Slayers Dragon’s Cycle: Chapter 7:

The Legend of the Swordsman and Sorceress! A Confrontation With Xelloss!

AN: Where SGG-chan’s and Lina Inverse the Dra-matta’s question gets partially answered…

They set up camp a week later near a lazily meandering stream. Sylphiel was able to make a good meal out of several fish that Lina had caught, some wild greens that Milgazia had gathered, and some wood potatoes Zelgadiss had dug up. Dessert was a large pile of chestnuts and late berries that Filia, Gourry and Amelia had gleefully collected in the light of the setting sun. It had been a good enough meal that Lina had been able to get Milgazia to nibble on some stew and eat three chestnuts with minimal coaxing. Lina was slightly irked that once they’d returned to the road, the Dragon Lord reverted to forgetting about mealtimes and eating tiny portions. Xelloss needed no encouragement, complimenting Sylphiel on her culinary skills. Zelgadiss said that he would take the first watch, and woke Lina for her turn three hours later.

The Ryuzoku Elder woke when the firewood broke apart in the flames, issuing a report that could be heard through the chirping of the crickets and the distant call of a fox. Rubbing his eyes free of the light doze he habitually took, he surveyed the camp. Sylphiel was curled up next to Gourry the swordsman’s arm draped protectively over her. Zelgadiss was tightly wrapped up in his blanket next to them. Filia lay in a manner that kept her from rolling over Val’s egg, and Amelia had tossed off her blanket and was sprawled across a tree root in such a way that Milgazia wondered how she was able to sleep at all. Xelloss was missing from his customary perch in the overhanging tree branch, and Lina’s bedroll was likewise empty. Wonder turned to slight worry when Lina did not return in the space of a few minutes, and the Dragon Lord got up to look for her.

Milgazia found Lina sitting alone on the field just outside the copse of trees where they had made camp. She was gazing up at the stars, a soft expression on her face that most humans would have been surprised on see on Lina Inverse. While travelling, he had discreetly asked Zelgadiss about Lina’s reputation, and he still had problems reconciling himself to the idea that most humans were terrified of her. He held very still, his eyes resting on her, and he unconsciously mirrored her peaceful smile. Something in him didn’t want to disturb the moment, though he wasn’t sure if it was so that he wouldn’t startle her, or so he could continue enjoying Lina’s serene beauty. The more the Dragon Elder watched, the more he wanted to verify if the vision before him was merely an illusion, or the truth. Without meaning to, he took a step forward, the grass rustling beneath his feet.

Lina blinked, then turned toward the sound. Milgazia stood over her, a faint smile on his face. "Hey, Milgazia-san! You’re not asleep?"

Milgazia shook his head. "I couldn’t seem to."

Lina grinned at him. "Neither could I. Come sit with me. It’s just too beautiful a night to sleep."

Milgazia slowly settled himself next to the little sorceress. "I agree. Somehow it does not seem right to sleep this night."

Lina rocked back and forth on her rear, looking up at the sky again. "I haven’t had time to simply enjoy the night like this since I was a little girl."

"Oh?" Milgazia asked, a little startled by her sudden and unhesitating openness. There had always been something about Lina that made him think of armor. It hid what she did not want to show anyone else, or what might be used against her. He had caught her in unguarded moments before, but this was the first time she was completely and utterly relaxed in his presence.

"Yeah. The sky just seems to be painted with stars tonight. Look!" Lina pointed up. "There’re the constellations of the Warrior and the Sorceress!" she said, indicating the cluster of stars that formed the pair.

Milgazia looked up. "You know those constellations? I didn’t know that humans knew them by that name."

Lina shook her head. "No, the humans know them as the Chain of Tears. But Neechan taught me that the Dragons called them as the Warrior and the Sorceress." Lina shuddered, remembering her sister. It was one of the few lessons that Neechan didn’t have to beat into me, she thought. Aloud, she said, "I’ve always wondered why they’re called that. Neechan used to say that there was a reason why, but no one remembers it now."

"I know the story why…but it’s only a legend that Dragons tell to their children." Milgazia volunteered.

"Oh?" Lina looked at her companion. "I’ve never heard the legend of the two. Could you please tell it, even if I’m not a child?" she added stiffly, her ruby eyes glittering in challenge.

"All right…" Milgazia looked down toward where a little brook meandered past them. "It is said that long ago, near the time of Creation, before Ruby-Eye was split into seven parts, and Ceiphied sank into the Sea of Chaos, Dragons were not the way we are now. There was a Dragon fell in love with a woman healer who lived alone in the forests near a village, but he knew that he would long outlive her, so he prayed to Ceiphied that he could become human forever so that he could court the woman. Finally, his wish came true, and he was able to shape-change into a human swordsman. Patiently, he waited for a chance to present himself to her, and it came. He rescued her from some bandits one day and he became the village’s protector, performing many deeds of goodness and chivalry.

"After much time, eventually won the heart of the gentle healer, and he asked her to marry him, thinking at last that she would cleave to him and his dearest wish would come true. To his surprise, she told him that she would not wed him. Undeterred, but surprised since he knew that she loved him dearly, he pressed his suit with the patience of the long-lived. But in the end, he knew he could wait no longer without knowing her reasons for so resolutely refusing him.

"Heartbroken, the Dragon asked her why she refrained from joining with him in matrimony. The gentle healer sighed, her breath filled with sorrow, and she said

" ‘Long before you met me, and long before I came to this place of quiet peace, I was a sorceress of the black arts, my love. My use of the dark powers has extended my lifespan beyond that of normal mortals. I came here to atone for all my evil deeds, but my curse still remains. While you will grow old, I shall remain for a long time, ageless and unchanging. You must find someone normal and more honorable to live your life out with, my love, for you deserve far better than I, who have deceived you.’ With that, she bent her head and cradled her beautiful face in her hands and wept the tears of the broken-hearted, knowing that she had lost the one she loved forever.

"The warrior started to laugh, and the sorceress looked up from her tears, fearing that her beloved had gone mad with her confession. Then he knelt in front of her and clasped her hands. ‘It seems that you’re not the only one with a secret to tell, my one love! Before you met me I was a Dragon who watched you every day. I fell in love with you and begged that Ceiphied turn me into a human so that I could be with you forever! Now I am mortal and doomed to die, for the long life of Dragons has fled me. Then I discover that you are a sorceress who could have lived with me for a greater span of time than I will now! Ah, ironic, cruel fate, to deal us such a blow!’

"At this admission, the sorceress clasped him close and wept bitterly, because she could have loved him even had he remained a Dragon forever. The Dragon-turned-mortal held her and comforted her, saying that he would rather have a short time of joy than immortality of sorrow. So the sorceress and the Dragon-warrior were wed, and as humans go, so did the Dragon. He aged in due course and eventually died. The sorceress pined for her husband and wasted away. When Ceiphied heard of their tale, he set them in the stars where they could be together forever, and made the Ryuzoku able to change form at will, to prevent such tragedy from ever occurring again." Milgazia returned his gaze to the stars above. "For us Dragons, those constellations represent love that overcame any challenge. It’s a popular myth amongst the younger Dragons that when the constellations are so close that they seem to be holding each other’s hand, that a marriage is going to happen sometime in the near future."

Lina’s soft chuckle rippled from her lips. "Yeah, they do look like they’re holding hands. I wonder who’s going to get married soon?"

A cool, gentle breeze blew, wafting Lina’s hair into Milgazia’s face. His nostrils filled with the subtle perfume she wore as it did. Lina squealed in delight, the wind bringing a rush of coolness that drove away the muggy humidity of the night.

"Aah! That was great!" Lina shook herself all over, grinning from ear to ear. She tucked her long hair behind one ear, a careless, but at the same time, graceful gesture.

Milgazia chuckled, finding her unadulterated enjoyment of life infectious, brushing his own long golden hair from his eyes. He then noticed that Lina was rubbing her arms, that she didn’t have her cloak with her. He couldn’t blame her - it had been rather warm earlier.

Without thinking about it, he unclasped his own and wrapped it around her snugly. She blinked in surprise and looked up at him. "Hey, you can’t give me your cloak - you need it too!"

Milgazia shook his head, smiling. "I’m a Dragon, Lina. Sudden changes of weather don’t affect me too much."

Lina unwrapped the cloak from her body and looked at him. "No way. You’re in human form, which means that you get affected the way humans do. Here," she draped part of the cloak on his shoulders, then sat really close to him, draping the rest around hers. "I don’t need all of the cloak; let’s share it." She leaned closer, and Milgazia could all but taste her scent, so close was she. It did all sorts of strange things to the Dragon Elder that he couldn’t grasp just then, but should have. Since he couldn’t understand them, he ignored his inner reactions, using years of discipline to bury them deep.

"…all right, Lina…if you insist."

"I do insist. It’s late, of course, ne?" Lina burrowed into the warmth of the cloak, until all that showed of her was her eyes and long, red hair. The cloak smelled of its owner, and Lina found Milgazia’s scent quite pleasant - a strange mix of musk and the odor of wet granite that brought about images of wind-swept mountains. For some undefined reason, it also made her feel very safe and secure, and though no one would have believed it, Lina liked safe and secure. She liked to take risks, but she had been raised on a Zefirian farming community, and had all the solid, down to earth values that came with it. So no matter how much she might have denied it verbally, she desired stability in her life more than anything else. Right now, she could forget about the events of the past years, and simply enjoy the feeling of security, without a care what brought it about. Happy, she burrowed into the cloak some more and propped herself against Milgazia’s arm.

"Look!" Milgazia exclaimed softly, pointing toward the stream. Tiny little pinpoints of soft, greenish light began to float out of the darkness, like little stars that danced down from the heavens above them. He knew what they were, of course; fireflies. The first time he had seen them, he had lain wounded and broken next to the stream where the fireflies danced and mated. Xelloss had destroyed all his friends, all his family, with a single, smiling gesture. He’d been a little older than Filia then. He remembered lying there, reduced to human form to conserve his strength, but even then, he thought he was dying…

Mother…Father… Neesan, Oniisama… Dragons go to the stars when they die…and the stars have come for me. The younger Milgazia reached for the stars and his family with his left hand, and unwittingly reached for life with the last of his strength. He fell into the shallow brook and drank the cold water, which turned red with his blood as the stream washed clean his wounds. He started to heal.

When he found others that needed him, he pushed away his grief, pushed away his pain, and as his parents had drummed into him; he lead the remnants of his people to survival, to life.

And next to him was a personification of life. Never had he met anyone who had such a desire to live the way Lina did. It startled him when he had first met her, the little girl who wanted to know all about the Lord of Nightmares.

Realizing that he had been silent too long, he pointed again. "Aren’t those fireflies simply beautiful? I rarely see them - Dragon Peak’s too high up above the sea level for them, and even in the lowlands around the Kataart Mountains, they’re rare…" he trailed off, noticing that Lina’s weight was a little bit heavier than before. The Dragon Elder peeked down at her. "Lina?"

A soft mumble was his reply. He could see her long eyelashes, eyelashes that brushed her cheeks with their length. Lina was relaxed against him, sliding deeper into slumber with each passing second. A smile was on her lips, a happy smile that he hadn’t ever seen before - an expression of absolute contentment.

Milgazia sighed and smiled. "I guess it is rather late after all…" He marveled at how small her body was against his own, seemingly so small and frail, the frailty hiding the strength she really had.

Lina snuggled even closer, and Milgazia held still, not wanting to wake her. He hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder to support her, idly hoping she wouldn’t wake and instinctively deck him. In response, Lina wrapped an arm around his waist and a leg over his, the way one would curl up with a pillow. Milgazia blushed, lying back helplessly, and wished no one would find them like this, well aware that they looked very compromising.

That hope was swiftly dashed when the last person he wanted to see in the world blocked his view of the night sky. "My, my. Aren’t we becoming nice and cozy here, Dragon Elder Milgazia."

Milgazia stiffened, feeling a stab of fear at the sight of Xelloss. He saw that Xelloss’ eyes were opened, and saw those eyes flick toward the sleeping Lina curled at Milgazia’s side. Fear was overridden by protectiveness, and Milgazia tightened his arm around the sleeping mage. Desperation lent the normally calm Elder a daring he would never have possessed otherwise, for he would protect his friend with his life. Milgazia nodded agreement at the being that had single-handedly destroyed most of his Clan. "Quite cozy, don’t you think, Xelloss? She fell asleep so quickly too."

Xelloss snorted. "Most likely you put her to sleep with your child’s fairy tale. So is art going to imitate life, Dragon Lord Milgazia? Are you going to be the Dragon who becomes human?"

Recklessness lent Milgazia a sarcastic bite to his tongue. "If I did, what is it to you?" He saw the Mazoku’s eyes tighten with rage.

How dare he? How dare he intrude on my territory? How dare he hold my Lina-chan?! Xelloss raged, wishing that he had been more complete in the destruction of the Gold Dragons - rather, one Gold Dragon Lord in particular. How dare he how dare he how dare he?!

Lina chose that moment to snuggle even closer to Milgazia. Milgazia decided this was a good thing, as Xelloss was getting angrier by the second, though he didn’t know what caused the Mazoku’s rage. If anything happened, Milgazia would be able to cover Lina with his body. I will not lose any more friends to you!

Xelloss glared down at the Ryuzoku, envisioning a thousand creative ways with which he could end Milgazia’s existence right then and there. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the image of Lina crying over the grave of a friend. Xelloss didn’t like the idea of Lina in pain; unusual for those fed on pain, fear and rage.

That made him pause in surprise. Why didn’t he like Lina’s pain or tears, even if it was just in his imagination? Suddenly confused, Xelloss lost most of his homicidal desires. What was this that he felt? It bore investigation, and Xelloss did not wish for Milgazia to see that something was upsetting him.

"Feh." Xelloss turned. "I don’t think Lina-chan would want to wake up next to a corpse. You’re lucky, Milgazia, I won’t be the one who kills you. But if Lina wakes up with your arms around her, I wonder if she won’t do the job herself. Have a good sleep."

Milgazia breathed a little easier with Xelloss gone, but the Elder did not doubt his words. Lina would blast him first and wonder afterward if she woke to such an intimate position. Perhaps if I am able to keep her from doing so…provided I catch her when she wakes.

It was going to be a very long night.

AN: I feel a need to explain myself. I ask for reviews for a reason: Slayers Dragon’s Cycle is more accurately a fan-novel. It is likely to reach thirty chapters (25 at least) with each chapter with a minimum of some 8 pages on Word, (font eleven, Times New Roman,) to twenty. and reviews tell me if people are interested in the story’s continuation. I’ll finish it (I swore to myself I’d finish at least one major undertaking like this!) but at my own pace, if it weren’t for other people wanting me to finish the story. I’ve some regular readers (some of whom have left reviews on all my stories, thank you very much!) and these are strongly and truly appreciated. All the reviews are. ^^

By the way, Chapter 7 popped up so fast because, believe it or not, it’s been finished for half a year or so. I only modified a few lines and added dialogue. Chapter 8 is only partially written, so it will again take me x number of days to finish it. In the meantime, please enjoy the various one-shots and trilogies I have up to tide people over.

The Rise of the Dragon Lord and Other Tales of the Kouma War is only loosely connected with this story. The events aren’t exactly the same, since it was snowing at the end of Of Blood and Honor, and Milgazia… well, I won’t spoil it for people who haven’t read it yet.

"I find my life much less complicated the lower I keep everyone's expectations of my character." --Lezard
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