26 (UISYA)

Below is the description of Ann and Larie's **26th meeting** (EARTH 5) from the Ed, Edd n Eddy fanfiction series, Until I See You Again.

If you landed here without prior knowledge of the series, please visit its page first.

## Story

> Ann, addressed as "Anna-Marie", is a humanoid dragon princess who's lived with her parents inside a hidden castle for as long she can remember, until the blue dragons, responsible for the decrease of her kind and the reason for their hiding, show up to claim the ancient building for themselves.
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> They wish to kill the royal family to establish their successful take-over of the once notorious black dragon race, and Ann's parents urge her to flee while keeping them occupied. But they aren't a match against the blue armies and give her little time to get away. She uses her knowledge of the castle's secret passageways to escape and barely makes it outside, but the nimble attackers remain behind her.
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> When her energy has ran dry and she awaits her death, another blue dragon shows up to kill her pursuers and continues to fly off with her.
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> She's taken to a shabby house made out of rusty metal plates inside the forest near the castle, where she gets to speak with her saviour. He appears to have been born and raised here and never been a part of the blue community, explaining why he's not her enemy. She asks why he went through the trouble of helping, and he answers to have seen her walk around many times and to be smitten. Nothing else is shared, making Ann doubt the story.
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> Since he claims to have never left the uninhabited forest, she thinks the unwashed stranger is confusing lonely desperation for love, and matching the description; he announces to want her as his wife. He hopes and expects his hero rescue made her willing, but she explains they can't marry, referring to the commonly shared belief coloured dragons are not allowed to mingle. He takes his status as non-royalty to be the issue and announces to go kill the blue king and take his position.
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> Ann is amazed by his motivation, but doesn't believe it to be possible. He just takes her skepticism as being eager to see him fight, so leaves right away.
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> He hastes himself to her castle, where he takes the life of the boastful king with laughably little effort. The spooked soldiers are conflicted on what to do, as murdering your own kind is punishable by death, but winning a fight with the current king or queen is rewarded with the crown. Those who believe the death penalty is appropriate go on to attack the traitor, but when everyone witnesses him breathing fires in colours other than their own, they conclude he's a "rainbow"; a rarity known to possess the powers of all dragon races.
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> Knowing they can't fight him, they accept him as their new leader. "King Larie" takes this news to princess Anna-Marie, still waiting in his old house. With the blue army standing outside and keeping their weapons to themselves this time, she's inclined to believe he's telling the truth, though it all feels like a weird dream to her.
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> Larie thinks this takes care of everything and publicly announces his marriage with Ann, creating another uproar with the blues. Ann isn't feeling it, either, and better explains to him why they can't. He doesn't care for it and argues that becoming royalty was what she requested of him, even though she never stated as such.
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> Though owing him her life, she expresses to have a great disdain for the blue dragon race, who have hunted hers down for millions of years with the intention to eradicate. Larie says not to be familiar with that plight and thus shouldn't be considered a factor within their relationship. Seeing her still upset, he suggests an unheard compromise that involves "ending" the blue race as well by creating tons of half-blood offspring. The idea makes his underlings anxious and angry, but Larie argues that combining two powerful races will make everyone stronger and will help the blacks live on in some way. Ann doesn't think it's a solution and insists wanting nothing to do with the blues.
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> She begs him to let her go and live in peace, but isn't listened to and sent to the royal chambers -her own late parents' bedroom- to vent by herself.
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> Weeks pass and Larie keeps trying to involve her with royal decisions and other things concerning the dragon community she despises. Unsatisfied faces surround them and serve them with reluctance, but Larie's unparalleled strength keeps them both safe from anyone who thinks of lashing out. The forest becomes crowded with blue dragons and a new settlement is built around what was once Ann's home.
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> Unable to run, fight, or convince him otherwise, Larie arranges their wedding ceremony and they become officially married.
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> He keeps playing the role of a blissfully ignorant, lovestruck partner, even though she does not return the favour. His persistence and willingness to please only makes her feel bad about herself, as she understands her disgust for the blues as a race is mistargeted and wasted on him. But with no love for the boy she's been avoiding all this time, she decides to invite him over for a more serious, private conversation concerning the matter.
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> Upon entering her room, he wastes no time to undress and subject Ann to more than she expected to see that evening. She begs him to cover himself, which he does not. Before he'll take another step, she clarifies why she called him over and says to be an unsuitable wife and queen to the blue dragons. He disagrees, not surprisingly, to which she replies a true romance is waiting for him out there, but won't be found as long he's holding onto an unwilling woman.
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> Larie asks why she's unwilling, which Ann attributes to the fact they don't even know each other. He then asks why that's the case -subtly passing the blame onto her- whereafter she falls silent.
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> Not wanting to admit to anything, Ann entertains a reality where they could've had a better relationship if she hadn't been forced into living with the ones that murdered her kind and parents. Larie's face takes on an odd expression after the remark, sparking some worry with her. As if he didn't hear right the first time, he asks if her parents are dead, and Ann confirms it to be so. He looks unsure on what to say next, but begins collecting his clothes from the floor.
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> Ann asks what's the matter, but he won't say and leaves.
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> The following days, Larie's once consistent carefreeness has noticeably dwindled. Though never having been particularly nice or patient towards his underlings, he tends to respond more often with curses and violence. As nobody else has the courage to, Ann decides to approach him about it and hopes to continue their last conversation. During dinner, she carefully asks if he's thought about it. He isn't sure what she's referring to, but says they can talk later. While not having set up a time or a place, he shows up in her room the same night.
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> She greets him with neutrality this time and repeats her question from earlier that day. He answers he hasn't been able to make up his mind, as he isn't sure how fond her parents were of him in the first place. The seemingly random comment puzzles her and she asks what he means by that.
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> He clarifies his father was a refugee and given her parents' permission to move into the forest nearby, though arguably for the sake of the egg he was carrying. Larie tells how they'd visit often when he was young, with treats and toys.
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> Baffled by this news, Ann wants to know how old he is, to which he guesses to be around 30. Ann, nearly 200 years older than him, flinches upon learning she's being held hostage by a youngling, and expresses never having been told or noticed her parents were visiting a child in the woods. He doesn't have a definite explanation for it, but guesses her hatred for blue dragons might've been a factor. Ann looks away and mutters she wouldn't have judged a fleeing father and his child. Larie smiles in agreement and brings up their "loving marriage" as an example of her ability to forgive. Ann smiles awkwardly, but with her interest for him peaked, decides not to address this particular point.
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> She asks what his father was running from, to which Larie reveals he was infamous for falling in love with differently coloured dragons. To the question if he's a half-breed -perhaps explaining his rainbow status- Larie has no answer. What happened to his mother, and eventually his father, is unknown, and with only her parents left in his life, their death was undesirable.
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> Ann says they and their servants lived in seclusion for countless of years, but she expected this moment would happened eventually, though she tried to share her parents' optimism. Larie confirms they were very optimistic.
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> They continue bringing up similar perceptions of the royal couple and their own childhood experiences. Ann then asks if he liked them as his parents over his own father, but he states this to be something he's always had trouble with figuring out.
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> He stares at her for a while and remarks she looks alot like her father, who he liked most. Ann frowns at the weird compliment, yet can't help but smirk at the end of it. She admits that not to be untrue and agrees the man possessed inexhaustible, fatherly kindness.
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> After another pause, he asks where she'll go to if he releases her. She says not to have thought about it, as the likely truth is that it won't matter. Larie argues it's still important to have a plan to help keep herself safe if she truly is a rare and hunted race, and sees no reason to let her go if she has none. Ann asks if he's prepared to end their marriage at all, to which he grins to think about it when she's convinced him she's prepared.
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> More weeks pass, but they're more bearable than the time before. Ann is less hostile towards Larie and more motivated to aid him with their royal responsibilities. The princess, born and raised in loneliness and seclusion, is susceptible to his little gestures and touches, and becomes more talkative every day. Before too long, her intricately written plans on how to survive in the unknown outdoors are forgotten about and never finished.
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> The behaviour she once found frightening, irritating, and intrusive, becomes normal business to her and she's finally responsive to Larie's flirting. When the days become days of romantic yearning, she understands to have fallen for him, which doesn't exactly please her. While charmed by him and both having shared the bliss of knowing her parents, the fact remains that he's a blue dragon, and staying his wife will ensure she'll forever be surrounded by those she still fears most.
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> While in her room one night, she suddenly notices her unfinished documents on the desk and looks them over. They are remnants of a worse time in her life and the high level of motivation read back in her words don't sit well with her anymore. Nevertheless, as her mind has been so focused on Larie, yet she doesn't know how to initiate another private meeting without making him assume things, or risk going overboard, she decides to use them as an excuse to meet up.
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> She takes her "school assignment" and heads over to Larie's chambers, where she knocks on his door and does so again when no response is heard. The voice inside sounds annoyed, but when Larie sees Ann enter, his slumped body and foul expression instantly change. With messy hair and a sloppily tied bathrobe, he comes sprinting into position and seductively lies himself down on the bed. Ann looks at him and asks if he was already asleep, but he claims to have just come back from a bathroom break and is ready for action. Ann doesn't know how to react to the inherently repulsive comment, so nervously fumbles with the documents in her hands, naturally catching his attention.
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> He asks what they're for, disabling the chance for Ann to turn back. She says it's the plan he requested from her some time ago. Sadness is seen on his face, but he gets up to take a look. He remarks it's very extensive and he didn't necessarily ask a daily schedule for the rest of her life, but admits she thought things through like he asked. She acts optimistic and gives him a summary of her strategy to travel cloaked with the representative colour of the least controversial dragon race, even thinking of shaving off the recognizable fur on her tail. He only gives her a smile, but with little else to say, keeps browsing the pages. His expression turns sterner every paragraph.
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> Ann understands his disappointment after the many moments of enjoyment they've shared and that he is struggling to find a flaw to hammer on. Not really wanting him to approve the plan and send her on her way herself, she states not to be done writing yet. Larie looks at the last pages to see she's right, and with newfound vigor, uses it to his advantage.
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> He says not to be comfortable letting her walk off with an unfinished plan and even claims to have seen a few spelling errors, riling up Ann, who insists that to be impossible. He grins confidently as he hands her back the documents, whereafter they just stare each other down. Larie wants to approach, but Ann becomes scared and speeds off, promising to do better.
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> Back inside her room, she looks out of the window at the moon in the sky. With her affection for Larie reaching its peak, though still being mentally stuck on their kind's history, she wonders what she'll do when it disappears.
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> The days before the next moonless night start off awkward every time, whereafter Ann and Larie find their bearings, then end with something that always chases her off again.
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> As expected, she feels restless under the black sky and thinks about visiting him, but has not been able to make up her mind on what would be an appropriate future for her to accept. Like he sensed his chance, Larie himself shows up at her door. He asks if she's finished writing, to which she argues to need more time. He then hands her a folded piece of paper and says to have written a better plan for her. Unsure what to think of this, she slowly grabs it to take a look.
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> Inside only sits a ring, tied to the paper with some string. Larie asks for her hand in marriage, wanting to do so properly this time. She wraps her arms around him with approval, and their bodies become more intertwined when their lips touch.
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> Against all odds and everyone's expectations, the two stay together and have many eggs, but it proves to be the last straw for the majority of blue dragons. They turn against their king and his equally hated wife with murderous intent. Though Larie is still undefeatable, the sudden turn of events catch him off-guard and leaves him without Ann and most of their unborn children.
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> In his sorrow and with uncontrollable hatred for the traitors, his body releases the untamed power of the purple dragon, and the forest area wipes itself clean of all life and objects. When he sees it also destroyed the few eggs he rescued, the last remains of Ann, the tears won't stop.
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> Without further purpose in his life, he desperately tries to kill himself with his own powers, for weeks on end, until he finally collapses.
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## See also

* Until I See You Again
* God's Colour Palette Dragons
* An, Ann n Anny
* Ed, Edd n Eddy Working