Pankraz became tired of sitting down and got back up to pace around once more.

The man who hard called out to Pankraz sighed in defeat at trying to calm him down and went back to where the three soldiers were guarding the door to make idle conversation to pass the time. Things remained the same for another half hour until…

"Sir Pankraz!" a new voice yelled as a pudgy man came barreling down the stairs behind the throne leading to Pankraz's private rooms. The man had small brown eyes that gleamed with gentleness. His equally brown hair neatly curled along his forehead and down more towards his neck, with a thin handlebar mustache with the middle cleanly shaved off. He was dressed in a simple green tunic, with a lighter, orange tunic over that. He wore yellow leather gloves and a pair of thick, heavy brown leather boots. He came running to Pankraz's side with incredibly heavy panting as Pankraz ran over to him as well.

"What is it, Sancho?" Pankraz asked in a hurry, with slight worry carried in his tone, "Is something wrong? Is Mada okay? Is it…?"

"E-Eez a baby, señior!" the man named Sancho breathed out, breaking back into his accent he took with him from his homeland. He had long since lost it after becoming accustomed to the language of Gotha and most of the known world, but every now and then when he became emotional, his control faltered, "A beautiful bebé!"

Thank the Goddess!" Pankraz roared with a smile at Sancho's news as he raced towards and up the stairs.

As Pankraz flew off the stairs and past his dining hall, a wet nurse in her early twenties came racing towards him with a smile on her face, "Congratulations, sire. It's a baby boy!"

"Excellent!" Pankraz nodded to her with a smile beaming on his face as he opened the door to his bedchamber.

In his bed, located in the center of the room, over the sheets, was his wife, Madalena with a nun watching over her saying a prayer. With her long, flowing light brown hair combed away from her sweating brow, and he pale complexion, it was obvious to everyone that the delivery had been taxing on her. However, as soon as Pankraz came into the room, her expression brightened as her dark caramel shined in his direction. Her petite figure was wrapped in her light pink gown embroidered with frills was folded over her legs with noticeable wrinkles after spending so long in labor. Next to her on the bed, closer to Pankraz, was their newborn child. His wailing was loud and full of strength.

"Mada…" Pankraz sighed happily as he moved to Madalena and put his hand over her shoulder, "You were incredible…"

"My dearest…" Madalena whispered as she looked into Pankraz's eyes.

"Listen to him wail," Pankraz went on as he looked off to his newborn son with glittering eyes, "Newly born and already a little warrior! Such character in a child deserves to be named right away!"

"What would you name him, my dearest?" Madalena asked him as she looked over to her son as well.

"Hm…" Pankraz muttered as he began to pace around the bed, occasionally looking to his wife and son. Once he had made several traces around the bed, he came round in front of his son and looked over at him and then to his wife, "How about… Jonas? Noah? Erdrick? … Loto?"

"All fine names, indeed, especially for a warrior," Madalena agreed, her sweat glistened as she nodded her head, "But I too, thought of a name for him, before I went into labor. What about Madason?"

"Madason?" Pankraz said to himself, as if testing the name on his own lips, "Hm… I can't say it has the zing I was looking for… but if you wish him to be named Madason, then Madason his name shall be!" With that declaration, Pankraz took his newborn son, wrapped in his small blue blanket, grabbed his cape, and wrapped him up within it, before hoisting him up towards the ceiling, as if presenting him towards the heavens for the Goddess to see,

"From this day forth, with the Goddess as our witness, Madason shall be your name from this moment forth!"

"My dearest…" Madalena sighed as she viewed the scene that would be the first act of fatherhood Pankraz would have with the little Madason with a gentle gaze. However, she cut herself off once she started coughing into her hand.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Pankraz asked in worry as he set Madason down to lean over and check his wife's forehead for her temperature.

The nun finished her prayer and began to dab at Madalena's forehead with a damp cloth. Eventually, her coughing fit passed, "Yes, my dear. I'm just ever so tired right now. But… I don't think I want to sleep right now. Madason… is just so beautiful… I don't want to look away."

Pankraz smiled at his wife as he unwrapped Madason from his cloak and offered him to Madalena, who took him gingerly into her loving embrace. Madalena smiled as her eyes began to well as he nuzzled her cheek against her son's. His crying didn't stop, but he calmed down slightly after being put into his mother's arms.

"I think I can agree with you," Pankraz smiled as he watched the two from the far side of the bed, "But I think the both of you, together, are paint the most beautiful scene I've ever had the pleasure of beholding. To me, the two of you, are both angels sent from on high."

Madalena laughed slightly at her husband's sudden bout of poetry and finesse, "Did you hit your head on something while you were pacing about the throne room, my dearest? It's much more within your character to not mince words and merely say you are happy."

Pankraz smiled and laughed in spite of himself at his wife's words, "True, my dear. I don't know what's come over me. Maybe I'm just happy about becoming a father? …I certainly hope I wasn't that loud with my pacing…"

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't…" Madalena teased in singsong as she stroked the back of Madason's head. In response to his mother's touch, his crying relented even more until his voice merely broke free in small hiccups before falling asleep.

Pankraz took one last view of his wife and child before walking out of his bedroom and headed towards the same flight of stairs he had came running up earlier. Now that the birth was completed and both mother and child were safe, he now had to go make arrangements to announce the news to the entire kingdom.

Two Days Later: Twelfth Day of the Seventh Month

Pankraz had been busy taking care of the preparations for the grand festivities to officially welcome Madason as future heir to the throne as well as quelling the people's immense urge to see the new prince. Pankraz had no idea how the people truly loved his family. Even though he had been the first king to ever think of bringing the people within the safety of the castle and surround their homes, it had not come without it's own set of problems.

First of all, with so many people now far closer to each other than before, fighting and theft became much more rampant. Pankraz was forced to enlist more soldiers and create a night watch to make sure the unsavory characters kept their crimes only in their minds. It took months to quell these two problems to a satisfactory level, which Pankraz unfortunately had to leave Madalena alone to her own devices and the care of the midwives and nurses during her pregnancy. Truly, he had been blessed with a wife that was too good for this world.

Second, with all the citizens within the castle, where no fertile earth was available to till and plant crops, there was an issue with how to produce the needed food to support everyone. They had been able to work around this steep problem thanks to the work of a scholar Pankraz had recruited a few years back to work in his private service. He had suggested that they build a whole new section into the castle where they brought in soil from the surrounding landscape and fill the room with it while building the ceiling purely out of glass. Of course, this brought about the problem of what would happen if the glass were to be broken, but the scholar had a solution for that as well. If the glass was forged with magic, then it could withstand more force than it would under regular circumstances. It was costly, but with the new ceiling, sunlight was allowed to fill the room and feed the crops. To prevent the soil from losing its strength, it was to be replaced every year after winter with fresh soil, while the old soil was to be returned to the earth to be replenished. The third problem with this was how to channel water into the fields. They too, solved this by setting up an irrigation system where the water from a nearby lake towards the Gotha Pass. To prevent flooding, they built a door that locked the water out and could be manually opened and lowered to let in as much or as little water as one wished. This door was put under constant guard in case someone had nefarious intent.

But then the biggest problem of all, however, was that such an undertaking had upset the balance of the aristocracy. Before, several lords had taken sections of the kingdom and governed their sections to an extent without higher authority, only answering to the king during times of conflict and paying taxes at regular intervals. Once Pankraz had used his power and influence as king to browbeat them into agreeing to move everyone into the safety of the castle, many found themselves at risk of loosing their peerage. But, during this period, one noble's son rose as a great supporter of Pankraz and assisted him in making the whole process go as smoothly as it did. That man was named Jeeves and in recognition of his actions, Pankraz made him chancellor of the reformed Kingdom of Gotha. But the true reason why this was such a problem would be revealed later…

"Almost ready, your majesty?" the man from the throne room on the day of Madason's voice asked as Pankraz looked off towards the sun from his balcony, "Today will be grand indeed!"

Pankraz smiled in delight as he shook his head, "Brother, why do you try and make with the pleasantries? You an I both know we were never ones for the "proper order" of things and all that bull."

Pankraz's bother, Albert, sighed as he let his shoulders slack, "Well, I can at least try to be an upstanding uncle for my little nephew before I meet him. I'm sure my little Gertrude will be a fantastic older cousin for him as well once he gets a little bigger!" Albert let out a wide smile as he closed his eyes, imagining a highly dramatized scene of his only daughter playing with his nephew.

"But she's barely three years old herself, Albert," Pankraz laughed, "She can still barely be left alone for barely a moment!"

"Master Pankraz!" Sancho came barreling towards the two as he brought a tiny crown in his hands, "I made it back from the blacksmith's! He worked day and night without rest to make sure to complete it for today.

"Thank you, Sancho. I appreciate you going and fetching it for me. Truth be told, I'm slightly ashamed I didn't go and pick it up personally…" Pankraz took the tiny crown in his hands. It was of a simple design, a simple metal skeleton that weaved together from the base of the where it was to be worn to the top where it jutted out to form arches of gold. The skeleton was covered in several layers of thin wire and then covered completely in finely knitted red cloth. Truth be told, they had a previous model crown to use, but Madason's head had proven to be a little too small for it to fit on him. They had to rush to get one prepared in time. Though Pankraz disliked formalities, he wasn't one to just forgo tradition outright.

"There's no reason for you to feel such a way, master!" Sancho reassured Pankraz, "A king has many a duties! It's only fitting he lean on his servants when he is in the need of help. Besides, I am more than happy to do anything for you. My loyalty to you is eternal."

"Thank you, Sancho," Pankraz thanked his friend and servant. They went back many a year, but that story did not matter in the grand scheme of things to come.

"Ha!" Albert laughed at the scene before him, "Hopefully none of the nuns heard you, Sancho, my boy! I'd hate to see the disappointed sisters dejected faces!"

"Huh?" Sancho grunted as he looked to Albert, "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Let us not get too far off topic today, gentlemen," another voice greeted them as Madalena walked outside with Madason in toe, conveniently asleep.

"Milady!" Sancho said, "Are you certain you shouldn't be resting? It hasn't been long since the birth! It is still sometime before the ceremony. Please, rest."

"I'm quite fine, Sancho," Madalena assured him as she looked down to her son, "Besides, how can I keep calm and sit around when our first celebration as a family is so near?"

"I wonder whom he's going to take after more," Pankraz voiced aloud with a smile as he walked over and lightly kissed his son's forehead, "Will he take after you and be gentle and cool? Or will he be loud and hot-blooded like me?"

"I think he'll take after us both, in equal measure," Madalena said with a knowing smile. She then looked Pankraz directly in the eyes, "However, I'm sure there will be plenty of evidence that he is my child in more ways than one. He has your face and smile, but my eyes."

"Really?" Pankraz asked, "I've been… unable to witness such a sight. I've been busy."

"Don't become so downtrodden, my dearest," Madalena giggled as she held Madason closer to his father, "I'm sure you'll be blessed with looking into your son's eyes soon enough."

The ceremony was a rousing success, both in greeting Madason to his future kingdom and subjects, and appeasing the people of their curiosity. That night, the festivities went on for hours without an ending in sight. Madalena retired early with Madason before thing became too unruly. So much drink was consumed that all attendees of the festivities that couldn't make it back to their beds ended up retiring for the night right on the floor. During such a joyous time, everyone had let down his or her guard. But as they say, once you let your guard down, there's nothing to shield from what might happen next. On that night, Madalena, Wife of Pankraz, Mother of Madason, Queen of Gotha, was abducted. During the silence of the night, the faint crying of his infant son from far away in his private chambers awakened Pankraz. The worried father quickly hurried to his son's side, only to discover that his wife was gone.

And so, this single event, led to generations of tragedy…

And this is where the Legend of Madason begins.

Author's Notes: Just as an FYI, things like dates and years and the like are my own personal edition to help keep a firmer timeline of events. The regular game is pretty vague about the passage of time, with huge jumps in between the three portions of it. All in all, this game takes place over the course of 26-27 years. We're going to need some firm timeline to keep track of everything.

Feel free to forget about Albert and Jeeves. They'll never be important. =)