Legend of Dragoon : The Chronicle of the Black Monster
Chapter 1 : Haunting Memories
The Dragon Campaign, a war that was raged in ancient times between Humans and an ancient race called Winglies. The winglies had a natural talent for magic, which gave them a great advantage over man. Magic let their cities float, hovering in the sky far above humans bound to the ground below. Humans were enslaved by the winglies and their leader Melbu Frahma, believed they were completely superior to all life. This sense of superiority was only heightened by the winglies ability to use their magic to conjure blue wings of energy. This permitted them to fly.
Humans had been pushed to their limit and their leader, Emperor Diaz, took arms against the winglies with an army amassed at his side. The army was led by seven warriors, known as the Dragoon Knights. These warriors were chosen by the dragons' spirit, to control their spirit and any of the dragons' ancestors. Zieg, the Red Eye Dragoon Knight at the head of the dragoons would lead them into countless battles over the course of many years. They took the assault to the Winglies themselves. Making offensive maneuvers against The Winglie fort of Dennigrad, The Magical City of Aglis, The Law City of Zenebatos, and even mounting an assault on the Death City of Mayfill.
All these assaults led to an attack on the Wingly capital Kadessa. This battle would make or break mans resistance. The city was an architectural masterpiece. Columns surrounded the center of the city which had countless levels in it. The Dragoons one target would most likely be in the center of the city. The problem was getting into the City. Surrounded by the Winglies' avatars of war, the Virage. A species created by the god named Soa. These flying creatures, resembled humans in that they had legs, arms, and a head. But that is where the resemblances end. They were pure white and had bulky wings sprouting from their shoulders. The one eye in the center of their enormous head drew on the power of the surrounding elements and turned it into pure energy. This energy could then be shot out in a concentrated ray, incinerating all it looked upon.
The Dragoons spearheaded the winglies defenses to try and penetrate the city. The seven moved with great agility, but due to the virage's being as large as they were, they were able to keep up with the seven easily. Two Dragoons to the left of Zieg were split off by a virage dive bombing their formation. The Two Dragoons, Shirley and Belzac, weren't hit but they spiraled down to keep the Virage busy.
"GO!" Belzac bellowed. His usual gentle voice absent. The giant man was keeping the virage busy as Shirley pelted it with arrows made entirely of energy. Zieg kept moving on. One of his companions descended to assist the two fighting below. It was the Dragoon Kanzas. He was hit by one of the Virages energy beams on his way down. As his last action he grabbed a hold of a small part of the virages face and sacrificed himself in a catastrophic explosion. Zieg kept on his way, even after pulling away one of his companions from the blast.
This companion he pulled with him was Rose. By this point she was the only one who had made it inside the city with him. Syuviel, the Jade Dragoon, was separated with the Water Dragoon, Damia by an overwhelming amount of winglies intercepting there forces. Zieg grabbed Rose because she was the love of his life and could not force himself to leave her. Finally they came to the center of the city, the core that held the very magic that enabled the city to float. And as they thought, Melbu Frahma was there.
"Melbu Frahma!" Zieg yelled with hatred coursing through his words. Zieg's armor was a fiery red that suited his whole body. He moved with great speed adjusting is path with the two giant wings on his back. The translucent and red wings propelled and navigated him through debris floating in mid air. He flew at amazing speeds through any obstacle in his path. His short blond hair was stained with the blood of the winglies he had cut down. He was flying towards the center of the sphere shaped room where Melbu floated in front of the very power core of magic.
Melbu turned in mid air, revealing his appearance to Zieg. Melbu Frahma was a tall and well built wingly. His turquoise eyes match a thick jagged scar across his forehead and even onto the top of his hairless head. His eyes and scar contrasted with his dark grey skin.
"Ah, we meet again Zieg." Melbu said casually as to torture Zieg. Zieg drew his sword and put on another burst of speed to meet Melbu in mid air. Frahma also drew his own very distinct sword, A dragon head hilt with a curved blade of flames. This was the winglies weapon against the Dragons and Dragoons. They collided and their swords clashed. The shockwave threw both back from one another. They persisted this type of attack spinning around in the room where gravity seemed nonexistant.
The whole battle looked as if it was some form of aerial acrobatics. Zieg had found an opening after a few more attacks. He was a much better swordsman than Melbu was. This was due to Melbu's reliance on magic. Success, his sword had hit its mark in Melbu's Stomach. he Immediately struggled for breath. Melbu coughed up blood although that wasn't all that happened.
Zieg screamed in pain as a spell that Melbu had cast struck him. It seemed to be from Melbu himself as if it was his last stand.
"How Dare You!" Melbu had mustered to say through the coughing and Ziegs screams. They tumbled together towards the power core and hit it.
Rose had witnessed the whole battle from above. To her, the battle seemed to last an eternity, when in reality, it was only mere seconds. And when Zieg and Melbu had tumbled from her sight the whole room began to rumble. This told her that the wingly city had begun to fall apart. Obviously this was a result of Zieg and Melbus impact on the city's core. However she did not turn and flee, instead she flew down to where they had fallen, looking for Zieg.
"Zeig?" She yelled. Frantically searching as mass amounts of debris began to float upward. The uncontrolled Magic was negating the gravity around it.
As one big piece of debris flew in front of her she saw Zieg, with Melbu nowhere to be found. Zieg's armor now missing though he lay in normal clothes. As she saw him, Melbu's voice rang out, struggling to yell the words "Ravel to your very core... in my eternal curse."
Zieg's body was turning to stone and it was rapidly progressing from his feet up. Rose reached out her hand to his, trying to grab him, but he did not return the gesture.
" Let go, save yourself!" Zieg struggled to say. The curse had now worked its way up to his hand. Rose began to lose her grip.
"ZIEG!" She yelled. She had let go of his now stone hand and watched him become a part of the debris, the one person she loved was now gone.
Rose awoke with a start. It had all been a dream. No, more like a nightmare. Her past haunted her sleep. Memories from the war, now known as the Dragon Campaign, constantly plagued her. Rose sat up from inside the tent she had set up. She currently was outside the town of Valette, in a forest that separated the town from the port of Fletz. Her straight midnight black hair swayed in the breeze and it rested just above her chest. Her clothes felt dirty after being camping for so long. But camping outside this town for so long was necessary, despite her discomfort. It was rumored that the Moon Child was to be born in the town of Valette.
The memories of the war came back to her mind as she eased her mind, lying back down to try and sleep again. 400 years had passed since the day Zieg had been claimed by Melbu. How had Rose, a mortal human, lived another 400 years after the Dragon Campaign? It was thanks to Charlie Framha, Melbus older, much kinder sister. Being a wingly Charlie wasn't affected by time the same way humans were.
"Rosie Dear, if you are to take upon this task, there is one tool you will need." Charle Frahma said. Rose shuddered, she had never liked being called Rosie, but Charle was now the only one she let call her that. Previously, Zieg had relished her shocked and embarrassed reaction when he would call her that with such a gentle tone.
Charle's Turquoise eyes matched her brothers, but did not bare the Malice, hatred, and insanity that her little brother's did all those years ago. She was as tall as Rose and had a very light blue color hair, with a platinum hew.
"I don't want to do this." Rose said stubbornly, almost like that of a child
"It's either that or the God of Destruction will be born." Charle stated sweetly but stern.
Rose looked back at her. She shook her head furiously. "I DONT WANT TO KILL PEOPLE! LET ALONE CHILDREN!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. She had steady streams of tears pouring from her beautiful violet eyes.
Charle walked up and hugged her. "I know you don't Rosie," She patted her hand on her back, "But you're the only one who can. The Moon Child will eventually kill all life. The child is the soul to the Virage Embryo, the 108th fruit of the Divine Tree made by Soa, the final fruit. Just as humans were the 106th fruit and winglies are the 107th, The Virage Embryo is the 108th, also the God of Destruction" Charle then held Rose as gingerly as possible.
Rose stood there in Charle's embrace for what seemed like days. She let all her feelings run out into her sobs.
"Rosie, it's a great sacrifice your making." Charlie said while stroking Roses hair, "Zeigy would be proud." That's all Charle had to say to make Rose sob with all her might. Though in a way Rose felt comforted.
When Rose was done she composed herself and looked at Charle.
"Rose, I'm going to give you this choker, place it around your neck and it will make you Immune to the effects of time as we are. However be advised you are still subject to physical damage and death." Charle said as she fastened the choker around her neck. It was just a simple design weaving in and out of itself around Roses neck.
"So all I need to do is find the moon child and dispose of it?" Rose asked, she knew in her heart that it was only half of what she had to do.
"You not only have to dispose of the Moon Child, but anyone and everyone around it. Everyone that comes in contact with this child will be infected and blinded by what they think it is. A false savior" Charle said gravely, "It's a great burden you will bare that only few of us will ever even think of understanding."
Rose awoke yet again from the light sleep she was in. Another memory from her past.
"Why do these dreams keep haunting me?" she said aloud as she sat up. She put her hands up to rub her forehead as she thought. Her sleep had been restless but she had to get up and keep moving. Valette was her destination, and the sooner she could get this done with, the better.
Climbing out of her tent fully clothed and armed with her weapon, a long rapier, a little broader than most but it was to her liking. It could be used like a traditional rapier with the stabbing motion, or since it was more broad it could also be used in a slashing motion, unlike most rapiers.
She stood at the entrance to her tent and stretched in the warm sunlight. Her stomach rumbled as her thoughts went too food. "Food sounds good" she thought. Rose went out into the surrounding forest and gathered wood for a fire and set it up in the middle of the clearing her tent was in. She got the wood lit and went out to look for a suitable meal.
She enjoyed walks in forests, hearing all the wildlife around her, some being dangerous and some being no threat at all. She found it to be peaceful, and it heightened her senses. As she neared a creak she heard rustling in the leaves to the right of her. She stopped and raised her sword to her face and got in her battle stance.
The advantage of her stance to most was that it was based on dodging and counter attacks. She could dodge almost any attack and place, not one, but two well timed attacks of her own in a split second. The secret was leaving most of her body weight on her front foot and her back foot was free to push in any direction to dodge an attack.
She waited, keeping her calm and wits about her. Nothing in here could harm her but the day that she went walking without caution would be the day she messed up. The rustling got louder and louder until a rabbit came out of the leaves and onto Roses path. The Rabbit was quick but Rose was quicker. Faster than the eye could see she speared her prey with the end of her sword.
"Thank you," she said to the animal as she snapped its neck to put it out of pain. The walk back to her camp wasn't any more than 3 minutes. The fire was perfect for cooking meat now. It wasn't very big, but it was just enough heat to cook her catch. Rose didn't waste any time in skinning and removing the inedible parts of her kill and when this was done she impaled it on her sword and held it over the fire, making sure no part got too much or too little attention from the flames. The food gave her the energy she needed, she felt like she could take on 500 winglies at once.
It was nearly noon when Rose had finished eating, which was late for her since she was usually a early riser. Never the less her late morning wouldn't deter her from her usual routine. She stood up with her sword and got into her battle stance. As a boxer shadow boxes, she shadow fought. Dodging invisible attacks and launching her own to an unseen enemy.
Her exercise wasn't so much of streams of attacks, but, more of a dance. She moved graciously on her feet and twirled as she avoided more enemies that weren't there. She continued to do this for an hour until a scream was heard from within the woods. The scream of which came from a group of kids.
Rose had heard screams within the woods before from kids as they came to play but this wasn't there usual scream, it was a scream laced with fear. Rose listened sharply for any other sounds she could hear and to her dismay she heard the howl of a wolf. She moved towards the sounds as quick as she could.
After a few minutes of running, not noticing how far she had gone or how close she was, she stopped and listened. She heard the kids continued cries of terror, and the wolves howling. Rose moved in the direction of the sounds, however over the time she had camped here she had become familiar with the forest and knew in the direction she was headed, she was near a stream, and hopefully the kids would have run to it.
Rose wondered why wolves would be after children. They usually kept to the deep parts of the forest where their usual prey was abundant, while the children would keep to the outskirts. Had these wolves developed a taste for humans?
Emerging from the woods she saw five kids huddled at the shore of the stream, two boys and three girls. The boys had thick sticks and were putting themselves between the girls and the wolves. However none of the kids could have been older than 8 year old. They wolves were just going to play with their food before they ate. The five wolves were howling with delight at their prey. Drool dripping from the hungry mouths they moved as one unit. Playfully swatting at the boys with the sticks.
Then the leader of the pack decided it had enough play time. He turned and lunged at one of the boys and this is when Rose made her move. She sprinted with lightning speed and punched the wolf away from the boy in midair. It skidded on the soft sand, and was on its feet again faster than the eye could see, looking murderously at Rose.
The wolves were bigger than your average wolf, almost half the height of an average man. The pack regrouped and analyzed Rose, She now stood between the pack and the prey. The wolves started to growl and show their teeth to try intimidate her into moving. Rose just stood her ground and got ready for the wolves to make the first move.
The pack leader made the first move, predictable as it was he jumped head on against Rose to which she quickly sidestepped to the left and slashed at the wolf that had tried to come up from her left flank. This move with her sword had cut deep enough into the wolves throat and eventually choked on its own blood.
The pack leader landed in front of the kids as he had apparantly hoped. He howled in victory, though he was caught off-guard by a quick kick from Rose. He had underestimated his adversary due to his hunger for the kids.
Rose had dispatched not only one, but also a second wolf, by decapitating the wolf as it came at her from her side, before kicking the pack leader. Now there were only 3 wolves left. The leader once again went to the other two wolves and got ready to attack. Instead of jumping towards Rose, the wolf on his right jumped at Rose, while he went for her feet.
Without missing a beat, Rose jumped to the right, her sword lazily dangling at her side until she brought it up with all her might. Jumping in the direction had made her barely miss the airborne wolf, and swung her sword it cut smoothly through the wolf's body and fell within feet of the children who looked at it shocked.
Rose landed facing toward the leader and the last wolf. They were within mid charge, blinded by rage of losing their companions. Rose easily avoided both of the swipes and impaled the leader with her rapier and fell dead to the ground in front of the other charging wolf. The wolf stopped dead in its tracks. Rose had already removed her weapon from the dead leader and was in mid swing at the wolf.
The wolf howled in pain as she hit it square in its chest as she dug her sword deeper into its body, finally turning it violently to finish the kill. A sickening crunch echoed from the wolf, her sword had cracked the bones it was lodged between.
In all this she didn't break a sweat, after all she had fought in the Dragon Campaign so fending off these wolves was child's play.
"T...T...Thanks miss." One of the boys said dropping his stick. The girls were crying in horror at the bloody half of the wolf.
"Come on, let's get you home." Rose said gentley, sheathing her sword. She reached her hand out for one of the girls to take and one girl lunged for it as if her life depended on it.
Rose smiled at the girl, she had straight jet black hair with violet eyes. The was half the height of Rose. "It's going to be alright." Rose said to the girl stroking her hair. "The wolves are gone."
She looked at Rose with tears swelling in her eyes. The girl nodded and stayed latched onto Roses hand.
One of the boys led them all out of the forest and onto a dirt path. Within minutes of walking Rose saw a town ahead of them. It didn't match the look of the grand sea ports like Fletz or Bale, but it was definitely distinguished. She could see that it was surrounded by a wooden wall. The only way in or out of the town was a Gate directly in front of them.
"Where do you five live?" Rose asked. The girl who had clenched onto her hand so tightly was the one to respond.
"We live in Valette, the town of horses." She said beaming up at Rose. She had one of the most innocent smiles that Rose had ever seen in her entire life. The tears that had been there before were now gone.
"It must be nice. What are your names?" She asked, feeling that it was good to keep the kids talking. Again the little girl responded as eagerly as before.
"I'm Lena. Lena Stanford." Lena said. Her recent scared expression now replaced by a more happy expression.
"I'm Anna." the blond girl next to Lena said. She was the only other kid to respond to Roses question.
They kept walking towards the town, within minutes they were at the gates. Lena let go of Roses hand and went running up to one of the guards at the gate. He looked at her with a smile and rubbed her head. Taking off his helmet and kissing her on the cheek as he picked her up.
"This is daddy." Lena said to Rose. He had Jet Black hair just as Lena did
"Ah Lena, How was your day. What did you play today." The man said as he picked up his little girl, "And who do you bring here." His tone becoming more serious. He eyed Rose suspiciously and motioned to the adjacent guard by the gate.
The guard he motioned for walked up to Rose to examine her.
"DADDY!" Lena said in a scolding tone. She crossed her arms and looked away from her father.
"What sweetheart? What have I told you about strangers." Her father said.
"Daddy, we were attacked by wolves. Five big ones. And the lady came and killed the wolves." Lena said. She made claw gestures with her hands as she described the attack to her father and the other guard.
After hearing the story, the guard set his daughter down. "Forgive me miss, we just are on our guard as of late. Rumors of dangerous folk around here. I am Lance Stanford, Commander of the Guard of Valette." He reached out his hand to shake Roses'.
"I am Rose." She said returning the gesture. She shook his hand and looked at Lena. "You have a beautiful daughter."
"Thank you. She's a little gremlin at times." Lance replied with a smile. He rubbed his daughters hair roughly to which she replied with a stubborn Hey! She swatted at his hands but to no avail, The fatherly noogie continued on.
Lance continued to flood the conversation with questions towards Rose. Until finally offering to have her come to his house for dinner.
"It would honor for me and my wife to have the heroin that saved my lil' gremlin over for dinner." Lance said.
"Sir its perfectly fine, you don't have to. I was merely passing by and did what anyone would have done." Rose said modestly.
"I know, but it makes me feel better that I can do something to repay you." Lance said stubbornly. He smiles. "I won't accept no for an answer. My wife makes a mean stew."
Finally Rose accepted defeat and accompanied Lance and Lena to their house after the switching of the guards. The four other kids split off to their respectful homes on the way. Bidding farewell to Rose and Lena.
Chapter 2 : Hospitality and Assault
After all the kids but Lena had dispersed, Lance took his opportunity to find out more about Rose.
"So Rose where do you come from?" Lance asked curiously. Rose kept silent until Lance asked the question again.
"I'd rather not say." Rose responded half heartedly. Her mind had wandered back to the days in Vellweb, the former human stronghold during the Dragon Campaign. Today it had fallen to ruins.
"Oh, I'm very sorry." Lance said. They took a left after a few row of merchant buildings and horse stables.
"Interesting way to build a town." Rose remarked.
"Yeah, It's definitely a different build. Up by the gates, the only way to get in, we have our merchant and commercial areas. Lot of people live above their own shops. We're going to the guard quarters, completely residential! Mostly guards live in this section of town, 'cept for a few elderly couples here 'n there. And most of us are the only 'long time residents'. I'm the fifth generation of Stanford that has lived here." Lance explained.
Rose was half listening, with her other bit of conscious was analyzing her surroundings. She had learned from the last 400 years of moving from place to place to always know your surroundings. She had been in a town once during a violent rebellion and knowing her surroundings had made a difference between life and death.
She noticed that all the houses in the residential district were in a cramped residential set up. Street between the front of each house, and backyards, or what was considered the backyards. The back of the houses were so close to each other you could take fifteen steps and be in the neighbors house.
"It's very peaceful back here." Rose said complimentary. Lance smiled and sighed
"I guess. There is a lot of improvements that need to be made." Lance said, "A lot of the houses are poorly build. The merchants take way too much and don't pay the city as much as they should. Half the guards live in poverty." Lance was starting to turn red.
"How so? Don't you collect the taxes?" Rose asked. "If the merchants are living here with your permission?"
"Yes we do, problem is, were under Fletz's regulations. The regulations, made by merchants mind you, have it in their favor. They pay probably about five percent of their income to the town, which mostly is the guards. We are technically an extension of Fletz." Lance said.
"So why don't you just evict them and separate from Fletz? Not like they have an army, there just a port city in a colony of Bale." Rose said.
"None of the guards are educated properly. We don't have that option, Can't afford it you see. None of us know what is needed to run a town. Plus, if there is a boy born in a guards family, he's destined to be a guard, to replace his father. Guard families try to not have many children, hard to feed them. I'm just happy, Lena here isn't destined for that, Most likely a merchants son will take interest in her and she'll live a better life after that. And another thing, all of us are guards, we don't know much about self sufficient towns, let alone being one. " Lance said. He looked at Lena as she skipped ahead of them.
Rose nodded, she didn't quite understand why they couldn't run a town, but she didn't press the matter. She thought that Lance and the other guards must see it from a different point of view.
"Ah, were here." Lance said. They had stopped in front of the farthest house from the gates. It was also one of the biggest that Rose had seen so far.
"Mommy!" Lena yelled as she disappeared inside the wooden house, "We have a friend with us."
"Oh, do we now." Lena's mom's voice echoed from within the house.
"C'mon in Rose." Lance said as he too entered his home. Rose followed Lance into the house. Lena was finishing telling her mother how Rose had saved her, with exaggerated details like, 'Rose kicked the wolf lots n lots of feet away' and 'the wolves were twice as big as her'"
Lena's mother was finding it all very entertaining. She was smiling at her daughter and at the end of the story she looked at Rose, walked up and hugged her.
"Thank you so much. I would have been devastated if I lost Lena." Lena's mother said as she released Rose. She stepped back and Rose was able to get a better look. She had long jet black hair and her eyes had the same shade of violet as Lena. In fact Lena was a spitting image of her mother.
"It's really nothing." Rose said feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I was just passing by."
"Well either way, it means a lot to me Rose." Lena's mother said. "Wont you stay for dinner."
"I didn't think I had a choice," Rose said sarcastically, "By the way, what is your name?"
"My name is Lilliana, but you can call me Lily." Lily said with a smile. She started to walk away from Rose who was standing in the front room where a few seats were, into the kitchen on the opposite side of the small house. Lance came out from the hallway that led to the back of the house and sat lazily on a chair.
"Make yourself at home. Lily will be in here shortly. She's probably just checking on the stew. Lena is in her room getting ready for dinner." Lance said casually. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
They sat in silence, but Rose preferred it that way. However Lance seemed bothered by the silence and when he could think of a topic he asked his question.
"So you took on those wolves without breaking a sweat, huh?" Lance asked casually.
"Yeah it wasn't really a problem." Rose said flatly, but she wondered what he was getting at.
"I haven't seen a warrior that could take on a pack of wolves outside Vallete without having some sort o' difficulty, but you say it was nothin'?" Lance continued on.
"Yeah, they weren't fast and their moves were very predictable." Rose stated.
"I guess what I'm getting at is, where did you train?" Lance asked, he looked at her very seriously.
"Lance, what makes these wolves so bad in the forest?" Rose asked.
"Well, there size for one. Definitely not your average sized wolf, and they are much more aggressive. In fact, the only relation they have to normal wolves is the fact that they just look like enlarged wolves. Everything else is different, sure they hunt in packs but that's where the similarities end."
Rose continued to listen, thinking back to the fight. It didn't strike Rose as odd that the leader of the pack sent himself and one other wolf in at a time. Any other wolves would have worked as a team with everyone pitching in.
"They are more independent in fights but still move as a pack. If they have easy prey, they will play with it, torment it. They love the smell of fear. There is no alpha male or female, it's just one leader. But the thing that makes them as dangerous as ever, there endurance. They can take multiple physical wounds, which is why many people have trouble. You can stab and slash all you want but it takes a lot for them to die. This is why I wonder how you killed them so easily." Lance said.
Rose went on to describe the fight from her own perspective. From the decapitation of one wolf to the impaling of the leader. Lance listened intently and didn't show much reaction to Rose story, but instead just stared intently.
"So that brings me back to my question." Lance said. "Where did you learn it all?"
"If you must know, my parents taught me. Now if you'll excuse me I need to think." Rose said coldly as she got up and walked out to the front yard.
"No! You are putting too much weight on your feet." A man said harshly. He was a tall muscular figure with short black hair. He was talking to a ten year old Rose and they were sparring on an open field in front of a small house.
"If you put too much weight on your feet you won't be able to avoid attacks quick enough. You are not built for attacking with brute strength. Your body is build for agility and speed." The man said in a much gentler tone.
"But Daddy, I can hit hard with my sword!" Rose protested as she stabbed the air with all her might.
Her father chuckled and replied, "I know you can. I'm trying to help you avoid unfriendly attacks and strike back with the strength you have. Not to be a meat shield like many in the front lines are. They hit hard but they are easily hit themselves."
"Dad? Is this war going to last long?" Rose asked.
"I don't know Rosie, I really don't know." Roses father said. He leaned down next to her "But if it means that things will be put right, I'm sure thousands, including me, would fight for one hundred years."
"Why do you fight Dad?" Rose asked. She was obviously full of questions.
"To make things right." He said calmly.
Rose shook her head and said "No its not daddy. It's something more."
"Rose, War is not in human nature. When humans fight, we fight by making ourselves enter insanity. But to make it more simple, I fight to protect you and your mother." Her Father said, "Now go see your mother, she'll probably need your help now."
"Rose?" Lance said, and by so doing, dragging her back to reality.
"What?" She said abruptly. She turned to see Lance standing at the doorway.
"I'm just checking to make sure your okay." Lance said in a worried tone.
"I'm fine" Rose said calmly
"Okay." Lance said, a tone of doubt laced his words, but Rose just brushed it off. "Well just so you know, Dinner is ready."
Rose took a deep breath and walked back inside, placing the memories of her parents out of her mind for the time being. As she stepped into the house, she was bombarded with the warm welcoming smell of the stew that Lily was preparing. Rose then realized that she hasn't eaten since the morning, and now the sun was starting to set.
"Rose i hope you like the stew. It's a beef broth with some corn and rice. Of course i put my own special spices in the broth ." Lily said modestly
"It sure smells good." Rose said
"Mommy! Is it ready yet?" Lena's voice rang out from the back of the house.
"Yes it is sweetie." Lily said loudly. Instantly Lena was in the chair next to Rose. Rose hadn't heard her run down the hallway, and if Lena wasn't breathing heavily, Rose wouldn't have realized she ran from her room.
They all sat down at the table just at the entrance of the kitchen. Lance began to dish out stew for everyone while Lily put last minute touches to the stew.
"Honey I'm confident that its fine. It smells divine." Lance said. With his free hand he gently lowered Lily's hand that had a spice shaker in it. She gave Lance a face as if she was mocking a 5 year old pouting. Lance smiled and motioned a kiss in air. Lena watched her parents and began to laugh at her father.
"What?" Lance said, his smile took up all the width of his face.
"Nothing daddy." Lena said. She smiled and attempted to hide her face from her dads penetrating gaze.
"I'll get you later ya' lil' gremlin." Lance said and he served Rose her stew.
"Nuh uh!" Lena said stubbornly as she grabbed a bowl from her mom.
"So Rose, why were you camping in the forest?" Lily asked, "Valette has some really nice inns."
"I prefer to be alone." Rose said solemnly.
"Oh, well how long do you plan to be in the area?" Lily asked.
"I'm not sure. Until i know where I'm going next I guess." Rose said.
"Well, forgive me, Valette sees very little travelers," Lily started. "I don't mean to ask trivial questions, but why are you near Valette? Nothing Really special 'round here."
"I've been to a lot of places. This place really isn't out of character for me." Rose said, "I've been to Serdio, Mille Seseau and even Gloriano."
Lance choked on his soup and looked at Rose in disbelief. "Gloriano? as in where the ruins of Vellweb are, and the Fort of Magrad?"
"Yes, the very place." Rose said calmly. She concentrated on blocking out the memories of the two places, especially of Vellweb
"Wow, that's amazing. I've heard spirits of the soldiers from the dragon campaign are still there." Lance said gravely.
"I sure hope not." Rose said quietly.
"What?" Lance asked
"I hope there not. It was a living hell in their life time and they aren't able to move on." Rose said sternly. "That would be torture." As she sai this her mind wandered to Zieg. Was his soul wandering around Kadessa, ever tortured by his inability to part from the world. Immediately forced the thought from her mind, she knew that if she continued to think about Zieg, she would break down and cry.
"so Rose, on a brighter subject, would you like to stay here in our extra bedroom. I mean if you don't have plans to stay anywhere else." Lily said. she looked at her husband to look for any objection. Lance gave none as he continued to eat his stew.
"You mean Rose will get to stay here?" Lena asked excitedly. She started to bounce up and down in her chair as she looked from her mother to Rose.
"Well if she wants, I'm not going to force her to stay here." Lance said between loud slurps from his soup.
"If you keep eating like that she might not accept." Lily said sternly to Lance.
"What do you want babe? I'm starving, the stew is hot, and I have a meeting with the Captains of the guards soon." Lance said as he continued to loudly slurp down his stew.
"So Rose, are you gonna stay? Lena asked.
"I don't know, I don't have any money or anything to offer your parents." Rose said.
"Awww, C'mon." Lena pleaded. She had gotten out of her chair and she jumped up and down.
"We don't expect you to pay us. You saved our daughters life today. that's payment enough." Lily said
"I will think about it." Rose said
"Oh please say yes Rose!" Lena said
"Hush Lena. Don't be rude and finish your stew." Lily said sternly.
"Awww, Okay." Lena moaned. She dragged herself onto her chair and continued to eat.
As the meal continued on, silence fell upon the table, except for Lance's noisy eating habits and Lily occasionally asking a few questions about Lena's and Lance's plans. Until finally the silence was broken by a voice from outside the house.
"Lance." A man's voice came into the house through the open windows.
"That must be Slambert now." Lance said. He got up and walked to the window and called out to the man. "C'mon in Greham."
A few seconds later a man entered the house through the front door that was behind Rose. He had short blond hair and wore a silver breastplate.