Chapter one:
A/N: Jaden is pronounced Jay-don, and Jadera is Ja-deer-ah. Also, I
happen to switch between Jadera and Jaden when I write this, so please
don't become too confused.
Jadera breathed in as she concentrated. Being a disguised girl as a boy
in the Zaibach army didn't help. A 13 year old girl that was a little
taller than average with short dark blue navy hair that fell over her
face hiding a violet eye, she'd jumped up and taken the chance, joining
the army as Jaden, an orphaned boy who had just wanted to fight against
those that had killed his parents. This was wartime, after all. So far,
no one had suspected, but she'd been getting some trouble lately. A
group of boys, all older, maybe 15 or 16 had set their eyes on her. She
could feel them watching her as she sparred on the training field. She
ducked a blow, and dealt one of her own, knocking the sword of her
opponent out of his hands. She knew what would happen when she was
done, but luckily she'd been able to escape them so far. Annoyed at her
disguise that still let a little of her feminine beauty out, she
literally was a bishounen, something she'd *not* planned on happening.
A little disgusted at the attitude of those boys, she'd ignored them as
long as she could.
"Good fight." She said to the boy she'd been sparring with. She didn't
remember his name, as she didn't know him. She looked out onto the
field, hoping to spot Miguel, a boy that she'd befriended. Known to
most of the boys as a cold, unemotional person, only Miguel had been
brave enough to try and break that wall down, and had found a loyal and
trusting friend. Only warm to those that knew her, Jadera, -or Jaden
put up a cold unemotional face out to the world. Brightening as she
found him, sparring against… Dar. She unconsciously clenched her teeth.
Dar was a rather annoying boy she couldn't stand, and though he was not
with the group of boys, he too, was trying to advance on her. She'd had
enough of boys. At least women didn't act this way!
"Jaden," a voice called, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Come here."
It was her trainer, General Sloviny.
"Sir?" she asked, saluting him smartly.
"Very well done, child. Your skill has improved. I have asked General
Dilandau to look at you. I hear that there are new positions available,
on a team called the Dragonslayers. It is managed by him, and I was
wondering if you were interested." He said.
"Sir!" she replied.
"I thought as much. You will meet Dilandau tomorrow. Dismissed."
Saluting, Jadera turned away, slightly excited at the prospect of
actually serving under someone. So, Dilandau. That was his name.
As Jaden walked back onto the training field, he noticed the absence of
people. Suspicious, he turned around in a full circle until he saw
Gratis and his clique. Stiffening, he clenched his teeth and forced
himself to relax.
"What do you want?" he asked frosty, low and soft voice. Jadera only
used this voice when she was extremely annoyed or she was trying to
warn people not to mess with her. Although she was a girl, Jadera was
stronger than any, and was able to easily overpower others; and with
her sword she was deadly in a fight, as she had much skill. She
however, wasn't sure if she could have been able to take this group.
They were all big for 15 and 16, and there were six of them in a group.
"We," said Gratis, looking back at the others, "just want to have some
fun. Don't we boys?" They had been advancing slowly and Jadera found
herself backing up, ever so slowly, in time with their steps, and
cursed to herself when she felt her back hit the exercise wall; you
were supposed to scale it and continue down the other side on a rope
that came from the top and went to the ground. Gratis and the others
were coming forward, and Jadera knew she didn't have a lot of options
left. Mentally, she flipped and coin. And bolted. Running, she sprinted
past the group, to have someone reach out and try to grab her. They
missed, but Jadera fell to the ground when Gratis followed and tackled
her. Straddling her, her hands were stuck at her side between Gratis's
knees and her body. Stiffening when he reached out and drew his hand
down the side of her face, she spit contemptuously at him. He wiped it
off, his eyes darkened.
"You will regret that," he hissed, "I'll make sure of it". He said, and
slapped her.
"Touch me again and die." Jadera countered. Gratis laughed.
"You have no place to make threats at me, Jaden." He said, amused.
"We'll see about that," Jadera hissed. Inside, she was beginning to
grow afraid. If someone didn't come out looking for her, Gratis would
be getting an incredible shock. And there would be no reason for her to
live…
The sound of a slap and the sudden weight of Gratis off of her brought
her back to the present. In front of her, there was a boy, maybe 14
that stood in front of her. He wore red armor, unlike any she'd seen
before. Gratis stood up, wiping off the blood.
"Who the hell are you?" he snarled.
"What does it matter to you?" the boy answered. He had short silvery
hair, and was a little taller than a boy of his age.
"Learn to respect your elders, boy," Gratis said. "I asked you a
question."
"Well, then, you should learn to respect your superiors, soldier." He
answered back. "I don't want to see any of this happen again. This
disrespect is already enough to get you punished, but I feel a little
lenient today."
"Yeah? And who are you?" challenged Gratis.
"My name is General Dilandau." the boy replied, although albeit rather
testily, as if he were losing patience. Gratis's eyes for the first
time shone with a hint of fear. Jadera's though, lit up. Dilandau! So
this was her new -if he accepted her, her new General.
"Y-yes sir," he said.
"Step forward," Dilandau said. Gratis complied, and was knocked
violently to the ground, where he lay cowering. "Stand up." And he did,
shaking.
"I don't want to ever see this again, do you understand?" Dilandau
said.
"Yes sir." Gratis said dully.
"Good. Go." And Gratis scrambled away, his friends trailing along
behind him.
"Now, stand up." Jadera looked up to see Dilandau with a hand offered.
She gratefully took it, and stood.
"What's your name?" asked Dilandau. He'd been on his way to see if he
could find a soldier named Jaden. General Sloviny had praised him a
huge deal, and he had wanted good people on his team of dragonslayers,
not incompetent nincompoops from just now.
"Jaden, sir." Jadera replied, not looking at him but at his feet.
"Jaden, it's very nice to meet you. General Sloviny talks very highly
about you, by the way. So, you wish to join my dragonslayers?" Dilandau
asked.
"Yes sir." Jadera replied.
"Stop looking at my feet, and maybe try concentrating at my face
instead. It's rather unnerving for me when I keep on seeing people's
hair and not their face." Dilandau chastised her.
"Yes sir." Jadera said, bringing up her head until she looked him in
the eye. He had red eyes, she reflected.
"Ahh. Come with me," Dilandau said, " and just call me Dilandau."
"Yes, Dilandau sir." Jadera said, falling in step behind him.
Jadera walked into the dorm room that she shared with Miguel, excited.
"Hey, Jaden, you look really happy or something," Miguel said.
"You bet! I just met Dil-, I mean General Dilandau today! And I'll
probably get to be in his dragonslayers!" Jadera replied, excited.
"Wow! What are they?" Miguel asked.
"It's a new group. The funny thing is, Dilandau-sama is only like, two
years older than me! But he's pretty nice, and kind of strict, I'd say.
You should have seen him! Gratis -oh, that reminds me, I have to go
beat him up. Anyway, Gratis and his gang kind of… well lets say they
took a sudden interest in me, and Dilandau-sama showed up and threw him
off, not to mention that that incident probably zeroed any chances for
Gratis getting into the dragonslayers." She said, flashing Miguel a
rare smile. "Hey, you could probably join, too."
"Do you really think so?" asked Miguel, excited. "Then we could still
be together! I'd be disappointed if we were split up."
"Yeah, well- " Jadera started, but was interrupted by the lights going
out. "Well, I'd say it was time for lights out, won't you say?" Inside,
Jadera was grateful that it was time for bed, because she knew she
couldn't risk Miguel seeing her. She'd been able to avoid him so far,
but if she ever got caught…
As Jadera settled in for the night, she wondered about how serving
under Dilandau would be. She already admired him, anyway, and she
wanted to prove herself to someone. Her swordsmanship was excellent,
and she just needed to brush up on her guymelef piloting skills.
Tomorrow would be a long day…
A/N: Jaden is pronounced Jay-don, and Jadera is Ja-deer-ah. Also, I
happen to switch between Jadera and Jaden when I write this, so please
don't become too confused.
Jadera breathed in as she concentrated. Being a disguised girl as a boy
in the Zaibach army didn't help. A 13 year old girl that was a little
taller than average with short dark blue navy hair that fell over her
face hiding a violet eye, she'd jumped up and taken the chance, joining
the army as Jaden, an orphaned boy who had just wanted to fight against
those that had killed his parents. This was wartime, after all. So far,
no one had suspected, but she'd been getting some trouble lately. A
group of boys, all older, maybe 15 or 16 had set their eyes on her. She
could feel them watching her as she sparred on the training field. She
ducked a blow, and dealt one of her own, knocking the sword of her
opponent out of his hands. She knew what would happen when she was
done, but luckily she'd been able to escape them so far. Annoyed at her
disguise that still let a little of her feminine beauty out, she
literally was a bishounen, something she'd *not* planned on happening.
A little disgusted at the attitude of those boys, she'd ignored them as
long as she could.
"Good fight." She said to the boy she'd been sparring with. She didn't
remember his name, as she didn't know him. She looked out onto the
field, hoping to spot Miguel, a boy that she'd befriended. Known to
most of the boys as a cold, unemotional person, only Miguel had been
brave enough to try and break that wall down, and had found a loyal and
trusting friend. Only warm to those that knew her, Jadera, -or Jaden
put up a cold unemotional face out to the world. Brightening as she
found him, sparring against… Dar. She unconsciously clenched her teeth.
Dar was a rather annoying boy she couldn't stand, and though he was not
with the group of boys, he too, was trying to advance on her. She'd had
enough of boys. At least women didn't act this way!
"Jaden," a voice called, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Come here."
It was her trainer, General Sloviny.
"Sir?" she asked, saluting him smartly.
"Very well done, child. Your skill has improved. I have asked General
Dilandau to look at you. I hear that there are new positions available,
on a team called the Dragonslayers. It is managed by him, and I was
wondering if you were interested." He said.
"Sir!" she replied.
"I thought as much. You will meet Dilandau tomorrow. Dismissed."
Saluting, Jadera turned away, slightly excited at the prospect of
actually serving under someone. So, Dilandau. That was his name.
As Jaden walked back onto the training field, he noticed the absence of
people. Suspicious, he turned around in a full circle until he saw
Gratis and his clique. Stiffening, he clenched his teeth and forced
himself to relax.
"What do you want?" he asked frosty, low and soft voice. Jadera only
used this voice when she was extremely annoyed or she was trying to
warn people not to mess with her. Although she was a girl, Jadera was
stronger than any, and was able to easily overpower others; and with
her sword she was deadly in a fight, as she had much skill. She
however, wasn't sure if she could have been able to take this group.
They were all big for 15 and 16, and there were six of them in a group.
"We," said Gratis, looking back at the others, "just want to have some
fun. Don't we boys?" They had been advancing slowly and Jadera found
herself backing up, ever so slowly, in time with their steps, and
cursed to herself when she felt her back hit the exercise wall; you
were supposed to scale it and continue down the other side on a rope
that came from the top and went to the ground. Gratis and the others
were coming forward, and Jadera knew she didn't have a lot of options
left. Mentally, she flipped and coin. And bolted. Running, she sprinted
past the group, to have someone reach out and try to grab her. They
missed, but Jadera fell to the ground when Gratis followed and tackled
her. Straddling her, her hands were stuck at her side between Gratis's
knees and her body. Stiffening when he reached out and drew his hand
down the side of her face, she spit contemptuously at him. He wiped it
off, his eyes darkened.
"You will regret that," he hissed, "I'll make sure of it". He said, and
slapped her.
"Touch me again and die." Jadera countered. Gratis laughed.
"You have no place to make threats at me, Jaden." He said, amused.
"We'll see about that," Jadera hissed. Inside, she was beginning to
grow afraid. If someone didn't come out looking for her, Gratis would
be getting an incredible shock. And there would be no reason for her to
live…
The sound of a slap and the sudden weight of Gratis off of her brought
her back to the present. In front of her, there was a boy, maybe 14
that stood in front of her. He wore red armor, unlike any she'd seen
before. Gratis stood up, wiping off the blood.
"Who the hell are you?" he snarled.
"What does it matter to you?" the boy answered. He had short silvery
hair, and was a little taller than a boy of his age.
"Learn to respect your elders, boy," Gratis said. "I asked you a
question."
"Well, then, you should learn to respect your superiors, soldier." He
answered back. "I don't want to see any of this happen again. This
disrespect is already enough to get you punished, but I feel a little
lenient today."
"Yeah? And who are you?" challenged Gratis.
"My name is General Dilandau." the boy replied, although albeit rather
testily, as if he were losing patience. Gratis's eyes for the first
time shone with a hint of fear. Jadera's though, lit up. Dilandau! So
this was her new -if he accepted her, her new General.
"Y-yes sir," he said.
"Step forward," Dilandau said. Gratis complied, and was knocked
violently to the ground, where he lay cowering. "Stand up." And he did,
shaking.
"I don't want to ever see this again, do you understand?" Dilandau
said.
"Yes sir." Gratis said dully.
"Good. Go." And Gratis scrambled away, his friends trailing along
behind him.
"Now, stand up." Jadera looked up to see Dilandau with a hand offered.
She gratefully took it, and stood.
"What's your name?" asked Dilandau. He'd been on his way to see if he
could find a soldier named Jaden. General Sloviny had praised him a
huge deal, and he had wanted good people on his team of dragonslayers,
not incompetent nincompoops from just now.
"Jaden, sir." Jadera replied, not looking at him but at his feet.
"Jaden, it's very nice to meet you. General Sloviny talks very highly
about you, by the way. So, you wish to join my dragonslayers?" Dilandau
asked.
"Yes sir." Jadera replied.
"Stop looking at my feet, and maybe try concentrating at my face
instead. It's rather unnerving for me when I keep on seeing people's
hair and not their face." Dilandau chastised her.
"Yes sir." Jadera said, bringing up her head until she looked him in
the eye. He had red eyes, she reflected.
"Ahh. Come with me," Dilandau said, " and just call me Dilandau."
"Yes, Dilandau sir." Jadera said, falling in step behind him.
Jadera walked into the dorm room that she shared with Miguel, excited.
"Hey, Jaden, you look really happy or something," Miguel said.
"You bet! I just met Dil-, I mean General Dilandau today! And I'll
probably get to be in his dragonslayers!" Jadera replied, excited.
"Wow! What are they?" Miguel asked.
"It's a new group. The funny thing is, Dilandau-sama is only like, two
years older than me! But he's pretty nice, and kind of strict, I'd say.
You should have seen him! Gratis -oh, that reminds me, I have to go
beat him up. Anyway, Gratis and his gang kind of… well lets say they
took a sudden interest in me, and Dilandau-sama showed up and threw him
off, not to mention that that incident probably zeroed any chances for
Gratis getting into the dragonslayers." She said, flashing Miguel a
rare smile. "Hey, you could probably join, too."
"Do you really think so?" asked Miguel, excited. "Then we could still
be together! I'd be disappointed if we were split up."
"Yeah, well- " Jadera started, but was interrupted by the lights going
out. "Well, I'd say it was time for lights out, won't you say?" Inside,
Jadera was grateful that it was time for bed, because she knew she
couldn't risk Miguel seeing her. She'd been able to avoid him so far,
but if she ever got caught…
As Jadera settled in for the night, she wondered about how serving
under Dilandau would be. She already admired him, anyway, and she
wanted to prove herself to someone. Her swordsmanship was excellent,
and she just needed to brush up on her guymelef piloting skills.
Tomorrow would be a long day…