Ryo and Lara sat across from each other around a small but extremely warm campfire. They had decided to call it a night after Cody fell asleep on the horse while traveling. It had been about a day since they left their village, and there had been no sign of any town so far. Lara looked over at the warrior in front of her. His head was lowered, his eyes fixated on the flame, as if his mind was some where away from his body. Lara used this opportunity to get a good look at the man. His face was young, around twenty years old or so, but she knew he was at least eight hundred according to the legends. She could also see that beyond his handsome face and cool demeanor, he was alone. His eyes, fierce at times, were those of a small child who had lost his mother, and hardly ever smiled, just every once and a while to Cody. Cody, Lara knows, has taken a strong liking to the Dragon. She could remember seeing him emulate Ryo by grabbing a stick and pretending it was a sword, and attacking a tree, pretending it was Gargon. Cody seems so unaffected by the loss of his friends and family. Lara figured that Ryo’s presence had inspired him, made him think that he had to be brave despite the loss of loved ones. Those words caused Lara to wonder.
“Can I ask you something”, she asked the man before her.
“If you want”, he replied, his gaze never leaving the flame.
“Back at the cliff, Gargon mentioned that it was like before.
What happened before?”
Ryo looked over at the questioning girl. He noticed the curiosity in her pretty eyes, and decided to tell her. Besides, he felt he owed her that much for the loss of her family.
“This is going to be a long story”, he sighed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ryo inched along the grass, not wanting to startle the unknowing woman in front of him.
“Raaaaaa”, he yelled as he picked her up from behind and twirled
her in the air.
“Ryo, you jerk! You nearly scared me to death”, she cried
as he put her down and spun her around to meet his gaze.
“I’m sorry”, he smiled.
“You’re forgiven”, she smiled back.
The two lovers embraced in a deep kiss. Ryo pulled her back and looked into her eyes.
“Let’s get married”, he asked excitedly.
“Married? You, a Dragon, want to get married”, she asked.
“I want it more than I want to go on living another day without
you as my wife”.
“Well, since you put it that way, I’ll marry you”, she smiled.
“Let’s do it tonight”, he suggested.
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. Come on Emma”, he sighed.
“Alright. Tonight we will get married”, she agreed.
“Great. Be at the cliff at sundown. I’ll bring the
minister”, he said excitedly.
“I will be there”.
“I love you”, he smiled.
“I love you too, my Dragon”.
At sundown, Ryo came to the cliff, a minister already awaiting his arrival. A few minutes later, Emma arrived, dressed in a gorgeous white dress, and a flowered head band. She took Ryo’s arm and they turned to face the presiding minister. No one else had come. The people of Emma’s village did not agree with her marrying a Dragon, for it was the people’s belief that Dragons and Humans should not be together. The minister wore a cloak that was al black and covered his entire body, leaving only his head, which was somewhat hidden from view by his large hat.
“Oh lord, tonight we have gathered in the joining of these two people in a bond of love and togetherness”, the minister began.
Ryo was curious as to why the minister was not looking up at them, but figured that he was reading from the book he held in his hand. The minister went on.
“Do you Emma, take this…man…to be you husband, the one you shall
love, and cherish for as long as your life allows”, he asked, a slight
giggle coming out at the end.
“Yes…yes I do”, she replied, annoyed by the minister’s speech.
“And do you Dragon take this woman to be your wife…”, he began.
“What? What did you call me”, Ryo asked.
“I called you a Dragon, that is what we call ourselves isn’t
it, or have you been spending too much time sucking face with this bimbo
to remember what you are”, the minister laughed as he raised his head,
revealing glowing red eyes.
The man began to laugh as chains burst from beneath the cloak, wrapping themselves around Ryo and his love. The minister suddenly shed away, revealing the armored Gargon.
“Gargon?! You bastard”, Ryo cried as he struggled to free
himself from the mystical chains that held him.
“Ryo, old friend. Why the name calling? I thought
we were buds you and me”, Gargon laughed.
“I am no friend of yours murderer”, Ryo growled as he freed himself
and dropped to the ground.
“Murderer? How many lives have you taken? Almost
twice as many as I have? How many lives were lost when your men to
destroy a military outpost that was really a helpless village”, Gargon
asked.
“I didn’t know. You tricked me! It was your fault”,
Ryo cried as he lunged at his enemy, kicking him in the face, causing him
to drop Emma from his extended chains.
“I didn’t trick you. I really thought it was a base”, Gargon
shrugged as he punched Ryo, knocking him away.
“One of the buildings was an orphanage! Twenty kids were
murdered by my men that day! You knew what was there, and you deliberately
convinced me otherwise!”
“Minor details Ryo”.
“I’ll kill you”, Ryo yelled, launching himself at his opponent.
Gargon swung and smacked Ryo in the face, then shot another chain out at him, wrapped it around him and slammed him into the ground. Ryo staggered to his feet, but Gargon pounced on him, delivering blow after blow to his face, until Ryo was barely awake.
“I’m not stupid enough to kill you Ryo. But, I do want to make your eternal life miserable”, Gargon cackled as he walked over to Emma who had been cowering on the ground.
Gargon extended a chain that wrapped around her neck and lifted her into the air. Ryo looked up to see what was happening.
“Emma! Gargon no”, he yelled, unable to get up due to his injuries.
Gargon walked over to the edge of the cliff and dangled the choking girl over the side.
“One day I’ll kill you Ryo. But until then, I’ll just kill everyone you ever care about”, he yelled as he turned to the crying girl.
Gargon’s chain suddenly jerked, snapping the woman’s neck, and let her go to fall on the rocks below.
“EEMMMMAA”, Ryo cried as his rage forced him to his feet.
Ryo ran at Gargon, who was surprised that Ryo could even move. The angered Dragon launched into the air and swung his leg around, kicking Gargon in the face. Ryo spun around again, and again, each time nailing Gargon in the head. Suddenly, Gargon caught Ryo’s third attempt at a kick, but Ryo jumped and nailed Gargon again with his other foot. But, even though his attack was valiant, Ryo was just too weak to deliver blows powerful enough to faze the armored warrior. Ryo fell to the ground exhausted, both in body and in mind. Gargon smiled as he looked down at the defeated Dragon. He backhanded Ryo and stood over his near unconscious form.
“Remember Ryo, I can’t kill you, but when ever you’re happy, or when you find peace, I’ll be right there to destroy it. As long as I am alive, you will never be able to enjoy life again”, he growled before walking away, leaving the defeated Ryo alone to lie in the misery he has created.
~ ~ ~ ~
“What happened next”, the saddened Lara asked.
“As soon as I was able, I climbed down the cliff and retrieved
her body. Then I created a tomb for her to rest in, and sealed it
magically, so that no one other than me could enter”, he said, tears obviously
beginning to form in his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would be so hard for you.
I never expected…”, she said.
“That what? A dragon could love? Could care about
someone other than himself”, Ryo asked, a tear rolling down his cheek.
“I wasn’t going to say that. I just think…Emma would not
want you to spend your life mourning her loss. She would want you
to love again, to begin your life anew”, Lara explained.
“I can’t. Emma was the first person I had ever loved in
my life. I will never love another the way I loved her. I will
not allow it”, Ryo declared as he stood and walked off into the forest.
Lara looked into the trees where Ryo had left, but could see no trace
of him. She knew something had happened to him, but she had not expected
such a tragic story. A little ways away, in a clearing, Ryo sat on
a small hill. In his hand was the locket he had retrieved from the
tomb. Looking down at the picture of his lost love, Ryo contemplated
Lara’s words. He loved Emma so much, that even the thought of loving
another tore him up inside. But deep down, he knew that she was right,
and that his life had to go on, and that, was the perfect way to honor
her memory.