Note: This chapter gets quite a bit more graphic than my previous chapters. Just a small warning since, for the most part, this fic has been PG with a few tendencies towards PG-13. This chapter would probably be rated high 13 or R, due to violence and nudity.
Herb struggled vainly against the steel grip of the dragon’s claws as Fauntleroy easily held her aloft by her wrists. Her feet were dangling a good six feet away from the ground as the dragon smiled cruelly at her, his armored muzzle scant inches away from her face. “Now now, princess,” Fauntleroy said mockingly, his voice dripping with menace. “Don’t you know that it isn’t very honorable to strike an opponent while he’s down?” A dry chuckle rumbled out from Fauntleroy’s throat. He took a moment to sniff at the blade that was still in Herb’s grasp. A look of utter revulsion crossed his reptilian face before he turned to glare back at Herb. “A dragon-bone blade? Don’t you know that this sort of thing just makes us very angry?”
Herb’s foot shot up in a flash, and the high kick caught the dragon by the chin. While the former prince doubted it would really hurt the beast, she hoped that the attack would make him loosen his grip, much as it had when Herb had one the same thing to Ranma. Her hope turned to dust as the only reaction Fauntleroy had to the kick was to cock one scaled eyebrow.
“Come now, princess. That didn’t work even when I was in that pathetically weak human form. Did you seriously think that you could harm me now?” Fauntleroy puffed up, stretching his wings to their full span while striking a majestic pose. At least, it would have been if it weren’t for the hideously scorched scales, wisps of smoke, and smell of burnt flesh. Barely suppressing a whimper from the pain his movements caused, Fauntleroy settled back down.
“You’re not looking so good,” Herb growled at him. “You’re lucky Mako-chan didn’t have the heart to kill you. Rest assured, I won’t make that mistake.”
Herb felt Fauntleroy’s whole body go rigid for a moment before speaking very slowly and deliberately. “What did you say?”
Herb forced a condescending smirk onto her face. “Despite what you are and what you’ve done, Mako-chan didn’t have the heart to actually use the full power she had available against you.” It wasn’t completely true. From the time that they were linked, Herb knew that Makoto had been willing to kill the dragon. She just hated the fact that she had to. But Herb didn’t want Fauntleroy to know that. She needed him off balance, and if there was one thing she learned from Ranma, it was that anger was the fastest and most effective way of getting an opponent off balance. And Herb knew that pride was Fauntleroy’s greatest weakness.
The look of outrage that came over Fauntleroy’s scaled features told Herb that she had been dead on the money. “You DARE to insinuate that my survival is because that little witch showed me MERCY?!” The dragon lifted Herb high into the air.
The former prince prepared for the impact as she anticipated Fauntleroy throwing her to the ground. When she felt enormous talons grasping her by the throat as well as her wrists, Herb realized that her plan had gone horribly wrong.
“Let me show you a trick I picked up from all of those years I spent raiding human castles. I call this one ‘Right Back At You’.”
Herb struggled vainly as Fauntleroy’s massive clawed hand worked around her own and began to force the sword in her grasp to begin descending. Ki amplified muscles strained desperately to keep the tip of the sword pointed away, but Fauntleroy’s immense strength guided the blade with intentional slowness until it rested against Herb’s stomach. With one final shoved, Fauntleroy pushed the foot-long blade into and through Herb’s gut.
Pain flared through her whole body as the blade emerged from Herb’s back. Blood quickly soaked both the front and back of her armor as Fauntleroy wiggled the blade a few times, just for spite. With a casual flick of his wrist, the dragon hurled her away and sent her smashing into the ground. Herb’s body bounced once before rolling to a stop near Makoto’s still form. Blood, once merely seeping out from around the blade, now began flowing freely as the weapon scythed around from the impact, tearing flesh and muscle indiscriminately.
“There, princess. That should take care of you, though I’m sure you’ll live just long enough to watch what I’m going to do to your little playmate.”
Intense pain, unlike anything that the former prince had ever experienced before, ripped through her body. A detached part of her mind noted that she could still feel her legs, but she could tell that they would no longer support her weight. The rest of her mind, however, howled in pain. As she tried to focus her vision, she began to hallucinate. Ranma appeared in her vision, crucified. Ukyou lay in small pieces on the ground at his feet, and Siofra’s head was the only part of the child that could be found. Their forms wavered and were replaced by Mint and Lime. Their hands were missing, as were their eyes. Their arms made grasping motions as their mouths opened and closed in silent screams. But it was what appeared next that sent Herb over the edge. She saw Makoto, lying prone on the ground where she had left her. But now she was covered in blood. As Herb struggled to drag herself closer, she could make out claw marks covering every part of the girl’s body. Still hoping against all hope, she dragged herself so that she could lean on the young woman and examine her closely. In horror, the former prince saw that her chest was gouged open, the once pristine flesh reduced to nothing but rotting meat and yellowing bone. Her heart was gone. An agonizing pain, worse than even that caused by the sword imbedded in her stomach, flared in Herb’s chest. Looking down at herself in horror, she saw that her own heart was gone. With a scream of rage, the vision vanished and clarity set in. There was no if, no possibility of any other result. Fauntleroy had to die if anyone he cared for was to live. Herb knew in that moment as rage settled in that she would not die before she killed the great monster. Blazing fury burned away the pain as her hand fell to the sword’s hilt that protruded from her torso. With one savage yank, she drew the sword from its scabbard of flesh as she saw Fauntleroy raised his massive claw over Makoto’s unconscious body.
Deciding to end things quickly, Fauntleroy brought his claws down hard on Makoto’s prone form. Sparks flew as something smashed into his hand with incredible force. A moment later the tips of his claws fell away, cut cleanly in two. So surprised was he that he became unbalanced and fell onto his side. Unable to retract his right wing in time, the resounding crack of bone breaking echoed through the countryside, followed immediately by an intense roar of pain. Rolling back onto his feet, the dragon could feel his wing dragging uselessly on the ground. Pain turned to rage as he looked to see what had caused him to fall. His eyes flew wide as he saw Herb sitting up against Makoto’s form, the blood-drenched sword in her right hand, a blazing aura surrounding her body, and a look of fierce, almost insane determination on her face.
In a hiss that carried even over the storm that still raged around them, the glowing warrior swore, “You will NOT touch her!”
Fauntleroy could only pause for a moment as he stared at her. He was quite familiar with human physiology, having killed hundreds of them in his time. With the wound she was suffering from, she should be dead or very close to it. There was no way she could have the power to not only sit up, but to deflect one of his blows as well. She had no leverage, no strength, and no possible way to be doing what she was doing. It was inconceivable! Anger flared its way through the confusion though, and with a bellowing roar, Fauntleroy drew back his claw and brought down his head in a monstrous headbutt. The armored scales of his head were far stronger than his claws and he trusted in them to stop the blade. The shock of impact echoed through his skull as Herb managed to block the move completely. Fauntleroy was right, however, as the sword failed to penetrate his armored hide. The dragon’s eyes crossed a bit as he tried to focus on Herb’s still sitting form.
For her part, as Herb pushed against Fauntleroy’s blow, she could feel her strength slipping away. Will and fury could only take her so far, and her flesh was beginning to fail completely. In a few more moments, she wouldn’t be able to stop Fauntleroy’s charge. And when that happened, she and Makoto would die. A small resurge of strength came back as a thought went through her mind once again. ‘You will NOT touch her!’ But it was only a momentary boost. The ebb of her strength grew worse and Fauntleroy’s horned head loomed closer to its goal. Herb felt her body slowly growing cold, her aura dimming noticeably as her flesh gave out.
As her vision began to fade to a gray haze once more, Herb felt a familiar presence. The human form of his ancestor, Shen Long, appeared within the mist. Unlike the time in her chamber, however, she could hear her words clearly now. “Why do you resist the call of death?” Her voice, ancient and strong, filled Herb’s mind.
“Makoto needs me.”
“Does she mean so much to you?”
Without hesitating at all, Herb answered, “Yes.”
“Would you sacrifice everything just for a human?”
Herb was caught somewhat off guard by the way that question was phrased, but she didn’t really have the time to dwell on it. “Yes.”
“Even your humanity?”
She couldn’t help but feel a small amount of anger building up at the constant questioning, “YES!”
Shen Long held out her hand to Herb. “Then accept your heritage and my legacy.” As Herb grasped her hand, her ancestor’s shape grew into her true form. The former princess felt something awaken inside of her as the real world once again intruded into her vision.
A grin split Fauntleroy’s reptilian face as he felt Herb weaken. Satisfaction became astonishment when suddenly the blade, which before had only been a foot in length, suddenly grew to five feet. Scale and bone split in two as the now incredibly sharp weapon bit easily into Fauntleroy’s armored hide. Bellowing in pain, the dragon reared back its head, sending a spray of blood gushing out of the wound. Fauntleroy shook his head wildly from side to side as he fought to control the intense pain that seared through his skull. As his vision slowly cleared, his eyes fell upon the source of his agony and for a moment he could only stare in amazement.
The sword that had once been held awkwardly now seemed to be growing out of Herb’s hand. As he watched, the scales that formed the hilt shifted, sliding to wrap around her hand. Fauntleroy could only continue to stare as flesh and scale melded and the blade seemed to split into five separate claws. As he watched, Herb’s form shifted and grew, twisting and elongating impossibly until what stood before him was nothing other than an Imperial Eastern Dragon.
Silvery white scales covered the long, sinuous, serpentine body of the newly formed dragon. A ridge ran down the center of its back, from the tip of its tail to the top of its skull. The fine hair and scales that made up the ridge were colored in shimmering shades of red and pink that accented the silver color that made up the rest of it’s body. A pair of thick, powerful legs emerged two-thirds of the way down its body. They ended in five claws, four forward, one centered to the back. Another set of strong legs was set one-third of the way down from its head. Like the rear set, they ended in five sharp talons. Long tufts of blue hair sprouted from the ankles and shoulders, and a mane drifted along the first part of its neck. A short, beardlike growth of cobalt blue hair dangled in twin tufts from its lower jaw and two enormous whiskers emerged from near the end of its long muzzle. Twin rounded sets of pronged horns emerged from the back of its head behind large, furred ears. The large, expressive eyes were violet. Where Fauntleroy’s face was innately cruel, the new dragon’s features appeared nobler.
“What the-?” Fauntleroy said eloquently.
“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!” The roar thundered across the countryside and rattled Fauntleroy’s teeth in his skull. Before the western dragon could react, the Imperial dragon launched itself at him. Seventy feet of coiled fury slammed into Fauntleroy with the force of a freight train. Fang and claw flashed as Herb tore into her opponent with an almost demonic rage.
Fauntleroy was far more experienced in fighting as a dragon than Herb was, but he was already suffering from compound wounds. Shock at Herb’s transformation, a broken wing, charred flesh, and a slightly twitchy nervous system due to Makoto’s spell all worked together to give the Eastern dragon the initial advantage. However, Fauntleroy saw that Herb still suffered from her wound, and her rear legs didn’t seem to be functioning very well. If he could just get some distance and draw the battle out, he should be able to out-endure his opponent.
His opportunity came, but it had a high cost. A claw slashed across Fauntleroy’s face, the sharp talons tearing deeply into one side and gouging across an eye. Fauntleroy bellowed in pain and rage, but he saw that the move had left Herb open to a counterattack. With a quick twist of his head, he drove one of his curved horns into the other dragon’s stomach, further gashing open the wound there. The impact and pain made Herb stumble back, and her weakened legs gave out underneath her, sending her crashing to the ground. Fauntleroy backpedaled to get some distance and consider his next move. It had been a very long time since he had dueled another dragon, and he had never yet fought one of his Eastern relatives. His broken wing was going to severely limit his mobility and the loss of his eye would hamper him up close, if Herb got on his blind side. Despite her injuries, he could tell that Herb outclassed him in strength, making close-quarters combat even more risky. His only option was to stay at range.
Unleashing a blast of his fire breath, he growled a bit as Herb managed to throw herself to the side. The growl changed tones as he noticed her wound getting just a little bit worse from the quick move. A few more like it and the battle would be over. Rearing back his head, he prepared another blast.
Something slammed into his head from his blind side. Whatever it was scorched his hide and cracked one of his horns. Whipping his head around he looked for the source. The mageling, Ranma, was still down, as was the weapon master, Ukyou, and his traitorous wife, 6. The other little girl, the redhead, had vanished. To his surprise, the only living creature that could possibly have been responsible was 38. The purple worm had apparently recovered from his earlier blow and was now glaring darkly at him from some distance away. Fauntleroy glared back at her for a moment as he considered the fact that the only way she could have struck him was to have used her breath weapon, a sparkling beam of energy. He knew she had treasonous thoughts, and was subtly helping his enemies, but the idea of her openly betraying him by actually striking him was so inconceivable that he could only stare in shock.
Fauntleroy only had a few moments to consider this fact before anger drove all sense of reason from his mind. Bellowing his fury, he turned away from his injured opponent and began stomping his way towards the purple wurm. Flames licked at his muzzle and danced in the air around his head as he made his way towards her. Ducking his head, he avoided her next breath attack. He felt a small sense of satisfaction as the angry expression on 38’s snake-like face turned to fear. Rearing back in preparation for his own breath, Fauntleroy prepared to kill his wife.
Another sparkling beam slammed into his head, this time from his good side. Sparing a moment to glance at his new attacker, he saw a half-dozen flying youma bearing down on him. A barrage of sparkling magic tore at his body as flames, ice, lightning, and other energies lanced against his armored hide. Normally, such attacks could be shrugged off with only minor effort, but the loss of many of his scales allowed the magic to bite deeply, sending searing pain throughout his body. Fanning his attack to create a temporary wall of flame in the air, he tried to shield himself with his fire breath. It worked partially, as the youma had to dive away to avoid being charred. However, backup was quickly arriving as youma on the ground began to join in on the attack. Anger fed his flames as he saw several of the youma who were supposed to be on his side join his enemies. Breathing in a circle, he managed to clear the area around him, but that didn’t stop several of the magical women from taking to the air again to continue their spells. He could also make out 38 preparing to launch another one of her attacks.
Before he could respond, a glimpse of movement grabbed his attention. Moments later Herb’s body once again slammed into his. This time, however, the former prince had learned her lesson and immediately latched her fanged mouth onto Fauntleroy’s throat. Biting deeply, she felt his life-blood begin to pour out, sliding down her throat in a disturbingly pleasant manner as she thrashed about. Though her rear legs were nearly useless, her front claws scratched and gouged at her foe, destroying more scales and creating a veritable fountain of blood. Throwing her massive weight to one side while pulling sharply, Herb unbalanced her opponent and sent Fauntleroy rolling across the ground. Still latched onto his throat, Herb used the momentum to coil around Fauntleroy’s body and squeeze like a boa constrictor. The unmistakable sound of bones snapping preceded a last, violent heave as a veritable geyser of blood erupted. Herb’s head came away from her foe, the torn remnants of Fauntleroy’s throat dangling from her jaws.
Blood and flesh washed over the Eastern dragon’s face and body, as well as spraying the immediate area, as Fauntleroy’s body spasmed violently in its death throes. Spitting out the flesh in her mouth, Herb gave her fallen foe one last, mighty squeeze before releasing him and turning to Makoto. Kneeling next to her was Siofra, who stared up at Herb with a look that combined awe, joy, and fear all into one. The dragon limped her way over to the fallen girl’s form and nuzzled her gently. When Herb pulled her head away, she saw that Fauntleroy’s blood, which had covered the Imperial dragon’s muzzle, now was smeared over Makoto’s side. The image forced her to recall the hallucination she had seen earlier and a cold shiver ran through her spine. Instead, she began to call Makoto’s name softly. The young woman didn’t respond at first, but when Herb gave in to a whim and licked her face once, the brunette giggled and gradually started to wake. Sitting up slowly, the brunette gazed into the eyes of the dragon and, without a moment’s hesitation, smiled and gently stroked his nose.
Siofra blinked in surprise at that. She had fully expected for her sister to react hysterically and had planned on a long explanation of what had happened. Just to play it safe, she said, “Do you know who that is?”
Makoto, with eyes that didn’t quite seem to focus, nodded with a smile. “Herb-chan.” As she stood up rather shakily, the cloak that Herb had wrapped around her earlier fell to the ground. The dragon’s face took on an amusingly uneasy expression, which caused the brunette to giggle. “What’s wrong?”
“Uhm, Makoto…” Herb began, her voice sounding oddly loud to her own ears. “You’re… naked.”
Makoto glanced down for a moment before looking Herb’s body over. “So are you.” Everyone present was treated to the wondrous sight of a blushing dragon.
Siofra, suppressing a giggle, tapped Makoto on the shoulder. “Mother and father might be upset if they saw you this way.”
Makoto shrugged at that, the dreamy expression still on her face. With a simple thought, she summoned the mage suit her father had insisted on getting for her. The dark green material seemed to form around her body, hugging her form tightly. To Herb’s eye, it was only barely above being naked. She could still see the generous swell of her breasts, the pleasant curve of her rear, and the… Herb closed her eyes to avoid the possibility of more blood loss. Makoto giggled at that and returned to her gentle stroking of Herb’s scaled jaw, twining her fingers through the silken tufts of hair that fell beard-like from the dragon’s face.
“MAKO-CHAN!”
The brunette turned at the cry to see her father picking himself, or rather herself, off of the ground. “Hi, dad!” Patting the dragon on the cheek, she yelled out, “Look what Herb-chan can do! Check out all his majesty!”
Ranma paused for a moment as her words sank in. ‘Herb-CHAN?’ Then her state of dress caught the redhead’s eye. “What happened to your clothes?!”
Makoto looked down and shrugged. Blood, splashed onto her by Fauntleroy’s death throes, had seeped through parts of her suit. “Burninated.” A few moments later, a thundering crash echoed throughout the area as Herb passed out from her injuries, her head coming to rest next to Makoto. The brunette, her body deciding that Herb had the right idea, crawled onto Herb’s muzzle like it was a sofa and curled up before going to sleep.
Consciousness slowly returned to Makoto in a hail of images and sounds. Blinking wearily, she slowly sat up and looked around. To her surprise, she saw that she was in what was obviously a throne room. A small groan escaped her lips, which brought an immediate reaction in the form of three sets of arms all competing to crush the life out of her. Recognizing the death grips from many months before, she hugged her family back. An idle, still waking portion of her mind noted that her father was back in his male form. “Mom? Dad? Shi-chan? What’s goin’ on?” Ranma’s voice was filled with concern as he asked her what she remembered. “Er… I remember trying to cast a spell on Faunty, and then passing out. I seem to remember Herb being a dragon at one point or another, but that could have just been an hallucination.”
“Not quite.”
Makoto turned to the source of the voice and blinked a few times in surprise. “Okay, so that wasn’t a dream.” Her eyes drifted over Herb’s body, noting that he really did look quite majestic as a dragon. The Imperial dragon was lying on her side, coiled loosely around her human-sized throne. “It looks nice on you.”
Once again, everyone present was treated to the interesting sight of a blushing dragon. “Thank you.”
“Soooo…” Makoto said slowly as she looked around the room, noting the presence of her family, Mint, Lime, and Pyrope. 6 and 38 were there in human form. “What happened while I was out?”
“According to your sister,” Ranma answered as he gave Siofra a little hug, “you pulled off a mother of a spell and nearly dropped Fauntleroy in one shot. You passed out immediately after and Herb went to finish off the lizard. He turned out to have been playing dead, grabbed Herb, and…” As an uncomfortable expression crossed his face, Ranma’s voice faded.
“And what?”
“Do you remember the sword I found?”
Makoto looked back at Herb. “Yes.”
“Fauntleroy made sure I was intimately familiar with its edge.”
Makoto’s eyes shot wide. “WHAT?! Are you all right?! Do you need a doctor?!”
A soft smile, looking rather strange on such an enormous creature, came to Herb’s face. “I am well, for the most part. Turning into a dragon saved my life and Jane is apparently quite skilled in the mending of wounds.” She nodded her head towards the currently human wurm.
Makoto gave a genuine smile of gratitude to the woman. “Thank you.” Jane looked decidedly uncomfortable at that.
“The battle,” Herb continued for Ranma, “did not go well at first, but then Jane, at great risk to her own life, distracted Fauntleroy, buying enough time for Siofra to convince some of my people who had joined Fauntleroy to switch sides. They, in turn, informed Pyrope and her sisters, who apparently decided to ignore my written orders not to interfere, of what had happened. When we all united, I was able to overwhelm and kill Fauntleroy. And that was when you awoke the first time.”
Makoto grinned a little. “I seem to remember someone licking me.”
“WHAT?!”
The brunette grimaced a bit at the unified cries of her parents. “He was just trying to wake me up!”
“By licking you?!” Ranma took a threatening step towards Herb and growled. Mint and Lime both started to move forward, but Herb waved them away.
“Please, forgive me. I was not really thinking very clearly, and I didn’t want to risk hurting her with these.” Herb held up her claws. “I wanted to make sure that she was all right.” Herb’s answer seemed to appease Ranma somewhat, as the martial artist backed down and returned to his wife and daughters’ sides.
As a thought occurred to Makoto, a hint of fear entered her heart. As she turned away from her parents to look back at Herb, she was surprised to see the dragon looking back at her with a concerned expression. Her eyes flickered towards the two pseudo-dragons as she spoke. “What about the law?”
Makoto and Herb both saw Jane and 6 go rigid at that. A look of fear started to come to their faces, which surprised both Herb and Makoto. Letting it go for now, Herb responded to her. “That… has not yet been brought up.” With a gentle sigh, she continued, “But there is no sense in putting it off any more.” Craning her long neck so that she could gaze directly at the two not-quite-women. 6 began to tremble with barely suppressed fear, but Jane had a determined look on her face that Herb couldn’t quite understand.
“Wait!” Herb turned to Siofra in surprise. “The law only applies to Musk, right?”
“Yes, but-“
“When Fauntleroy kicked you out, didn’t that mean that you’re no longer Musk?”
The dragon blinked. And then blinked again. “Correct.”
“So instead of automatic death, don’t they get to decide your punishment?”
A feeling of relief, mixed with tension as well, rushed through Herb’s body. “You are correct.” Turning to the thoroughly confused and still fearful pair of women, Herb addressed them. “In case you are not familiar with them, our laws state that since I killed Fauntleroy, the as then rightful,” Herb could not keep the bitterness out of her voice at that word, “ruler of my people, as his only known family, you have the right to determine my punishment. For murdering your husband, my life is in your hands.” The great dragon bowed her head and closed her eyes.
Jane and 6 stared first at Herb and then at each other. Confusion replaced fear, and was followed by immense relief. Barely able to keep from laughing, Jane turned back to Herb. “Oh… is that all? We thought… well, never mind what we thought…” Jane gave Herb’s words some thought for a few moments before answering. “As my choice of punishment, I order you to find some way of doing for us what you did for yourself. Find a way to make us full dragons. Oh, and declare my name officially ‘Jane’.”
Makoto cheered happily, relieved that Herb was going to be all right. The dragon showed more restraint, but the swishing of her tail and the lessening of tension along her body showed her relief. “I hereby declare that your name among my people will never again be 38. From this day forth, you are Jane. And I swear upon my honor that I will do everything in my power to help you become full dragons.”
Jane smiled triumphantly. “Finally.” She closed her eyes and reveled for a moment at finally having a real name. “Until you do, 6 and I will help you try and learn how to shift back and forth between your dragon and human forms.”
Herb looked a bit surprised at that. “I will be able to become human again?”
“You should be able to,” Jane answered with a nod. “It just might take some work for one who wasn’t born with the talent.”
Herb nodded in gratitude towards her before turning to Jane’s dark-skinned companion. “And what punishment would you choose for me?” A bit of tension returned to Herb’s body, for though Jane had actively turned against her former husband, 6 had not. Everyone turned to look at the woman, who looked decidedly uncomfortable and nervous.
“I… uh, I don’t know… I… but… he…” She continued babbling for a bit, but her voice slowly trailed away. “Can I decide later?” She finally asked.
“Whatever you choose, 6, you have as much time as you wish. It has been known in the past that some chose to avoid deciding for years just to prolong the agony for the murderer.”
6 nodded with some relief, but said nothing else.
Jane suddenly raised her hand, gaining everyone’s attention again. “Can I tack on something to mine?”
Herb cocked an eyebrow at her. “Until my punishment is completed, you may add whatever you wish. It is the law.”
“Then I’d like you to give 6 an official name as well. I’m kind of tired of calling her a number.”
“38! No! I don’t-“
Jane cut her off with a glare. “I am not 38 any more! I am Jane! And since a certain arrogant bastard is dead, you’re not 6.” The dark-skinned woman suddenly turned pale, but her companion ignored her. “There is no 6. 6 is gone! And SHE,” the raven-haired woman pointed at Herb, “has the power to give you a real name!” As her former co-wife began to tremble, Jane laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Let him go. He didn’t love us. You heard him. He never really planned on using the Draconis Amorph spell on us. Let him go, Helen.”
“H-Helen?” The dark-skinned woman said with a stutter.
Jane smiled with a nod before turning to Herb. “Name her Helen.”
Herb glanced at the woman in question, who was mouthing the name as if she could taste it. As a slow smile spread over the former 6’s face, Herb nodded and proclaimed her new name. A sense of satisfaction built in the dragon’s heart as tears of joy began to form at the corner of her eyes.
Makoto, taking advantage of the silence that followed, walked a bit unsteadily over to Herb and gently rested a hand on the dragon’s cheek. “So, do you think you’ll be able to reverse your curse once you learn how to shift back.”
“I hope so. While I have no ill will towards the female gender, I would appreciate being able to change back into my male form.” Herb’s head tilted to the side. “I wonder if the curse would affect this form as well.”
“Oooooh, a male dragon? My heart’s all a flutter,” Makoto teased with a smile. Herb blushed fiercely and looked away. As he did, his gaze fell on the startled faces of Jane and Helen.
“I forgot about the curse,” Jane said quietly. Fear started to return to her features, confusing everyone present.
What was more confusing was the look of excitement that came to the normally timid Helen. “She’s really a he! That’s right! And a dragon!”
Jane turned quickly towards her friend, “Helen, don’t do it!”
“But we have to! It’s the law!” Turning to Herb, she gave a small bow and smiled just a little, “Sir, as your punishment I order you to-“
Jane screamed, “HELEN, DON’T!”
But the drake ignored her, “Accept dragon law, and in so doing, take us in as your wives through right of conquest.”
Dead silence filled the room and went unbroken for several moments. “WHAT!?!” Makoto’s scream echoed strangely throughout the room.
With a somewhat triumphant look on her face, Helen explained. “According to dragon law, when two dragons of the same gender fight and one dies, the victor gains all of the fallen’s property, including his wives. By accepting dragon law and taking us as his wives, Herb will be protecting us from being ‘acquired’ by any other dragons.” Turning to Jane, she continued, “We’ll be safe!”
In sub-vocal tones that only Helen and Herb could pick up, Jane growled at the dark-skinned woman. “We would have been safe when he found out how to replicate the spell that changed him! But now we’re tied to him forever! You just threw away our freedom!”
Helen shook her head and replied in the same sub-vocal tones. “I was just following the laws of our people.”
Jane glared at her, but Helen just turned away.
Makoto stared at them both in shock, her mind numb and her heart nearly bursting as the realization of what just happened sank in. Turning fearfully towards Herb, she could already tell what the dragon was going to say next.
With a sense of composure suitable for a prince, Herb spoke evenly. “I accept your punishment and agree to follow dragon law. As such, I will take you, Jane and Helen, as my wives.”
Helen beamed happily as the sense of security that had vanished when Fauntleroy turned against them returned full force. Jane, however, looked like she couldn’t decide whether to throw up or strangle Helen. She did neither when Makoto’s rigid body caught her eye. Ignoring the dark-skinned woman, Jane focused all of her attention on the brunette.
“H-herb…” Makoto’s voice cracked. The dragon didn’t move, her eyes still rooted on her two new wives. “I… I’m glad you’ll be safe. I w-w-want you to be happy and I h-hope you have a wonderful life.” Wheeling around quickly, but not fast enough to hide the tears streaming down her face, she turned to her father. “Can we go home? Now? Please?”
Ranma quickly wrapped his arms around his daughter and without a word began walking her towards the exit at a fast pace. As he opened the door, he took the opportunity to look back at Herb. If the dragon had been any lesser being, the cold, poisonous hate in Ranma’s gaze would have struck him dead. The look ended as Ranma led his daughter outside. Siofra followed quickly behind them, not looking at anything. Ukyou, however, remained behind.
Once she was sure the rest of her family was out of hearing range, she walked up to Herb. “I understand why you did what you did,” she said in smooth tones. She slowly reached up and gently pulled the dragons head around so that she could gaze right into her eyes. “But you still hurt my daughter.” Faster than anyone could react, she drew her combat spatula and struck Herb on the side of her head with such force that the haft of the weapon snapped in two. As the dragon crashed to the ground, her coiled form nearly toppling the throne, the end of the weapon ricocheted off and embedded itself in the wall. Casting aside the hilt, Ukyou turned around and stalked towards the door. Mint and Lime started to move to intercept her, but the cold stare she gave them froze the two battle hardened warriors in place. The fact that Herb was picking herself up and obviously not gravely injured helped keep them from chasing after her as she slammed the door shut with an echoing thud.
As she recovered her composure, Herb closed her eyes. “I do not wish to be disturbed. Everyone leave.” ‘Everyone’ was said while the dragon looked directly at her new wives. The two women and the Musk warriors immediately complied, but Pyrope made sure she was the last one out. As she left, she saw a tear fall from the dragon’s eye. A heavy feeling in her heart, the youma gently closed the door.
Author’s note:
I did not color code the mage suit to fit Makoto. Green is used in the Gold Digger universe to signify Nature mages, such as druids. I do not plan on giving the Senshi mage suits to match their transformed colors. That would be silly, not to mention a bit of an eyesore.
Trogdor's majesty and his burnination belong to homestarrunner.com.