Rose Wars

By Ash Kaiba and Katie Mae

DISCLAIMER: We do not own any of the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters or Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelists of the Roses video game for PS 2. We do own the original characters: Katharine, Ashlyn, and any other character you don't recognize.

Katie Mae: This chapter is going to start out as a recap of Chapter 1 from Katharine's point of view, so some of the dialogue will be the same as in Chapter 1. Then it'll continue on with new events. That's pretty much how this story is going to work from now on, since we have two different characters to focus on.

Ash Kaiba: Yup! Please endure this. Our writing styles are...well, different.

Chapter 2: The Druid

That morning…

Katharine Rosenkreuz awakened before dawn, as she did every morning that the grass was green. She was in charge of caring for her family's flock of sheep, which meant getting them out to pasture and watching them all day. Her face and hands were a light brown color, despite her mother's insistence that she wear a hat or bonnet. Katharine hated hats almost as much as she hated bonnets—she liked to feel the wind tousle her hair and the summer sun warm on her face.

Once she had dressed and gotten breakfast, which consisted of a small loaf of bread, an apple and a chunk of cheese, she walked out to the barn and herded the sheep out to the pastures behind the house. Katharine walked up a nearby hill and turned toward the east, sitting down on the soft, dewy grass to watch the sun rise.

Not long after the sun was completely up, a young boy came trudging up the hill. His light brown eyes and dark hair shined in the sun as he walked up to Katharine and sat down next to her. "Good morning, Katharine," he said.

"Good morning, Tommy," Katharine said to the boy in a bored voice.

"Whatcha doing?"

"I'm watching the sheep, Tommy."

"Oh." The six year old sat for a few minutes, surveying the sheep alongside Katharine. She sighed mentally as she watched him squirm in his seat. Tommy always seemed to pop up when he was least wanted—like when Katharine wanted to be alone with her thoughts. At fourteen, Katharine had started contemplating marriage, and was taking the time she had with the sheep to compare the boys of the village that were of marriageable age.

"Listen, Tommy, do you want to do me a favor?" Katharine asked.

"Sure!"

"All right. Go to my house and ask my mother if she'll give you some bread, cheese and bacon. Make sure you tell her I sent you. When she gives it to you, bring it back to me, all right?"

"Okay! I'll be right back." Tommy jumped to his feet and scampered off toward Katharine's house. She smiled; Tommy would be gone a while. Whenever Katharine wanted to be rid of Tommy, she would send him on an errand to her home, because she knew her mother would keep him occupied doing odd jobs around the inn for her while she "got Katharine's lunch ready." That way, the young boy would be out of Katharine's hair and helping Mary with the inn while Charles was busy with the farming.

Thinking about the inn reminded Katharine that the faires would be starting soon. Whenever traveling faires would move through the area, the Rosenkreuz's inn, the Rose and Briar, was packed with people from neighboring farms and villages who came for the sights and to barter for trinkets and baubles. The people who ran the faires were like gypsies, traveling from one town to the next throughout the summer months and living in the same village every winter. This year, Katharine and Seto would be attending a faire in a nearby town, going by themselves for the first time. They were going to stay for three days at the town's inn, since the innkeeper was a good friend of their father.

Katharine sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes to block the sunlight. She placed her hands behind her head and relaxed, listening to the low sounds of the contented sheep.

Later that day…

At sundown, Katharine gathered the herd and returned home, getting the sheep situated in the barn for the night. As she entered the house, her mother looked at her with a worried expression on her young, smooth face.

"Katharine, did you see Seto or Charlotte while you were out?" Mary asked.

"No, Mama," Katharine replied. "Why?"

"Neither of them has been seen since this morning. Oh, Charles, where is that boy?" Mary bit her lip.

Charles looked up, his hazel eyes glowing with anger and worry.

"He's obviously not here. I'm going to talk with Charlotte's parents," he said, his voice calm despite the blaze in his eyes. Katharine quickly hurried out of the room to wash up for dinner.
As she approached the door to the main room, she heard her father say, "Stay here. I'll go find him. Keep Katharine inside." Peeking through a crack between the door and wall, she saw her father leave with his sword and pitchfork, following behind Wallace and several other men. She walked into the room and over to her mother.

"Where's Papa going?" Katharine asked.

"To the valley. Wallace thinks that there's a monster there, and that's why Seto hasn't come home yet." Mary's hands rested against her stomach.

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"Wait, and pray." Mary walked over to the table and uncovered a bowl of stew. "Eat your dinner."

"Yes, Mama." Katharine sat down and quickly ate the stew, sopping up every last drop with a crust of bread. She returned to the main room and sat next to the window, watching and waiting to see her brother's hazel eyes. "Seto…"

After what seemed like hours, Mary walked over to the window and peered outside. "Katharine, go to bed," she said suddenly.

"Yes, Mama." Katharine hurried into her and Seto's room and changed into her nightdress. She looked over at Seto's bed. Seto…. She said her prayers as she turned down the blankets on her brother's bed. She then crawled under the covers of her own bed and curled into a ball, waiting for them to warm from her body heat. She tuned her ears to listen for any conversation from the main room. After a few moments, she heard the door open.

"Charles!" Mary cried. "Did you find him?"

"Hush," was all her father said.

The door to Katharine and Seto's room creaked open as Charles walked in, carrying something in his arms. Mary followed closely behind. As Charles approached Seto's bed, a stream of moonlight illuminated brown hair. Katharine jumped out of bed to see that her father was carrying an unconscious Seto in his arms. "Seto?" Katharine asked worriedly. Charles allowed Katharine to see Seto's sleeping face. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw that he was unharmed and sleeping calmly. She kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, big brother." She returned to her own bed and, calmed by the fact that Seto was safe, quickly fell asleep.

The next morning…

Katharine awakened early once again, yawning. She was still tired from staying up late the night before. She walked over and placed a kiss on Seto's forehead before straightening his sheets in a motherly fashion. Then she changed into her shift and light green dress, and tied up her hair with a pink ribbon.

Katharine walked into the main room and picked up some bread and cheese, along with a handful of wild berries that she assumed Tommy had picked the day before at the request of her mother. She munched on the berries as she put on her heavy boots. Finally, she put on her apron and put the bread and cheese in one of the pockets. She slipped out the back door and over to the barn, where the sheep "baaaa"-ed a greeting.

"Good morning, everyone!" Katharine said to the sheep. "Today is a great day. Do you know why?"

"Baaaaaaa."

"Seto returned safely last night! I was so happy that he wasn't harmed by the monster in the valley." With a smile, she herded the small flock of sheep toward the barn door before opening it to let the sheep out. She gently pushed them toward the pastures; today, she decided, she would take them near the hill with the big stones. Thankfully, Tommy was afraid of the stones, as were most people in the village. But Seto and Katharine had explored them a few summers ago, and found nothing of interest there. It was just a bunch of weird looking stones.

At Stonehenge…

A young looking woman with long auburn hair and a dark blue dress and silver mantle sat in the center of the rock formation, chanting softly with her eyes closed. Before her, a wooden chalice filled with a silvery liquid glowed faintly with an iridescent purple light. I must find someone to pass my magic on to, the woman thought to herself. Suddenly, she opened her eyes a crack, revealing brilliant violet irises. The glowing stopped. Someone is coming… After a moment, she sighed with relief. It's just a girl. A shepherdess, from the village down the hill. She will be perfect. The woman started chanting again, and the chalice glowed once more.

Katharine trudged up the hill, looking back every so often to check on the sheep, who were grazing peacefully on the hillside. She smiled as she noticed that one of the lambs was frolicking about, causing its mother grief as she tried to herd it closer to the rest of the flock.

"What's your name?" Katharine jumped as she heard a voice behind her. She turned around to see a beautiful woman with long red hairand purple eyes, wearing a long, flowing blue gown with a silver cloak. Katharine bowed. She must be a noble lady, to wear such a dress, she thought.

"Please, rise. I am not worth such attention," the woman replied. "Now, what is your name?"

"Katharine Rosenkreuz, if it pleases you, madam," Katharine said, coming out of the bow but still keeping her eyes lowered.

"Rosenkreuz…you wouldn't happen to be the sister of Seto Rosenkreuz, would you?" This meeting may be more fortuitous than I thought.

Katharine looked up suddenly. "Yes, I am! How do you know Seto?"

"A good friend of mine knows him. Please, come and sit with me a spell. You look tired."

Katharine shook her head, but had to stifle a yawn. "Well, maybe a little. I was up late last night."

"And why is that?"

"My brother was being held by a monster in the valley, and I stayed up until my father brought him home."

The woman frowned slightly. "I see. You care for your brother very much, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. He's my best friend. There aren't any other girls my age that aren't married, and I don't like to spend time with the boys. They look at me strangely and make me feel uncomfortable."

The woman smiled. "I can see why they would look at you, Miss Katharine. You are a very pretty girl. You are of marrying age, are you not?"

Katharine nodded, blushing faintly at the praise. "Pardon me, but may I ask your name?"

"You may ask, but that does not mean I will divulge that particular bit of information. Besides, my name is not important."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Katharine said, lowering her head again.

The woman reached out and lifted Katharine's chin. "Do not worry, Miss Katharine. We all have our secrets; it is no shame to keep my name to myself. Now, I have a question for you: would you like me to tell you a bit of your future?"

"Oh, yes please!" Katharine replied, suddenly feeling a bit of guilty pleasure at the prospect of having this woman use witchery on her. "Will I go on any adventures?"

"Well, we can find out." The woman scooted closer to Katharine and took her hand. "Now, let me see…" The woman slowly stroked her hand with two fingers, following the creases of her hand. "This is your lifeline; see how it stretches all the way down your hand? You will life a long life."

Katharine smiled. "Well, that's good to know."

She continued, "And this is your love line. I see an epic romance in your life: you will find your soul's mate, the man whom you are destined for. Your spirit has been intertwined with him for ages, and you will continue to be with him for infinite generations."

"Wow…" Katharine was astonished. "I'm destined to be with someone?"

The woman nodded. "The rest of your future is… difficult to read."

Katharine's face fell. "Oh…"

"Do not worry, Miss Katharine. Your life will be an adventure; of that I am sure. Now, would you care to join me in a drink?" For the first time, Katharine noticed the intricately carved wooden chalice sitting near her. It was decorated with designs in blue and red, but Katharine didn't recognize them.

"What is it?" Katharine asked, trying to look inside.

"It is just milk. Are you thirsty?"

"Yes, ma'am." She took the chalice and started to drink. It was sweet and clear, leaving her deeply satisfied. As soon as she lowered the chalice from her lips, she started to feel dizzy and clutched her head, dropping the cup.

"Lay down, Miss Katharine, the dizziness will soon pass," the woman told her. She obeyed without thinking, laying her head against her arm. A moment later, she was unconscious.

"Baaaaaaa…Baaaaaaa…" Katharine blearily opened her eyes, wondering what the noise was. She found that one of the lambs was licking her face.

"Eugh, gross!" Katharine said, wiping her face with her sleeve as she sat up. She was still a little dizzy, but upon standing, found that she felt fine. "Whatever that was, it wasn't just milk," she muttered, walking over to a nearby pond. She filled her hands with water and rubbed her face, washing off the sheep slobber. She looked at her reflection in the still water of the pond—and screamed.

Katie Mae: Ooooh, a cliffhanger! Find out what happens next in Chapter 3 of "Rose Wars"!

Ash Kaiba: By me! Review! I shall relay the information.