Nikholas "goo" F. Toledo


	A dimly lit room.

	In the middle of the room was a pentagram.  On each corner of the 
room was a torch.  Near the middle of the room was a brazier, filled with 
coal.  Beside the brazier were two figures.  As one was young and 
muscular, the other was old and bony.  The younger one was clad in a 
silver armor; an insignia of a blue lion is on his shield.  The older one 
wore a robe with an intricate design.

	"Is everything ready?"

	"Yes."

	The old man began to make weird gestures, while chanting something 
inaudible to his companion's ears.  A blinding blue light began to 
emanate from the middle of the room.  Beads of sweat began to form on the 
old man's brow.  Then part of the east wall exploded, sending debris all 
over the room.  The old man lost his concentration, and the blue light 
quickly disappeared.

	As the smoke from the broken wall began to clear up, many dark 
figures began to form.  The one leading them was a very tall and muscular 
man.  He wore a jet-black armor.  His breastplate bore an insignia of a 
blood red dragon.

	"You are now my prisoner.  Guards!  Kill the old man."
	
	Fear ran through the young man's veins as he saw a bloody blade 
decapitate his comrade.


	"Nooo..."


	Fire and Ice
	Chapter 1


	"Nooo..."

	A man in his late twenties opened his eyes and stared into space.

	He had been constantly dreaming for about a month.

	About a month ago, he saw in his dreams places and faces that felt 
familiar but didn't look familiar.

	Then, barely two weeks ago, the dreams began to change, everything 
became a blue haze.  He wanted it to cover him with its warmth.  He felt 
peace.  

	Then the blue haze turned black, followed by that episode in that 
dark room, the bloodshed.  It had been bugging him every night.  
Recalling those dreams sent chills down his spine.

	The door slowly began to open.  A low voice began to permeate the 
darkness.

	"Ryouga, son, what happened."

	"Nothing, just having a nightmare."


	It had been roughly nine years since he first came to this town.  
Everything before that was a blur, a flurry of unfamiliar faces that 
seemed so familiar.  All he had with him was a bag full of things he had 
no idea what they are used for.  He couldn't even remember his own name.  
He wandered the strange place for about a week 'til he saw a cottage.  
Inside the cottage were an old man and his wife.  They took him under 
their wing and treated him as their own, for they had none.  The old man 
was a well-known blacksmith of the village, while his wife stayed home.  
The old man was now weak, so Ryouga took over his trade.  With his 
incredible strength, he could easily do the job of two men.  He was happy 
with his newfound life.  His past was now irrelevant.

	Morning.

	"Ryouga, son, you need to get to the shop early.  Minor skirmishes 
are happening at the border and the king needs new swords."

	"Yes, father."

	"Just remember, stay focused and you won't get lost."

	Ryouga cherished his work.  Everyday, he got to catch a glimpse of 
the princess.  Her long flowing hair just made his knees weak.  There was 
something about her that made his heart skip a beat.  She looked familiar 
yet he couldn't quite put a finger on it.  Her voice, her voice was like 
a thousand birds singing.  She had the sweetest smile he had ever seen.  
She had been unhappy lately.

	For years, their kingdom was plagued by attacks from a neighboring 
kingdom.  We had land, our territories huge; they wanted more land, so 
they took from our land.  More often than not, they used brute force to 
get what they wanted.  Attacks used to be infrequent, nowadays, there 
seemed to be an assault every week, as if they were continuously prodding 
to see if our defenses are weakened.  A lot of lives and land had been 
lost due to the war.  Ten years ago, the main castle was captured and the 
king imprisoned.  Disgruntled people formed a rebellion to reclaim their 
land.  With the aid of some small kingdoms, they finally reclaimed their 
castle and reinstated their king.  It took about five more years to 
retake a quarter of the kingdom.  Now, about two thirds had been 
reclaimed.  However, King Archibald's forces were gaining strength.  Time 
was on their side.

	Nobody knew where the princess came from.  Nobody knew of her 
existence 'til nine years ago.  How could the royal couple hide such 
beauty from the people?

	The Town Square was busy as usual.  Merchants sold their wares, 
commoners haggling.  A commotion suddenly began.  Panic rose throughout 
the crowd.  Nobody knew what was happening.  Everybody was running for 
their lives.  One by one, stalls began to catch fire due to some unknown 
reason.  Ryouga quickly went to get some help.  He knew of a well nearby 
and ran towards it.

	Then he saw somebody wearing black leaping out of a window carrying 
something.  He recognized the "thing" being carried as the princesses' 
body, all tied up and gagged.

	"Stop, you fiend!"

	The mysterious figure, stunned that he was seen, leapt and landed 
near Ryouga.  He gently laid down the unconscious princess and drew his 
sword.

	"Who do you think you are, you dare stop me."

	Ryouga shouted.  "I need some help here, the princess is being 
abducted."

	"Shout all you want.  Nobody can hear you.  Everything is in 
disarray.  I am not the kind of person who kills an unarmed person.  It's 
damn too easy.  C'mon, pick up a sword, any sword."

	Ryouga slowly drew his blade.  He had just finished it last night.  
This was its maiden fight.  Ryouga couldn't see his opponent's face.  
Only his eyes were showing.

	The two combatants slowly moved in a circle, neither one making an 
offensive move.  Their gazes were fixed on each other, trying to find a 
weakness in his opponent's defense.

	What am I doing?  My swordsmanship is average at best.  Guess I 
have to rely on brute strength.  These were the things running through 
Ryouga's mind.

	In a flash, the stranger attacked.  He tried to go for Ryouga's 
heart.  Cat quick, Ryouga leapt out of harm's way and swung his sword 
towards his assailant, hoping to hit him.  His sword connected with the 
back of his opponent's mask, tearing away part of it, revealing parts of 
his face.  Ryouga froze for a moment.  There was something familiar about 
his opponent's face, as if he had seen him before.

	That split second was the only thing the now unmasked intruder 
needed.  He quickly thrusted his sword and hit Ryouga's side.  Blood 
began to drip.  Then, shouts were heard.

	"Guards, hurry - there is something happening there."
 
	The figure, knowing that he would be outnumbered in a matter of 
seconds and that his opponent was now incapacitated, picked up the 
princess and ran.

	Ryouga shouted.

	"You had round one."
 



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I really do hope that people who have read this actually liked it.
C & C 's would greatly help me in writing the next parts.	 

Insert disclaimers here :>

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