Part 8 – Zero
#8 of Reincarnation: Dragoness
Recap - Out young dragoness, Anna, has finally moved out of the forest. When I say young, I mean in dragon terms. I have been asked about her age, she is roughly 50 in human years. It's hard to exactly tell, because dragons don't use conventional methods of counting or aging. Any way... She has moved out of the forest, and went to the wedding of a dragon king, and is now off to a Dojo with a mysterious stranger who was hitting on her at the wedding reception... so, to the Dojo...
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Credits - Edge is the character of Edge Budisho and Zero of Zero Garrison. Thank you, that's all I can say, is thank you.
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What is a Dojo? I didn't really know, and I still don't. It's a place where people train in the martial arts... to a dragon that holds no meaning that I can understand. All I know about dojos are that people fight there and usually don't get hurt.
I followed Edge up the path to the wooden building. There was a light inside and I could see a figure moving, shadow fighting. As we got closer I could smell the incense, the scent making my head feel fuzzy.
"Edge is that you?" a voice called out.
"Yeah, I brought a friend too."
"Not another... is it another girl your trying to impress or some guy you want me to beat up for you?"
"Just a friend" Edge replied as we reached the entrance and he opened the door for me.
As I stepped in, the incense made my head swim, I stood there staring a moment before I realized where I was or who I was talking to. The man stepped forward and took my hand.
"Are you alright? Come in and sit, Edge how could you... you didn't use poison again did you?"
"No, it must be your incense, it's too strong."
I looked around, a little dizzy. The room was open, very plain mostly wooden fixtures. On the far side of the room was a rack of swords, both wooden and steel. There was a set of chains hanging from the ceiling as well.
"Good catch Edge, very pretty." The man came forward and placed his hand on my shoulder. He smiled at me and laughed a little. "What did he promise you get you here? Promise gold, riches, love?"
"No," I spoke at last, my head clearing a little. "We were at the king's wedding, and I wanted to get out of there. I'm Anna, thank you for helping me at the door."
"It was nothing," he replied taking my hand and kissing it. "I am Zero Garrison, and this is my dojo. We don't get a lot of women here, but you are welcome."
"Stop hitting on my girl Zero, she's mine, I found her."
"I think it's her choice not yours Edge. If you had brought her by force, or trickery I would let you have her no questions, but one willing to walk into peril without a second thought is a prize I would fight you for."
I laughed a little; to have two guys fighting over me was kind of flattering.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." I voiced, looking at Zero.
"Don't worry, we won't rely fight. It's more practice, it's what we do here. Just sit and watch, it'll be fun."
I nodded, moving out of the way. I decided to shrink down, a trick I learned from Green. I flew up landing on the window ledge.
"What the hell? A fairy? I didn't realize you were magickal..." Edge looked surprised, and then looked at Zero. "This changes things. I'm keeping her myself."
He lunged at me, being high up he missed me; I flew up out of reach. Seeing me fly, he threw a rock at me, causing me to loose my balance.
He came at me again. I tried to fly out of the way, but the combination of the rock and the incense caused me to pass out. When I awoke again, I was inside a bottle.
"Look a fairy in a bottle. If I let you out do I get a wish?" He laughed.
I tried to change my size and break the bottle but it wouldn't work.
"It's a magick bottle, little one. You won't be able to break it. I don't agree with Edge hurting you like that, but I don't really trust magickal creatures in my dojo."
"It's ok Zero, she'll be ok. She's my bottled fairy." He taped on the glass and laughed. "I'll let her out when she learns to behave."
"Behave? When did I did anything wrong?"
"When you tried to get away, that was a bad thing to do."
"If some one was chasing you wouldn't you try to get away?"
"No, I'd stand and fight. Come on Zero, you said you'd have a duel with me."
So I sat there in the bottle watching them duel. Zero was very good. His grace and talent showed in every move, while Edge had brute strength and often would loose his composure if Zero got the upper hand. I laughed once, and Edge looked up at me.
"What are you laughing for?" he stormed over to my bottle. "You find my loosing funny? Who would want a fairy that laughed when you loose... I'm done with you... your no fun."
As he reached for the bottle Zero came over.
"Cut it out Edge, she didn't do anything wrong. Leaver her be."
He glared at Zero.
"If you feel that strongly, she can be your fairy."
He too the bottle and threw it at Zero. He tried to catch it, but missed. I fell in the bottle, I could see the ground coming towards me, and there was a loud sound as it crashed onto the floor. I blacked out again as the smell of the incense came back to me.
I lay there unconscious in the shards of glass. Edge, seeing blood turned and fled, Zero ran after him, but then turned coming to my side. He knelt next to me, watching as my body returned to normal size. I started shifting back to my dragon form, and he put his hand over me.
"We need to stop your transformation, or I won't be able to carry you home." He laughed a little, waving his hand again to stop the bleeding as he lifted me, taking me from the dojo to a place that was safer, his home.