This idea kinda popped out of nowhere. When I thought of it I had to change the last bit of the latest chapter.
I don't own Tales of Symphonia. (Why must my failure keep coming back to haunt me? T.T)
"This is nuts!" Stephen exclaimed when I mentioned my idea.
"But it may save us time and strength." Kratos pointed out.
"We should at least wait for everyone to wake."
"No." I said firmly. "They'd try and stop me. Besides, we can handle this. I know we can."
"Blind faith clouds one's judgement." Kratos said warningly.
"This isn't blind."
I stepped forward. I knew it was a good idea to appeal to the dragon's vain side.
"Breath of fire, body made for flight, creature of awe." Even though my words were softly spoken, they were clear and sincere. It's hard not to be filled with awe facing a dragon that big.
"Please, I'm no fire-breather and I can hardly fly." The dragon's voice was feminine and as soft as mine.
"Still, you look magnificent." I insisted.
I felt somehow that the dragon was smiling. "Why are you even talking to me? Your friends were already talking of killing me."
"They only wish to get to Yggdrasil, and they know he is in the room which you are guarding."
"Guarding? I merely find this the most comfortable place to sit. The rest of this castle has such small corridors."
"Then why haven't you moved?" I was now curious.
"No one has asked me politely. Never underestimate the importance of being polite."
"Well then, could you please move?"
"That's a start. But I had to tell you first…If one of the ones who are currently sleeping asks then I shall move."
"Thank you."
I stepped back.
"How are we going to get one of them to say it?" I asked Kratos and Stephen.
"Why don't we just ask them?" Stephen suggested.
"It wouldn't work. They are the ones who need to remember their manners. The dragon as good as told us that."
"Well…wait, do you hear?.." Stephen began.
I heard the sound of someone yawning.
"They're getting up."
A certain spiky-haired, twin-swordsman destined to reform the word staggered towards us - still half-asleep - and rubbed his eyes. (A/N I managed to put 5 –'s in there; beat that!)
"Ah, Lloyd. Just the person Kratos wanted to see." I said with a smirk.
"Oh. What is it?" Lloyd asked.
"I'm not entirely sure myself." Kratos muttered.
I sighed. "The importance of being polite." I whispered.
"Ah. Lloyd, you know it's important to be polite to strangers?"
"What's brought this on?" Lloyd asked, puzzled.
"No matter what they look like?"
"Okay, okay. It's good to be polite. So, what were you doing all night?"
"Talking about past-times. Kratos has some interesting stories about the Kharlan war that you should probably ask about sometime."
Kratos looked at me and mouthed, "I have?" behind Lloyd's back.
"Oh. You know, I'd better wake everyone up." Lloyd ran off.
"I bet you're going to miss him." I said to Kratos.
"I will." It was a full three seconds before he realised I meant when he goes away on Derris-Kharlan, opened his mouth to ask how I knew, then thought better of it and closed his mouth again.
The group eventually got packed and ready.
"I don't think this is a such good idea." I said quietly, yet audibly.
When no-one replied I said, "Fine, just want you to know that you've made the wrong decision."
The group drew their weapons, except Kratos Stephen and I.
"Don't attack." I said the two words calmly but with authority.
Lloyd, either not hearing or ignoring me, ran and made a nick on the dragon's foot.
"Stop!" I shouted, using the wind to hold back – and in Lloyd's case – throw back my own group.
"I have your word?" I turned to the dragon.
"I shall not harm them."
"Thank you." I reminded myself to be overly polite. Maybe Lloyd will pick it up subconsciously, or something.
"Nia, what are you doing?" Raine asked.
"This fight is unnecessary."
"Just because it's a dragon, you're going to side with it?" Sheena asked. "It's evil."
"It's not evil!" I shouted. "And it was unfair of you to make that accusation. Not to mention rude."
Come on Lloyd, get the hint…
"Genis, Raine, Zelos. Can you hit it with spells?" Lloyd asked his team-mates.
"Lloyd, if you start casting spells, the dragon will act in self-defence. And I may involuntarily add another ticked off dragon to the mix. I suggest you don't do anything provocative." I said.
"Um…" Lloyd sounded sheepish. "Could you explain what that means, Genis?"
"Lloyd, don't ask us to cast spells."
"Ah, gotcha."
"Lloyd, you can stop this."
"Me?"
God, give me strength. We'll be lucky to leave this room today at this rate!
"What did Kratos tell you this morning?"
"Um, I forgot."
I swear, if we were in an anime movie, we all would've sweatdropped.
"The world is doomed. Origin left the Eternal Sword in the hands of an idiot." I muttered.
"Hey!" Kratos shouted.
"No offence intended." I held up my hands in a mock surrender.
"Kratos, are you on their side?" Lloyd asked, a tinge of regret coming into his voice.
"Lloyd, there aren't any sides! I'm trying to get you past this without a fight. If I wanted the dragon to win, you'd all be dead right now!"
"We can get past the dragon without fighting?" Genis thought aloud.
"Start thinking of dragons as being intelligent beings, like us." The dragon turned to look at me, so I added, "In the majority of cases, more intelligent."
"Think of the dragon as a human?" Genis wondered.
"What would we do if a human was blocking the road?" Lloyd asked himself. Then, he got it. "We'd ask that person to move! Um, excuse me, could you please move?" Lloyd asked.
"Still took a little while, but I'll let you pass." The dragon moved to the main part of the hallway, freeing the door.
"Thank you."
I released the group from the wind's hold and we faced our biggest challenge yet…Opening the fifty-foot tall doors of Derris-Kharlan. Just kidding, our biggest challange would be Mithos and Naois.
Easily the quickest and easiest chapter I've ever written. In comparison to the last chapter, this was almost too easy! Possibly a little cheesy, but it's true. If a hero cannot stop and ask a dragon to move instead of killing it, then how are they better than the bad guys?
Reviews…reviews!