Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire Epilogue

The last chapter. Wow. Um. Awkward. New story coming out soon though, yay! Well. Um. Read on, I suppose.

____________________________________________________________________________

The man, with his back straight and his legs stiff, marched into the throne room of the young Grand High Emperor. Master Hayden Drake had recently graduated from Xuétú to Zhǔ, and despite the insistance of many others his heart was still set on staying with the Diànlì shuòshì.

Well he, Marvin Gamera, was there to change that. The Dragon girl was a hazard, a symbol of what could happen if society allowed females to have power. She couldn't stay with the Grand High Emperor without ruining his already not-so-stellar reputation.

Marvin was expecting the Red Dragon Master to be sitting regally in his seat, perhaps conversing with a nobleman or reading a scroll. So it was quite a surprise when he found Master Drake balancing atop his throne, clashing swords with a long-haired woman that clung to one of the many pillars supporting the domed roof.

"Master Hayden!" he cried, scandalized. The young man dropped from his chair and into a crouch, popping back up as the Diànlì shuòshì landed beside him. Marvin scowled at them both. "What in the name of the Dragons are you two doing?"

Master Reiara (he still couldn't believe he was forced to call her that) smiled lazily at him. "Sparring, of course," she answered, as though it were obvious and he was an idiot for not realizing it immediately.

"I understand that," he seethed. His fists were clenched, almost drawing blood from the skin on his palms. "What I don't understand is why it has to be in the throne room." Master Hayden had the nerve to roll his ice blue eyes.

"So? We spar everywhere. The throne room, the dining room, outside in the courtyard... We have to kepp our skill level up and the only way to do it is to practice in a variety of locales." The young Emperor finished his explanation with a smirk, collapsing onto his throne sideways. Reiara joined him, perching on the armrest.

Marvin ignored all of it and bowed low. "I am Marvin Gamera; here to extricate improper behaviour and promote an appropriate conduct. Now, first things first-"

Both of them, seated on the throne as casually as if it were a wooden chair, laughed out loud. It mounted into full-blown belly laughs, until finally they were left wheezing on the chair, holding each other for support.

"Sorry, Marv," Master Hayden choked out. Sometime during their laugh attack Reiara had fallen into his lap, yet neither of them made any move to disengage themselves from their position. To the contrary, Hayden's arms tightened around Reiara's waist and both seemed quite content to rest there comfortably. "I don't really care about all of that stuff. You can just leave, or whatever. Sorry that you had to come out here, but I'm not interested."

"On the contrary, Grand High Emperor," Marvin said, glaring at them with as ferocious a look as he could muster. It must not have been very good, for they both broke into polite giggles. "On the contrary, you will be reconditioned and made to act as a Grand High Emperor is meant to act. Starting today."

Two pairs of eyes, one icy blue and one bright green, widened in surprise. Marvin felt proud that he had gotten through to them. Well, sort of.

In a blur of red and silver they were gone, robes streaming behind them as they raced down the hallway together. Cackles echoed off of the stone, filling the hall with their hysterical laughter. Marvin groaned. Here they were; a twenty-five year old man and a twenty-three year old woman, running away from him in laughter. He sighed, rapping his knuckled against the stone wall. It was going to be a long week.

*      *      *      *      *  

Everytime he saw them they were doing something crazy. Climbing the castle walls, swordfighting on the kitchen table, kissing in one of the many hearth-rooms. Marvin had just about had enough of them, but as soon as he tried talking to them they would be gone in a whirl of red and silver.

Finally he caught them sitting in a corner, reading together in the flickering light of a dull lamp. "Now, listen," he started, expecting a reaction but only receiving a small shrug, "I need the two of you to come with me. Your behaviour these past few days has been unacceptable and must be conditioned away."

"We aren't changing ourselves," Reiara muttered, turning slowly to glare at him with boredom and contempt. "We don't need some protocol-obsessed freak to tell us how to behave. As far as I know, Hayden decides what appropriate behaviour is. Thanks for trying, though." And she waved at him, a glittering diamond on her ring finger twinkling in the lamplight.

"The two of you are engaged?" Marvin screeched, his reedy voice shrill in even his own ears. "And you have yet to tell anyone about it?" Hayden shrugged carelessly.

"So far," he began, pulling Reiara up against his side, "the only people who know are our Dragons and the ones we care about. And, now you." Reiara grinned at him cheekily. All of a sudden she was out of his grasp, perched upon a bookshelf and eyeing her fiance mockingly.

"See ya later, Marv," Hayden called behind him as he chased after the Diànlì shuòshì. Marvin growled. He seethed, he stomped, he complained to himself. Why didn't anybody ever listen to him? Did he just have a face that nobody listened to?

Muttering darkly under his breath, the pompous man marched out of the library and down a hall, passing by a few guards patrolling the castle. They stared at him, silently, seeing his thin hands running through his auburn hair and his lips twisting in a silent tirade. When he was out of earshot, one of them glanced at his three partners.

"Third one this month, aye?"

_____________________________________________________________________

And we're done! Oh Noes! I'll miss it, I really will. Goodbye, Reiara and Hayden and Yín sè! I will miss you all!

Also, thanks to anyone who has stuck with me this long. I know it had to be frustrating, especially to the people who know me in real life and had to listen to me complain about my writer's block and lack of inspiration. Thanks to Hilroy for, erm, motivating me with pain.

Well, that sounded like an academy award speech or somethin'. Remember, I'm entering the Watty Awards so show your support! Thank you!

Oh, and if you've just finished Playing With Fire and want to check out more of my writing, check out my new novel A Mind Like Shattered Glass! It was my April 2013 Camp NaNo novel, and it also involves dragons! So please, give that a look!