Chapter Two

Leena had gone ahead to get help back at the village. There would be a bed and some hot soup ready for Harle when he got there, and then the chief would come see if she needed any medical attention.

Serge looked back at the girl peacefully sleeping on his back. Her eyes were closed now since she fell back asleep immediately after greeting him. The white face paint that covered her face was un-smudged from being in the water, and the tear and crescent moon design was still painted over the left side of her face, and the black lipstick still covered her lips. Serge looked forwards again and hefted her up farther on his back so she wouldn't fall down, causing the bells to jingle on the end of the twin tails of the wetsuit-like hat the covered her head.

Serge continued walking towards the village, remembering the conversation that ensued after Harle lost consciousness.

"Do you know this her, Serge?" Leena had said once she had regained from the shock of hearing the girl speak his name.

Serge had only nodded, unable to take his eyes off of Harle, still unable to believe that she was here.

"Well, who is she?" Leena said impatiently.

Serge looked up at Leena, unsure of how she was going to take what he was going to tell her. "Leena," he said cautiously, so as not to alarm her, "this is Harle."

"Harle? Who's Ha—?" she abruptly cut off and her eyes widened as she remembered where she last heard that name. She looked down at her. "No," she said quietly. "It can't be." The Egg she could easily pass off, but for one of the people in Serge's dream to wash up on the beach, it was just something that she couldn't ignore.

Serge could read it all in Leena's expression.

Confused and disoriented from Harle's appearance, Leena turned to Serge and said, "I'm going ahead to the village so they'll know your coming with… her." Then she turned and ran off of Opasa beach and back towards Arni.

It had taken Serge a while to get Harle on his back, but he finally managed it, and here he was, walking through the woods with the harlequin on his back.

Serge could not comprehend how she had gotten here. It might have been the Time Egg, but then again, Harle was the seventh dragon so she might have some special powers herself. After all, the other dragons had crossed dimensions when the joined to form the Dragon God.

That's right, he had forgotten about that. Harle was the seventh dragon, created in order to aid the other six dragons in escaping from FATE's prison. The dragons: beings of the Earth who were born in order to eliminate humanity from the Earth. Harle had joined with the other dragons in order to complete the Dragon God that tried to destroy humanity. Fear started to rise in him as he became fully aware of who was riding on his back.

But… Harle was different from the other dragons, Serge thought as he recalled the last time he had actually seen Harle. She had been trying to stop Kid from activating the Frozen Flame and releasing the seal on the dragons. He frowned as he continued walking. That didn't make sense. According to Balthasar, the Time Prophet, Harle was created solely to break the seal on the other dragons. He also remembered how she told him that she was sorry when she went up to join the Dragon God. At the time, Serge had thought that she was apologizing for deceiving him, but now he wasn't so sure.

That train of though brought up another question of Harle being here. Logically, she should no longer exist, what with the Serge and his friends defeating the Dragon God. He had been sure that she had been killed, which had given him grief, because even though Harle was an enemy, she had been his friend. She helped him when he was stuck in Lynx's body, though she could have surely stuck with the real Lynx in his body, and she would have been able to get to the frozen flame quicker.

Serge shook his head. Harle was a mystery, and he had many questions that he needed to ask her when she was better, namely how she came to be floating in the ocean by his hometown. Soon enough, he could see the gates that lead into his village.

As soon as the villager's saw Serge carrying a strange girl into the village, they rushed up to him to offer help. Serge refused saying that he could carry her, and he proceeded to his house.

When he arrived, he saw his mother and Leena standing in the doorway waiting for him.

"This way, Serge," his mother said, gesturing for him to bring Harle inside.

As he walked in the door, he glanced at Leena, who still seemed to be recovering from the realization that Serge hadn't been dreaming or making up his adventures. It was a good bet that she hadn't told his mother who Harle was. He wasn't sure how his mother would react if she knew that Harle had joined with the Dragon God that tried to kill him.

"We're going to have to let her use your bed, Serge," his mother said as she led him to stairs that led to Serge's room. "Mine is simply covered with too much junk at the moment, since I was cleaning. I've been busy ever since Wazuki left. Come, we've gotten everything ready."

Serge didn't argue. It didn't matter that Harle was going to be using his bed to get better, even if it meant he'd need to use the floors for a few nights. All that mattered at the moment was that one of his friends was alive, especially one that he had never expected to see again. Besides, his mom never brought up his father's name unless she was worried about something. His father, Wazuki, had vanished ten years ago without a trace, and his mother was devastated. Serge knew what had happened to his father, but he just didn't have the heart to tell his mother what had happened to him.

Several minutes later, Harle was tucked in his bed and sleeping peacefully. His mother had wanted to get Harle out of the clothes she was wearing and had sent Serge out of the room for a moment, but soon gave up trying to find out how to remove Harle cloths, since she could find no button, knot, or zipper on the harlequin's outfit.

Serge was sitting in a chair beside Harle's bed now as he watched her softly breathing. His mind was mulling over how and why Harle was here, and how she could even still be alive. In the end he got no answers, and resolved to ask her when she woke up.

Serge heard the door open, and he looked to his left and saw Leena walk in. She pulled up a chair next to him and sat down, saying nothing.

After a moment, Leena spoke. "Chief Radius will be along in a moment," she said. "One of the kids sprained an ankle, and since she doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger, he'll be along after he finishes with the ankle."

Serge nodded, not saying anything as he continued puzzling over Harle.

"I'm sorry, Serge," Leena said quietly after a while.

"Hm?" Serge said, having been lost in thought as he tried to figure out why Harle was here.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she said again.

Serge nodded and said, "It's alright. If it hadn't been me, I probably wouldn't have believed it either."

"So, you're not mad at me?" Leena said, looking at Serge.

Serge put on a confused look. "Why should I be mad?"

"So you're not? That's good," Leena said, feeling relieved.

Serge was confused, and was about to ask why he should be mad again, when the he heard to door to his house open and his mother greet Chief Radius. Serge and Leena got up to go to him.

"Ah, Serge," Chief Radius said when Serge stepped into the room. "I hear that you saved a girl from drowning. Well done, lad, well done."

"Well, Leena saw her," Serge said. "I just swam out to get her."

"That's not the point, boy," the Chief said, waggling his cane at Serge. "The point is that you helped save this girl, whoever she may be. That's something to be proud of."

"Yes, sir," Serge said.

"Now, I'm here to make sure that she's doing all right, where is she?" Radius said as he looked around the room.

"She's in my bed, sir," Serge said to Radius.

"The lead the way, my boy. We can't have the child getting sick just after you rescued her, now can we?" Radius said, pointing to Serge's room with his cane.

"Poor girl, floating in the ocean for who knows how long," he said as he followed them. "We shall so here how well people are treated in our village. Why, we'll have—" Radius stopped dead in mid-sentence as soon as he saw the girl who was lying on Serge's bed, too shocked to even speak.

Both Serge and Leena were looking at Radius, curious as to his reaction to Harle, when their attention was diverted by a groan and jingle from the bed.

Serge looked over and saw Harle slowly sitting up, the bells on the end of the twin tails on her head tinkling. Serge walked over to her and knelt by the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

Harle looked at him for a moment and was about to answer, when Radius finally recovered from his shock.

"Serge!" he hissed, grabbing the top of his staff and drawing a blade out from it, causing Leena to let out a small scream. "Get away from her!"

Serge turned to look at the approaching Radius with a puzzled look that turned to alarm when he saw Radius's sword. Seeing that Radius's eyes were fixed on Harle, he hurriedly stood up and blocked the village chief's path.

"Get out of my way, Serge," Radius said, as he momentarily shifted his gaze to the blue-haired boy standing in front of him.

Serge shook his head. He was confused as to why Radius had his sword drawn at Harle, but he knew that Harle was week after floating in the ocean and knew that she was defenseless at the moment. He stood there like a wall of stone, refusing to let Radius pass.

"Don't be a fool, boy!" Radius shouted at Serge. "You have no idea who we're dealing with here."

"Do not harm Harle, Radius," Serge said, determined not to lose his friend a second time.

Radius's eyes widened in surprise, partly because at that moment Serge's voice sounded vaguely familiar and sent chills up his spine, though he did not know why, and partly because of the defiance Serge was showing to him, and how he wasn't even fazed by Radius's blade. Although he knew that Serge was brave, this was defiantly not the same Serge he knew a month ago. But Radius could not be deterred, not when the safety of his village was at stake; however, he couldn't harm Serge either. Both he and Serge stood their rigid as stone as Radius tried to figure out a solution to the dilemma.

"Oh, shut up old geezer," a voice suddenly said. Radius and Serge both turned to Harle who was starring at them. She turned to Serge, "Mercy, mon Serge, but I can take care of zis old geezer by myself."

"You!" Radius spat as he glared at Harle. "Where is Lynx? And what have you two done with General Viper?" He shouted at her.

"Ze general?" Harle asked confused. She looked at Serge. "What iz he talking about? I thought zat he was with you last."

It was Radius's turn to look confused as he looked at Serge.

For his part, Serge shook his head and whispered so only Harle could here him. "Not in this world," he said. "The general has been gone for five years here."

When he finished whispering, Harle looked at Serge confused for a moment before she suddenly realized what he was talking about and clapped her hands together.

"Ou la la! How silly of moi!" she said. Then she looked back at Radius. "Ze general vanished into ze Dead Sea."

Radius's hand clenched harder on the hilt of his sword. He had always known that it had been Lynx and his second in command, this harlequin sitting before him, who had murdered General Viper.

"Where is Lynx?" he shouted at her. "Tell me! Now!"

"Tsk, tsk," Harle said as she she folded her arms and shook her head with her eyes closed. "If you want to know zat, you have to ask nicely."

Radius's eyes were about to leap from his head at this request as he started advancing on Harle, only for Serge to once again step in front of him. Radius turned his glare to Serge. "What are you doing, Serge?" he shouted at him. "Most of the misery El Nido faces is because of her and her bastard leader, Lynx!"

"I know that," Serge said, still holding his ground.

"Then why do you protect this… this monster!" Radius shouted as he stamped his foot, angry at Serge from preventing him to interrogate the harlequin.

"Because, Radius," Serge said in that voice again, causing Radius to shiver, "she's not a monster. She's my friend."

"Aw, mon Serge," Harle said, batting her eyelashes at him, "you make me blush."

As shocked as Radius was at Serge's statement, he knew that his true enemy was Lynx, not his second. So, closing his eyes and calming himself, he said, "Please tell me where Lynx is."

"Oh, Monsieur Lynx?" Harle said, acting as if she hadn't been expecting the question. "Why, he iz right here!" She clutched onto Serge's arm.

Everyone stared at Harle, including Serge.

"Um, Harle?" he asked.

"Oui, Monsieur Lynx?" she said as she looked up at him.

"I'm Serge, remember?" he said a bit worriedly, wondering if Harle had inhaled a bit too much water while in the ocean.

"Oui, mon Serge," Harle said, nodding, "but you are also Monsieur Lynx."

Now everyone was confused: Serge, Radius, Leena, and his mother, who had entered the room sometime ago.

Radius's mind was racing. There was no way that Serge could be Lynx! He was too young, and besides, Lynx had been a demi-human; a half-cat. There was absolutely no way! But Serge's voice, it had sounded an awful lot like…

After a long moment of silence, Serge said, "I think Radius means the Lynx that was with you in Viper Manor."

Radius idly wondered how Serge knew that Harle and Lynx had been in Viper Manor, but the thought was pushed from his mind by the next thing Harle said.

"Oh!" Harle said, now understanding what was being asked. "Zat Monsieur Lynx! Serge killed him."

Radius's jaw dropped. He tried to speak, but all that came out was incoherent babble as he tried to get his thoughts together. Finally, he closed his mouth, and then opened it again and said in a very shocked voice, "You killed Lynx?"

Serge nodded at Radius. "It's a long story."

"Oui, oui," Harle said. "Mon Serge killed Lynx and freed ze world from his control," she said. "Zen, he saved ze human race from ze dragons, and zen he saved ze Earth from ze Time Devourer!"

Any lingering doubt that Leena had about Serge's dream being reality was gone. If this girl knew what Serge had done as well, then it must be true. Marge, Serge's mother, was looking at the girl in shock, thinking the same things that Leena was at the moment.

"But, but how could you have defeated Lynx?" Radius asked, still not able to accept what he was hearing. "Even I couldn't—"

"You, old geezer?" Harle said with a small laugh. "You are no match for Monsieur Lynx!" she said as she pulled Serge closer to her.

"How is this possible?" Radius said, and he started pacing back and forth. "There is just no way that this could be possible Unless…" Radius suddenly stopped pacing and turned to Serge. "You weren't dreaming?"

Serge's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that. The only ones I told were Leena and—"

"—your mother," Radius finished. "She was concerned about you and told me about your dream. I had thought that it was just a coincidence that Lynx showed up in your dream, since you were attacked by that panther when you were young. I never imagined…" Suddenly he stopped and remembered who it was clinging onto Serge. "You," he said. "I cannot let you harm our village, so you must leave, or—"

"Taisez-vous! Old geezer," Harle said. "I have no intention of harming zis village. Monsieur Lynx would not like zat."

"She wont harm the village," Serge said to Radius.

"How can you be sure?" Radius said. "After hearing about your dream—no, it wasn't a dream, but whatever it was—I'd think that you would know how treacherous she can be!"

Serge felt Harle loosen her grip on his arm. He looked down at her and found he staring at the sheets in her lap. "Harle?" he asked.

"I tried to stop her, Monsieur Lynx," she said to him. "But zen ze seal was broken and zey made moi go to them." She looked up at him. "I will go if you want moi to go, Monsieur Lynx, I will."

Serge looked at her for a second, brooding over everything she said. She really had tried to stop kid from breaking the seal, he now knew.

"You can stay, Harle," he said gently to her.

She smiled, and then clutched onto his arm again.

Serge was a bit uncomfortable with her clutching his arm like that, but it couldn't be helped at the moment. He turned to Radius. "She wont harm the village," he said again.

"Zat's right," Harle said. "Besides, I am no match for Monsieur Lynx. I couldn't harm zis village if I wanted to."

Radius looked askance at Harle, and then at Serge. It was hard to believe that the boy that Radius had thought he knew so well was more than a match for Harle, let alone Lynx. But if Serge's dream was true… then it might be possible.

"Alright, fine," Radius said. "But if she even lifts a finger against this village, I won't let even you stand in my way." He stared at Serge.

"Ha! You are no match for Monsieur Lynx, old geezer!" Harle said, starting to lean on Serge now.

Leena had been standing over in the doorway, and she had been become increasingly irritated ever since Harle clutched onto Serge. She also glared at Harle every time she said Serge's name like she was his lover or something. She didn't like how Harle kept flirting with Serge, even if he was too dense to notice it. Serge was supposed to be hers, and she wouldn't let Harle take him away from her.

"His name is Serge, not Monsieur Lynx," Leena said to Harle.

Harle looked at Leena for a moment. Then she turned to Serge. "Zis iz your Leena, oui Monsieur Lynx?"

Serge nodded at Harle.

"So you are Leena," Harle said, still not letting go of Serge. "Monsieur Lynx often spoke about you while I was traveling with him."

Harle was staring straight at Leena, and the reddish-brown-haired girl could feel the unspoken message. It was a challenge, and the prize was Serge.

"I told you, his name is Serge, not Monsieur Lynx," Leena said again.

"Non, Serge iz Monsieur Lynx," Harle said as she looked directly at Leena.

"I'm confused," Radius said. "Do you call Serge Lynx because he defeated the real Lynx?"

"Non. You are tres bete, old geezer. Mon Serge has always been Monsieur Lynx."

"What?" Radius said, even more confused that before.

"Mon Serge iz a Lynx."

"Huh?" everyone said as they looked at Harle.

Radius looked at Harle. "Serge is a person, not a Lynx," he said, thinking that the harlequin might have flipped.

"Don't you know?" Harle said, giving them all confused looks.

"Know what, Harle?" Serge asked, though he felt and odd sense of foreboding as he asked that question.

Harle looked at them all. "Zat, of course, mon Serge iz ze heir to ze Lynx family. He iz ze son of ze old Monsieur Lynx!"