01/01/20, MMMG: Hey everyone, 5 years and 8 and a half months later, I'm finally getting the next chapter to this story posted. If I'm being honest, this chapter was ready to go around a month or two after the previous chapter. I don't know how Ranko Twin is doing, or if we'll finish the story (I hope we will), but it's been just as long since the last time we talked. 01/07/2020: Thankfully, I was able to find the Author's Notes that Ranko sent me back in July of 2014, so I'm able to add Ranko's twist to the notes now.

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Ranko: So hi, Magi Magi, how have you been?

MMMG: Ranko, how long has it been since we last updated this story?

Ranko: Just a bit longer than it has taken to update my stories and come out with the stories I promised would be up soon.

MMMG: And it's a bit past soon, isn't it?

Ranko: (hangs her head in shame) Yes, it is.

Seto: What do you suggest their torture will be?

Joey: Seto! We're not going to torture them!

Yugi: We're not?

Joey: Well…

MMMG & Ranko: We have lives!

Yami: No you don't.

Ranko: (sits in a dark corner and grows mushrooms)

MMMG: Since Ranko has gone off to do…that, I must apologize for our extended absence, but we do plan on continuing this story and we hope that you guys have stuck with us to see this story through to the end! 01/07/2020: Or, we did when this Author's Note was written over 5 years ago… I'm not sure about now.

Yugi: Our 100th reviewer was Darkminx! So this chapter is dedicated to you!

Seto: Now answer reviews, slave.

MMMG: Since when am I your slave, peasant?

Seto: (death glare) Since you haven't updated in months.

MMMG: (scoots away) More like years… Well, the readers should know the drill by now. If your name is underlined Ranko Twin answered your review… right, Ranko?

Ranko: (mumbles something from the corner)

MMMG: And if your name is italicized I answered your review.

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Animelover0818: It will be something amazing! You got to love that lovely tension they have ;)

InuYoiushi: All credit goes to the lovely MMMG who wrote that scene because I can't write battle scenes worth crap : 3

Kearitona Sjachraelgil: Yeah, Rebecca is not doing too hot as a ruler so far. But kindly recall she is 13 and has no real help. Her parents are dead, her grandfather has a chronic illness, her guards are more of acquaintances, and her only real friend is unconscious in the healer's wings. The council, who is forcing her to get married so she can be queen, do not have her best interest in mind.

Mana's Madness: Yes, I must take credit for Rebecca's hissy fits throughout the story thus far ;^; But my heart also goes out to the poor girl and all of this I hope will just lead up to a satisfying ending. And I can't wait for Yugi to come on too! (hugs Yugi plushie)

No One Here Anymore 7: Tristan is a guard, not the Magic Mirror. Goddess with the Third Eye had the role of the Magic Mirror.

Jokul Frosti: It's okay to hate Rebecca, we shall allow it ^^ Yes, Yami would go ballistic but at least it would amusing to see him raise hell in the most interesting ways. And yes! Shame, shame Yami! You know you're not supposed to drink. (Yami: Shut up, I can do what I want!; MMMG: Shhh! Yami knows he will be in big trouble if Mahad found out he drank underage).

The Queen of Plot Twists: Yes, Rebecca is not like Farquaad, thank you for seeing that. People make bad choices if they're mad or scared or stressed, and she has made some bad choices. Everyone seems to like it when Yami and Joey and Red Eyes knocked everyone out. It was MMMG's favorite part too. We're still trying to figure out what Yugi's curse will be, but we'll figure out something.

Darkminx: The Silent Magician is definitely one that we are considering having Yugi as, but we (mostly me) are very indecisive people so we have yet to come to a conclusion. Seto is actually going to remain a male ^^ (Seto: I'd better) But it would be interesting and very hilarious is Joey were to try and suck up to Seto to let him go but that's a little OOC for Joey XD Thank you for the lovely review, dearie. (MMMG: Just because the Dragon or Dragon Tamer is female, it doesn't mean that their Dragon Tamer or Dragon is the same gender).

Niana7046: We met Ryou in chapter 4, Seto is seen -offscreen- briefly at the end of this chapter, and Ranko had an idea for Bakura.

Killer-Fangirl: Spelling and Grammar kills me, but thanks for noticing.

GirlFish: We still don't know what Yugi's curse form is, but we're working on it. And, we're planning on sticking to the movie for that part, (or MMMG thinks we are).

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Yugi: To everyone who thinks I should be a Silent Magician, how am I supposed to communicate? They're called Silent Magician for a reason.

Seto: You know how the Disclaimer goes. Shrek, Shrek the Musical, or any form of Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to MMMG or Ranko twin. This is a nonprofitable story, as in they are just doing this for fun.

MMMG: Ranko, are you going to come out of your corner now?

Ranko: (mumbles)

MMMG: (sighs) Alright then. Please enjoy the long-awaited chapter 6!

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Chapter 6

Joey warily eyed the back of the Magician of Black Chaos in front of him. Part of him knew it was only a matter of time before the young man exploded in anger, and he didn't want to be in the line of fire when it happened. But the other part was still trying to process what had happened back in the Tagami Castle Arena back there, aside from the fact they had kicked butt and taken names. Just… come on! Things were going so awesome!

Then that stuck-up captain of the guard nearly had them turned into pin cushions, and probably would have if the princess hadn't stopped him and basically gave Yami and himself orders to go save her future husband by fighting a dragon. Fighting a dragon!? He was a freaking Dragon Tamer for the gods' sakes! He couldn't just go and fight another dragon! The only times dragons did fight each other was over territory, and over who got to mate with who. Going to challenge this dragon without the desire to claim territory or a mate… well…

"That will be a problem." Yami said, making Joey jump.

Joey jumped in shock. Had he just said everything he had been thinking out loud? The look on Yami's face said 'Yes'.

"But I just don't get it." Joey huffed. "Not the whole, 'dragons fight only for land and mates', but I don't get why you're doing this."

"What do you mean?" Yami demanded, but felt that he already knew what Joey was talking about.

"He means, you're going to go fight a dragon and rescue a prince just so Rebecca will give you back a castle ruin that you don't have because she filled it with the banished Duel Monsters." Reddoaizu interjected. "Does that sound about right?"

Yami bit back a groan, wishing that Mahad hadn't listened to his then-9-years-old apprentice and taught him how to understand the chirps and growls that the cat-sized dragon was making. Maybe there's was a good reason that most humans, and Duel Monsters, couldn't ever understand what dragons said.

"But what I really don't get is why didn't you just pull some magician stuff on her?" Joey continued, oblivious to Yami's train of thoughts. "Flaming arrows with black magical fire, cut off all food and water supplies with a magical dam, destroy her castle with a huge BOOM! of magic. The whole magician's trip."

Yami sighed. Once again, he was with an idiot who didn't understand the first thing about magic. Most people didn't know how magic worked and had tons of assumptions. Those assumption got many new spellcasters injured, and occasionally killed because of this lack of knowledge. This topic was the first thing Mahad taught him, and he wouldn't let Yami cast any magic until he understood what would happen if he wasn't careful.

"For your information, there's a lot more to spellcasters than people think." Yami replied. "Especially in terms of magic."

"Example?" Joey prompted.

"Okay." Yami hummed. "Rule number one for all spellcasters: you can cast as much magic as you have energy. If you go over your limit, you'll pass out if you're lucky, and kill yourself if you aren't. It all depends on how much stamina you have, and you have to know your limits."

"I didn't know that." Joey mumbled, feeling embarrassed about his previous ideas of spellcasters.

"Most people don't." Yami replied shortly.

"I guess that's why we're walking then." Joey said with a shrug. "That way we will have enough energy to face the dragon tomorrow…"

Joey understood the whole stamina thing. He and Reddoaizu had trained hard to fly long distances and last a long time in battles, though they had never fought in an official battle. He also understood the dangers of what would happen if you went over your limit. With Dragon Tamers, it usually ended up with their dragon dying because of the strain, though there were cases when the dragon and Tamer were killed. Joey shivered at the thought and stroked Reddoaizu's scales, who nuzzled his trainer because he knew what he was thinking.

"Magicians also have 'layers'." Yami said, having noticed Joey's worried look and sudden attention to his partner. "What the world sees, what family and friends see, and what our significant other sees. Most don't see past the world view."

Joey fell silent as they continued walking. He and Reddoaizu glanced at each other, both certain that they had seen glimpses of the side that a magician would show their family and friends, but weren't certain because Yami was naturally a very closed off person. Still, they wouldn't press matters and would let the magician explain further if he wanted to. Of course, Yami didn't want to, and so the subject was dropped.

Throughout the day there was the occasional scattered conversation as they kept walking through fields and forests, heading to the west. Shortly after the sun set, they made camp because Yami didn't want to waste energy by using his staff to light their way. The next morning, Reddoaizu put out the fire by devouring the flames and embers, stating that he would need the extra energy against the dragon ahead. Continuing on, it didn't take long for them to spot a large mountain, the one that Princess Rebecca said was the location of her future husband. Yami decided that it looked like a picture of a volcano that Mahad had showed him when he was younger.

Once they began climbing the volcano, Yami sniffed the air as it became thicker and laden with a strange smell. He scrunched his nose in disgust. He had never smelt something like this before, being used to living in a clear open area where there was fresh air. The only unpleasant thing he had ever smelt was burning rubble or smoke when there was a small mishap. He turned back to look over his shoulder at his traveling companions who didn't seem to have a problem with the smell as they continued on with their quiet conversation, completely oblivious. The magician immediately raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Was that you?" Yami demanded, making Joey look up in surprise and tilt his head to the side curiously, Reddoaizu mimicking his actions.

"What?" Joey asked.

Reddoaizu understood Yami's question and sniffed the air, his dragon nostrils flaring as he inhaled. The smell took him back to where he had lived before he and Joey had become bonded as Dragon and Tamer. The mini-dragon sighed in contentment, blowing out a stream of smoke from his mouth.

"It's the smell of brimstone." Reddoaizu declared after a moment, and Joey nodded in understanding, still not having a problem with that.

"Brimstone?" Yami repeated, still feeling a touch lost.

The magician had heard about brimstone, and read about it in books, but never really experienced working with it. Now he wasn't sure that he wanted to. Joey nodded and smiled, secretly happy that he knew something that Yami didn't know about, for once. He began walking at a little faster pace, a step ahead of Yami as they walked up the steep slope of rubble and black rock. He easily picked out which areas of rock were strong for hand and footholds, and which areas would send you tumbling if you grabbed them, and led the way up.

"Yeah, it's basically hardened volcano barf, and it really stinks." Joey shrugged. "I'm used to it because the volcanic lava pools are a Red Eyes Black Dragon's home turf. I had to trounce through a chain of volcanos before I found and bounded with Reddoaizu, and then stayed there for a time while our brand new bond settled."

Yami had to admit, he was impressed. Joey was a loudmouth who really didn't like to work too hard, but would pull his weight when necessary, and mostly at Reddoaizu's prompting. Hearing that he had -probably- gone mountain climbing in some of the worst possible terrain for days on end in order to bond with his dragon, it was just a new piece of the person that made Joey the Dragon Tamer who he was.

"We must be getting close." Joey observed.

"How can you tell?" Yami raised a calculating eyebrow as he followed Joey, who looked back over his shoulder at Yami and laughed.

"Well, most dragons love lava because it boosts the strength of their flames, except for the ones that get their power enhancement from plants, snow, water, electricity, etc." Joey grinned as he looked back ahead. "So the dragon guarding this prince probably spews fire, but based on the elevation we're at on this volcano, the possibility electric emissions wouldn't be amiss either."

Now Yami was trying to keep his jaw off of the ground at the strategic points the Dragon Tamer was rambling off like it was nothing. Joey just didn't seem like the type who would care about that sort of knowledge, despite being a Dragon Tamer, but part of the spellcaster also knew that the blond would do everything that was within his power to keep Reddoaizu happy, whole, and healthy. And if that meant study the habitats of different types of dragons, he would do it.

"I personally can't wait to meet this dragon and give it and its Tamer, if it has one a little lesson." Joey's walk became more determined, and started to talk more to himself than Yami. "Dragon guarded castles are so last century."

Reddoaizu chortled and nodded in agreement. It was then that they reached the edge of the slope and peeked over it. Yami was impressed by the size of the castle. It had a beautiful architecture but even from a distance he could tell that it had been beaten and abused and weathered, most likely from the volcano. It made Yami almost feel a bit homesick, missing his home. Of course, this only lasted for a second as he then registered the lake of lava that they had to cross, a rickety wooden bridge swaying from the rolls of heat that and he could practically see rolling up.

Yami shrugged it off, and began his descent down to the bridge, knowing that he could spare a little bit of magic to fix up the rickety bridge. He barely noticed when Joey didn't immediately follow behind him, but when he did, Yami turned back around and saw that Joey was still standing at the top of the slop, not having moved an inch, and was shaking like a leaf, sweat rolling off of him, and not from the heat. Reddoaizu had curled up on Joey's shoulder and had shielded himself with his leathery wings.

"Aren't you coming?" Yami asked, getting more annoyed than he already was whenever those two were around him.

Joey gulped and nodded silently slowly making his way down to stand beside Yami. Yami began to move again, but Joey grabbed his arm and stopped the magician, making whimpering noises. Yami heaved a loud sighed, making his annoyance at the delay clear.

"What?" Yami snapped.

And to the spellcaster's surprise, Joey took no offense of the harsh way that Yami spoke to him. He was currently too distracted by… other things.

"Um, Yami, you remember when earlier yesterday, you said that, um, magicians have layers?" Joey asked, sounding very nervous.

"You're point?" Yami raised an eyebrow, not looking very amused as that memory came back to him while Joey exchanged a wary glance with Reddoaizu.

"Well…" Joey gulped. "Dragons, and their Dragon Tamers, we… um, we don't really have 'layers.' We wear our fear right out there."

Yami's eyes widened in disbelief. He huffed in frustration and began walking away towards the bridge. He heard Joey yelp and hurry after him.

"Joey, you are a Dragon Tamer!" Yami said exasperated. "You can't be afraid of heights!"

Joey shook his head wildly, his golden bangs getting more tussled than usual. The blond risked a look over the edge of the cliff and squeaked. It was a very unmanly sound, but Joey really didn't care as he quickly backed away.

"Not heights." Joey admitted. "But I might have a problem with crossing a rickety bridge over a boiling lake of lava!"

"And you don't trust your dragon to catch you if you fall." Yami sighed, looked towards the overcast sky, and raked his hand down his face. "You said that lava pools were a Red Eyes home turf, so I know that you've been through something similar to this when you two bonded. Why on earth are you freaking out?"

"Red Eyes can't go full-sized yet, it would alert the dragon guard that we're here." Joey replied solemnly. "So that means if we fall, we're dead!"

"For the love of…" Yami pinched the bridge of his nose with an aggravated sound dropping from his lips. "I'm not dealing with this."

Yami grabbed Joey's hand and tugged him forward, trying to be gentle, but finding that hard as he was still annoyed. He just wanted to get this stupid quest over with so he could get his home back.

"Come on, Joey, there's nothing to be afraid of." Yami attempted to coax the blond. "I'll be right here beside you."

"That doesn't help." Reddoaizu commented dryly.

Joey quickly hushed the small dragon and took a hesitant step forward. While he and Yami had a kinda-sorta acquaintanceship, they did mostly get along and work together pretty well under pressure. And this situation did meet that qualification.

"Nothing to be afraid of, really?" Joey asked Yami.

"Really, really." Yami answered with a smile, though it looked more like a twisted grimace.

Joey nodded and took a deep breath and took one step forward onto the bridge. It immediately began to swing with the weight as Yami took a step behind him, moving Joey further. The Tamer clutched the ropes desperately, his hands shaking and sweaty, keeping his eyes closed. It didn't help, but Reddoaizu also had the same fear, so hearing the dragon's whimpers wasn't helping his racing heart. He found his footing as he walked at a bit of a faster pace.

"Just don't look down." Yami instructed from behind him.

"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down." Joey nodded and hesitantly opened his eyes as he muttered the words like a mantra.

The next step he took, the weathered and rotting wooden board in front of him broke under his foot. Joey yelped and took a step back, the bridge rocking which only had Joey panic more. He looked down, which he later realized was a mistake, and felt the heat waves intense by just staring at the lava, which looked a lot closer than it appeared.

"Yami, I'm looking down!" Joey shouted.

The Tamer practically screamed and turned around to run back to solid ground, but a very angry magician with a magically charged staff stood in his way. Yami had repaired the broken board before it had fallen into the lava, so the bridge was whole again, and he stabilized the rest to make it safer for them to cross. He wouldn't tell Joey however, lest he even think that Yami might care about him, and the Magician of Black Chaos didn't want the Dragon Tamer to hang around anymore than he already was.

"Yami, I can't do this!" Joey pleaded, sounding like he was close to crying. "Please let us off!"

"But you're already halfway!" Yami took another step forward, prompting Joey to step backward.

"Yeah, but that half is safer!" Reddoaizu interjected.

"No, come on!" Yami huffed, taking more steps forward which just made Joey take more steps back.

"Please, Yami just let me off!" Joey pleaded desperately, holding his hands out in front of him to stop the angry magician from walking any further. "Please, please!"

"No, Joey, just move!" Yami shouted back, his anger rising, making his staff flare, the bridge rock, and Joey scream again as he clenched the rope tighter.

"Don't do that!" Joey hollered.

Yami raised an eyebrow, actually not sure what he did. Then he noticed the glow on his staff fading back down to a normal level, and realized that his magic must have reacted to his anger, and that in turn, had made the bridge rock. He grinned mischievously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, don't do what?" Yami drawled out sarcastically, and seemed to contemplate it for a second and then his eyes lit up as if he had figured it out. "Oh, you mean this?"

Yami pushed some magic through his staff, making it glow again. The bridge rocked side-to-side again, Joey squeaked as he glared at Yami.

"Yes, that!" Joey yelled, and Yami smirked.

"Yes, do it?" Yami 'questioned' and shrugged. "All right!"

The bridge began to rock more regularly and Yami continued walking forward on balanced legs, Joey still screaming and crying, Reddoaizu shielding himself with his wings.

"No, please, Yami!" Joey cried desperately as he continued to back away with every step that Yami took. "Stop! Stop!"

"You said do it, so I'm doing it," Yami said in a light-hearted sarcastic manner, beginning to laugh.

"No, no!" Joey clenched his eyes shut. "I'm going to die! This is where I'm going to die! By the hands of some crazy magician! Oh Gods, I'm gonna die…"

Joey's eyes flew open as the rocking motions suddenly stopped, and he realized that his feet were on solid ground. He looked around and saw the length of the bridge looming back at him. He had crossed it. He looked back over to Yami, who was brushing his hands off as if a job well done. The Magician of Black Chaos smirked at him, and Joey couldn't help but smile back.

"You know, you're not as bad as you think." Joey nodded his head, and Yami shrug his shoulders.

"Are you coming?" Yami asked, jerking a thumb in the direction behind him, and Joey laughed as he walked up to him with a half-smile.

"So where is this fire breathing pain in the neck, anyway?" Joey asked, as they walked through what they assumed was the entrance, the only open place in the stone wall.

"Inside, waiting for us to rescue him," Yami replied, smiling at his own joke.

Joey blinked and stared at his dragon that was resting on his shoulder, who just shrugged. Joey shrugged too and continued after Yami. They entered into what they assumed was the foyer. Yami could tell that this used to be a beautiful castle, filled with warmth and light. Now it was only ruins, the skeletal remains of its former glory, housing the knights who were only recognizable by their bones and armor. They walked up a grand staircase, their footsteps and movements quiet.

"Am I the only one a little freaked out by this?" Reddoaizu asked quietly.

Joey nodded, not as scared as he was back on the bridge, but still a little bit nervous that something spooky may jump out at him at any moment. But Yami sighed. Everything was bounced off the walls and amplified in this place. Yami should know, it happened back in his own castle ruins home. He turned back to his two traveling companions and put a finger to his lips, glaring harshly. Joey and Reddoaizu shrunk under his gaze.

"Shut up, both of you." Yami whispered harshly, hearing the annoyance in his own voice with the slight echo this place had.

With a sigh, Yami turned and walked over to a slouched figure that was wearing a full suit of armor. He took of the helmet from the dead man's head and bowed his head in respect, uttering prayer and thanks, before putting the helmet on and picking up other scattered pieces of armor. It wouldn't do for the prince to know that the one who rescued him was a Duel Monsters, at least until he had the time to explain he was doing it for a princess who had dumped a bunch of others of his kind in his home.

"Go over there and see if you can find any stairs." Yami commanded, pointing in a general direction.

"Stairs?" Joey scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "What do we need stairs for?"

"Because the princess is always kept away in the highest room in the tallest tower." Yami explained, making Joey share a questioning look with Reddoaizu.

"But… this is a prince, Yami." Joey pointed out, and Yami bit his bottom lip to keep from yelling.

"I don't care." Yami practically snarled. "This prince is obviously feminine enough to be kept in a dragon-guarded castle, so just find some stairs."

Yami shook his head and wandered off. Joey raised an eyebrow at Yami's retreating form and shrugged before going off to investigate. He found a room that led to something that resembled a throne room as he listened to Reddoaizu's light-hearted chatter about stairs and being the stair master. He chuckled as he listened to his little friend.

"And what about the other dragon?" Joey asked with a small frown, still not feeling the greatest about Reddoaizu fighting another dragon while it wasn't about claiming territory or a mate.

"It does go against my nature to fight my own kind." Reddoaizu huffed. "Except for claiming territory or a mate, but if this dragon has been imprisoning a poor defenseless princess…"

"Prince." Joey corrected.

"Then I might not have a problem with teaching it a little lesson." Reddoaizu smirked as fire leaked from his jaws like saliva and fell onto Joey's fire-resistant gear.

"Yeah, but it's the Dragon Tamer you really have to watch out for." Joey chuckled. "If there is one."

"Well, look at this, another pup has come to play."

Joey froze as he heard the unrecognizable voice speak. The male voice sent chills up Joey's spine. He slowly turned to his right and saw one large blue dragon eye staring at him through a hole in the wall, surrounded by white scales. Immediately he knew what type of dragon this was, and cursed Princess Rebecca for not telling them what type of dragon guarded this castle ruins. Reddoaizu squeaked as he figured it out as well. The fear built up before inside them, and before the two could stop it…

"BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

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Yami: And that is the end of chapter 6. MMMG and Ranko Twin do not have anymore chapters currently typed up, or even planned.

Yugi: Well, aren't you a little ray of sunshine? MMMG wants to continue, and hopes that Ranko will contact them soon.

MMMG: Randomness that is me. I did the math for Fiona's song in Shrek: The Musical, 'I Know it's Today'. Fiona said that she was in that tower for 8,423 days. In terms of years, she was in that tower for roughly 23 years and 23 days! And there was no way that I was going to make Yugi wait that long, so I shaved off 13 years. And I'm baffled that Fiona had to wait that long in what appears to be Medieval times. Assuming she was 6-7 years old or so when she went to the tower, age 30 was considered to be very unmarriable during those times, because the life expectancy was only around age 40 or so.

Joey: And you shared this because?

Ranko: I think it's interesting.

MMMG: Thank you. Anyway, please leave us your reviews (likes, dislikes, questions, spelling/grammar errors), while I wait to see if I can get a response from Ranko about continuing.