A/N: This is my second story ever, and actually this was originally inspired :) , so I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if I need to change anything, like if I totally messed up the facts or if you have suggestions, etc. XD

Special thanks to Eternal Contradiction for all the advice and help. This is the revamped version of chapter one. I read the book again, and realized that the characters were slightly OOC. So hopefully this fixed it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon's Bait, the characters, the story… or anything. cries

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Chapter 1: Reflections and Memories

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The sun flickered one last time before sinking below the horizon, casting its last rays of light on the two figures standing high on the cliff. Hands intertwined, their upturned faces maintained an un-earthly glow as the clouds reflected the deep orange and pink of the sky.

Seagulls flew carelessly over the jagged rocks below, and the sound of the waves threw echoes up and down the cliff side.

The young woman closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet smell of the sea.

When was the last time I left home for this long?

Never. I left for the first time after my world fell apart a month ago. The irony of her situation once again played out in her mind. Everything had changed a month ago; for better or worse, she had yet to find out.

"It's beautiful."

"I knew you would like it." His reply came smoothly and without emotion, as expected. She smiled.

"And you always know everything, right?" she teased, leaning forward to look at his face.

"Of course." A strange expression quickly passed over his countenance before becoming placid again... Almost as though a thought had come into his mind only to be dismissed abruptly.

Alys lifted a thin brown eyebrow.

Suspicious… but wasn't he that way from the beginning?

He was still facing the ocean, his deep purple eyes betraying nothing of his thoughts.

What are you thinking?

He was such a mystery to her. The way he acted, the silence permeating the air around them whenever they were together, his knowing smile and flagrant arrogance; these had all become so familiar in the few weeks they had been traveling together.

Even though he showed no emotion, she had been able to sense what he meant or felt, at least some of the time. His facial expressions were unreadable, but his voice had just recently been revealing some of what he was thinking. It seemed purposeful, the way he was letting her past the mental block he gave everyone else. The change was so subtle, and yet it all had happened too fast. Alys had noticed the change on the third day of their venture, when Selendrile had offered her the option of staying with him. The decisiveness and surety of his tone showed her more than his eyes or expression ever would have. Before, his voice was toneless; bored… But come to think of it, he probably had never had anyone to talk to anyway. Life as a dragon meant next to no communication with humans. Alys was almost sure that she had been the first one to befriend and spend time with him. If you could call it that.

Well, you could. Her inner voice bubbled up suddenly. Why else would you have held him in your lap when he was dying? You could have left him there. One less dragon to terrorize the countryside... You could have escaped. But you didn't. You care for him, Alys, and you know it. Maybe even as more than a friend.

I don't think so…

Remember the fruit tree?

Yeah.

Discovering his more gentle, genuinely soft side had been even more of a surprise. She smiled to herself, remembering. It had happened about a week ago.

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"Ow!"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"YES!!!! I'm FINE! For the last time, will you leave me alone?!"

Her annoyance had reached its peak. As IF she couldn't pick fruit without his help.

"Ok…" Selendrile's bemused and seemingly disinterested voice drifted up to her near the top of the tree. Alys was climbing a huge fruit tree, one of the biggest ones she had ever seen outside of St. Toby's.

Its branches were surprisingly sharp and prickly, taking skin with them every time Alys shifted herself up another level. Her hands were becoming bloody and coarse. Rolling her eyes at the most recent grasp on the branch, Alys decided to take a rest for a bit.

She looked down.

How far up am I anyw—Alys stopped mid-thought as she took in her distance above ground

Breathe. Breathe. O God, please help me…

Even if she wasn't afraid of heights, Alys figured that any reasonably sane person would be frightened at this height. Selendrile was only about the size of her small fingernail from here. The dark blue peasant shirt was the only recognizable feature about the small golden-haired blob.

Alys grimaced. No doubt he had seen her look down and was chuckling, congratulating himself as victor in their argument. This would have been no problem for him.

The inner voice nearly screamed at her: Don't you dare look down again! Alys knew that if she did, her hands, no matter how painful it would be, would embed themselves in the tree.

Breathing slowly and shakily, Alys took a moment to strategize. How could she get the fruit and bring it all the way down without getting it blood-stained… and she shrugged. Who cared? As long as she got the fruit without his aid, Alys knew they would work it out somehow.

Even though Selendrile could have much more easily obtained her dinner, Alys had decided that since he usually provided for her, she would get her own food for once.

He does so much for me.

Besides, they had been having an argument as they hiked. He'd had a retort for nearly everything she said. She'd been frustrated and annoyed when she had declared her intent, but was now regretting it dearly. The sky was getting darker and darker, and although the moon had started to come out, visibility in the tree was not good. Starting the climb once more, she climbed up yet another level.

Alys whimpered quietly. The sharp wood worked its way into her hands, turning them an even brighter shade of red as the new blood trickled across her palm.

Looking up, she saw the fruit that she had worked so hard to get to was dangling mere inches away.

Finally!

The fruit itself looked strange, having a greenish blue color and shaped like a teardrop. Selendrile had mentioned its' name; something that sounded like "Aipsu", but Alys hadn't really heard him.

They apparently were traveling in Selendrile's home country. He was familiar with all the new plants and colors and what was good to eat and what wasn't. Alys knew she would never have made it through these woods without his help and protection. Not that I would ever admit it to that arrogant jerk waiting below, Alys thought in amusement.

After one last painful heave up to the next set of branches, she stretched out her arm, straining to grasp the fruit.

She grazed it with the tips of her fingers, but it only broke off and fell, clunking down the branches to the ground after about a minute.

"AAUUUUUGGHHHHH!!!!!"

"Something wrong?"

"NO!"

His deep chuckle resounded against the tree trunk, making its way to her ears, and turning her cheeks a bright shade of red.

Next fruit I find, I'm chucking at his head. She thought.

She glanced around, looking for others. There was a closer one that she hadn't seen just on the other side of the tree trunk. Slowly, carefully, she made her way around and squatted on the branch next to the hanging fruit. Alys reached out easily with one hand, straining to grasp the palm-sized fruit. Too late, she realized that she had lost her footing and grip on the tree branch. She snatched the fruit as a reflex—grabbing for a handhold—but it only delayed her fall half a second. Unbalanced and without support, she began to fall, shrieking as she started to plummet downwards, the fruit clutched to her chest.

As she fell, she hit branch after branch after branch, her body receiving the beating of its life. The air was knocked out of her on first contact. She was falling five, ten, fifteen feet at a time, each break a second for her body to register the new pain. Alys had begun to lose consciousness when she abruptly came flying out from the tree and hit the ground with a loud THUD.

…Finally…

The last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness was the shadow of the dragon-youth above her. Then there was darkness.

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Throbbing. The first thing Alys felt when she returned to consciousness was a throbbing pain in her head and back. She groaned as the feeling began to return to her body, the wave of pain coming strongly with it. Rolling over on her side, Alys let it come. She coughed hard, and her eyes widened as a sticky substance flew from her mouth onto her hand. Blood.

She closed her eyes, welcoming the dark comfort of her eyelids.

Wait a second. Where's Selendrile? Where am I?

Alys' eyes flew back open. They were no longer in the forest. Open sky stretched before her eyes, an ocean of stars overhead. She tried to sit up, but the pain only allowed resting on her elbows. It was only after the pain had subsided and the black dots had disappeared from her vision that she was able to see him. Selendrile was crouching only a couple feet away, a very worried expression on his face. He seemed to be looking at her face, but not her eyes.

Did he carry me here? The nearest clearing was over five miles away in the valley, a long ways away from the mountain where they had been hiking. How long have I been out? She gathered her thoughts quickly and moaned a small "thank you".

Nearly delirious with pain, Alys smiled. Every limb of her body had hit every limb on the tree, she was sure of it. The air in her lungs was still gone, and her head pounded like thunder in her ears.

Selendrile, having observed everything, from the climb to the fall, was immobile. He only stared at her, as though surprised she was still alive. The expression on his face was impassive, like the time she had woken up to find him staring at her, that first morning. There was not a trace of sympathy in his features, and yet he seemed curiously intense.

Alys groaned and laid back down, rolling on her side once more. She heard movement from behind her, but before she could move or turn back to see what Selendrile was doing, she felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her gently to the ground, face first.

Alys—having almost swallowed a mouthful of coarse grass—protested, trying to return to the more comfortable position.

"Leave me alone!" She muttered pitifully.

But he didn't. Selendrile began to slowly go over her back, putting pressure on each muscle. It was painful and she flinched with each touch, though she knew it wasn't just because of the pain.

He's just checking for injuries, Alys surmised. He thinks I'm too weak to have survived a fall like that. Too tired to resist, she gave in, heaving out a sigh.

After checking her for broken bones—which there were none—just large bruises—he sat back with a huge smile on his face and began to laugh silently; whether out of relief or hilarity, Alys couldn't be sure. She loved the sound; it was amazingly human.

She sat up slowly. Pain forced her back down and she winced, resting her head back on the ground. The moonlight lit up the scenery all around them, illuminating both her own face and his as if they were in daylight.

The far away look on her face must have alerted him to her thoughts, because a knowing look crossed over Selendrile's features before his shoulders stopped shaking. The smile started to fade into a smirk again.

"Clumsy."

"And you aren't?" Alys mumbled incoherently, knowing he would win this one. She was too weak to put up a fight.

"Nope." His face came closer to hers as he said this, making his point as clearly as the grin on his face.

That drove Alys over the edge. Adrenaline rushed to her muscles and she sat up quickly, ignoring the shot of pain down her spine. Face reddening, she retorted,

"How can you say that? I almost died!"

At that, his eyes became a deeper violet-blue, and a dark look passed over his face, the smile turning cold. There was a deafening silence for over a minute, though the storm raging in each of their eyes was saying more than a thousand words. Unable to bear the heat any longer, Alys finally turned her head to the side, closing her eyes.

"Being someone who chances death everyday, I would have though you'd be used to it by now." Selendrile said coldly. "And besides, whose idea was it to climb the tree in the first place?" The teasing tone came back into his voice.

Alys clenched her fists and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She had no argument. Her face became even redder with embarrassment.

"Ok. I admit; I chose to come with you. I deserve everything that happens to me on this journey; even the painful things." She mumbled the last part under her breath. "Now will you help me get up?" Alys stretched out her arms to him, pleading with her eyes.

Still smiling, Selendrile grasped her by the forearms and hauled her up, letting go when she was perpendicular with the ground. Alys swayed and gasped in pain as she landed on her knees.

Selendrile glanced back as he walked over to their packs. Alys saw his amused look before he turned back around. He heaved both onto his back, knowing full well that she was in no condition to carry them.

Is he being considerate? Alys wondered. That's a first.

But her surprise doubled when he stopped in front of her and told her to climb onto his back. Crouching in front of her, he shifted the small packs in front of him.

"Get on." He urged as she remained still, undecided. Alys was unsure of which was more important. Her knees, or her pride…

Body first.

Reaching out, Alys ran her arms around Selendrile's neck and clasped them in front.

He stood up slowly before saying, "Hold these." Alys took them from his hands. They weren't very heavy, so she slipped them over her own shoulders.

Selendrile locked his arms under her and began to walk away through the yellow grass. Alys was now able to see all around her—from the wheat fields to the glade of trees at the end of the clearing to the small dirt path which they were turning to follow. He was talking over his shoulder, saying something about dinner and a campsite. She didn't hear it though, and she knew she would have to ask him about it later. No doubt he would give her an annoyed glance—again—and a sigh before repeating what he had said. But that was later.

For the moment, Alys was concerned with the fact that he hadn't changed back into a dragon. It would certainly have been easier. Could it be that he doesn't want to hurt me? Being carried in his talons would certainly not settle well with my body.

Sure… But he wasn't a dragon before you got hurt. Maybe keeping you company?

Maybe… but why go to all the trouble…

"Thank you." She said demurely. With all that was on her mind, the only thing that she was sure of was the fact that he was being considerate, despite how he tried to hide it. Red still tinted her cheeks, and she looked to the side, her head resting on his firm shoulder.

There was no response. Looking over his shoulder again, she saw the remnants of his dragon smile before the emotionless mask once again came over his face. Maybe she would never know what he was thinking exactly, but guessing made it all the more fun.

Alys grinned to herself, thinking about the food hungrily. She hoped, in a deranged sort of way, that she hadn't landed on the fruit. She had been looking forward to eating it.

"When are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Selendrile sighed before replying in a slightly annoyed, quiet voice, "I just answered that question."

I'm so stupid. She mentally berated herself. Why did I bring it up? Why?

"Oh."

Alys sighed, hoping the rest of the journey wouldn't be as painful as tonight had been.

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Alys smiled, memories fresh in her mind. She had realized two things that day. The first was how human he was. He laughed, he smiled, he worried, and he had emotion. The second was how much he was still like a beast. An animal. His purple eyes, his cold smile, his anger, and more importantly, his shape-shifting ability. The way in which he carried himself was like a predator searching for its prey.

Truth be told, she had only seen him in his another form other than his dragon one when they were planting evidence in Atherton's saddlebags. He had been a raven; but even then, it was only once. And she had to remember that he could only be the other forms from dusk to dawn. She was curious, to say the least. He was a dragon first, and all else second. Of course she wouldn't be able to understand.

But I'm sure you like his human form the best.

Alys sighed inwardly.

He is very handsome… beautiful deep purple eyes… blond hair… posing as my protector… certainly sounds like my knight in shining armor… Alys grinned to herself.

Selendrile was foreign to her, and yet such a close friend. How could they have spent the time that they had spent together without being somewhat close?

More than friends? No… of course not. He could never see me in that way…I'm just another one of the helpless animals… and yet…

Looking down at their joined hands, she blushed an even deeper red than she already was.

Before they had reached the summit, Selendrile had told her to close her eyes and had grabbed her wrist, leading her up the slope. Blindly, she had followed. Being himself, he purposefully led her much too close to the edge, so that when she opened her eyes, she gasped, stepping back. He laughed as he pulled her back to his side, his hand slipping into hers. His fingers found their way between her own, and color came flooding to her cheeks. Either he didn't know what he was doing, which was often the case, or he knew and was just looking for ways to catch her off guard. Selendrile always seemed to take pleasure in confusing her and in doing the opposite of what she expected of him. He was so unreadable, so bewildering. And still…

Alys felt like she was beginning to know him. She was learning to read him, if only a little. At first, everything he did was surprising. Everything was new and strange.

Laughing to herself, Alys recalled the misconceptions and honest confusions when they had first started out.

Alys nearly laughed again, the memories triggering more recent ones. But they could wait for other ponderous moments. She certainly never had a lack of those in the woods with him. It had been unusual to hear him talk as much as he had today. Maybe he was opening up to her…

And this place… Apparently, it was one of his favorite places to come and rest. He came here every full and quarter moon, or so he'd said.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Selendrile look over at her, a quizzical expression on his face. But she wouldn't tell him. No, that was too simple. What she thought was her own. And for now at least, she preferred to keep it that way.

On top of that, Alys loved to reverse the little game they played. Alys had learned the rules within the first week they traveled together. If he plays innocent, then act like it doesn't matter. Otherwise, you will never hear the end of it.

Groaning inwardly, she recalled the hair incident. It was STILL growing back. Her beautiful chestnut brown hair was tied loosely behind her head, the odd chunk sticking out here and there; the results of his wonderful hair cut. How was he to understand a female, let alone a human girl? Besides, if he could play mysterious, then she could too. Giving him a small, triumphant smile, she let all her thoughts rest toward the back of her mind so that she could give an equally unreadable expression back to him.

He frowned slightly, eyes passing over hers in a piercing gaze. But she didn't falter. Alys had learned to hold her own when it came to his eyes. Although they had once dazzled her, she now could look past them into the outer layer of his thoughts.

Ha. I win. Alys thought at him, eyes narrowing.

After a few moments had passed, Selendrile broke the gaze and turned away, chuckling under his breath. Suddenly his expression changed to an amused smile, and soon grew into a mischievous smirk.

Judging from the silence, for a moment Alys thought she'd gotten the last say. Smiling triumphantly, she turned toward him completely and was actually going to tell him off…

But before she could even open her mouth, Selendrile flashed her an evil smile, tightened his grip on her hand and dragged her over the side of the cliff.

To be continued…

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A/N: How was it? Too short? Too long? Not a whole lot of action in this chapter, but that is kindof implied by the title: Reflections and Memories. I hope to get more action in the next chapter. I put my heart into this, so even if I do appreciate corrective criticism, I DON'T want flames. Not helpful. If you didn't like it at all, please just close the window :)

Yup! Anyhow, I'm so excited!!! My birthday is in six days (May 22) and I finally wrote a fanfic. Its like my birthday present to me! (I don't own the Emperor's New Groove either)

I love this pairing so much and I'm glad to contribute to FINALLY. After all the reading I've done, I had to donate sometime. Give me any tips or suggestions you have! Any OOCness or wrong fact catching is appreciated!

----Much Love,

Impashence

Impashence 2006