Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Dragoon.
Brief Summary: A mysterious swordsman wonders home and two children race out to meet their father. What connection does he have to a rose and to the stars?
"The Legend of the Dragoon: The New War of the Dragons"
Chapter 3: "Ice, So Cruelly Melted by the Rose"
The dark wind howled as a grizzled swordsman walked through the mighty storm. The wind whipped his face as the rain stung at it. The man clothed in a grey cape with a hood, grey leather/ steel plate trousers and shirt with chain mail underneath, but over a brown linen under garment. His boots and gloves were similar, but he wore thick grey socks on his feet. His helmet was under the hood, it was also grey, but was plate with a chain and leather cover over the back.
His appearance was that of a man in his mid-late twenties. He had deep, light blue eyes, sandy brown blonde hair that was cut short, because of its difficulties in having it long. His body was well toned, a touch slender, but not by much, he was certainly not blocky either. He was clean shaven and he walked a bit like a soldier, but who didn't close to night in the forest. He was strong, but not a hulking body builder, he relied as much on inner strength as outer. His skin was rough and slightly tanned, but leaning more towards white. His height was 6' 4", quite the giant in that day and age.
He had a shield and pike hung between his pack and his back. His swords hung at his left side and one just over his right shoulder. There were two knives well hidden at his hips and a few more inside his cloak for added measure. He had been called on by nearly all the women he had been to, just because of his strength and his good looks, but his blue eyes held concern for his two young children back in his village.
He continued onward, the growing darkness of the grey sky and the freezing biting cold told him that soon it would be an early dark. He soon arrived at his home village and went straight to the pub. He co-owned the pub with a friend both of their homes were just behind it, but attached to one another and to the pub thanks to a covered and walled walkway. He was greeted by very friendly people. People liked him not as the man who led them to chase off some Bloods, but as the man who cared for life all around him and especially because he operated a small orphanage. He meet each greeter and said his thanks and a how-you-doing, he continued on and toward his friend, Rile (pronounce rail) Cans that he was just going to spend time with his kids and handed him so money for the orphanage and the pub's upkeep.
Rile was as well liked, he didn't think like his friend, but he was a man of honor and a former thief with his own family. The thieving part people didn't like, but he had never taken a life unless that life was a killer or a thief that liked blood. He had been a mercenary for the Kingdom of Basil and had been in the 1st Knighthood led by Sir Lavitz Slambert. During the battle, he had been knocked into a river, a rather deep river with others by Kongol the Gigantos. They all survived and had deserted when they heard of Lavitz fate after the battle. Fear had driven them into hiding, but they later learned of his escape, but with such cowardice, they remained in hiding and actually made up most of the men in the village.
Looking at his friend, Rile said, "Lance, go and get some rest my friend and give your family my best."
Lance nodded and went inside the passageway and into his home on the right. His children immediately met him. Their maid was right behind the two. The room was blazing hot to Lance, but he was wearing so much armor and clothes he knew it would be just right once he had shed it all.
"Jin, Kayla, go take your baths now, let your father change and rest a moment," the maid, Julia Heartstrongchaste.
"Yes, go take your baths now, I need some rest," Lance said to his son and daughter.
The children saw the stern look in their father's eyes and went to take their baths. As they left, Lance turned to Julia.
"Any word?" he asked, with so much hope in his voice.
"None, but she is strong, you know that," she replied.
"Strong AND arrogant, two things that should never mix in a warrior," Lance said.
Julia knew what he meant by that. His wife was indeed strong, but could be rather arrogant at times. Still, she was also intelligent enough to be careful. That when she heard Jin calling for them. Waving his hand, Julia went off to find out what was with the children as Lance took off his soaking cloak, heavy armor, and weapons. He then retired to his room for a brief moment of rest and a fresh change of clothes for when the children were done with their bath. He then began to think of the closest people around him.
Jin looked like his father, with blue eyes and sandy brown blond hair. A bit on the chubby side, but that is beginning to disappear with the start of his training. He was still a young boy after all. He is proving honest, strong, and brave, using a lot of common sense.
Kayla sister could be mistaken for a smaller version of their mother. She had snowy, pearly white skin with silvery black hair, a very lean figure and was strong to boot. She even has the violet eyes of her mother. She is also proving rather intelligent, quick, and even quicker wit. Both children are twins and therefore are both 5 years old.
Julia the maid is young woman, 16 years of age. He had rescued her from some bandits after a raid on a caravan. Her parents had been killed so she was orphaned. He took her in and from there, he started an orphanage. She had teal blonde hair, skin a snowy tan, with teal eyes that held specks of red towards their center, she was not very tall, perhaps 5' 7" and weighed a minimal of 135 pounds, her frame was petite and she had most of the boys in the village trying to ask her out, but she stayed mostly to watch after his children.
Her beauty most likely came from the fact that her parentage was mixed, human/Wingly. Her mother had been a Wingly and her father human. Such mixes were uncommon, rare even to the point of exotically rare and slavers paid over top dollar for them. They had the unfortunate luck to have the beauty of both worlds. Either way, she was safe now, as were a few others.
The village itself, despite only having a small population of 453 people, was well guarded. Two other villages were with-in shooting range of one another and all three were built with-in stone walls, not only to keep animals out, but people too, that was were the walls of Hoax had failed. The surrounding forest had been cut back to provide clear fields of fire and excellent farmland.
There were still some forest trees around the villages, but those were mainly for defense, but the occasional moan from a woman or man, usually both could be heard from with-in the trees. Then there was the fact that the children enjoyed playing in these safe woods, as no monsters or enemies were in them.
The villages were also built a top hills and that made a huge difference, as shooting a catapult from sea level at fortresses on hill tops was rather more difficult than one would think, since most shots would hit the walls and thick walls would take forever to big down. Then add in the trees surrounding the walls and battering rams and mining became just too difficult, plus the trees were thick enough to hold off at least one catapult shot of decent size.
To add to their defense, a small fort had been built atop a smaller hill in the center of the area that the three villages formed. It also boosted some streams to add to its defense which made it that much harder for an enemy to attack. No large bandit raid would ever win here, as for an enemy force, even if they did win, it would be after a long and hard battle, if not siege.
Coming back to reality, he heard Julia call up to that the children's bath was finished and that the tub had been refill with fresh hot water for him. He smiled and went back down stairs and went to the back of the house to have his bath. As he was heading towards the bath, Julia told him dinner would be ready in a little bit, he just nodded and continued on his way.
"Man, she's a looker boss," one bandit said.
"But she's some kind of warrior, but what the hell happened to her?" said another.
"Doesn't matter, strip her of her clothes, armor, weapons, money, and anything else that's valuable," the bandit leader said.
"Her dignity too," said a forth, getting disgusted looks out of his fellow bandits.
"You just don't rape a dying female warrior," one of the bandits objected.
"You also don't steal, so what's your point," he said, licking his sword as a warning.
"You're mad," said another bandit.
Before the mad bandit could reply, a rapier was sticking through his chest, right where his heart is. The woman had stood up during the argument, the bandits seemed scared senseless and crapless. Her eyes burned like dark flames and the bandits chose to flee, leaving a prisoner they had taken earlier behind. The young woman sat frozen with fear, until the older woman's face softened slightly, but it was still hard and for good reason. The mad bandit was still alive and standing with an insane look on his face.
"YOu CAn't KIll Me, WENch!" he said, followed by maniacal laughter, but the bandit felt the winds pick up and he suddenly found himself hurled into endless darkness, where he DID die.
"You're her, but mother told me you had died with him," the prisoner said, watching the woman gasping for breath.
"I will get home, but I need help, I need your help to get back to my family," the dark haired, snowy white skinned woman asked.
"Where art thou rose, so tender, but so… Ahh, I just can't come up with someTHING!" Lance jumped a little, feeling cool hands on his back.
"I never married you for your poetry, or lack there of," said a voice with longing it.
Lance spun around to see his wife, covered in her blood, but a smile upon her face.
"You're wounded! Julia get the bandages and Rile, NOW!" Lance called.
Julia stuck her head in and saw Lance's wife, bleeding to death!
"I'll get Rile first and then the bandages!" she said and took off running, not even noticing the blood soaked guest staring wide eyed about the place.
Running across the connecting hallway, Julia yelled for Rile's wife, she opened the door and Julia explained the situation. Rile's wife, Jo, went to get her husband's medical supplies and a few of his Rock Fireflies, while Julia ran to get Rile himself. Once she had him, the two flew down the walkway, through the Blade Residence hallways, and to the bathroom, where Blade was desperately, and for some odd reason, expertly was slowing the blood loss.
Once everything was brought under control, Blade gently stroked his wife's cheek as she lay in their bed. Jin and Kayla had found the young woman who brought their mommy back home. Lance gave his thanks by letting her stay in his home for the time she needed to restock and prepare for her trip home and buying her some new dresses and traveling clothes of her choosing, to replace the one covered in blood. Lance's wife came around during this time.
"L-an-ce… is… that truly… y-you?" she asked.
"Yes my darling, it is me," he replied.
"Then I truly then made it home, home to my family," she said.
Lance could feel the strength return her body. He had that effect on her, but he also knew it was the Rock Fireflies in the room, restoring her strength, slowly, but surely.
"The young woman is a new one, my power calls her forth," she said.
"I know, I know Rose, that she is the new Dragoon of Darkness, one of the twin daughters of the Dragoon of Water," he replied.
"Teach her, as I taught you," Rose said.
"I will, but rest now. We will wait to teach her and let her know. Remember, her mother is still a bit mad at me for that one day," he said.
SLAP!
"I totally deserve that, though that was before I propose, which was after I had to save you from that enemy. Didn't I say not to get too caught up in your strength," he said with a slight smile.
"I'm going to so hurt you when I have my full strength back," she said.
"That's if you can walk straight after I get my way, for once," he smiled lovingly back, but his eyes, like hers, were full of lust and…
SLAP!
… His hands just didn't know when not to roam over her body and into certain regions.
"I need to get home and among some of my own people, maybe a little perverted-monk-getting-hit-by-giant-boomerang-on-head will help my hands learn," he said with a toothy grin, like that of a child.
As he stood, the door creaked open and two heads poked in, then…
"MOMMY!" the two children squealed and ran to her bedside.
"Ms. Rose, you're awake," cried Julia, who was crying, as Rose had been like the mother she had lost.
"Rose, the Black Dragoon, it's an honor to meet you, though my mother told me you had died," said the young woman.
"Now, now, Princess Kate Typhoon of the New Wingly Empire, did you honestly expect MY Rose to die that easily," Lance said.
"Mommy's the famous Dragoon of Darkness!" Kayla squealed.
"Who cares! She's just mommy through and through, and even if she is a Dragoon, which just makes her the best mommy there ever has been!" Jin squealed as well.
"Ms. Rose, I had no idea that you were so powerful and famous, but you are just Ms. Rose aren't you," Julia said, as Lance enveloped the four them in group hug.
"That's right, who can ask for a better family than this!" he said.
Kate just nodded, but then notice the serious look Rose and Lance shared. He then turned and looked at her.
"Kate, your fate has been chosen, The Dragon of Darkness now recognizes you as its new mistress. You, as had your mother, and even me, have no say in the matter," he stated.
"WHAT?" Kate said bewildered.
"Come now, am I that easy to forget about when I'm going about with my alias," he said with a slight pout on his face.
"WAIT! You're Ice, the infamous lecher!" Kate shouted.
"I'M NOT A LECHER!" he shouted, then spoke more calmly, "I was un-attached at the time and unruly, being separated from my people after my fleet was sunk had a bit of impact on my life, but now I'm just a simple traveler and husband with kids, but at the same time I'm Lance "Ice" Blade, the Cosmos Dragoon.