Hey all. Finally decided to update! I was rereading this, and it revived my interest. I ended up writing this all in one shot n.n;;; So, here you go. Enjoy!

Beware of spoilers.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights.

The Last One, number two:

The Paintings and the Story

I sit on the edge of the large bed he showed me to, one with fluffy comforters that poofed out all around you when you touched them. It's a nice bed, really, nicer than any I've been in before. So is this entire room, come to think of it. The curtains, bed hangings, and other cloths are all a pretty shade of dark green, and the wood floors and walls give it a nice, foresty look. Surely behind those wooden walls is something harder, like brick, because that's what the fireplace is made of. Yes, there's a fireplace. Considering the size of this castle, there must be one in every room. And there are a lot of rooms, I'll tell you. As that red-haired man showed me here, I noticed that the hallway was just… lined with them. What was this place, that it had both the money and the purpose for so many rooms?

I give a start as a possible realization comes to me. Could this be the rumored Dragon Tribe that I've heard stories about…? True, the desert tribes are so far south that they barely even acknowledge the fact that we have a king… but that still doesn't stop rumors from leaking along. It was said back in the tribe that the Dragon Lord and all his attendants were the ones who had real control of our tribes, not the headman.

But if that man's part of the Dragon Tribe, I wonder, then why is he all alone…?

I gaze out the window. That red-haired man is out there again, looking at something. I peer closer at the grey stones before him. Are those… graves? I gasp and turn away.

Something on the mantelpiece catches my eye. I get up from the bed and move over to the fireplace. There are several small, framed paintings up there. I pick up the first one. It's a simple portrait depicting the red-haired man—does he seem a bit younger?—and two others. One is a slightly feminine-looking man with long blonde hair. I notice that his pointed ears are a bit longer than the others'; an elf, perhaps? The other man in the picture has rather unkempt dark green hair, along with emerald eyes and two scars upon his face. All three seem happy; even the red-haired man is smiling. In the very short time I've known him, I noticed that he never smiled. He doesn't seem like a very smiley type of man.

I set the picture down and look at the others. The next painting shows the red-haired man and a pretty woman with curly black hair and golden eyes. Again, they both seem very happy. There is a painting depicting five people—a golden-haired man with a look of royalty about him; a man with long brown hair with red at the ends; an aqua-haired man with shocking copper eyes; a tall, expressionless, black-haired man; and a man with white hair, despite the fact that he is not in the least bit an old man. There is also a painting of three girls: the black-haired woman from before, a mischievous-looking pink-haired girl, and a golden-haired lady with a sweet smile on her face.

Are these all members of the Dragon Tribe…? I wonder. But then, where are they… My mind focuses on the many graves outside the window and I gasp. So they're all… dead? So that's why the red-haired man had that hardened look on his face.

How sad. All his friends and family are gone…

-o0o-

I learn over time that the red-haired man is called Rath, a demon brought into the Dragon Tribe and raised as its only heir. I, in turn, relate to him my history: I am Yuuko, child of a village woman in the desert tribes in the south. I tell him of the great fire that had ravaged and killed everyone. I tell him how I was forced to travel to the capital city of Draqueen on my own, looking for shelter and a new life.

During those first few weeks, we spend time together, Rath and I. We are the only ones in the castle, after all. He shows me around so I don't get lost. I teach him all the little games I learned back in my tribe. When it gets cold, I attempt to drag him out into the snow, with little success. I end up adventuring out by myself, while he watches on, half-amused, and occasionally gets a snowball thrown at his head. He demonstrates how bad a cook he is to me, and dubs me the new maker of meals. He eventually learns to smile.

One afternoon, he seems slightly tense, as if remembering something he'd rather forget. "Yuuko," he says to me suddenly, "there's something I'd like to show you." He turns and strides off down the hallway, as is his style, and I follow him.

Eventually, he stops in front of an old, wooden doorway and creaks it open. What's so special about this place, I wonder?

Inside is not a room, but a long stone hallway, old and lined with dust. Along the right wall are many paintings, each perhaps a few feet apart. As we walk down the long hall, Rath talks to me.

"These are paintings of each generation," he explains. "Every time a new Dragon Lord comes into power, one of these is painted and placed in this hall." As we walk down, I gaze upon the many races and colors of the Dragon Tribe. There are so many faces to see…

Finally, when there are only three paintings left, he stops. The third-to-last is the one he's looking at, and I turn to gaze upon it as well.

"This is Lykouleon," Rath says quietly, touching the face of the golden-haired man at the top of the painting. "The former Dragon Lord, the only one I ever knew. He was a kind ruler, if a little bit strange at times." He moves his fingers to the dark-haired woman beside Lykouleon. "Raseleane, the Dragon Queen. There was a spell cast on her to make her incapable of bearing the Lord's child, yet he refused to let her go." Then he moves his fingers over the five below them, stopping to name each one as he goes. "Ruwalk… Tetheus… Alfeegi…" He pauses. "Killed in the attack that revived the Demon Lord. Kaistern… also killed in the same attack." Then his fingers stop at the fifth individual. It is a smiling man with short, light brown hair and merry red eyes. "Kenneth, the Red Dragon Officer. I've been told that Kenny made a very good officer…" He pauses. "I never met him."

His fingers then move to the four figures at the bottom of the painting. "Damien, the Fire Dragon Knight…" --a young man with fiery red-orange hair-- "Daniel, the Water Dragon Knight…" –a fierce-looking man with dark brown hair-- "Richard—Ricky—the Earth Dragon Knight…" --a smiling young man with black hair. " I never knew any of them, either."

His fingers pause as he looks at the last man in the painting. It is a man with long purple hair and red eyes, smiling kindly despite his demonic look.

"Nadil, the Wind Dragon Knight." He stops; this seems to be hard for him. "He betrayed Lykouleon. I only ever knew him as the Demon Lord."

My eyes widen slightly at this news. He betrayed his own kind…?

There is no time for dwelling, however, as he has already moved on to the next painting. "An exception was made in Lykouleon's case to have two paintings created, since circumstances were so drastically changed halfway through his reign." The painting is somewhat similar to the last; Lykouleon and his queen are still there, as are Ruwalk, Alfeegi, Kaistern, and Tetheus. But the Red Dragon Officer is missing, and the four Dragon Knights are now replaced by three figures.

"Thatz, the Earth Dragon Knight." The green-haired scarred man I had seen in the painting on the mantelpiece. "Rune, the Water Dragon Knight." The blonde elf. "Rath Illuser, the Fire Dragon Knight." It was… Rath?

He smiles slightly. "This was the generation I grew up in. Rune and Thatz came to the castle soon after, and this was painted." Satisfied with this, we moved on to the final painting in the hall.

This portrait is much different than the last. Rath is at the top in the Dragon Lord's spot; next to him is the black-haired woman I saw in the small paintings—"Cesia," he tells me, "the castle's old fortune-teller." Down where the officers are, Ruwalk and Tetheus are still there; however, three faces are different. First, I notice the blonde man from the previous painting. "Rune received the White Dragon Crystal during an attack on the castle, and when he found out, he became the new officer. He was never one for violence." There is a man with golden hair and an orange forelock, complete with coppery eyes. "That's Bierrez, the Red Dragon Officer. Cesia found him, I suppose. At first he was just a demon attacking the castle—he was the only one who could get inside." Then there is a smiling, shy-looking girl with deep green hair. "That's Midori—I found her myself. The Blue Dragon Crystal couldn't be given to just anyone, you know." Below that are the Dragon Knights. The first is a dark-skinned man with purple hair and a scar closing one eye. "Gil, the Fire Knight. Ran into the youkai on a trip up north to Yuba." Then there is a cocky-looking man with bright emerald hair and eyes. "Sabel, the Water Knight. He was in Nadil's Army when I met him, you know. He always seemed to have a thing for Water, what with stealing him from Rune and all." Last is the scarred man from before. "Thatz, Earth Knight." He smiles. "I always knew he would never give up the position. Too damn stubborn."

His voice fades away as his arm falls back to his side, and we both stare at the painting for a long while.

Eventually he speaks up again. "They were all killed in a demon attack after Lykouleon died."

I look at him, sorrow in my eyes. "Oh… I'm so sorry…"

He waves it off. "No need." Then he turns and starts to walk off. "Come on, let's go have some lunch."

-o0o-

Well, how you like? The plot bunny about the hall of paintings has been in my head for a LONG time now. Around the time I posted "Rise of Arinas"-- which I wrote maybe 9-10 months agoand then promptly deleted. Some of you'll recognize Midori from there. Anyway, so I FINALLY got the chance to use this idea somewhere! I'm so happy. Yay.

...Oh, and Kenny the Red Dragon Officer and Ricky the Earth Dragon Knight are named after my two uncles thatI never met. o.o

I'm still debating over Yuuko's name... it wasa dang hard decision, nothing sounded right. I went through Fuuko, Fujiko... speaking of which. Sorry, but I just can't go through with the whole Wind Dragon Knight thing. It's WAY too cheesy, and impossible besides. So, yeah. I ended up going with Yuuko instead.

Oh yes, and there will be NO Rath/OC romance. She's too young for him. If any, it's a father/daughter relationship.

See ya next update.

Hobey-ho,
Peophin-chan