Leviathan's Daughter
GoldenEagle
Author's note: I am not sure if Folken fought the dragon on earth or if the series went into detail, but I have my own version of the scene. If it does not go along with the series, pretend... Um... Just pretend! Yeah...
Chapter Four
Dilandau sat on Persephone's shoulders, content in watching all the lands they passed. All the lands they would conquer. It was amazing to think that Dilandau had grown in the two months that Persephone had been on Gaea. He was heavy, but she had grown stronger, too. She had not gone through the rough training yet, but Zaibach had whipped her into shape. Within the month, she would be going to the Zaibach base to be trained. For what, she was not sure. Still, little was said about her coming here and why.
"I'm going to rule the world, Persephone!" Dilandau said with a stretched smile on his face as they looked out a large widow from the main deck.
"Are you?" Persephone muttered, fairly indifferent and zoned out to everything around her.
"Yes." Dilandau said, smiling down at her. "I'll destroy all those in my way, crush them! And then they will fear me." He laughed out an unchildish laugh.
Persephone frowned slightly, taking heed of his words. All she searched for was acceptance. He searched for fear. A cold feeling echoed through her chest as she realized that he wasn't exaggerating.
Dilandau did not want war. He wanted massacre.
**********
The breeze washed through the fifteen year old boy's greyish blue hair. The future king of Fanelia smiled light heartedly as he trudged on in the light armor he wore. Today he would conquer. Today he would be king. He had been traveling for a long while before he recognized the nesting grounds. The smile on his young face wavered. Fear crept into his system.
It was the fear that betrayed him. They could smell it. One large, hideously scaled monster attacked from behind him. Folken only had the chance to let his eyes widen as he turned before the creature struck.
*******
The day was good, the breeze warm. Dilandau rode his horse by Persephone's side, his mind on the bloodshed that would be granted him when he rose in the Zaibach empire. Persephone rode her creature easily, a glow of contentment across her face. They had stopped their endless traveling for supplies and food. It was the first time Persephone had been outside, on real ground, in two months. They had brought her along as more of a good luck charm than anything. They said if they had trouble, she could fight. She knew they really didn't expect her to do so. Plus, no one ever bothered their large group.
Until today.
The first sign of the ambush on the group of one hundred and twenty-one men was the whinny of horses in the group as they smelled the attack. It was silence besides that, the birds even holding their breath. Then the battle cry rang, and from all around the group, men on foot and horseback crashed down upon them.
Persephone withdrew a sword from under the black cape she wore, its metal not as good as some of the higher ranked officers and warriors, but good enough for short fights. She moved her horse in front of Dilandau's, slashing off a man's head who had been charging at them. She heard Dilandau laugh out in a strange voice and then the sickening sound of blade hitting flesh. She turned around and saw the blood on Dilandau's sword, and a blood thirsty smile cracking his face.
She shuttered before she was forced to bare down again on another attacker. She glanced back and noticed Dilandau was not behind her anymore. Instead he had charged those coming at them. Blood stained his horse's white coat crimson and blood was smeared across his face. Blood. That was all she could see. A cold instinct of despair hit her.
She didn't see the man behind her on horseback, but she felt his arms wrap around her, lifting her light form up. She cried out in anger as he picked her up off her steed and onto his, gripping her wrist so hard that she dropped her blade in pain. "I have the Guardian! Move out!" He cried above the noise of battle, and people began to retreat as he galloped his horse off the trail and into the forest. He fought Persephone the entire way. She struggled, kicked him, even bit him. But all he did was grimace as she bruised and tore at him. This must have happened for atleast thirty minutes as he galloped his horse further and further into the woods before Persephone gave up, exhausted.
The man finally reached a cleared out area, other men there and some still arriving. He dismounted his horse and lifted Persephone off to do the same. She gave a little fight, sinking her teeth into his bare and bloody arm one more time before she gave up, too weak to even stand. The man had to lift her in his arms and carry her to the camp fire. He laid her down and she panted, looking up at the men staring down and gawking at her, her eyes betraying her hatred. Her blue eyes ignited, their color melting into the movement and light of flames. A few of the men stepped back, but it angered her more. Their fear of her struck too deeply to be dismissed. A strange pain traveled up and down her back, on the inside, as if she had been struck with lightening. She calmed herself. The fire in her eyes died. The pain in her back disappeared.
The man who had brought her there pushed through the crowd that had gathered and leaned over her slumped over body. "We're sorry to do this, Guardian," he said fearfully. "But we had to save you. The prophets of our town, the ones who can be trusted and who have saved our town many times, have spoke of you in Zaibach's clutches. We cannot let them make you into a demon."
What a lunatic, Persephone thought, quietly. She stared at him calmly, sizing him up. Deciding if she could take him down when she fought him. She licked her dried and cracked lips. One of the men noticed her thirst and stepped forward, his head low and humble. "You look thirsty, oh, Great one." He handed her a pouch of some liquid. She grasped it quickly, cautiously. She opened it and smelled of its contents, making sure it wasn't poison.
It smelled familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She shrugged and took a quick gulp of it before coughing and sputtering. It was a hard liquor. A light flashed in her eyes and a mischievous smile, one she had actually picked up from the younger Dilandau, passed her lips. "Guardian, huh?" She muttered, that vicious smile growing larger. The men looked at her, transfixed by the horrible look that crossed her. "Here you go, cowboy." She said as she threw the canteen back at the man who had given it to her. But she over threw it, and it went over the man's head. She ducked behind a large log and covered her head. "Take that, you cowardly bastards." She heard the pouch hit the fire and ground her teeth as she heard the explosion and the agonized screams. Once she felt the heat whip past her, she was up and running.
She grabbed one of the horses, making sure it was bound with water and food before she let out a high yip and brought the creature to a full sprint. Within minutes, the camp was out of sight. Persephone stopped her horse quietly, trying to figure out where to go. She looked up to the stars, searching for the north star. She slapped herself mentally as she remember that the north star would be warped here. No use to her.
Persephone cried out in agony as a pain ripped through her shoulder. The cry was echoed in her mind. She looked up, tears in her eyes, her heart beat rising despite the fact that she wasn't afraid. She felt something drawing her further into the forest. She reluctantly and urgently kicked her horse in the sides, the pain more distant now as she brought the horse forward, making the creature move faster than before. The animal's mouth frothed and its nostrils went wide with effort.
Suddenly the creature stopped, almost throwing her forward. Yet she did fall off when the creature reared backwards. The pain in Persephone's arm was intense now and she caught herself with one arm as she hit the ground, the other too shattered with pain to control. She let tears fall freely down her face as she picked herself up. Right as she began to look for her long gone horse, she heard the roar of a large animal. Her heart pounded on its own accord, despite the fact that, oddly enough, the animal scream announcing itself as conqueror seemed familiar. Yet that urgency pushed at her just the same and she ran forward, holding her pained arm close to her chest.
She came into the clearing so quickly that she had to stop and take in the scene to make anything of it. All she could see was the back of a creature, its scales glistening in the sunlight. Then she smelled the blood in the air and heard the gasping breaths of a human. An illogical fear hit her as fate impressed upon her the way it should be even as she saw the way it was about to become. "Stop!" She cried out, reaching both her hands out, her voice desperate.
The creature snapped around and let out another roar. She could feel its steaming breath, smell the stench of the carnivore. It approached her, but she held still, meeting its eyes, instinct taking over when experience could not.
The dragon slowed as it reached her and inhaled her scent. It turned its head to the side so it could meet her eyes. It blinked, slowly, and her eyes suddenly lit up, the fire there, the shifting flame that few ever saw. And those who did feared it.
The dragon let out a deep whimper before lowering its head in a way that resembled servitude. Persephone's eyes faded to their original blue and she stared at the predator quizzically before she spoke again. "Leave." The animal gave her one final glance, then a regretful one back from where it had come from, then left, disappearing into the forest.
Persephone's gaze traveled to the blood stained grass where the beast had conquered. She saw the form of a human, she couldn't tell if it was male or female from where she was, sprawled out. She felt a sinking feeling. As she slowly drew closer, she saw that it was a man, a boy, really. He didn't seem to be breathing-
"Argh!" He cried out in pain, gripping his shoulder. Persephone jumped, caught off guard. She swallowed deeply as she saw the place where his arm should have been. His tear filled grey eyes met hers and he snarled at her, much like an injured dog. "Get away." He howled. "Don't look at me!" He hissed out through pain gritted teeth, trying to turn around in shame.
Persephone was startled to feel a tear streak down her face. "It's okay." She lied. He glanced up at her with bitter grey eyes. She stepped forward quietly, trying get a better look at how bad his arm was bleeding.
"Get away!" He yelled as he slashed a dagger at her with his one good arm. She jumped back, surprised and pissed off at the same time. And then the boy bent over in agony. "Just let me be."
Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. A cold precision cut through her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not just going to let you die. This is going to hurt, but it should save your scrawny little neck." She said. He looked up just in time to see out of the corner of his eyes her clenched fists come down on the back of his neck. The world faded, and with it, so did his pain.
After doing her best to wrap the wound with cloth and slow the bleeding, Persephone lifted the heavy body of the boy she had just rendered unconscious. After a few seconds of struggled steps, she dropped him and decided to drag him the rest of the way. Just as she had expected, the horse stood right outside the boundaries of the dragon's territory, nervously eating green blades of grass.
"Damn, brainless animals." She muttered as she struggled to pull the boy up onto the horse. After finally doing so, she joined him and put his other leg on the opposite side of the horse as his first. She let the boy lean back against her before bringing the horse to a slow trot. The setting sun reflected off of something on the boy's armor. An emblem. She took it in slowly, remembering Fanelia and her ways from her studies at Zaibach. They sent the princes to kill a dragon. Only then would the boys become king. They would practically outcast those who did not succeed. There was no telling what they would do to one who was mangled as badly as this boy. Persephone smiled bitterly for the people of Fanalia before glancing down at the pale face rested against her chest.
"Poor fool."
GoldenEagle
Author's note: I am not sure if Folken fought the dragon on earth or if the series went into detail, but I have my own version of the scene. If it does not go along with the series, pretend... Um... Just pretend! Yeah...
Chapter Four
Dilandau sat on Persephone's shoulders, content in watching all the lands they passed. All the lands they would conquer. It was amazing to think that Dilandau had grown in the two months that Persephone had been on Gaea. He was heavy, but she had grown stronger, too. She had not gone through the rough training yet, but Zaibach had whipped her into shape. Within the month, she would be going to the Zaibach base to be trained. For what, she was not sure. Still, little was said about her coming here and why.
"I'm going to rule the world, Persephone!" Dilandau said with a stretched smile on his face as they looked out a large widow from the main deck.
"Are you?" Persephone muttered, fairly indifferent and zoned out to everything around her.
"Yes." Dilandau said, smiling down at her. "I'll destroy all those in my way, crush them! And then they will fear me." He laughed out an unchildish laugh.
Persephone frowned slightly, taking heed of his words. All she searched for was acceptance. He searched for fear. A cold feeling echoed through her chest as she realized that he wasn't exaggerating.
Dilandau did not want war. He wanted massacre.
**********
The breeze washed through the fifteen year old boy's greyish blue hair. The future king of Fanelia smiled light heartedly as he trudged on in the light armor he wore. Today he would conquer. Today he would be king. He had been traveling for a long while before he recognized the nesting grounds. The smile on his young face wavered. Fear crept into his system.
It was the fear that betrayed him. They could smell it. One large, hideously scaled monster attacked from behind him. Folken only had the chance to let his eyes widen as he turned before the creature struck.
*******
The day was good, the breeze warm. Dilandau rode his horse by Persephone's side, his mind on the bloodshed that would be granted him when he rose in the Zaibach empire. Persephone rode her creature easily, a glow of contentment across her face. They had stopped their endless traveling for supplies and food. It was the first time Persephone had been outside, on real ground, in two months. They had brought her along as more of a good luck charm than anything. They said if they had trouble, she could fight. She knew they really didn't expect her to do so. Plus, no one ever bothered their large group.
Until today.
The first sign of the ambush on the group of one hundred and twenty-one men was the whinny of horses in the group as they smelled the attack. It was silence besides that, the birds even holding their breath. Then the battle cry rang, and from all around the group, men on foot and horseback crashed down upon them.
Persephone withdrew a sword from under the black cape she wore, its metal not as good as some of the higher ranked officers and warriors, but good enough for short fights. She moved her horse in front of Dilandau's, slashing off a man's head who had been charging at them. She heard Dilandau laugh out in a strange voice and then the sickening sound of blade hitting flesh. She turned around and saw the blood on Dilandau's sword, and a blood thirsty smile cracking his face.
She shuttered before she was forced to bare down again on another attacker. She glanced back and noticed Dilandau was not behind her anymore. Instead he had charged those coming at them. Blood stained his horse's white coat crimson and blood was smeared across his face. Blood. That was all she could see. A cold instinct of despair hit her.
She didn't see the man behind her on horseback, but she felt his arms wrap around her, lifting her light form up. She cried out in anger as he picked her up off her steed and onto his, gripping her wrist so hard that she dropped her blade in pain. "I have the Guardian! Move out!" He cried above the noise of battle, and people began to retreat as he galloped his horse off the trail and into the forest. He fought Persephone the entire way. She struggled, kicked him, even bit him. But all he did was grimace as she bruised and tore at him. This must have happened for atleast thirty minutes as he galloped his horse further and further into the woods before Persephone gave up, exhausted.
The man finally reached a cleared out area, other men there and some still arriving. He dismounted his horse and lifted Persephone off to do the same. She gave a little fight, sinking her teeth into his bare and bloody arm one more time before she gave up, too weak to even stand. The man had to lift her in his arms and carry her to the camp fire. He laid her down and she panted, looking up at the men staring down and gawking at her, her eyes betraying her hatred. Her blue eyes ignited, their color melting into the movement and light of flames. A few of the men stepped back, but it angered her more. Their fear of her struck too deeply to be dismissed. A strange pain traveled up and down her back, on the inside, as if she had been struck with lightening. She calmed herself. The fire in her eyes died. The pain in her back disappeared.
The man who had brought her there pushed through the crowd that had gathered and leaned over her slumped over body. "We're sorry to do this, Guardian," he said fearfully. "But we had to save you. The prophets of our town, the ones who can be trusted and who have saved our town many times, have spoke of you in Zaibach's clutches. We cannot let them make you into a demon."
What a lunatic, Persephone thought, quietly. She stared at him calmly, sizing him up. Deciding if she could take him down when she fought him. She licked her dried and cracked lips. One of the men noticed her thirst and stepped forward, his head low and humble. "You look thirsty, oh, Great one." He handed her a pouch of some liquid. She grasped it quickly, cautiously. She opened it and smelled of its contents, making sure it wasn't poison.
It smelled familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She shrugged and took a quick gulp of it before coughing and sputtering. It was a hard liquor. A light flashed in her eyes and a mischievous smile, one she had actually picked up from the younger Dilandau, passed her lips. "Guardian, huh?" She muttered, that vicious smile growing larger. The men looked at her, transfixed by the horrible look that crossed her. "Here you go, cowboy." She said as she threw the canteen back at the man who had given it to her. But she over threw it, and it went over the man's head. She ducked behind a large log and covered her head. "Take that, you cowardly bastards." She heard the pouch hit the fire and ground her teeth as she heard the explosion and the agonized screams. Once she felt the heat whip past her, she was up and running.
She grabbed one of the horses, making sure it was bound with water and food before she let out a high yip and brought the creature to a full sprint. Within minutes, the camp was out of sight. Persephone stopped her horse quietly, trying to figure out where to go. She looked up to the stars, searching for the north star. She slapped herself mentally as she remember that the north star would be warped here. No use to her.
Persephone cried out in agony as a pain ripped through her shoulder. The cry was echoed in her mind. She looked up, tears in her eyes, her heart beat rising despite the fact that she wasn't afraid. She felt something drawing her further into the forest. She reluctantly and urgently kicked her horse in the sides, the pain more distant now as she brought the horse forward, making the creature move faster than before. The animal's mouth frothed and its nostrils went wide with effort.
Suddenly the creature stopped, almost throwing her forward. Yet she did fall off when the creature reared backwards. The pain in Persephone's arm was intense now and she caught herself with one arm as she hit the ground, the other too shattered with pain to control. She let tears fall freely down her face as she picked herself up. Right as she began to look for her long gone horse, she heard the roar of a large animal. Her heart pounded on its own accord, despite the fact that, oddly enough, the animal scream announcing itself as conqueror seemed familiar. Yet that urgency pushed at her just the same and she ran forward, holding her pained arm close to her chest.
She came into the clearing so quickly that she had to stop and take in the scene to make anything of it. All she could see was the back of a creature, its scales glistening in the sunlight. Then she smelled the blood in the air and heard the gasping breaths of a human. An illogical fear hit her as fate impressed upon her the way it should be even as she saw the way it was about to become. "Stop!" She cried out, reaching both her hands out, her voice desperate.
The creature snapped around and let out another roar. She could feel its steaming breath, smell the stench of the carnivore. It approached her, but she held still, meeting its eyes, instinct taking over when experience could not.
The dragon slowed as it reached her and inhaled her scent. It turned its head to the side so it could meet her eyes. It blinked, slowly, and her eyes suddenly lit up, the fire there, the shifting flame that few ever saw. And those who did feared it.
The dragon let out a deep whimper before lowering its head in a way that resembled servitude. Persephone's eyes faded to their original blue and she stared at the predator quizzically before she spoke again. "Leave." The animal gave her one final glance, then a regretful one back from where it had come from, then left, disappearing into the forest.
Persephone's gaze traveled to the blood stained grass where the beast had conquered. She saw the form of a human, she couldn't tell if it was male or female from where she was, sprawled out. She felt a sinking feeling. As she slowly drew closer, she saw that it was a man, a boy, really. He didn't seem to be breathing-
"Argh!" He cried out in pain, gripping his shoulder. Persephone jumped, caught off guard. She swallowed deeply as she saw the place where his arm should have been. His tear filled grey eyes met hers and he snarled at her, much like an injured dog. "Get away." He howled. "Don't look at me!" He hissed out through pain gritted teeth, trying to turn around in shame.
Persephone was startled to feel a tear streak down her face. "It's okay." She lied. He glanced up at her with bitter grey eyes. She stepped forward quietly, trying get a better look at how bad his arm was bleeding.
"Get away!" He yelled as he slashed a dagger at her with his one good arm. She jumped back, surprised and pissed off at the same time. And then the boy bent over in agony. "Just let me be."
Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. A cold precision cut through her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not just going to let you die. This is going to hurt, but it should save your scrawny little neck." She said. He looked up just in time to see out of the corner of his eyes her clenched fists come down on the back of his neck. The world faded, and with it, so did his pain.
After doing her best to wrap the wound with cloth and slow the bleeding, Persephone lifted the heavy body of the boy she had just rendered unconscious. After a few seconds of struggled steps, she dropped him and decided to drag him the rest of the way. Just as she had expected, the horse stood right outside the boundaries of the dragon's territory, nervously eating green blades of grass.
"Damn, brainless animals." She muttered as she struggled to pull the boy up onto the horse. After finally doing so, she joined him and put his other leg on the opposite side of the horse as his first. She let the boy lean back against her before bringing the horse to a slow trot. The setting sun reflected off of something on the boy's armor. An emblem. She took it in slowly, remembering Fanelia and her ways from her studies at Zaibach. They sent the princes to kill a dragon. Only then would the boys become king. They would practically outcast those who did not succeed. There was no telling what they would do to one who was mangled as badly as this boy. Persephone smiled bitterly for the people of Fanalia before glancing down at the pale face rested against her chest.
"Poor fool."