Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Dragoon, so if I get a call from Lawyers, they're being hearing from mine.

Understood?

GOOD!

Now on with the story!

Chapter 2

23 Years after the end of the Moon Campaign

"Mother Nature and Cosmic Blade"

"ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ALL HANDS TO THE LIFE BOATS! I REPEAT! ALL HANDS TO THE LIFE BOATS! ABANDON SHIP!"

The horrible sound of a ship of the line breaking up as men and women ran for their lives, but me. I just did, what I was told, but now I ran from the boats to the bridge, the exact opposite.

"HEYYYYY! ICE! This way!"

I had time to see the guy that called me disappear in a fire ball. I just ran. I had to find her! I arrived at the bridge and took a look around. The bridge crew had been cut up and hacked to pieces!

"MOTHER OF MERCY!" was all I could say.

I saw three figures, the captain and her, but who was… what was the third figure?

"STAND AND IDENTIFY!" I shouted.

Iwas confident in myself. I was a soldier, a damn good soldier! The figure turned to see me and laughed! I didn't like that laugh. It spoke of great evil, an evil so great that this intruder was to be feared, but like any good soldier, I swallowed that feared and stood my ground, drawing my only weapon, my Katana, from my practicing.

"A SWORDSMAN?" yelled the figure in surprise.

'He's afraid of me? Why?'

I awoke, days later, in some village. I thoughtwe were supposed to be in anuninhabited region, but I was on a bed, my wounds I suffered treated. My first thought was,'the diot-samaswere wrong, again!' The door opened, I closed my eyes. A woman with slivery,ravenblack hair and a face… a face LIKE HERS!

"SOMEONE! HELP ME!"

'Bandits again!'

A woman was cornered, she had long silver hair and teal colored clothes, that from the first look to the touch, you could tell she was loaded, but then he saw her hands. Her hands showed the signs of training with swords, specifically swords for flowing movement of a highly agile swordsman, or in this case, woman. The man jumped down and saw that her eyes were also teal, her face was that of a youth, around 15 years, but her body seemed to dictate that she was at least 21 years of age, if not 22. He looked her up and down, finding that she was a woman of rare beauty, but he wasn't interested, maybe for a one night stand, maybe more, but defiantly not really worth his time, though he thought that of most women,' except for the one he that gave me this locket and the one that cared for my injuries.'

'Wait! Not again!' he thought, now he was irritated

"You bandits woke me up and now……" the man said.

"NOW WHAT!" yelled the obvious leader of the bandits.

The woman's POV

I saw a man drop from out of the trees. I think he might be their leader. I hope not. Where's my sister? Wait? They don't seem to know he's there? He's just standing there? Who is he? He has his eyes covered, well he is completely covered, and he could be mistaken for her son. He's looking at me and sizing me up?

"You bandits woke me up and now……" he said.

"NOW WHAT!" yelled the leader.

The bandits seemed to be startled. They quickly turn to him. MY SWORD! That filthy bandit! I'll kill him! Wait!

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" yelled the leader.

They don't know him.

"…you must die," he said.

He drew his sword! He's fast! They're all dead and he's got my sword now! He's coming this way. He's next to me. What?

"Your sword has been sheathed!" I shout in surprise.

"Here is yours," he responds.

I take my sword and look at it. Then I turn to say my thanks and he's gone! Wait! He's behind me and touching my……………

"PER-murph!" his hand is on my mouth, he is fast!

"I don't do things for free. I don't want your money, nor do I feel like taking you. I just want to see what you've got really hidden under your clothes," he flatly says.

He removes the articles slowly and carefully until he has the full picture.

'Now what?'

"Nice figure. I was right about the rare beauty, but most defiantly, not a one or two week stand, but a keeper type," he says.

"Thank you, I think," I say.

"When you do marry, your husband will be one hell of a lucky man," he states, but before I can reply or even blush, I feel my clothes being replaced.

'He's dressing me?'

He's doing it the same way, but reverse. He is sort of a gentleman. I like him! I wonder…

"KATE! Where are you?"

End POV

Kate's sister and their combined guards found her, but she is completely redressed and the man was gone. Then he shouts:

"I'm called Ice!"

5 days later

"Kate! He did what to you?" shouted Kate's mother.

"Err….. Undress me and touch me," replied Kate blushing madly.

"I"LL KILL HIM!" Kate's mother shouted.

"MOTHER!" yelled Diana, Kate's twin sister (born at the same time, identical)

"Empress Meru!" yelled a servant.

"Yes, what is it Goli (sounds like goalie)," answered the Blue Dragoon.

"Its Lord Dart ma'am, he's been wounded by an unknown assassin!" shouted Goli.

"WHAT?" yelled the three women.

A week later at the Deningrad Palace

Dart lay injured on the bed, his body screamed. An object was buried in his left shoulder near his heart. He needed help, but no one has ever pulled an object like that out. He looked about his room. No one was in there; they were trying to keep Shana out, even Justin and Jen. Wait! There was someone in there with him. An assassin!

"I'm not here to kill you," he said as he walked over to Dart.

"Not here to kill me," Dart repeated.

"I hate echoes. Like I thought, M56A3 damage," he stated.

"A WHAT?" yelled a confused Dart.

"Good thing I blocked the door. Oh yeah, almost forgot! I killed the assassin for you," he states.

"YOU WHAT?" Dart is now totally confused.

"Hold still and keep this in your mouth." He hands a cloth to Dart.

"Your going to…" he's cut off.

"Stupid question," he states as he just stuffs the cloth into Dart's mouth and begins the painful task in removing the object.

Everyone heard Dart yell and then when two guards attempt to enter, they find the doors blocked.

"Assassin!"

The guards begin throwing their full wait against the door. More join in. The door does not give.

"Hold still," the man says.

Dart writhes left and right from the pain.

"Almost got it."

Dart can't believe the pain.

"Done."

He carefully drops the smallobject into a small cup and caps it. He then takes out a package of herbs.

"These will speed up the healing and decrease the pain."

He rubs them on and then bandages the wound.

"No nothing until the wound is healed. Try to do anything and your dead, got me?"

Dart nods.

"The injury will heal, but you'll have to rely on your friends and family for feeding you. Just pray that you can hold your bladder and bowels long enough. No solids, just liquids for two weeks and then you can have solids, or private time with your wife. Also, you can move about, but minimize the use of the left arm and generally the left upper side for another few weeks after that. The royal doc outta be able to keep you breathing. If not, I'll be back."

He then gets up and jumps at the window. A few seconds later the door finally gives and in rushes everyone.

"DART!" yells Shana as she runs to his side.

"Your wound! You're alive!" she yells.

"He came to treat me and kill the assassin," Dart states.

"DON'T READ TOO MUCH INTO ME! I DON'T DO FREEBIES! THANKS FOR THE BOOTS AND THE FEW POUNDS OF GOLD!"

"He took my boots! And some gold!" Dart says bewildered.

"Mother! That's him! That's Ice!"

Several months later

A man and a woman were fleeing some bandits, but they ran right into a trap. The man was knocked down and the woman left alone and vunerable to the bandits, save for her staff.

"BROTHER!"

"GIVE THAT PEBBLE TO US!"

'Those weapons! Must be with Bloody Gates.'

Several months had past since Ice treated Dart. Now weapons similar to the one that been used in the failed assassination of the Fire Lord, were popping up everywhere. The Royal Houses and the Rouge Council had thrown their full weight against the force that controlled these weapons, the Bloody Gates. Yet, they were more often, soundly defeated, by the Bloods, but it was a young man that turned the tide. The man known as Ice.

Three Months after the attempt on the Lord of Fire, Dart Field

Soldiers prepared to raid a safe house of Bloods. They are the most elite of the Holy Knights of Mille Seseau. Now they are in position for the most dangerous mission in their lives. The door is knocked down by a well placed catapult shot, the knights storm in, only to find the lookouts have been dead for a long time. Their weapons, sit unused and stacked together as if they had never touched them. Entering the rest of the safe house, they find that the rest of the Bloods are dead, but a noise catches their attention. They see a young woman, being held by throat by a young man dressed in strange armor and having a similar Blood weapon hanging over his shoulder. They see that he sees them.

"Humph! You get to live. Aren't you lucky," the man sneers at the woman.

He then tosses her down into the knights, knocking several down.

"All yours, but the weapons. I will allow no one to have them."

In a flash and he's gone. Though they hear others cry out for help and then see the prisoners that the Bloods had taken walk out from hiding alive. The knights rush to care for the injured and spirit the prisoners to the safety of the capital. Once there, the questioning begins.

"I never saw him before."

"Never met him before, but I don't want to again!"

"He shielded me and protected me like an angel."

"He was like a monster! We were down before we knew it."

"He was gentle with my leg when he found that it was broken."

"He came out of no where, giving no quarter and finding pleasure in killing us!"

"He had the sweetest voice and the kindest touch of any I have met."

"He held me by my neck and had the most evil touch of anyone I've meet, his voice was like that of the Devil!"

Two things were learned. One he was two sides of the same coin, both kind and sweet, and cruel and mean. The second was that he was on the same level as Dragoons. Then a third thing came up that gave a name to this person, this man.

"He said that he usually doesn't do freebies, but he couldn't walk away from this one, even if he wanted too."

"I asked him his name and he said,' very well, Ice, as in cold and ruthless.' Then he cut me up and left me for dead!"

Then a forth thing appeared.

"He asked where I was from, he asked everyone, taking notes and making sure he had everything right."

"He demanded to know about how we got our weapons! I said I didn't know much other than they belonged to some unknown Tiberoian Knighthood!"

It was undoubtably Ice. His face was confirmed and so was his knowledge of the weapons. No one doubted that Ice was preventing the Alliance from claiming these weapons, but reports grew that the Bloods were often finding their supply troops butchered and the weapons stolen. Many began to wonder as to what Ice was and more importantly, who?

Back to the Present

"WOMAN GIVE US THE"

The stone in the woman's hand began to glow, then a young man appeared, with cold, intelligent blues eyes, calculating how to kill the bandits, but he wore armor that took everyone's breath away.

"A DRAGOON!"

Pointing the end of hisweapon at the woman, he said:

"Arise! Arise! ARISE DRAGOON OF NATURE!"

The stone began to glow brightly and covered the woman with its bright power. The earth began to shake, the wind picked up, clouds gathered and lightning, arched all around! Flowers came to attention and trees seemed to turn to her. The woman felt her clothes slide from her body, but then was quickly replaced by the feel of protective padding and then the weight of armor. She felt her staff become empowered by the light, then it was finished. Standing were the woman stood, was a dragoon!

The next day

Justin and his sister Jen, were out walking about when some Bloods appeared and attempted to take them prisoner, but the plants around them came to life and began to attack the Bloods. Then some fell, with holes in their bodies. Panic became rampant as the Bloods were quickly killed or incapacitated.

"Justin, what just happened?"

"I don't know Jen. I don't know."

"Long range sniping and control over plants. That's what happened."

Looking up to see a man and a woman floating above them, Justin and Jen couldn't believe what they saw.

"We will"

"I told you. I work alone, and I rarely do freebies!"

He slid his hand over her back side to prove the point. She flinched and went higher than him.

"Well, they do have my unit's weapons, and I'll be back to see the breathers, so till then, See ya later!"

He disappeared faster than the eye could see, but Jen gave a yelp.

"That bastard touched me in all three off limit zones!" Jen yelled.

"He also took our money!" shouted Justin.

"I wish he would behave and be a gentleman, but no, he's cold, cruel, perverted, and and and….. ARGH! I'm gonna kill him next time I see him!" yelled the Dragoon of Nature.

"Sheen just give it up!" yelled a young man coming out of the forest.

"Hi! I'm Jochiam and that's my sister Sheen. Wait aren't you Justin and Jen Fields, the children of the Fire Lord?" asked Jochiam.

"Yes," the two said in chorus.

"Now I see why he took off to protect you! It was more than just the Bloods, it was you two," Jochiam shouted!

"US?" the two Fields said in unison.