A/N: After much trouble *and finally finding a player's guide* I shall continue this fic. As it is partly novelization, I shall start avoiding ANs until the last few chapters. The only exception will be to answer any questions or recieve criticism.

**************************************************************

...... the scarlet rose from it's place. He stood up to look Seto dead in the eyes as Simon let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, but your 'utopia' isn't possible. I'd much rather side with the team that doesn't lie." Drake spat.

"How dissapointing." The general shook his head. He looked up, and smirked at his new opponant." Fine. I'll let you go.... for now. It's not very sporting to try and defeat you before you even meet your leader. Tell Yugi I said hello."

{Yugi!? YES, now I KNOW I made the right decision!} Drake thought happily." Later, Kaiba."

The Crusador blinked as the two walked off. " Kaiba? Who?"

Five hours later, the Lancastrian and the Rose Duelist landed near Brest, in France.

Simon indicated a small area of aligned stones a short distance away." We created that replica of Stonhenge to try and summon you in our own territory, but it failed. I suppose if the White Rose cards had been used, it would've succeeded, but-" His voice trailed off.

When the two were out of distance, the place were they had been standing suddenly revealed a person standing near it.

"My ancestor's cloak has served me well yet again." The White Rose leader chuckled, throwing the cloak off his dragonoid armor." Visibility can be such a liability at times. Now, let's see about this White Rose 'Stonehenge'."

His eyes narrowed as he walked toward it." According to the Temple's legends, the Rose Duelist's closest support will be his greatest weakness. The Lancastrians have the Rose, but if I'm right, I'm about to have his Thorns!"

**************************************************************

"Are you sure you can't find him anywhere?" Lara asked desperately. The others shook their heads glumly. Drake's dissapearance in Gym class had caused a small panic throughout the school. Though students were sent home, Yugi and the others had stayed behind to search.

"He HAS to be somewhere around here." Yugi said assuringly. Lara's face had been plastered with worry ever since. "Besides, it's not like he could be kidnapped, he's just use the Gauntlet to telepor-"

Yugi's voice stopped. Lara turned around to see Drake's Millenium Gauntlet, held gingerly by a grievous Joey.

Lara's eyes filled tears. She stepped back and forth, suddenly feeling light-headed. In fact, to the others, she even LOOKED light.

"What the- what's going on!?" Joey exclaimed as the air around her turned bright. Lara fell to the ground in a dead faint, but before she hit it, dissapeared into the vanishing light.

Yugi and Joey stared at each other in confusion. They heard the others running across the hall to see what happened.

"Great...... nothing ever gets to be easy." Yugi groaned.

**************************************************************

Drake looked around in wonder as Simon led him down the hall of the fortress at Brest. Paintings of every Duel Monster in Yugi's deck covered the walls, and every now and then you'd see a statue of a prominant monster, such as the Flame Swordsman and, of course, the Dark Magician.

At the end of the hall, Simon nodded to the guards, who both opened the wide doors in front of them. Inside was obviously a dining room, with one large, rectangular table.

"I present to you our Prince, the pride and hope of the Celts, and all who call themselves Welsh, Hen-"

"That's enough, Simon." Yugi chuckled. Drake noticed that Yugi was much the same in this timelne as his own, but some differences were there. For one, his voice was inbetween the level of deepness of Yugi and Yami's voices. His eyes held Yami's steel-like confidence, yet also had the innocence and worry that were quickly being diminshed, such as Yugi's. He wore a black leather suit with a similar cape, as well as some of his trademark buckles and belts. "My name is Yugi. Actually, I'm called Henry Tudor, but I find it a tad tiresome. So, just call me Yugi."

"No problem there." Drake nodded." So... you're supposed to be King of England?"

"Yeah, unfortunatly, that's why this war even exists." Came Joey's voice across the table. He wore brown armor, but that was the only noticable difference." If those losers hadn't ev' defied Yuge's right to the throne, there wouldn't be so many lost lives already counted on English ground!"

"That's not the only reason this war still exists." the equivilant of Solomon Moto said." We would be sitting in the grand dinner chambers of the palace right now if the Rose Crusaders hadn't shone up."

"Your uncle speaks the truth, mi'lord." Came, of all people, Shadi's reply. He wore a suit of clothes fit for a policeman of the time, only a bit more stylish, though his hat was, like his turban back home, white.

"Judge Shadi! Finally speaking up, are we?"

Drake's eyes bulged as he saw the owner of the voice, the person he would have expected least likely to be on their side. Except for the red armor he wore, the near-perfect copy of Yami Bakura looked exactly the same as the last time Drake had seen him.

"Forgive me, Secretary of Defense Bakura, but your crimes are still being debated by my court. Until the appropriate sentence is decided on, you can pay your debt to society by helping us win it back." Shadi said coldly.

Bakura closed his eyes and grinned in his evil way." That's why you Brits need someone from France, like me, on your side: You're much too serious. And what if those trespassers HAD been Yorkists, hmm? Would I still be facing Banishment, Life in prison, and several death penalties?"

"Regardless, they were our inspectors from Rennes. Your hometown, in case you don't remember." Shadi glared. " Conveniant that the only ones who bore knowledge of what goes on in that city were found in pieces near the river, right after your day off."

"Can we get back to the present already, by Mary's sake?" came, surprisingly, Mai's voice." I may look young, but by the time this conversation ends I WILL look old enough to be the Queen."

Drake restrained himself from staring, though for the first time he noticed the similarity between Mai's hair and the golden third of Yugi's.

"Mother speaks the truth." Yugi said, embarassed. "The crises must be dealt with now. Our supplies are strectched as it is, and if we cannot invade England by August, the war is an emminant failure."

"We have all been training ourselves to duel as best we can, but, no matter our skill, we could not hope to overpower Seto's forces." Tea said, looking down." Of course, if the rumors are true, even I would have the skill to defeat King Richard in a duel."

There was some slight chuckling around the table. Yugi stood up." Drake, I request that you help us by taking out the Rose Crusaders. Although it would be best to defeat them all by August, any reduction to their forces will be a tremendous help. Basically, the more Rose cards we gain, the easier it will be to break the barrior, and defeat them."

"The plan has already been laid out." Mako said, wearing little more than a sailor's shorts and a harpoon on his back. " We sail to Milford Haven, on the west coast of England, and from there march straight to Bosforth Field, the center of England. From there, we can attack every city under Yorkist control, including Lancashire, the very castle itself."

"Drake, Mako will take you to milford Haven, were you will be able to head to almost all of the Yorkist outposts immediately." Yugi said. "You may rest here for the night. I must head to Windsor, near Stonehenge, to secure the safety of the troops."

He left; though Tea followed him out. Bakura whispered something to Joey, who chuckled and nodded.

"With all his trips to Windsor, one might think my nephew was going there just to be near Second Lieutenant Tea!" the Grandpa-like man laughed.

**************************************************************

Lara slowly opened her eyes. She looked left and right, realizing her unfamilier surroundings.

First of all, she was in a large, white, four-poster bed. The room was large and spacious, and was empty except for the blue drapes over the windows, which cast a violet hue across the room.

She slowly started getting up, but failed, feeling too weak. As the sheets fell down, refitting her form, she moaned.

"Where am I, the fifteenth century? I can't think of any other reason why I'd be in bed without clo- wait, there is one." Lara reddened at that. "But that only applies after Drake and I get mar- DRAKE! He's still missing, I need to-"

"Get some rest." Came a familier voice. Lara looked up, carefully holding her sheets, and saw the face of-

"Ishizu!? What's going on here?" Lara asked, surprised to see her old friend. Ishizu's eyes widened.

"How do you know my first name? That honor applies only to Master Rozenkruez!"

Lara blinked." Who? Ugh, I really AM at of my time, aren't I?"

Ishizu nodded." True. Everything will be explained to you in time, I promise, but you must be patient. You were in a tired state when you came to this time, and that caused your body to recieve a few physical injuries. Once they heal, Master Rozenkruez will tell you all you need to know. By the way, please refer to me a Ishtar, otherwise some may think I know more about you."

She walked off with this tart remark, and Lara drowsily fell back to sleep.

**************************************************************

Next chapter: After the FINAL section of the prolougue, the story truly begins. Drake and Lara recieve Deck Leader forms, and are sent on quests for the Rose cards. Also, Drake's Deck Leader form may have some drastic side effects. All this and more, in the next chapter of Dragon of the Roses. Please r'n'r.