Author's note: I don't own Dragon Quest IV

Battle For Glory

Chapter 8: Rose

It took two days to reach the village as Airlia hurried inside. Luckily it was night as she guided her friends onto the platform that moved in the game when the song was played. Playing it, the platform descended into the floor leading them to a long and winding tunnel that went up several flights of stairs to a knight guarding the door. Holding her hand out to stop her friends, she approached him. "You are Psaro's Shadow, are you not? Protector of Rose."

He glared at her, "How is it that you know what I am and who I guard?"

She took a deep breath before explaining everything. "I want to help protect her alongside you. To prevent those who might come to kill her. Please allow me to help."

He looked at her and backed down. "You know so many details that you should not. It leads me to believe you're telling the truth. I do not know what to do…"

She smiled as she extended her hand. "I'm Airlia. I just want to help, please friend…"

Backing down he looked at her. "If I determine you're lying… I will kill you."

Turning to the others, Airlia smiled. "My friends, remember what I've told you. Please be safe. I promise I'll be careful." She gave Alistair a farewell hug, sneaking the flute into his bag. "I'll be careful, and I need you to be equally so."

He nodded before turning to the others, "Right, we're near the one thing right now. Let's go get it before we move onto the next piece."

Once they left, she went beyond him to where a pink haired elf was waiting. "Rose? My name is Airlia… I'm a friend. I want to help you."

The woman looked at her uncertainly. "But how do you know who I am…?"

Airlia explained everything, "So I'm here to help. I promise, I'll help you to stay alive. I don't have the proof yet that we need to go to your boyfriend and show him what they're trying to do. I will have my proof soon because they're destined to come."

She nodded, "Thank you Airlia… I hope we survive this."

Alistair navigated through the cave that the ocean flowed through, taking the long path like his lady had instructed. Eventually he came to a stair leading downwards to a long isle with a gleaming treasure chest. "That must be the Zenethian Armor…" Opening it, he found the beautiful silver armor with gold designs along the chest forming dragons, while rubies were encrusted on the neck, the abdomen, along either hip laid three gems and emerald plate to protect the pelvis and a pair of emerald green wings were out of the back of the armor. "It's beautiful…"

He gasped as Taloon looked at it. "Wow… just wow… I never thought I'd actually lay my eyes on the real armor. I knew the one in Bath was fake, didn't take much to realize that on sight."

Airlia smiled at Rose, "So what do you do to pass the time? Sing? Pray?"

Rose smiled, "I like to sing and paint. How about you?"

She grinned widely, "I like to sing too, but I'm not so good at paint."

The pair began to sing and paint through the day as night began to fall, Rose frowned. "Airlia, you may want to hide under the bed. Psaro will show soon."

Airlia nodded as she turned to the knight. "Please… If I'm to prevent what I've seen to come to pass, he can't know I'm here. Please knight."

His only response was a subtle nod as she rolled under the bed and remained still as they heard steps of heavy boots approaching. Airlia saw the boots come into the room as the man crossed over to the pink haired elf. "My darling, soon you will be safe forever more from humans."

Rose spoke to Psaro as a sound of shifting hair told the brunette that she disagreed. "What if not every human is bad? What if it's only a handful my love? Why kill innocent ones who aren't evil?"

Psaro spoke, "Because every human is innately evil. It's all they've ever shown you. That's why I do what I must to keep you safe…"

Rose spoke again, "My love, please don't! There must be another way!"

Psaro could be heard shaking his head, "My darling Rose. I won't let you get hurt by these greedy humans. I promise. I love you sweetheart." He could be heard kissing her gently before walking away.

Once Rose saw him leaving she spoke out, "Airlia, it's safe to come out…"

Airlia groaned as she got out from under the bed. "Damn, that was not fun… Let's hope that what I saw coming doesn't really and truly happen…"

As a week passed, the girls had thought maybe what she had seen was wrong… until Rose heard the flute and looked out the window. "That's not Psaro! Airlia, you were right!"

Airlia shook her head, "No! Damn it no!" She pulled out her staff as there was a blast and the knight disintegrated. "No! Knight!" Looking up, she recognized the demon. "Damn you! I gotta get you outta here Rose!" But before either woman could move, the monster hit them with a blast, sending both women into the darkness of unconsciousness.

When the women woke up, Rose was battered and tied up while Airlia had been seemingly left untied. "Rose…" She whispered. She saw the men coming towards them again. Pushing herself up, she growled as she lunged at the men, the words of magic coming to her lips again. "Sizz…" Flames seared their skin, sending them backwards before she turned to Rose and untied her friend. "Let's get out of here. Hang on to me."

Flinging the wing in the air, she screamed, "Alistair! Master Dragon send me to Alistair!"

The women blinked as they found themselves in a giant cavern with a castle underground. "Estark… No… No…" Airlia whispered in a frightened tone as she helped her friend to the respite in the first building. "Rose, stay with me. We're at a healing spot. Please stay with me." She prayed as they made it to the healing spot as their blood and wounds receded leaving only the barest of little white marks as Rose groaned but awoke.

"Where am I? Airlia? What happened?" Rose asked, clearly confused.

"We're going to find Alistair – my friend and Psaro will be there. But I had to help you first because you were badly hurt by two bad men influenced by evil forces." Airlia explained as Rose stood shakily with a nod.

They hurried out of the room and down the long cavern to the giant castle as Airlia led Rose down the courtyard and through the main doorway before escorting her quickly down the hallway. She was keeping an eye out for the monsters that were out to do them harm. Leading her around, they found a pair of stairs going upstairs. "It'll be okay Rose. Come on… follow me." Hurrying along, they found themselves on the second floor as the woman from another world guided the elf along the second floor past the stairs leading up, instead seeking one that led down. "To get the drop on our true foe, we have to keep hidden. I can't let them hurt you. It's my fault as it is."

Rose shook her head, "No, it's not your fault. You tried, but it's not your fault someone within Psaro's circle is out to kill me… Thank you for helping me though." They went down the stairs and snuck around the flame guarding the entry into the chamber with the gas canister. Going around the back path, they found the path went all the way down to the end of the hallway where they found another set of stairs going up. "Are we almost there Airlia?" She asked, scared of the darkness.

Airlia nodded, "We're more than halfway there." Urging her friend along the path that was somehow perfectly preserved. Hurrying up the last set of stairs, "Now we listen Rose…"

She heard the fall of Estark and knew Psaro was coming. Still, she wasn't surprised when she heard Aamon's voice. "Now Rose, let's go…" They snuck up and hid behind the pillars.

"Lord Psaro! Humans have taken your beloved and killed her!" Aamon cried wildly as Airlia stepped out from behind the pillar.

"That's not true now is it Aamon! You would have killed Rose yourself if you could! But it didn't suit your hands to be that dirty!" She cried as Rose came out from behind the pillar, looking pleadingly with Psaro.

Psaro stared at Rose, "How? What? But?!" He was clearly at a loss for words as Airlia came to Rose's defense.

"Aamon wants you dead Psaro so that he might take over the monster kingdom! He attacked the three of us as I tried to defend Rose from him. He used explodet on us… My ears are still ringing from it…" She explained as Psaro looked at Aamon.

"Is this true?" He demanded.

Aamon growled. "You bitch… I told them to kill you first." He flicked a finger as she shot against the room and smacked into the wall with a scream as her body went limp. Flicking a finger again, she landed in a crumpled heap near Psaro. "So what are you going to do Psaro? Believe me or her? Humans took her and yet she shows up with a human here. Probably to force you into believing her!"

Psaro looked at Rose who was genuinely mortified by the injuries dealt to her friend. He growled as he directed a zap spell at Aamon. "You had better run… I'm going to kill you Aamon!"

The creatures around Psaro all scattered at the anger of their strongest leader. When they were gone, he picked up the girl. "You really tried to help my love didn't you human?" He jumped to where the others were and set her down. "Healall…" He whispered as the white lights healed the girl.

She groaned as her eyes opened to see Psaro. "What? You what? You helped me?"

He nodded rigidly, "Why did you help Rose?"

She forced herself to stand and looked at him without any fright viewable in her eyes. "Because it's the right thing to do. She's a good elf… a good being. No one deserves to die as she did. And where I come from, she saves you even when you were transformed from the secret of evolution. You find out what we just exposed and come with us to kill him for good." Airlia walked over to Alistair and leaned on him for strength, "I'm glad you found the armor… I hope it wasn't too hard…"

Psaro blinked, "Wait I remember now… I felt a pull of someone crossing the barrier of our world… was that you?"

Alistair nodded as he picked up his exhausted love. "Yes, that was her. Why? You gonna hurt her?"

Psaro shook his head. "No. But I know there's talk of worries about a strange girl who seems to know everything about this world… a seer she was called."

Airlia looked at everyone before she explained her situation to Psaro. "I just wanted to do what I could to help people… But tell me… what happened to the people of Zamoksva? They just… vanished."

Psaro blinked, "What? They vanished?! I didn't do anything to them… We'll have to return there to find out what's going on… I might be able to figure out what spell was used and reverse it. Otherwise we will have to find Aamon and kill him first."

Alena looked at him, "So you genuinely know nothing of it then?"

He nodded as he gathered everyone close to lead them back down to where the gas tank was. "You will need this Alistair for the rest of your journey. Please, take it with you and we will be out of this hell."