by Billy Wong
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Derrick sighed with relief at the giant's retreat, his ribs and head aching from the blow from the monster and his subsequent fall. He felt amazed at what his friend had just accomplished. "Rose, you just destroyed the legendary Spelldrinker, and drove Death General Joghra off with mere words!"
The grimacing woman shrugged. "It hurt like hell, but I just did what I had to."
Looking more closely at her, Derrick saw with alarm how badly she bled and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
Rose tried to walk, making it obvious she was more than a bit dizzy. "That monster stabbed me with two claws the size of swords, so of course I'm not feeling too great. But I'll be fine." She began towards her sword, but seeing how she swayed Derrick stopped her. He offered to retrieve the embedded blade for her, pulling it out with difficulty and marveling again at its great weight though he'd known Rose for years. Handing it to her, he eased her to the ground and helped her take off her armor.
He was horrified to see the extent of his friend's injuries, in particular the gruesome holes through which torn organs could sickeningly be glimpsed. And the blood—so much blood everywhere... how could she survive? But she smiled weakly at him and instructed him to help her bind the wounds, and he did so, though he had to wonder if it would do any good. She would live, he told himself—she was the Iron Flower, and indestructible. Having bandaged her as best he could, Derrick replaced Rose's armor, helped her to her feet, and tucked himself under her arm to support her.
"Thank you," the weakened woman whispered. The two began the short trip back to Gustrone, her leaning gratefully on his shoulder.
"So what will you do now? Are you going to look for Finn some more?" While Derrick had genuine interest in her answers, he also asked the questions to take his mind off his physical discomfort, for large Rose leaned heavily on him and her armor pressed hard against his weary shoulder.
She nodded swiftly. "Of course. I'm not going to give up that easily. I need to know how he's doing."
He knew she missed her love, but wondered at Finn's current attitude. "How do you think he's going to react to seeing you? Does he miss having contact with people, or is he happy with his solitude?"
"I don't know, but I do know I want him to be happy. I wouldn't want life to be as cruel to him as I was when we last saw each other. I didn't even try to understand—I was terrible."
"Well, he was turning into a dragon, and paying you and your kids no mind. I can understand why you'd be angry over that. Look at it this way, either he's happy now alone, or he'll be happy for your company."
Rose smiled. "I guess you're right. I just hope he's not still angry with me for what I said."
"Your reunions have always been happy, even if your partings were on less than good terms," Derrick said as he hugged her waist. "I'm sure even if he does hold a grudge, you'll convince him to like you again in no time."
"Yes, I'm sure he's still got some of that great love we shared inside him, even if he is a dragon." Pausing, she added, "But we'll have to find him before we know for sure. Where do you think you'd go in his place?"
"As me, or as a dragon?" he asked, confused.
"If you were Finn, the dragon. Do you think I should look in forests close to here, close to Finn's hometown, or what?"
Derrick thought about it for a while. "Actually, if I were a human turned dragon, I'd probably want to go as far from the places I've lived as possible, so I wouldn't be reminded of the human life I might miss. Why do you think the dragon you killed near Whitehill chose such an obscure area to live in?"
"Then I should go to southwest Kayland, because it contains the forest on the map farthest from his hometown, Hullel where we lived together for a while, and Gustrone. It's pretty much in the corner of the map. But it would be stupid of me to ignore the other marked forests I pass by, so I'll check those out along the way."
"That's a solid plan." Derrick felt a little guilty to ask her to exert her injured body more, but knew she'd readily agree, and his shoulder grew extremely tired and sore. "Could you put a little less weight on my shoulder? You're starting to hurt me."
"Well, let's switch sides."
This surprised Derrick, since he'd expected her to forsake his help altogether. "Are you getting soft, Rose?"
Unoffended, she grinned and cried, "I'm a mother now! I've got to save all the energy I can for taking care of my kids—but that doesn't mean I can't kill an ancient nation-destroying weapon if I have to!"
They shared a good laugh then, and Derrick hugged the great warrior closer as they finished their trip back. They noticed Fiona's body was gone, and learned that Joghra had taken her with him to have her buried. Apparently, the Sevrian had cared for his young ally after all. Her death made Rose a little sad; good or bad they'd made fine partners, she said, like her and Finn. She spent the next week enjoying her babies' company and recovering from her horrendous wounds, which she characteristically regarded with only moderate concern and a touch of humor, expressing thanks they'd missed her breasts. Then she was ready to go again, and set off to find her lost love.
Chapter 10
Still pained by her awful wounds, Rose passed by three marked areas on her way to the province of Masel in southwest Kayland. Though she found no trace of Finn in those forests, she did not become discouraged, her hopes lying primarily with the location in Masel. But when she got there, she beheld an unexpected sight. A fire had destroyed much of the forest, and soldiers arrived to investigate.
"What happened here?" she asked one of them.
The grizzled man looked at her and blinked. "Rose?! What are you doing in this blasted place? Have you come to help us?
Rose felt confused and a little embarrassed to not recognize the man. "Do I know you?"
"No, I guess not," he concluded after a pause. "We never really talked, but we fought for Kayland together in the Brushknoll. My name's Ira. I'm sure glad the best fighter I've ever seen has come to help us in our mission."
"Hold on. I haven't promised any help yet. What's going on, and what is this mission?"
He looked dejectedly at the ground. "We've been sent to take care of a menace we are all loath to face. An enormous dragon was seen around here, and caused the devastation you see now. Fortunately no people were killed in the fire, though a hunter barely escaped with his life. We must stop it, before it does any more harm."
Finn?! No way, of course she wouldn't kill him! But why would he burn down a place suited to be his home? "Does anyone know why the dragon torched this place?"
The man shuddered. "Our captain thinks it did out of sheer cruelty and spite. The peaceful existence of the forest animals enraged it, he says, and it burned them to satisfy its fell murderous urge. Next time, it might be humans who provoke its wrath."
That didn't sound like Finn at all! Could he have changed that much? No, this captain could not know much of the minds of dragons. He merely ascribed to the creature the traits he expected. "Can I see your captain?" Rose asked with a frown.
"Yes, there he is talking to the two trackers."
She looked. It made her unhappy to see the leader of this mission was a man she'd fallen into conflict with in the past, Justin Lipner. Still, she strode swiftly to his side and asked, "How do you know why the dragon did this?"
He regarded her with surprise. "The great warrior returns. What, have you come to aid us?" His tone turned sarcastic. "I suppose I will have stay away from the coming battle, then. I wouldn't want to burden you with having to protect me."
"You haven't answered my question."
He looked at her as if she was crazy. "The dragon? It is a monster. Of course it destroys out of hatred and jealously towards er creatures. Now, are you going to help us kill it?"
Rose realized that before Finn began his transformation, she'd shared his view of dragons as evil and cruel. After all, the ones she'd fought had been that way. She knew her love had altered her perceptions, but did not regret her new open-mindedness. "D
id anyone actually see the dragon burn down the forest?"
"No," Justin admitted, "but the hunter and several others saw it flying away. So it's a fairly safe bet that it did this."
"All right," she lied, "I believe you. This monster is evil and must be stopped. Where has it gone?"
"There is a cave suitable for a creature of such size north of here. As the witnesses saw it flying in that direction, I think we would best start there. How about you?"
She wanted to ask if the cave was in a forest, but that would be giving away too much. "Yes, I think that would be best. How far is this cave?"
"Twenty miles. Not far by horse, and certainly closer by wing."
Rose tried to recall Finn's map. She didn't remember another marked location that close to here, and with a frown said, "Yes, but I'm running late for a meeting. You can handle this by yourselves, right? You were sent here to take care of it, not me, after all."
He seemed happy to hear that. "Indeed, we are perfectly fine without you. So do what else you need to, your list of glories is already long enough."
"Of course. By the way, how is your brother doing?" she remembered to ask.
Fury lit Justin's eyes, and he snarled to her shock, "Howard is dead. He fought with us in the battle for Gustrone and fell at the hands of the man who you failed to stop, Prince Wilner. After his fight with you, the dark prince found what was left of our unit in his path." He continued, and when Rose imagined the scene, it came to her almost as if she'd been there...
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"That's Prince Wilner!" Justin cried. "It looks like he's retreating, everybody get out of the way!"
The few other men left alive in their unit scattered, but Howard stood his ground in the middle of the street with no fear. "What are you doing?" Prince Wilner asked, towering before him. "I am just trying to leave."
"You will not leave! For today you face Howard Giantkiller, and you will die, evil giant!"
Wilner smiled. "Giant? I'm only six foot five. That is not a giant."
Howard glanced downwards. "You have thick boots. Anyway, I am still Howard the Uncoward, Howard the Hero! You're tall and I always beat tall things. Every time."
"You know, I've been relatively merciful today and the two people I really wanted to kill, I couldn't. So I think I'm just going to kill you."
Raising his sword high, Howard charged. "Not on your life!" Wilner dashed to meet him, and the rest was history.
#
Rose's eyes moistened with sadness, and she had counted him as a friend, but looking back thought it might have been inevitable. She felt guilty that she'd never bothered to check up on him. She remembered thinking of it a few times, but life had just been so busy and she'd forgotten.
"I'm truly sorry." Trying to console Justin, she added, "It sounds like a brave death."
"It was a pointless one!" Justin yelled accusingly, and Rose was forced to agree.
She bowed her head, shoulders slumping, and begged, "Please don't blame me for this. I valued his friendship, and would never have encouraged him to go against that monster alone!" But if only she'd managed to finish off Wilner...
"Your example inspired him," Justin growled, "and got him, like so many others who strove for personal glory over doing the wisest thing, killed."
Rose shook her head. "I never asked that others follow my example, or put themselves at the same risks I do! I just do what I can. I don't expect everyone to be able to do the same. But your brother chose his path and you should honor him, not seek to lay blame on others for it."
"Nonetheless, careless young men ignorantly chase the steps of 'heroes' like you to their dooms. One could argue your failures have taken my uncle and brother from me. What can you possibly say to sooth my grief?"
Angered, Rose began to rant. "Damn, you love to blame me for anything you possibly can! If I wasn't a 'hero' as you use the term, where would Kayland be today? In the hands of Joghra, or worse evils I've faced in the past? People need strong leaders and defenders, and examples to aspire to. I'm not saying I condone the recklessness of those who overestimate themselves. But I don't believe that my life hasn't made a difference for the better. I know I've done many a good deed, and even though I have made my fair share of mistakes, I'd like to think they weren't so bad for a human being in my position. As for blame, where were you when your brother was killed? Running like a mouse from the very presence of Prince Wilner? If not for the actions of me and my friends, the Kayland army would surely have been crushed that day. And you know what I was doing when your brother was killed? I wasn't off pursuing some selfish glory. I was painstakingly climbing the stairs to the high walls of Gustrone to save us all, though I was badly poisoned and wounded to the point of death."
Justin shook his head. "You're a great warrior, and by all standards men use, a great hero. I don't deny that. But those like Wilner and Joghra, whose work you say you are needed to balance, are considered heroes in their own countries as well. Haven't you considered that maybe, the world would be better off without your kind, who seek to impose their ideas on others with sheer strength?"
"How can you group me with those men?! Have I ever led a conquering army into another nation to destroy their way of life and saddle them with our own? Do I order men to their doom, telling myself it's all for the greater good? No, I couldn't bear such guilt, and I've never aspired to be a leader in war, only a warrior. The only thing I share with the ones you mention is that... we're strong? What ridiculous logic! My gods, I might enjoy a conversation with one of them, more than you."
"Well, supposing your warlike kind could be considered one group, would we be better off without you?"
Rose thought about it. If she, Finn, Wilner, Joghra, and all the rest had never achieved their great strength, would the world be a more peaceful place? But then someone else would have risen to power and taken the place of her enemies in the pursuit of conquest, and others fought against them in her place.
"The world just doesn't work that way, Justin. There is war, and in war, there are leaders and warriors who stand above the rest. If not me, someone else, for people can't be equal in all things. And if we were, would that be better? People would still die—maybe even more would in a mere contest of attrition. I agree that the world would be better off without those who try to subjugate others. But you can't group all strong warriors with them. I've only tried my best to stop such nonsense."
Justin's reason began to return, and he admitted now, "I suppose I was wrong to group you with those who have different motivations. But still, your shameless example leads others to their doom, and it was the reckless bravery you so proudly display which got my brother killed. And your selfish action in the Brushknoll, what of that?"
"If there was no more violence in the world, then I'd gladly let my kind of 'example' fade away. As things are, I am shameless in doing what I do, because I believe it right. The strength of a few, though not necessarily physical, can inspire the masses to be better people. I've never condoned anyone throwing their lives away, but only done the best I could, and I'm alive, aren't I? It's up to the individual to know their limitations and judge which risks are worthwhile." She stopped for a moment. "And your uncle's death? I admit an oversight on my part, but that's all it was. In the midst of battle and pain, people make mistakes, and mine wasn't a malicious one. You have to believe me."
"She's right," Ira butted in to both their surprise. "Kind warrior, don't let our angry captain make you doubt your path. Your strength does inspire—you've become one of the favorite people for little girls to dress up as over the last few years."
Giggling, she asked, "Really, already?! I'm only twenty-two, you know!"
"I guess that just makes you all the more amazing."
Stubborn rage still held firm in his eyes, but Justin could not come up with another argument and simply ordered, "Enough. We are going dragon-hunting now. Let us leave Rose to whatever she is to do. She will not be fighting with us this time."
#<
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Rose rode north of the soldiers' destination, to the closest marked forest on her map. This one was intact, and she wandered searching for signs of Finn. Eventually, she found something of interest—great clawprints in the dirt, which she could only imagine to be a dragon's. Following them, she came to a clearing in the bare woods. In the center lay a beautiful serpentine beast, graceful despite its huge green bulk. He was not as large as the dragon she'd slain before, only around thirty feet long, and she supposed it might be due to his short time in this form. Her Finn.
A sense of supernatural awe filled her at his presence, but she shook off the feeling. This was her love, despite his strange appearance, his metallic smoothness in such contrast to the rough, rugged bear of a man she remembered. He was still as a rock, and for a moment she feared him dead. She attempted to move closer, but his senses alerted him to her. With a roar he raised his great head, nearly as big as her, high into the air. He regarded her curiously. And then, she heard his familiar voice in her head.
Rose? Is that really you? I'm so sorry I left you, and the children. But I'm glad you came. At least there's one human who isn't afraid of me. The sight of you brings back such happy memories. Weren't you afraid I'd changed or forgotten you, and would eat you on sight?
She chuckled. "If you did try to eat me, I'd just have to kick your butt! Are you well now? How is your life as a dragon?"
He bared his teeth in a draconic smile at her response. There's the great bold heart I fell in love with. Despite his reptilian countenance, she could still read the emotion in his eyes and voice, and the misery that now filled them tore at her heart. As for being a dragon, it's become torture. I haven't wanted to be one anymore for a long time. I miss being around people, especially you, and hate having to flee from their sight. I wish I could be a human again...
Rose's pity and dismay threatened to make her break down in tears. "But what about the magical enlightenment that goes with being a dragon, did you find it at least?"
