Chapter Two

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and
The light that you shine can be seen.

The longest trip in Rose's life was the return journey to Vellweb, which became twice as long while keeping Michael warm in her cloak. During the journey, no monsters nor wingly was encountered, making her admire her third companion, the ever silent Zieg. His pace was swift and became swifter anytime Rose was able to keep up as if he was egging her on. But she soon found out that the Dragoon was pushing her, making her dig deep to become a better warrior, a better person. In the end, she covered much ground and although she was exhausted the moment they entered the Glacier Trail, she was very satisfied with herself for not taking a break until now.

Zieg paused and took a gander back to the heavy breathing woman. Ever since he saw her battle with Gloomwing at the dragon's nest, he couldn't help but admire her grace and raw determination, not unlike his own. He never met a woman, let alone a woman warrior, so akin to him with the sword. The smile never left his face when they left the Wyrm Mountain Range and it only brightened as Michael came out of the folds of Rose's cloak to nibble her neck.

Zieg waited and watched from afar the playful side of Rose as she treated the dragon, a dark dragon, as a pet and loyal friend. It was the first time he saw her, not as a warrior but as a woman, an attractive woman at that. Her skin was fair as if not much of the sun's rays kissed her flesh and her hair was so deep of a brown, it was almost black that also traveled all the way down her back. Her chocolate eyes sparkled with life as she played with Michael, pressing her lips on his forehead. How Zieg wished to feel those lips or to brush his finger through her hair. But as always, he never believed his average features could draw the attention of the simplest of girls. So instead, he decided to play a little and to get some more information about this new Dragoon.

"Hey, you got some nice legs," Zieg offhandedly said, drawing a deep scowl but a blush from the female warrior. "Why not protect the left as you protect the right?"

She nearly fell over from the surprising man. He got her attention frankly but he asked an earnest question for her. Though her cloak covered her almost completely, she knew what he was referring to. Her specially designed armor was a thin layer of plate, finely crafted repeatedly so she could move easily in it as if it was a heavy shirt. The breast plate can down low like a tunic but for lower armor, she only wore a thigh high plated boot on her right leg and a calf high plated boot on the other. The armor was painted a deep violet, almost black, to better hide herself at night against the enemy, something Zieg would know if he spoke to Emperor Diaz.

"I wear as little armor on my legs as possible for mobility without sacrificing my defense. Thus I hold my stance with my right, protected leg out front but can easily dive back from a blade or magic with my free left leg," the female warrior finally answered but the smug look appeared on Zieg as if he wasn't impressed but he was.

He now knew the secret behind her agility and that, itself told him once she mastered the Dark Dragoon Spirit, he would never want to match swords with her again. His greatest flaw and he knew it, was his heavy armor that slowed him down. True, he was shielded against the sword and magic from neck to toe but another armor he never thought about was not being there when the attack occurred. A gentle snow began to fall and his eyes began to dart around from an uneasy feeling.

"What is it?" Rose asked quietly.

"Hand me Michael. You got some Dragoon training to do," Zieg grinned while extending his hand for the dragon.

"What!" Rose questioned and was answered by a large creature with a single arm, made entirely out of ice.

The Dark Dragoon let out a curse as she turned to Zieg. If she expected a clearer answer other than his hand extended and with a fire in his eyes, she knew she wasn't going to get one. She knew only one of them could fight the creature—and curse her luck, it was a Wendigo—for the other had to shield Michael. Relentlessly did she hand the baby dragon over and took a defensive stance against the creature.

"Remember, you defeated Gloomwing without hardly any help. This beast is nothing," Zieg encouraged, though Rose wasn't listening.

Every opponent she fought, she always believed they could win and she would die. Never would she underestimate any enemy nor would she ever hold back. Feeling the darkness in her soul, Rose entered into a blackened globe, exiting in her Dragoon Armor.

Flying was still new to her and a second later, she barely dodged a swipe from the sickle ice claws of the beast in time. At such an early time in the battle, she understood why Zieg wanted her to fight it. As the beast lumbered to the side, Rose took the opening and pierced for its chest. The move was foolhardy as anyone with knowledge of the frozen north would know a sword would simply chip some ice flesh off a Wendigo. However, between her new found strength and magic, her sword dug in as if the ice was made of human tissue.

With a monstrous roar, the creature backhanded the surprised warrior far from it. Wendigos didn't hunt for food, they hunted simply to kill. Calling forth its unique ability, the creature accumulated all the ice particles in the air and manifested a crystal left arm. Taking it in his living hand, the Wendigo thrust it into the earth. Rose flapped her new wings to no avail as the deadly razor sharp claw exploded from the ground beneath her and shot her in the air and landed hard on her wings. She saw everything go black.

"Now what are you doing? Get up!" a familiar call came but also sounded very far away.

"Your armor is of the dragon Gloomwing, the same dragon you couldn't harm with sword or magic. So get—" the call ceased as the Dragoon Spirit brightened and Rose reverted back to her regular form.

The Wendigo felt the moment of victory at hand. It would tear this one apart, limb from limb, on how badly she wounded it. A clawed hand shot out for the dazed human but it never reached her.

Its claw retreated as another blade, this one aflame, licked at its frozen flesh. Such damnation, fire, was the most feared creation to all the monsters within and outside the Glacier Trail. It backed up, terrified but lost in its confusion by fear of the fire and the bloodlust from the recent battle. It didn't know if it should flee or kill.

"You did well," Zieg said with a smile, handing Michael to the still dazed Rose. "Not as well as I thought you would do, being a great warrior with the magnificent Dark Dragoon Armor but you did well nonetheless."

If Rose was coherent enough to speak, she would've been more than quick to give a nasty reply. But she wasn't and since Zieg precious his own life, he wouldn't have said it unless she did have the wind knocked out of her. There was also another reason. He was hoping that if she heard that, she would resume combat out of sheer anger. Since she was still out of it Zieg felt more than happy to obliterate the beast.

"Power of the Red-Eyed Dragon, come to me!" Zieg called into his fiery soul, sending himself ablaze by some grand fire and walking out of it covered neck to toe in magical dragon hide. "DA!"

The Wendigo summoned his second arm and sent it to the ground but Zieg was neither unaccustomed to the Dragoon Armor nor was he inexperienced in fighting such a beast. Indeed, the Red Dragoon enjoyed fighting creatures of his opposite element. With a crazed smile, Zieg engulfed himself in flames as the claw came up from the ground and melted immediately as it touched the flames. A shield of fire circled around the front of the Dragoon as Zieg took his sword to the shield, pointing at his target.

"Final BURST!"

The sight Rose beheld when she finally got her bearings was breathtaking. The light of fire emanating from Zieg was seen as a haze which was something common in a desert and not a frozen tundra. With his sword pointed straight, the Red Dragoon charged with all the fire he could summon, leaving a trail of dragon fire in his wake. Turning around after plowing through the icy beast Zieg released the rest of his magical fire, sending a wave of flame over the Wendigo. In one attack, Rose saw her fellow Dragoon utterly destroyed the unfortunate creature as Zieg turned it into a mix of melted ice and slush.

Zieg flew back to the two, offering a hand and a smile to Rose. Never had she seen such brute strength and raw power in a human. She kindly took the offer and soon was standing, gazing into his dilated eyes. Either he liked what he saw in Rose or the battle excited him more than a little. His short blonde hair billowed in the wind and his handsome face softened from the crazed battle lust.

"I wish it wasn't in human nature to fight," Rose weakly stated, wishing Zieg to keep his soft, handsome face on him forever instead of his fiery, crazed look he always got when he entered combat.

"It's not in human nature to fight. Only those who are insane thinks peace will not bring happiness. But fighting is the only option we have to obtain liberation and so we send ourselves into madness in order to fight, to declare war, to kill," Zieg paused and pulled forth his Dragoon Spirit. "It is the same force, insanity, which drives the Dragoon Spirit, the power of the Dragon Knight. But this power can easily corrupt a human's heart if they are not strong enough to tame the power.

I'm sure that you, Rose, can control the Dark Dragoon Spirit and not the other way around. Since you question if battling is right or wrong, even with your formable skills with the sword, I know you have the strongest spirit I have ever known. Myself and Emperor Diaz included."

Rose reeled at the ever surprising man. At times he seems so playful and others he's annoying and cocky. There was no question that he enjoyed battle but he would pick his battles wisely. And now he seemed wise, like a philosopher. He was right, the Dragoon Spirit did intensify her mind and body, feeling that the power of the dragon, deep and dark was already taking its toll and driving her mad. With how battle crazed Zieg gets during every fight, she hoped she could tame the spirit.

How lost she was in her reverie, she didn't noticed how close her fellow Dragoon was until Michael cried. Looking slightly up, she knew she shouldn't but she immediately fell into his gaze, still burning with desire, battle lust or maybe passion, she couldn't tell. She dared not hope it was passion but she couldn't help herself from getting closer to the man. Was it the warmth of his armor that made her body move on its own or was it something deeper? She tilted her head up as Zieg lend towards those soft lips.

"Hey Zieg, who did you bring back?" a soft female voice called to the two.

Both broke away, quite flushed by both what almost transpired and the embarrassment of being caught. Zieg saw his old friend of the White Silver Dragoon Spirit, Shirley, standing with a smirk on her face that was half covered by her red hair blowing in the wind. She was covered in a thick white cloak, protecting herself from the freezing bite of the winter climate.

"This is the seventh and final Dragoon. Her name is Tulip and—"

"Rose," the Dark Dragoon interrupted, elbowing Zieg in the ribs.

"Oh right. I knew it was some sort of flow—" again, the Red Dragoon received a shot in the ribs. Shirley giggled.

"Come on then you two. We have a meeting in Fort Mangrad, all the Dragoons," she stated and walked off down a steep hill.

Zieg quickly followed, mostly to get away from Rose's sharp and accurate elbow. But though she seemed agitated by Zieg's playfulness, she must admit that she was enjoying herself in his play. If he really feared getting elbowed again, she reminded herself to lighten the blows. She smiled as Zieg vanished from sight as she thought back just a few moments ago. Was he trying to kiss her? Michael cried in her arms, already bringing her back to the now. With a nod, she felt content with her dragon and new life.