Dark Guardian: Book Two
A/N: Just a reminder. I own nothing except Red Council and the Guardians.
Belle: So why is it that you've completely made a mockery of our story?
Gaston: Aye and why do I have a hunch this isn't going to end well on any account.
Lefou: Someone care to tell me why Gaston doesn't die?
Doctor of Writing: How'd you get a script?
Gaston: We all saw it.
D.O.W: Great.
Beast: Do you mind, I'd like to have my cameo sometime soon.
D.O.W: your wish is my command.
Chapter Three: If only things could have been simpler, I could have slept in today, but instead I end up being a messenger boy……or, this is why I hate being a hero, I have to work hard.
I got back to the farm, trying to remember why I had gone to the forest. I had been mad at Lefou and Gaston, yet I didn't remember why. So I guess my reasons were very stupid then.
Maurice saw me and waved me over to the barn.
"Kyle," he said, "There is a fair over in the next town this weekend, I need you to go scope it out for me, I'm taking one of my inventions."
I sighed, "And when did you need me to leave?" I asked.
"As soon as you can," he said, "Tonight if possible, and if not, then early tomorrow."
"I'll go tomorrow morning," I said, "I'm tired and I don't know why."
I went up to my room in the barn and fell asleep.
Belle watched me go up, and then went to talk to her dad, "He seemed distracted."
"That's an understatement," said Maurice, "He looked like he'd been brain wiped, a common Red Council practice when they want to keep specials out of harms way."
"I happened to peek in on his office," said Maurice, "one of his magi cams showed Gaston and Lefou wandering to town by the main road, and I swore they both looked the same as he did."
"Then you think it might be Lady Kestral?" said Belle.
"Something happened in the forest," said Maurice, "My guess he found the soldiers and fought them, wanted to do something else, but the Red Lady wouldn't let him, something tells me something is afoot."
"Tomorrow is Friday," said Belle, "the Faire is Saturday through Tuesday, and that forest is a bit spooky."
"Haunted you mean," said Maurice, "I've gone through that crossroads and it is very spooky going down the North fork, the rest are okay."
"Go to bed child," said Maurice, "I'm leaving tomorrow when Kyle gets back,"
"Night dad," she said, kissing him on the head, and going to her room.
Maurice poured himself a wheat beer, and went out into the night to look at the scenery, the forest fascinated and frightened him, the fact that none of the other towns wanted to cut it down, meant that something was going on, something that the Red Council wanted to keep from them all, and that meant it was dangerous. He looked at the forest and smiled, it was both a blessing and a curse, but yet there was something more, something down the Northern Path, the path of destiny.
Maurice sighed; Kestral had done something here long ago, Five years ago. Belle had sensed something out of right, but couldn't figure it, and then the forest and its weirdness became even weirder. There were rumors that wolves lived down the North side, which was odd because this wasn't mountain country. Yet, something was up, and Kestral and the Red Council were up to something, and Kyle was a pawn.
Distracted, Maurice finished his beer and went back inside, not noticing the glowing eyes in the forest that were watching him.
Elsewhere.
"Why did you erase the emissary's memories?" asked a senior council member to Lady Kestral.
"He was ready to search for his destiny down the North Road of Destiny," she said, "It is not yet his time, he must go in search of the two who take the road."
"Do you realize that he may have wanted a say in this?" asked the council leader?
"He is the Red Dragon," said Kestral, "He defeated a squad of Dark Guardian soldiers, I had to get him to remember who I was, in order for me to reengage the protocols, once he goes down that road, he will no longer need the protocols, he will be ready to face what he was nearly corrupted for, to face."
"The Dark Guard seems very agitated with the fact that they no longer can search for him," said a member, "The realities that they have taken, with the help of the previous avatars, they can't move past, whatever Tran dimensional power that Goldwood has, and it is obviously something powerful."
"All they need to do is find another human/Red Council hybrid and corrupt him, like they nearly did to Goldwood," said Kestral, "And we loose this battle, the grand scheme of things is that the Red Dragon needs to walk the path, once he does, we are safe."
"When he takes the path," said the senior councilmen, "His power will be unleashed and the Guardians will know where to find him."
"Wrong," said Kestral, "The Dark Forest was planted millennia ago for the very usage of concealment, which is why he must go to the forbidden castle, to help Belle make the choice. Eric is a Guardian, and as the Beast he can't use his powers, when she kisses him out of true love, he will be saved, that's why he and his castle were turned to creatures, because it was my way of saving them from having to kill him, once Kyle realizes this and achieves everything, then we can truly save the known multiverse."
"If you're wrong Lady Kestral," said a menacing voice from one of the councilors, "We have you to thank for it all."
"If I'm wrong," said Kestral, "We shall all be dead."
The next morning, I woke up early and saddled Nesy, it would take me three hours in ere direction, and I wanted to see if the faire would have Maurice, he had shown up last year, but they hadn't saved him a spot, this year he would have his spot.
I hated the forest, ever since I had gotten here, I found it a strange and abhorrent and if I had my way, I would of magic bombed it to eternity, yet, I didn't, because if no one else touched it, then it had a purpose, whatever it was.
It took three and a half hours, but I got there, I saw place markers, but not one for Maurice, so I went and talked to the Faire Chief.
"So explain why Maurice of Lencaster doesn't have a space," I said, pointing a gun at the head of the chief, which got his attention.
"He didn't show up last year, so I figured…."
"You want to bring better trade to the towns?" I asked, "Then you open up a spot for him, and I don't care who you piss off to do so, or who ends up killing you to do so, but get a spot ready, by this afternoon."
I stayed in town a while, to eat and see the sights, I found that this town was unique and quaint, but they had good food, and a great selection of throwing daggers in their sword store, they had about one hundred, so I bought all of them. The clerk was suspicious of the money I had, but noticing the blade at my back, the gun on my back, and the shoulder holster for my pistol, he didn't say anything, and he just gave me everything.
These blades would be useful someday, but when, I didn't know. I'd store them when I got back to the farm, so I waved my hand and they disappeared off the register, the clerk almost fainted, but said nothing, like a good man, and I was on my way. I should of thought, as I realized later, that I had just made my mark as a demon in this town, and when I left, there would be a shoot on sight for me next time I entered, though if the sanitarium had its way, I'd be brought there, for………….further study to my state of mind, and knowing Monsieur D'Arque, or Doc Dark as I favored calling him, hated me since he believed Maurice to be insane. He had tried…..unsuccessfully to come to the farm to bring in the old man for study, but he had always met with a gun to the head, and he never got to the farm, I'd meet him as soon as he came out of the woods, and I'd have one hand on my blade, and another hand on my level blunderbuss. He had five men with him, but he wasn't exactly welcome in the town, and so it was either his realization that he'd be faced with a trigger happy young man, or the hangmen's noose, he chose to leave. This happened five or more times in less then three years. So for me to make his attention wouldn't be that good.
Riding Nesy back this afternoon, I felt like the forest was different for some reason, the ride seemed to take longer, yet it felt the same, and when I got to the cross roads to turn to the east, the North road almost seemed to look different, darker, and for some reason it felt like it was trying to lure me in. Settling in hard, Nesy and I rode hard back to the farm.
Belle came out to meet me, followed by Maurice, taking the horse, she waked with him back. Maurice saw my distress and asked about it.
"The forest looks like it got to you," he said.
"It seemed different," I said, "Almost like it was calling to me, like it wanted me to go down it."
A shadow passed across Maurice's face for a second that I almost missed it, but thought nothing of it; he then turned to the stable and called to Belle.
"Get Philippe ready!" he called, "I'm leaving now."
Together the three of us hitched up the horse to the buggy and then he rode off. Then I felt it, a flash, of the future, the past, the present, all coalescing into the now, into what could be, what would be, what may be.
I saw a flash of a past where I ignore the dreams and my power, and I did nothing. I saw a future where I lay tormented by the knowledge of what I could have done.
I saw a flash of the past where I had found my powers earlier and gone to work for the guardians, I saw a present where all where under the rule of the Guardians, and there were no uprisings, I saw a future where everything was dead, and where I stood blood dripping as I fought against time to stop the madness that I had caused. In both future flashes, I saw a grave, with Belle's name, and a blurry grave next to hers. I could not see the name.
I then realized that somehow whatever my destiny is, that it was to lie in what I needed to do.
I was not born for the usage or the corruption of my powers, but instead to grow from them, and transcend beyond normality.
As the flash died down, Belle gasped, I was a foot taller then before, my hair had gone get black, and I then noticed that I had wings, to be exact 8 foot wings on both sides. My skin had gone red, and I looked to see if I had a tail, which I didn't.
"You are the Red Dragon," she said, "The Ultimate Red Guardian."
A new flash and a woman appeared on the ground next to us.
"Hello Kyle," she said, "Ready to face your destiny?"