One of the interesting side stories of the Lady Lex is that of young Brian McDowell. He's faced his demons a few times, and managed to show strength he didn't know he had. Yet he can't get over the one hump that keeps him from being whole. Will the teaches of Zjan-Ren finally come to fruition, or is Brian doomed to be a cripple with no confidence in his considerable abilities?
The Boys of Lady Lex Chapter 57 "Rise of the Dragon" Written By Douglas DD and Benjamin T. Collins
"I am not beaten, for my spirit is not dead," said Brian as he read from one of his favorite books. "And as long as long as my spirit lives, I am not beaten. For the only way to truly beat me is to kill my spirit long after my heart stops." Brian was stretched out on the floor, with a sword between his side and his arm, looking like it was stabbed into his body.
"Ahh, but Sir Franklin, I have beaten you," recited Trevor holding up one of Brian's swords. "Your heart barely forces the stubborn blood through your veins. And with each dying beat of your heart, your spirit dies along with it. And I will slay those who, like a dragon, try to keep your spirit alive. For your spirit isn't strong enough to defeat this might dragon master."
"You think you are going to kill my spirit, but you are badly mistaken. For my spirit will always live on. You are a brutal and arrogant King, and it is that that blinds you. The harder you try to kill my spirit, the stronger it will become."
Trevor pulls out his sword from Brian's side. "Perish you demon knight." Trevor thrusts the sword back into the side of Brian. Brian grimaces, acting like he is holding back the pain that King Randall had instilled into Sir Franklin.
"I am not the demon, for it is you who kills your own people; it is you who robs them of their dignity, their honor, their self respect." Brian starts acting like he is taking his final breaths. "You compare my spirit to that of a dragon and my body to that of a demon knight but beware, because long after the worms consume this shell, the dragon will rise." Brain then acted as if he died.
"Wait!! Hold everything!! I don't get it," said Trevor breaking character.
Brian sat up and leaned up against his bed. "What don't you get?"
"Sir Franklin is the good guy and he dies and the bad King wins. That's not right."
"Trevor, this is just book one of three. In the first book, The Call of the Dragon the reader is introduced to Sir Franklin and King Randall. As you read, all through the book Sir Franklin is always compared to dragons or referred to as having dragon type qualities. In book two, The Rise of the Dragon, you will find out that, even though Sir Franklin's flesh ceases to exist, his spirit lives on and it is that spirit that causes turmoil and trouble for the evil King Randall. Plus, we are introduced to a new character named Wriggly. But I won't tell you anything, because I want you to be surprised."
"Except for the ending, this was a pretty good book. What's the third book called?"
"'The Resurrection of the Dragon."
"Resurrection? Does that mean Sir Franklin comes back to life?"
"I'm not telling you. You just have to wait and find out." Brian stood up with some difficulty and started put his swords away. After he finished cleaning them up and putting them away he sat down on his bed, with Trevor sitting on a chair near the bed.
"So when do we get to read the next book?" asked Trevor.
"Tomorrow is a busy day. You have your baseball game and I have my fencing match. Maybe we can start it tomorrow night, if we are up to it."
"Yeah, I'll be up to it. So, are you ready to kick some Kriton ass tomorrow?"
Brian's look of contentment and peace turned into one of pure fear and depression. "It won't happen Trev."
"Sure it will. I know you Brian. You're a Bird of Prey."
"Trev, say what you want. But I am not a Bird of Prey."
"Sure you are."
"For one to truly be a Bird of Prey, he has to be accepted by the others and you and Ian are the only ones who accept it. Look, I enjoyed playing the capture-the-flag games and cruising with you guys, but I don't have what it takes to be a true Bird of Prey. But I'm ok with that," lied Brian.
"Say what you want, but you are a Bird of Prey." Trevor was one never to give up easily.
"But Spencer even said..."
"FUCK SPENCER!!! Spencer is King Randall and you are Sir Franklin. If you let your Bird of Prey spirit die, then Spencer wins. You have to let the dragon in you rise, show Spencer that you are a Bird of Prey."
"Trevor?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you come see my match tomorrow?"
"I'll be there, I promise. I have a baseball tomorrow, but it should be done in plenty of time before your match."
"I'm going to need you there."
"When the Hawke is around there is nothing to be scared off. I will be there. Don't you worry. I know you can kick that Kriton's ass."
Brian stared at his best friend. He felt things he hadn't felt before. He wanted to try things that he had never tried before. He so much wanted to try one of those rumors he heard about some of the boys on the Lexington. He wanted his nocturnal fantasies about him and Trevor to become reality. But how could he tell the coolest boy on the ship that he wanted to make love to him?"
Trevor realized it was getting late. So he said goodbye to his friend and headed back to his cabin where Ian was waiting for them. As Brian jacked himself off thinking about the Hawke, Ian was taking it up the butt from Trevor. Something that Brian wished could happen to him.
Brian McDowell stood in the corner of the arena by himself. He looked around as the Kritons were warming up. Ghargh, the Kriton he would be dueling it out with in the broad sword event, not only looked intimidating, but deadly. He showed no mercy to his practice partners, and he definitely showed no mercy to his opponents. He was the only one who had not yet lost a match, of all the cadets participating in the Fencing games. But behind the fear, Brian admired Ghargh. His stance, his technique, his style were unbelievably good. Before the accident, Brian would have given anything to challenge Ghargh to a duel. It would have given him such a rush, and a natural high, but now it only gave him fear.
"He's not unstoppable you know," said Zjan-Ren as approached Brian.
"Well, it won't be me who will stop him. I haven't won a match yet. And there is no way I can beat someone who hasn't lost a match yet."
"You already lost the match. Might as well forfeit."
"I can't forfeit."
"You are going in the image-maker already determined that you will lose. Young McDowell, that is the most deadly sign of not having balance. Your team is depending on you. Danny and Peter both won against their opponents, so we Kritons aren't totally unbeatable. Your team is relying on you. I don't have to tell you that if you beat Ghargh we win the game against them and it would put us in third place. There is no way we can knock the Kriton team from first. They already earned that, and the Orion already earned the silver. But the bronze is still out there and it is yours for the taking. You just need to go into that image-maker with balance. That is the only way you will win."
Brain felt tears building up. He did his best to fight them off. He looked over again at Ghargh. The fear rose all the more inside his crippled body. He felt nauseous and just wished that the weight of the bronze wasn't on his shoulders.
Brian glanced up at the stands. All of Danny's, Peter's and Cliff's friends were there. They had seen Danny and Peter win and Cliff losing in a grueling and record long dual. He was surprised that they were still there. He glanced around looking for the Hawke. But he was not there. None of the Birds of Prey was there. Douglas and Ben weren't there. As usual, he was alone. What bothered Brian the most was that the Hawke had promised him that he would be there to see him fight. But Brian thought that the Hawke had given up on his too, otherwise he would have been there.
Brian took in a deep breath to help fight his upset stomach. He took his sword and stepped into the image-maker. He knew that he would be dueling against a hologram generated from the real Ghargh in the image-maker next door, but those holograms felt too real at times.
Brian could hear the faint humming of the room. With a 10 second count of warning beeps, the dull gray room turned into the Arena. He could look up into the holographic images of what was actually happening outside the image-maker. His eyes then took him to the holographic image of Ghargh.
Ghargh stood tall and proud. He showed no mercy and had a look of determination to end this match quickly. The starting whistle sounded and before Brian could even get into position, the game was over. Ghargh came right at him and cut his holographic head off.
With the Kritons winning two matches and the Lexington winning two matches, it was a tied game. So a tie break match would take place. The team captain from each team would dual the other in each of the four weapons, the epee, the foil, the saber and the broad sword. Whoever won the best out of the four matches would win. If there was still yet another tie, the person who earned the last point got to chose which weapon would be used in the fifth and final match.
You didn't even try," snapped Danny Scully. He was by far the best swordsman on the team and always felt that he should have had the title of captain, not Brian. He always held that resentment towards Brian. He wouldn't care if Brian was good and tired, but he was just a scared cripple who had no reason to be fighting for them. After all, he wasn't a juvenile delinquent like the rest of them were.
Brian looked to the floor. He was ashamed and embarrassed, but he knew Danny was right. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Now, we're not gonna get the bronze because YOU are the team captain and you have to fight in the tie breaker."
"Young Scully, that is enough," snapped Zjan-Ren.
"I don't know why you ever chose him to be the team captain. He hasn't done anything to earn it or even deserve it."
Zjan-Ren shot a look at Danny. Danny knew he spoke too much. And he backed down.
"Young McDowell. The first match is with the epee. Get into your safety gear. You fight against Ghargh again. But this time it's not in the image-maker. Brian nodded his head and went to get into the proper gear.
Brian stood with the Epee. It was much lighter then his broad sword. It didn't weigh down his bad arm as much. Brian checked the stands again and still no Hawke or any other Birds of Prey. Even his teammate's friends had left. Everyone knew it was over and the Kritons would win the game.
The starting whistle was sounded. But soon the match was over. Ghargh managed to score one point effortlessly off of Brian. Ghargh was smug and confident. He knew this human was no match for him and the game was theirs. Ghargh knew he would bring honor to his people and to his Kalair.
Brian took the foil from Zjan-Ren in exchange for the epee. Brian looked up at the stands and still saw no one there for him. Everyone had given up on him. No one wanted to be there to support him. Even his teammates weren't paying attention and already give up the idea that they would win the bronze. The whistle sounded and again without any effort, Ghargh won the match. Ghargh just had to win one more and the game was theirs.
Zjan-Ren handed Brian the saber. When he returned he looked at his old adversary, Colonel Chu-Qun. He knew Chu-Qun was eating this match up. And if Brian lost, he knew Chu-Qun wouldn't show any mercy to him.
Brian glanced up at the stands again. Still no Hawke. Then he heard a commotion over by the entrance to the arena. He looked to see what it was. Still in his baseball uniform covered in dirt and sweat, Trevor and Ian came running in both out of breath. Brian felt a smile come on his face.
Trevor looked at his friend and mouthed "Sorry, extra innings."
Brian got into his starting stance. He looked up at Trevor who was now in the front row of the stands. Trevor made a fist and shook it, willing Brian the strength he needed.
The whistle sounded and Ghargh came in for the kill. Brian quickly raised his saber and counter attacked. The stands erupted into cheers because this was the first time Brian didn't lose on the first attack.
Both the Kriton and Human parried, flicked and lunged. Then Brian pulled a broken time, which is a change of tempo, in his action. The move worked, he fooled his opponent into responding at the wrong time and with a whip over, Brian scored his first point.
Trevor and Ian erupted into loud cheers. Trevor even yelled "Eat his shorts!!!"
Zjan-Ren looked over at Chu-Qun. He was livid. He was yelling and screaming at Ghargh like he made a fatal error. And perhaps he did. Brian quickly shed his gear and prepared to entered the image-maker once again. The fear he had earlier started to return again. Even the confidence that he gained from the last match wasn't enough to help him get rid of the fear he had.
When the image-maker turned on, Brian noticed that Trevor and Ian took the 15 minute break to put on their Birds of Prey costumes. They sat there wearing nothing but their long black T-shirts and shoes, their faces covered in make up looking like raptors. Brian could tell that the make up was put on in a hurry, unlike the other times he has seen them wear it. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw someone enter into the arena. It was Falcon, Phoenix and Harrier. All of them wearing their Birds of Prey uniforms. But no Spencer. Brian knew that Condor wouldn't show. But the others did.
The whistled sounded. Ghargh attacked, but Brian blocked his attack and fought strong and hard. By this time Brian was getting exhausted and his arm and leg was hurting him some. But he still had a chance at this. He wasn't going to let the Birds of Prey down. There were holographic sparks flying and the clanking of the swords. Then Brian did something that no one else had been able to accomplish. He severed Ghargh's head from his body. Brian won the match. The stands erupted even louder then before. The score was now 2-2. Now there was going to be one last duel and this time Brian got to pick the weapon, since he earned the last point.
Chu-Qun's temper flared. He kept yelling at Ghargh about how to beat someone like Brian. Ghargh was mad at himself for losing two matches in a row to a human, one that was crippled no less. Chu-Qun had called for a time out.
Brian took advantage of this to go to the bathroom. Now the tension was building up. He wasn't sure if he had it in him to win one more match. He splashed some water on his face and dried off. He looked into the mirror. He was trying to determine if he was all used up or not. His strength was starting to fail again. Doubts started to flood his brain again. The fear started to over take the confidence he had gained from the last two matches. "Choke" was the only thing that was bouncing around in his head.
Brian looked up in the mirror as he saw the reflection of the door open; in walked Spencer, wearing his Bird of Prey costume. Right behind him was Hawke, Eagle, Harrier and Phoenix. Spencer had finally managed to see what Brian had accomplished for the Birds of Prey, both during the rescue of Matt and during the games. He finally saw that maybe it was up to him, Spencer, to join the Birds of Prey, not Brian. Brian was the one being accepted. Spencer finally saw that he was quickly falling away from the group that meant so much to him.
Spencer began to speak. "Brian McDowell will lose the tie breaking match." Those words just fueled the fear and doubts that were going through him. "But Osprey, a bird of prey, will win." In Spencer's hand was a rolled up black T-Shirt. He unrolled it with flair and handed it to Brian. Ian then stepped towards the front with the make up in his hand.
"What the fuck are you suppose to be?" said Danny as he saw Brian wearing nothing but a long black T-shirt and face paint that made him look ridiculous.
"I'm a Bird of Prey," Brian replied.
"Young McDowell, have you chosen which weapon you will use for the tie breaker?" asked Zjan-Ren trying to ignore how Brian looked.
"Yes I have. I chose the Baklava."
"Young McDowell, a Baklava requires great strength of the body, the mind and spirit."
"Elder Zjan-Ren, I have made my choice."
"Young McDowell, Ghargh is from the House of Fire. He was taught by the best on how to use the Baklava."
"Elder, you kept emphasizing that I have to have balance if I am to succeed. If I don't go in there with a Baklava, a true tester of balance, I will never get it. But if I go in there with the Baklava I know that, win or lose, I will have balance restored in my life. That's because I was taught by the best."
Zjan-Ren stared at his young pupil. Just a few moments ago, he looked silly and ridiculous in his new outer wear, but now he looked bold, confident and brave. The characteristics of having balance.
"Lexington, your weapon of choice?" asked the referee.
Brian didn't break the stare. His eyes pleaded and beg Zjan-Ren to let him do this.
"Aye," said Zjan-Ren. "Young McDowell chooses the Baklava." Zjan-Ren's tone sounded soft and defeated.
"Say again?" questioned the referee as Chu-Qun and Ghargh both looked up surprised and bewildered.
Then with a great deal of confidence and pride Zjan-Ren stood tall and said "Young McDowell chooses the Baklava as his weapon of choice."
The referee couldn't believe his ears. "But that is not one of the weapons of choice."
"He made his decision."
"He is to chose the epee, foil, saber or broadsword."
"As Kalair of Young Ghargh, I have no objections and neither does my pupil on humoring the human in his request. We will fight with the baklava."
"Alright, if both sides agree then the same rules are applied here as if they were using broad swords."
"Very well," said Zjan-Ren.
"Excellent. It will be rewarding to see Young Ghargh decapitate the human."
"Contestants, enter the image makers with your weapons."
Zjan-Ren took his Baklava off his belt and handed it Brian. "Remember the first day you tried to use my Baklava. Remember the second time you tried using it. You failed both times because you had no balance. But, as you go in there, your balance will be true. Ghrgh's balance is based on a false balance. Use that to your advantage."
"I will." Brian took the Baklava and entered the image-maker.
The arena grew deathly silent as the holographic images appeared before them on a special stage, to make it seem like a real fight instead of watching it on viewing screens. A large group of Kritons stood proud and tall, knowing that this match was theirs. The humans sat on the edge of their seats, nervous, not knowing what to expect.
The whistle blew. Ghargh took his baklava and a blade of flame rose from the handle. It was red and brilliant. It gave off vibrations of power and strength. Brian took Zjan-Ren's baklava and a watery blade emerged from it. It shook in Brian's hands. He felt the power within it. But unlike before, he wasn't thrown against the wall. He was using all his energy and power to control the weapon. Doubt start to seep through again, and the weapon was becoming harder to control.
Unlike previous matches, Ghargh changed his approach. He was pacing around Brian, his eyes not moving from Brian. It reminded Brian of a Lion stalking his prey. The Baklava started to shake in his hand more. He was losing control.
"SCREECH!!!" squawked the Hawke. "SCREECH!!" The Eagle joined in. Then the Falcon, the Phoenix and the Harrier. All of them were screeching like birds of prey before the kill. Then Spencer the Condor joined in.
The Arena erupted into a deathly battle cry of the Birds of Prey. Then with no sign, Ghargh attacked. Brian twisted himself around, blocking the attack. The fight had begun. Cheering and screaming was now overflowing the arena. Spectators, coaches and players from other sports who were passing the arena, stopped when they heard the magnificent call of the Birds of Prey. They felt themselves drawn in. The stands started to overflow onto the floor. More and more people were coming in seeing the awesome and gallant fight between Young Ghargh and Young McDowell.
Everyone was standing now, cheering, screaming, and yelling. The energy in the arena was beyond belief. The longer Brian held his ground and blocked the countless, merciless attacks, the more comfortable the baklava felt in his hand. At this very moment, Brian was no longer a cripple. He was no longer the boy who lost all hope of accomplishing great feats. He was now Osprey, a member of the Birds of Prey.
Brian ducked, tucked and rolled to escape a deathly swipe of Ghargh's baklava. He landed on his back with a sharp pain going through his bummed leg. He lost his grip on the baklava and it skated across the floor. Ghargh looked down at him and smiled. For he knew he had won.
"False balance," mumbled Brian to himself, reminding himself what Zjan-Ren had said. Brian quickly used his good leg to swing and wrap around Ghargh's leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Ghargh was caught off balance and he fell hard, his own baklava being knocked out of his hand.
Brian looked by his side and Ghargh's baklava had rolled close to him. He quickly grabbed the flaming baklava and, with one fatal swoop he brought it down on Ghargh's neck, thus ending the match.
The Arena shook as if it was in the middle of an earthquake because the cheers that erupted within its walls were tremendous. Not only did Brian beat the Kriton in a baklava duel, but he beat him with the Kriton's own baklava.
The image of Ghargh disappeared and was replaced by the dull gray room. The door flung open and the Birds of Prey soared into the room, picking Brian up and carrying him out on their shoulders.
Zjan-Ren stood off in the distance. Pride was flooding his body. "You did well, Young McDowell," said Zjan-Ren to himself. He turned and saw that Chu-Qun was beside himself. He knew that one day he would see the wrath of revenge from Chu-Qun and, when he did, he hoped he could show the same gallant behavior that Brian had shown..
The Birds of Prey set Brian down and Danny came up to him. "You were great...Captain." Brian Smiled and then Danny took Brian into an embrace. When he broke off, he held out Zjan-Ren's baklava that he had retrieved from the image-maker for Brian.
Brian was having a hard time on his leg. It hurt beyond belief. He saw his dad there smiling and glowing with pride. He saw that in his father's hand was his cane. He looked and saw the baklava in Danny's hand being offered to him. He then looked and saw, off in the distance, Zjan-Ren standing tall and proud.
Brian saw the cane once again. His leg was hurting bad. He could barely walk to his father. He then gave his father a big hug. His father squeezed him hard back.
"Here's your cane," said Major McDowell.
"Thanks Dad, but I don't need it." Brian then turned to Danny and took the Baklava. And with great courage and in great pain, he hobbled over to his Kalair. Once he reached Zjan-Ren he gave the Baklava back. "Thanks," said Brian, now with the emotions flooding out of him and tears of joy flowing down his face.
"Stick out your hands, palms up," said Zjan-Ren. Brian did as he was told. Zjan-Ren knelt down before Brian, placing his baklava into Brian's open hands. He closed Brain's hands around it and push his arms towards his chest. "You earned it." This was the third and final time a Kriton kneeled before a human.
To Be Continued...