Yardbird for a Dragon_ Readers' choice story (August)
Author's note - 'Yardbird' means a 'prisoner' in the general parlance. It is also a military
slang referring to a 'clumsy
soldier’... among other
things (or at least
I'm taking creative
license and sticking
to only that part of the meaning.)
And now, onto the story!
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∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Ryu kept his eyes closed as he heard the approaching
footsteps of yet another aspiring “dragon-slayer”, perfectly aware that he was
nearly indistinguishable in the dark of the cave save for the glittering
emerald of his eyes.
The jaunty tune the approaching quarry was humming a
pleasant departure from their usual attempts at silence. He bit back a smile at
the non-imaginative cursing when the man rounded the corner and abruptly
discovered the waiting darkness and was not surprised when instead of
withdrawing, the intrepid slayer chose to press onward.
“Once there was a draa-aa-gon;
A baa-aa-ad
tempered dragon,
Megon the dragon was his naa-aa-ame!”
Ryu frowned at the irritating song but held still;
accustomed to lying in wait- not that it took long for the human to bump into
his side. However, unlike his predecessors, this one seemed to find his scales
to be something of a novelty. After a few brief minutes of rubbing against his
side (which Ryu greatly enjoyed) the man seemed to conclude that he was some
sort of wall and began to climb- the human’s tiny hands mapping his scales for
the best grip felt like pleasurable massage as they carefully chose one hand-hold
after another; the annoying song at his lips again.
“He lived inside a ca-aa-vern;
On top of the mountain;
Where people could see his smoke and fla-aa-ame!”
The man had not reached even halfway up when he lost his
footing and fell; and for the life of him Ryu would not be able to answer why
he twisted his tail to catch the man and save him. But having saved him, he
couldn’t deny his curiosity any longer and carefully brought his tail forward
so he could see this strange slayer who was clumsy enough to tumble off his
scales ...and sang.
“Whoa!” The man shrieked when he noticed the giant green
eye observing him, letting go of the precarious hold he had on Ryu’s tail and
falling off. Again.
Once again Ryu caught him, a smoky exhale escaping his
nostrils as he watched the man hang from the narrow part of his tail.
“I-I warn you, Mister Dragon... you’ll not enjoy trifling
with me!”
Mister Dragon?!
“You have no idea who you’re messing with, Sir...
I-I’ll...”
Ryu raised an inquiring eyebrow and the man must have
understood because he gave out a bark of nervous laughter, “Well, obviously I
can’t do anything right now seeing how my hands are otherwise occupied; but the
minute they are free; you’ll be in trouble. Oh yes, Big Trouble!”
And for the first time in years, Ryu was amused. Curiosity
had him bringing out a paw to drop the man on and ‘freeing’ up his arms to see
what he did. And the man did not disappoint. He reached into his side and drew
a... wooden sword?
Ryu let out a snort of laughter which had the unfortunate
side-effect of setting alight the ‘sword’.
He watched as the man stared in dismay at his flaming sword
before walking to one side of Ryu’s (admittedly HUGE) paw and throwing it away.
His clumsiness may have ensured that he succeeded in throwing himself off too
had not Ryu brought up a clawed ‘finger’ to act as a barricade.
The man gaped at the clawed finger (the claw itself was
bigger than half his size) before walking back to the centre and sitting cross-legged.
“Guess you’re going to eat me, huh? Dragon meal; what a
fitting end to Dragon- Slayer Anguisa’s son!” He grumbled, not sounding
particularly put off by his fate.
He glared at Ryu when the dragon simply continued to stare
at him. “What? Go on... I know I’m Dragon chow... its okay; I-I forgive you or
whatever.”
Ryu stared at the entertaining human for another moment
before deciding that he wasn’t going to kill this one outright- at least not
till it continued to amuse him like this.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Doryu squawked in an undignified manner when a pair of pointed claws closed gently around his torso.
“Hey!” He protested as he was pulled up; but was careful
not to struggle too much because despite his jacket he could feel the sharpness
of the claws holding him. To his dying day he would deny the high-pitched
scream which left his lips when the dragon tossed him straight up- much like
a father did while playing with his toddler- the claws effortlessly closing
around him again even as his hands instinctively reached up to grasp the scaly
‘fingers’ holding him.
He scrunched his eyes tightly shut as the giant beast took
flight; hands tightening as he clung desperately- and rather pathetically,
if he admitted to himself- to the creature holding him prisoner between two
(massive) clawed fingers.
The sound of shouting had him opening his eyes and staring
in dismay as the dragon flew in a low arc over the soldiers. He had no doubt
that everybody had seen by now just who the
dragon’s prisoner was. His guess was confirmed a moment later when the loud
voice of the Outer-walls’ Captain ordering his men to hold their arrows lest
they pierce the prince. He groaned in embarrassment and closed his eyes as the
creature abruptly climbed higher- cool air caressing his cheeks at the
altitude.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
He opened his eyes when he felt solid ground under his feet again after what felt like hours- his face already numb from the constant assault of the cold air during the flight.Teeth chattering in the gathering twilight, he looked around cautiously; arms wrapping automatically around himself to preserve whatever little warmth he could.
It appeared that he was on some sort of cliff. Glancing
cautiously behind him at the dragon he walked to the edge, bracing himself
against a rocky out-crop and peering down.
The view below nearly shocked the breath from his lungs
because unlike the barren bleakness of the mountain-ledge he was on; the cliff
overlooked a wide meadow of rolling green which stretched as far as the eye
could see. There was a cluster of trees to one side- which continued right up
to the base of the mountainside he was on, and though it was dense and maybe
would be considered a forest from the ground; from this height he could see
that it wasn’t.
Glancing back he could see those disconcertingly green eyes
studying him and from this close, he could have sworn that there was a sentient
being behind them.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Ryu watched with some apprehension as the slayer ventured
to the edge of the outcrop and peered over: despite stumbling twice- one of
which was over thin air as far as he could see; the man made it without falling
off. He held his breath as the man looked at the field below; expression
widening in clear disbelief at what Ryu assumed was the lushness of the valley.
He heaved a sigh of relief when the man made it back
to the centre of the outcrop without further mishap (at this point, Ryu was
discounting any non near-fatal mishap occurring because of the man’s
clumsiness.)
“So, Megon;” the slayer began.
Ryu’s eyes
narrowed.
“I don’t suppose you can understand me, but ...” a shiver went through the man at the sudden
gust of wind, “- damn, it’s cold!” he muttered to himself; wrapping his arms
tighter around himself.
His scales protected him from the biting wind but the poor
slayer was definitely not as safe; Ryu thought to himself, feeling an
unexpected frisson of sympathy for his prisoner and in an uncharacteristic move
curled his tail around the shivering figure in an effort to block the cold
north wind.
The man glanced at the scaly ‘wall’ shielding him from the icy winds in surprise
before reaching out a hand to pet him gently, “Thanks, Meg.”
Ryu grumbled low in his throat, not appreciating being
called ‘Megon’; but it must have come out more threatening than he
intended because he saw the man flinch. Sighing, he scratched his name into the
nearest rock he could find big enough for him to use as a make-shift writing
board. ‘RYU’
The man stretched up on his tip-toes - balancing with his hands splayed on the rocky surface, to peer at the letters
he had scratched on the mountain’s side before glancing up in surprise, “Y-you
are… Ryu?”
He nodded, pleased that the man seemed to catch on so
quick...but then the slayer’s eyes went impossibly wide, “You understand me?!”
Ryu snorted, a plume of smoke escaping his nostrils.
“Holy heavens! You understand me!!!” The man gasped,
clambering backwards and bumping into his tail. Almost reflexively Ryu curled
the appendage around the figure to steady him. The man stilled.
“I-I’m Doryu.” He offered after a moment and Ryu offered
him a dagger-sharp clawed digit to shake.
The slayer hesitated briefly before grasping the tip of his
claw with both hands; the careful- and tiny- movement of the dragon’s ‘finger’
nearly lifting the tiny human off his feet.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Doryu shifted on the hard rocky floor trying to find a
comfortable position- the dragon had very considerately plucked a boulder from
the rocky cliff-side and placed it at an angle to create a small alcove
protected from the biting wind for him to sleep in; but being more used to a
down-mattress, he was finding his sleeping arrangements to be rather
underwhelming.
Teeth chattering as he stepped out of the protected
alcove, he wrapped his arms around himself and walked to the edge of the cliff
and peered into the darkness below to try and locate his dragon.
Since sleep was nowhere on the horizon he set his
sight on climbing down the rocky mountainside, sighing in displeasure as he
peered into the unwelcoming darkness below. He took one last look at his alcove
and stepped off.
Manoeuvring the steep incline would have been an
arduous task in broad daylight; in the near-pitch blackness it was quite
literally a life-endangering endeavour.
Undaunted, Doryu persevered: his father- the mighty Anguisa
had crossed the treacherous snow- covered mountains and travelled far more
dangerous terrain before slaying the bronze-horn tailed dragon (whose forked
tail was now a part of his father’s crown) to rescue his mother- the princess
Valerie (whose rescue attempts had cost the lives of more than a score knights
before his father had succeeded).
He may not have a princess to rescue; but he could sure as
unfaltering North-Star save himself. His only obstacles were the impenetrable
darkness shrouding the mountainside and the hazardous landscape. Unfortunately,
the rocky slope was proving to be even more difficult to conquer than it
looked. Hoping to distract himself from the certain death that awaited him if
he slipped and fell; he began humming low under his breath:
Mighty back and stro-o-ong tail,
A body of Rhine scales!
Oh, Megon had such an appeti-ii-ite...
The song cut off abruptly when his foothold suddenly
shifted just as he was changing his hand- hold; unable to control his yelp when
his fall came to a sudden halt just a few seconds later.
Slowly blinking his eyes open, he was greeted with a gust
of fetid breath right on his face.
“Dude, get a breath mint!” He grumbled, waving a hand in
front of his face to dispel the foul smell.
Apparently Ryu- the dragon, found him funny as the dragon snorted; this
time a few sparks spewing forth along with the smoke which had Doryu hurriedly
patting his hair to put out the flames that had erupted in a few places on his
head.
“Dude!” he grumbled; but obediently wrapped his arms around
the clawed finger which the dragon extended towards him. He was taken aback by
the starling suddenness with which the ground disappeared from under his feet-
the dragon having taken off with a smoothness unexpected from such a gigantic
creature. Although he logically knew that Ryu would not allow him to fall, Doryu
still heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the solid earth beneath his feet
again.
Safe on terra firma again;
the dragon proceeded to disregard him completely, circling twice on the soft
heather (like a cat) before curling down to sleep. Doryu would have found
himself insulted by the complete disregard the creature had for him had he not
been busy gawking at how the mighty beast pulled it’s limbs close to his body like
a domestic cat as he prepared to slumber- the tail wrapped loosely in a sort of
perimeter as one wing came down over the curled body like scaly blanket.
Doryu considered slaying the slumbering fire-breathing
monster for the briefest second before dismissing the idea; unable to
contemplate a world without the majestic beast. If the bronze-horn tail had
been anything like Ryu; he wondered how his father had even had the heart to
kill the dragon, princess-to-rescue or no; these creatures were meant to be
worshipped, not killed.
All his extensive planning- made from the cliff, on how he
would evade detection and escape if only he could reach the meadow lay
forgotten as he contemplated the snoozing beast. He made a slow turn as he
peered into the inky darkness of the meadow and briefly toyed with the idea of
taking his chances at escape before abandoning the plan. He carefully slid in
between the gap left between Ryu’s wing and felt his body instinctively relax
at the welcome warmth now that he was sheltered from the night breeze. Glancing
up once to confirm that the dragon was asleep, he lay down- pleased to find the
grass as soft as it had looked from atop the cliff. He shifted around for a bit
to find a comfortable position before ultimately settling down- the slender
part of Ryu’s tail serving as his pillow. A put-upon sigh left the dragon, but
the wing shifted to cover Doryu better as man and beast both settled in for the
night.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Ryu woke to the sound of a soft rumbling; the sound pitched
low enough that human ears would fail to pick it up. Snapping one eye open, he
peered around his surroundings; trying to ascertain whether they were in any
danger. Finding none, his eye was drifting shut again when the sound came again
and this time he managed to track it to his human. Lifting his head, he
regarded the prostrate form; wondering if the puny man was hurt, but finding no
sign of injury; he decided that the sound must have come from the human’s
stomach- the tiny creatures needed periodic feedings after all. Having eaten
nothing since sometime yesterday; he guessed his human was hungry.
Taking care not to wake the slumbering man, Ryu carefully
moved away to locate food. When he returned an hour later, his human was still
where he’d left him; except he was awake. The man glowered at him, but Ryu had
not missed the wide grin that had been his first reaction on spotting Ryu in
the distance.
Knowing humans preferred the smaller herbivores as their food; Ryu dropped the clutch of rabbits before the man, proud of his find.
“Bunnies!” The would-be slayer gushed; moving forward to
cuddle the white balls of fur.
Ryu snorted; guess he should have known his hunter
would find his meal ‘adorable’. Shaking his head in dismay, Ryu dropped the
sack of vegetables and pots he had stolen from a random villager along with a
knife- the metallic vessels clanging loudly as they hit the ground.
Doryu looked up in surprise at the pot and knife, blinking
endearingly before understanding dawned, “You want me to eat them?”
Ryu nodded vigorously, glad that the human seemed to be
catching on.
“Oh, absolutely not!” Doryu shot up, still cradling two of
the rabbits. He peered into unblinking emerald eyes and pleaded, “C’mon Ryu,
they’re so cute! How can you even think of eating them?”
Growling in frustration, the dragon sat down; tail swishing
in annoyance as he watched Doryu play with the fur-balls instead of making a
stew out of them like he had imagined.
“Guess I’m not much of a hunter...” Doryu murmured after a
moment, looking completely at home with five rabbits crawling all over him;
“I’m more of a gatherer, I suppose.”
Ryu watched the human feed his new-found pets the last bit
of carrots from the sack before coming to a decision and using his tail to
(lightly) smack Doryu’s shoulder to get his attention. When Doryu looked up
askance, he tilted his head towards the fruit-laden plum tree to the far side
of the meadow. When Doryu stared back at him blankly- human eyes apparently too
weak to make out the fruits on the tree, he unceremoniously wrapped his tail
around the human’s torso- the rabbits scattering with high pitched squeaks at
his sudden movement. Paying no attention to the human’s flailing, he deposited
him on his back with as much gentleness as he could muster.
Hold on,
he thought to himself; hoping the young prince had enough sense to grab onto
him tightly as he leaped across the meadow in two bounds.
Repeating the steps (this time in reverse) he brought the
man back to the ground and waited for Doryu to catch on.
“Some warning next time?” The prince muttered, annoyed;
before looking around and brightening at the sight of the plump red fruits.
“Thanks,”
Ryu sat back and watched the prince’s unsuccessful attempts
to climb the tree and reach the fruit for a full minute before he gave a gentle
nudge to the trunk of the tree, a veritable basketful of fruits falling from
the impact.
He watched the man begin eating before taking off again.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
It was on day eleven that Doryu noticed his father’s troops
appear on the far end of the meadow from his spot on the cliff where Ryu had
dropped him on that first day and continued to return him to every time he
left.
By now, he’d developed quite a collection of items that the
dragon kept getting for him: a few blankets gathered from where some nobleman’s
family had hung it out to sun; a few pots and pans
and even a trunk of books that Ryu had raided when a shop
was shifting locations.
Busy peering into the distance where Ryu was battling the
troops; he nearly fell over in surprise when a unpleasantly familiar voice
called out from directly behind him, “My Lord!”
“Captain.” He returned with as much poise he could,
considering he had been sprawled on a boulder cheering his dragon just seconds
ago.
“If you follow me, My Grace; we can be on our way...”
Doryu gritted his teeth, knowing his father had promised
money (and probably his hand in marriage) to anyone who rescued him. “Aren’t you worried about the dragon, Captain?”
“There’s nothing to worry about, My Lord; my men have him
distracted.”
Doryu felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips as Ryu
alighted; soft-footed as ever just behind the Captain, “I wouldn’t be too sure
of that, Captain.”
“Wha-?” The Captain managed just as Ryu’s razor sharp claws
neatly plucked the brave-heart off the ground, dangling the man a score or more
feet above the ground as he stepped onto the cliff.
One bone-racking jerk had the man’s helmet tumbling off and
a quick swipe of the dragon’s claw had his sword (still sheathed in its
scabbard) following suite.
Doryu suppressed a laugh as he watched the Captain’s face
turn green from all the juddering around, “He’s going to hurl,” he warned
moments before the Captain threw up.
Twin plumes of smoke escaped Ryu’s nostrils; the
dragon’s expression uncannily resembling a smirk as the dragon held his
prisoner over the side of the cliff to avoid the vomit- sending the man into
another bout of retching as he registered the unforgiving rocks he was being
dangled over.
“Don’t kill him?” Doryu ventured when the Captain had
calmed some; the man staring incredulously at him when Ryu twisted his neck to
peer at Doryu.
“You won; the captain knows that... he’s going to head
straight back if you let him go.”
A low rumble emanated from the dragon’s throat, making Doryu
add, “Yeah, his men will leave as well.”
The other ‘hand’ moved forward to gently nudge Doryu with a
claw. “Of course I’ll stay.” Doryu nodded.
“My Prince; you don’t have to barter your life to spare
mine. Please-!”
Both the dragon and the Prince huffed at the interruption;
silencing the man mid- sentence.
“Well?” Doryu questioned after a moment when he could be
certain that no more protests were forth-coming from their prisoner.
The dragon huffed, but obediently brought the man
around to drop him on the hard, rocky ground- not exhibiting even a fraction of
the gentleness as he’d done with Doryu.
“Ryu!” Doryu growled in frustration as he rushed to
check that the fall had not critically injured the man.
Fortunately for him; the man was too disoriented to pick up
on the slip. He hurriedly explained that
the Captain needed to tell his father to leave out weekly
rations of food in sacks on the topmost tower of their castle if possible to
avoid Ryu’s raids on his subjects because the dragon was only thieving to feed Doryu.
The Captain was still blinking dazedly when Ryu grabbed him again; taking off
in an effortless glide to land on the other side of the meadow and drop the man
with the rest of his troops.
Dragon and human watched from their vantage perch as
the humans- tiny specks in the distance; retreated as rapidly as they could
manage with the majority of the party injured in some form or another.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Ryu watched with some amusement as the human’s fled from
his turf; and although he had not given any indication of understanding; he had
not missed Doryu’s murmured instructions to the Captain. He bit back a smile as
he realized that given his concern for the general populace, the young prince
would have made a rather good administrator had he been given a chance to rule
rather than sent to capture dragons.
He was both surprised and taken aback at the murmured
‘thanks’ that the man sent his way as they watched the last of the troops
disappear.
At his quizzical look, Doryu explained; “Father must have
placed a reward for my ‘rescue’; and the Captain has always been after me in
hopes of ascending through the ranks speedily. I’d figured if a rescued my own
princess from the clutches of a dragon, I would be able to ward off his
advances better... guess my plan failed spectacularly; huh?” Ryu patted his
back sympathetically for the lack of a better response.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Doryu soon grew used to his life with the dragon; bickering
with the hulking beast over little things and laughing at the playful antics of
the creature. Indeed, he sometimes forgot that most people considered a dragon
to be a fearsome creature and not an overgrown pet.
However, given that the hulking beast was for the most part
a frugivore; (although he seemed to relish the occasional ladles of stew Doryu
fed him from his own meals) and would spend hours playing with Doryu, he
supposed it was not hard to mistake Ryu for a pet. It rarely bothered him that Ryu
couldn’t speak; understanding the dragon’s gestures without any trouble, even
though he pretended at times to not understand just to frustrate the creature.
He soon discovered that he was not averse to flying; and
although Ryu tended to indulge in aerial acrobatics in an effort to show off,
the dragon was always careful of his human charge. And despite common
misconception, his favourite times were not when they were in the air, but when
Ryu would sprawl in the sun and allow Doryu to give him a good scrub-down;
purring like a pleased cat all the while.
Once he idly commented he could do a much better job on Ryu’s
scales if he only had some oil and rags. The next day the dragon returned with
a whole barrel of oil from his daily excursion and collapsed on the hearth
expectantly.
Doryu laughed as he set to work; admiring the way the
sunlight seemed to bring out the green hues in Ryu’s scales; complimenting the
dragon’s brilliant emerald eyes. By the time he was done,
the dragon was snoring softly and his scales were gleaming
like jewels.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
Having grown accustomed to having the human around; Ryu
gradually grew complacent...rarely flying out in search of new conquests now
that he had something...someone worth
staying ‘home’ for. It became a game for them, playing the roles of prisoner
and guard when the occasional knight came their way in the hopes of rescuing Doryu
and winning his hand in marriage.
So, when he found himself in a net; struggling futilely
against coarse metallic ropes that chaffed his scales as the knight victoriously
made his way up the mountainside to Doryu, it was an understatement to say that
he was honestly surprised. He roared in helpless fury; a shower of sparks
landing on the net that had him trapped; but being made from metal, did nothing
more than singe his own scales.
The only positive side to his heat-and-flame display; it
turned out, was having the knight’s attention back on him firmly as he
abandoned his efforts to scale the rocky mountain-side and veered around to
march back to Ryu, spear extended threateningly.
Watching the man approach, Ryu only lifted his head,
refusing to surrender even as he privately admitted that for once a knight had
gotten the better of him. Knowing no rescue mission was complete without
slaying the dragon, he held still; not wanting to cower in his last moments as
he waited for the spear to pierce the tender under-scales of his body. Wishing
for one last look at the young Prince, he ignored the advancing knight; turning
his head towards the Prince... his
Prince.
When he found the overhang empty, he let out a
frustrated snort- guess he wasn’t going
to be allowed even that much.
Which was why he was completely taken aback by the
belligerent ‘No!’ that echoed from the mountains.
Twisting his head in surprise, he watched as the Prince
scaled down the rocky mountain-side with surprising grace and swiftness; making
him wonder if Doryu had been pretending to be clumsy all this while for his
benefit. When the Prince stumbled twice- falling and scraping his palms but
refused to stay down, rising to his feet again as he continued to move down at
a break-neck pace; Ryu heaved a sigh of relief: so maybe Doryu hadn’t been pretending all that much...
He let out a roar of dismay as he watched the man step onto
a loose portion of rocks; stumbling and sliding down the rest of the way along
with a small rock-slide only to land face-first at the base of the mountain;
every instinct had him struggling to break free and rush to the obviously
injured man. A frustrated roar left his lips as he only succeeded in entangling
himself further; before aggravation turned to relief as Doryu gingerly first
sat and then climbed to his feet- bleeding minorly from two places along his
high cheek-bones.
It was only when he was sure of the human’s safety that Ryu
realized (with some surprise) that the knight too had been waiting for Doryu
instead of delivering the killing blow.
The puny armoured creature bowed when Doryu came forward;
making the dragon’s eyes widen in surprise as he noticed for the first time
that even though Doryu seemed tiny next to Ryu’s bulk; his Prince was actually
a towering giant among humans.
“My Lord,” The knight murmured in a surprisingly high
voice.
Doryu nodded absently as he stared up into the dragon’s
emerald gaze which had not moved from him.
The knight offered him the spear, explaining when Doryu
raised an eyebrow; “I understand that his Lordship wishes to slay the beast
himself after everything he has had to suffer at the hands of this monster.”
Ryu’s eyes narrowed when Doryu accepted the spear- well, so much for their friendship.
Disappointed and resigned, he lifted his head higher;
baring the literal chink in his armour.
And found himself taken by surprise for the second
time that day when Doryu moved within striking range and then swiftly pivoted
on his heels to face the knight; the spear pointed outward.
“No one hurts Ryu without answering to me!”
“My L-Lo-Lord?” The knight questioned, bewildered.
“I haven’t been his prisoner for a long time; probably
right from the first... I tried to explain it to you all; but do you ever
listen?” Doryu shouted; spear still pointed at the knight. “Ryu hasn’t hurt me;
he has never done anything I didn’t want him to! And I am not going to allow
you to kill him!”
Ryu peered down in surprise- his gentle human had suddenly
turned into this frightening warrior without warning; and he found- much to his surprise- that he enjoyed
this spitfire version as much as he did the docile one.
The knight undid his mask- and turned out to be a ‘her’... the cropped-dark hair fluttering
it’s bristly ends in the wind as she turned wide brown eyes towards the prince,
“My Lord, it ... it must have enchanted you... you have been its prisoner for
far too long...”
Doryu laughed; the feral, manic sound echoing through
the high mountains above them, “Are you deaf???”
He shook his head, “I am not a prisoner, brave knight; I could have- can,”
he amended, “Leave anytime I wish. Ryu would not have stopped me… and if I know
him at all, I’d say he would have willingly taken me to my destination
himself.”
“Then why didn’t you?” The knight challenged- without
thinking, apparently as the spots of colour that bloomed on her cheeks
suggested, “Leave, I mean.”
“I had no reason to.” Doryu shrugged, “I stay with him
because I like it here... because I wish to.”
And Ryu was writhing on the ground without warning. Tremors
seizing his immense form as he collapsed with a resounding ‘thud’.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
“Ryu!” Doryu gasped, turning swiftly but unable to reach
the dragon as he thrashed in the nets, seeming hurting from unseen blows. He
watched in helpless disbelief as the dragon seemed to dissolve into thin-air
before their very eyes; crashing to his knees in distress when there was
nothing left but the empty net- now a tangle on the grass with nothing to hold
it up.
“Ryu...” Doryu murmured brokenly; unable to believe that
his dragon was just...gone. And as
though in response, he heard a soft groan.
Rising to his feet swiftly; he moved towards the sound,
surprised that it came from somewhere within the net. Poking around with the
spear still clutched in his hands, he literally stumbled on the prone form of a
naked human inside the net. Untangling
the thin metal crosshairs that made up the net hurriedly to reach the
individual, Doryu slipped off his own coat to cover the man, trying to preserve
what dignity – and warmth- he could.
“Doryu?” The figure groaned, eyes opening in tiny slits as
he curled closer to the crouching Prince. Doryu nearly fell back in surprise as
he recognised the green of the man’s eyes.
“Ryu?!”
The man hummed softly before surrendering to exhaustion and
slipping into unconsciousness.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
It was gathering dusk by the time Ryu came to; still
huddled against Doryu’s side. He shifted slightly in an effort to sit up,
blushing when he realized that Doryu had moved to help him but he hadn’t
required it.
“Ryu?” The Prince whispered uncertainly; staring at the
dragon- former, Dragon.
He nodded, “It is me.”
“You’re human.”
He shook his head, “Dragon.”
“But...”
“I can shift within forms normally... Was trapped in
my other form by a curse.”
“A curse?!” Doryu repeated in disbelief. He had thought
those only happened in fairy tales, but given he had spent eight months with
Ryu without witnessing his human form, he guessed they were real. He cleared
his throat, “It’s gone now? The curse, I mean.”
Ryu nodded, “Needed to have someone choose me voluntarily.”
Doryu nodded, idly plucking a blade of grass as he stared into the distance as he thought of dragons and curses.
“What about the knight?” Ryu asked after a moment.
“Sent her home.”
The dragon glanced up at the high cliff he’d
‘imprisoned’ Doryu in before sighing, “Guess you would like to head home
now too.”
The Prince shrugged, “What about you? You are planning to
head back to your own home?”
The dragon-turned-human shook his head, “My family
passed on long ago. Don’t have anywhere to be… these mountains are my home now.”
“Come with me, then.” Doryu offered.
“You’d want that?” Ryu returned, surprised.
Doryu nodded eagerly- an idea taking form, “You could be my
Royal council.”
Ryu’s brows drew together, “Doryu... are you-?”
The Prince shot up to his feet, “Yes, I am! Will you...?”
The dragon nodded hesitantly, “If you’re sure.”
“Let’s tell Father!”
“Would your father accept that?”
“I can appoint whomever I deem fit as my council,
Ryu.” Was the patient counter- argument.
“If you’re sure…”
“I am,” was the exuberant response. “Can we go?”
“Now?”
Doryu shrugged, still smiling maniacally, “You said
you can shift between forms, right?”
Ryu nodded, a slow grin spreading on his face; as he
effortlessly melted back into his immense Dragon-self again (the transformation
painless now that it was no longer inhibited by the curse); one clawed hand
plucking Doryu off the ground to place him on a high enough boulder so that he
could use it as a platform to step onto the Dragon’s back… and then they were
off in the direction of the kingdom’s Castle.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
What happened after, you ask?
Well, Dragon-slayer Anguisa’s son-
the Prince Doryu, eventually got his Princess, but that is another story... His draconian royal advisor was
never more than a few feet from him; gently advising him in all matters to make
Prince Doryu’s reign long and prosperous. After all, few kingdoms have the
stomach to face an army that has a dragon on its side.
And like most fairy tales, our
Prince and his dragon lived happily ever-after to the end of their time.
∞≈‡Ð¶‡≈∞
.The End.
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