The Love of a Dragon

Disclaimer: Do Not Own Rave… unfortunately…

Summary: Haru is a young princess who's always trying to help and protect her older sister, the queen. But how will she feel when she's handed over to the King of the Dragonrace as a bride in order to protect her kingdom? AU,Fem!Haru, Let/Haru, minor Catt/Shuda and Sieg/Haru. One sided Musica/Haru.

Chapter 2 :: The Dragon

Haru didn't sleep well that night. Nightmares of dragons and being attacked and her family turning away from her plagued her when she did closed her eyes. Finally just after dawn she got up, dressed in the beautiful blue dress that her sister had chosen for her to wear that day. "First impressions are always the most important, and you look so beautiful in blue," Catt had told her when she had picked it out. Now Haru understood; the better she looked the more appealing she would be to her future husband.

She had already resigned herself to this marriage. Sieg had left her, and she knew that it was for the best for the kingdom if she went; after all, if the powerful humanoids came onto their lands the people would have extra protection in their new neighbors.

The dress really was beautiful on her. It was originally sleeveless, but Haru put a sheer blue long-sleeved shirt over it, feeling like it was too revealing with her shoulders exposed. She was curling her own hair when Catt came in.

"Oh! You're awake already!" Catt smiled and came over, playing with a curl. "How long have you been up, you've already got your hair done and everything!"

Haru sighed. Doing her hair took a while because it was so long, down to her lower back, but when it was completely curled it was simple and beautiful. Catt smiled softly and helping with the last few locks of hair. "Haru, I have to talk to you about something."

"Oh, you mean like the marriage you were planning for me without even telling me?" the words came out a little more bitter than she meant them, but she was still upset over not only that but Sieg breaking up with her.

Catt blinked and sighed, going over and sitting over on the edge of the bed. "It's not planned yet," she said, looking at her. "It won't be planned until both sides agree to it. It was an idea, but I seriously doubt he won't agree to marry you once he sees you."

Haru sighed, playing with a little bit of hair. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"With everything we were doing and you being my decoy yesterday and everything, I didn't think it was the right time. It's only been two weeks since the suggestion was brought up, and we've been so busy," Catt explained, looking at her pleadingly. "Please don't be mad, Haru. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I never realized how deep your and Sieg's relationship was. You know that could have never gotten any farther though, right? Unless he was to leave his position?"

"Yeah... he reminded me last night of that," Haru said sadly, still playing with her hair. "I've already decided what I'm going to do. If this is really going to help anyone, then I might as well go through with it. Better than anyone else you could marry me off to, I guess."

Catt smiled softly. "And you won't be too far from home, just three days on horseback, we'll be able to see each other again," she stood, walking over to her and kissing the top of her head. "I love you so much Haru. You've done so much for me, and our kingdom. Daddy would have been proud of you."

Haru looked up at her with watery eyes. "You think so?" she asked in a small voice before hugging Catt and sobbing. "I miss them so much. Daddy would have been able to keep this from happening, wouldn't he?"

Catt hugged her tightly. "I don't think so Haru. I don't think he would have handled anything differently all these years. I'm sure of one thing though; he'd be proud of all you've done for our people, and I'm sure he would have killed Sieg the moment he found him kissing you in the library," she giggled. Haru smiled and nodded, knowing she was just teasing but sure that their dad also would have killed Shuda the moment he caught him doing anything to Catt had he been alive then. They were both daddy's girls after all.

"Catt?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think this is really for the best?"

"No. I don't think it is. I know it is. You've never questioned my decisions before, you've always trusted in me... Now is another time I need you to really trust me," Catt turned and headed to the door. "They should be here around noon. I'll have Musica come and escort you down to the gates later on."

Haru watched her leave and sighed again, turning back to make sure her hair was still fine after all the playing with it.

Catt wiped away a tear from her eye as she left Haru's living quarters. It was difficult to let her go, but there were things out there after Haru that it was best she never know about. This was the only way to guarantee she'd never have to know, even if it meant that Haru would have to leave home and marry a complete stranger.

Haru ended up taking a bit of a nap after Catt left, she was so exhausted from the night before. Musica smiled when he saw her sleeping so peacefully. If it wasn't for the fact this was so important he would have let her sleep. "Haru... Haru..." he shook her lightly. "You have to get up, the Dragonrace convoy has been spotted."

Haru blinked and looked up at him with a yawn. "Wha- Oh!" she got up, rushing over to the mirror to straighten out her hair and dress. "How do I look?"

"Radiant as always, Princess," Musica grinned at her. "Come on, let's go meet the neighbors."

He didn't like the stressed look on her face, but he pushed it to the side; she worried too much for her own good after all. Plus, what could possibly go wrong with all the guards and everything there to protect her and her family? He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her as long as he was alive. They were best friends. He just wished there cold be more.

The walk down to the gates seemed longer than ever to Haru. She was a bit tense, and didn't even reply to Musica's jokes and comments on the way there, which was unusual. Her mind was filled with everything going on around her. It felt like her world was slowly falling apart.

"There you are! They're here!" Catt grabbed Haru's arm and situated her beside her and Shuda, making sure everything looks perfect before turning and smiling widely at the five people approaching. Haru was a bit shocked at first; two were definitely knights, and they trailed behind just slightly, gazing suspiciously at all the guards watching the gates and the castle. Another two looked really old, Haru figured they were advisors. But the king- or at least who Haru was sure was supposed to be the king looked like a completely normal citizen. He wore commoner clothes and a long green cape with a gold dragon symbol on the back. There was nothing king-ly about him.

The 'king' bowed to Catt and Shuda. "It's nice to finally meet you, Queen Cattleya. I've heard many rumors of your kindness and beauty," he said politely. Shuda scratched the back of his head sheepishly like he was guilty of that. "Shuda. Long time no see."

Shuda smiled. "Nice to see you too, Let. Not often you wander about anymore, huh?"

"Trust me, if I could I would be adventuring again. The pressures of being a King aren't the most pleasant," Let smiled back at him. "Besides, it wouldn't quite be the same without you and Sieg there to cover my back."

Haru looked him up and down. So this was the king of the Dragonrace? He seemed so down to earth and calm. Not to mention he was a friend of Sieg and Shuda's. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad. He was handsome, that was for sure.

"Welcome to Symphonia, King Let," Catt smiled, interrupting with the formal introductions that were custom. She had a smile on her face though, like this was going much better than she anticipated. "I'm sure you've had a long journey, so please follow us inside."

One of the old men whispered to Let and he shook his head. Catt turned, leading everyone back into the castle. She had Let and his companions shown into their rooms to get changed out of their traveling clothes, while she, Haru and Shuda went down to the throne room to sit. Catt smiled at Haru. "See, this is going well already!"

"Yeah," Haru replied quietly, not really paying attention to what Catt was saying. Shuda chuckled.

"You alive over there, Haru?" he asked.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm alive, just thinking about something," Haru said with a smile.

"Don't think too hard, you might end up hurting yourself," Musica said from behind them, a grin on his face. She glared back at him and kept walking, ignoring his comment. She sat in the smaller throne beside Catt where she normally sat for formal company, Musica standing behind her.

It wasn't long before Let and his group entered, looking around like they were impressed. "A very beautiful castle," Let commented when he got close enough for them to hear him. He glanced at Haru, but turned to talk to Shuda again, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She was more beautiful than Shuda had ever described to him. He supposed that was because she was too beautiful to put into words.

Haru barely said anything, mostly listening to the conversation. None of it was what they came here to deal with, but she knew it would only be a matter of time.

"We didn't come here for idle chat, unfortunately. I believe we have business to discuss?" Let finally said, sitting up straighter in his chair and taking up a more professional tone. "We came here to make an alliance. Raregroove is on both of our borders, and he's not wasting time making his intentions clear. Unfortunately that doesn't give us much time to make this deal, or at least agree not to fight amongst each other."

"An alliance would be appreciated. Our only ally is Mildea, but they're so busy dealing with the Sandpeople we can't rely on them at this time. We just can't fight Raregroove anymore, he's got too many people at his disposal and fills their heads with false promises because he knows they'll die for the cause then, and they do. We can't risk sending out troops out if it's just a suicidal mission. Our generals refuse to do it, and I refuse to as well," Catt explained. "I think it's in our best interest to help each other since we have the same problem, and it seems to be getting worse."

Let nodded, thinking for a minute. One of his advisors whispered something in his ear and he nodded a bit. "Any conditions we should know of?" he inquired, looking up at her.

"We just ask if we need help, you provide as best as you can. We'll do the same. Obviously there'll be times that'll be a bit hard."

"Yes of course. And we'll have to set up plans for a border patrol," Let said, a strategy seeming to form in his mind as he spoke. Haru yawned. It was getting late and not only was she bored but she was hungry. As important as this was she hoped it ended soon. She didn't notice Let's smile at her reaction to the change in conversation. She seemed intent on listening earlier, even if she hadn't spoken a word during all of it.

"Those can be discussed after we explain each other's military situation later on. I think we're all getting hungry though, and dinner should be ready soon," Catt smiled, having seen Haru's yawn out of the corner of her eye. "If you'll all follow us into the dining room?"

Haru hadn't meant to seem so excited, but she was the first one out of her chair and heading to the dining room, Musica having been dismissed hours ago. Shuda and Let chuckled and stayed behind a bit, discussing something in a hushed whisper that seemed to amuse them.

The meal went well, and Haru was more than happy when she was told she could go do as she wished afterwards. She wondered when they were going to discuss the possible marriage though. That was her main concern now that the alliance was out of the way.

She wandered out into the royal garden. She didn't realize how late it was; red was just starting to fade to purple and dark blue. It was a beautiful night, a light breeze wafted through the large garden full of white Symphonian roses and other such beautiful flowers. In the center of the garden was a large albino willow tree, one that had been planted by the first king of Symphonia as a symbol of the country's growth and strength for years to come. Two days after birth each child born to the royal family had a ceremony under the tree to bless them with strength and pride in their country, as well as protect them for demons.

She laid a hand on the pale trunk of the tree, looking up at it sadly. Carved on the trunk were the names of the kings and queens over the past 400 years since the kingdom had been founded. It didn't take her long to find her father's name; she had long memorized where it was located on the tree.

This had always been their place, where they would sit together on hot days reading a book, where the family would have a picnic in the garden, where Haru would cry after a bad day or getting insulted by some of the boys. It had so many memories for her, and it had become her place of comfort over the years.

She leaned her head against it and sighed. It was a peaceful night, good for not thinking, just feeling and enjoying the life around her. She couldn't calm her mind though. There was too many questions, too many worries for her to empty her mind.

"Just breathe," her father would always say. "Empty your mind and breathe. Don't think about how wet the grass is, how warm the breeze is, just stop thinking. Take normal, comfortable breaths. Not the deep ones they tell you to use in meditation. It takes too much effort and thought to do that. Not to mention it's uncomfortable. Eventually you'll find that place in your soul that all your worries will go away. And maybe you'll even find the answers you're looking for."

"Sorry Dad, but I don't think that's going to help me this time," Haru whispered, turning around and starting to head back into the main part of the garden, bumping directly into someone. She yelped, and prepared to fall backwards, but was caught by a pair of strong, muscled arms.

"Forgive me, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking," Let spoke, setting her back on her feet. "I was lost in thought."

Haru smiled and moved some hair out of her face. "Oh, it's okay, so was I. Um, I never got to really introduce myself earlier. I'm-"

"I know who you are. Shuda speaks of you often in his letters. It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Haru," Let bowed to her. "I am Let."

"It's very nice to meet you, King Let."

"Let is fine, thank you."

His smile was kind, not like many of the other people who looked down at her as being stupid. "Well then, you can just call me Haru," Haru replied and curtsied politely. "It's a beautiful night out."

"Yes, it's been a while since I've seen clear skies. We've had rain non-stop in our capitol city. It helped quell the fires, but it's been miserable otherwise," Let sighed, running a hand through his hair. "These are difficult times."

"But there's always hope. Things will get better if we all work together to make it so," Haru said, looking up at the sky. "My Daddy always told me that if we lose hope, then we have nothing. Without a will to fight every bump in the road fate throws at us, we might as well lay down like dogs and let fate trample over us."

"He's quite right. That doesn't make it any less stressful though," Let chuckled. "Your father was a wise man. It was a shame to lose him so young. Perhaps he would be able to handle all this better than the rest of us have."

Haru gave a shrug, as undignified as it was for a princess to do so, and smiled. "You're not what I was expecting..."

Let chuckled again and nodded. "I get that a lot. Most seem to think I should be an old man or something, mostly because I've been king so long."

"Oh... I didn't know that actually... I just imagine your people were more like dragons..." she blushed at the admission and looked at her feet.

"Some have dragon attributes, such as wings or tails or a patch of scale, but we mostly look human. The thing that sets us apart really is the fact we're much stronger naturally than humans are, and our magical powers," Let explained. "And we can transform into a dragon in extreme circumstances, but after that we can never change back. It's too hard to regain our humanity after that."

Haru smiled. "Ah, okay. I think I understand now," she said cheerfully, clasping her hands behind her back. "How old are you anyways?"

"I turn twenty-four soon. I inherited the throne at the age of twelve, when my father died in battle," Let told her. "Heh, it's been a long time since then, but it seems young rulers are becoming more frequent. And it's not always for the best."

Haru sighed, knowing he was referring to the king of the Raregroove. The former king had died around the same time as her own father, leaving his young son Lucia, who was only fifteen at the time, in charge. Thats when the war just got worse.

"That is a young age to rule a kingdom, but you seem to have done well," Haru said, shaking herself from her thoughts with another smile.

"I've struggled really. At the time I didn't want it, but eventually I realized the alternative was much worse and our country would have ended up following right alongside Raregroove to take over the world," Let sighed but then smiled. "But enough about that. Tell me about yourself a bit?"

Haru played with her hair a bit before starting with her likes and dislikes, not knowing where else to start. She didn't make a habit out of telling people about herself. It seemed vain to describe herself in words, but she managed it fairly well without sounding proud.

Let stood there smiling down at her as she shuffled her feet occasionally. She seemed so shy and innocent. He didn't realize she had stopped talking until her eyes met his and she blushed. She rubbed her shoulders a little bit, starting to get cold. "Perhaps we should go inside? It's a bit chilly out tonight," Let offered, turning to go into the castle.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea," Haru smiled and followed. "I suppose you guys got everything figured out for the alliance."

"Mostly, yes. We have some other details to discuss yet, but it's late and we're tired from traveling so much. We'll probably be here for a couple days to get everything set up. It looks good though," Let said, turning to look at her. "There is something I wanted to discuss with you though. I'm sure your sister has already mentioned it before, but I'm currently searching for a wife..."

Haru nodded, blushing a bit. "Yes, she told me this morning," she said, pushing a lock of hair out of her face.

Let watched her for a moment, not really sure how to approach this at first. "You're very beautiful, Haru," he said, thinking the blush on her face adorable. "Your sister wishes for you to marry me, for many reasons. I understand her reasons, but I don't want you to be forced into this if you don't want it."

Haru shook her head. "I understand. You don't seem so bad, and Catt wouldn't hand me over to just anyone," she sounded more confident in that than she really was. "I guess I never thought of myself getting married."

Let nodded. "Neither did I, but the elders are getting impatient for me to marry and produce an heir, despite the fact I doubt I'm going to die any time soon. It's just better to be safe than sorry, honestly," he sighed. He smiled when he realized they were in front of his room. "We can talk more in the morning. I think we both need sleep right now. Good night, Princess Haru."

Haru turned three shades redder when he kissed her cheek and turn into his room. She scooted off to her room, a bit dazed. She had been kissed many times by Sieg, but this was a stranger to her.

Everything seemed so different than she thought it would feel. She thought she would be angry at Catt for getting her into this mess, but he really was a decent man, and he seemed genuinely interested in her. She still wasn't sure if she was ready for this though. It was a big change, marrying and leaving her home and family. She didn't even let her mind wander to the producing an heir part. That's not something she's ever thought of for sure, even after all her time dating Sieg.

She laid down in her bed, not even bothering to change into a nightgown. Her exhaustion was finally catching up to her, and she was just too tired to do anything else tonight. She wasn't even sure what time it was.

Unlike the night before, she fell asleep quickly, curled up with her pillow on her bed.

Let wasn't so lucky. His head was full of Haru. Shuda and Sieg had told him all about her, but he had been pleasantly surprised. She was beautiful, sweet, and although she was more innocent than he had expected, that was surprisingly okay with him. It just meant that he had to teach her some things. Things that he was sure he'd be very pleased to teach her.

He sighed. It wasn't respectful to Haru to be thinking things like that about her, whether she chose to be his wife or not. He really hoped she would though; he knew he could be happy with her if given a chance. Tomorrow he would know for sure.

A.N: sort of a lame ending in my opinion, but I was doing this while slightly distracted. As a matter of fact I didn't even realize I had 7 pages written until just twenty seconds ago. =3 Read, Review and Receive teh Love of teh Vive!