Hi! Well, um, this story was originally intended to be a Prologue for another story of mine, but then I thought-- What the heck? So, I decided to make this a story within itself.

Basically, this is a LarsxRhen thing... but DameonxOC? Whoa, you don't see that everyday.

So without further ado, the story:
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The Pendragon Conspiracy
Pairings: Lars/Rhen, Dameon/OC
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“Ten minutes to go, Princess!” came the voice of the Chancellor as he took a peek inside the Royal Bedroom. Sighing, Rhen smiled back at him and waved him aside.

“I’ll be down shortly.”

The door then closed with a dull thud!, signaling that the Chancellor took a great deal of care in closing it. Rhen Pendragon looked back at the vanity mirror, scrutinizing herself to the last contour. Never in her life had she been so unsure—it rivaled even the time when the Oracle first came to her. Although this time the choice had been less life-threatening, it was still life-changing nonetheless. Because that day, she was to marry her lover, Dameon Maurva.

Dameon was a capable man, and a noble one at that. He had been with her through her adventures, and she loved him dearly. And yet, she couldn’t help but doubt whether this decision was a wise one. She was too young to marry—much too young—and the thought of commitment scared her slightly. Being a queen: she would’ve fainted at the thought of it—but marrying? A commitment of a lifetime? Heck, she was only sixteen! She wanted to travel, to see the world, to not be bogged down to one person—and although she loved Dameon dearly, she couldn’t help but wonder…

A knock was heard on her door. “Princess, the assembly is waiting!”

“I’ll be right there!” she responded, looking back at the mirror. She couldn’t even recognize herself in her gown.

Maybe she wasn’t ready yet. Maybe she still had much to see, to learn, to feel—maybe she wasn’t fit for the job. Dameon—he would’ve liked that. He was a capable leader, and he seemed to be a strong one as well. He could take care of Thais without her. And she wouldn’t mind one bit.

Making her decision, she then took out a quill and some paper—writing down a letter. Then, slipping it into her engagement ring, she tore away from her gown; putting on her sword-singer outfit. Without further ado, she positioned herself out the window.

“Goodbye.” She spoke, jumping out of it stealthily. Landing on the ground, she ran as fast as her feet could take her.
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To the Royal Counsel, Honored Guests and the People of Thais;

I regret to inform you that from now therewith, I relinquish my position as the Queen of Thais. I am sorry to cause much mishap to you, the country, and the world at large. My reason for this is that I feel as if I am not worthy to run this country, and that by doing so I may ruin it once more.

Please bear with me on this matter. Someday, when I duly believe that I am fit to rule, I will return to rule my country. But as of now, I relinquish all my power to Dameon Maurva—although he is neither of Pendragon blood nor of Royal Service, I duly believe that he is far more worthy than I to rule on the throne. Next to this letter I have placed my signet ring—now therewith shall be in his possession.

I am truly sorry.

Signed,
Rhen Pendragon, former Queen of Thais.

“This is an outrage!” came the disheveled roar of the Chancellor. After a whole thirty minutes had elapsed from the time of the said ceremony, everyone had worried about her. Yet the sight of the letter was simply appalling—it made everyone present nearly die of the sight of it. Die of concern, that is.

“What the heck?” came the astounded voice of Lars Tenobor, who seemed to pale a bit. “What—what was she thinking?” Of all the times he had known the girl, he knew that she was capable of doing crazy things. But for some reason, this seemed out of the question.

Tei’jal chuckled in amusement. “It seems as if the girl still had much fighting spirit left in her. Figures.”

“But what about the ceremony!” came the panicked voice of the Chancellor. “This is an outrage! A scandal!”

Dameon snatched the paper from him and scanned it once more. His face was unreadable, undefinable—it was like he couldn’t process the whole situation clearly. Quite a pity to see, though—to know that your partner had left the last minute before you were going to be married? Now that’s a shocker.

“Dameon..” came Lars’s voice. Although initially he wasn’t quite pleased with the man, the man was quite too pitiful to scorn. “I’m really sorry about—“

“It’s fine.” He spoke briefly, slowly handing the Chancellor back the page. There seemed to be a defeated look in his eyes, which he clearly tried to hide. “This was Rhen’s decision. If she wanted to leave, she had all the right to do so.” With that, he looked out the window solemnly.

“Now that’s enough of this!” came the irritated voice of the Chancellor. He began to gesture for the group to leave. “Out, I say! I have more important manners at hand to speak with Sir Maurva.”

Fire ignited in Lars’s eyes. “But we have the right to know—“

“Let’s go, you stubborn boy.” spoke Elini smugly as she pulled him by the ear. The boy protested the whole way they left, until it was only the Chancellor and Dameon left inside the room. Dameon still stared out the window, with the moon glowing at full force. Once the Chancellor made sure that all the other have left, he tugged Dameon roughly to the side—which, to say the least, didn’t please him.

“What do you want?” Dameon inquired in exasperation. Yet the look on the Chancellor’s face—even for a former druid, the look made his blood curdle.

“Now listen closely,” he spoke in a shady voice. “If news of this aborted ceremony reaches the whole continent, Thais will be ruined. For long we have waited for the Princess, and now just when we announced that she had finally returned, she leaves. And now, a person not of Pendragon blood takes her place. Do you know what kind of devastation that would cause the people?”

The tight grip he had on Dameon was so menacing that it wasn’t even funny. Dameon shook his head.

“That is why what I am saying is urgent. We will continue the ceremony as planned…”

“What! ” exclaimed Dameon. He backed away from the Chancellor, looking at the man as if he was a lunatic. Well, he did look like a lunatic that moment—and judging how the conversation was going, he did seem to show some degree of mental instability. “This is absurd! I can’t believe that you actually expect that I would marry someone other than Rhe—“

“I’m afraid you have no choice, your Highness.”

CLICK.

Dameon nervously felt a tube of metal behind him—followed by the appearance of more shady people with what looked like guns. He never knew that weapons like those existed—and feared about their capabilities. He hated the fact that he was now powerless.

“Now as I was saying,” spoke the Chancellor darkly. “We will continue the ceremony, and make sure that no one ever suspects the switch. You will rule, as always—until Rhen returns. Understand?”

CLICK.

The gun felt cold against his head. Dameon swallowed hard. “I understand.”

With that, the men disappeared—as well as the feeling of cold metal. The Chancellor smiled cruelly. “Good. We will have to delay the marriage for a few days until we find someone to replace the Princess. Oh, and by the way…” Dameon looked at him with frightened eyes. The Chancellor smirked. “We require you to not say a word about the guns. If the people of Thais knew that its military had been smuggling advanced weaponry, the whole country would be put to jeopardy.”

It was corruption. Graft and Corruption.

As the Chancellor left, Dameon made his last statement. “Is this the first time you bribed someone into substituting the Royal family?” he yelled, outraged.

The Chancellor closed the door slowly, an evil glint in his eyes. “Always has been the case, sire.”
==========
As they trodded out the Royal Palace, Lars was scowling. He was angry about the whole situation, how Rhen had just left, and how everybody was handling it… comfortably. He couldn’t understand that. How such situation could be handled so—carelessly! It was absurd. No, it was more than absurd—it was all stupid! Such foolishness!

How could Rhen leave her people in a time of need? How could she just travel all alone without telling her friends where she was going? What if she got hurt or—

Whoa, where did that come from?

“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you, Sorceror?” came the sly voice of Elini. Lars sighed. She just had to butt in.

“I’m—I’m not! I was just wondering—“

“Where Rhen could’ve ended up to?” she spoke, leaning closer suspiciously. He got red in the face.

“What—what are you trying to implement here, exactly?”

Elini put a finger to her lips teasingly. “Well, I don’t know… I was just wondering where she would be, exactly. I mean, Rhen wouldn’t just pop up nowhere—she’d probably be off somewhere where she was familiar with, where she spent most of her developmental years or such—where she first started her quest, maybe?” Elini shrugged. “It was just something that came to mind.” Smiling teasingly, she then moved in front of him, catching up with her husband—who, it seems, took to teasing Galahad about his wretched fate.

Lars remained frozen on the spot for a few moments, until everything finally clicked. “You don’t mean that Rhen could possibly be at—“

“I hope you take good care of her, Sorceror.” Elini spoke, before she took hold of her husband. Flabbergasted, Lars stubbornly followed the group in a confused state of mind.
=================================
How was it? Well, this thing's kinda a cross between the RhenxDameon ending and the Lars one. Although I haven't played Build C yet, I think I know what exactly happened during the ending.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! There's more to come!

yaay! another RxL story!
it's a good start!

WOW! This story is simply amazing! Great job!

Amazing!
Please continue!
I love a good RxL story!

firstly yay for another RxL fan and secondly great story please do continue..

I like R and L stories myself, although I am also a Dameon and Rhen supporter. I just think things could work out either way.

Good job. I want to read some more ! Excellent piece and in good style.

Hey guys! Well, here's the next chapter. We'll be introduced to the OC right now, so stay tuned.
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The Pendragon Conspiracy
Pairings: Lars/Rhen, Dameon/OC
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The fitful wind slapped the stray strands onto her face repeatedly as she walked near the steep abyss. Looking out of the cloak make out of sackcloth, Rhen watched the trees below her shiver from the height of the storm. I’m crazy to be here, she thought to herself. No sane person would go out to the Wildwoods willingly, especially at a height of a furious storm. Heck, she didn’t even know what she was doing in the Eastern isle in the first place!

The Eastern isle, of all places. Right now, she could be among the Amazons of Veldt—in Teacup Town with all the talking animals, or even with her parents in Clearwater. But no, she had to go to the Eastern isle. As she thought more about it, the reasons became more and more insane. Maybe it was because she wanted to prostrate herself in front of Mistress Rona just to have her old life back? She laughed bitterly. No, it definitely wasn’t that.

The winds howled more and more. Maybe she just missed the place. Of all the places she’d been too, she realized that she no longer visited this place. Ghalarah, Veldarah, the Wildwoods, even—they seemed to be from a distant memory, one that she had constantly forgotten. Yes, perhaps that was the reason.

Descending from the rocks, she was greeted by four stray crows. A cruel smile crept onto her face at the sight of them—indeed, she had missed those days when she had thought those crows to be an avid fight—to battle in order to survive. Brandishing her sword, she quickly yet efficiently slashed them into pieces—gathering whatever treasures the carcasses contained. Putting them into a small leather pack, she continued trekking downwards into the Wildwoods.

The place didn’t seem to change much. The whole area was still shrouded in trees as always, with wildlife littering it in an endless circle of predation. It still didn’t seem quite inhabited, and it still scared her.

Shrugging off a pang of fear, she headed forward. The trees seemed endless with every step of the way, and for a moment, she felt as if she was back to being a mere apprentice—cowering in fear, holding a secondhand sword in hopes of security. As another cackle of leaves sounded behind her, she felt compelled to run. Fortunately, it was not long until she reached a proverbial log cabin—with a wave of nostalgia hitting her as she read the sign-board.

The Hungry Boar Tavern.

Another gust of wind nearly blew her coat off, and she opened the heavy wooden door. She was surprised at how warm it was inside—mainly due to the fact that she’d been out for so long. It didn’t change one bit—there were still people who seemed in a perpetual suspiciousness, and the man who sold garlic and stakes still stood near the easternmost corner. Holding onto her hood in hopes that no one would recognize her, she approached the counter.

“Excuse me,” she spoke, making sure that her voice was as inconspicuous as possible. “I would like a place to stay for the night.”

The man eyed her suspiciously, and Rhen held her breath. Could it be that the man recognized her? Gripping onto her cloak, she bit her lip softly in an effort to conceal herself. A sigh of relief erupted from her as the man looked back down on his papers, scanning them swiftly.

“Hmm… yes, we have a free room. Seven would do. Name?”

“Rhe—“ she bit her lip as she noticed her mishap. “-nee. I’m Renee.”

The man nodded. “Renee. Hm, I’ll have to admit that I’ve never heard anything like that before.” The key hung from a block of wood. “Enjoy your stay at The Hungry Boar.”

She nodded in reply, and immediately looked for Room 7. The cursed at herself mentally for almost revealing her real name. That was a mistake that could’ve been unredeemable, especially at that crucial moment. Slipping the key into the lock, she closed the door behind her and instantly collapsed onto her bed. To say the least, many days of traveling in harsh weather can do that to you.

Taking off the stupid cloak, she combed her fingers into her hair—feeling its tangles and bunches. They’ll recognize me, she thought as she eyed some of her blue hair. Who wouldn’t? Ever since Thais announced that their missing Princess had arrived, every artist in the world made paintings of her—blue hair and amethyst eyes smiling in the midst of a war-torn background. Groaning, she rolled to her side as she thought of ways how to disguise herself.

It’s a shame that there’s no spell on how to change your eye color, she thought glumly. And turning into a chicken seems too risky.

She rolled onto her other side and stopped, eyeing her precious blade. It was so sharp that it shimmered—and it was sharp enough to cut through anything. She eyed her locks again, a crazy scheme forming in her head. Sure, it’s risky, but…

Drawing out the blade, she took her hair all up in a bundle. For the best, she thought, positioning it against her blue hair. Then, holding her breath, she sliced the portion of her hair off—with each strand cut feeling like a new beginning. She looked at the clump of hair in her hand, then her freshly cut ends. For some reason, her whole head felt lighter than before—as if her long locks were like heavy anchors. Smoothening the ends some more, she stored the rest of her hair into her pack to make it less suspicious.

With a burden lifting off her chest, she finally fell asleep—the first she had in days.
==========
THUD! THUD! THUD!

Nice, thought Rhen as she turned in her bed. To say the least, instead of just an overnight trip, she’d been residing in Room 7 for weeks—almost a year. It wasn’t her fault that she’d took to fighting monsters in the Wildwoods—it was like every battle she won she felt more… alive. Fighting was her life—yet, housekeeping was the bane of her existence.

“I’ve paid in full!” she yelled, her head landing once more on the soft pillow. If there was anything more she despised, it was people bugging her in the middle of her beauty sleep.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Groaning, she attempted to drown out the noise with her pillow. Of all the times the tavern-keeper bugged her about the room expenses, he had never been this annoying before.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

“Go away!” she yelled, covering her ears with her pillow.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

“Fine! I’m up!” she yelled defiantly—jumping off her bed. If the tavern-keeper didn’t have a good excuse, she swore that he’d be her next target. Wrapping her fingers around the wooden doorknob, she expected the worst. With her tiger look, she opened the door and shouted. “What do you want?!”

Instead of feeling all high and mighty, she felt as small as a virus. Because instead of the red-bearded, fat goon who’d wake her up just for her food and water expenses; two green orbs looked at her scornfully. She seemed to shrink in the midst of those green eyes—as if she had faced Ahriman once again. Lars stood in the doorway, with a face just itching for an explanation. She had a bad feeling about this.

“Where the heck have you been?” he scolded. “I’ve been looking for you for weeks! Weeks! I couldn’t find you in Ghalarah, I practically searched every inch of Veldarah—heck, and I even went to Land ’s End just to find you! I had to go to the Wildwoods eight times, and guess what? I went to Halloween Hills without any garlic! Gosh, Rhen… I must’ve looked like some kind of lunatic asking about some blue-haired chick with a sword!”

“Lars…” she tried to speak. If he kept on talking like this, she might as well tell the whole world that she was a runaway Princess. Unfortunately, the boy didn’t seem to get the queue.

“Do you even know how much I had to spend to get to the other isles? I must’ve gone a million times around the globe just to find you! Heck, I had to go to Veldt with all those husband-obsessed Amazons chasing after me like I was roast beef!”

“Lars…”

“And could you believe that I had to ask my mother for money? I was nearly broke! I’ve been stung by so many bees in Aveyond that I couldn’t even count how many they were!”

“Lars…”

“I even had to face all those Nemesis by myself! Oh, and you’ll probably laugh at this… I was kidnapped by militant squirrels. Militant squirrels! And all the while I was their captive, I was still asking: ‘Have you seen a girl with blue hai—‘”

“Will you just shut up! ” Rhen yelled, with the whole tavern hearing her. Upon realizing her mistake, she blushed a deep shade of Vermillion. Looking at Lars, she whispered, “Let’s talk about this outside, where there aren’t too many people; okay?”

Lars looked around, seeing all the people staring at him. “Okay.”

“Keep the change,” she spoke, putting a handful of gold pennies on the counter. The tavern-keeper accepted it solemnly, as if nothing happened. With the others watching, the two then made their exit into the burly woods.
==========
“Why did you leave?” spoke Lars, clearly not letting go of the subject. Rhen sighed in exasperation, knowing that he hadn’t let her off the hook yet.

“What do you mean?”

Lars glared at her, just like the times he did when she was still her slave. “Don’t be stupid. You know exactly what I mean. Why did you leave Thais? And more precisely, why did you leave on your wedding day? Rhen, Dameon was devastated. And I bet the whole of Thais would be devastated too if they learn that their Princess just left the country.”

“Why should you care?” she spoke nonchalantly. This casual attitude of hers shocked Lars a bit.

“What?”

“I mean, why should you care?” she spoke as matter-of-factly as she could. This lack of emotion disturbed Lars slightly. She continued, “It isn’t your country, and well—I’ve never seen you worry over Dameon that much. He’s an able leader. And I’m pretty sure that they wouldn’t freak out that much just because I’m gone.”

“Rhen, listen to yourself!” Lars reprimanded, grabbing her arm. He did it with such force so that she would look at him, just so she’d see how serious he was. She didn’t seem to take everything at hand seriously. “You’re just going to give up like that? How could you?! It’s your country we’re talking about here! What the heck’s gotten into you?!”

“Well, maybe I don’t feel fit to rule!” she barked back, shocking and relieving Lars at the same time. “Maybe I’m a coward, have you ever thought of that? Of course not. Maybe… maybe I’m afraid that I’ll just start another war and destroy it even more! Maybe I want to live some more and not be tied down to one person! Have you ever thought of that? Huh? Huh?” She yelled so loudly that she almost thought that she was going to cry. Luckily for her, she didn’t.

Lars seemed stunned at her sudden outburst. Maybe she was afraid. Maybe all she needed to do was clear her mind. For crying out loud, he was her best friend! He was supposed to know these things!

Rhen sighed ruefully. “Look, I’m not so proud of what I did too. I just—I dunno, wanna find myself before I could face my country. Face my people.”

He kicked a pebble on the dirt road, with his green hair blowing into his face. His bangs seemed to be the most bothersome. Looking up to the dark sky, he blew a wisp of hair from his face and smiled at the girl. “Well, you could at least choose a place that’s more civilized. Do you actually think you’ll find yourself by killing creatures here all day?”

“Yes!” At first, Lars thought that she was kidding. But what surprised him the most was how she was actually serious about it. Slapping his forehead, Lars groaned inwardly.

“You could at least use your brawn for something that’s actually meaningful. Wait, I think I got it!” Lars spoke, as if a light bulb lit over his head. “Maybe I could find you a position in Shadwood. At least you’ll have decent housing there—and the both of us could instruct there.”

“Shadwood?” she spoke, as if the name had become clumsy on her tongue. It had been quite a long time since she’d been there. And for some reason, it thrilled her. “Sure, why not?”

Before she knew it, Lars was several strides away from her. With his back turned to her, he spoke arrogantly, “Besides, we had a deal, right? When I become High Sorcerer, I’ll make sure that filth like you never enter the Academy again.”

His words processed in her mind for a bit, until everything suddenly clicked. Outraged, she ran after the green-haired boy. “Hey Lars! Lars, wait up! No fair! I didn’t even pack up yet!”
==========
The red-haired man stood solemnly near the window, looking through its borders. They’ll keep me here, he thought scornfully. They’ll never let me out. Not until the ceremony is finished. I’m just a little marionette for the Thais Government.

“Good afternoon, sire.” spoke a cruel voice. Dameon stood unflinching, aware that the Chancellor had already brought his soon-to-be wife. Though, paraphrasing it, should be his forced-to-be wife. They were both forced, just to appease the Government’s selfish needs. The man sighed.

“Come in.”

“We have brought your new fiancé, your Highness.” spoke the Chancellor gladly, as if he was proud of his own deed. “My men and I have decided since it would be too risky to take one from the kingdoms, we have decided to take one of the priestesses instead. She’s a Moon Priestess, your Highness—quite the looker, even.” The woman was brought into the room forcefully, with her veil still covering her face. Yet judging by her stature, she seemed uncomfortable, even—afraid to be there. The Chancellor led out a stiff smile at the both of them. “Why don’t the two of you get to know each other? Since, well—you two will get married soon, after all.” With a mocking laugh, the Chancellor left—closing the door behind him.

Looking behind him for the first time, he looked at the woman. A poor thing, she was—shivering out of fright, and probably a new recruit, by the looks of it. The veil obscured her face well, and she seemed quite timid. Sighing, Dameon decided to reach out to her—they were both just prisoners, anyway.

“I won’t hurt you.” He spoke, crossing his arms. He looked out to the full moon above. “Although, I do believe we are destined for the same fate.”

For the first time, the woman looked up—and what Dameon saw broke his heart. She had the same blue hair and amethyst eyes—yet he knew it wasn’t her. The woman batted her eyes sheepishly, yet this gesture made his stomach churn—because deep inside, he was in anguish. Because the woman was not Rhen, no matter how much he wanted her to be. He gave her a cold look.

“Well? Aren’t you going to speak?”

The woman looked down sheepishly, covering her face with her veil again. “I’m sorry, sire. I just… I’m not quite used to this prospect. To say the least, it’s quite—unbearable.” She looked at him apologetically. “And I know that the woman you love will come back for you. You just seem to be in so much—pain.”

Dameon laughed bitterly. “Pain? Well, dear, pain is an understatement.”

“I mean,” she spoke, facing him in a concerned way. She bit her lip. “If there is any way—any way at all—to help you with this, I will gladly do so.”

He let out a jet of air. At least the woman was nice. Turning away from her completely, his eyes were directed firmly towards the moon. “I’m afraid that you cannot do anything, dear Priestess. You can’t do anything at all.”
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Behold the wrath of the out-of-characterishly ranting Lars! (As well as the out-of-characterishly bounty hunter Rhen!) Yeah, I think I made Lars too out-of-characterish. Oh well. I hope you guys enjoyed it, anyway.

oh wow first to comment..

well it was awesome even with lars ranting and rhens bounty hunting but now i kind of feel sorry for dameon..

alltogether its just simply supereb.. waiting and wanting for more

interesting! i can't wait to read more.

This is great!
I love this, you have such a good way of putting words,and describing things!
Excellent, Please update soon. I'll look forward to it! C:

I love your writing! Great! And I laughed my head off reading Lars' rantings!

Hey there, people! Well, here's another update for you guys. This'll be kinda short, sort of a filler chapter--and I wasn't able to fit a Dameon thing on this one. This chapter basically sets the setting for our two favorite heroes and such.

Enjoy!
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The Pendragon Conspiracy
Pairings: Lars/Rhen, Dameon/OC
=======================================
A soft rain had prevailed in the Eastern isle, with the droplets pit-pattering onto the rocky ground. Lars arranged for a carriage to bring them to Veldarah, just in case the rain worsened—but it seemed unnecessary. Yet, to say the least, the journey was a tranquil one—riding on a horse-drawn carriage, watching the rain splatter on the fresh green grass. Rhen closed her eyes to relish in the whole scene, with the smells of fresh June blossoms tickling her nose. The atmosphere was cool, and it was almost dusk.

The journey from the Wildwoods to Veldarah was a long one—and Lars was already fast asleep on the leatherbound seats. But for some reason, Rhen couldn’t—as much as she wanted to. The thought of revisiting Veldarah just brought back so many cherished memories.

“Veldarah,” came the voice of the coachman. Rhen blinked in surprise, then turned to the sleeping Lars.

“Lars, wake up.” She spoke softly, nudging the sleeping boy. He didn’t budge. “Lars, we’re here. We’re in Veldarah.” She spoke again, poking the boy. He waved his hand sloppily in annoyance, then went back to sleep. The girl seemed to be on the edge of her good grace. Yanking the boy by the ear, she yelled loudly, “LARS, WAKE UP! I’VE GOT NO MONEY AND ALL YOU’RE DOING IS SLEEPING YOUR HEAD OFF!”

This seemed to do the trick—as evidenced by how the boy jumped out of his seat. Quickly giving his thanks and currency to the coachman, he helped Rhen down the carriage disgruntled. “You could’ve at least warned me gently, you know.” Lars mumbled.

“Well, I did, actually. Twice. And you were still sleeping like a baby.” Rhen spoke with a smug smile. Lars glowered at her, giving a deep sigh.

“You’re hopeless.” He spoke, rubbing his temples. Yet, seeing the doorway, his face alighted—as if some mystical miracle was about to occur in the confines of those walls. A soft smile graced his face as he wrapped his fingers around the girl’s thin wrist. Looking at her, he had such soft delight dancing in his eyes. “I almost forgot. The Festival of the Phoenix is coming up, and I’m pretty sure you’re gonna like what you’ll be seeing.”

Confused, Rhen was surprised as Lars yanked her into Veldarah—with a colorful array of people all lined up the streets. She gasped in awe as she saw some men fire-juggling, spewing flames from their mouth in front of a large crowd. Jesters stood on tall stilts, with their fiery painted faces lighting the skies. Gypsies in fiery colors danced with gold bracelets around their ankles, a circle of fire surrounding them. Rhen was in so much awe at the sight of all this, latching onto Lars’s arm overwhelmed. Lars didn’t seem to mind this, though—he himself seemed to enjoy the scene.

“I told you so,” he spoke smugly, looking at the girl. A grin broke out on her face in delight, as if she had never seen anything so wonderful in her life. “This is awesome! Why didn’t I see all this before?”

Lars shrugged. “Well, when we both arrived in Veldarah, it wasn’t time yet. The Festival of the Phoenix comes every four years.”

“Sweet.” Rhen spoke, grinning like an idiot. Lars couldn’t help but smile at this folly, gently escorting her towards the flower district. Rhen was all wide-eyed in wonder as she saw all the souvenirs being prepared—women in fiery clothing, men made out of fire, and her favorite—a large Phoenix with bright, luminescent eyes. Treats and favors were coated in every shade of red and yellow, and each flower seemed to erupt into a fiery bouquet. Before she knew it, her face was to a wooden door—one that she had known all too well.

Lars sounded the knocker, a smirk on his face. “Welcome to Shadwood Academy.”

A bright light flooded her eyes as the door opened—and Rhen thought that she’d be blinded. But as the glare died down, she saw that Shadwood was the same as before—except it had been adorned for the upcoming festivities. A wave of nostalgia instantly hit her.

“I missed this place,” she spoke in a low, inaudible voice. The feeling of homecoming was overwhelming—memories instantly flooded her, both good and bad. Tears threatened to flow down her face, yet she was able to catch them in the act. She didn’t notice that she had been squeezing Lars’s rough hand all this time. She didn’t notice anything but the Academy.

“Um, Rhen,” came Lars’s voice, breaking into her thoughts. “You can let go of my hand now.”

Finally noticing her folly, she quickly unwrapped her hand from his—blushing a light shade of pink. Laughing nervously, she spoke her apologies in a sheepish manner. “Didn’t know what got into me.”

“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Lars spoke, pointing inwards. “Let’s go speak to Headmaster Harald! We’ve gotta find you a slot, remember? ”

Rhen blinked in confusion, with everything falling slowly into place. “Oh, yeah… yeah, of course.” She spoke uncertainly, scratching her blue hair. Lars then gestured to her, to which she followed willingly. For some reason, she despised the fact that he knew more about the place than she did. It just didn’t seem right.

“Headmaster Harald!” Lars cried, a small smile on his face. The Headmaster turned around to face them, with an all-knowing smile on his face. They had entered his working quarters, which didn’t seem to affect him much. The sight of the two seemed to give relief to his eyes.

“Welcome, students,” he spoke, interlacing his fingers. “Ah, why isn’t it Lars Tenobor—the boy who helped in defeating the greatest scourge of all. And you,” He glanced at Rhen. “Rhen Darzon, the fulfiller of the prophecy. Heroes of our generation and beyond.” He gave a stiff smile. “You are most welcomed to our Academy once more.”

Lars scratched his head sheepishly at his praise—something that greatly contrasted to his old, pompous self. Rhen just smiled, a soft blush creeping onto her cheeks. Internally, she was relieved that she was called ‘Darzon’ instead of ‘Pendragon’.

“Thank you sir for your compliments,” Lars spoke quickly, more quickly than usual. “Although, we came here for a cause. I was wondering—er, we were wondering, if, well; we would be able to achieve slots as instructors in your Academy.”

The man made a smug smile at the two of them. “Two heroes wanting to be instructors in my humble Academy? How fascinating. And what compelled that both of you to make such a request?”

The two shared a glance that yelled “We’re screwed big time.” Rhen cleared her throat.

“Uh, it’s, well… complicated. Well, um, we just felt like sharing our experiences and stuff to the future generations and, uh—helping you form more heroes!” She cast a glance at Lars that cried out ‘Do something! ’ She looked back at the Headmaster. “So…”

“Basically, we just want to help.” Lars finished, and the two exchanged glances one more. Headmaster Harald then looked upon them sternly, just like he had done so many years before. The two balled their fists in anticipation, hoping that the Headmaster would consider it. He was always hard to please.

“Very well,” he spoke, garnering relieved glances from Lars and Rhen. Silently, the man made a smug smile at this. “You will start first thing in the morning. As a start, the both of you will teach Basic Techniques.”

“Basic Techniques?!” Lars cried, taken aback. “Why can’t we teach Advanced Magic?”

“Shush!” Rhen whispered, putting a hand over the boy’s mouth.

“Patience, Sir Tenobor. Every good instructor must start from scratch. If you do good in teaching the basics, I will promote the two of you to teaching advanced courses. Eventually, if the both of you do good,” The man made a smirk. “I may even promote the both of you to the ranks of High Sorcerer and High Sword-Singer.”

“Seriously?!” “What!”

The man made another smug smile at the teens’ reactions. Handing Lars the key, he spoke: “You will be admitted to the Instructor’s Lounge. In it, you will find two beds for the both of you—and some accommodations that were not in the Students’ Rooms. Enjoy your stay.”

Stunned, the two were pushed out of the Headmaster’s Quarters and into an empty hallway. Weirdly, it was deadly silent.

“So… um…” Rhen spoke first, looking around the hallway. “I guess… we’ve gotta go now, huh?”

Lars fiddled with his collar. “Uh, yeah…”

The two looked at each other—staring longer than before. As emerald met amethyst, a spark of emotion erupted within them—with the boy’s head leaning closer and closer. With their faces merely centimeters from each other, the boy closed his eyes and—

“Let’s go check out the Lounge!” he yelled excitedly, with Rhen grinning like a moron. In a flash, the two then raced towards the dorms—howling with boisterous laughter.

They stopped in front of a huge mahogany door, with the inscription “Teachers’ Lounge” written in old writing on top of it. Nodding, Lars pushed the doors with some difficulty—eventually making way to the dim light. There was nothing special about the Teachers’ Lounge—it just some big room with chairs, tables and couches. An array of doors stood behind all the furniture, each marked with a certain number. Lars looked at the key in his hand.

“Three,” he spoke, heading towards the room. Inserting the key, he rotated it until a soft click was heard—signaling that it was already unlocked. Nodding at Rhen, the two then looked at their room; with eyes widening in wonder.

A bright light greeted them as the door opened, along with some startling accommodations. Two large beds occupied the room; complete with a breakfast table, a banquet table, and a shelf filled with books. An array of food and treats lined the banquet table with much zest, and the beds looked quite welcoming. Without hesitation, Rhen threw her pack onto the floor—scurrying to occupy one of the big beds. As she flopped onto it, she was thrown two feet into the air before she bounced back.

“Awe-some!” she yelled, bouncing on the white bed. Lars softly dropped his pack with a soft thud!, making his way towards her with an exasperated expression. Crossing his arms, he gave her a stern look.

“Still childish.”

Rhen stopped bouncing to glare at him. “Did you say something, Lars? ”

Smirking, he turned to his bed. “Oh, nothing—Peta.”

Rhen threw a pillow at his head. Hitting its target, she was greeted by a very grumpy Lars.

“So-rry!” she sang mockingly, lying back down on her bed. Sighing, Lars looked around the room thoughtfully, as if there was something he wanted to do. “Hey Rhen?”

“Hmm?” she replied groggily, a pillow over her head. The girl seemed to be asleep, which didn’t help any. Lars sighed, deciding that he would be exploring the Academy tomorrow. Lying down on his bed, he spoke, “Nothing.”

And after a while, the two were asleep.
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Argh, it's so short. XP Oh well. I'll try to update as fast as I can--and hopefully, I could squeeze some more conspiracy action. Hope you guys enjoyed this, though!

i love it!!! awesome brilliant and so sweet..

please update soon and more please please pleae and please

yaaaaaaaaaaaaay
Peta!!!

Hurhurhur Peta again eh?
Wonderful Update! I'm looking forward to more, please do so! C:

This story rocks! I'm not exactly a RxL fan but I love this story! Good job!

i love this story!

i like the interactions between them all, and i was quite surprised to see the Thais Government corrupted o.0

and i actually felt sorry for Dameon. that doesn't happen much. ^_^

nice story!
RxL rules!!

Amazing...
Love it!