Chapter 3 Facing Dragons

Since all six recruits were now assembled, they were led by Hopper to a little room filled to the brim with armor.

"It doesn't matter if you have magic or not, it's good to be prepared and protected. Before we go and face our first dragon, you may choose any armor you want." Hopper explained as he gestured to the different pieces.

Gaston bounded towards the largest sword and shield, flexing again in front of the two ladies, immediately asking how he looked. He mostly said this to Belle and she only nodded uncomfortably and took a step back, since he had moved himself closer to her.

"Wouldn't it be better to know what dragon we are fighting and learn about it before picking and choosing the best armor and weapons?" She asked Hopper who smiled warmly at her question.

"Very good question, Belle, very clever!" He exclaimed. Belle smiled while Gaston rolled his eyes.

"What does it matter? They all die the same way." And he made the motion of tilting up his sword and plunging it into a dragon. "And with my magical strength, no dragon will stand a chance anyway." Gaston continued to gloat.

"Both of you make good points." Hopper stated. Rumple felt that to equate their points was a little disingenuous to Belle who had at least put a little thought in her observation. Hopper continued. "It's good to make the most out of your armor in the case of a battle, for you might fight many dragons at once, however, while you are here, you will be fighting them one by one and learning what each one's weaknesses and strengths are, as well as your comfort levels in your armor and weapons and what works for you. It is good to know about a dragon before you fight it, and each person will have a dragon they will be able to defeat best. I personally do best with the larger, slower dragons, since I need it to gaze at me for a moment before attacking. That being said, I must be ready to do battle with a faster one, even if I can't hypnotize it.

"Some of you have magic and some don't." Hopper continued to say and Gaston snorted and said "weaklings" under his breath, which got him a very nasty look from Hopper. Rumple wondered if he was the only one without magic. He was unsure about David and Belle, but he knew that Snow, Gaston, and Hatter had it. "However, you need skills to fight dragons either way. Now, as for what you will need this time, I suggest a large shield to protect yourself, and a blunt instrument to try to fight back. This dragon is small but stout, and won't hesitate to burn you to cinders if he thinks you are a threat. Any other questions?"

Gaston had already stopped listening and Belle looked as if there might be another question roaming around in that beautiful head of hers, but thought better of it. He wished he was brave enough to ask her what she was curious about. David had found a large shield with a dark blue cross on it, while Snow excitedly looked at bows before choosing something Hopper had suggested.

Rumple figured he ought to look for something too. He saw a shield with a bit of dark yellow paint dusted on the thing, though being used for recruits to practice, had seen better days. He went for it, but bumped into someone as he bent down.

"Sorry!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

They both said at once. He mortifyingly realized that it was Belle he had run into as they went for the same shield. Her cheeks were rosy pink and her crystal blue eyes looked down at her feet for a moment before they looked straight at him, making his chest hurt with how fast his heart was beating.

"I am sorry." He stammered again. "You have it." He said it, almost too quiet to hear.

"You were there first, besides, it suits you." She smiled warmly and he didn't know exactly what to say.

"Th-Thank you." He finally stammered, and she continued smiling as she decided to go for the other shield with blue details, and a blunt mallet that looked almost as big as her. She looked as uncomfortable as she did beautiful. While Snow was striking and yet looked every bit a dragon warrior in training, Belle looked out of place in the armory. She wore her usual blue dress, with leather weaved along the front in a dainty bow and a white shirt underneath. She looked like she ought to be stringing daisies together for a crown on her head, and not about to fight a fire breathing dragon. Despite how her eyes and face gave away her uncomfortableness, she had a smile for everyone, and encouraged David when he almost fell forward from the weight of the sword he chose at first, ("They are heavy, aren't they. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get the hang of it in no time.") and Hatter when he looked around in confusion at first ("You know, I think this shield will do very well for you, don't you think? You look like a warrior already!"). He imagined that he might be the only one who noticed how she fiddled with the shield, or held the weapon without the confidence or enthusiasm that the other students did.

Rumple, on the other hand, was comfortable enough with holding a weapon–using one would be a different thing altogether. When they were led to the slick stone of the stadium, Rumple could feel the handle of the shield slide around a bit in his hand due to the amount his hands were sweating.

"Here it is that you'll be facing your first dragon, and for one of you when this is over, it will be where you will kill a dragon in front of the entire village." Hopper told them and Rumple wasn't at all worried about that. With his usual luck, he would be out the first day, get beaten by his father when he got home, laughed at by the entire village and then he could just spend his days out in the lonely field and hiding away in the house during battles–just like he always did. Gaston had already begun describing what he would do and how he would fight this dragon in front of his friends and family and how he would take its head and mount it on the wall of his home as a trophy.

"Don't you think that's a swell plan, Belle?" Despite the weapon and shield, Gaston had somehow wrapped his arm around Belle and squeezed her. Belle gave him a small smile and said he hadn't won yet and could he please let her go? Belle was too nice to shove him to the side, but her distaste for the large brute was written on every line of her face.

Hopper began to go to the gate to let the first dragon out that they would face, Rumple could feel his heart thumping wildly but he was at least comforted by the fact that outside of Gaston and Hatter, they all looked a little apprehensive.

"Shouldn't you train us a little first?" Snow spoke up with put-on confidence.

"They get disoriented by sound and only have six rounds of fireballs that they can use before needing to rest for several hours. Last one to get hit by a fireball wins. Any questions?"

No one did, they just pulled up their shields a little higher and readied themselves for the dragon.

The gate was loosened and a stubby dragon with a pointy back and small wings began flying about. Rumple could not have told anyone how the following skirmish (it wasn't a battle, that would mean they were fighting back. They weren't, really. They were simply trying not to get pelted with fire, hit their shields to disorient and then use it to poke and prod the dragon away if it got too close and hope it worked.

David was down first. He had been looking over at Snow and had failed to realize the close proximity of the dragon. He had quick reflexes though, and the shield was up before he was hit.

It was a wonder that Belle wasn't hit sooner, but she followed David. Rumple began running towards her when he saw that she didn't have her shield up as high as she ought and the dragon was facing her. He began hitting his shield to disorient the dragon while also trying to get closer, but the fireball landed exactly where it was intended and he heard a squeak as the fire went up around the shield and around her.

"Belle!" He screamed but he was not heard as the dragon turned towards him when he let down his guard and blasted him with fire, though not before Rumple curled in on himself, allowing the shield to fully cover him, leaving him in a fetal position. A position Gaston found him in.

Gaston kicked over the shield. "You're out, Coward!" He shouted as he laughed and pointed to where Belle was walking slowly out of the arena. Rumple stood up and followed her, hating himself every step of the way. Why must it be that every interaction with a dragon led to such a pathetic display of cowardice?

"You did your best out there, and that's the main thing." Hopper said as they got to the second story where they could watch the rest of the recruits. Snow and Hatter had grouped together and were banging on their shields, Hatter in a sort of dancing, manic way that made Rumple think that perhaps the man had no fear. Hatter's foolishness hurt him, for he was next out and had been so distracted that he hadn't disappeared using the large hat he wore on his head. Next was Snow, who had no way to use her magic for this dragon. Finally, Gaston used his magic to use his weapon to hit the dragon hard enough that his last fireball landed on the other side of the arena. He threw back his head, waved his weapon and hooted and hollered with his victory.

Afterwards they went to lunch on a little grassy knoll. Hopper began explaining things they did that worked, things that didn't and tried to explain how they could take what happened and use it for the future.

"Those of you with magic, how did you feel when you saw the dragon in the flesh?"

"My powers, they felt like they were bursting to be used!" Gaston flexed his muscles as he ate a boiled egg in one bite.

"My fear, I could feel the ice at the tip of my fingers." Snow shook her head and looked away towards the arena, most likely recounting the fight and the feelings she had felt during the confrontation.

"Hatter?" Hopper looked over at the young man who had brought mushrooms and some odd looking potatoes.

"I didn't feel necessarily compelled to do anything. That's my problem, really–I think my magical instincts must be off somehow." And it was the saddest and sanest Rumple had ever seen him and suddenly he felt as if some of the dancing around and the laughing eyes must be a bit of a farce somehow.

"And for the rest of you, did you feel any sort of magical undertones, anything sitting below the surface? Late sparks have been known to happen, you know. " Hopper looked at the three of them pointedly. They each shook their heads, Belle's eyes had something behind them, something Rumple couldn't quite read but really wanted to. He felt foolish for having warm fuzzy feelings for a girl that had only said his full name and smiled at him, but apparently that's all it took for him to be a goner.

They went back to the large building where Hopper gave them notebooks to begin recording what they learned, as well as a large book about dragons to share and make notes. Books were rare things in Dark Forest, and Belle most likely had most of the ones available. People normally had more important things to do(like fighting dragons, and training to fight them)than read. Belle's eyes lit up like a torch in the middle of the night, and Rumple couldn't help but be a little intrigued. His father certainly didn't have any books about.

Gaston left them soon afterwards, saying he didn't need any stupid books or stupid notebooks and went off to supposedly look at himself in a reflection somewhere, or to do push ups, or whatever it was that made his arms that big.

Eventually it was time for all of them to go, Belle stayed behind a bit longer, as she had allowed David and Snow, and then he and Hatter to look at the book, leaving her last. She said she preferred it that way so she could read and study it for longer. He wasn't sure whether she was doing it to read longer, or just to be nice, or some sort of combination of both, but didn't question it.

On the way back to his hut, he impulsively decided to take a different path back, crossing one of his favorite spots to sit and think, or to escape Malcolm when he got particularly hard to live with. Rocks and hills surrounded him, and a small brook ran in the middle of the circled area. It was peaceful there, and had a sort of magical feeling to it–which was something for a boy who couldn't do magic at all. Crossing the brook and heading to the path on the other side, he heard a noise that made him freeze where he stood. It was a whoosh! And flap! sound quite nearby. He knew it was coming from near a pile of rocks in another little area. The coward in him wanted to run, but something else, something that felt akin to the magical properties in the circled area, made him turn and take a few steps and see. And he did see! With his tail caught under a rock and his head pinned–was the Blue Fury.