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Rose was now unconscious. It would have been impossible for her to even know that something went wrong if something did go wrong. The pain was finally gone, and all she could feel was peace of mind. Then there was that saying the Huntsclan used to make them recite everyday in homeroom first said by a guy named Murphy, 'What can go wrong will go wrong.'

Rotwood stood to surprisingly see Rose still underneath the tree. He looked down at his watch and knew that he must have been out for at least half an hour so why was she still there? Should the Huntsman have taken her back to wherever they stay at? Perhaps she had done something wrong and he decided not to save her after all?

"Ah, little Rose. If only you had done a better job," Rotwood beamed over her.

"You stay away from her Rotwood!" a deep dark voice boomed from behind.

The only thing that Rotwood could do was laugh. The Huntsman had been caught in one of Rose's traps that were meant for a dragon. "Huntsman! You've really outdone yourself zhis time! I can't believe zhat you got yourself caught in zee trap zhat she setup! It's too perfect!"

"Rotwood, what do you want?"

"A dragon – a live dragon."

"You know that I cannot give you that! It's against the order."

"Zhen I vill have to keep her until you do!"

"All right! Cut me down and I'll personally find you one."

"No. I'm sorry, but I am not a fool like everyone keeps taking me for! Rose set up in counting twenty traps around here, and I am villing to vait for zee opportunity to catch one vith zhose."

"You are a fool Hans! I told her to come here, because dragons never come around fountains!"

"Zee one did."

"That one was out on a leisure walk. It was the first time that I have ever seen a dragon come towards the fountains. In my LIFE!" the Huntsman swore.

"So you had her lie to me?" Rotwood steamed. He walked back towards Rose. I've got to stop him from taking her somewhere else. The Huntsman thought.

"Don't worry, I am not taking her anywhere," Rotwood lifted Rose and held a knife up to her throat. Of course she was still passed out so she felt like dead weight to Rotwood. He worried that she would sag into the knife and actually injure her without meaning to do it.

Rotwood… you can't kill her.

Do it Rotwood! Do it! She's no good, and zee only vay zhat you'll get vhat you vant is to show your dominance!

If you kill her, you'll have nozhing to vork vith. DON'T kill her Rotwood.

She's a pawn Rotwood! Move on vith it!

ROTWOOD!

His conscience fought with him again. "Shut up!" Rotwood shouted out loud.

"Who are you talking to Rotwood?" the Huntsman tried to kill time.

"It's not important! Now, I have the persuasion, and you have zee tools. Get me zee dragon."

"Cut me down."

Rotwood drew a second knife from him back pocket, threw it, and the rope snapped in half. The Huntsman flipped and landed on his feet before hitting the ground. "Promise me you'll do nothing to her."

"Not if you come back vith a dragon."

"Okay," the Huntsman walked away to find a dragon. Two minutes passed before anything moved. Rotwood could feel Rose's pulse and her body was naturally regaining heat once more. The knife was covered in sweat and was already sticking to Rotwood's palm. Rose was getting heavier and of course she wasn't doing a thing to help Rotwood hold her up – she couldn't.

"I am not as idiotic as you zhink Huntsman," Rotwood laughed. The Huntsman had walked in a huge circle and was about to attack Rotwood from behind and save his young apprentice.

In his heart - way, way, way, way down in his heart - the Huntsman really did have a bit of sympathy for the youthful little female he had taken when she was born. I mean it was sort of the kind of thing that he just took her in on impulse. Of course there was no way that anyone had known a girl would be born at that time of day with the mark of the Huntsclan, so it was a big shock for him to be told that he would now have to take care of this child and train her to be something more than a human.

Conceivably the Huntsman even considered her one big project. He had put in thirteen long years of training her, tweaking her imperfections, showing her the ways their life runs, making sure that she knew what she was doing, and above all keeping her alive. It wasn't a fatherly sense that grew in the Huntsman's stomach when he began to see the blade's pressure on Rose's neck, but more of a creator's. He had made Rose what she was today, and if Rotwood killed her now, all of that work would be down the dumps. He would have to start with a whole new child, as the American Dragon was growing older, wiser, and stronger. Rose being a girl, it gave him a greater advantage of proving his dominance. Females are weaker by nature, as where males like to fight for superiority. If she was to be killed, there would be a good chance of receiving a boy next, and that angered him.

Her face seemed darker at the moment. It wasn't her usual glow that even on days when their plans went south, stuck to her face. It wasn't just because she has passed out either. Her skin was hard and she gave a heavy frown. She contained no color and looked completely lifeless.

"I cannot believe zhat you are senseless enough to try and attack me like zhat! I always zhought of you as so much more! Like vhen ve vere in college and ve used to pull zhose pranks on out suite mates? You vere so much better zhen," Rotwood reminisced.

"Okay Hans. Let us both drop the tricks. No more hidden meanings and sneak attacks while the other's back is turned. It's time for us to start fighting like men – not cowardly schoolboys. I'm willing to do this, are you?"

"You expect me to take you on? You'd crush me!" Rotwood backed out.

"I'll keep one hand behind my back. Winner keeps the girl, and looser forgets this whole event ever happened," the Huntsman planned knowing he would never loose to someone of Rotwood's built.

"I am not ready to fight Huntsman. Still, I vill agree to a trade – as I stated earlier. You don't like it you don't get Rose. Take it or leave it."

"Let her go!"

"Never."

I can't shoot him! He's got Huntsgirl held in front of him. I'd more likely injure her and he'd kill her shortly after for me trying to pull the stunt! I can't let a dragon live! They don't deserve to live! They're filthy and disgusting and deserve to die! The Huntsman declared in his head. I've got it! The Huntsman noticed the fountain where the statue of a bird held a mirror in its feet. The bird with a mirror was some type of metaphor, but no one ever understood it.

"All right Rotwood. I give up. I can't bring you a dragon, and you obviously aren't threatened by me anymore. You can take her. I quit."

"Vhat? I don't believe you! You said no more tricks!" Rotwood refused.

"Rotwood, one apprentice is nothing compared to the entire Huntsclan. She's one part of a thousand! She means nothing to me!" The Huntsman disowned Rose.

"I'm not turning my back on you!" Rotwood carried Rose backward towards his car.

"YAH!" the Huntsman jumped seven feet into the air, shot a laser at the mirror under the bird's feet. The green energy laser was reflected back towards Rotwood and caught him right in the spine.

"AHH!" Rotwood shouted falling face forward right on top of Rose.

"That may have not been the best idea in the entire world," The Huntsman stood over Rotwood looking at Rose underneath. He knew that it was not the fall that could have hurt her, but the fact that he was holding a knife to her neck could have. "Man you've gotten heavy Rotwood!" he struggled turning over the old teacher.

There was blood – definitely blood.