Nocturnal Roses

Title: Nocturnal Roses
Author: Batwingedgirl
Summary: Rose and Lloyd meet in Donau afters years apart and reaquate their love.
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Lloyd / Rose
Feedback: desired! (Of course!)
Characters: These characters are from the video game The Legend of Dragoon
Betas: My subcontious for telling me to fix up this story, because the way it was before suuuccckkeeed.
Author’s notes: Rose and Lloyd are my favorite characters, so i paired them. Seemed like a good idea at the time. This was a story I originally wrote in 2000 (I was 13 then, which ought to explain the poor quality of the original “work”: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/298597/1/ ) back when I actually remembered the majority of what happened in this game.
Either way, this is just a brief reworking, and as much as i try to convince myself, it won't be elaborated upon. Sorry. :/
Disclaimer: These characters/ideals/etc are owned by... uh... Sony? Either way, no money is being made by me! :P Darn.

+~+~+
Lloyd walked slowly down the smooth cobblestone steps to the eastern side of Donau, where he was hearing quite a racket. He didn’t exactly want to find out what the cause of it was, but it was in the way of where he was headed, so he was choiceless. As he arrived he saw three members of the slimy Gengrich Gang robbing a helpless woman.

“Oh- help! Help me!” the woman yelled franticly when she saw Lloyd appear. She has been knocked to the ground, her purse clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

“You three better get away from her right now.” Said Lloyd, walking toward the three gang members, his leather-clad fists clenched tightly.

“Heh, and what are you going to do about it, exactly?” asked the leader of the three as the other two giggled behind him.

At the remark, Lloyd swiftly drew his fire-red sword and hacked the leaders bulb-like head clean off. The other two where struck frozen with fear, their tiny pupils focused on the bloody sight before them. Lloyd shook his sword residually, the blood slicking off and falling to the street with a horrible splat. He glanced at the two with cold eyes and they realized that they ought get out of his way- and fast. They stumbled past Lloyd and the frightened woman and ran out of the sleepy town, back to the barrens.

Lloyd resheathed his sword and began walking in his set direction again, stepping casually over the headless carcass. The woman stepped shyly up to him. “I’m Wink, one of the three sisters, and we thank you immensely. Please, sir, tell me your name.” She stood still, and waited nervously for his reply.

He stopped and turned his silver-haired head slightly. “It’s Lloyd.” He resumed walking leaving the woman standing there wordless.

+++

A rather hapless Dart and his large group of Dragoons walked into the heavenly, and bit heavily scented town. Their eyes lit up at the endless cascades of flowers. The colors swirling around them in the wind like they walked into the middle of a kaleidoscope.

“Hmm, maybe they worship flowers here; since they worship stars in Fletz.” Dart said to no one in particular.

“We better look around.” Rose said, in a low voice, stepping up beside him. “We must get your Dragoon spirit back, Dart.” Roses gaze drifted from the buildings in front of her to the steps leading to the east side of the village. She was sensing something every strange, but something very familiar all the same. She decided to keep the feeling to herself, in hopes not to frighten Shana. The perfume wind blew her dark hair.

Although it was already nearing sundown, the group ventured though most of the town, gathering information about the Valley of Disrupted Gravity and the notorious members of the gang who bravely resided there. At dusk they came again to the breezy entrance of the town with what scarce information they obtained.

“Well, is everyone ready? Well have to leave now if we want to make it there by at least noon tomorrow.” Dart said, his fingers clinging solemnly on the edges of his leather belt, fatigue showing in his green eyes.

“But, Dart!” Shana squealed. “I don’t want to leave yet! It’s so pretty here; lets just stay tonight and get rested. Please!” Shana protested, gripping his arm tightly.

Dart hardly thought about this. He was exhausted. “Alright.” He sighed. “It would be after midnight by the time we got to Fletz, anyway.” Dart said, putting his hand over Shanas.

Dart instructed everyone to meet outside of the inn the next morning as they all went off on their own. Shana took Dart to the garden that was overlooking the ocean where they waited for the stars to come out. Hashel went to the weapon shop to do a little haggling and Albert went into the inn and quickly fell fast sleep on the soft down. Rose, however, stayed where she was, sitting comfortably on the edge of the well, her arms crossed and her eyes closed in a sort of meditative stance.

After a few minutes, when she was sure she was alone, the curiosity of whatever was giving off such great power consumed Rose fully as she walked the paved steps to investigate. Down the small alley she discovered many different ladders, one leading to the mayors house and then several other colorful ladders that lead up to darkened balconies. Rose closed her eyes and walked slowly ahead, feeling her way to the correct one through pure intuition. When the aura of the strange force felt the strongest she stopped. She opened her eyes to find that she was standing underneath a lavender painted ladder. The paint was chipped a little, and it seemed a little flimsy on expectation, but safe nonetheless. Even if the ladder was falling apart, she probably would have climbed it just to discover what it was that was calling to her. Cautiously, she climbed up.

She crept into the dark room, and could feel the aura ever more intensely. The only light came from the newly arisen stars that where behind her, which was not enough to see anything at all. Suddenly, she felt as if the power was emitting from exactly in front of her; a cold shiver ran down her spine. She uneasily stepped back in the darkness. But before she could get far, two icy hands reached forward and grabbed her slight shoulders. She struggled out of the grip of the unknown hands.

“Who’s there?” She yelled uneasily, a bit shaken, holding out her rapier ready to strike.

“That’s what I ought to be asking, really.” Whispered the mellow, deep voice of the man.

“Lloyd…” Rose gasped, her black-metal rapier falling to her feet.

Lloyd smiled as he stepped closer to Rose, putting his hands around her waist- bringing her closer to him. She put her arms around his neck, as if they where together like this everyday; like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Rose grinned. “It’s been a while.” She said in a low voice.

“A while? More like a few centuries.” Replied Lloyd as he leaned down to give her a kiss. She returned his kiss, standing on her toes to reach his waiting lips. The kiss lasted an eternity to the two, their tongues desperately dancing with each other. Afterwards they just stood in each others quiet embrace, swallowed in the darkness of the room.

“Remember when we were teenagers, Lloyd?” asked Rose breaking the fragile silence and looking up to him, despite the fact that she could see nothing.

“Of course.” Lloyd sighed sadly. “Our love was taboo. The Winglies were ordered to slaughter all and any Dragoons. But I couldn’t kill you. I couldn’t. And I couldn’t let any of the others get a chance. So I let you go...” Whispered Lloyd.

“I never wanted to leave you. I would have stayed, even if it meant my own death.” Said Rose, on the verge of crying. “You are the only one who could ever make me smile.”

Lloyd kissed her gently again, as he brought his hands to her pale face and rubbed the tear that steamed down her face with his thumb. He tried to think of something no so unpleasant to talk about. “I saw you at the Hero’s Tournament.” Well, it was better than nothing.

“I saw you too, but I couldn’t talk to you- I was with Dart.” Said Rose bitterly, as she brushed her hand through his silver hair. “Forgive me?”

“Always.” Lloyd then escaped from her loving clutches for a few fleeting moments and walking over to a table that was against one of the walls, lighting a solitary candle, so they could see each other. The room was small, it had one door, and the floor was covered with pillows and flowers- mostly roses. The candle set off haunting shadows as Lloyd turned back to Rose, and Rose motioned towards one of the walls.

She walked over to one particularly comfortable looking gaggle of pillows and sat down gingerly, beckoning Lloyd. Lloyd sat barely down beside her before she quickly sucked him into a kiss, her tongue tangling with his. Lloyd slowly leaned Rose back, until she was lying under him, her pallid face lit up with a pink blush. After the exhausting kiss they opened their eyes and stared at each other, her mysteriously dark eyes into his bright golden eyes.

“God, Rose, I love you.” Lloyd said, finally, his hand stroking her mess of dark hair that was strewn on the pillows like a spiders web.

“I love you, too.” Rose whispered gently into Lloyds ear as he began to strip off her thin layers of purple armor and she began unbuckling his vest. “I love you so much, Lloyd.”

+++
That morning Rose awoke reluctantly in the morning light, Lloyds bare arms wrapped lovingly around her. She wanted to stay there forever, wrapped in the blanket of her only lover- but she knew she had no other choice.

“Lloyd.” Rose halfheartedly whispered as she squeezed out from his grasp.

His eyes opened slowly, his sadness reflecting in their golden recesses. Lloyd helped Rose get her armor back on, every so often running his fingers though her messy hair. Before she left, Lloyd went over to one of the plants growing in the room and plucked a single red rose.

He handed the rose to her, kissing her briefly, but said nothing. What good are words, anyway?

They finished dressing in the melancholy morning- until, at last, Rose made to leave, with one last look. Before she could, though, Lloyd took her into his trembling arms as they both began to cry their stoic tears. “Why can’t we be together?” asked Rose, her voice shaky.

“You know that.” Said Lloyd, as he kissed her cheek. “If I could change it I would…” Rose slowly backed up, her delicate fingers touching where he just kissed her, as if she was saving it eternally.

“I hope our paths cross again.” Rose said before slipping down the ladder, tears freely falling down her sad face. As she began to approach the inn she wiped away all evidence that she had been crying, and tried to dissolve all emotion, like she always did.

“Where have you been?” asked Dart, a look of sheer curiosity sweeping is face, as he watched her walk from the east side of Donau.

Rose didn’t answer; she just looked back at the ladder, and at the shadowy figure on the balcony. She clutched the poor rose until her fingers bled.

+++
So, how did you like it? I know it wasn’t the best, but I can only get better with suggestions, so suggest away!! ^^