Disclaimer: Same disclaimer as the third chapter. Do you have any idea how annoying those are to write?
Author's note: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.
--------
It was a mad rush once they reached the castle. Meru burst though the doors, shouting that she needed to see Albert right then; it was urgent. Servants and guards alike scattered, searching for the king. Each of the Dragoons were inquired as to his location, which resulted in all of the Dragoons except Meru, Miranda, and Elizabeth looking for him. He was found in the Throne Room by Kongol and two guards.
It took a while for the whole mess to be sorted out. Albert eventually met with the other Dragoons in the conference room, being the last to enter and sit down. He looked a little annoyed, since everyone he met in the hallway on his way there had the exact same message for him.
"Well Meru; what did you find so terribly important that you nearly threw the entire castle into chaos?"
She gave him a faint sheepish smile. "Sorry, Al. I didn't think that would happen. But it really is important." She turned to the blonde woman sitting next to her whose name she didn't know. "Take out your Dragoon Spirit."
The woman stared at her blankly and blinked. She was suddenly rushed to the castle, forced to meet the king (who looked a tad bit annoyed) and sit at a table surrounded by strangers (some who looked like they had been in a lot of tough fights- and won) and now the person that dragged her here was telling her to take out something she had no idea was. "What?"
Miranda rolled her eyes in impatience. "The thing you almost lost earlier."
"Oh." She reached into her pouch and pulled out the light teal gem. Several of the people present leaned forward to get a closer look.
"It certainly looks like one," said Hashel.
"Just wait," said Meru as she reached for her Dragoon Spirit. "Watch this." She pulled out her spirit, and both of the gems glowed. Everyone except the two females leaned back slightly as the two lights brightened, then faded down to synchronized pulsing. After a few moments, Meru put the blue Dragoon Spirit away. The woman followed and put hers away as well.
"Okay," said Elizabeth, running a hand through her hair. "We know that seven Dragoons means Endiness is in danger. What does eight mean?"
Albert shook his head. "I don't think anything like this had ever happened before. There's no record of eight Dragoons. There's always been seven. And there's always been the same seven elements as well."
Dart leaned forward slightly, his forearms resting on the table. "Could the eighth Dragoon have some sort of superior power? Or maybe is a sign of someone worse than Melbu?"
Hashel shook his head. "I don't know; Melbu was pretty bad."
"Long fight," agreed Kongol.
"I don't think anyone could be worse," said Meru as she nodded her head.
"What if extra Dragoon is to help?" asked Kongol. "More power to help fight evil?"
Miranda nodded. "Could be. It makes sense."
"Excuse me?"
Everyone looked at the source of the almost timid sounding voice: the woman with the light teal Dragoon Spirit.
"I didn't want to have to interrupt-" She kept one wary eye on Albert. She felt so awkward, having to talk to the King of Serdia and his associates. "-But I have no idea what the rest of you are talking about."
Albert, apparently noticing her discomfort, offered her a small apologetic smile. "I apologize. It has been a bit tense here recently. What is your name?"
"Verona. I'm from Furni."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Verona. I am Albert, the king of Serdia; but you may call me Albert."
"I'm Dart. I live in Seles," said the blonde swordsman as he nodded.
The woman sitting between Dart and Albert smiled. "I'm his wife. I'm Shana."
"Kongol," said the giant sitting on the other side of Albert.
"I'm Hashel. Kongol lives with me in Rouge." He gestured towards the Giganto sitting next to him.
"Miranda," said the blonde three seats from Verona's right. "I live in Denningrad."
"I'm Elizabeth," said the platinum haired woman sitting next to the Sacred Sister. "I'm from Seles."
"And I'm Meru!" said the young lady sitting in the chair to Verona's right. "I don't really have a home; I travel a lot."
Verona nodded, looking at Meru. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Well, first of all," said Dart, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in his chair. "Do you know anything about the Dragon Campaign?"
"A little. It was a war between Humans and Winglies over 11,000 years ago."
"That's it?" asked Dart as one eyebrow arched.
She nodded.
"Well, there were seven reincarnations of dragons loyal to Emperor Diaz. Seven humans could become Dragon Knights- Dragoons- when they call upon the power of their Dragoon Spirits. Each spirit is based on an element. Now keep in mind that all living beings are also based on an element, which has to match the same element of a Dragoon Spirit for them to become a Dragon Knight. For example, I'm a fire element, and I used to be the Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon; the Dragoon of Fire."
"I'm a light element, and I used to be the Dragoon of the White Silver Dragon, or the Dragoon of Light," said Shana.
"And I am wind," said Albert as he took out the green Dragoon Spirit.
"I'm thunder," said Hashel as he pulled out his violet Dragoon Spirit, which made both his and Albert's glow.
"Water!" grinned Meru as she pulled out hers, a blue glow being cast into the room.
"Earth." A brown glow came into the room as Kongol held out his brown spirit.
A white light appeared. "I got the Light Dragoon Spirit after Shana lost it," said Miranda.
"I lost my Fire Dragoon Spirit," continued Dart. "And I got another one. The Divine Dragoon Spirit. It doesn't have an element." He took out the multi-colored stone, which began to glow a golden color.
After a few moments, everyone put their spirits away.
"Most elements have an opposite. Fire and water, earth and wind, darkness and light. Thunder doesn't have an opposite. Void is no element. Any questions?"
"Just a few," replied Verona as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "You said that you used to be the Dragoon of Fire, and that there is a darkness element. What happened to those Dragoon Spirits?"
A heavy silence hung in the air, and she began to wonder if she had asked the wrong question.
"It's… a long story. I'll tell you later when we have more time. What's your next question?"
"Do you know what element my Dragoon Spirit is?"
Dart shook his head. "You and Elizabeth have spirits we've never seen before. We don't know what elements they are. We might find out eventually though."
"I have a question for you, Verona," said Albert, his hands folded and resting on the table. "Have you used your Dragoon Spirit yet?"
She nodded. "Well, at least I think I have."
"Can you tell us what happened?"
"I was out hunting when a wounded bear tried to attack me. I tripped on a tree root and hit my head on a rock. I was knocked out for a few seconds, but by then the bear was almost on me. Then this light teal light surrounded me, and the next thing I knew I was hovering at the treetops. There was a flash a light, and there was what looked like five ghosts of soldiers hovering in front of me. They swooped down at the bear and tossed it to the other side of the forest. Then they floated back to me, bowed, and disappeared."
"And then what happened?"
"I finally got a good look at myself. I was suddenly wearing strange light teal armor with dark blue stones embedded in the headband and one in the front. I had dark blue wings; even my spear had changed."
It was then Albert noticed the double-headed spear leaning against the wall just behind her. It was mainly the color of steel, but designs of some sort- flames? Wisps of wind?- started at both ends and the middle, teal in color.
"May I see your spear?" he asked.
Verona nodded. She stood up, took her spear, walked to Albert, and carefully handed him the weapon.
He handled it with great respect. It was well made, and well kept; the tips and edges of both heads were sharp and clean. "It's beautiful," he commented with a hint of awe in his voice.
"It used to be my grandfather's. It's the only thing I have to remember him by."
Albert nodded as he gave her back her spear. She walked back to her seat and leaned it back against the wall.
"Well," said Albert as he leaned forward slightly, his forearms resting on the table. "Verona certainly seems to be a new Dragoon. Question is: should we let her join us on our journey?"
"I say we should," said Meru. "She has a Dragoon Spirit, she's transformed into a Dragoon, I think she's good enough."
"We could always use the help," agreed Shana.
"How she in battle?" asked Kongol.
"Can you fight?" asked Miranda, turning to Verona.
She shrugged. "I've been a huntress back in Furni since I was fifteen. My grandfather was a hunter and he taught me everything I know."
"I think that sounds good enough," nodded Hashel as he leaned back in his chair.
There was a general murmur of agreement from around the table. Verona, however, had a question.
"What kind of journey are you planning on going on?"
"Oh, just some basic stuff," said Hashel, grinning. "Traveling together, sleeping under the stars, battling monsters, saving the world…"
"Not going to be easy," said Dart, shaking his head. "There'll be plenty of opportunities for you to end up dead. During the journey we took almost two years ago, there were a lot of close calls where we all almost died. Besides that, it may be a long time before we even find out what's threatening Endiness."
"So," concluded Miranda. "You could either join us, risk death and help save the world-"
"Or," added Elizabeth. "Run back home to Furni like a coward."
"The legend does say," offered Shana. "That the Dragoons would gather when Endiness is threatened. I'd say we're about as gathered as we're going to get."
Verona looked at each of the Dragoons carefully. "I don't see why I shouldn't. It's not like I have a family waiting for me anyway."
Albert smiled. "We're a bit of an odd bunch, but I'm sure you'll eventually get used to us. We leave tomorrow. Use the rest of today to prepare."
----
"This is the Throne Room."
After the Dragoons had met in the conference room the second time, Albert had asked Dart to give Verona a tour of the castle since he would be busy putting things in order before he would leave the next day.
"It's where I first met Albert and Noish almost two years ago. Of course, that was before Albert was married. He met his wife Emille during our last adventure. That door leads to his study; nothing in there except a desk, chair, and lots of books. There's a slide in there too; but don't tell Albert I told you about it. He gets embarrassed whenever someone mentions it." Dart chuckled. "He's been the king since he was six, I'm not surprised he still has that slide. Anyway, behind us is a balcony that has a great view of the city and the mountains…"
Verona only heard the first half of what he said about the balcony, because that was when she noticed the portrait hanging on the wall between the two thrones. She took a step towards it, trying to get a closer look.
The man appeared to be slightly older than her. He had short blonde hair that stuck out a little towards the front, but otherwise was swept back. Green cloth under steel-colored armor with the crest of Serdia showed he was a knight. He looked rather handsome.
"Dart?" She didn't take her eyes off the portrait. "Who is this?"
Dart turned from the balcony. "What?"
"This portrait; who is it of?"
Dart walked up to her, the smile from his earlier chuckle gone. A hint of sadness appeared in his blue eyes as an old pain resurfaced. "His name was Lavitz Slambert. He used to be the Head of the First Knighthood. He was the Wind Dragoon before Albert. They were close friends since they were kids. He was a good friend of mine too."
"What happened to him?" She still hadn't moved her eyes from the portrait.
"He was impaled through the heart protecting Albert. I was the last person he spoke to; he died in my arms."
She finally pried her eyes from the picture and turned to look at Dart. "You were there?"
He nodded. "Shana and Hashel were there too. It was a long time ago; almost two years."
Her eyes softened. She could see how much this man's death had affected him. She could see in his eyes how much it still hurt. "Oh. I'm sorry."
Dart shook his head, the sadness in his eyes disappearing. "Don't be. There's no point in being sorry now. It happened in the past, and there's nothing we can do about it. I've… already forgiven the man that killed him." He paused, looking at the picture for a moment longer before turning towards the stairs. "Come on, we've still got most of the castle to go."
They both turned to leave. As they started down the steps, Verona couldn't help but to stop and look over her shoulder a moment, glancing at the portrait one more time before following Dart.
----
After everyone had gotten a proper amount of items, most wrote letters to their homes, letting their friends and families know of the sudden change of plans. Shana wrote to her parents back in Seles. Miranda wrote to Queen Theresa and the other Sacred Sisters in the Crystal Palace. Hashel wrote to the Mayor of Rouge. When they were finished, the letters were given to Albert who made sure they were sent.
That night everyone went to bed fairly early, although it was a while before anyone actually fell asleep. The thought of the perilous journey ahead hung over them like a looming dark storm cloud.
Shana stood in front the window in her and her husband's room, brushing out her hair as she took it out of it's regular ponytail. Her eyes wandered over buildings below, taking in the sight of a city coming to rest. Dart appeared behind her, watching the city with his wife. They were silent for a few moments, and then Dart spoke.
"Shana? Are you sure you want to come with me tomorrow?"
She nodded slowly, not averting her gaze as she lowered the brush to her side. "I'm sure. Just as sure as I was after you rescued me from Hellena. It hasen't changed, Dart. I don't care where we are; as long as I'm with you."
"I know," he said, his eyes reflecting the lights of the city as he looked at his wife. "I just don't want you to get hurt." He put an arm around her. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you…"
Shana just smiled as she turned to face him completely, putting both her arms around his waist with her brush still in her hand, resting her head on his unarmored chest. "You'd find someway to save me, like you did when I was poisoned."
Dart smiled faintly, putting his other arm around his wife and holding her close. "Yeah. You're right."
They stood for an unknown amount of time, simply holding each other as their minds wandered towards the future, wondering how much more time they had together with the battles ahead.
----
Albert and Emille had already settled in for bed, but sleep refused to come. Their hearts were heavy with the knowledge of the impending events. With Albert's leaving and Emille due to have their baby in seven months; they didn't know what would happen in the future. Would Albert be back in time for the baby's birth? Would he come home alive at all?
Emille suddenly sat up, her eyes wide and her voice urgent and alarmed, but still somehow in a whisper. "Albert!…"
The king of Serdia sat up quickly at the sound of his wife's voice, alarmed at the tone of urgency. Her face was illuminated by the moonlight pouring in from the open curtains across the room, the wide blue eyes staring at seemingly nothing. His voice was similar to hers in the fact that it had the same tone of urgency, but yet somehow remained a whisper. "What? What is it?"
There was a moment of silence before she shook her head slightly. "I-it's nothing. Never mind."
"What is it? You can tell me," he said gently as he put a hand on her arm.
She turned her head to face him, putting a hand to her head. "I suddenly had a horrible feeling, like something terrible is going to happen." She removed her hand and placed it over Albert's on her arm. "I wish you didn't have to go! It's just so unfair!"
Albert attempted a small smile for her as he gently clasped his hands around hers. "It's all right, Emille. I can take care of myself out there. All you need to worry about is taking care of Serdia for me while I'm away. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Emille lowered her head, hiding her eyes behind her hair. "But… I know that I am going to worry about you. Every day you will be gone I'll wonder where you are, how many battles you have been in, whether or not-" She swallowed and her voice thickened with emotion. "-my baby still has a father…" Her hand began to tremble in his.
Sensing her distress, her husband gently put a hand to the side of her face and lowered his head so their foreheads were touching. "Shhh…" he soothed quietly. "Don't say anything more. Just rest…"
----
The next morning, the Dragoons stood in the Throne Room, ready to leave. They all stood in their armor, weapons at their sides and provisions from the castle's kitchen in their packs. All they needed to do was plan their route before heading out.
"We should stop at Fletz in Tiberoa," said Albert. "Neither King Zior nor Princess Lisa were able to attend the party the other day. I'm sure they would like to know that Emille and I are expecting."
"Could we stop by the Evergreen Forest too?" asked Meru as she tightened her usual ponytail. "I told Guaraha I'd come back after the party."
"So we'll stop in Fletz, then the Evergreen Forest," nodded Hashel. "Anybody else want to go somewhere?"
No one said anything. Everyone but Elizabeth and Verona knew that they would most likely visit every continent in Endiness before their journey would end.
Albert nodded. "We can stop in Lohan to get any supplies we couldn't find here."
"Are we ready?" asked Dart, looking at his friends as they nodded.
When the blonde swordsman looked at his royal companion, the king of Serdia ran a quick mental check. Items and provisions were in his pack over his shoulders, his javelin was…
Not there?
He looked around him for it, but to no avail.
"You all can go ahead. I'll join you at the city limits. I seem to have misplaced my javelin."
Dart nodded and was the first to leave, followed by Shana, Miranda, Hashel, Kongol, Meru, Elizabeth, and Verona. Albert last remembered leaving his weapon in his study, so he quickly ascended the small flight of steps and entered the door in the side of the room.
There was a good strong breeze up on the walkway leading to his study, and he suddenly had a strong urge to just stop and take a moment to do something he rarely ever had time to do: stop moving and enjoy a moment to himself. He obliged and rested his forearms on the guardrail, looking out and letting his eyes wander over the rooftops of Bale. His own element surrounded him and pushed his light brown hair; well, the amount of it that wasn't secured in his ponytail, at least; out of place.
How long ago had his reign begun? How many years had it been since King Carlos, with his dying breath, passed the crown to his son, who was a mere six years of age? How much time had passed since the Moon Gem was removed from the deceased king's body and placed into his own?
He subconsciously put a hand on his chest, over the scar that showed where the Moon Gem had been surgically implanted into him. The scar had never fully healed for some reason; it had faded somewhat, but was still visible. The gem's removal was the complete opposite; there was no mark on his back that signified that the gem had passed through. Although it certainly felt like it had been surgically removed; the pain was so great, he couldn't help but to scream in painful agony.
Movement in the corner of his vision brought his attention to the front of the castle. His eight friends emerged from the large doors, proceeding their way through the town to wait for him at the other side.
The sight reminded him of the reason he was out on the walkway in the first place, and he continued his way to his study.
He emerged into the room to see Emille standing in front of the window facing the city, turning to face him as he entered. His javelin was in her hands, its head pointing straight upwards at the ceiling. Her husband moved to stand beside her as she looked up into his eyes. They were sad and worried, almost pleading.
"Please be careful, Albert. I know you can protect yourself, but I can't forget about my premonition last night. Something terrible is going to happen. I just know it."
In an attempt to calm her nerves, he gave her a warm smile and took both of her hands in his. He didn't want his wife to stress over him, their baby, and running Serdia while he was away; it couldn't possibly be good for her and their child's health. "Don't worry. I will do every thing in my power to come home alive. I promise."
Her blue eyes searched his soft brown for a moment longer, then she sighed quietly and lowered her head in defeat. She let him take his javelin from her grip.
He gently lifted her chin, making her look up at him. He still smiled at her warmly. "Be brave, and remember that I will always love you." He gave her a small kiss on her forehead before leaving. The queen of Serdia stayed at the window, watching her husband walk down the street until he disappeared behind a building.
--------
Author's note: Whew. That took me a while. Lots of Albert/Emille sweetness in there. More to come too. Anyway, the Dragoons are finally out on their adventure to save the world. Again. Next chapter coming eventually.
