Chapter 10: explore
I disclaim all characters that don't belong to me. Oh that's specific. Anyway! Hello dear readers. I just wanna give a big thanks to Water Goddess.(applause)) and hope you like my new chapter! It's cool! It's hip! And man on man, do I need to shut up!

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I was happy. Yeah, that's right. I was actually happy. We were riding down to Hoax, Aron side by side with the princess Ella and Zeek by me. He didn't sneer at me. He didn't smile. But some kindness was better than none. Or none meanness was better than some. Or— forget it. The woods were around us as we rode easily down the paved path, and soon we could smell something burning. Like factories or fires from the oven. I looked through the green leaves to see the walls of a fortress-like town. I sighed a little as I took it all in. Zeek smiled a little bit as we entered through the large steel gates. He looked good when he smiled. And then it went away as Ella came up to him from her horse.

"Can we please sleep at this town? I don't wanna have to sleep on the ground. Please?" she asked.

"Of course." he said. She kissed his cheek and then rode back up to Aron. Damn, good feeling was over and done with. Zeek was tense again. So what was going on with him? Was he really in love with her or not? I pouted a little as I pondered. Why couldn't I see? Why did I care?

"Hey! The chapel!" I yelled, all of a sudden. It was rebuilt and more beautiful than ever. I chuckled as I rushed to get off my horse. I succeeded in falling on my poor arse. The horse sighed as if in irritation. Zeek looked over to me in surprise. I laughed and stood.

"Hey, I wanna explore this place! Please take my horse to the stables! Thanks!" I said, dusting my rear off. I smiled and laughed.

Did you ever wonder how wonderful the chapel had once been? I usually did. I wanted to see the art and life of this place. There were houses al around and barely any signs of war, except the fortress sham. I laughed as I threw the doors to the chapel open. But what I saw wasn't the art I had expected. It was quite with a few people praying. A couple of children ran through the massive place. I sighed and heard my breath catch. There were murals on the wall painted by an elaborate hand. They were gory and sad. The first Dragoon campaign was laid out before me. I felt tears prick my eyes. Both sides had felt the exhaustion of war. How badly it had hurt how much death had been? Too much? Or just enough for realization to hit the wall? I dared to look beyond that. There was the story of Zeig and Rose here. Of how they had loved. And died in the last Dragon Campaign. I started to sniff more as I saw them die. I couldn't help it. That's what I felt. Everything was hurting inside. I looked on to the rest of the mural and noticed how it was unfinished. A hand touched my shoulder lightly she had blond hair and was wearing overalls. She held a paintbrush in her hand and she smiled at me.

"That was the effect I was going for." she told me. "You look a lot like that lady Rose there. She traveled once with the late Sir Lavitz. He's way past late. I wonder if his mother ever got the painting?" she wondered, talking to herself and painting.

"You were the artist! In Bales!" I said, excited.

"Yeah, that was me. I loved ir Lavitz. He was my hero. Do you think I captured his essence?" she asked, pointing to the wall. I looked at where her finger pointed. Lavitz was there in a more lifelike form than I'd ever encounter. I gasped at it.

"You did. You're . . . amazing!" I said.

"Thanks. My children sure think so. Elizabeth watches me paint while the others play around. She's got the eye. I'll teach her to succeed me." said the artist. I smiled that she had done well. I always liked this menial character. I walked away and out the door. People were hustling and bustling in this town. I loved it. I loved the taste in the air. Life. Without Life . . . there would be no death. I shook my head to my thoughts. The darkness was with me. And nothing could erase it.

I think I liked it.

I wondered around a bit, trying out the samples at the stands and then going into random buildings. It was around dusk before I decided to look for my friends. They hadn't told me where to meet them. So naturally, I went to the look-out. There was an old man who watched the stars with smiling old eyes. I sat with him as the stars went out.

"The moon that never sets is gone nowadays." said the old man. I looked at him for a moment before looking back to the moon. I thought it had been blown up. Or something like that.

"What do you speak of? It's uh . . . not there. . ." i said. He was right. There was a big black darkness in the sky. I was confused again. I heard my name being called and rushed down. A man in red armor stood in the street and called out my name. I watched him for a moment. He looked for me. And then his eyes met mine. I smiled at him and he smiled back. And then his smile vanished. I heard something from behind me and looked to see a big green dragon. It's claws bit into my flesh and I was lifted up. Zeek called my name, but I couldn't hear. I then snapped out of it and cut its leg with my sword.

Aron rushed to catch me and succeeded. The dragon stopped all motion except for its wings. It stared into Aron's eyes for a few moments and then left. People sopped panicking. I looked to the bandit and wondered. What had just passed between human and dragon? Zeek ran up to me as Ella was left a little behind. We went into the hotel and people stared at the red blood and cut fabric. Ella shooed the men away as she looked at my cuts.

"Do they sting?" she asked me. I nodded my head yes. "I'm gonna have to clean them. Then I'll heal them with the magic my mother left me." Why was Ella being so nice? She cleaned and healed my wounds and sewed my shirt back up.

"Do you love Zeek?" I asked. She shot me a dangerous look and then reconsidered.

"Yes." she said, her voice seeming uncertain.

"Like you would a husband?" I pursued.

"I suppose so. . ."

"Would you like to tell me?"

"No. I don't know you enough." Case closed. Or delayed.

She smiled at me and showed off her handiwork to the men. Yeah, I was just the mannequin. I felt used for Ella's popularity. Zeek and Aron still seemed worried. We decided to get to bed afterwards and start early. I consented easily.

Ella asleep before I could fold down the blankets. The men were in the other room. I could here a murmur f their talking. I decided to well . . . spy. Zeek sat without his shirt and with a towel around his neck. Whoa. Damn sexy . . . I wish he was mine . . . I shook my head again and looked to a de-robed Aron. They were in deep discussion. Wow, they actually got along.

"The dragon gave me this feeling of command." Aron said.

"You could be a dragoon." Zeek said. Smart boy.

"I thought that as well. But the question is, why would a dragon who's dead be hunting down people in a fortress town?" Aron asked.

"Out side commands?"

"Someone raised him from the dead. Some one set him to find your woman."

"Ella?" Damn Zeek, did Aron have to spell it out for you? "You mean Rose. . ."

"No, I mean the Queen of Deningrad. . . YES! I mean Rose!" Aron shouted.

Zeek folded his hands and propped his head up with them.

"She can't get too close to me, I told you. I have an engagement made to Ella. I . . . don't want to hurt her."

"Let me worry about Ella. She's easy. She just needs to be shown what love really is. . ."

"Don't you dare be a womanizer about Ella. I love the woman like a friggin' sister." Zeek said.

"Friggin'? What the hell does that mean?" Aron asked.

"I don't really know, but Rose uses it a lot." Zeek replied. That was so sweet. (laugh now)

I smiled as they joked around and went back to bed. Okay, maybe Zeek wasn't such a stick in the mud. I sighed and smiled into my pillow. I guess we'd be going after the green dragon, right? Cool. Aron was probably a dragoon? Even cooler! Ella was only loved as a sister. Really cool.