Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Rising ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

In whichYugi has an extraordinary encounter, the heroes learn to sing, and the reader is clued into an insidious little plot

 

Yugi sat with his back against a tree, drinking horn thrust point down into the soft earth and a large leaf holding a little bread and a small bunch of grapes set next to him in easy reach. From his vantage point, he could watch the festivities of the feast that Alianna's people had thrown together spontaneously to celebrate the arrival of the teens.

 

So far, he had made a note to not let Joey and Tristan near large amounts of honey mead and not to let Tea get into any arm wrestling contests—she'd beaten half the males and had only a little trouble with a quarter of them. Drizzt, of course, had won easily, but he was sure that was because the drow had taught Tea much of what she knew martially.

 

Mokuba was currently darting from small group to small group, having had a bad reaction to the sweetness of the elves' berry wine—apparently sugar was not a good thing to give the youngster. Yugi felt more sympathy for Benedict, however, for it was the gnome who had taken to hurrying after Mokuba, trying to keep him in line as much to his ability as he could. So far, Mokuba was winning.

 

Yugi grinned as a particularly attractive curly red and black haired elf smiled and crouched to listen to Mokuba chatter at ninety miles an hour. Nightfall was her name, he recalled, and a psionicist of rather great power. Joey and Tristan had remained near her since they'd met, although Yugi was fairly certain the female's curves had more than a little to do with that.

 

Bakura was deep in conversation with a curly haired brunette female that had introduced her self as Nikki, Alianna's sister-in-law (or the equivalent thereof) and both her and Jade's close friend. She was a healer and Bakura was apparently picking up many tips, because the paper and charcoal pencil he'd gotten Kaiba to conjure up were scribbling away as fast as he could write.

 

Yugi's grin faded as he came to Seto Kaiba, his teeth clenching in frustrated anger. The other wizard was more than happy to be showing his abilities off to the group of younger wolf-folk who'd seen him conjure the pencil and paper. At the moment, he was doing spells that looked simple but required the littlest bit of complicated magic. The littlest bit that Yugi had so far been unable to do, and Kaiba was managing it without chants and only a few hand gestures.

 

I should be able to do the same thing he can. What is my problem? He thought with annoyance.

 

“Master Mokuba!” Benedict said frantically, running by after the boy as quickly as his little legs could carry him, “Please, not the crystallized honey fruits!” The boy paid no attention and was soon running around with a renewed burst of sugar induced energy.

 

“Dragon's son!” a blonde female called, beckoning him over, “Come, dance with us!” The two other females with her smiled welcomingly. He smiled back shyly but shook his head. “Then you will dance with us next time,” she called to him before grinning and hurrying with her two friends to the massive bonfire in the center of the clearing, where many already danced to the music of drums and flutes. Tea had given up her arm wrestling and was there, dancing with the silvery gray haired Skywise, another male elf who acted like an older brother to Alianna but with a distinct flair of charm and smoothness that Skot lacked.

 

“And why do you not dance?” Jade asked, suddenly there next to him, her own drinking horn in hand. Yugi frowned slightly when he saw the green wine in hers but could not smell it. Usually the smell of the spiced drow wine was quite potent.

 

“I just don't want to,” he replied with a shrug. She raised an eyebrow, “What ails you, dragon-child?” He shrugged again and looked at the ground, “Nothing.” The drow woman frowned but said nothing for several minutes.

 

“You grow a bit bored, it seems,” she finally said, making an apt observation.

 

Yugi looked up questioningly.

 

“Go walk around for awhile and explore,” she suggested with a smile, “The forest is an interesting place and this feast will go long into the night. Go on. Your absence won't be questioned and I will let Ali and Drizzt know.”

 

He smiled gratefully and rose.

 

“One more thing,” she said before he started off, “If you run into any sort of trouble that you need assistance with, simply ask the wolves. They're always near by.”

 

He nodded and slipped into the trees, heading in the direction of the moors and the coast.

 

He wandered for more than an hour before he finally came to the rolling rise and fall of the moors and the thunder of waves on sand and rock. With a grin, he headed up a slight rise that would run down and intercept a beach.

 

It was a full moon, which meant everything was illuminated in blue-silver and the foam of the sea was shining like mercury as it flew from the tops of waves.

 

Yugi stopped at the top of the rise and sat, affording him the best view of the sea and the moors to his right, which stretched into the horizon. He breathed deeply, the salty tang of the breeze still as refreshing as when he had first stepped onto the earth that was Terran. He smiled slightly, an inkling of why his mother had chosen this place as her home creeping up on him.

 

Now if only something could be done about the non-human in him…

 

He suddenly looked up, a shadow passing over him, and felt his lips part in wonder. Three great, winged beasts flew over head, turning loops in the air, spinning around each other and giving out roars that sounded like pure happiness. Gouts of flame appeared from time to time, lighting up like an exploding star.

 

Dragons.

 

Yugi watched them in their air borne dance, suddenly wanting to be up there with them, feeling the rush of wind past his ears and face.

 

The trio of dragons continued to whirl about, circling and diving, leaping and looping. One tucked its wings and went into a tight spiral towards the ground, flaring its wings at the last second and skimming over the ground before shooting up.

 

Then something happened.

 

The diver suddenly wheeled back around, head cocked and golden eyes shining with curiosity. It tucked its wings again and gracefully came to a hover before setting down not twenty yards from Yugi, who leapt to his feet.

 

It was huge, towering three times Yugi's height with a graceful frill of scales that ran from its head down its neck, two horns curling back from its head. It was a red, he could see, its scales a dark maroon in the light of the moon.

 

The dragon cocked its head again and lowered its great neck to bring its eyes on level with his.

 

Its breath was warm, the smell of stone and hot sand drifting from it on the breeze.

 

It blinked at Yugi and gently sniffed his shirt, a soft rumbling echoing in its chest. Yugi tentatively reached his hand up and stroked the great scaly snout. The dragon let him run his hand along its nose for several seconds before raising its head slightly and once again tilting it to the side, still looking at him curiously.

 

Then…it sang.

 

Its mouth didn't move, but the sweet echoing sound started in its throat and chest and traveled through its body and into the ground, running up Yugi's leg and filling his being as the notes rose and fell, like the song of the whales. The notes echoed and were added to by a series of trills and clicks, followed by several more haunting, reverberating notes.

 

The other two by now where hovering in the air, and they two, added a few notes of their voices to the melody.

 

Yugi suddenly understood they were asking him a question, asking him to explain something. They were speaking to him. Suddenly somber, he shook his head regretfully.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said, “I don't understand.”

 

The one on the ground cocked its head again and blinked. Another note filled the ground and his feet. He shook his head again, “I can't understand what you're saying.”

 

The following trill was sad and unhappy. The two in the air clicked rapidly and forlornly. With a heavy sigh, the one on the ground lowered its head once more and lightly nudged Yugi's chest with its snout, although that nearly knock him off his feet. Then, with another note that echoed around it, the dragon lifted its head, backed away, and leapt into the air, a couple great flaps of its wings taking it airborne with its fellows and carrying them up, up, up and finally off into the distance.

 

Yugi suddenly felt a sense of loss, a pang of longing appearing in his gut.

 

He turned to make his way back to the den but stopped, distracted by something on the beach. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he quickly and quietly made his way down a bit further from the top of the rise and paused behind a cluster of rocks and peered over them.

 

A young woman sat on the beach, her feet just in reach of the waves, which lapped at them and the hem of her gown. Her dark hair waved in the breeze, following the wind as it fluttered around. The moon reflected off the water, causing odd little rippling patterns to flit across her skin and throw silvery light off her in an otherworldly glow.

 

Something was familiar about her…

 

A yip at his side made him jump and turn. Short Snout stood by him, head cocked and tail waving slightly. “Don't scare me like that,” he told the wolf in a quiet voice. The wolf bared a tooth in a grin and nipped at his shirt then turned and trotted off. Halfway up, he turned and looked at Yugi expectantly. “Time for me to come back?” Yugi asked. Short Snout woofed in a muffled affirmative and headed off again.

 

Yugi sighed and glanced back once more, to see that the young woman was now walking back up along the coast, her feet still on the sand where the waves kissed it.

 

An annoyed yap brought his attention back. “Alright, alright, I'm coming,” he said, starting up the rise. “Keep your fur on.”

 

“Of course I'm sure,” came the testy reply to an already asked question. Cloak smiled maliciously and stroked his pale chin with a slender, graceful hand, looking at his magically created handsome face in the mirror. “Forgive my repetitiveness, my dear,” he purred, turning once again to the female standing at the foot of the dais, “You see, it is just such good news, I have a little trouble believing it.”

 

“And when have I been wrong?”

 

“Never, of course,” he replied, smiling, his white, even teeth flashing brilliantly on his just as pale face. He slowly descended the stairs towards her, hands clasped behind his back, the long, black robe he wore over his tunic and breeches training after him. “So, the boy is having some trouble facing his lineage. And here I was worried that he'd all too happily embrace it. Quite foolish of him, really,” he continued.

 

The female rolled her eyes, the wings that came to the back of her knees folding themselves primly against her spine. “Is there a point to your little monologue?” she asked dryly. His grin widened, “But, of course. The point is, since he won't accept his blood, his rightful talent is out of his reach. Which means he cannot possibly threaten me. Of course, that can all change if he begins to accept what he is and what his blood-right is, but…” he looked slyly to the female at his side, “I believe we can prevent that.”

 

She quirked an eyebrow. “And what are you planning now?”

 

He chuckled maliciously, “Poor little dragonet cannot talk to the beasties, nor can he go beyond the limitation of simple magic. The little fool has signed his own death order.”

 

“So he can't talk to the fuzzy little animals. Big deal.”

 

“It is, although it's not the mammalian family I'm worried—excuse me, was worried—about. If he cannot understand the dragons…” he looked to her expectantly. She suddenly grinned evilly, “Then he cannot speak with them like his mother could, nor can he use their kind of magic.”

 

“Among the smaller things. The possibilities open to us now are astounding. And if he's limited to practical magic and minor chants and gestures…”

 

“Then he'll be crushed like a fly in your fist,” she finished.

 

“Exactly. And another possibility I shall most certainly give some thought to is the use of his rivalry with that other wizard. The brown haired one.”

 

“Seto Kaiba?”

 

“That one. That young man's potential is enough to send shivers down my spine.”

 

She raised her eyebrows at the high praise he gave the other young wizard. “A high compliment, coming from you,” she remarked. He shrugged, “It is due. I am not one of those to be overly jealous of a fellow talent. That is the downfall of most other mages.”

 

She grinned again, “Too true. Now, about the prevention you were speaking of…?”

 

He stopped and turned to face her, smiling treacherously, “Why, that is where you come in, my dear.” He leaned close to her, fingers running down her jaw and tilt her head up, “Keep him busy, won't you? I know you so love to toy with males.”

 

A smirk slowly formed on her face, “Are there any restrictions?”

 

“Don't kill him.”

 

“Of course not, my lord,” she purred, now grinning with wicked delight, “As long as I have my fun and keep him out of trouble.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“You are most generous,” she said, placing a hand on his chest and eyeing him suggestively.

 

A grin slowly appeared on his face and he raised an eyebrow, “I can be, though there are many who would say otherwise.”

 

She pouted, “They insult you so. I will make a point to instruct them otherwise.” She toyed with his collar, “Might I bade you goodbye before I take my leave to my assignment?”

 

“But of course, my dear,” he replied, sweeping her up into his arms and crushing her mouth to his.

 

Benedict, a patient gnome, had been beginning to wear thin. He'd already tried Tristan but had decided that a wiser course was to assign him to learn to play the guitar. Joey was…passable, so he'd been assigned to learn guitar as well as singing. Tea had a lovely voice, as did Mokuba, although the boy might grow out of it once he hit puberty. Kaiba had flat out refused to sing, been forced to try, and had promptly been assigned to take up piano. Bakura was passable but had been given flute for good measure.

 

But Yugi…Benedict had been nearly reduced to tears of joy when Yugi had finally opened his mouth after “convincing” from Skot and Drizzt, and a pure, heavenly note had emerged with the voice of an angel.

 

Of course, the young man himself had been shocked and had promptly shut up, refusing to repeat the exercise until Drizzt calmly but pointedly started looking at the sheet of parchment containing time tables for physical conditioning and started making changes—longer changes. Then Benedict had worked the voice of the half blood until Yugi was singing short, simple melodies and had been given more to look over.

 

Yugi had glared with mild loathing at both of them and stalked out muttering under his breath.

 

Benedict dabbed at his eyes with a purple and bright pink polka dot handkerchief, “I'm so…happy!” Drizzt stared, “Where in the hells did you find that atrocity?”

 

“What? This?” he looked at the handkerchief, “It was a gift from my mother, why?”

 

Drizzt only shook his head, nose wrinkled in horrified disgust.

 

So it went on for several weeks—more magical study, more training, conditioning in some form or other, several hours of singing and other art study with Benedict…and Mystique and Atem showed up once more, the sorceress still continued their etiquette study, much to the delight and amusement of the wolf-folk.

 

Then one day the invitation came.

 

A brightly pink pixie, over sized mail bag in tow, buzzed into Jade's study, where she was instructing Yugi and Kaiba in the subtle art of drow society. It placed a sealed roll of parchment in her hand and placed the two copper coins she gave it into its bag before saluting with a squeak and buzzing out again.

 

The two rival students watched it fly out before looking back to their tutor expectantly, only to find her frowning with distaste. “I thought as much,” she finally said. She snapped her fingers and the wood of the walls twisted and buckled before the craggly face of an old man appeared, glowering. “What do you want?” he demanded. She gave him a cool look, “Please find Alianna and Drizzt and inform them that we and our students have been formally invited to a court of his Lordship Raoul Wavewalker tomorrow. Oh, and inform Nikki that her husband will be there.”

 

“As you wish,” said the tree with a snippy voice and the face vanished. Jade rolled her eyes, “I so much prefer willows. They're much more amiable.”

 

Kaiba and Yugi looked at each other with identical expressions. There were some things they agreed on—Jade's personality was one of them. The drow could be melodramatic.

 

That evening, Mystique got to gloat and fuss over their appearance.

 

“You see?” she said to Alianna as she measured Tea's leg from hip to ankle, “I told you that etiquette was useful.” Alianna rolled her eyes. Yugi looked to Atem for some help, but the ancient king was nothing of the sort—he was too busy snickering over their plight.

 

“At least you are not and never have been a king,” he told Yugi, who gave him a dirty look.

 

“Why don't you go instead? We look enough alike.”

 

“Don't think so.”

 

“Some friend you are.”

 

“Your friend, her husband. I'd risk your wrath before hers.”

 

Yugi stuck his tongue out at the older man, which made Atem laugh.

 

“Hold still!” Mystique said sharply.

 

Yugi flinched under her glare and obeyed.

 

The next day dawned too bright and too early for the disgruntled teens and a displeased Alianna, who, it turned out, understated her distaste for courtly affairs. Her face was a mask of contained disgust and loathing as she stalked out to join the group wearing a dress with her hair neatly combed and pinned up and, at Benedict's insistence, a touch of color on her mouth and a shimmery powder on her eyelids and at her brow bone. “One word,” she snarled to a chuckling Drizzt, Skot, and Skywise, “And I'll tear your eyes out.”

 

Joey hastily turned his laugh into a cough and got a scathing glance from Tea, who was also displeased at being forced to wear a dress, cosmetics, and her hair done—the Amazon had become much accustomed to the tribal wear of suede, leathers, and linen the wolf folk typically wore.

 

The teen boys were dressed similarly to Drizzt—fine tunics, breeches, shirts and polished boots. Joey and Tristan wore their clothing in a color scheme of tans, browns and creams, Mokuba wore greens and dark brown and his older brother had royal blue with a white shirt. Bakura wore white and grays. Yugi had chosen to stay with his now constant color of black with a white shirt. Jade had asserted her authority and had made sure the black tunic has fine silver embroidery around the high collar and the hem.

 

Altogether, they felt a bit ridiculous and more than a little awkward, the boys especially when Jade came out in a clinging, semi-transparent gown of spider silk that showed off her curves and flared in elegant folds from the hips.

 

Drizzt grinned at the young men's blushing and lightly kissed Jade's lips. “You're made them tongue-tied, love,” he said wickedly. She grinned and winked at the boys, “Only because they've never seen a woman.”

 

Joey and Tristan understood her mild jibe immediately and turned brick red. The three other young men followed a few seconds later, Mokuba the only one who was left in the dark. “What? What's the big deal? Seto, why are you blushing?” he asked in bewilderment. Drizzt grinned as they all pulled themselves onto their horses (or, more accurately, horses who'd volunteered to take them to their destination), “He'll explain when you're older, lad.”

 

Alianna rolled her eyes, “Shut it, will you?”

 

“Tut, tut, Ali,” Nikki said, coming up beside them in a gown of lavender with wild lilies in her dark hair, “You'd be getting the same treatment if your Mirran were here.” Alianna stuck her tongue out at the other female and nudged her horse into an easy trot.

 

“Let's get this over with, then,” she called back.

 

“Sounds good to me,” Drizzt muttered, then looked back, “Remember, squeeze with your thighs, and I don't want to see any air between your ass and the saddle. Skot has given me express permission to run you into the ground if that happens.”

 

All the teens paled and nodded.

 

“Good. Move!”

 

The horses suddenly shot forward into a canter and they were off, many of the tribe waving to them as they made their way along a trail expressly for riders.

 

“Don't let those uppity snobs intimidate you!” Skywise called after them. “And remember that you have no reason to feel inferior!”

 

Yugi grimaced as those words faded and the broke the cover of the trees.

 

Maybe you don't, Sky, he thought grimly, but you're not the one who's neither one or the other.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Yes, I did borrow the character of Skywise from Elf Quest--but he fuckin' ROCKS! Yay, Skywise! Besides, Skot and Drizzt needed a running partner in crime, so yeah. Anyway, not my character, don't sue me! I'm still broke!