AN: Wow, I feel so incredibly loveded!! ~huggles all her reviewers~
Well, here's the next chapter, working at record pace! ~little picture of
me scribbling furiously, paper bursts into flames~ aaiieee!! ~coughs~ I'm
not crazy..at least.that's what the men in the white coats keep telling
me..
And as for the more slightly descriptive waff scenes..~flushes~ I
consider myself really modest so..don't kill me if it doesn't sound all
that great ^_^"
Shi_no_miko- Well then, write I shall! ~poses, then goes back to typing~
Blue Dreamer- Oh don't worry.WAFF will abound if I have anything to do about it ^_^ ~dragons in background growl~ And they say I do ^_^"
Ai-chan- Aaah, basking in the praise of my reviewers.and thanks for complimenting the song, I actually thought about it for 2 days 0-o I wanted to get the right mood, cause Rose was apologizing and basically telling Van she loved him.but of course he doesn't get that until.well.I can't tell ya ^_~
R.D- A real book? Really and truly? Wow! Actually, after I finish off all my cartoon fics I'm gonna work on my original.and maybe add a second one! Look forward to them! Anyway, now that I'm done shamelessly promoting my other fics.enjoy! ^_^'
Kouhei- Ah yes, but Smoak can overwhelm your dragon with..cuteness! Ta-daah.ahem. Anyway, I'm working fast, that book sounds really interesting! I hope I can have it up by tomorrow 0-o ~working frantically~
And to the reviewer who left no name..thanks a bunch ^_^v
Van finally caught up to the group. Rose was standing and chatting with Millerna, smiling. He missed her smile, he hadn't seen it in so long.
" Rose." Van managed to whisper, and she turned, startled. His heart sank as a calm mask replaced her normal expression.
" Fanelia. The kingdom of Arethia extends its' formal greetings to their ally." Van blinked, bowing in return to her small curtsy.
" Fanelia accepts the greeting with good intentions. So, I guess the myths are true then, huh?" She smiled lightly, a flash of sadness rushing across her face.
" Yes.but then, most myths are." Wincing, Van mentally stuck his foot in his mouth. Merle looked between the two of them.
" Alright, well.now that you've met..I think the rest of us have things to do, and the garden is fairly empty right now. Perfect for private conversations." With that, Merle dragged Allen away, and Chid, Allen, and Millerna followed, agreeing with her. Rose frowned slightly, then shrugged her shoulders, grinning lightly.
" Well, shall we? We have much to talk about, Van." Rose started to walk slowly to the gardens, and he followed, slightly dumbstruck. 'Well.at least she's still calling me by name. And she hasn't tried to kill me yet, so things are going well.' Once they were well inside the garden, Rose turned to him.
" Do you mind?" Van raised an eyebrow, shrugging. He had no clue what she was talking about. However, it was clear what she meant as two bat-like wings pushed out of her back. She flapped them twice, and then tucked them close to her back.
" They were getting cramped." Van struggled to close his mouth.
" Rose..where were you? All this time, I was looking for you, and I- " She cut him off, sighing.
" All this time? I suppose I made it rather difficult for you, didn't I? Yes.my hiding places were situated quite well to keep you away. Although, you did find me, twice, but you never realized it." She was just making him more confused.
" Huh?" She sighed, sinking to a stone bench.
" You're going to get mad." * * * * * * * * * * * *
" You're going to get mad." Rose dreaded what she was about to say. Knowing her, she'd say it wrong and they would end up arguing.
" Rose, I haven't seen you for a year. I won't get mad at you, trust me." He sat beside her, worry clear in his eyes. Smoak had hidden under the bench, leaving as they walked. She let him stay where he was.
" Van.I.." She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath.
" I was in Zaibach when you first found me." Now she waited.
" What? That's impossible, I didn't see you." She waved a hand in the air, and a shimmering picture of who she had made herself to be appeared in the air. He gasped.
" The sorceress. But how did you know what she.." Rose hung her head, erasing the picture as he trailed off. 'Well.here it comes.' She was expecting anger, and so she was surprised when a gloved hand covered her own.
" Why? Why did you leave? You could have come with me, but you let Dillandu." Managing to keep her blush down, she waited a moment before she spoke.
" Well, I was more than a little upset with you for something that you didn't do. Or rather, were forced to do. And so I wanted to hurt you. Also, the sorcerers got a hold of me and did some experiments, which changed my personality a bit. One good thing came out of it though.I got my wings." She risked a glance at him, almost giggling at the sight. It looked like he was chanting something over and over, which sounded suspiciously like 'don't get mad' and his eyes were shut. She felt more than a little guilty, but decided she might as well press on and tell him everything.
" And the second time.well, you probably figured it out, but.you know that dragon girl you met in the woods?" Vans eyes snapped open and he stared at her. She didn't like the look in his eyes.
" What? But you.you told us that you died! What kind of joke is that, Rose? We were worried about you!" Van stood, his voice slightly raised. She sighed again.
" Actually, you're wrong." That made him pause.
" I only told you that the girl you were looking for had died. I'm not who I was a year ago, Van. Things..things changed a lot for me." Van sighed in exasperation.
" I know that! You've suddenly become a princess, for the gods sake. But you worried me!" Rose resisted the urge to smile at the look in his eyes. He really had been worried about her.
" I'm sorry Van. I just needed some time alone. That stupid Fate machine..it really messed with my head for a while." He blinked.
" Why? What does the Fate machine have to do with anything?" Rose winced. Stupid! 'I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut.'
" Ah.um.it uh.it made me stay in Zaibach for longer than I intended to." Rose lied through her teeth, praying he would accept the story. No such luck.
" But the Fate machine only works if there's the intent or ideas already in the person, near the surface of their mind. So unless you wanted to stay, then it wouldn't have worked." Rose blinked, cold washing over her.
" What did you say about the machine?" Van blinked, repeating what he had just said. She stood, nearly seeing red.
" Well then I don't know why I even came back!" THAT took him by surprise.
" What do you mean? I don't even know why you left in the first place!" She snarled, wings flaring. Underneath the bench, Smoak was starting to tense up.
" Oh, I don't know. Just chalk it up to being a tomboy leech who takes up room in a guest suite and doesn't do diddly squat around the castle who was only kept around because she was a girls daughter!" Rose spat out, hands clenching into fists. 'How. DARE. He? He just practically admitted that all those things he said..'
" Rose, why are you so angry all of a sudden? And where did you hear all of that?" That was the final straw.
" Gee, Van, I don't know. Could it be that after I blurted out that I was adopted I wanted to apologize to you for not telling you sooner? Y'know, at least when I get mad at somebody I tell it to their face. I don't go around telling other nobles behind their backs!" Her eyes began to sting, and she shook her head back and forth furiously. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van had a large feeling of dread lodged in the pit of his stomach. 'So she did hear.'
" Rose..I.." She cut him off, continuing.
" No. You listen this time. I thought that when I came here, I would go home as soon as possible. In doing so, I actually allowed myself to make friends here. I left myself open and actually started to ENJOY myself for once. And as soon as I..as I start to care about somebody, I realize that the only reason they put up with me was because of a favor for a person who wasn't even around anymore. And then I go through..I go through everything that happened in Zaibach.alienated myself from humans entirely, and find out that I really DID have parents who cared about me, I come back to apologize and find that the feelings which I thought were faked were true. Can you even begin to imagine how I feel right now, Van? I trusted you and made friends, and I got burnt. Badly." He was at a loss for words. And so, he did the only thing that came to his mind.
" No, I can't imagine how you feel. But how would you know about empathy? You turned your back on us and joined the enemy! And then you told us yourself that you had died. You lied to us, Rose. It hurt. And as for that evening, I was confused! You had just told everybody a large secret, dashing the thoughts that I knew you well enough that I could trust you." Van had a feeling that he had crossed whatever line existed between them. Rose was crying.
" You know what? I'm going to stay, Van. Not because you did that little lecture, and not because Merle and my friends are here. I'm staying because at the moment, I have nowhere else to go. But in order to accommodate you and your feelings about me, I propose a deal. We don't speak to one another, we don't look at one another, and we make no sign that either of us knows that we're alive. Does that make you happy?" He sighed, eyes searching hers. 'Here goes nothing..'
" No, Rose. That doesn't make me happy. I.." Here he struggled for words. He'd be damned before he let Rose find a way to twist them into something he didn't mean.
" I.I missed you. Horribly. It would..it would hurt if you didn't acknowledge me. I want to get to know you again.because as you said, the girl I was looking for died. She became you, and you amaze me. I want to talk to you about what happened and try to figure everything out." He took a step forward, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.
" I want to wake up and see your face when I go down to breakfast again. I want to race horses, fence, do anything with you. I just want to know that you're not lying dead somewhere and that it's not because of me." Rose blinked up at him, eyes wide.
" Van.I.." A rustle alerted them that someone was coming, and they sprang apart, Rose sitting back down on the bench, head lowered to hide a blush. Van tried to suppress his anger as two of his advisors came into the small clearing accompanied by Miguel and Folken, smiling.
" Ah, Lord Van, I see you've met the sorceress of Zaibach! I tell you, we were none too pleased when Lord Folken informed us of her disappearance, thought we'd been gypped out of a bargain, but when we received news that she was coming, well! You can imagine our elation." Van eyed them suspiciously.
" Why?" The advisors blinked, looking nervous all of a sudden.
" Well.along with Lord Folken.we decided it would be best if, to insure peace, we allied Fanelia and Zaibach through a marriage of Royals. Since miss Rose here was the closest thing to a Queen of Zaibach, Folken agreed to sign the betrothal papers for us in place of your signature." Rose had jumped up and looked like she was fuming.
" I'm going to KILL YOU!!!!! I can't believe that you did this!" Through the shock of seeing his older brother once more, Van felt an enormous sense of relief that he wasn't in his brothers place at the moment. Which reminded him.
" How did you think that what you did was right for Fanelia? Or for me, for that matter?" Rose whirled and glared at him. 'Uh-oh.'
" What, so I'm not good enough to be married to, is that what you're saying?" Van hung his head. He had cornered himself.
" It's not that! I mean.um.well, I don't want to get married to you, but it's not because you..aw...hell." The corners of Rose's mouth twitched, and suddenly she burst into laughter.
" You are so easy to trick! Don't worry Van. I'm sure we'll be able to work this little ABBORATION out, right Folken?" A murderous glare was directed at his brother.
" Only if you want to, Milady." Rose growled, a dragon coming out from under a bench and rubbing his head against the side of her leg. His advisors paled.
" Dragon!" Through the confused panic that followed, he could have sworn that he heard Rose groan.
" Not this agaaaiinnn!!! Smoak, remind me to tell you when it's appropriate to come out of nowhere in front of humans and when it is not!" * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose sighed, flopping onto her bed. She needed a bath, but she was too tired to bother to get up again to create one. 'No wonder Van seemed royally P.O'd most of the time.his advisors are total idiots! And so is Folken!' After about 20 minutes of confusion, she had managed to convince the advisors that Smoak wasn't dangerous, and that everything was fine. Then she had high-tailed it out of there with an excuse that she was tired and made a beeline for her room, cradling Smoak in her arms. Now he was asleep by the fireplace, purring lightly.
" So close.and yet so.very.far.away!!!" (quote used from reviewer :P) She groaned out, grabbing a stray pillow and covering her face with it, squeezing her eyes shut. 'He was so close..just a few more centimeters and we would have...' Beneath the pillow her face went a bright red.
" Hey.Rose? Are you asleep?" A muffled voice came from behind her door, and it opened quietly. She sat up, removing the pillow from her face and prayed that she wasn't still blushing.
" Nah.not yet. Dead tired though. And exasperated. But that's not new to me, so I'm fine." She grinned as Van walked into the room, scooting around Smoak, who had bitten him lightly on the arm for 'upsetting his Princess.' Rose grinned slightly.
" What, an almighty King afraid of an adorable dragon?" Van scowled lightly, humor sparkling in his eyes. How she had missed his eyes.
" Only because said dragon likes to bite people for no reason." The corners of his mouth perked up in a grin, although he was trying to hide it. She giggled.
" Come and sit, I'll get some new bandages for it. It was a light wound, but by the gods did it bleed! I'll scold Smoak when he wakes up." she began apologizing, only to have her arm grabbed as she turned to go to the bathroom for the aforementioned bandages.
" Nah, it's ok. I just wanted to talk to you without being interrupted. We didn't finish back in the garden, did we?" Rose gulped slightly. 'No..no we didn't.'
" Besides..it's really beside the point to get us to marry one another." Rose flushed slightly.
" So you had that dream too, huh?" He nodded, studying the fabric of the couch. She fiddled with a tassle on a couch pillow.
" Well..we were kids, right? It didn't really mat-" Again, he cut her off.
" No, it did. It matters. To me, at least." She bit back a gasp. He looked so serious.
" Van..did you..did you mean what you said when I left?" Rose was sure that she was glowing red as Van regarded her with a slight grin.
" Rose, I-"
" ATTACK!! We're under attack!!" Rose cursed vividly, making Van's eyes widen. Running to her balcony, she looked out past the courtyards and into the mountains. Van was soon beside her, scanning the horizon. Rose paled. The sun was rising, and they were indeed under attack. Not by 'melefs or humans.
" It's those things! They're here..but the hunters said there was only twenty.gods, how could I have been so stupid!! Smoak!" Rose turned to the fireplace, her call startling the young dragon awake.
' Smoak, I need you to go to the forest and tell the dragon clans that we're under attack. Tell them it's the bad meat again, and there's at least 100 of them! Hurry! Find as many clans as you can!' Smoak growled, launching himself out the window. Van glanced at her.
" Rose, what's the matter? What's going on?" Rose grabbed his wrist, dragging him out of the room.
" It's those monsters. A group of hunter dragons found it in our woods, near the mountains. They said it was bad meat, and I told them to get rid of it. Something's happening, and I have a feeling we're about to find out what it is soon enough. Tell your garrison to get ready, and get your guymelefs up and running. Prefer foot soldiers over the machines though, it'll be easier to kill these creatures. Hurry, we don't have much time. They'll be here soon." Van raced beside her.
" But who's attacking?" Rose shook her head, stopping for a moment.
" I don't know.but I have a feeling it's somebody with a grudge against me. Those creatures are the same ones that attacked Arethia and killed my parents." She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
" I'm sorry Van, we're going to have to talk later." Van nodded his head, looking slightly disappointed. Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, running off.
" Stay safe, Rose!" Rose just stood there blinking, a hand raised to her cheek. She waited until he was around the corner before grinning and pulling her arm to her side, hand in a fist.
" Yeeess!!!" Mini-celebration done, she rushed off to find Folken.
(Hahahhahahahah, just kidding. Hope I gave some of you minor heart attacks.~blinks~ wow, that sounded really mean....but MWAHAHAH! ~coughs~ anyway, on with the story!)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sargon smiled, sitting on a powerful stallion. As expected, the soldiers were now running frantically in their pathetic little fortress as he made his way slowly over the valley. He took his time, wanting to give them a moment to collect themselves. After all, the princess held no magic and did not know the spell to destroy him, so he was confident that he could win. Hybrids seethed in masses around him, totaling somewhere around 400, double the amount he had used to attack the first palace. And all of them were destroyed in that assault. Now, he would wipe out the last remaining Arethian on Gaia and gain a kingdom at that. Sargon loved it when things went his way. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Folken was busy repeating every swear word and curse he had ever heard of in his life as he rushed down the hallway, Miguel at his side. Van had been wary of letting the two stay there, but after a long conversation had agreed.
" I should have notified Rose of this somehow. I feel like a fool for letting this attack come unexpectedly." Miguel shrugged, hopping on one foot as he strapped on his armor. He was going to sneak away in his guymelef to get the Zaibach army to come and aid Fanelia. Also, it would give him a chance to see what kind of odds they had. Folken guessed correctly in the fact that Sargon brought only those hybrids, but upon researching the old legends discovered that in the past the group of sorcerers had used only 200 of they hybrids. It looked like he now had a much larger number.
" Don't worry about it Folken. You can't change the past. And you also wanted me to get that book, right?" Folken nodded as Miguel raced out to his 'melef.
" I hate to doubt you Folken, but I don't see how a fairy tale book is going to help us win this thing." Folken chuckled, watching as he climbed into his guymelef.
" It was a fairy tale that started this battle, Miguel. You see, many myths aren't really myths at all.just things so old and stories so long forgotten that things get mixed up and garbled in the translation from person to person. It happens. Whatever you do, do NOT come back until you have that book with you." The 'melef head nodded briefly, invisibility cloak falling around it. Recent improvements enabled the machines to fly while the cloak was activated, so all Miguel had to worry about was noise. And judging by what Folken could hear even though those creatures were still a fair distance away from the city itself, he didn't even have to worry about that too much. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose growled low in her throat, at the feet of Escaflowne. She didn't like this at all. Earlier on she had 'sent' herself ahead, much like she did at the forest, to see what they were up against. She nearly recoiled all the way back to her body in shock. 'Sargon is still alive.after all these years. I don't believe that he would have the gall to attack once more!' Sighing, she leaned against the cool metal, turning her sword to catch the light filtering in from the trees. She knew the decision she had to make, but now that she had talked to Van it made thinks infinitely harder.
" But then, that just means I'm being selfish, right? I mean.mom never hesitated in saying the spell..even if it meant loosing papa and me and everybody she loved. And yet here I am, thinking I shouldn't really do it..." She heaved a sigh, tapping the back against the metal lightly, trying to jar a hidden thought loose from somewhere in her brain.
' But she was an adult, and had more experience sacrificing things to better help others.' Rose glanced up, startled. The moment of fear soon dissolved into happiness as she looked into Thayanna's face.
' Thayanna! You came!' Rose jumped up and hugged the dam, smiling.
' Of course child. I brought a few friends as well.' Rose blinked, then stepped back and looked behind Thayanna. Her eyes widened momentarily. The entire clan was there, but that wasn't the reason for her surprise.
' Princess Rose, the matriarchs of the clan of Asturia yield to you.'
' Princess Rose, the matriarchs of the clan of Fried yield to you.' Rose took a step back as the 'yielding' continued. 'They...they're all here..' Thayanna tossed her head back, then lowered it to Rose's eye level.
' Every country on Gaia has a major clan, and each clan rules several sub-clans, who rule over even smaller groups, such as ours. Every clan has yielded their power to you.' Rose gulped, looking over the dragons.
' How..how many..' She stammered out faintly, struggling to take deep breaths. Thayanna chuckled as Smoak rushed forward.
' I got as many clans as I could Rose! There's 30-50 dragons in a clan, 10-20 in a sub-clan. Each clan rules over at least 25 sub-clans. Rogue bands can have any number up to 9 in them. They're all here for you.' Smoak looked up at her expectantly as she attempted to do the math in her head, failing miserably in her shock.
' Y.yes Smoak..remind me.after this..to fill an entire ballroom with cheese for you...' She absently scratched his eye ridges as he purred happily. 'Whoa..' Thayanna chuckled, looking up at Escaflowne.
' Ah yes, the suit of the gods. Is your mate coming to activate it?' Rose's eyes practically bugged out of her head.
' M.m..MATE?!?!?!?!? He's not..I mean..we're not..I.' Thayanna glanced at her, puzzled.
' You have his scent on you. Surely you have gotten into trouble?' Rose turned a shade very close to her namesake.
' No, no, no, no. Y'see, Smoak bit him and I bandaged his arm, and then we talked and then..well ok, he did kiss me.but it was on the cheek! It didn't count!' Smalythe chuckled, looking over Thayanna.
' Whatever you say, little Princess.' Rose shook her head back and forth.
" It didn't count! Nothing happened!"
" What didn't count? What didn't happen?" Rose whirled to see Van come over the small ledge, energist in hand. Some of the dragons let out a quiet growl at first, but calmed down shortly.
' Ah, there's your mate now, child.' Rose's facial color slowly turned maroon. Van just looked between the two of them in confusion, and then caught sight of the other dragons behind her. It was a heavily wooded area, so not all of the clans were visible. Rose guessed that they were scattered throughout the forest, some maybe even checking on the opposing army.
" Um...Rose?" She looked over at him. The look on his face was priceless.
" I know..it's a lot of dragons." Van blinked.
" Are they ALL from this forest?" Rose shook her head.
" Nope. They're from all of Gaia." He nodded slowly, thinking.
" You're the princess of Arethia, right?" She nodded.
" Yup."
" So that means that you."
" Yup."
" Oh wow...I do NOT envy you right now." Like her, he took a small step back. She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
" I know. But now we have a larger fighting force.the cavalry, if you will." Van nodded slightly.
" And boy, what a cavalry. I'm going to have to warn the men though..they might panic slightly." Rose chuckled wryly. 'I hope Miguel gets back soon..Folken said he had the book that contained the words to the spell.' She sighed, sheathing her sword, which she now wore openly.
" Rose? Is everything ok?" Rose glanced at Van, managing a weak smile. She had to protect everybody..no matter what happened.
" Yeah. Everything is fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all. I'll be fine." He quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged, not pushing the issue, climbing up Escaflowne to start it up. 'You see, this is why I love him..'
' Ah hah! Caught you, Rose.' Rose whirled and looked at Thayanna, flushing again.
' It doesn't count!' * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose panted slightly, resisting the urge to wipe her face off with her hand, which was covered in mud and blood. They had been fighting for most of the day, and losses were heavy on both sides. 'Those hybrids were faster than we expected..and Sargon is no help either.' A squeal alerted her, and she leapt to the side as a hybrid charged her, fangs and claws bared. She landed, rolling over a corpse of another monster that she had killed. She fought the urge to vomit as she got up to her feet, readying herself. As the hybrid made a second pass, she flared her wings, jumped, and sliced her sword down it's back, splitting it's spinal cord in two. With a last high-pitched cry, it sank to the ground and twitched for a moment.
" It looks like we come at a draw for today princess! I'll see you tomorrow at dawn! Until then!" Sargon shouted from his horse, which fighters had been unable to pick off, even in all the fighting. Once he had delivered his message, he disappeared, along with his hybrids. Sighing, she sank to her knees, sticking her sword into the ground and leaning against it.
" And so, the first day has finished." Rose forced herself to stand, wobbling slightly. Many of the soldiers were starting towards the castle where they would be given rooms in the barracks and, if need be, the courtyards. The dragons were picking up the ones that had fallen. Her heart ached at the sight. Even though very few had died, it hurt to see them just lying there. Once the dragons burned the bodies, they would allow the humans to take the energists that resided in the ashes. She stretched wearily, Smoak catching the corner of her eye. He was running towards her.
' Rose!' * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van walked with Allen over the battlefield, looking for those few injured that could be treated, giving mercy to those who couldn't.
" I hate this." He spat out bitterly, stepping over a hybrid corpse. The forces from Zaibach wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. Allen nodded, frowning and looking at the active dragons.
" To burn the dead.it doesn't happen often for them, does it?" Van shook his head no.
" I don't think so. And yet they all fight anyway. I don't know why.it's really not their problem." Van paused, bowing slightly to a fallen dragon with vibrant red scales.
" Actually, it is. Their princess is in danger. They're loyal attendants to their ruler. Speaking of which, where is she?" Van blinked. 'That's right,' he thought dazedly, 'I haven't seen her all day.' Worry and panic filled him, but he was restrained from rushing forward by a hand on his shoulder.
" She'll be fine, Van. I think that's her over there." He followed Allen's point to a dragon. Frowning slightly, he walked over.
It was indeed Rose. Her head was bowed and she was crouched, balancing on the balls of her feet and resting her forehead against her hands, elbows on her knees. Hesitantly, he put a hand to her shoulder. It was shaking slightly.
"..Rose?" She just shook her head, refusing to look up.
" Thayanna..." Van glanced at her, and then to what was beside her. A dusky green dragon lay motionless, eyes slightly open and glazed. Its body was covered in bite marks, and it looked like it's spine was broken. Come to think of it..that one looked particularly..he let out a soft gasp.
" Oh Rose.." He knelt, gathering her form to him in a hug. Allen looked between them, bowed, and left.
" It's not fair..it's not fair." She muttered into his shoulder, her grip tightening around him. He made small sounds of comfort, rocking her slightly.
" I know..I know..it'll be ok..it's going to be alright..we'll make that bastard Sargon pay.it's alright, Rose." He stroked her hair softly, murmuring in her ear. She let out a quiet sob, and soon she was crying, making a wet spot on his shoulder. He held her until the sun set, and her shoulders stopped shaking. A large red dragon waited patiently by Rose.
" Um.Rose? There's a dragon." He stroked her hair again, shifting into a more comfortable position. She let out a strange growl slash rumble, and the dragon nodded, picked up Thayanna in his mouth, and walked slowly over to where bonfires were already roaring. Sniffling, she raised her head slightly, looking at him.
" I'm sorry.I kind of wrecked your shirt.." She paused, then giggled. After the battle, it was beyond cleaning or repair anyway.
" It's ok. Do you think you can go back to the castle now?" She nodded, looking for all the world like a lost little girl. At that moment, she reminded him of the six-year-old version of herself. He stood, helping her up, keeping an arm around her shoulder. And, like that, they made their way slowly back to the castle.
At her door, Van paused. Rose looked at him, smiling tiredly.
" Thank you Van..for everything." He looked at her, nodding. Even covered in dirt, looking as tired as she did, she still took his breath away.
" You're beautiful, you know that, Rose?" She let out a tired chuckle, looking at the floor.
" You're not so bad yourself." He gave her a lopsided grin. Rose leaned against her door, studying him. He stood quietly, wondering what exactly she was looking for.
" You know.when I was a kid, I don't think you heard me give you a reply to the last thing you said to me." This caused him to snap his gaze to her eyes, questioning her silently. Before he had a chance to actually say anything, she stepped forward, snaked her arms around his neck, and pulled his head down towards her. He had to shoot his hands out to brace himself against the wall as her lips met his in a kiss that left his mind numb. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, and he risked removing one hand from the wall to wrap it around her waist, pulling her closer. It was official. He was in heaven. He felt her smile against the kiss, and he tasted salt mixed in with her. A tiny alarm rang in his brain. 'Why was she crying?' But the she kissed him again, and the thought was forgotten. Hesitatingly, he ran his hand over her cheek and back into her hair, tracing her lips with his tongue. Gladly, she deepened the kiss. Soon they had to break away for air, and he looked at her in amazement.
" I love you, Van Fanel." She smiled gently, tracing his jawline softly. He captured her hand with his own, kissing the back of it.
" I love you too, Rose." Her smile broadened, but the trail of tears down her face didn't continue.
" Goodnight." She opened the door and slipped into her room, leaving him standing out in the hall.
" Goodnight," he whispered softly, and then headed to his own suite. It was going to be another day of fighting tomorrow, but at the moment he felt like he could take on the world. * * * * * * * * * * * *
(oh gosh, I can't believe I just wrote that..~flush flush~)
Rose sighed, regret tinged with happiness. She was standing in a calm section of the battlefield, and she was preparing herself for the spell she would be casting soon. Last night only strengthened her resolve, and when Miguel came with the book.and the army..early into the battle, she rushed to wherever she could find some quiet. She sighed, clutching Miguel's necklace, along with her mothers. She was going to need all the power she could muster for this. She didn't have her family's court to help her with the spell.
" By all the gods who protect this Gaian soil and the ones who protect the blue moon that hangs in the sky, I, Rose, Princess of Arethians, Daughter of Aranor, ask for your assistance." * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sargon was just starting to enjoy himself. 'A few more days of this carnage and I'll break through their ranks and get my hands on that worthless little princess.' He smirked, watching the battles. Her pathetic guardian had been killed yesterday, making it simpler for him to reach her. He was about to press forward to search for her when a hybrid near him keened and fell over. His eyes widened in shock as more started to fall.
" No! Damn it all! This can't be happening! I won't LET it happen!" He wheeled his horse around, picking up a lance from a fallen Basranian. She would PAY! In the distance, he saw her, striding into the battlefield, looking fierce and holding her sword at her side. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van looked around. Something was happening. The creatures that Sargon had sent out to meet them were starting to drop dead for no reason. Not that he wasn't happy about that, but they wouldn't do that unless there was a very big reason. And whatever it was, he was sure that Rose was behind it. At the thought of her name, he flushed scarlet, hand going to his lips again.
" I hope she's being careful." * * * * * * * * * * * *
" And so, I beg of the gods, come down from your places in the heavens and destroy all who oppose us! Rid this place of the evil which has taken many away from their friends and loved ones. I ask this of you! Let it be done!" There was a bolt of lightning, striking the earth and charring a hybrid black. 'Niiiiiccee.' Rose thought tiredly, feeling the energy rush from her body. Her vision didn't start to waver, and she wondered at that.
' It's because you're stronger, Rose.' She blinked. Hitomi was standing with Vargain and Aranor beside her, shimmering slightly.
' M.mom? Mama?..Dad?' She stumbled slightly, catching herself before she hit the ground. Aranor smiled, eyes shimmering with tears as she held Vargains hand.
' My daughter..we're so proud of you..so very proud. But Sargon is not yet destroyed.look.' Aranor then pointed off to the side. In a rush, Rose was herself again, with the same amount of energy she had before. Sargon was riding towards Van, behind him, lance leveled in position with his heart.
" No." She started running towards them both. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van turned as he heard hooves thundering towards him. Taking a step back, he crossed his arms in front of him as Sargon bore down on him, lance glinting dangerously in the sun.
" VAN!!!" Something shoved him aside, crying out as Sargon rode past. 'He missed.' But then.why was he laughing? Van looked at Sargon, who was starting to wither where he sat, horse pawing the air.
" It looks like I got what I came for after all, little Princess! Now my wife is avenged.and you'll burn forever in the pits of h-" He was cut off as a curved sword flew at him, embedding itself in his forehead. With a shocked expression on his face, he fell off the horse and collapsed to the ground, lay still for a moment, and then withered away completely. The sword clattered to the ground, and Allen rushed to pick it up. 'So.Rose had saved me..'
" Van.." He turned to thank her. His mouth opened in a silent gape as he took in her appearance. The lance that Sargon had was snapped in half, part of it embedded in her shoulder, the other half lying on the ground. She took a step towards him, stumbled, and sank to her knees, tears rising in her eyes.
" Rose!" Van rushed over to her, laying her down gently, cradling her head in his arms.
" Is..is it over? Is everybody...are they ok?" She asked anxiously, worry and pain shining in her eyes. He nodded, eyelids stinging.
" Y.yes. It's over, Rose." His voice caught, and she smiled lightly, raising her good arm to his face, cupping his cheek in her palm.
" I had to, you know..because.because I care about this place..and no matter what I've ever said to you..before..I love you, Van..no matter what happens..to me..I'll ALWAYS...always love you..no matter what.." He smiled through his tears, brushing her hair back.
" I know..I love..Rose.." He stopped, tears blurring his vision so that he couldn't see. He hadn't completed his sentence because Rose's hand had fallen to the ground.
AN: I can't believe it..I actually cried when I wrote this!!! I'm such a wuss.~sniffle~.but please.don't kill me..depending on the opinions of the reviewers, I can make this continue ^-^ ~sniffs again~ so cute..ahem. Reviews! ^_^v
Shi_no_miko- Well then, write I shall! ~poses, then goes back to typing~
Blue Dreamer- Oh don't worry.WAFF will abound if I have anything to do about it ^_^ ~dragons in background growl~ And they say I do ^_^"
Ai-chan- Aaah, basking in the praise of my reviewers.and thanks for complimenting the song, I actually thought about it for 2 days 0-o I wanted to get the right mood, cause Rose was apologizing and basically telling Van she loved him.but of course he doesn't get that until.well.I can't tell ya ^_~
R.D- A real book? Really and truly? Wow! Actually, after I finish off all my cartoon fics I'm gonna work on my original.and maybe add a second one! Look forward to them! Anyway, now that I'm done shamelessly promoting my other fics.enjoy! ^_^'
Kouhei- Ah yes, but Smoak can overwhelm your dragon with..cuteness! Ta-daah.ahem. Anyway, I'm working fast, that book sounds really interesting! I hope I can have it up by tomorrow 0-o ~working frantically~
And to the reviewer who left no name..thanks a bunch ^_^v
Van finally caught up to the group. Rose was standing and chatting with Millerna, smiling. He missed her smile, he hadn't seen it in so long.
" Rose." Van managed to whisper, and she turned, startled. His heart sank as a calm mask replaced her normal expression.
" Fanelia. The kingdom of Arethia extends its' formal greetings to their ally." Van blinked, bowing in return to her small curtsy.
" Fanelia accepts the greeting with good intentions. So, I guess the myths are true then, huh?" She smiled lightly, a flash of sadness rushing across her face.
" Yes.but then, most myths are." Wincing, Van mentally stuck his foot in his mouth. Merle looked between the two of them.
" Alright, well.now that you've met..I think the rest of us have things to do, and the garden is fairly empty right now. Perfect for private conversations." With that, Merle dragged Allen away, and Chid, Allen, and Millerna followed, agreeing with her. Rose frowned slightly, then shrugged her shoulders, grinning lightly.
" Well, shall we? We have much to talk about, Van." Rose started to walk slowly to the gardens, and he followed, slightly dumbstruck. 'Well.at least she's still calling me by name. And she hasn't tried to kill me yet, so things are going well.' Once they were well inside the garden, Rose turned to him.
" Do you mind?" Van raised an eyebrow, shrugging. He had no clue what she was talking about. However, it was clear what she meant as two bat-like wings pushed out of her back. She flapped them twice, and then tucked them close to her back.
" They were getting cramped." Van struggled to close his mouth.
" Rose..where were you? All this time, I was looking for you, and I- " She cut him off, sighing.
" All this time? I suppose I made it rather difficult for you, didn't I? Yes.my hiding places were situated quite well to keep you away. Although, you did find me, twice, but you never realized it." She was just making him more confused.
" Huh?" She sighed, sinking to a stone bench.
" You're going to get mad." * * * * * * * * * * * *
" You're going to get mad." Rose dreaded what she was about to say. Knowing her, she'd say it wrong and they would end up arguing.
" Rose, I haven't seen you for a year. I won't get mad at you, trust me." He sat beside her, worry clear in his eyes. Smoak had hidden under the bench, leaving as they walked. She let him stay where he was.
" Van.I.." She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath.
" I was in Zaibach when you first found me." Now she waited.
" What? That's impossible, I didn't see you." She waved a hand in the air, and a shimmering picture of who she had made herself to be appeared in the air. He gasped.
" The sorceress. But how did you know what she.." Rose hung her head, erasing the picture as he trailed off. 'Well.here it comes.' She was expecting anger, and so she was surprised when a gloved hand covered her own.
" Why? Why did you leave? You could have come with me, but you let Dillandu." Managing to keep her blush down, she waited a moment before she spoke.
" Well, I was more than a little upset with you for something that you didn't do. Or rather, were forced to do. And so I wanted to hurt you. Also, the sorcerers got a hold of me and did some experiments, which changed my personality a bit. One good thing came out of it though.I got my wings." She risked a glance at him, almost giggling at the sight. It looked like he was chanting something over and over, which sounded suspiciously like 'don't get mad' and his eyes were shut. She felt more than a little guilty, but decided she might as well press on and tell him everything.
" And the second time.well, you probably figured it out, but.you know that dragon girl you met in the woods?" Vans eyes snapped open and he stared at her. She didn't like the look in his eyes.
" What? But you.you told us that you died! What kind of joke is that, Rose? We were worried about you!" Van stood, his voice slightly raised. She sighed again.
" Actually, you're wrong." That made him pause.
" I only told you that the girl you were looking for had died. I'm not who I was a year ago, Van. Things..things changed a lot for me." Van sighed in exasperation.
" I know that! You've suddenly become a princess, for the gods sake. But you worried me!" Rose resisted the urge to smile at the look in his eyes. He really had been worried about her.
" I'm sorry Van. I just needed some time alone. That stupid Fate machine..it really messed with my head for a while." He blinked.
" Why? What does the Fate machine have to do with anything?" Rose winced. Stupid! 'I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut.'
" Ah.um.it uh.it made me stay in Zaibach for longer than I intended to." Rose lied through her teeth, praying he would accept the story. No such luck.
" But the Fate machine only works if there's the intent or ideas already in the person, near the surface of their mind. So unless you wanted to stay, then it wouldn't have worked." Rose blinked, cold washing over her.
" What did you say about the machine?" Van blinked, repeating what he had just said. She stood, nearly seeing red.
" Well then I don't know why I even came back!" THAT took him by surprise.
" What do you mean? I don't even know why you left in the first place!" She snarled, wings flaring. Underneath the bench, Smoak was starting to tense up.
" Oh, I don't know. Just chalk it up to being a tomboy leech who takes up room in a guest suite and doesn't do diddly squat around the castle who was only kept around because she was a girls daughter!" Rose spat out, hands clenching into fists. 'How. DARE. He? He just practically admitted that all those things he said..'
" Rose, why are you so angry all of a sudden? And where did you hear all of that?" That was the final straw.
" Gee, Van, I don't know. Could it be that after I blurted out that I was adopted I wanted to apologize to you for not telling you sooner? Y'know, at least when I get mad at somebody I tell it to their face. I don't go around telling other nobles behind their backs!" Her eyes began to sting, and she shook her head back and forth furiously. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van had a large feeling of dread lodged in the pit of his stomach. 'So she did hear.'
" Rose..I.." She cut him off, continuing.
" No. You listen this time. I thought that when I came here, I would go home as soon as possible. In doing so, I actually allowed myself to make friends here. I left myself open and actually started to ENJOY myself for once. And as soon as I..as I start to care about somebody, I realize that the only reason they put up with me was because of a favor for a person who wasn't even around anymore. And then I go through..I go through everything that happened in Zaibach.alienated myself from humans entirely, and find out that I really DID have parents who cared about me, I come back to apologize and find that the feelings which I thought were faked were true. Can you even begin to imagine how I feel right now, Van? I trusted you and made friends, and I got burnt. Badly." He was at a loss for words. And so, he did the only thing that came to his mind.
" No, I can't imagine how you feel. But how would you know about empathy? You turned your back on us and joined the enemy! And then you told us yourself that you had died. You lied to us, Rose. It hurt. And as for that evening, I was confused! You had just told everybody a large secret, dashing the thoughts that I knew you well enough that I could trust you." Van had a feeling that he had crossed whatever line existed between them. Rose was crying.
" You know what? I'm going to stay, Van. Not because you did that little lecture, and not because Merle and my friends are here. I'm staying because at the moment, I have nowhere else to go. But in order to accommodate you and your feelings about me, I propose a deal. We don't speak to one another, we don't look at one another, and we make no sign that either of us knows that we're alive. Does that make you happy?" He sighed, eyes searching hers. 'Here goes nothing..'
" No, Rose. That doesn't make me happy. I.." Here he struggled for words. He'd be damned before he let Rose find a way to twist them into something he didn't mean.
" I.I missed you. Horribly. It would..it would hurt if you didn't acknowledge me. I want to get to know you again.because as you said, the girl I was looking for died. She became you, and you amaze me. I want to talk to you about what happened and try to figure everything out." He took a step forward, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.
" I want to wake up and see your face when I go down to breakfast again. I want to race horses, fence, do anything with you. I just want to know that you're not lying dead somewhere and that it's not because of me." Rose blinked up at him, eyes wide.
" Van.I.." A rustle alerted them that someone was coming, and they sprang apart, Rose sitting back down on the bench, head lowered to hide a blush. Van tried to suppress his anger as two of his advisors came into the small clearing accompanied by Miguel and Folken, smiling.
" Ah, Lord Van, I see you've met the sorceress of Zaibach! I tell you, we were none too pleased when Lord Folken informed us of her disappearance, thought we'd been gypped out of a bargain, but when we received news that she was coming, well! You can imagine our elation." Van eyed them suspiciously.
" Why?" The advisors blinked, looking nervous all of a sudden.
" Well.along with Lord Folken.we decided it would be best if, to insure peace, we allied Fanelia and Zaibach through a marriage of Royals. Since miss Rose here was the closest thing to a Queen of Zaibach, Folken agreed to sign the betrothal papers for us in place of your signature." Rose had jumped up and looked like she was fuming.
" I'm going to KILL YOU!!!!! I can't believe that you did this!" Through the shock of seeing his older brother once more, Van felt an enormous sense of relief that he wasn't in his brothers place at the moment. Which reminded him.
" How did you think that what you did was right for Fanelia? Or for me, for that matter?" Rose whirled and glared at him. 'Uh-oh.'
" What, so I'm not good enough to be married to, is that what you're saying?" Van hung his head. He had cornered himself.
" It's not that! I mean.um.well, I don't want to get married to you, but it's not because you..aw...hell." The corners of Rose's mouth twitched, and suddenly she burst into laughter.
" You are so easy to trick! Don't worry Van. I'm sure we'll be able to work this little ABBORATION out, right Folken?" A murderous glare was directed at his brother.
" Only if you want to, Milady." Rose growled, a dragon coming out from under a bench and rubbing his head against the side of her leg. His advisors paled.
" Dragon!" Through the confused panic that followed, he could have sworn that he heard Rose groan.
" Not this agaaaiinnn!!! Smoak, remind me to tell you when it's appropriate to come out of nowhere in front of humans and when it is not!" * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose sighed, flopping onto her bed. She needed a bath, but she was too tired to bother to get up again to create one. 'No wonder Van seemed royally P.O'd most of the time.his advisors are total idiots! And so is Folken!' After about 20 minutes of confusion, she had managed to convince the advisors that Smoak wasn't dangerous, and that everything was fine. Then she had high-tailed it out of there with an excuse that she was tired and made a beeline for her room, cradling Smoak in her arms. Now he was asleep by the fireplace, purring lightly.
" So close.and yet so.very.far.away!!!" (quote used from reviewer :P) She groaned out, grabbing a stray pillow and covering her face with it, squeezing her eyes shut. 'He was so close..just a few more centimeters and we would have...' Beneath the pillow her face went a bright red.
" Hey.Rose? Are you asleep?" A muffled voice came from behind her door, and it opened quietly. She sat up, removing the pillow from her face and prayed that she wasn't still blushing.
" Nah.not yet. Dead tired though. And exasperated. But that's not new to me, so I'm fine." She grinned as Van walked into the room, scooting around Smoak, who had bitten him lightly on the arm for 'upsetting his Princess.' Rose grinned slightly.
" What, an almighty King afraid of an adorable dragon?" Van scowled lightly, humor sparkling in his eyes. How she had missed his eyes.
" Only because said dragon likes to bite people for no reason." The corners of his mouth perked up in a grin, although he was trying to hide it. She giggled.
" Come and sit, I'll get some new bandages for it. It was a light wound, but by the gods did it bleed! I'll scold Smoak when he wakes up." she began apologizing, only to have her arm grabbed as she turned to go to the bathroom for the aforementioned bandages.
" Nah, it's ok. I just wanted to talk to you without being interrupted. We didn't finish back in the garden, did we?" Rose gulped slightly. 'No..no we didn't.'
" Besides..it's really beside the point to get us to marry one another." Rose flushed slightly.
" So you had that dream too, huh?" He nodded, studying the fabric of the couch. She fiddled with a tassle on a couch pillow.
" Well..we were kids, right? It didn't really mat-" Again, he cut her off.
" No, it did. It matters. To me, at least." She bit back a gasp. He looked so serious.
" Van..did you..did you mean what you said when I left?" Rose was sure that she was glowing red as Van regarded her with a slight grin.
" Rose, I-"
" ATTACK!! We're under attack!!" Rose cursed vividly, making Van's eyes widen. Running to her balcony, she looked out past the courtyards and into the mountains. Van was soon beside her, scanning the horizon. Rose paled. The sun was rising, and they were indeed under attack. Not by 'melefs or humans.
" It's those things! They're here..but the hunters said there was only twenty.gods, how could I have been so stupid!! Smoak!" Rose turned to the fireplace, her call startling the young dragon awake.
' Smoak, I need you to go to the forest and tell the dragon clans that we're under attack. Tell them it's the bad meat again, and there's at least 100 of them! Hurry! Find as many clans as you can!' Smoak growled, launching himself out the window. Van glanced at her.
" Rose, what's the matter? What's going on?" Rose grabbed his wrist, dragging him out of the room.
" It's those monsters. A group of hunter dragons found it in our woods, near the mountains. They said it was bad meat, and I told them to get rid of it. Something's happening, and I have a feeling we're about to find out what it is soon enough. Tell your garrison to get ready, and get your guymelefs up and running. Prefer foot soldiers over the machines though, it'll be easier to kill these creatures. Hurry, we don't have much time. They'll be here soon." Van raced beside her.
" But who's attacking?" Rose shook her head, stopping for a moment.
" I don't know.but I have a feeling it's somebody with a grudge against me. Those creatures are the same ones that attacked Arethia and killed my parents." She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
" I'm sorry Van, we're going to have to talk later." Van nodded his head, looking slightly disappointed. Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, running off.
" Stay safe, Rose!" Rose just stood there blinking, a hand raised to her cheek. She waited until he was around the corner before grinning and pulling her arm to her side, hand in a fist.
" Yeeess!!!" Mini-celebration done, she rushed off to find Folken.
(Hahahhahahahah, just kidding. Hope I gave some of you minor heart attacks.~blinks~ wow, that sounded really mean....but MWAHAHAH! ~coughs~ anyway, on with the story!)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sargon smiled, sitting on a powerful stallion. As expected, the soldiers were now running frantically in their pathetic little fortress as he made his way slowly over the valley. He took his time, wanting to give them a moment to collect themselves. After all, the princess held no magic and did not know the spell to destroy him, so he was confident that he could win. Hybrids seethed in masses around him, totaling somewhere around 400, double the amount he had used to attack the first palace. And all of them were destroyed in that assault. Now, he would wipe out the last remaining Arethian on Gaia and gain a kingdom at that. Sargon loved it when things went his way. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Folken was busy repeating every swear word and curse he had ever heard of in his life as he rushed down the hallway, Miguel at his side. Van had been wary of letting the two stay there, but after a long conversation had agreed.
" I should have notified Rose of this somehow. I feel like a fool for letting this attack come unexpectedly." Miguel shrugged, hopping on one foot as he strapped on his armor. He was going to sneak away in his guymelef to get the Zaibach army to come and aid Fanelia. Also, it would give him a chance to see what kind of odds they had. Folken guessed correctly in the fact that Sargon brought only those hybrids, but upon researching the old legends discovered that in the past the group of sorcerers had used only 200 of they hybrids. It looked like he now had a much larger number.
" Don't worry about it Folken. You can't change the past. And you also wanted me to get that book, right?" Folken nodded as Miguel raced out to his 'melef.
" I hate to doubt you Folken, but I don't see how a fairy tale book is going to help us win this thing." Folken chuckled, watching as he climbed into his guymelef.
" It was a fairy tale that started this battle, Miguel. You see, many myths aren't really myths at all.just things so old and stories so long forgotten that things get mixed up and garbled in the translation from person to person. It happens. Whatever you do, do NOT come back until you have that book with you." The 'melef head nodded briefly, invisibility cloak falling around it. Recent improvements enabled the machines to fly while the cloak was activated, so all Miguel had to worry about was noise. And judging by what Folken could hear even though those creatures were still a fair distance away from the city itself, he didn't even have to worry about that too much. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose growled low in her throat, at the feet of Escaflowne. She didn't like this at all. Earlier on she had 'sent' herself ahead, much like she did at the forest, to see what they were up against. She nearly recoiled all the way back to her body in shock. 'Sargon is still alive.after all these years. I don't believe that he would have the gall to attack once more!' Sighing, she leaned against the cool metal, turning her sword to catch the light filtering in from the trees. She knew the decision she had to make, but now that she had talked to Van it made thinks infinitely harder.
" But then, that just means I'm being selfish, right? I mean.mom never hesitated in saying the spell..even if it meant loosing papa and me and everybody she loved. And yet here I am, thinking I shouldn't really do it..." She heaved a sigh, tapping the back against the metal lightly, trying to jar a hidden thought loose from somewhere in her brain.
' But she was an adult, and had more experience sacrificing things to better help others.' Rose glanced up, startled. The moment of fear soon dissolved into happiness as she looked into Thayanna's face.
' Thayanna! You came!' Rose jumped up and hugged the dam, smiling.
' Of course child. I brought a few friends as well.' Rose blinked, then stepped back and looked behind Thayanna. Her eyes widened momentarily. The entire clan was there, but that wasn't the reason for her surprise.
' Princess Rose, the matriarchs of the clan of Asturia yield to you.'
' Princess Rose, the matriarchs of the clan of Fried yield to you.' Rose took a step back as the 'yielding' continued. 'They...they're all here..' Thayanna tossed her head back, then lowered it to Rose's eye level.
' Every country on Gaia has a major clan, and each clan rules several sub-clans, who rule over even smaller groups, such as ours. Every clan has yielded their power to you.' Rose gulped, looking over the dragons.
' How..how many..' She stammered out faintly, struggling to take deep breaths. Thayanna chuckled as Smoak rushed forward.
' I got as many clans as I could Rose! There's 30-50 dragons in a clan, 10-20 in a sub-clan. Each clan rules over at least 25 sub-clans. Rogue bands can have any number up to 9 in them. They're all here for you.' Smoak looked up at her expectantly as she attempted to do the math in her head, failing miserably in her shock.
' Y.yes Smoak..remind me.after this..to fill an entire ballroom with cheese for you...' She absently scratched his eye ridges as he purred happily. 'Whoa..' Thayanna chuckled, looking up at Escaflowne.
' Ah yes, the suit of the gods. Is your mate coming to activate it?' Rose's eyes practically bugged out of her head.
' M.m..MATE?!?!?!?!? He's not..I mean..we're not..I.' Thayanna glanced at her, puzzled.
' You have his scent on you. Surely you have gotten into trouble?' Rose turned a shade very close to her namesake.
' No, no, no, no. Y'see, Smoak bit him and I bandaged his arm, and then we talked and then..well ok, he did kiss me.but it was on the cheek! It didn't count!' Smalythe chuckled, looking over Thayanna.
' Whatever you say, little Princess.' Rose shook her head back and forth.
" It didn't count! Nothing happened!"
" What didn't count? What didn't happen?" Rose whirled to see Van come over the small ledge, energist in hand. Some of the dragons let out a quiet growl at first, but calmed down shortly.
' Ah, there's your mate now, child.' Rose's facial color slowly turned maroon. Van just looked between the two of them in confusion, and then caught sight of the other dragons behind her. It was a heavily wooded area, so not all of the clans were visible. Rose guessed that they were scattered throughout the forest, some maybe even checking on the opposing army.
" Um...Rose?" She looked over at him. The look on his face was priceless.
" I know..it's a lot of dragons." Van blinked.
" Are they ALL from this forest?" Rose shook her head.
" Nope. They're from all of Gaia." He nodded slowly, thinking.
" You're the princess of Arethia, right?" She nodded.
" Yup."
" So that means that you."
" Yup."
" Oh wow...I do NOT envy you right now." Like her, he took a small step back. She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
" I know. But now we have a larger fighting force.the cavalry, if you will." Van nodded slightly.
" And boy, what a cavalry. I'm going to have to warn the men though..they might panic slightly." Rose chuckled wryly. 'I hope Miguel gets back soon..Folken said he had the book that contained the words to the spell.' She sighed, sheathing her sword, which she now wore openly.
" Rose? Is everything ok?" Rose glanced at Van, managing a weak smile. She had to protect everybody..no matter what happened.
" Yeah. Everything is fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all. I'll be fine." He quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged, not pushing the issue, climbing up Escaflowne to start it up. 'You see, this is why I love him..'
' Ah hah! Caught you, Rose.' Rose whirled and looked at Thayanna, flushing again.
' It doesn't count!' * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose panted slightly, resisting the urge to wipe her face off with her hand, which was covered in mud and blood. They had been fighting for most of the day, and losses were heavy on both sides. 'Those hybrids were faster than we expected..and Sargon is no help either.' A squeal alerted her, and she leapt to the side as a hybrid charged her, fangs and claws bared. She landed, rolling over a corpse of another monster that she had killed. She fought the urge to vomit as she got up to her feet, readying herself. As the hybrid made a second pass, she flared her wings, jumped, and sliced her sword down it's back, splitting it's spinal cord in two. With a last high-pitched cry, it sank to the ground and twitched for a moment.
" It looks like we come at a draw for today princess! I'll see you tomorrow at dawn! Until then!" Sargon shouted from his horse, which fighters had been unable to pick off, even in all the fighting. Once he had delivered his message, he disappeared, along with his hybrids. Sighing, she sank to her knees, sticking her sword into the ground and leaning against it.
" And so, the first day has finished." Rose forced herself to stand, wobbling slightly. Many of the soldiers were starting towards the castle where they would be given rooms in the barracks and, if need be, the courtyards. The dragons were picking up the ones that had fallen. Her heart ached at the sight. Even though very few had died, it hurt to see them just lying there. Once the dragons burned the bodies, they would allow the humans to take the energists that resided in the ashes. She stretched wearily, Smoak catching the corner of her eye. He was running towards her.
' Rose!' * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van walked with Allen over the battlefield, looking for those few injured that could be treated, giving mercy to those who couldn't.
" I hate this." He spat out bitterly, stepping over a hybrid corpse. The forces from Zaibach wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. Allen nodded, frowning and looking at the active dragons.
" To burn the dead.it doesn't happen often for them, does it?" Van shook his head no.
" I don't think so. And yet they all fight anyway. I don't know why.it's really not their problem." Van paused, bowing slightly to a fallen dragon with vibrant red scales.
" Actually, it is. Their princess is in danger. They're loyal attendants to their ruler. Speaking of which, where is she?" Van blinked. 'That's right,' he thought dazedly, 'I haven't seen her all day.' Worry and panic filled him, but he was restrained from rushing forward by a hand on his shoulder.
" She'll be fine, Van. I think that's her over there." He followed Allen's point to a dragon. Frowning slightly, he walked over.
It was indeed Rose. Her head was bowed and she was crouched, balancing on the balls of her feet and resting her forehead against her hands, elbows on her knees. Hesitantly, he put a hand to her shoulder. It was shaking slightly.
"..Rose?" She just shook her head, refusing to look up.
" Thayanna..." Van glanced at her, and then to what was beside her. A dusky green dragon lay motionless, eyes slightly open and glazed. Its body was covered in bite marks, and it looked like it's spine was broken. Come to think of it..that one looked particularly..he let out a soft gasp.
" Oh Rose.." He knelt, gathering her form to him in a hug. Allen looked between them, bowed, and left.
" It's not fair..it's not fair." She muttered into his shoulder, her grip tightening around him. He made small sounds of comfort, rocking her slightly.
" I know..I know..it'll be ok..it's going to be alright..we'll make that bastard Sargon pay.it's alright, Rose." He stroked her hair softly, murmuring in her ear. She let out a quiet sob, and soon she was crying, making a wet spot on his shoulder. He held her until the sun set, and her shoulders stopped shaking. A large red dragon waited patiently by Rose.
" Um.Rose? There's a dragon." He stroked her hair again, shifting into a more comfortable position. She let out a strange growl slash rumble, and the dragon nodded, picked up Thayanna in his mouth, and walked slowly over to where bonfires were already roaring. Sniffling, she raised her head slightly, looking at him.
" I'm sorry.I kind of wrecked your shirt.." She paused, then giggled. After the battle, it was beyond cleaning or repair anyway.
" It's ok. Do you think you can go back to the castle now?" She nodded, looking for all the world like a lost little girl. At that moment, she reminded him of the six-year-old version of herself. He stood, helping her up, keeping an arm around her shoulder. And, like that, they made their way slowly back to the castle.
At her door, Van paused. Rose looked at him, smiling tiredly.
" Thank you Van..for everything." He looked at her, nodding. Even covered in dirt, looking as tired as she did, she still took his breath away.
" You're beautiful, you know that, Rose?" She let out a tired chuckle, looking at the floor.
" You're not so bad yourself." He gave her a lopsided grin. Rose leaned against her door, studying him. He stood quietly, wondering what exactly she was looking for.
" You know.when I was a kid, I don't think you heard me give you a reply to the last thing you said to me." This caused him to snap his gaze to her eyes, questioning her silently. Before he had a chance to actually say anything, she stepped forward, snaked her arms around his neck, and pulled his head down towards her. He had to shoot his hands out to brace himself against the wall as her lips met his in a kiss that left his mind numb. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, and he risked removing one hand from the wall to wrap it around her waist, pulling her closer. It was official. He was in heaven. He felt her smile against the kiss, and he tasted salt mixed in with her. A tiny alarm rang in his brain. 'Why was she crying?' But the she kissed him again, and the thought was forgotten. Hesitatingly, he ran his hand over her cheek and back into her hair, tracing her lips with his tongue. Gladly, she deepened the kiss. Soon they had to break away for air, and he looked at her in amazement.
" I love you, Van Fanel." She smiled gently, tracing his jawline softly. He captured her hand with his own, kissing the back of it.
" I love you too, Rose." Her smile broadened, but the trail of tears down her face didn't continue.
" Goodnight." She opened the door and slipped into her room, leaving him standing out in the hall.
" Goodnight," he whispered softly, and then headed to his own suite. It was going to be another day of fighting tomorrow, but at the moment he felt like he could take on the world. * * * * * * * * * * * *
(oh gosh, I can't believe I just wrote that..~flush flush~)
Rose sighed, regret tinged with happiness. She was standing in a calm section of the battlefield, and she was preparing herself for the spell she would be casting soon. Last night only strengthened her resolve, and when Miguel came with the book.and the army..early into the battle, she rushed to wherever she could find some quiet. She sighed, clutching Miguel's necklace, along with her mothers. She was going to need all the power she could muster for this. She didn't have her family's court to help her with the spell.
" By all the gods who protect this Gaian soil and the ones who protect the blue moon that hangs in the sky, I, Rose, Princess of Arethians, Daughter of Aranor, ask for your assistance." * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sargon was just starting to enjoy himself. 'A few more days of this carnage and I'll break through their ranks and get my hands on that worthless little princess.' He smirked, watching the battles. Her pathetic guardian had been killed yesterday, making it simpler for him to reach her. He was about to press forward to search for her when a hybrid near him keened and fell over. His eyes widened in shock as more started to fall.
" No! Damn it all! This can't be happening! I won't LET it happen!" He wheeled his horse around, picking up a lance from a fallen Basranian. She would PAY! In the distance, he saw her, striding into the battlefield, looking fierce and holding her sword at her side. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van looked around. Something was happening. The creatures that Sargon had sent out to meet them were starting to drop dead for no reason. Not that he wasn't happy about that, but they wouldn't do that unless there was a very big reason. And whatever it was, he was sure that Rose was behind it. At the thought of her name, he flushed scarlet, hand going to his lips again.
" I hope she's being careful." * * * * * * * * * * * *
" And so, I beg of the gods, come down from your places in the heavens and destroy all who oppose us! Rid this place of the evil which has taken many away from their friends and loved ones. I ask this of you! Let it be done!" There was a bolt of lightning, striking the earth and charring a hybrid black. 'Niiiiiccee.' Rose thought tiredly, feeling the energy rush from her body. Her vision didn't start to waver, and she wondered at that.
' It's because you're stronger, Rose.' She blinked. Hitomi was standing with Vargain and Aranor beside her, shimmering slightly.
' M.mom? Mama?..Dad?' She stumbled slightly, catching herself before she hit the ground. Aranor smiled, eyes shimmering with tears as she held Vargains hand.
' My daughter..we're so proud of you..so very proud. But Sargon is not yet destroyed.look.' Aranor then pointed off to the side. In a rush, Rose was herself again, with the same amount of energy she had before. Sargon was riding towards Van, behind him, lance leveled in position with his heart.
" No." She started running towards them both. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van turned as he heard hooves thundering towards him. Taking a step back, he crossed his arms in front of him as Sargon bore down on him, lance glinting dangerously in the sun.
" VAN!!!" Something shoved him aside, crying out as Sargon rode past. 'He missed.' But then.why was he laughing? Van looked at Sargon, who was starting to wither where he sat, horse pawing the air.
" It looks like I got what I came for after all, little Princess! Now my wife is avenged.and you'll burn forever in the pits of h-" He was cut off as a curved sword flew at him, embedding itself in his forehead. With a shocked expression on his face, he fell off the horse and collapsed to the ground, lay still for a moment, and then withered away completely. The sword clattered to the ground, and Allen rushed to pick it up. 'So.Rose had saved me..'
" Van.." He turned to thank her. His mouth opened in a silent gape as he took in her appearance. The lance that Sargon had was snapped in half, part of it embedded in her shoulder, the other half lying on the ground. She took a step towards him, stumbled, and sank to her knees, tears rising in her eyes.
" Rose!" Van rushed over to her, laying her down gently, cradling her head in his arms.
" Is..is it over? Is everybody...are they ok?" She asked anxiously, worry and pain shining in her eyes. He nodded, eyelids stinging.
" Y.yes. It's over, Rose." His voice caught, and she smiled lightly, raising her good arm to his face, cupping his cheek in her palm.
" I had to, you know..because.because I care about this place..and no matter what I've ever said to you..before..I love you, Van..no matter what happens..to me..I'll ALWAYS...always love you..no matter what.." He smiled through his tears, brushing her hair back.
" I know..I love..Rose.." He stopped, tears blurring his vision so that he couldn't see. He hadn't completed his sentence because Rose's hand had fallen to the ground.
AN: I can't believe it..I actually cried when I wrote this!!! I'm such a wuss.~sniffle~.but please.don't kill me..depending on the opinions of the reviewers, I can make this continue ^-^ ~sniffs again~ so cute..ahem. Reviews! ^_^v