AN: Hey! Quick update for you because it's still technically the same chapter. :) This one was fun to write, but it's also like 80% action so it was challenging. Ok a couple things before we start:

1. To the unnamed Guest reviewer: No that wasn't a waste of time! I love reading reviews and your enthusiasm was wonderful. Thank you! :)

2. Warning: Badass Naruto and minor OOC Sasuke (but it should make sense in context and if it doesn't, you can ask me about it and I'll fix it because then I didn't make it clear enough)

Enjoy and drop a review!

The Castle at Dawn part 2

Over 100 years passed since the princess was put into a deep sleep, and no one proved themselves worthy enough to wake her. Then, one day, a prince from another land spied the forest of thorns while ridding home from a diplomatic mission. He questioned people he saw along the road about what lay beyond the trees, feeling inexplicably drawn toward them. Many refused to answer or simply stated that they didn't know. But one kindly old woman told him that the castle from the old kingdom lay at the heart of the forest, holding a beautiful princess in an enchanted sleep.

Intrigued by her story, the prince then braved the dangerous forest, using his arm to guard his eyes from being poked out. As he began to doubt the words from the old crone, the trees thinned and he saw before him a beautiful castle which looked as though it had been suspended in time. He entered the castle and encountered the Witch Maleficent and her dragon. After a long battle against them both, the prince finally defeated the Witch and killed her weakened pet.

He ascended the stairs to the tower and at the top found a room filled with riches, the most wonderful of them at the center; the Sleeping Princess herself. The prince was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he fell to his knees beside her still form and kissed her on the lips. The kiss was enough to break the spell, and the princess woke up. With the spell broken, the castle was no longer protected by magic, and it started to fall into disrepair. The prince took Princess Aurora's hand and together they escaped the crumbling castle and ran off into the sunset to live happily ever after.

Sasuke stared hard at the back of the blond prince's head. The plan he'd come up with was idiotic at best; it was most likely going to get them both killed. He wracked his brain once more, trying to remember how he'd gotten himself into this situation, but kept coming to the same conclusion: it was all the prince's fault. He would've been long gone, treasure held safely over his shoulder, if that idiot hadn't shown up when he did.

He agreed with the prince about one thing though; it was more than just coincidence that they kept running into each other in the same way. The thought nagged at him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind; they had a dragon to deal with first.

"Rogue," the other whispered back to him. Sasuke frowned. He didn't like the nickname the prince had given him, but he didn't say anything; it was safer than telling the blond his real name. "You remember what you have to do, right?"

The blond looked back at him, and Sasuke nodded. This was the third time the prince had asked him the same thing, and it was getting annoying. He didn't say any of this however, preferring to stay quiet rather than risk the dragon hearing them.

"Good." The blond looked out the window. "It's almost time."

They were waiting until sunset to attack the dragon. Most creatures had better night vision than humans, so attacking the dragon at night was out of the question. However, just like humans, the changing light played tricks on their eyes. In fact, it was arguably worse for those with better night vision. The idea was brilliant in that regard, but it was too risky. The chances of them dying in the attempt were far greater than Sasuke wanted to imagine.

The blond passed a small flask back to Sasuke. "Wait for my signal." He pushed the trap door at the bottom of the hidden staircase open and the two of them stepped cautiously out. The prince had said the dragon would most likely be in the main ballroom, changing the old nest into a new one that suited its needs. Sasuke trusted his judgment but wasn't sure why; this was the same idiot he'd needed to save from the dead princes in the castle on the lake.

But sure enough, as they poked their heads into the ballroom, the dragon was there. It had its back to them, and Sasuke was overwhelmed by its size. He'd never seen a dragon in real life – never wanted to either – and it surpassed what he'd read and heard in stories.

The ballroom was huge, twice the size of any he'd seen before, but the dragon filled almost the whole thing. Suddenly the prince's idea to lure the dragon outside didn't seem so stupid to him; if they tried to fight it in here, they would be crushed. Quietly, they crossed the entrance to the room, breathing a sigh of relief – in unison, Sasuke noticed absently – when they reached the other side unnoticed.

The prince turned his incredibly blue eyes to Sasuke. "I'll meet you outside," he whispered barely audibly. Sasuke felt like a stone sink somewhere in his stomach as he nodded. He ran out of the entrance, scrambling over the stones near the door as quietly as he could – which was pretty damn quiet – without looking back.

The prince's plan was for him to lure the dragon outside of the castle while Sasuke lay in wait. Then, just as the creature got outside, Sasuke was supposed to open the flask and pour the water in front of him, demanding the dragon to obey. According to the blond, the combination of the sunlight and Sasuke's words should trick the dragon into thinking he was Maleficent herself – some Witch who was known for hunting and torturing dragons apparently – and it would obey her out of fear. If that happened, they'd have a better chance at defeating it.

But as Sasuke stood hidden behind a large chunk of the castle – it looked like it had been part of the nearest tower once – the thought that he could just leave flashed across his mind. The prince was in there distracting the dragon; this was his chance. If he ran now, he could make it out of reach of the dark magic before the idiot lured the dragon out. Then he could use the black candle he had – he'd lied when he told the prince he didn't have one – to get back to his ship.

Sasuke squashed the thought immediately. He might be a 'rogue' in the prince's eyes, but he wasn't cruel. And the thought of leaving the blond to deal with this alone made him feel more guilty than he should. A hideous roar – louder than the ones they'd heard in the tower – filled the air and tore the raven from his thoughts. Sasuke's vision jerked automatically toward the hole in the wall next to the doors, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

The blond prince was sprinting down the hallway toward the entrance, the dragon hot on his tail. He stumbled on one of the bricks as he reached the opening, and the dragon opened its mouth, releasing a massive stream of fire. Sasuke had the sudden fear that they wouldn't even be able to test the plan, because the prince was going to die right there –

The blond leaped and somehow miraculously landed on the other side of the wall just as dragonfire flew over his head. Sasuke saw him breathe a sigh of relief at having escaped death, but it was too soon because the dragon was already spreading its wings. The raven watched in a somewhat detached horror as the dragon flapped its wings once and flew through the wall of the castle, creating a new hole over the doors and spilling bricks down on the ground. Sasuke jumped out of the way as a whole section of the wall landed directly where he'd been standing and looked back to see how the prince was doing. His stomach dropped; the area where the blond had been laying was completely covered with bricks and rubble. There was no way the prince had made it out alive.

A screech from above drew Sasuke's attention, and with a start he realized the dragon had already seen him. It was too late to test the blond's plan, and he'd dropped the flask somewhere on the ground by the fallen tower. He leapt behind a large area of rubble as a fireball shot towards him. He felt it skim by his new hiding area and was startled by how hot it was. If that fire got any closer to him, he'd be burned to a crisp. He stared in horror as the fallen tower he was originally behind was hit by the flame and melted. He didn't know bricks could melt.

The raven sat frozen in horror as he realized that he was out of options. He'd gotten himself into a mess where the only way out was death. The idea paralyzed him, and he didn't move even though he knew he should.

"Come out and face your death, little coward." A voice boomed through the area, and it took a second for Sasuke to figure out it was the dragon talking. "It will only hurt for a moment, and it will be a much more honorable death than sitting there hiding."

Yes. The dragon was right. Death wouldn't be so bad, and no one could blame him for losing to a dragon. They were nearly impossible to kill, after all.

He heard a boom, and a small part of his brain that was still working registered it as being the dragon landing. "Come," the dragon spoke again. "You long for death, young pirate. Give up on your revenge. Accept your fate."

The voice was hypnotizing. It was like the dragon could read his mind; it even knew about his revenge and why he was here in the first place. Sasuke took a few shaking steps out from his hiding place, turning to face the dragon. He didn't know why he'd been so afraid of it before; it was only there to help him.

"Yes," the dragon purred. "Do not be afraid, young Uchiha. Come closer, and give me what you have in your bag."

Sasuke walked closer to the dragon, completely spellbound by its voice. He peeled the bag of his shoulder, holding it before him as an offering. This was fair payment; he would give the dragon what he had stolen from the castle, as well as his own riches, and in return the dragon would release him from the misery of living. He couldn't ask for a better way to die…

"Rogue!"

Sasuke blinked, turning his head from side to side. What had he been about to do again…?

His gaze stopped on the dragon in front of him. Shit. He almost dropped his bag, but held onto it, stopping just out of reach of the creature. Sasuke's heart hammered in his chest as he stood frozen, suddenly unsure of what to do.

"Why did you stop, young Uchiha?" Sasuke's head was swimming. The dragon's voice seemed to be pulling him back into the state of hypnosis he'd been in before, but something was stopping it. What was stopping it?

"Don't listen to it, bastard!" And suddenly the blond prince was there, and the spell had broken completely. The prince leapt over the dragon's tail, brandishing his sword, and the creature finally noticed him. Its attention dropped from Sasuke as it spun, swiping at the prince with its claws. The blond met the claw with his sword, and to Sasuke's surprise, it didn't break. The prince jumped back and ducked as the dragon swung his tail at him. He ran towards Sasuke, and only then did the raven realize he'd been standing stock still the whole time.

"Run!" The blond yelled, grabbing Sasuke's wrist in his hand and tugging him along after him, jumping behind where Sasuke had been hiding earlier as another ball of dragonfire flew at them.

"Golden Prince," the dragon said after the fire died down. "Give me your enchanted sword and I might spare your life."

The prince jumped up, motioning for Sasuke to stay down, and ran out to meet the dragon again. "Your words won't work on me!" He yelled, and the raven couldn't help but watch. The blond ran toward the dragon as it breathed fire at him again, rolling to the side and dodging it. Sasuke could hardly believe this was the same man who he'd had to save before.

But it wouldn't last; the dragon charged the prince, and before he could dodge, it snapped its mouth around the blond, swallowing him. The dragon turned and leveled its eyes at Sasuke. It took a few steps towards the raven, who found himself – once more – spellbound by the dragon's gaze and unable to move. But before it could reach him, the dragon stopped, and Sasuke noticed its mouth moving as if something were trying to escape.

He watched, half in horror and half in fascination, as the tip of the blond's sword pieced out through the dragon's nose, and the creature let out a roar, spitting the prince out. The blond rolled away from the dragon, still clutching his weapon, before he struggled to his feet. Blood was dripping from the dragon's nose, but it looked more angry than wounded.

"You will pay for this, Prince!" It roared, opening its mouth, presumably to finish off the prince. But the blond moved with an inhuman speed towards the dragon's neck before it could release its flame, stabbing upwards with his sword into the scales where the golden glow was visible.

The dragon choked, and the glow of the fire disappeared. The prince pulled his sword out, releasing a stream of blood in his wake, before he crawled up the dragon's neck and stood atop its head. The creature looked like it was trying to say something, but the prince never let it. With a roar that sounded more like a cry of pain than one of victory, the blond plunged the enchanted sword through the dragon's skull, and it fell still.

Time sped back up as the prince finally relinquished his hold on the blade and collapsed to the ground. Sasuke ran to him, no longer questioning why he hadn't just left when he'd had the chance. He kneeled at the blond's side and saw that his eyes had fallen shut.

"Oy, idiot." He shook the other's shoulder. "Wake up."

The blond struggled and finally opened his eyes, giving Sasuke a crooked grin. "Now we're even," he croaked out. It took the raven a moment to figure out he was talking about the incident in the castle on the lake.

"Hn." And Sasuke had to look away before he did something stupid like smile back at the blond.

The prince struggled to sit up but his arms shook too much with the effort, and Sasuke lightly pushed him back down. "I'm fine," the blond mumbled. "That fight just took a lot more than I expected." His eyes were already starting to drift shut.

"Sleep. I doubt any more dragons will come in the next few hours."

"You'll stand watch, right?" The other's voice was getting softer by the minute.

"Hn. Don't worry, little prince. I owe you that much at least."

A faint frown appeared on the blond's face. "No…we're even…" His head drooped to the side. "And…call me Naruto…" But anything else he was going to say was cut off by his own snores.

Sasuke gazed down at him for a few moments, noticing how the last rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon seemed to land directly on the blond. He stood up when they disappeared and walked up to the dragon, then climbed atop its head. With more than a little effort, he pulled the prince's sword from its skull and jumped off. He wiped the blade on the dragon's scales and walked back to the prince, before slipping it back in its scabbard.

A weapon that could pierce through dragon scales was bound to have a powerful enchantment on it, and it would fetch a good price in the black market. But, Sasuke thought as he gathered the sleeping prince into his arms, he owed the blond to at least not steal his sword, and stand guard for a few hours.

He carried Naruto – he made a mental note to ask around about him – back into the tower where the Sleeping Princess had once slept and placed the blond on the bed. He took his bag off his shoulder and threw some more items in it – spells, gold, jewels, really whatever he could fit – and sat at the foot of the bed wide awake for the rest of the night, listening to the other breathe.

The prince woke at the first light of dawn. Sasuke heard him stir and stood up to stretch out his own tight muscles. "What time is it?" The blond asked groggily.

"Dawn," Sasuke responded, turning to look at the prince. He noticed that the rays of light from the sunrise seemed to directly hit Naruto, just as those from the sunset had.

The blond nodded, before yawning and stretching his arms over his head. "You gave me back my sword," he said, sounding surprised as his hand brushed past his hilt.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow, but mostly ignored the comment. "We should go," he said, pushing back the thought that he'd said 'we' instead of 'you'.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, throwing his feet over the bed and standing up. Sasuke saw him wince, but neither of them mentioned it. "Who knows when the next dragon will show up?" He laughed weakly, and that reminded Sasuke of something.

"How come you weren't affected by what it said?"

Naruto threw him a grin. "Enchanted earplugs from the Witch of the Forest." Sasuke had no idea who that was. "Pretty neat huh? I would show you, but…uh…they kinda fell out when the thing tried to eat me." The blond scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Damn useful though; that voice sounded pretty loud even with them in."

"Hn," Sasuke agreed. Now that he thought about it, the dragon's voice was loud. It was just hard to concentrate on that when it was trying to convince him to walk to his own death. He shuddered at the thought as the blond started walking to the hidden stairwell. Sasuke grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder and following Naruto.

"That was pretty cool though," the blond said as they descended the stairs together. "I never thought I'd ever have to actually fight a dragon, but I have to admit that was pretty intense. Maybe they'll call me 'Naruto the Dragon Slayer' now. What do you think?"

"Tch. Loser." Actually, Sasuke thought it was fairly likely the prince would get a nickname like that once word got out. Naruto was one of the few alive to actually kill a dragon, and he was probably the only one who did it completely singlehandedly. Despite himself, Sasuke was impressed.

Naruto ignored the comment, still lost in his dream world. "It would've been even cooler if I'd actually gotten a princess at the end of it, you know? That's how it's supposed to work."

"Hn." They crawled out of the castle and picked their way around the rubble, back to the destroyed forest of thorns.

"I really thought it would work out this time. How many people have this bad of luck three times in a row? It's practically unheard of." The prince went on.

"Yeah." Sasuke agreed; it was strange that Naruto had continued to fail, especially when it seemed he had such intimate knowledge of the damsels and their keepers. The raven thought that the prince should've knonw that they had already been saved based on everything else he knew.

"Well better luck next time, I guess." Sasuke looked over in shock and saw the blond grinning widely. He had some scrapes on his face, and Sasuke would bet the rest of his body was bruised and battered all over. Yet Naruto was still positive despite his situation.

"Yeah," he repeated finally, turning his head back to the front.

They had already reached the end of the forest, and Naruto stopped. Sasuke reached into his pocket and took out his black candle. "I thought you didn't have one?" The blond asked, but he didn't sound mad.

"I lied."

"Ah. Makes sense I suppose."

Sasuke paused. "I could take you wherever you needed to go. As payment for saving my life twice, that is."

Naruto shook his head, still looking positive. "Nah. I think I should probably walk. Figure out how to tell my dad I failed again."

A pang of guilt hit Sasuke, but he brushed it aside easily. He didn't ask again. "Well…see you around I guess."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with an easy grin that made Sasuke's stomach flip over on itself.

He closed his eyes, picturing his ship where it was last docked, and lit the candle. The sensation that the world was being pulled out from under him overwhelmed Sasuke for a moment, then he felt his feet hit solid ground. He opened his eyes and saw his ship docked right in front of him. It wasn't until moments later, when he was storing the bag onboard, that he realized the blond had never asked for his name.