Disclaimer- own nothing except for my wonderful ideas (hah hah just j/k)….but seriously, I don't own Dragon Knights.

Author's note- I see I have some reviews ^_^….just to clear something up, even though Rath left his dragon and Gil found it somewhere, Rath hadn't actually lost his dragon to Gil. If Rath asked for Fire back, Gil would probably had given Fire to him…even if he hadn't, since Rath hadn't formally given Fire to Gil, Gil had no right to keep Fire in the first place…but that's getting off topic…

…anyway, my point is that since Thatz had given Kharl his dragon himself on his own free will (he wasn't threatened or drunk…), he had NO more control over Earth anymore (Kharl was his new master)….and when someone loses complete control over his Dragon he ends up not being a dragon knight…does that make sense? …I hope so, 'cause I'm too lazy to explain further ^_^

Chapter 2: You have a plan B?!

"This better work," Rune said sharply to Thatz as Kharl was walking into the Dining Room (fancy). "I don't want to lose-"

"Don't worry!" Thatz said, winking. "Even if it doesn't work, I've got a plan B!"

"WHAT!?" Rune said rather loudly. Everyone turned to stare at him. He looked around, a blank look on his face. Then everyone turned to help Kharl with his utensils (he was holding the fork the wrong way).

"You made a plan B!?" Rune said more quietly as Kai-stern had to make sure Kharl wouldn't eat the candles ("They look so delicious though!") "You need a plan B?!"

"Just in case…" Thatz said, scooping a bunch of cookies into his plate.

"What's the plan again??" Rath asked, looking anxiously at Kharl.

"You'll see, you'll see…'' Thatz said, gulping down a big glass of milk (with his cookies).

"You need to tell us sometime!!" Rune said loudly again. But everyone else was noticing the constant buildup of dust around the Dining Room (fancy) table. Garfakcy was using his dust mask and gloves, along with a sponge and some 409, to clean up the mess. Unfortunately for him, one bottle wasn't enough…but eventually the dust gave up and everyone could eat without dust in their food (though Thatz didn't notice the dust).

Dinner ended, and everyone was supposed to go to the Living Room (very big). Thatz stopped a very scarily cheerful Kharl in the hallway. "Hey Kharl, you know that poker game we played yesterday?"

"Yep," Kharl smiled his scarily cheerful smile. Garfakcy was glaring at the mess his master had made by trying to carve the candles.

"Well," Thatz said, "We should play another game sometime!"

"Yep," Kharl continued to scarily smile.

"How about now? We can bet on a game of Crazy Eights or something!" (He's not allowed to play Poker anymore…)

"Sure!" Kharl said, still trying to carve one of the dinner candles (much to Garfakcy's distress).

"Ok, meet me in my- I mean your room in ten minutes!" Thatz said, trying not to stare at Kharl's hands (which were using a spoon to carve the candle).

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

"You better win, or I'm gonna kill you,' Rune said, a scary glare/smile on his face (that should take you awhile to picture….hah hah ^_^).

"Don't worry," Thatz said, winking again. Rune was NOT convinced.

"You're betting one of my most prized possessions on a game of Crazy Eights!!" Rune said loudly again.

"Well, I had to bet a dragon for a dragon-"

"Yeah yeah," Rune said. "Just don't blow it."

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

Kharl smiled happily as Garfakcy looked worried at him. "Should you really bet your dragon? You won't be a dragon knight anymore if you don't have a dragon you can (legally) control." And with your luck, we'll be out of the castle in ten minutes.

"Don't worry," Kharl said happily. "Besides, Earth wouldn't mind!"

"How he's a well known wizard that demons fear I'll never understand," Garfakcy muttered.

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

"Ok, you ready?" Thatz said as he shuffled the card deck. "If I win, I get Earth back, and if you win, you get Water." Rune winced.

"Okay," Kharl scarily cheerfully replied, patting his now finished candle sculpture …of a candle (what else?).

Thatz dealt five cards to both of them. He then placed the deck in the middle of the table. He flipped the top card of the deck over. It was an Ace of Hearts.

"Heads or tails?" Thatz asked Kharl, who was still petting his candle sculpture.

"Heads," Kharl said absent-mindedly.

Thatz flipped the coin. "Tails," he said happily. He looked at his cards: Jack of Diamonds, Four of Spades, Two of Clubs, Five of Diamonds, and Ten of Hearts.

Good, I don't have to draw yet, Thatz thought cheerfully. He grinned at Rune. Rune just became even more depressed.

Thatz placed his Ten of Hearts on the pile. Kharl looked closely at his cards, then placed a Five of Hearts on the table.

Perfect! Thatz thought as he placed his Five of Diamonds on the Table. Kharl looked closely at his cards again (such concentration…), and placed a Four of Diamonds on the pile. Thatz played his Jack of Diamonds. Then Kharl (after studying his cards again) placed a Three of Diamonds on the pile. Thatz's grin faded slightly. I still have a chance, He thought as he drew his first card. It was a Three of Clubs. He placed it on the table.

Kharl frowned. He drew seven cards (giving him a total of nine) before getting a Six of Clubs. Thatz couldn't help but grin. I only have two cards left! He thought happily. Even if I had to draw five new cards I'd still probably beat him!

Then he looked at his hand. Oh yeah, I only have a Four of Spades and a Two of Clubs…I don't even need to draw this turn! He played his Two of Clubs.

Kharl studied his cards. Then he played a Seven of Clubs.

Thatz drew his first card. Five of Hearts. Frowning, he drew another card. Queen of Diamonds. He drew three new cards. Six of Spades, Nine of Diamonds, and Jack of Hearts. Uh oh… he thought. His next card was the Eight of Spades. He placed it on the table.

Kharl looked closely at his cards. He played a King of Spades…

***********

The game had gone on for an hour. Both Thatz and Kharl had only two cards left. Thatz had his Queen of Diamonds, and his Jack of Hearts. There was a King of Diamonds on top of the card pile, and it was his turn. He played his Queen of Diamonds. Kharl then (after studying his cards again, of course) played an Eight of Clubs. Thatz drew an Ace of Clubs. He placed it on the table.

Kharl placed his last card, the Ten of Clubs, on the pile. "I win!" He said cheerfully as Rune, Thatz, and even Garfakcy stared blankly at the wizard.

"But- But- But-" Thatz sputtered as Kharl stood up. He picked up his candle sculpted candle. "Well, I guess it's time to go now, Earth and Water!" Water threw various signs of "Help me!" and "Don't let him take me Rune!!" and Kharl picked him up and put him on his right shoulder, and he put Earth on his left. "Oh yes, this is my room, isn't it?" He said, giggling to himself. Garfakcy muttered again, while Rune stood up. He grabbed Thatz by the ear and walked out of the room. As soon as they got down the hall he went ballistic…

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?" he yelled. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID "Don't worry"!! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU COULD WIN!!!" he instinctively unsheathed his sword, but then realized he wasn't carrying one at the moment. Not like it mattered anymore…

"Don't worry!!!" Thatz said. "I've got a plan B!!"

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

We've got to get out of here!!! Water wrote as he paced around Thatz's-former-now-Kharl's room.

Kharl's a Nice guy though!! Earth said.

He's gonna kill us!! Watch him burn the castle down with that candle!! All this paper is flammable you know!!

He won't do that- Earth wrote, when suddenly they two dragons could see smoke coming out of the kitchen, followed by Garfakcy running into the kitchen with a bucket of water. That was probably just an accident Earth wrote.

Water was meanwhile plotting his escape…and he was planning to somehow get Earth to escape with him.

End of chapter 2

Will Thatz's Plan B work? Will someone else have to give up- lend a dragon or even something more valuable?? Will Water be able to escape, and if he can how will he get Earth to come with him??

And will Rune really kill Thatz…find out this and more in the next chapter of Ex-Dragon Knight!