Diary ~
It seems I write more and more often. But it because nearly everyday now, there is something to write about. But today's adventure was frightening as well as exciting as well as intriguing. I am still so confused.
Hoax was more of a fort than a town, and a poorly fortified one at that. It would be a wonder if the Sandorans didn't taken it over. The person in charge was a man named Kaiser, who appointed Dart and Lavitz as the southern guards and Shana and I as healers and cooks. Is it because we are females that we always get these positions? But I am a better fighter than most men, due to my father's rigorous training, or at least I was when I was younger. I have been training more now, to get back into the shape I was. I think Father would be proud if he could see me.
But I won't see him ever again. I cannot stand to face him now, knowing that I ran away from him. Sometimes I will wake up and go outside to practice a simple few kicks, and wait for him to appear in the doorway looking out, watching me with that scrutinizing look, criticizing. But he never appears and I ask myself why do I still miss him?
But again I am off the topic. I must stop that. The attack came at night, when the night owls hooted until I began to feel a headache. I sat outside the headquarters, on the steps with Shana.
Dart was beginning to come down the stairs of the wall-gate when the owls stopped hooting. I knew as well as my son did that something had to be in the forest that startled them, because in a fluttering of wings they were suddenly in the sky, and a terrible roar filled the night air.
The attack came from the north, arrows flying into the air and striking several of the soldiers. I remember yelling at Shana to help the wounded even as I myself am running forward, delivering a devastating kick to one of the incoming soldiers.
Dart and Lavitz fought bravely; I saw this from the corner of my eyes. Another man crumbled under my fists. I had forgotten how much I loved to fight. Father was right about that; fighting was consuming. But in the distance, behind all the soldiers I saw someone. A giant, twice or three times my height, enormous, carrying and equally enormous axe or blade with him.
Shana screamed for my help. I ran towards her, battling the Sandorans away from her and the wounded that she was helping. "I can't take care of all of these!" She cried, and I abandoned fighting for healing.
But the scream of pain brought my attention back to my son.
He was fighting the giant that I had seen before. A Giganto, one of the wounded told me, an ancient species thought to be extinct. The Sandorans had the help of the last one, named Kongol.
I cauterized and bandaged the wounds but my eyes were on the fight. I watched, terrified, as he practically killed the knight and my son. Lavitz was thrown several yards and Dart was battered thoroughly, lying on the ground.
"Dart!" I scream. "Watch out!"
But I needn't have worried. They recovered swiftly. Quicker and more graceful, the two of them ducked the giant's axe and attacked with their additions and strategies, weakening Kongol until he was nearly defeated.
Lavitz had taken a rather rough blow and lain twitching on the ground. Dart raised his sword for the final attack, to down this giant, and I watched in amazement.
But the Giganto was not quite as slow as we all thought. He must have been faking being weak and on the ground because as Dart neared him, he swung upward with his axe, knocking the sword from my son's hands. Dart flew backwards several feet, and I cried out as the giant loomed over my darling son, axe lifted for the final blow.
"Dart!" This scream was Shana's and it was terrible.
But then another amazing thing happened. It seems my life is filled with these all of a sudden.
Something swoops out of the sky. I thought it an angel at first, but it wore dark armor. I will never forget what happened. It hovered above Dart's body, blocking the axe with its sword and knocked Kongol back a few steps with a powerful kick. It flew upwards again, beating powerful wings that shimmered with energy and dripped magical dust. I could feel its aura, bursting with restrained power, emanating a particular element, concentrated like no human could do.
A Dragoon! I remember gasping.
It pointed its sword at Dart. "Wake up!" It commanded in a powerful voice that made many of the battles stop to stare. "Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon!"
And then Dart was covered in the same magical dust and energy. It crawled all over his body, a flaring red like fire. I thought he had been set on fire until it began to fade, leaving a beautiful red armor covering him, and his sword flew back in his hands, also seemingly recreated from the fire. Wings, strong, green with red veins and support, burst from his back and beat so powerfully that the people around him staggered back.
He moved as if he knew how to all along, pushing the Giganto back and casting a spell.
Magic! I saw him yell the name of the spell but was too far away to hear it.
Fire spilled forth from him, engulfing Kongol and making him sail through the air to land on his head.
Dart slowly drifted to the ground and the wings stayed.
"Dart!" Lavitz yelled, pulling himself to his feet. "What's going on?"
"I don't know…" Dart said quietly. "I don't know what's happening to me?!" He was hysterical until the dark angel I had seen flew down to settle beside him, much more confident. It was covered in the energy, but a violet-blue kind, dark. When the light faded, a human stood there. A woman, this was obvious even at my distance by the long legs and hair, and the way she carried herself. I ran over to them.
"The knight of the Dragon…" The woman was saying as I neared earshot. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and I think she winked at him. So confident. "The Dragoon was born."
Dart is a Dragoon?
By the way, Kongol recovered. The woman looked at him and said, "I am surprised you didn't die". He snarled something and ran off with the rest of the Sandorans. Hoax would stay up for a while yet.
"Dart!" Shana ran, stopped in front of him. "Are you all right?"
He looked at her dazedly, murmured her name, and collapsed. The flash of light washed over him and the wings disappeared.
I was so shocked then. I remember not being able to move but I found myself saying, "We have to get him inside."
The woman followed us. I paid her no heed at first until I had my son settled. Then I looked at her.
It was like looking into a mirror, except this reflection was still young and beautiful, a perfect image of myself perhaps twenty years ago. I stood there like a statue, gawking at her. She looked back, smirked at me as if she knew what I was thinking. She scared me for a moment. Even now I'm still scared of her, but also awed, intrigued, curious. She has skin like cherry blossoms and hair like the sky on a starless night. She looks exactly like me twenty years ago. I shiver now. The only thing different about her is the way she carries herself, calm and collected, sure of herself, and her eyes, cold smoke, held something mysteriously dark.
Shana started arguing with her then. "What have you done to Dart?" she demanded.
The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder, again. Her every motion drew attention. "I saved his life. I should be thanked, so why are you yelling at me?"
When Dart woke up, he seemed to recognize the woman. "Hello."
She smiled at him, a smile that radiated nothing and didn't seem to mean itself. "Hello. You are feeling better, I see."
"You know this person?" Shana asked at the same time I did.
"She is someone important to me." Dart replied, sitting up and smiling at the woman.
The woman raised finely cultured eyebrows. "Are you hitting on me?"
"No. I'm sorry. Shana, Mom, this woman…" He obviously didn't know her name, and I was slightly upset at that. I had raised my son with manners.
"My name is Rose."
Rose. That name seems familiar, but I don't remember from where. Dart explained that this was the woman that had saved him from the Dragon. A short conversation ensued, and Rose told us that they were both Dragoons.
"But that wasn't why I saved you." She admitted. "I saved you because you and your friends intrigue me. You seem so much like my old friends. They were a lot like you."
"Where are they now?" Shana asked.
"Dead."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I think I was wrong about you." Shana apologized. It is good if they get along.
But anyway, Rose is teaching Dart how to be a good Dragoon fighter right now. I'm watching as they fly through the air, swords clanging, magics colliding. The remaining soldiers are watching in awe. Kaiser was wounded, and as Shana healed it for him, he suggested that she stay. He thought it would be too dangerous of she went with us to protect the Eleventh Knighthood, which was being attacked by the Dragon. But Shana refused. She's getting stronger now, because I am training her. I hope to Soa I am not turning out like Father did. She and Lavitz have gone to get the supplies and when the two Dragoons are done training, we will leave.