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Disclaimers: The characters in this story are the property of Sony (I could never come up with such a great game and characters) and not mine. So please don't sue me I don't have any money, really!

Background: This fic is based on the PS game The Legend of Dragoon it takes place after the Dragon Campaign and is based on what I think would be Rose’s first experience as the Black Monster. I made this fic up out of my own head, although I used the basic information from the game, but what is presented in this story is my creation.

Author's Note: This is my first ever fan fic based on my favorite LOD character, Rose of course!

First actually good and literate LOD fanfic I have read, anywhere. Kudos!

I really like it!
biggrin

Thank you redface . I have been trying to write more LOD fanfiction but I have been in a rut lately. xp

Ok I will try and overcome my writer's block. It's quite bad since I can only come up with beginnings or endings for my stories. I can't think of any transaction between the two. sweatdrop It's quite frustrating. stressed

Lately I've been working on trying to write a fanfic for the Dragon Campaign but I got stuck. Would anyone be interested in reading it so far?

Oh ok then. I might put it up later.

Hmmm....now is as good a time as ever. This fanfiction is about the Dragon Campaign (yes, I know it's been done sweatdrop ) and I know there will be errors in it since I am still working on it and I edit my fics after I am done.



Prologue
When the world of Endiness was made Soa planted a single seed on the world. The seed grew rapidly and from it sprang the Divine Tree. The Divine Tree grew and grew; as it grew it bore seeds. These seeds would mature and become all the species that would one day fill the entire world of Endiness. Out of the 105th seed came the dragons. The dragons were creatures of great strength and power. Although they were extremely powerful they were not very intelligent. The 106th seed gave birth to the humans. The humans were intelligent and courageous creatures, although they were not as strong as the dragons and were made, by Soa, to guide and care for the mighty dragons. At last the newest seed, the 107th seed, brought forth the Winglies. The Winglies were similar to the humans except that they all had silver hair and maroon colored eyes. The Winglies had the ability of long life and they also possessed much wisdom and magical powers. It was this that caused a conflict in the world of Endiness. The Winglies, being the last seed of the Divine Tree thought themselves to be superior to the other 106 races, for this reason they enslaved all the other races and even drove some to extinction because they considered them ‘unworthy.’ The Winglies were led by Melbu Frahma. Melbu commanded everyone in the world, humans were made slaves as well. The condition continued for several years until at last the humans, led by their own Emperor Diaz, decided to declare war on the Winglies. This great war was to be called the Dragon Campaign. The humans fought some battles, though not very successful, and lost. Despaired, the humans tried to find a new way to win the upper hand in the Dragon Campaign…


Chapter One - A New Weapon

A young man, fully clad in a red cape and with a matching scarlet bandana, walked into a hall of a seemingly tiny house. He walked until he got to an old and worn-looking red door; he stepped inside to behold a man in his late forties sitting in a chair in behind a huge mahogany desk who was bent over a map writing rapidly. Intent on his work and not seeming to have heard or seen the young man at the door, the young man tapped on the door to attract his attention.

“Emperor,” he said as he made a bow of respect. The man looked up from his work to look at the blue-eyed and blonde haired the young man. Instantly, the Emperors’ face alighted with the sight of the handsome young man, the Emperor got up from his chair and made a small bow as well.

“Zeig, so glad you are here.” He addressed the young man, extending his hand, which the young man promptly took and shook.

“The honor is all mine, Emperor Diaz,” he bowed deeply again, his head level to the Emperor’s desk.

“Please take a seat,” he said pointing to a leather chair in front of his desk.

Zeig bowed again and walked to the leather chair and sat down. The Emperor also turned to his desk and sat down in his own chair. Emperor Diaz put his hands clasped together on the top of the map and papers he had previously been slumped over.

“So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to?”

“I just came to inform you of the movements of the Winglies, they seem to be heading north towards Vellweb.”

The Emperor seemed agitated by the news and repeatedly rubbed his temple with his fist. He gave a sigh and whispered to Zieg, “You are sure about this?”

“There is no mistaking it. The night watchmen I posted saw some thirty Winglies flying over there. As I said, there was no mistaking it.”

The man heaved a sigh, “It seems that we will have to find a way to stop the Winglies from gaining more ground than they already have.”

Zeig nodded, “Yes Emperor. What are your commands?”

“Not to sound pessimistic, but I fear that with our current number of forces we will not be able to achieve much success unless we can gain an upper hand on the Winglies,” Diaz said, the grim look on his face making him look older than his forty-something years.

The blue-eyed young man shook his head and hesitantly spoke, “Emperor, I believe that there may be indeed a way to accomplish this but as I have heard it would be quite dangerous.”

“Speak Zeig, we are going to need all the help we can get,” declared the Emperor.

He nodded and continued, “Yes, well do you remember the dragons?”

“Dragons? My boy you don’t mean—“ exclaimed the Emperor.

Zeig nodded once more, “Why yes I do. Emperor if you would give me the permission to go on a journey to slay the Red-Eyed Dragon and retrieve from him the Dragoon Spirit we may just be able to gain the weapon to winning this war.”

Diaz looked solemn, “But Zeig, you know how much danger there is involved in that. Many men have attempted to claim a Dragoon Spirit for themselves but all have failed in the attempts,” he shook his head, “including my dear younger brother.”

“But Emperor I know that this will be the only way we can defeat the Winglies and end our enslavement. I am fully prepared to complete this task for our future!”

The Emperor spoke sadly, “I understand, I believe it will not matter what I say you are already determined to do this. Very well, the least I could do is to give you my blessing and allow you to take as many men and equipment that you will need.” The Emperor smiled, “You remind me so much of my younger brother. May Soa be with you and may you be victorious.”

The young man respectfully bowed, “Thank you Emperor. I ensure you I will be successful in my journey!” Zeig stood up and left the room with a swish of his cape leaving the Emperor behind with a frown of worry on his face.


Chapter 2 - Preparation

Zeig walked from his meeting with the Emperor with his mind racing. They were finally going to be victorious against the Winglies! All that was needed from him was his strength and courage. Deep down, he had known this was ultimately going to be his mission, he had planned it all along. The Red-Eyed Dragon would be slain and he, Zeig, would become a Dragoon Knight defending the Human race from the oppression of the Winglies. He walked to into another house, on which was their armory was located. Zeig entered and was greeted by several soldiers who looked tired and sullen.

Zeig could not help but notice that the soldiers were sullen due to their lack of victories over the Winglies. ‘Indeed,’ he thought, ‘this war has been most discouraging. We may have won a few battle but our casualties are triple what the Winglies’ are and considering we have less men it seems like a hopeless fight. The morale of the troops is hard to keep up.’


The soldiers looked at him to which he flashed an encouraging smile as he began to speak,
“Men, we have been given an opportunity by our great Emperor to embark on a quest that will allow us to gain a weapon of immense power that will eventually lead us to victory against the Winglies once and for all. Now I must warn you that this quest may not be easy but it will not be in vain. We will slay the Red-Eyed Dragoon and thereon bring victory in the war! I will lead but I will need men who are willing to show courage, loyalty and strength to accompany me. Who is with me!?!”

The men looked at him as if they had been asked to kill themselves, their faces dropped and many looked away from the blonde-haired commander. Zeig felt disappointment creeping up on him, he would certainly need help, there were many obstacles that he would face and slaying a dragon would be no easy task that he could complete by himself. Just then he saw four soldiers stand up and one of them spoke, “Commander Zeig, we would be honored to accompany you on this great quest.” Zeig beamed and couldn’t help but grin, “Very well, we leave at dawn.”

~*~

Zeig awoke early the next morning just as the sun began to peek its head over the horizon and while dewdrops still clung to the leaves. Getting dressed for the long journey that was to come Zeig couldn’t help but feel anxiety and worry in the pit of his stomach. He remembered what the Emperor had told him just the day before, ‘Many men have attempted to claim a Dragoon Spirit for themselves but all have failed in the attempts…’ it crossed his mind making his stomach feel even more anxious than it already was. ‘But even if I am afraid I cannot act on it, I must be brave for us in order to be victorious in this war. I must put up a brave facade in front of my men…if I cannot show bravery how can I expect them to?’

Heaving a sigh, Zeig stepped opened the door and stepped out of the threshold of his room to meet the men that would accompany him on his journey. He met the soldiers in front of the armory, they all looked tired but content nonetheless.

“Alright, now that we are all here let us begin our journey,” Zeig spoke as he began to lead the way. The four soldiers nodded and began to follow their commander.

The journey towards the lava caves was a long and difficult one but it gave Zeig lots of time to think.

~*~

-Zeig’s memory-

“Well son you seem to be getting bigger and stronger every day now,” spoke a brown-haired, blue-eyed man as he placed his hand on a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy who looked about 8 years old.

The boy looked up at the man with a big smile and responded, “Yup! One day I’ll be as strong as you dad!”

The man chuckled, amused at his son’s response, “Yep, just like your old man.” The 8 year old beamed again and ran outside.

A young woman with brown hair tied back was picking up a basket of wet clothes. The boy ran over to her.

“Sis, wanna play with me?” The young woman, with a set of beautiful emerald-green eyes, looked up at the little boy whom she smiled at tenderly.

“First I have to hang up this laundry to dry then we can play.”

“Sis, I can help! Dad says I’m bigger and stronger now!” he said smiling.

The girl smiled back, “Yes you are. Here take these clothespins.” She handed him the wooden pins and began to put up the clothes on the rope that was strung across from the house and a wooden pole. The boy awkwardly held the pins and handed them one by one as his sister extended her hand towards him. This continued on until all the clothes were hung up to dry in the warm sun. Zeig plopped down on the ground and wiped beads of sweat from his forehead, his sister observed him and smiled.

“Come Zeig, its almost time for dinner,” she said as she began to head inside the house. Zeig sniffed the air curiously and ran inside smelling the delicious scent of soup. He noticed a woman with a blue plaid dress standing near a stove stirring at a pot.

“My you got done fast today,” said the woman turning to look at her daughter.

“Why it was all because of Zeig here. He was a big help,” responded the young woman.

The boy beamed, “Yep! I helped sis with her chores today, now I’m hungry.”

The blonde-haired woman chuckled, “You’re growing up into such a strong young man. Dinner is almost done, why don’t you sit down while we set the table?”

Zeig smiled and took a seat in his usual chair next to the window. He looked out the window watching as the people passed by with their families and pets. He turned his azure eyes towards his mother who handed his sister the plates as she set the last one in place.

“Smells good, what’s for dinner today?” asked Zeig’s father coming up behind his wife in a hug.

Blushing, Zeig’s mom answered, “Why soup. I know how much you enjoy it.”

“Why you know me too well,” he replied letting out a hearty chuckle. He approached the table and took a seat in front of Zeig who looked at him wide-eyed. Zeig saw his mother ladling the soup into the bowls as his sister set each bowl carefully on the table. The smell was intoxicating making Zeig’s mouth water. He grabbed a spoon and began eating just as his mother took the seat next to his father and his sister sat next to him. Zeig looked up to see that all eyes were on him and, not minding the attention, he continued to eat. They all looked at him and began to laugh at which Zeig grinned broadly before returning to his soup.

~*~

Zeig opened his eyes and noticed that he was still walking on the dirt path next to two of his four soldiers, confused he paused for a second before looking up at his men as they all stared baffled at him. Giving them a nervous grin he motioned for them to keep on the path as he once again began to lead them.

It was the memory that had confused him. Why, of all the things to remember at this time, was it that one? He could not, for the life in him, answer that. He smiled, it was a nice memory, and he had forgotten that it had even existed due to the grief and sorrow he had bared the time when all was taken away from him. The day that changed his life forever…

~*~

Zeig rose from his bed, it was a day like any other uneventful one. His nose caught the scent of breakfast at which his stomach growled. He dressed quickly and hurried towards the kitchen and to his chair. His mother was in the kitchen as always, stirring a big pot of what smelled to Zeig as oatmeal. He grinned happily, he loved oatmeal; its sweet, cinnamony taste accompanied by a slice of buttery bread, just thinking of that made Zeig’s mouth water.