Chapter Three
Burmecia; Castle Grounds; Mid Afternoon
Puck stepped into the Castle Grounds with down spirits and a confused mind. He chose to ignore Raven, who was hissing and spitting at Puck from a distance. Puck walked carefully to the castle, deep in thought.
Why did Freya not want bodyguards? The situation made no sense to Puck at all. Bodyguards could help Freya greatly. The next time the man showed up – and Puck was sure he would – Freya would probably stand a better chance. Puck clearly remembered her reason; she supposedly didn't want to put anyone in danger. That, Puck knew, was only half of it. Freya couldn't just want to keep everyone safer.
It had to be pride, along with shame. Freya was a nice person and all, but she had great pride. She, along with Rose, was the only female Dragon Warrior. Everyone vowed that Freya's powers exceeded the older woman's. This, plus knowing that she had great strength, probably gave Freya great pride – pride she didn't want to ruin. Bodyguards would make her seem weak, weakening Freya and bringing her shame. The shame came from looking so powerful once, then being so weak. It, Puck had to agree, was shameful.
Puck entered the castle.
"DARIEN!" he shouted.
A few moments later, an 18-year-old Burmecian came ushering in to the room. He was dressed in rather old clothing, and held parchment.
"Yes, sire?" he asked.
Great, Puck thought grimly. Even my advisor is older than I am.
"I wish to plan a meeting to discuss the recent incidents. What do you suggest is the best time?" Puck asked his advisor Darien.
"It depends on the urgency, sire," Darien said.
"This is rather urgent," Puck told his advisor as he sat down on the throne. It was huge, and made Puck look like a mouse.
"The best time for the people would be tomorrow, sire," Darien said, unfazed by the humorous scene. He had gotten over it months ago. "Late- afternoon."
Puck nodded. "Yes, sounds all right. Could you please consult these people? I want them to be at the meeting."
"Pardon." Darien rushed off.
Puck stared at the ceiling, then at the throne.
I'm so small, Puck thought.
Darien returned with a quill and ink. He put them on a table and dipped the quill in the ink.
"Who do you wish to invite?" Darien asked.
"Aireff, Rose, Fratley, and Gray," Puck said. Darien quickly wrote the names down. "Thank you, Darien. Could you please hurry?"
"Yes, sire," Darien said. He rose, bowed, and ran out of the castle with the parchment.
You're a great person, Darien, Puck thought. You listen to an eleven- year-old.
Freya was sleeping when Darien arrived at Fratley's house. He found Fratley, Rose, and Aireff sitting at the old wooden table in the old, rustic kitchen. They were drinking tea, and were having a conversation of some sort. Soon, however, Aireff saw Darien.
"Yes?" he asked.
"King Puck requests a meeting," Darien told him, green eyes scanning the room for others. "He invites you three."
"When is it?" Fratley asked.
"It is tomorrow at this time," Darien said, scanning the parchment. "It will discuss the occurrences of today."
Fratley looked toward the old wooden door near the table that led downstairs.
"Is Freya invited?" Fratley asked.
"No, she is not," Darien answered.
Fratley nodded slightly; he had expected as much.
"Who else is invited?" Rose asked.
"Gray," Darien said, glancing at the parchment.
Everyone was silent. Fratley shook his head, as he slowly comprehended what Puck had in mind. Aireff and Rose caught on more slowly.
"Thank you, Darien," Aireff said quietly.
"Pleasure," Darien said. He then left.
"Now what is that Puck planning?" Rose asked with agitation.
Fratley stared at the doorway through which Darien left. "He's going to give Freya a bodyguard."
Next Day; Castle Royal Hall; Mid-Afternoon
The weather at the time of the meeting was mediocre, if even that. Harsh freezing rain pelted Burmecia, stabbing anyone outside like knives. The temperature seemed to be warming up slightly, while the thick cloud covering was becoming even thicker. As most of the Burmecians recognized the signs of snow, they prepared for it. Male Burmecians brought in wood, female Burmecians headed off to get food, and children played in the streets hoping to get stuck in the storm.
Fratley, meanwhile, found himself sitting near a broken window that allowed the rain in. Puck was not at the meeting yet, even though everyone else was there on time. No one was surprised.
Gray stared at the dull gray ceiling, deep in thought. He knew what was happening, and he was a little concerned. As he thought the situation over, a vision of his wife danced in his head. They just got married about a month ago, yet they had planned their honeymoon for next month, when the storms would pass and travelling would be easier. Yet what if he was injured? Worse, what if he... Died?
Puck entered at this point. He sat down and looked at everyone.
"Why so grim?" Puck asked sarcastically.
"The weather sucks, and the situation is worse," Aireff commented.
"Still, we have to discuss this. How could yesterday's situation possibly have happened?" Puck asked.
"The gates were left unlocked," Gray muttered.
"Everyone was off-guard. We were all too busy rebuilding," Aireff commented.
"He was too powerful," Rose commented. "Freya couldn't touch 'im, and 'e could be the shit out of 'er. And we know she's not weak because she 'as gone against things bigger and a 'ell of a lot more evil that 'im."
"Makes some sense," Puck muttered. "So the gates were left unlocked, allowing him to enter. No one noticed his suspicious looks because we were distracted, and Freya was creamed because he's too powerful."
"Which is why your idea isn't a good one!" Rose suddenly commented. "That guy is too powerful for our best Dragon Warrior, let alone 'er and a bunch of bodyguards."
"I agree," Gray said softly. "This is pointless. The best things we can do are lock the gates all day and be on our guard."
"Then fall back into the cycle of stupidity. Look, if we continue the way we were before, we're going to end up the way we are now!" Puck roared. "Look, I don't care if we only do this for a day! We have to have a bodyguard for at least one day if only to show this guy that we aren't a bunch of slackers!"
"But what if 'e's killed?" Rose shouted. "We 'ad enough deaths from that bloody attack a year ago! We don't need another fellar dead!"
"Just one day!" Puck shouted back.
"In one day, Gray and Freya could both be dead!" Rose screamed.
A stunned, eerie silence filled the room. No one, not even Fratley, had even considered that Freya might be in a life-threatening situation. As the people present thought Rose's words over, however, the grim situation quickly hung over their heads like thick fog. Freya was in a life-threatening situation, or it could turn into one, at least.
After five minutes, Puck sighed. He stared at the ceiling, took a coin out of his pocket, and began to rub it between his thumb and index finger nervously. The coin was a thin piece of silver in the shape of a fish's gill.
"All right," Puck said, still in the process of thinking. "Here's the deal..."
Everyone quickly came to attention.
Puck locked his blue eyes on Gray's unusual silver eyes. "Guard duty will start this evening and end tomorrow evening."
Rose began to interrupt, but Puck held up a hand.
"However, it is your choice, Gray. If you don't wish to, that's fine." Puck took a deep breath. "DARIEN!"
Immediately the 18-year-old rushed in. He looked at everyone and their stressed faces. He asked nothing of the meeting however.
"What is it, sire?" he asked.
"I wish for a new gate change. The gates must be locked at all times. Only open them if a Burmecian wishes to come or go."
Darien nodded. "Anything else, sire?"
Puck nodded. "I want the Dragon Warriors on the prowl."
Darien's eyes widened slightly. Whenever any king wished for 'Dragon Warriors on the prowl', something dangerous was happening. Darien didn't question the situation, for it would be rude, and he didn't want to know.
"Is that all, sire?" Darien asked.
"Yes," Puck said as he rose. "Meeting adjourned."
Darien rushed out of the room. Aireff, Fratley, and Rose looked at Puck with calm eyes. Gray left as quickly as possible.
"Remember," Puck said as he locked eyes with Aireff, Fratley, and Rose one at a time. "Be on the prowl."
He then left.
Fratley ran quickly toward the top floor of the castle. Once forgotten senses were now alive and fresh, recovered from Fratley's torn memory. The order had been given, and now Fratley would follow it. Stealth, speed, and a mind were three main things that he must have, or the situation would be disaster.
He could tell that those were the thoughts of the other twelve Dragon Warriors, or would be once they knew of the situation. Fratley had reached the highest floor and stepped into the frame of a shattered window. He then leapt from the window and onto the castle wall in a blur. Anyone who had been underneath him would have thought him to be a blur. Fratley peered over the top of the gate to see no one in the distance. He began to rush along the castle wall.
Fratley continued to speed along the wall until something caught his eye. He quickly knelt down and came to a stop. He showed no emotion as he recognized the person.
It was the human who had attacked Freya. He was standing stiffly on the wall, clearly unnoticed. Fratley's eyes burned briefly with hatred, then that hatred disappeared. Slowly Fratley took his spear from his back and began to charge it with power. He remembered what Freya said; he knew what one attack would hurt the person.
Then, suddenly, the person threw a dagger in Fratley's direction. Fratley, almost completely unprepared, just managed to lay flat. The dagger only grazed his forehead. A little blood trickled from the scrape, but Fratley didn't notice. He instead leapt to his feet and charged forward.
The person took out a black sword in record time and held it in front of him. He knelt down and swiped at Fratley knees. The sword slashed against Fratley's knees. Fratley buckled over, yet still managed to slam his spear, which was bright white with energy, into the person's shoulder. The energy burst outward, making the wound bigger; it was a round wound with a deep middle.
Neither the person nor Fratley showed any pain from their wounds. Fratley staggered to his feet while the human tried to figure out how to hold his heavy sword with an injured shoulder. Fratley spun his spear around and tried to stab the human in the neck. The person backed up and put away his sword with great care. He then took out a sharp knife and charged for Fratley with it.
Fratley leapt into the air with great care. He did not go as high due to his damaged knees, but he still dodged the attack. The person threw the knife in the air, but Fratley deflected it. The person moved out of the knife's way and allowed it to hit a civilian nearby. Fratley hit the ground and fell to his bloody knees. He was knocked onto his back by the person's fist. When the human moved to punch him again, Fratley smashed the wooden end of his spear into the person's hand. The human withdrew his hand and glared at Fratley.
"Who... are... you?" Fratley asked, breathing heavily.
The human rubbed his right hand, the one that had been clocked. He glared at Fratley with cold, empty black eyes.
"Why should I tell you that? You are nothing more than a burden, a bastard in my way," the human spat. "You have provided me with entertainment, but it ends here."
The human lifted his sword, surprising Fratley by holding it easily with only one and ½ hands. He used it to knock Fratley's spear away. Fratley cast normally warm blue eyes on the human, but his eyes were not warm. Rather, they were cold and angry.
The human's sword went straight for Fratley's heart.
-------------- Stay tuned, folks! Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like the story. I personally think this chapter is all right, better than the first two, but not brilliant either. It may take me longer to update as I am rewriting the other chapters to try and get a little more realistic, and even this chapter is lacking in realism, especially with how Fratley is able to jump with damaged knees. Look, it's luck! Everyone has luck! And at least he can't run away, right? Oh well. Stay tuned!
Story is copyright to me. Everything else is copyright to Square Enix. Okay, so Julius, Meander, Ebon, and – well, never mind. Everything is copyright to something, so don't steal.
Burmecia; Castle Grounds; Mid Afternoon
Puck stepped into the Castle Grounds with down spirits and a confused mind. He chose to ignore Raven, who was hissing and spitting at Puck from a distance. Puck walked carefully to the castle, deep in thought.
Why did Freya not want bodyguards? The situation made no sense to Puck at all. Bodyguards could help Freya greatly. The next time the man showed up – and Puck was sure he would – Freya would probably stand a better chance. Puck clearly remembered her reason; she supposedly didn't want to put anyone in danger. That, Puck knew, was only half of it. Freya couldn't just want to keep everyone safer.
It had to be pride, along with shame. Freya was a nice person and all, but she had great pride. She, along with Rose, was the only female Dragon Warrior. Everyone vowed that Freya's powers exceeded the older woman's. This, plus knowing that she had great strength, probably gave Freya great pride – pride she didn't want to ruin. Bodyguards would make her seem weak, weakening Freya and bringing her shame. The shame came from looking so powerful once, then being so weak. It, Puck had to agree, was shameful.
Puck entered the castle.
"DARIEN!" he shouted.
A few moments later, an 18-year-old Burmecian came ushering in to the room. He was dressed in rather old clothing, and held parchment.
"Yes, sire?" he asked.
Great, Puck thought grimly. Even my advisor is older than I am.
"I wish to plan a meeting to discuss the recent incidents. What do you suggest is the best time?" Puck asked his advisor Darien.
"It depends on the urgency, sire," Darien said.
"This is rather urgent," Puck told his advisor as he sat down on the throne. It was huge, and made Puck look like a mouse.
"The best time for the people would be tomorrow, sire," Darien said, unfazed by the humorous scene. He had gotten over it months ago. "Late- afternoon."
Puck nodded. "Yes, sounds all right. Could you please consult these people? I want them to be at the meeting."
"Pardon." Darien rushed off.
Puck stared at the ceiling, then at the throne.
I'm so small, Puck thought.
Darien returned with a quill and ink. He put them on a table and dipped the quill in the ink.
"Who do you wish to invite?" Darien asked.
"Aireff, Rose, Fratley, and Gray," Puck said. Darien quickly wrote the names down. "Thank you, Darien. Could you please hurry?"
"Yes, sire," Darien said. He rose, bowed, and ran out of the castle with the parchment.
You're a great person, Darien, Puck thought. You listen to an eleven- year-old.
Freya was sleeping when Darien arrived at Fratley's house. He found Fratley, Rose, and Aireff sitting at the old wooden table in the old, rustic kitchen. They were drinking tea, and were having a conversation of some sort. Soon, however, Aireff saw Darien.
"Yes?" he asked.
"King Puck requests a meeting," Darien told him, green eyes scanning the room for others. "He invites you three."
"When is it?" Fratley asked.
"It is tomorrow at this time," Darien said, scanning the parchment. "It will discuss the occurrences of today."
Fratley looked toward the old wooden door near the table that led downstairs.
"Is Freya invited?" Fratley asked.
"No, she is not," Darien answered.
Fratley nodded slightly; he had expected as much.
"Who else is invited?" Rose asked.
"Gray," Darien said, glancing at the parchment.
Everyone was silent. Fratley shook his head, as he slowly comprehended what Puck had in mind. Aireff and Rose caught on more slowly.
"Thank you, Darien," Aireff said quietly.
"Pleasure," Darien said. He then left.
"Now what is that Puck planning?" Rose asked with agitation.
Fratley stared at the doorway through which Darien left. "He's going to give Freya a bodyguard."
Next Day; Castle Royal Hall; Mid-Afternoon
The weather at the time of the meeting was mediocre, if even that. Harsh freezing rain pelted Burmecia, stabbing anyone outside like knives. The temperature seemed to be warming up slightly, while the thick cloud covering was becoming even thicker. As most of the Burmecians recognized the signs of snow, they prepared for it. Male Burmecians brought in wood, female Burmecians headed off to get food, and children played in the streets hoping to get stuck in the storm.
Fratley, meanwhile, found himself sitting near a broken window that allowed the rain in. Puck was not at the meeting yet, even though everyone else was there on time. No one was surprised.
Gray stared at the dull gray ceiling, deep in thought. He knew what was happening, and he was a little concerned. As he thought the situation over, a vision of his wife danced in his head. They just got married about a month ago, yet they had planned their honeymoon for next month, when the storms would pass and travelling would be easier. Yet what if he was injured? Worse, what if he... Died?
Puck entered at this point. He sat down and looked at everyone.
"Why so grim?" Puck asked sarcastically.
"The weather sucks, and the situation is worse," Aireff commented.
"Still, we have to discuss this. How could yesterday's situation possibly have happened?" Puck asked.
"The gates were left unlocked," Gray muttered.
"Everyone was off-guard. We were all too busy rebuilding," Aireff commented.
"He was too powerful," Rose commented. "Freya couldn't touch 'im, and 'e could be the shit out of 'er. And we know she's not weak because she 'as gone against things bigger and a 'ell of a lot more evil that 'im."
"Makes some sense," Puck muttered. "So the gates were left unlocked, allowing him to enter. No one noticed his suspicious looks because we were distracted, and Freya was creamed because he's too powerful."
"Which is why your idea isn't a good one!" Rose suddenly commented. "That guy is too powerful for our best Dragon Warrior, let alone 'er and a bunch of bodyguards."
"I agree," Gray said softly. "This is pointless. The best things we can do are lock the gates all day and be on our guard."
"Then fall back into the cycle of stupidity. Look, if we continue the way we were before, we're going to end up the way we are now!" Puck roared. "Look, I don't care if we only do this for a day! We have to have a bodyguard for at least one day if only to show this guy that we aren't a bunch of slackers!"
"But what if 'e's killed?" Rose shouted. "We 'ad enough deaths from that bloody attack a year ago! We don't need another fellar dead!"
"Just one day!" Puck shouted back.
"In one day, Gray and Freya could both be dead!" Rose screamed.
A stunned, eerie silence filled the room. No one, not even Fratley, had even considered that Freya might be in a life-threatening situation. As the people present thought Rose's words over, however, the grim situation quickly hung over their heads like thick fog. Freya was in a life-threatening situation, or it could turn into one, at least.
After five minutes, Puck sighed. He stared at the ceiling, took a coin out of his pocket, and began to rub it between his thumb and index finger nervously. The coin was a thin piece of silver in the shape of a fish's gill.
"All right," Puck said, still in the process of thinking. "Here's the deal..."
Everyone quickly came to attention.
Puck locked his blue eyes on Gray's unusual silver eyes. "Guard duty will start this evening and end tomorrow evening."
Rose began to interrupt, but Puck held up a hand.
"However, it is your choice, Gray. If you don't wish to, that's fine." Puck took a deep breath. "DARIEN!"
Immediately the 18-year-old rushed in. He looked at everyone and their stressed faces. He asked nothing of the meeting however.
"What is it, sire?" he asked.
"I wish for a new gate change. The gates must be locked at all times. Only open them if a Burmecian wishes to come or go."
Darien nodded. "Anything else, sire?"
Puck nodded. "I want the Dragon Warriors on the prowl."
Darien's eyes widened slightly. Whenever any king wished for 'Dragon Warriors on the prowl', something dangerous was happening. Darien didn't question the situation, for it would be rude, and he didn't want to know.
"Is that all, sire?" Darien asked.
"Yes," Puck said as he rose. "Meeting adjourned."
Darien rushed out of the room. Aireff, Fratley, and Rose looked at Puck with calm eyes. Gray left as quickly as possible.
"Remember," Puck said as he locked eyes with Aireff, Fratley, and Rose one at a time. "Be on the prowl."
He then left.
Fratley ran quickly toward the top floor of the castle. Once forgotten senses were now alive and fresh, recovered from Fratley's torn memory. The order had been given, and now Fratley would follow it. Stealth, speed, and a mind were three main things that he must have, or the situation would be disaster.
He could tell that those were the thoughts of the other twelve Dragon Warriors, or would be once they knew of the situation. Fratley had reached the highest floor and stepped into the frame of a shattered window. He then leapt from the window and onto the castle wall in a blur. Anyone who had been underneath him would have thought him to be a blur. Fratley peered over the top of the gate to see no one in the distance. He began to rush along the castle wall.
Fratley continued to speed along the wall until something caught his eye. He quickly knelt down and came to a stop. He showed no emotion as he recognized the person.
It was the human who had attacked Freya. He was standing stiffly on the wall, clearly unnoticed. Fratley's eyes burned briefly with hatred, then that hatred disappeared. Slowly Fratley took his spear from his back and began to charge it with power. He remembered what Freya said; he knew what one attack would hurt the person.
Then, suddenly, the person threw a dagger in Fratley's direction. Fratley, almost completely unprepared, just managed to lay flat. The dagger only grazed his forehead. A little blood trickled from the scrape, but Fratley didn't notice. He instead leapt to his feet and charged forward.
The person took out a black sword in record time and held it in front of him. He knelt down and swiped at Fratley knees. The sword slashed against Fratley's knees. Fratley buckled over, yet still managed to slam his spear, which was bright white with energy, into the person's shoulder. The energy burst outward, making the wound bigger; it was a round wound with a deep middle.
Neither the person nor Fratley showed any pain from their wounds. Fratley staggered to his feet while the human tried to figure out how to hold his heavy sword with an injured shoulder. Fratley spun his spear around and tried to stab the human in the neck. The person backed up and put away his sword with great care. He then took out a sharp knife and charged for Fratley with it.
Fratley leapt into the air with great care. He did not go as high due to his damaged knees, but he still dodged the attack. The person threw the knife in the air, but Fratley deflected it. The person moved out of the knife's way and allowed it to hit a civilian nearby. Fratley hit the ground and fell to his bloody knees. He was knocked onto his back by the person's fist. When the human moved to punch him again, Fratley smashed the wooden end of his spear into the person's hand. The human withdrew his hand and glared at Fratley.
"Who... are... you?" Fratley asked, breathing heavily.
The human rubbed his right hand, the one that had been clocked. He glared at Fratley with cold, empty black eyes.
"Why should I tell you that? You are nothing more than a burden, a bastard in my way," the human spat. "You have provided me with entertainment, but it ends here."
The human lifted his sword, surprising Fratley by holding it easily with only one and ½ hands. He used it to knock Fratley's spear away. Fratley cast normally warm blue eyes on the human, but his eyes were not warm. Rather, they were cold and angry.
The human's sword went straight for Fratley's heart.
-------------- Stay tuned, folks! Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like the story. I personally think this chapter is all right, better than the first two, but not brilliant either. It may take me longer to update as I am rewriting the other chapters to try and get a little more realistic, and even this chapter is lacking in realism, especially with how Fratley is able to jump with damaged knees. Look, it's luck! Everyone has luck! And at least he can't run away, right? Oh well. Stay tuned!
Story is copyright to me. Everything else is copyright to Square Enix. Okay, so Julius, Meander, Ebon, and – well, never mind. Everything is copyright to something, so don't steal.