Welcome to my second novelization. The first novelization I ever attempted kind of crashed and burned, but this one should turn out better, especially since I'm more familiar with this game than Legend of Dragoon. However, I cannot guarantee constant updates for this. I still have two other fics that I must write on and cannot devote as much time to this as I would like. But I just can't write Yu-Gi-Oh all the time, and needed something else to write on occasionally. This would be the fic that saves me from constant headaches of writing duel after duel after duel.

Anyway, enjoy.

Prologue: A Girl From The Plain

Elena slowly came to, hearing something. It wasn't the endless sound of the winds blowing across the grass though, which was what she had expected. Instead, it was the crackling of a fire.

She sat up, gazing around at her surroundings. It seemed to be a small hut. The walls were white, with several brown wooden diamond-like designs that supported the structure. The ceiling was the same color, but the beams came up to form a dome-like roof. Much of the walls were covered by yellow curtains, which parted at a section where shelves were located that had several plates, bowls, jars, and the like that would normally be found in a kitchen. A small table was against the wall, along with three chairs, and a fireplace nearby. There were also several boxes and chests lying around, along with a few other objects, such as a sword sheath leaning against the wall near the door, with a brown belt around it. It was very neat though, even with all the items in it.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Elena turned to see a young woman standing next to her. She wore a sky-blue tunic that went down to her legs, but had two cuts in the sides that went up to her waists, revealing her legs. It had several designs on the collar, and the edges were outlined with an off-white color. Underneath it was a short-sleeved black t-shirt, with a high collar, that matched her fingerless black gloves. Around her waist was a yellow sash, and a brown belt to keep her tunic in place. She had brown boots that almost went up to her knees, but were flexible so that she would not be slowed down by them. They were kept in place by a black ribbon for each one, towards the top. The only pieces of jewelry the woman wore were two small, clear earrings. She kept her long, dark green hair back with a red ponytail holder. Even kept back by that, her hair still went down to her thighs. Her dark green eyes had a certain sparkle to them that Elena had rarely seen. They were the kind of eyes that betrayed any emotions the person bearing them felt.

"I found you unconscious on the plains," the woman explained, picking up a bowl on a shelf by her side and going back over to the fireplace to dish something into it out of a large, black kettle. "I was very worried; you've been out of it for quite some time. How do you feel?"

Elena got out of the bed and considered the question, and figured out how she would answer when she remembered why she had fainted in the first place. "Very hungry."

The woman laughed at that, and set the bowl down on the table. "I figured you might be, so I made enough of this for you as well."

"Thank you." Elena sat down and looked at it. Stew of some kind? She tasted it cautiously, and then set about to eating it swiftly. Even though she still wasn't sure what it was, it was good, and she was starved, so she decided to worry about it later.

The woman blinked a few times as she watched. "How long have you been without food?"

"Long enough to cause me to faint from hunger," Elena answered as she finally took a few minutes to breathe.

"That's why you were unconscious?"

"Yeah. But that helped, thanks," Elena replied, pushing away the empty bowl.

The woman still seemed a bit surprised by how fast she had finished, but took the bowl to put it off to the side. "I'm glad you're feeling better. Well, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Lyn, of the Lorca tribe. How about you?"

"Elena," she responded.

"Elena? What an odd-sounding name… but pay me no mind. It's a good name," Lyn said. "I can see by your attire that you're a traveler. So what brings you to Sacae Plains?"

Lyn's guess had been a logical one. Elena wore a dark red shirt with royal blue pants and black boots. Over that she wore a lime-green cloak, which covered them pretty well. Her short light-brown hair always was unruly, so she usually left it alone. On the other hand, her vivid crystal blue eyes were calm, and seemed to hold a vast amount of intelligence. Her eyes told those who looked upon her that there was more to her than they first saw.

"I had never come here until now," Elena answered. "I was curious, so I decided to visit to see what it was like here…" She trailed off as Lyn suddenly stood up. "Is something wrong?"

"Sorry to interrupt you," Lyn said. "But I thought I heard something. I'm going to check outside; please wait here."

"Sure," Elena nodded.

Lyn stopped by the door, grabbing the sword sheath that was there and tying it to her waist with another, lighter brown belt. Then she went outside.

After a minute or so, Lyn came back in, her face grim. "Bandits!"

"Bandits?" Elena echoed, realizing the cause for concern.

"They must have come down from the Bern Mountains. I'm sure they're planning on raiding the local villages. I have to stop them! I only saw two; if that's all there is, I can handle them on my own. You'll be safe here, so remain here until I return, ok?"

"Actually... I was wondering if I could help you?" Elena offered.

"What? Well, can you use a weapon?" Lyn asked.

Elena shook her head. "No, but I can assist in another way. You see, I'm a tactician. I can tell you where to go, when to attack, and the like."

"Ah, I see… so you're a strategist by trade?" Lyn inferred. "Hm… an odd profession, but nevertheless, it would be helpful. Sure, I'd be glad to have your help. But how will you communicate strategies to me? If you come out and stay by me, I could protect you, but there's always a chance that you'd be hurt in the process."

"I have another way of talking with people on the battlefield," Elena said. "I had a brown pack with me… did you find it by any chance?"

"Yes, I found it with you when I saw you outside." Lyn went over to a box against the wall of the room and took the brown pack off of it, handing it to Elena. "So how will this work?"

"It's a bit complicated to explain, and we don't have time to waste with those bandits going towards the villages," Elena replied, sitting down at the table and opening up her pack. "It will be easier to show you anyway. Trust me; it will work out fine."

"Very well then. Contact me soon," Lyn said as she went out the door.

Elena pulled a device out of her backpack that was about the size of a writing tablet. It was a thick, black glass-like item, but was much more sturdy than glass. Elena herself wasn't sure what material it was made out of, but she knew its functions all too well.

She laid her hands across the device and concentrated. It began to glow a soft white, and then the color gradually changed to green. Soon the whole surface was green, but for a good reason. As it focused, Elena could see that the device was showing her the outside area from a bird's-eye view. The green was the Sacae plains, but now other colors formed, showing Lyn's house, the town, a few patches of trees, and some small bodies of water.

But Elena was more concerned about the other three figures. One was a common bandit. With a brief thought to the device, it closed in on the bandit, showing her more details. There were not many distinguishable features to this axe-wielding fighter. Known as a brigand, he had brown pants and no shirt, which displayed his strength. Nevertheless, he did not look very formidable, so Elena merely made note of the area he was located in before widening her view again. This time, she zoomed in on the other bandit, who was much closer to the village.

This one was much more of a cause for concern. He was very large, probably at least a foot taller than Lyn. He wore a simple outfit of green pants and a brown and green shirt, but had shoulder armor over his right shoulder. His short blonde hair was kept back with a green headband, and his narrow brown eyes showed that he cared about nothing but slaughter. The jagged scar next to his left ear showed that he had been in fights before, and was certainly strong enough to win them.

Troubled by this vision, Elena shifted her view to the third figure, who was heading across the fields to confront the first bandit she had seen.

She turned her complete focus onto Lyn, and thought, "Lyn!"

…..

"That first one seems to be easy enough to deal with," Lyn muttered to herself as she approached him cautiously. So far, he had not seen her, and she did not intend to show herself until the last minute.

"Lyn!"

Lyn froze in shock. Then she looked around, but saw nobody besides the two bandits.

"Can you hear me?"

With that, Lyn realized she hadn't heard the voice out loud. It was more of a thought than anything else.

Nothing to lose, Lyn thought with a shrug. "Elena?"

"Good, it's working. You don't have to talk out loud; direct your thoughts to me. You can talk out loud and I'll still hear you, but the enemies might be alerted if you try."

"You have a point," Lyn agreed. "So this is how we'll communicate?"

"That's right. I have a device that shows me the whole area you are in. It also allows me to make telepathic connections with anyone that I am supporting."

"That's pretty useful. So what is this device that you are using?"

"It's called a Dimicatio Prospectus. Since I'm able to see what I need to through it, I can direct units to go where it would be most useful, look up enemies, and the like. But I can't see everything with this, so even if I say an area looks alright, be on guard. In this case, I don't think you have much cause to worry about ambushes though."

"So how does it look?"

"The bandit ahead of you shouldn't be a problem. He's strong, but slow. The other bandit though… he's much more dangerous. Be careful."

"Thanks. I will." Then Lyn went closer to the brigand.

But as she approached, the brigand saw her. With a bellow, he suddenly rushed at her, his axe high in the air for a blow.

Seeing that he had found her, Lyn quickly drew her katana and ran towards him.
Elena had told the truth when she had said the Brigand was slow. He swung his axe at Lyn, but she saw it coming miles away and dodged easily, slicing into him with her katana across his left arm. Before he could react, she ducked, trying to cut him on the chest. But instead, she hit him on his right leg.

Roaring in rage, the brigand suddenly brought down his axe. In his anger, the axe blow came much more quickly than Lyn had suspected. Knowing it would be useless to parry, she leapt back. Still, the axe gashed her across her left shoulder. Ignoring the searing pain, Lyn did not give the brigand another chance at hitting her. With a quick dash and a sudden stab, the brigand collapsed, his heart pierced.

"Lyn! Are you alright?"

"Yes. It's not that bad, and I have some vulneraries with me anyway." Lyn took out a small bottle full of light brown liquid, and drank it. Instantly, the skin over her shoulder began to heal. Although the pain lingered, the wound itself was gone.

"Do you think you can still deal with that bandit by the village?"

"I have to try." Lyn began to run towards the village. "If I'm fast, I can get to him before he reaches the gers."

"Gers?"

"Oh, that's right. You probably wouldn't know what they are. Gers are what we call these round huts. Nomads usually live in gers."

"I see. Well, be careful. Like I said, that bandit looks a lot more dangerous."

"I let my guard down on that other one. I'll be more cautious this time."

There was no need for them to have worried about the bandit attacking the village though. When he caught sight of Lyn, he stopped, and began to approach her instead.

They halted in front of each other, sizing up one another.

The bandit gave a small snicker. "Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?"

Lyn did not waste her breath by responding. Instead, she dove forward, katana flashing. Batta was unable to block the first two blows, which cut into his shoulder and arm. However, Lyn's katana struck his shoulder armor, and slid off harmlessly. That was when Batta struck. His axe cut Lyn across the chest, leaving a very deep gash. Lyn staggered backwards, and barely managed to leap out of the way of another cleaving blow.

"You were right… he's very tough. It all comes down to this next blow. Elena, if I fall, please promise me that you'll flee. He'll probably come to my ger eventually, and discover you. But you must escape!"

"I won't need to," Elena replied firmly. "You can beat him. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks for the confidence." Lyn would have went on, but Batta was not waiting around. He lunged at her again.

With nothing to lose, Lyn took a desperate gamble in an evasive maneuver by swiftly rolling between his legs, coming up from behind him. Then she drove her katana into his back.

"What? How… how did you…" But that was all Batta was able to say before he collapsed, dead.

Lyn pulled out her katana shakily. "Whew… that was close. Even though I was on my guard, I still sorely underestimated him. Sorry if I worried you, Elena."

"Will you be ok?"

"Yes. I have some more vuleraries at home, so I can afford to use one that I have with me now." She drank another to heal her chest wound. "Still, I'll need to be stronger if I'm going to survive… strong enough that nobody can beat me."

Elena didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. See you shortly."

"Right."Elena put her hands on the Dimicatio Prospectus again, and let the energy flow back into her. But even though it had returned to her, she felt exhausted.

She went over to the bed she had been sleeping in, and lay down in it.

I guess I can just… rest for a few minutes… while waiting for Lyn… was all she managed to think before falling asleep.

…..

Elena slowly opened her eyes, and then sat up suddenly. "Lyn?"

Lyn was sitting at the table, and was closing a light brown bag of her own. She looked up and smiled. "Hi Elena. That battle must have taken a lot out of you."

"I'm sorry!" Elena apologized. "I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

"Don't worry about it. You deserved the rest." Lyn seemed preoccupied about something else. "Elena, may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You seem to have some experience in the ways of war. Would you allow me to travel with you?"

"Huh? Travel with me?" Elena said, surprised. "But what about your parents? Shouldn't you get permission from them?"

Elena instantly realized that she had asked a bad question as Lyn's eyes clouded over. "My mother and father… died six months ago. My people-the Lorca-they don't… I'm the last of their tribe in this area. Bandits attacked, and… they killed almost everyone. Our tribe was scattered. My father had been the chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people, as he had. But I am so young, and my people are old-fashioned… they wouldn't follow a woman. No one would follow me…" By this time, her held-back tears were escaping her eyes.

"Lyn…" Elena had no idea how to comfort her with words, so she placed her hand over Lyn's.

Lyn closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long… But no more. I will shed no more tears. Thank you. I'm better now."

She looked up once more. Her eyes still shone but she seemed to be in control again. Elena, I want… no, I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death! Today's battle taught me that I won't become stronger by sitting here alone. Elena, please train me, and let me travel with you!"

Elena thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well then. If you wish to join me, I'd be glad to have you by my side."

"Really? Thank you! Oh, thank you!" Lyn said gratefully. "I know we'll make a good team. You'll be my master strategist and I'll be your peerless warrior! We can do it! Right?"

"Of course!" Elena grinned. "So when will we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, right after we eat."

"Sounds good."

"Don't worry, I've already packed everything I need," Lyn said, indicating to her bag. "So how about we get some more sleep? Morning is only a few hours away."

"Alright."

With that, both of them were soon asleep, for the last peaceful sleep they would have for quite some time.

To be continued…