The Rangers sat under a starlit sky as the moon lighted the guild with its pure bright shine. Under the night sky, tales were told of the bravery of the Dragon Rangers and the valiant Dragon Knights that fought on the side of humanity with the Dragons during the Drӓkan War.
Then without warning, Sir Raphael arose from his seat and motioned to the three Teams to arise. He wished to introduce them to the rest of the guild. Everyone suddenly became silent and listened with rapt attention to what he was about to say. He introduced Teams Ayenhayze and Senshiiro without incident. On the part of Team Kira, he introduced Mistress Kira first, then Darak, he had to ask for Reis' name before introducing him successfully though. Then finally…
"And finally, this young lady here is Aurora Saggeese" he finally said.
Suddenly murmurs arose among the Rangers and then even sudden than the murmurs, loud cheers broke out.
"I knew she was related to the late King and Queen. The resemblance is uncanny!" someone said.
"She has more of her mother's features and her grace" another voice said.
"The Princess was alive all along? The Princess is alive? Then our troubles will soon be over" another person said.
Aurora began to feel uneasy. Her parents died because of the lies Erikkus Di Devilli spread and it was the hatred the people had for the royal bloodline of Saggeese that directly or otherwise led to their deaths and now the same people were celebrating her life? It was a different reaction from what she initially anticipated and she hoped it would end there before the people had any chance to hang their expectations upon her shoulders yet truly enough, the people's conversation began to centre around that one topic.
"If the princess is alive and this young lady really is she, then what we want to know is when are you going to lead us in an effort to liberate Saggeese?" one person suddenly asked the one question Aurora had dreaded the entire time.
"We've been waiting for a miracle like this to happen. The princess being alive must mean that the time is right to strike back against Erikkus Di Devilli!" someone else said and the people seemed to generally agree on this.
Aurora gulped and with bitter feelings beginning to swell in her heart, she ran from the crowd with Reis chasing worriedly after her. Darak looked at Mistress Kira and shook his head to indicate that he did not understand her reaction. Mistress Kira suddenly let out a sympathetic sigh.
"I'm sure Saggeese brings back a lot of bitter feelings and seeing the crowd want to topple their ruler enforces memories Aurora would rather forget. For now let us hope Reis can help her adjust to being here" Mistress Kira said quietly to Darak and the members of the other Teams.
"Aurora!" Reis called worriedly as he chased her into the forest.
It was darker there than it was in the village.
"Eyes Of The Kaignis King" Reis called and his eyesight improved greatly to help him better view his surroundings in the darkness.
"Aurora!" he called again and searched for her. He found her eventually with her hand on the bark of an old tree and her back to him.
"How could they soon forget the pain they caused my family? How could they so soon forget that they chose Erikkus Di Devilli over the rightful rulers of Saggeese and how could they dare to ask me to fight a war for them knowing all this?!" Aurora lamented.
"I see, you haven't quite gotten over the pain of losing your family to Saggeese have you?" Reis said sympathetically.
"I almost did. After realizing my love for you at the verge of your death, I thought I could let go finally of Jared's death as long as I had you beside me but just when everything began to get better, I had to return to the place that took everything from me" Aurora cried.
"You know…you cannot blame everyone for what happened in Saggeese all those years ago. People change and so do their feelings and perceptions of people. They seem to have finally realized their mistake after all these years. You've got to let your people into your heart Aurora" Reis said silently.
"At this moment, I do not consider them my people. They renounced me and my family all those years ago and I in turn renounced them. They are Erikkus Di Devilli's people" Aurora said bitterly.
"You know what I'm trying to say…that is…if you're Aurora Saggeese, heir to the Saggeesian throne. I will not ask you to fight a war for Saggeese and I know that it might even be too much to ask you to forgive your people. Aurora Saggeese, either way I love you all the same and I will continue to fight for what we believe in but if you believe that the people that have put their hopes in you right now are the people of your adversary…then Armageddon has already won before we'll ever get a chance to fight" Reis said.
Aurora tried to shut out Reis' voice but in her heart she knew that he was telling her the truth and he wasn't speaking lightly either. She knew that his life in Saggeese had never been easy since the people in their allegiance to Erikkus Di Devilli detested him and his family but things were changing. The awe Erikkus Di Devilli had over them was beginning to wane and the people had begun to see him for who and what he was, an usurper and a tyrant.
Even more important than this perhaps was the hope they had begun to place in Saggeese's true royal bloodline. Now everything related to Saggeese and its continued existence was gradually being put into the hands of Aurora Saggeese and she had a decision to make. Reis regardless of personal feelings was putting the kingdom, perhaps even the world of Ryugaeia first, then why couldn't she?
She turned to look at him. His eyes showed determined resolve. She looked away feeling that his resolve only mirrored her hesitation to act. She couldn't let him see her waver. She took in a deep breath and sighed.
"I hope you'll stand by me regardless of my decision" Aurora said.
"I may not agree with your decision Aurora but I will stand by you as long as our beliefs do not clash" Reis said.
Moments later, Reis and Aurora stood once more before the people.
"Have you made your decision Princess Aurora Saggeese?" the people asked eagerly.
"Will you fight with us?"
"I have come to a decision and it shouldn't surprise you seeing as you are Dragon Rangers yourselves. I have come to you from the central guild not as Princess Aurora Saggeese, heir to the Saggeesian throne but as Aurora Saggeese the Dragon Ranger and as Dragon Ranger, I refuse to be the trigger and catalyst for a war in Saggeese…however seeing as I cannot ignore my vows as Dragon Ranger to protect the weak and free the oppressed…I will protect you…if I must!" Aurora declared.
There was a silence that showed that the people did not expect that answer along with initial disappointment but then the people gathered their senses and cheered Aurora loudly.
That night, Reis sat in a tent prepared for the boys. He was thinking of his grandfather. He hadn't seen him since he joined the Dragon Rangers and that was well over a year ago.
"I know Reis. You're back in your homeland and you must be worried about your gramps but you need to focus on the present for now. The Dragonlord probably has a plan which I believe might ultimately save Saggeese. You heard him. He doesn't intend for us to be passive" Shin said.
"I didn't want to look weak in front of Aurora when she was struggling to endure being in Saggeese again but I have concerns of my own. We can't afford to start a war in Saggeese by provoking Erikkus Di Devilli but I doubt we can stand and watch him do as he likes with the people here" Reis said.
"I get what you're trying to say but don't be rash Reis. Being patient and doing nothing are not the same thing" Shin advised.
"I know Shin but I don't want to lose the chance to do what I can while I can. I don't want to have regrets" Reis said.
"I don't know what you're getting so worked up about Reis. Sometimes when you can't think around a problem, the best thing to do is to be straightforward about it. Some problems are solved not with tact but with overwhelming force" Darak said with a smirk and punched his palms.
"I most certainly do not doubt your capacity to start a one man war Darak but do your best to hold your destructive impulses in" Shin said with a laugh.
"I'm going out for some air" Reis said and walked out on them.
Once outside, he found Aurora standing outside her tent as well. She noticed him and approached him.
"Can't sleep?" she asked.
Reis nodded.
"Yeah, me too" Aurora said.
She leaned on the tent beside him.
"I must say I admired your decision Aurora. You clearly have your perspective right and you're able to prioritize your duty as Dragon Ranger over your feelings of loss as the Princess Of Saggeese" Reis said.
"The people here aren't that bad. I also know when it is imperative to be patient Reis after all it was you who taught me 'there are more variations of battle than those that are fought with a sword'" Aurora said.
Reis nodded. He still looked very serious.
"I can't sleep because I feel the people here are giving me too much credit. They're probably hanging hopes on me that I can't even begin to imagine how to fulfil. What's your excuse?" Aurora asked.
"We must not allow the enemy to provoke us into starting a war. We must be patient. I understand that but at the same time our oath as Dragon Ranger is to protect the weak and free the oppressed. Will we really be able to stomach watching all that happens to the people of Saggeese without acting?" Reis asked.
"It's rare for you to be the one who needs advice Reis but you're letting the enemy's might oppress your mind right now" Aurora said as she flicked Reis playfully on the forehead.
Reis opened his eyes as a sudden wave of realization hit him.
"Oppress the mind? Aurora! You are a genius!" Reis exclaimed in joy.
"I know I am. After all I am a member of the guild's strongest rookie team" Aurora said with a laugh.
"That's not what I meant" Reis laughed in response.
"There are many forms of oppression that have nothing to do with a whip just as there are many variations of battle that have nothing to do with a sword. Did you notice the atmosphere in this guild when we arrived?" Reis asked.
"It was lively. They are living in Saggeese under Erikkus Di Devilli's rule however the weight of his presence is not felt here" Aurora said.
"And in Tyron his influence was quite minimal. One way to fight Erikkus Di Devilli off is to starve the oppressive atmosphere of fear he has created. On this front, we can battle without directly engaging in warfare" Reis suggested.
"How do we do that?" Aurora asked.
"The difference between the Dragon Rangers and everyone in Saggeese is that we have a hope we strongly believe in. We know that Armageddon will eventually lose and so will Erikkus Di Devilli. The people living under him probably have that hope as well but it might seem distant to them after all these years of oppression" Reis said.
"So we ignite that hope right? But where do we begin Reis?" Aurora asked.
"Well I know just where to begin. It was bothering me for a while now but isn't it quite a coincidence that our trade ship is called Benedict's Ark?" Reis laughed.
"What's this Benedict's Ark?" Aurora asked.
"It's an element of the dream I told you about before. I have a plan however it will involve the help of all the rangers in this guild" Reis said.
The following day, Reis, Aurora and the rest of the team stood before the Dragon Rangers.
"WHAAAAAAAAT?! R-Repeat what you just said. You want us to begin holding Trade Fairs all across Saggeese? That's your plan for toppling Erikkus Di Devilli?!" the people exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's part of my plan…yes. We need to send a clear message to Erikkus Di Devilli and the people of Saggeese that though we do not intend to start a war, we can break the atmosphere of oppression by giving the people of Saggeese the will to live strongly. It's a message to Erikkus Di Devilli as well. 'We may not intend to start a war here but we are watching'" Reis said.
"But we can't do this alone. We need your help and the co-operation of the other guilds" Aurora said.
"Well if the princess says so I certainly won't object" one person said.
"If things get dangerous princess you can count on us" another person said and right then and there, the members of the guild swore their allegiance to Princess Aurora Saggeese.
"What do you think Sir Raphael?" Reis asked.
"What do I think? We are going to need more ships" Sir Raphael said. "Leave the preparations to me. I will inform the Central Guild to send more supplies our way and get the other guilds on board" he said and left the gathering.
Over the next few days, letters were sent to the Central Guild and the other guilds. Reia received a letter as well since Jared kept in touch with the Central Guild.
"What's going on?" Jared asked Reia when the letter was received.
Reia read it.
"It's your sister Jared. As amazing as it sounds she's waging a war on a whole new front none of us could have ever anticipated. She has chosen to fight for the broken spirits of the people in Saggeese instead of waging a war to reclaim the kingdom" Reia said.
"My big sister is amazing as always. Let's coordinate our efforts to her plan and see what happens" Jared said.
"The fact that both of you are alive is at present the greatest threat to the enemy's schemes. Your presence will serve as a counterbalance to his" Reia said.
She relayed the plan to the rangers.
"Where the Prince and Princess go, we will follow" the rangers swore their allegiance to Jared and Aurora.
In all the various guilds, the message was relayed and in every one of them, the rangers swore their allegiance to Aurora and Jared Saggeese.
In the Saggeesian Royal Castle, the enemy noticed a great stirring in the balance of good and evil.
"I don't know what you're planning Reis Dragonhaӓrt and Aurora Saggeese but I understand your message clearly. 'We are watching' was it? I see you intend to bind the Severing however when the time is right I shall show you just how futile your plots are. After all, the Severing can be reinforced through its linchpin. Aurora Saggeese, you are that linchpin" the enemy declared.