Chapter Four
Burmecia; Fratley's House; Early Evening
"Fratley, why didn't ya get 'elp?" Rose hissed at Fratley, her purplish eyes full of fury.
Fratley stared at the sheets of the bed. The scrape on his head had stopped bleeding, but his knees were heavily bandaged. There was a rather large swollen bump on the back of his head. Fumbling with the sheets, Fratley sighed, eyes full of guilt.
"I-I wasn't thinking," Fratley muttered. "I had my target, and I knew I had to get rid of him."
Rose took a sharp, angry intake of breath. Fratley prepared himself for the scream.
"Fratley, why `didn't ya think?! Why did ya just act!? YA COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" Rose screamed, hurting Fratley's ears.
Fratley looked up at Rose briefly. A slash ran from her left cheek down to the right of her snout. Her arm was heavily bandaged, as was her thigh, and she had bruises covering her neck. She was clearly angry, and Fratley lowered his gaze.
"I'm sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "I honestly lost it. I wasn't thinking like myself. It was... weird."
Rose sighed. "Ya 'ave to learn to control that feeling. Ya must not lose your mind. Ya can keep yourself when the Dragon comes but it takes work." Rose's eyes suddenly grew cold. "But ya were supposed to 'ave already known that skill!"
Fratley closed his eyes. "I forgot! I can't remember! I barely even remembered the Dragon himself!"
Rose's eyes widened slightly then suddenly lost their fury. Sympathy replaced the fury and she sighed.
"I apologize, Fratley, I forgot as well. I 'ave to remember that you 'ad a little... memory problem." Rose fell silent there.
Fratley stared at the ground, confused and worried. He didn't understand, and it made him feel like a baby. He sighed; perhaps he was a baby.
Aireff entered and looked over at the room's occupants. He then sat down on the old wooden bureau against the east wall.
"'Ello, m' friends," he said, startling Fratley with a smooth, non- Burmecia accent. "'Ave ya solved ye misunderstandin'?"
Fratley gawked at Aireff. He then looked over at Rose for an explanation.
"Don't ya remember?" she asked.
"N-No," Fratley answered, though something was trying to force itself to Fratley's understanding in his mind.
"M' grandparents aren't from 'ere," Aireff said, his mysterious accent not leaving. "I've their accent and way of speakin'. I jus' don't exactly speak it 'round others 'cause they're not too fond of it..."
Fratley suddenly remembered so quickly that he had a brief headache.
"Oh..." he said. He then looked over at Rose. "Then why the hell do you speak that way?"
"Oh, that," Aireff said with a laugh. "Let's jus' say she took a little of it and made 'er own accent!"
Fratley wondered how he was stuck with these people. He then heard a door open from outside the room. Soon, Freya was in the doorway.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Rose looked over at her.
"Fratley was attacked by that freak who attacked ya," Rose told her. "I scared 'im off but 'e's probably still around somewhere."
"No one is terribly injured," Aireff assured Freya as a look of worry came over the woman's face. "Most of the injuries are very minor despite all the bandages." Aireff's accent was gone.
"What about you, honey?" Rose asked, slowly rising and walking over to Freya. "Ya look better than ya 'ave been."
"Perhaps," Freya said. She leaned against the doorway and seemed deep in thought. "Yet that man was in the area?"
"Yes," Fratley said, rising from the bed.
"GET BACK IN THE BED!" Rose screamed.
Fratley laughed. "I'm fine, mamá. You should go to bed."
"Ya were barely able to walk because of your God-damn knees. What makes ya think ya can walk now?"
"Relax, sweet, he's fine," Aireff said with a smile.
Indeed, Fratley walked over to Freya with little trouble, even if he was a little slower.
Freya looked up at Fratley. "I don't think this is possible, but... Did he possibly tell you anything? At all?"
Fratley shook his head. "Nothing. He only said I was a burden and blah blah..."
Freya looked extremely disappointed, as did Rose and Aireff. Fratley was a little disappointed as well. He walked back over to the bed and got back in it. Then, suddenly, Aireff brightened.
"Hang on!" he said, running off.
"What the?" Fratley asked, watching Aireff leave. "What's with him?"
Rose walked out of the room to figure that out. Freya took her seat.
"It was the same person?" Freya asked.
"Yes," Fratley said. "The exact same person. Damn, he's powerful!"
"I know," Freya said softly. "He is. I heard you recovered some of your memory about the Dragon..."
"Who is the Dragon, anyway?" Fratley asked.
"She's a legend," Freya told him. "According to legend, the Dragon descended from the courts of heaven and gave power to the loyal knights of Burmecia when the place was still young. Supposedly she gave us all the power to use her powers. Perhaps it is true. No ones knows."
To Fratley, it sounded like rubbish, but he didn't say that. Aireff soon entered, holding a bunch of Hi-Potions.
"I forgot I had these!" he said happily.
"Oh dear God, help my foolish father!" Fratley muttered.
Aireff handed three Hi-Potions each to Freya and Fratley. Freya drank all of them, and Fratley did the same thing with his. The wounds on Freya and Fratley began to sparkle and heal.
"I'll never figure ya out, Aireff," Rose commented, entering the room. "Ya can't remember anything for ye life until it's practically too late to remember!"
Aireff smiled. "At least I remember!"
Freya nodded agreement. "At least." She looked over at Fratley. "Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was all right. Now I'm going to go nap and be lazy... Again."
Freya left the room while Fratley shook his head.
"Clearly she doesn't get that resting to sleep isn't being lazy," Fratley commented.
Five Hours Later; Burmecia; Fratley's House; Late Night
Darkness had fallen completely on Burmecia. Everyone was asleep except for the few guards in the city. These guards held spears in their hands, ready to fight for their life.
Yet one guard was feeling rather sleepy. He looked around in the cold, freezing rain streaking down from the sky. He couldn't see anyone, even though he could see perfectly in the dark. Perhaps he could go and retire for the night.
The guard began to walk down the street, taking one last patrol. He heard other footsteps, but he assumed they belonged to another guard. He kept walking, but when the footsteps got closer, he began to slow down. The footsteps continued. The guard began to turn around.
He was stabbed in the back before he saw his opponent. As the guard slumped to the grounds, eyes portraying shock, the human withdrew his sword and walked on. He headed straight to Fratley's house and entered through the broken window. He peered into the dark area. Gray rushed forward, startling him, but he blocked the attack with ease. He then slashed Gray in the thigh. Gray staggered backward, thigh bleeding profusely, and threw a javelin in the direction of the human's eye. The human knocked the javelin away, nailing Freya in the shoulder; she had been going to try and sneak attack. Gray took another javelin, but before he could do anything with it, Julius slashed a bloody wound across Gray's stomach. Gray staggered backward, then fell when his chest was given a bloody slash.
Freya stared at the human with wide, horrified eyes. The human turned towards her, and the two moons illuminated him. Freya only stared with shock, as the human looked eerily familiar. The human approached Freya quickly and slammed her against the wall, pinning her.
"Be silent and cooperative, and no harm will come to you," The human hissed in a cold voice.
There was no way Freya would be that way. Her wounds were either completely healed or only mere cuts or bruises, and she felt she could take the human on.
"Power of the heavens, show off the cherry blossoms of hope!" she cried.
A dragon's head swirled around the human, sending gorgeous pink flower petals around the human. The petals soon burst into flames, sending energy with them. The human snarled, burned in many places. The human fell to the ground, and Freya grabbed her spear from the wall and prepared to kill the human.
The human rolled out of the way and got back up. He was burned in various places, but he was still moving. Freya stared at him with horror and confusion.
What the hell? She thought.
Freya rushed forward and tried to attack the human with her spear. The human punched her in the face, throwing her off-track. She slammed into the wall and stared at the human with anger and confusion. The human walked over.
"It was your choice," the human told Freya, lifting his sword.
The human clubbed Freya across the head. He backed up while Freya staggered, head bleeding from the newly made wound. The human watched her coldly as her eyes glazed and she slumped to the ground unconscious. If only he could kill her there! It'd be easy now, with her unconscious. The human lifted his sword, then changed his mind. Too many people were around. They could easily come along and save her. He would have to go through the burden of dragging her along... And to her death. The human dragged Freya out of the house and toward the city gate. He killed another guard along the way, then soon left Burmecia.
Rose watched with fearful, shocked eyes.
Puck stared at the two moons from the bedroom window. The room he was in smelled horrible; it smelled of blood, of dirt, and of death. The bed in the corner was old, with dirty sheets. It was very uncomfortable. Puck sighed as he heard something in the distance; it didn't sound good.
A few minutes later, a guard came in. He looks panicked and exhausted.
"Sire," he gasped. "Two guards have been found dead. Both were stabbed in the back. Also... Gray is badly hurt, and Freya cannot be found as of yet."
Puck sighed; he had expected as much. He looked over at the guard.
"Lock the gates and be on guard. Big time," Puck said grimly.
The guard nodded, saluting Puck. He then rushed off. Puck turned to the window and stared outside. He then sighed.
"Good luck, Freya. You're in for it," Puck muttered.
Puck walked over to the bed. He settled down to sleep, but he couldn't. He lay awake, staring at the gray ceiling in the eerie dark night.
----- Hate me yet? Hopefully not! You may be wondering how this human can possibly be so deadly... Keep reading! The story will tell the reason for this crazy catastrophe. Yes, there's a reason behind it! Freya hasn't just suddenly turned into a weakling, after all ;) That'd be pretty stupid! Thank you for reviewing, people! I hope you still like the story!
He had no idea how different his latest target was... She would be a fight and a half...
You should know the copyright drill by now... Story copyright to me, everything else copyright to Square Enix except for a few characters, places, and – never mind. It's all copyright to something. Yep... (Must find more interesting way to say this!)
Burmecia; Fratley's House; Early Evening
"Fratley, why didn't ya get 'elp?" Rose hissed at Fratley, her purplish eyes full of fury.
Fratley stared at the sheets of the bed. The scrape on his head had stopped bleeding, but his knees were heavily bandaged. There was a rather large swollen bump on the back of his head. Fumbling with the sheets, Fratley sighed, eyes full of guilt.
"I-I wasn't thinking," Fratley muttered. "I had my target, and I knew I had to get rid of him."
Rose took a sharp, angry intake of breath. Fratley prepared himself for the scream.
"Fratley, why `didn't ya think?! Why did ya just act!? YA COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" Rose screamed, hurting Fratley's ears.
Fratley looked up at Rose briefly. A slash ran from her left cheek down to the right of her snout. Her arm was heavily bandaged, as was her thigh, and she had bruises covering her neck. She was clearly angry, and Fratley lowered his gaze.
"I'm sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "I honestly lost it. I wasn't thinking like myself. It was... weird."
Rose sighed. "Ya 'ave to learn to control that feeling. Ya must not lose your mind. Ya can keep yourself when the Dragon comes but it takes work." Rose's eyes suddenly grew cold. "But ya were supposed to 'ave already known that skill!"
Fratley closed his eyes. "I forgot! I can't remember! I barely even remembered the Dragon himself!"
Rose's eyes widened slightly then suddenly lost their fury. Sympathy replaced the fury and she sighed.
"I apologize, Fratley, I forgot as well. I 'ave to remember that you 'ad a little... memory problem." Rose fell silent there.
Fratley stared at the ground, confused and worried. He didn't understand, and it made him feel like a baby. He sighed; perhaps he was a baby.
Aireff entered and looked over at the room's occupants. He then sat down on the old wooden bureau against the east wall.
"'Ello, m' friends," he said, startling Fratley with a smooth, non- Burmecia accent. "'Ave ya solved ye misunderstandin'?"
Fratley gawked at Aireff. He then looked over at Rose for an explanation.
"Don't ya remember?" she asked.
"N-No," Fratley answered, though something was trying to force itself to Fratley's understanding in his mind.
"M' grandparents aren't from 'ere," Aireff said, his mysterious accent not leaving. "I've their accent and way of speakin'. I jus' don't exactly speak it 'round others 'cause they're not too fond of it..."
Fratley suddenly remembered so quickly that he had a brief headache.
"Oh..." he said. He then looked over at Rose. "Then why the hell do you speak that way?"
"Oh, that," Aireff said with a laugh. "Let's jus' say she took a little of it and made 'er own accent!"
Fratley wondered how he was stuck with these people. He then heard a door open from outside the room. Soon, Freya was in the doorway.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Rose looked over at her.
"Fratley was attacked by that freak who attacked ya," Rose told her. "I scared 'im off but 'e's probably still around somewhere."
"No one is terribly injured," Aireff assured Freya as a look of worry came over the woman's face. "Most of the injuries are very minor despite all the bandages." Aireff's accent was gone.
"What about you, honey?" Rose asked, slowly rising and walking over to Freya. "Ya look better than ya 'ave been."
"Perhaps," Freya said. She leaned against the doorway and seemed deep in thought. "Yet that man was in the area?"
"Yes," Fratley said, rising from the bed.
"GET BACK IN THE BED!" Rose screamed.
Fratley laughed. "I'm fine, mamá. You should go to bed."
"Ya were barely able to walk because of your God-damn knees. What makes ya think ya can walk now?"
"Relax, sweet, he's fine," Aireff said with a smile.
Indeed, Fratley walked over to Freya with little trouble, even if he was a little slower.
Freya looked up at Fratley. "I don't think this is possible, but... Did he possibly tell you anything? At all?"
Fratley shook his head. "Nothing. He only said I was a burden and blah blah..."
Freya looked extremely disappointed, as did Rose and Aireff. Fratley was a little disappointed as well. He walked back over to the bed and got back in it. Then, suddenly, Aireff brightened.
"Hang on!" he said, running off.
"What the?" Fratley asked, watching Aireff leave. "What's with him?"
Rose walked out of the room to figure that out. Freya took her seat.
"It was the same person?" Freya asked.
"Yes," Fratley said. "The exact same person. Damn, he's powerful!"
"I know," Freya said softly. "He is. I heard you recovered some of your memory about the Dragon..."
"Who is the Dragon, anyway?" Fratley asked.
"She's a legend," Freya told him. "According to legend, the Dragon descended from the courts of heaven and gave power to the loyal knights of Burmecia when the place was still young. Supposedly she gave us all the power to use her powers. Perhaps it is true. No ones knows."
To Fratley, it sounded like rubbish, but he didn't say that. Aireff soon entered, holding a bunch of Hi-Potions.
"I forgot I had these!" he said happily.
"Oh dear God, help my foolish father!" Fratley muttered.
Aireff handed three Hi-Potions each to Freya and Fratley. Freya drank all of them, and Fratley did the same thing with his. The wounds on Freya and Fratley began to sparkle and heal.
"I'll never figure ya out, Aireff," Rose commented, entering the room. "Ya can't remember anything for ye life until it's practically too late to remember!"
Aireff smiled. "At least I remember!"
Freya nodded agreement. "At least." She looked over at Fratley. "Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was all right. Now I'm going to go nap and be lazy... Again."
Freya left the room while Fratley shook his head.
"Clearly she doesn't get that resting to sleep isn't being lazy," Fratley commented.
Five Hours Later; Burmecia; Fratley's House; Late Night
Darkness had fallen completely on Burmecia. Everyone was asleep except for the few guards in the city. These guards held spears in their hands, ready to fight for their life.
Yet one guard was feeling rather sleepy. He looked around in the cold, freezing rain streaking down from the sky. He couldn't see anyone, even though he could see perfectly in the dark. Perhaps he could go and retire for the night.
The guard began to walk down the street, taking one last patrol. He heard other footsteps, but he assumed they belonged to another guard. He kept walking, but when the footsteps got closer, he began to slow down. The footsteps continued. The guard began to turn around.
He was stabbed in the back before he saw his opponent. As the guard slumped to the grounds, eyes portraying shock, the human withdrew his sword and walked on. He headed straight to Fratley's house and entered through the broken window. He peered into the dark area. Gray rushed forward, startling him, but he blocked the attack with ease. He then slashed Gray in the thigh. Gray staggered backward, thigh bleeding profusely, and threw a javelin in the direction of the human's eye. The human knocked the javelin away, nailing Freya in the shoulder; she had been going to try and sneak attack. Gray took another javelin, but before he could do anything with it, Julius slashed a bloody wound across Gray's stomach. Gray staggered backward, then fell when his chest was given a bloody slash.
Freya stared at the human with wide, horrified eyes. The human turned towards her, and the two moons illuminated him. Freya only stared with shock, as the human looked eerily familiar. The human approached Freya quickly and slammed her against the wall, pinning her.
"Be silent and cooperative, and no harm will come to you," The human hissed in a cold voice.
There was no way Freya would be that way. Her wounds were either completely healed or only mere cuts or bruises, and she felt she could take the human on.
"Power of the heavens, show off the cherry blossoms of hope!" she cried.
A dragon's head swirled around the human, sending gorgeous pink flower petals around the human. The petals soon burst into flames, sending energy with them. The human snarled, burned in many places. The human fell to the ground, and Freya grabbed her spear from the wall and prepared to kill the human.
The human rolled out of the way and got back up. He was burned in various places, but he was still moving. Freya stared at him with horror and confusion.
What the hell? She thought.
Freya rushed forward and tried to attack the human with her spear. The human punched her in the face, throwing her off-track. She slammed into the wall and stared at the human with anger and confusion. The human walked over.
"It was your choice," the human told Freya, lifting his sword.
The human clubbed Freya across the head. He backed up while Freya staggered, head bleeding from the newly made wound. The human watched her coldly as her eyes glazed and she slumped to the ground unconscious. If only he could kill her there! It'd be easy now, with her unconscious. The human lifted his sword, then changed his mind. Too many people were around. They could easily come along and save her. He would have to go through the burden of dragging her along... And to her death. The human dragged Freya out of the house and toward the city gate. He killed another guard along the way, then soon left Burmecia.
Rose watched with fearful, shocked eyes.
Puck stared at the two moons from the bedroom window. The room he was in smelled horrible; it smelled of blood, of dirt, and of death. The bed in the corner was old, with dirty sheets. It was very uncomfortable. Puck sighed as he heard something in the distance; it didn't sound good.
A few minutes later, a guard came in. He looks panicked and exhausted.
"Sire," he gasped. "Two guards have been found dead. Both were stabbed in the back. Also... Gray is badly hurt, and Freya cannot be found as of yet."
Puck sighed; he had expected as much. He looked over at the guard.
"Lock the gates and be on guard. Big time," Puck said grimly.
The guard nodded, saluting Puck. He then rushed off. Puck turned to the window and stared outside. He then sighed.
"Good luck, Freya. You're in for it," Puck muttered.
Puck walked over to the bed. He settled down to sleep, but he couldn't. He lay awake, staring at the gray ceiling in the eerie dark night.
----- Hate me yet? Hopefully not! You may be wondering how this human can possibly be so deadly... Keep reading! The story will tell the reason for this crazy catastrophe. Yes, there's a reason behind it! Freya hasn't just suddenly turned into a weakling, after all ;) That'd be pretty stupid! Thank you for reviewing, people! I hope you still like the story!
He had no idea how different his latest target was... She would be a fight and a half...
You should know the copyright drill by now... Story copyright to me, everything else copyright to Square Enix except for a few characters, places, and – never mind. It's all copyright to something. Yep... (Must find more interesting way to say this!)