Summary: AU. This is a tale of a Knight who slew a Dragon and vanquished evil. Yugi is the prince of a small kingdom which is rocked by revolutions by the peasants. When his father is killed in one of these revolts, the crown goes to his uncle, who is determined to kill off the true prince to allow for his own son to rule. Forced into the life of a roving exile with his father's loyal knight, Mahad, Yugi finds himself making a living off slaying dragons; until one comes to him with an interesting proposition. AtemxYugi, SetoxKisara, BakuraxRyou, one sided TèaxYugi.

Author's Note: Welcome. This story came out of my love for the movie Dragonheart and its (in my opinion) utter crap sequel; think subbed Yu-Gi-Oh and the 4Kids version and you get the caliber of these two movies. Anyway, I wanted to do a version of this for a while because I love the movie, but the plot sort of became my own. While they are moments taken from the movie Dragonheart and the basic plot remains the same, more of the events are from my own mind. The chapters in this one tend to be longer than my other stories before so, apologies for that. Warnings will be posted at the start of each chapter (blood, OC, stuff like that) and this story will contain lemons, which will have warnings before them too. There will also be time jumps, which will be clearly marked as well as the clues within the text.

Apologies for the long author's note, but please enjoy this newest offering.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Dragonheart; they belong to their respective owners. I only own my few OCs and the plot.

Warnings: Blood

This is a tale of a Knight who slew a Dragon and vanquished evil.

-The Chronicles of the Morningstar and Dragonheart
A brief history of the struggles during the reign
Of King Seto as set down by
Ryou, a simple poet

Chapter One: Plans and Promises

And, thus, did the scythe our king's life take;
And, with it a new tyrant make

The sun shone down on the ruins of a fortress, making the white stone seem even brighter. From the fallen stones came the sound of shouts and wood striking wood. A tall knight, wearing no armor, backed out of the shadow of one of the stones and ducked to avoid hitting his head on a low archway. A young man followed him, a wooden sword held in guard position in front of him.

The young man was equally as tall as the knight, both of them unusually so for people in the kingdom. The young man stared at the knight through dark brown bangs, the rest of his hair tied back at the base of his neck. There was a flicker of a smile on his face, the emotion making the dark blue eyes glitter for a moment before the young man lunged at the knight, forcing him back.

From one of the rocks, a hand appeared over the top, followed by the rest of a small boy. He grunted as he clambered to the top of the rock, swaying on his perch before sitting down and watching the two combatants; every now and again brushing his blonde lightning-shaped bangs out of his purple eyes. He rocketed to his feet as the young man managed to get behind the knight, cheering out his cousin. "Get him, Seto!"

On the ground, Seto laughed at his younger cousin's enthusiasm, the laughter disappearing when the knight abruptly spun around and met the thrust easily. Seto grunted as he was thrown backwards, falling to the ground. He looked up, letting his head drop to the ground as the knight leveled the wooden practice blade to his throat. "Better, Seto, but you're still dead."

The remained in those poses for a while before the knight extended a tanned hand to help Seto up, smiling as the young man roughly brushed himself off. Seto brought the practice sword up to guard position as soon as he was ready, earning a laugh from the knight. "Ready already?"

"No fair, Seto." The smaller boy slipped from his perch, easily scaling down the rock to rush to his cousin's side. "You promised that I could have my turn when this bout was done."

"But I thought you didn't like violence, Yugi." Seto smirked at his little cousin, watching as Yugi crossed his arms in annoyance.

"I don't, but father wants me to learn." Yugi looked angry for a second before the emotion was brushed away, leaving the familiar smile on his face.

The brunette rolled his eyes and passed the blade to his cousin without a word, stepping away to the water jar that waited for them. Yugi eagerly gripped the hilt of the sword, staring down the knight in a good imitation of his cousin. The knight laughed before getting into a guard position, looking expectantly at Yugi. The smaller boy hesitated for a moment before lunging forward, tripping and falling on the ground.

Seto jerked forward a step from his place at the water jar, stopping when he heard laughter from the boy on the ground. Yugi stood up, wiping the dirt off his face, while attempting to settle back into his previous position, still laughing. The knight, on his part, had managed to keep from laughing, but there was a smile on his face. "Yugi…"

"I know, I'm dead. But I'll get it this time, Mahad!" Yugi checked his balance by bending his knees before looking back up. "Only turn your back to a corpse."

"Very good, Yugi." Mahad moved forward, Yugi quickly snapping up the wooden blade to meet the slash, tipping his blade so Mahad's would move away from his body. Yugi began to back up slowly, the knight keeping up the slow pattern of thrusts and blocks as the two practiced.

Once he was sure of himself, Yugi started to move faster, that the cue for the knight to speed up himself. They lasted a minute at this speed before Yugi lunged forward, allowing Mahad to duck around Yugi's sword and place his wooden blade at Yugi's neck. "Dead, my prince."

Yugi groaned and wiggled out of the hold to face off with Mahad again.

Seto chuckled at his cousin's enthusiasm, bringing his cup to his lips again to drink. He was glad that Yugi had called him out, he had been getting tired of being beaten by Mahad. But, that was why their mothers had requested that Mahad teach them, he was simply the best in the kingdom.

A yelp pulled his attention from his thoughts to the mock battle in front of him. Seto set down his cup quickly and jogged over to where Yugi sat on the ground, wincing as he stretched out one leg, ignoring the bleeding cut that ran over his calf.

Mahad prudently backed out of the way as Seto dashed up, dropping to the ground beside his cousin and peered down at the wound. Yugi took one look at Seto before rolling his eyes. "It's just a cut, Seto. I'm fine."

Seto swallowed his retort, getting to his feet and helping Yugi up. He watched the smaller boy like a hawk as he tested the leg before turning his attention back to the knight. Yugi gave Mahad a short nod, the signal sending them off again. Seto remained close though, wanting to keep an eye on his cousin.

Seto had acted like a big brother Yugi since he had been born, watching over him as they grew up in the castle together. Even when his own little brother had been born, Seto had still given the young prince the same amount of attention as before. The over protectiveness had only come when Seto's younger brother, Mokuba, had died because of the plague that both Yugi and Seto had survived.

He crossed his arms and watched as Mahad caught Yugi again, the young boy smiling before throwing himself back into another practice bout. Seto shook his head, turning to look down the hill that the ruined fortress was set on. He flinched at the sound of Yugi hitting the ground again, tempted to turn around to see if his cousin was alright, but he was distracted by the sight of a rider galloping up the hill toward them. Seto narrowed his eyes, walking quickly back to the packs that lay discarded by a boulder, reaching for the hilt of his sword as the rider appeared, ducking his head as he rode under the arch. The sounds of practice stopped from behind him as Mahad and Yugi noticed the rider.

He relaxed a fraction as he recognized the rider, the angry expression on his face turning into a sneer as he recognized one of his father's knights. Seto buckled his sword around his waist, glaring at the man pulled his horse to a rough stop. "The king orders you to take your pupils back to the castle." The knight had to keep turning his head to deliver the message as his horse pranced nervously in a circle. "The peasants have rebelled!"

Yugi gasped while Seto and Mahad exchanged solemn looks. There had been no reason for the peasants to revolt before, the current king was a kinder than his father. There had to be a reason behind it, one that the knight would not give up so easily. Seto glared up at the knight, dismissing him with a cold wave of his hand before he walked back to where the three of them had tied their horses.

His cousin followed him, waiting until the knight was gone before speaking quietly. "Why are they doing this? What has father done?"

Seto took one look at Yugi's large purple eyes before sighing, his own eyes softening. "It's probably a misunderstanding. The king will go and sort it all out."

Yugi nodded, taking the reins of his palomino horse and walking it over to a rock so he could scramble up into the saddle. Mahad handed Yugi his pack before receiving the reins to his own steed. Seto waiting until their mentor had mounted before pulling himself up onto his own horse, frowning when it tossed its head nervously. He circled the horse, searching for the thing that had disturbed it before giving a small shrug.

He didn't have time for foolishness now. They had to get Yugi home before the peasants decided to turn their hatred on him. Seto would kill himself before he let anyone lay their hands on his cousin. With an irritated sigh, Seto kicked his horse forward, ducking under the low arch as he galloped after the two other riders.

A round, blunted head rose from the rocks, blue eyes blinking as she watched the riders retreat. She focused on the brunette rider, giving a soft coo as she clambered over the rocks, settling in a clear space. Her white scales blended into the rocks around her, making the dragon seem like she was part of the landscape. The dragon craned her neck, trying to watch the riders until they were hidden but the hill. The dragon sighed and relaxed her neck, setting it in a gentle arch as she closed her blue eyes in thought.

"That's him?" The blue eyes snapped open immediately at the sound of the voice. She turned her head, hissing at the dragon that strolled out from behind the ruins of the castle. The second dragon shook his head, staring at the riders. "He's a human, Kisara."

"I know that." Kisara snapped the words back at the second dragon, sighing as he looked hurt. She lowered her head to the ground, giving a mournful trill before speaking again. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Atem. But I feel sorry for him."

Atem snorted, earning another glare from Kisara. "You can't pity ice."

"He's not like that all the time. He's only cold because he lost the two people who cared for him." Atem gave a grumble at the statement, but allowed Kisara to carry on. "He's cold so he doesn't have to feel pain, Atem. And I feel sorry for him because he won't let anyone else in."

"Kisara," Atem shook his head, the sun glinting off his red and black scales, "you're too sympathetic sometimes. It won't work; you're a dragon and he's a human."

"There are the old ways, Atem." Kisara stood up, glaring at the black and red dragon as she walked away.

A growl made her pause, turning back to look at her friend as he argued with himself. The black and red dragon paced among the stones for a minute, wings held slightly away from his body in his agitation. Atem finally paused, turning to look at her. "I'll help you, if I can."

Kisara smiled. "Thank you, Atem."

The black and red dragon nodded, folding his wings back against his body as he walked back toward the ruins of the castle. "I've got to get back or father will worry. The humans have been behaving strangely of late."

"Strangely how?"

"They're killing dragons, Kisara." The blue eyed dragon gasped, quickly pressing herself against the ground, trying to make herself smaller and blend into her surroundings.

"Why are they doing that?" She whispered the words, making Atem have to lean down to hear her. "We have a treaty that we will not break. Why do they hunt us?"

Atem gave an inelegant shrug, his red eyes becoming distant. "I don't know. Just, be careful Kisara."

The white dragon nodded, lifting her head from the ground as she watched Atem walk off, knowing that the news must have frightened him more than he was willing to say. Atem was like that, holding his emotions in and keeping others out by lashing out or becoming cold.

Her thoughts on her friend were brought to an abrupt stop as sounds drifted to her ears. She stood up, turning her blunt head to look in the direction of the noise. It sounded like a battle, a human battle. And her human would have to skirt around the edge of the battle. He wouldn't be safe.

She opened her wings, pushing off the ground with a grunt of effort as she beat the appendages to gain height. Kisara turned effortlessly in the air, craning her neck to search for the riders before beginning to follow at a discrete distance. They might not ever need her help, but she wanted to be there in case her human got into trouble.

Gozaburo watched as his brother rode toward the group of peasants who were brandishing farm weapons, keeping his own horse back. The king smiled at the peasants, the expression wavering as he saw that they remained angry. Gozaburo snorted and pulled his horse even further back. He didn't want to get involved in these matters, peasants were no concern of his. As long as they worked hard and did not pass the plague on to their superiors, he was content to let them be. Besides, the peasants were the happiest when they were complaining; nothing would make them happy. But his brother apparently thought he could.

He returned his gaze to his brother, watching as the king dismounted to talk to the peasants on their level. Gozaburo smiled as he watched a blonde man tighten his hands around the scythe he held, glaring at the king. It wouldn't be long now.

He especially didn't want to get involved in this matter because he was the one who had started it, sending his loyal knights out to fabricate rumors about the royal family and the future. He hadn't been specific, just enough to cause unrest among the lower class. Anything to get them riled up, because then the king would go down to settle them, and there was a good chance that he would be attacked.

Gozaburo jumped as the first scream erupted, his horse rearing as it tried to run from the sudden noise. He pulled the animal back down, turning his head to see the king fall under the blade of the scythe. He narrowed his eyes, jerking his mount around and pointing to the group of peasants. "They have struck down the king!"

The blonde man looked up in surprise, glaring at the knights on their horses before letting out a feral yell and charging forward. Gozaburo stared at the man before urging his horse away, not having an expected an attack on himself.

The horse neighed in fear as more peasants surrounded him, Gozaburo yanking the horse around in a tight circle as he realized that they were outnumbered. He shouted for the soldiers, urging them to cut the peasants down. They complied, angered by the callous slaughter of their beloved ruler. Gozaburo smirked and aimed his horse for an opening in the circle of peasants, wanting to escape with his life.

He caught sight of a young red headed girl right before she darted out in front of his horse, a young blonde man following her out, holding a sharpened stick in his hand. Gozaburo tried to turn his horse at the last second, tumbling out of the saddle as his horse bolted to the side. He screamed as he fell, the sound cut off as he hit the ground.

Before he could get up, the young blonde tripped over him, calling out for his sister as he fell, the stake tumbling from his grasp, his body falling on the blunted end. "Serenity!"

Gozaburo gasped as the stake plunged into his chest, piercing through skin and muscle before stabbing into his heart. The man screamed, clawing at the air before going limp. Through blurring vision, he saw the young blonde gulp and scramble to his feet, running before the knights could rush over. Gozaburo turned his head to watch the blonde go, too weak to do anything.

"My lord!" He rolled his head back as one of the knights rode up, leaping from the saddle to lift him from the ground. Gozaburo let out a gurgle, the closest he could get to a word before he was gently lifted into the saddle. The knight sprang up into the saddle, steadying Gozaburo with one hand as he wheeled his steed around. "Finish with these peasants!"

Gozaburo tried to scream as the motion of the galloping horse aggravated his injury, instead falling into a stupor as the pain became too much. He could only feel the movement of the horse's shoulders under him, the hand the knight had on his chest and the encouragement that the knight spoke as he urged his steed away from the slaughter. "Hold on, my lord."

He forced his eyes to remain open, wanting to stay awake and aware; instinct telling him that to slip into unconsciousness would mean succumbing to death. He wanted to live to exact his revenge on the two that had put him in this position, fixing the face of the red haired girl in his mind before the images began to slip away.

Seto snorted in distaste at the sounds of battle close by, urging his horse to run closer to Yugi's, wanting to keep his cousin from seeing the horrors of battle. For all of his bravery, Yugi was still a bit naïve when it came to the workings of the world, and Seto didn't want to be the one responsible for shattering the way Yugi looked at the world.

From his place beside his cousin, Seto could see Mahad wincing at the sound, shooting angry looks in the direction of the battle. They would get a lecture later, one that Mahad was very fond of. The knight still clung to the old code of stories, which was useful up to a point. Seto could see the merit in the code, but wondered what the use was if no one else in the world acknowledged its existence.

His musings were cut off by a loud shout. Seto turned his head around, eyes widening as he saw a young man with black hair and a red headband around his forehead pointing at him, a rusting sword in his other hand. "There's the future tyrant!"

Peasants burst out of the undergrowth around them, some running across the open field that boarded the other side of their path. Seto pulled his horse into a more defensive position beside Yugi, seeing that Mahad was doing the same thing on the other side of the prince. They would defend Yugi until their last breaths, anything to keep their prince safe.

The peasants raced after the horses, losing ground to the fleeter animals. Seto looked behind him, sighing in relief when the chase was abandoned, leaving them room to breathe. He turned back to front, slumping. His posture stiffened again when he felt a hand land on his calf, tugging him from the saddle.

He hit the ground with a cry of pain, his right arm breaking as it came in contact with the ground. Seto scrambled to his feet, left arm going to support its useless partner. He faced off against the peasant, gritting his teeth against the pain. He couldn't draw his sword without letting go of his arm, and he was nearly hopeless with his left hand. His best chance at survival, no matter how much it annoyed him, was to run.

Seto glanced once at the peasant, scowling at the young man whose brown hair was styled to a point on the front of his head before turning to run. He ducked his head as the man laughed, shouting to the other peasants who had joined in the chase again once they had seen that one of their prey had been unhorsed. "Look at the coward!"

He was almost tempted to turn around and face them despite the odds, but he looked up. Yugi was staring back at him in worry, one hand clutching the pommel of his saddle as he stared at his cousin. Seto gave a rough shake of his head. No, he couldn't let Yugi down.

A hand caught his shoulder, spinning him around and throwing him to the ground. Seto grunted as he hit the ground, cradling his broken arm close to his chest. The peasants loomed over him, Seto recognizing the black haired man and the brunette from before. The group leered at him, all reaching for their weapons as they prepared to kill the young noble.

A roar from the sky interrupted their motions. As one, the peasants looked up, cringing away from the shadow that swooped overhead once before landing on the ground behind Seto. The young noble tried to tip his head back to see what had arrived, stopping when one white clawed leg landed close to his head. Seto looked up, mouth dropping open as he stared at the dragon.

White scales covered its body, the ones closer to the top of the dragon possessing a blue sheen to them. A long neck was extended low over him protectively, the oval shaped head of the dragon stopping just in front of the peasants. The dragon gave a low growl, the sound startling the peasants into flight, most of them dropping their makeshift weapons in fear.

The dragon seemed to nod to itself before it retreated, the foreleg moving away from Seto. The brunette got to his feet, swaying slightly as a bolt of pain ran through his arm. He shook his head to clear it, looking up at his rescuer in awe.

Intelligent blue eyes blinked back at him, the eyes situated just before the series of three long, rounded scales that extended like shield over the first part of the neck. From the shoulder extended powerful wings, the membranes between their supports almost transparent in the sunlight. The back of the dragon was bare of spikes, a smooth curve down to the long tail, which was twitching back and forth in agitation.

The dragon rocked most of its weight back onto its hind legs, the motion bringing Seto's attention back to the dragon's head. He lingered a moment on the eyes again before he looked at the spike that sat at the edge of the dragon's mouth, three more spikes pointing to the neck of the dragon.

Not really thinking about what he was doing, Seto reached up to pet the dragon, pressing his palm against its muzzle. He jumped when the dragon seemed to lean into the caress, breathing out softly at the contact. Seto's eyes widened as his fingers began to stroke the dragon's muzzle. He was surprised that the dragon was warm, instead of cool. He realized that he was staring into one of the blue eyes and dropped his hand abruptly.

He sidled around the dragon, jogging over to where Mahad and Yugi had stopped their horses, stopping to look awkwardly at the dragon. He swallowed before shakily saying, "Thank you" before rushing back to his horse.

Seto paused with his good hand on the stirrup, looking back as the dragon turned its head to stare back at him before slowly flapping its wings and rising to the sky. Seto looked away as the dragon wheeled away, staring at his fingers, flexing them slightly as he remembered the warmth of the dragon. It was only when Mahad cleared his throat that he swung himself back up onto his horse, gasping when the motion jarred his arm.

He settled into the saddle, looking over at Mahad who was giving him a worried look. The knight leaned over in his saddle to examine the broken arm. "We should get you back as fast as possible."

Seto nodded, cradling his broken arm again and pulling on his normal mask. It wouldn't do to have Yugi see him in pain. He wouldn't want his cousin to worry. He offered a crooked smile to the tri-color haired teen before urging his horse on his legs, hoping that the castle wasn't too far from where they were now.

He was about to speak to Mahad about this when a knight galloped past, Seto recognizing the man that was slung over the front of the saddle. Before he could point it out, Mahad was spurring his horse into a gallop, Yugi following. Seto winced to himself before sending his horse forward, knowing that he would be in pain the whole journey back to the castle.

Aislinn looked up from her folded hands, standing up and rearranging her skirts as the sounds of men yelling echoed down the hall. She daintily leaned over and blew out the single candle that flickered in front of the golden cross, her eyes going to the carved dragons to either side of the cross. She turned slowly to face the door to her quarters, the eyes of all her carved dragons fixed on the woman.

Once she had been a proud woman; slim, tall and fearless. The years had worn away at her, although she still retained her good looks; waist length red hair and a slim body. But the years showed in her eyes, the purple eyes that had once sparkled with joy were now dim with the wear of life. She had lived through the death of her clan, watching as her future father-in-law slaughtered her family and then carried her off to be the bride for his son. But she had learned to love the king of this foreign land, falling in love with the compassionate man who had taken over the throne from his ruthless father. As she still loved him as passionately, just as she loved her only son.

It was worry for him that had aged her quickly, the baby boy born early and so small that many had feared that he would not live. And many still worried that he would not survive long into the first years of his reign. Aislinn, however, managed to push those worries far into the back of her mind, just worrying that her only child was happy. Because he would be her only child. She was beyond the years of child bearing and had lost all the others that she had attempted to bring into this world. So Yugi had been brought up with his older cousin for company and briefly with his younger cousin, while the boy had lived.

Aislinn sighed and looked at the dragons that she had commissioned on the event of the death of Mokuba and his mother, smiling briefly at the image of a larger dragon nuzzling a chick crawling out of an egg. Then the pressures of helping to raise another boy had entered her life, and she worried about Seto like he was her son; but only when his father wasn't around.

For, as much as she loved her husband, she could not stand his brother.

Her hands clenched into fists at the thought of Gozaburo, hating the man because he was so much like the previous king who had slaughtered her village. Because he would not be the kind of king the kingdom needed. And, most importantly, because he thought her Yugi was too weak to rule.

Aislinn calmed herself as Lector walked into her room, standing for a long while looking her in the eye before bowing, Aislinn bristling at the subtle slight to her status. She smoothed her face over as Lector stood up from his bow, small black eyes tracing over her figure in a way that made her want to shiver. Aislinn calmed herself before taking a step back. "My lord?"

The knight came out of his daze looking back to the door before motioning for whoever was waiting behind it. He looked back at Aislinn with a slow smile. "The peasants rebelled against us. The king and his brother went to stop it."

Aislinn had noticed that none of Gozaburo's five favorite knights had gone to support their king and their master. Her morose thoughts were stopped as her son came rushing into the room, looking worriedly over his shoulder as Mahad walked in. Aislinn sighed at the sight of Mahad, the knight a good friend of her and her husband. Her joy was short lived as she saw that the knight supported Seto, the young man's right arm dangling useless by his side.

Aislinn moved to her nephew's side, guiding him over to the small cot in the room and kneeling to look at the injury. She quickly set the bone back in its proper place, hesitating in her wrapping of the injury as Lector scoffed openly. Aislinn steadied herself before going on with her duty. She had to remember that most of the people in this kingdom were backwards, relying on witchcraft to explain what they could not instead of using logic.

She tied off the bandage and patted Seto's good shoulder, sighing when he shifted away from the contact. It was a balm to her heart that Seto wasn't as closed with Yugi or herself, afraid that the boy would lose himself to the emotions that he worked so hard to suppress, a quality that she blamed Gozaburo for. "It will hurt for a while, and don't attempt to do anything strenuous."

Seto gave a sharp nod before getting off the cot and walking over to stand by Yugi. The smaller of the two looked up at his cousin with concern before beginning to walk over to his mother. He was interrupted as a knight burst into the room, struggling with Gozaburo. The knight gave a quick bow to Aislinn before hauling the noble over to the cot, flinging him onto the hard surface with a grunt. The king's brother groaned. The knight who had brought Gozaburo in bowed to his queen again, speaking in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry, my queen, but your husband is dead; slain by the very peasants he was trying to help." Aislinn stiffened, holding herself together when she would have burst into tears. She walked over to Gozaburo, looking at the wound in his chest before shaking her head.

"The wound is deep." She looked back at Lector, hoping that the man got her point. The knight merely shook his head and walked over, grabbing her shoulder and putting pressure on the joint. Aislinn bit her lip. She would not show any signs of weakness; she wouldn't give him the pleasure.

"You will heal him, or your precious son will go onto the throne. How long do you think he will survive, especially with these peasants? A year? Three?"

Aislinn caved at that, looking at Yugi. She wanted him to grow up a little more. He was only seventeen, and he looked so frail. The queen drew herself up to her full height, moving around her small sanctuary. "Lector, call for a pallet and men willing to carry it; quickly if you want your master to live. Mahad, please escort the boys to their rooms, Seto will need all the rest he can get, and then accompany me."

The two knights bowed, Lector leaving the room first. Mahad and Seto left right after, leaving Yugi to hesitate before running over to his mother and pulling her into a fierce hug. "Can father really be dead?"

Aislinn stroked her son's hair, looking over at Gozaburo. She nodded, returning her gaze to her son. Yugi accepted this in his normal quiet way, although tears began to form in his large eyes. "Does everyone really think that I am that weak? That I'll die that quickly if I take the throne?"

The questions didn't need to be answered, because Yugi already knew the answers. The ideas were spoken widely around the castle and no one thought to look in the shadows or crevices where Yugi hid. The teen sighed, still hugging his mother tightly. "I miss him."

Aislinn nodded, tears coming to her eyes. Suddenly, she wanted to be alone. "Go off to bed Yugi, try to get some reading done."

"Yes, mother." Yugi stood on his tip toes to give his mother a kiss on the cheek before scurrying off down the hall. Aislinn moved to kneel in front of her cross again, tears streaming down her face as she arranged her skirts. She looked up, staring at the jeweled eyes off the carved dragons and silently cried for the husband she had loved, the country she had grown attached to and her son.

Mahad rode next to the queen, envying her calm. The whole kingdom was about to fall apart and Aislinn was looking up at the cloudy sky. He shook his head, glancing down at the pallet that was being brought along, the reason for their slow pace. Gozaburo's five pet knights surrounded the structure, sticking close to their master as Aislinn led them further up into the hills.

The queen was right to bring a knight that she could trust, especially with the king gone and Yugi's health a doubtful thing. Gozaburo would push for his right to the crown. As long as Yugi stayed safe, then the kingdom would have a chance. And with the favor that she was securing now, Yugi would remain safe for a long while, maybe even long enough to take his place on the throne. Mahad knew that Yugi was stronger than most people thought.

His thoughts were interrupted as one of the knights stumbled, angrily glaring up at Mahad and the queen. "Where is that crazy witch taking us?"

Mahad tightened his hold on the reins, the only thing he could do to prevent himself from turning around and hitting the knight for disrespecting their queen. He glanced over at Aislinn, only noticing that she merely straightened her posture. He turned his head to hide his smile, Aislinn would be alright; she was strong enough to stand on her own. But, as her friend, he would stand by her.

A sorrowful trill reached their ears, some of the horses screaming in fear as they picked up the scent of something. Mahad quickly looked over his shoulder, seeing the bearers of the pallet shiver. He turned back to face front, gasping as a black shadow flew over them, disappearing among the crags that Aislinn was leading to them to. Mahad saw the creature land, a crimson eye visible for a moment before the creature disappeared.

The knight took a tighter hold of his horse's reins, looking over at his queen. To his surprise, Aislinn was looking after the creature with a look of longing. Mahad was reminded of how much he still did not know about the queen's origins. All he knew was that she had been brought from one of the conquered clans to the south; the people that they knew nothing about. Aislinn did not often talk about her former home, probably still holding a grudge against her father-in-law for destroying her home.

Aislinn turned her horse abruptly, urging the placid mare up a sharp slope. Mahad rushed after her, loathe to lose the queen in this stark place. He was about to shout for her to wait for the others when he saw the queen pull her mare up in front of the entrance to a cave. Mahad stopped his steed as well, staring at the great rent in the earth with a dazed expression.

The cavern yawned open like a maw, threatening to swallow them whole if they attempted to enter. What light was allowed through the clouds and the few torches that they carried with them, didn't penetrate the darkness far, a faint sputter of light against the pitch black as the rest of the cavern. Mahad found his hand straying to the hilt of his sword as the trill echoed from the depths of the cave, the echoes caused by the rocks creating an eerie effect.

His contemplation was disturbed when Aislinn dismounted from her horse, motioning for the knights to move up. Mahad followed her lead, noticing that Lector did the same while the four other knights remained mounted. Aislinn passed one of them the reins to her mare without a word, motioning for Mahad to follow her. "The pallet bearers will follow us in, and Lector, if you wish. The rest of you remain outside."

Mahad followed the queen into the mouth of the cave, partially drawing his sword as the torches failed to illuminate very far into the darkness. He jumped at the sound of something moving over the rocks, the sound mingling with the ever present dripping of water from the ceiling. The knight glanced back at the pallet that was following them into the cave, noticing that the bearers were looking increasingly nervous. The knight shook his head and walked quickly to keep up with his queen.

The darkness pressed in all around them, making the journey seem to last forever. Mahad had lost count of the minutes that they had spent walking, the passage of time sucked off into the shadows that surrounded them. The knight did breathe a little easier when they were led into a large cavern, the path they were on constricting as two subterranean lakes rested calmly on either side of the group. As they entered the large cavern, the trilling abruptly came to a stop.

Mahad got a glimpse of something moving in the shadows, the large shape moving with more grace than it should have. His hand tightened on his sword as he watched the thing move, getting a whiff of spices as the creature moved from the deeper shadows, the darkness of the cave still obscuring it from their sight.

"Your song is sad, my lord." Mahad jumped as Aislinn spoke, her voice filled with more life than he had heard for years. The creature turned its head to look at her, soft brown eyes starting out of the shadows.

"There are no stars tonight; the clouds hide the bright ones from our sight." The creature looked up at the roof of his cavern, like he was trying to see through the stone in the vain hope that he could make the clouds move away from the sky. It pulled itself together to look back down at the queen. "Aislinn, queen and last of her people."

The queen nodded at the recognition, stepping forward despite the small sound of protest that Mahad made. "Whose people loved your kind and called them friend above all others."

The creature nodded, the motion abruptly turning into a shake as it snarled. "The moon weeps red tears for the ones that have been slaughtered."

"Not by my hand, or my husbands, or anyone with true loyalty to us." Aislinn was standing right in front of the shadow now, one hand held out in supplication. The creature shifted to look down at her from its ledge. Aislinn took this as a good sign because she knelt down on the ground, earning a gasp from the knights. Why would a queen lower herself in front of a beast? "We seek to keep your friendship not to destroy your kind."

The creature paused before it ducked its head, a long sigh echoing around the cavern. "Why have you come?"

"The king's brother is injured." Aislinn turned to gesture at the pallet, the creature following her gesture. Mahad noticed that she did not mention that her husband was dead. The creature snorted in disdain.

"The injury is deep and you have no love for this man. Why do you ask this of me?"

"For my son." Mahad heard the whisper only because he was the closest to the queen. He stared in amazement as the creature gave a startled rumble, turning to look back at something else in the shadows before turning back. Aislinn lowered her eyes to the ground, staring at her hands. "Please, they have killed my husband…and he is the only thing that I have left."

"I understand. Bring this man forward."

Aislinn motioned for the pallet bearers to come forward, stepping daintily out of the way. Mahad looked up at another deep rumble, staring into the deepness in the vain hope that he could see something else. His attempts were thwarted, but he saw movement in the shadows as the creature turned to growl at whatever was in the darkness.

"Hurry up, creature, before this man dies!" Mahad cringed at Lector's impatient tone, the brown eyes of the creature moving back to the group of humans. The knight thought he saw fangs as the creature moved forward with a snarl.

"Patience, knight!" The creature bellowed out the words, sitting back on it haunches. Mahad drew his sword at the action, staring up at the creature in awe. It towered above all of them, the light from the torches now touching the creature's stomach, showing thick black scales. Mahad shifted to the side as the creature spread its wings for balance, the black appendages flapping a moment before becoming still. "Witness the wonders of an ancient glory."

The creature roared in pain, sudden red light flaring from the creature itself. Mahad raised the arm that was not holding his sword up to shield his eyes, watching in morbid fascination as the creature plunged its claws into its chest, removing a beating chunk of light that it lowered toward the injured noble. Mahad took a step back, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

The light disappeared into Gozaburo's chest before a small stream of flame appeared out of the darkness, cauterizing the wound. The king's brother let out a groan, one hand moving weakly as the fire stopped. The creature nodded to itself, muttering as the bearers moved back to remove the injured man from the cave. "Half my heart to make you whole. My strength to purify your weakness."

Lector rushed out after his lord, leaving Aislinn and Mahad in the cavern. The queen gave a bow to the creature before following meekly after the knight. Mahad looked after them, hesitating before going to kneel before the ledge. The creature paused, looking down at him as Mahad placed the point of his blade into the rock and knelt. "I thank you, noble creature."

"Noble?" The creature chuckled over the word before leaning over to look at the knight. "What has brought this on, human?"

"You have just saved the prince, and for that I am grateful. He will rule as his father did instead of becoming a tyrant as his grandfather. Your actions have just brought about peace."

The creature gave a worried rumble, Mahad looking up as the creature placed a hand over the wound in its chest. "That I am not sure of knight. But it was too important to leave this to chance."

Mahad stood up. "I promise that to be at your service, if you too wish to protect our future prince. And I swear, so long as no harm comes to him, I will never injure one of your kind."

"I will hold you to that, knight." Mahad bowed to the creature and rushed after the queen, not wanting to stumble his way out of the cave in the dark.

Akhnamkanon stepped down from the ledge as the knight disappeared up the passageway to the surface, wincing as the move stretched the wound in his chest. The black scaled dragon looked back down at the self imposed injury before gently flattening a scale over it, leaving the wound to heal. He looked back as his son moved from the shadows, the smaller dragon moving to his father to look at the scale that covered the wound before settling on the ground. Brown and crimson eyes turned back to the shadows as another black dragon moved from the ledge, snarling.

"You had no right to do that. What makes you think they will keep their promise?"

"I had every right because it was mine to give!" Akhnamkanon turned on his brother with a hiss, watching the dragon back down. "It is better to take a chance than to hide and let ourselves be killed off one by one. I would not wish that fate on any dragon."

Aknadin backed down, but gave his brother an annoyed hiss, nearly falling over as the younger red and black dragon. The younger dragon sprung from his place on the floor, pinning his uncle against the rough rock. He growled, mouth held slightly open above Aknadin's neck. "You have no right to argue, uncle. This is for the good of our kind."

Aknadin scoffed, trying to reach up and claw at his nephew's belly, stopping when he realized that he could not move. "I thought you would be able to see through the flaw in this scheme, Atem Morningstar."

The younger dragon growled at the hated title, pushing his uncle further into the rock. Aknadin coughed at the motion, his hind legs scrambling at the scales of the dragon above him while he tried to snap at Atem's neck. When he realized that he was stuck, Aknadin slumped back, glaring up at the younger dragon. "Humans have ceased to care about dragons. They think of us as unintelligent creatures only fit to slaughter. The time for peaceful coexistence is past. We have no business dealing with humans any longer."

"It is not your choice." Both dragons looked up at Akhnamkanon, Atem stepping away from his uncle at the look his father gave him. The black scaled dragon drew himself up to his full height, easily towering over Atem and Aknadin. "It is mine. Perhaps you will have your say when I am gone, but for now my word is law."

Akhnamkanon gracefully pulled himself back into the shadows of the ledge, Aknadin following after his brother with a hiss at Atem. The black and red dragon stood his ground, waiting until his father and uncle had disappeared into the depths of the cave before walking up the passage and pulling himself out into the cool night air.

He made an awkward hop to a rock, balancing easily on his perch as he looked over the valley between the two hills, easily spying the white rocks of the old fortress. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the human structure before he turned his attention to the little group that was winding their way down the hill again. Atem shifted, black wings opening slightly for balance as he leaned over, nearly falling as another dragon flew overhead.

Atem resettled himself, looking up to glare at the dragon as she circled in to land, her white scales making her easily spotted in the night. Atem slid from his perch as Kisara landed on the ground, tipping his head to one side in confusion as his friend hissed at him. "Kisara?"

"They hurt him. Those idiots hurt him and they were going to kill him! Can't they see that he's on their side? He's not like his father!" Atem stepped to the side to allow the white dragon to pass, sighing as she did so. More about the human she had become obsessed with. He stretched himself out on the ground, wincing at the first contact of his warm scales against the cool earth. Atem ducked his head as Kisara continued her pacing, carelessly stepping over him. "If I hadn't been there they might have-"

"Kisara." She turned back around to look at him, the anger in her blue eyes fading as she stared at her friend. Atem watched the white dragon slump before settling down on the ground as well, letting Atem drape a wing across her back in comfort, a low croon rumbling from him to soothe the frazzled nerves of the white dragon.

After a long while, Kisara finally looked up at her friend, the resolve in her blue eyes cutting off the croon that Atem was making. The black and red dragon sat up a little straighter, about to question her on the emotion when Kisara spoke first. "I think I love him, Atem."

"What?! Kis-"

"Atem." The calm way she said his name stopped any protests. He found himself staring at her with his mouth partially open and his eyes wide. Kisara moved away from his wing, letting the limb drop to the ground. Atem swallowed and pulled his wing back to his side, looking at his friend questionably. Kisara looked away for a minute before looking back at him. "I'm afraid."

"Kisara." He was stopped when she turned her head toward him, scooting even further away. Atem resettled himself, pressing himself flat against the ground. The act of making himself smaller seemed to help the white dragon. Kisara gave him a thankful look before tipping her head back to look at the sky.

"I do, Atem. I spend the hours that I'm not hunting watching him, even when he's in the castle. I don't know why I'm drawn to him, I just am." Her claws drummed on the ground as she lowered her head, sure signs that she was done thinking over something important. "It would kill me if he died, Atem."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to be like him, a human."

Atem froze at her words, his eyes widening as he finally comprehended her words. She wanted to become human. The words kept running around in his mind, not giving him a break as he stared at his friend. Kisara had gone back to staring at the stars, her eyes glazed over in thought. Atem looked back down at the ground, surprised to see that his claws had dug into the earth. He carefully extracted them, staring at them.

Kisara had never been happier than when she had been watching that human. And, while Atem could never figure out why she enjoyed it or what she got out of it, but he had accepted it as a part of her character. And, while it had annoyed him at first, he had gotten used to it. It was Kisara, the one of the few that had seen him as himself first instead of his title, whatever it truly meant.

Atem tapped a claw on the ground for a moment before he looked back up. "What do you want me to do?"

He was not ready for the joyful look that passed over her face. Kisara stood up, reaching out to brush her wing over his neck. "You really mean it?"

"Yes." Atem knew he was getting himself into deep trouble, probably more than he could comprehend, but he didn't care. This was Kisara.

The white dragon looked over the landscape, her blue eyes distant. "When I change, I'm going to need someone to protect me until we find him. And once I change," she shuddered, a hint of blue running along her scales with the motion, "I might not ever be able to come back."

"Kisara…"

She laughed, the soft noise drifting into the night. "I'm not strong like you, Atem. I'm just me. But I'm strong enough to protect my human and that's alright."

The black and red dragon nodded, lowering his head to rest on his forelegs. Kisara stared at him for a moment more before getting up. The two remained in silence for a long while, the quiet broken as Kisara spoke again. "Don't stay out too long, you could get cold."

Atem nodded vaguely, already lost in his thoughts as Kisara walked away. He looked up briefly as she flew overhead, heading for the place she called home, probably for the last time. His eyes focused back on the ground in front of him, not really seeing the rocky soil.

He had known Kisara since they were chicks, the white dragon the one of the few friends he was able to make before he was rushed into the whole affair of his title, which his father refused to tell him about. The blue eyed dragon had been weak as a chick, something that still bothered her today. Kisara refused to believe that she had grown.

Atem shook his head, eyes falling shut as sleep claimed him, forgetting about where he was. He refolded his wings, shifting until he found and comfortable spot on the cold ground.

Gozaburo slowly came awake, aware of a slight pain in his chest. He raised his head from the rocking pallet that he was being carried on, scowling when he saw that the queen and Mahad were riding ahead. He let his head fall back, disgusted that he had been put in Aislinn's debt. He remembered his wound well enough, it should have been fatal. The fact that he was still alive meant that the witch had done something to it.

He was started out of his thoughts as Lector walked up beside him, leading his horse and giving a short bow. "It is good to see you awake, my lord."

"What did you promise her?" The words came out as a low growl, the anger behind them startling Lector.

The knight looked away. "We promised that no harm would come to her brat since the king was dead."

Gozaburo almost sat up at the tidbit of information that he had forgotten. Of course, the king was dead, slain by the very peasants that he cared so much for. Gozaburo leaned back with a smile, his change in mood encouraging Lector to lean over him. "What now, my lord?"

"Now we strike against the queen and kill the only heir." Gozaburo found his eye caught by the ruins of the white castle on the hill. He stared at the ruins, suddenly feeling slighted by all that his older brother had managed to accomplish. "And we will rebuild that castle."

Lector glanced over his shoulder at the ruin. "But that will take many men!"

"Use the peasants who rebelled against us. It is only right for the crime they committed." Gozaburo smiled to himself as Lector nodded quickly. "We will rebuild that castle to be greater than that of my father's and my reign will be the one remembered, not the one of my weakling brother."

"We will start as soon as you are well, my lord."

"No. We will start tomorrow."

And thus, it begins.

Read and review, I enjoy reading what you think of these little things. Criticism, as always is welcome.