Chapter Text
A lone leaf fell off the branch, spinning in the wind and landing on a horse’s back, covered in white cloth. The rider, a very handsome young man, picked it up and threw it away with an elegance not many could muster. He then turned to check on his brother who looked much like him and was riding a few steps behind. They were fine young men indeed, being taught poetry, music, and etiquette by their noble father and being trained in the art of war by their knight uncle. And yet both were too pale, desperately trying to hide the fact that they were afraid, mostly for each other – as they have never attempted to slay a dragon before and they both had honest doubts they even could. Lan Xichen tightened his hold on his sword and directed his gaze back forward as the forest came to an end.
The road continued across the meadow in the middle of the fields. Neither of the brothers has ever seen such an abundance before. Trees were lowering their tops under the heavy weight of the fruits, and there was no end to the produce on the fields in sight. But sadly, there were also no workers hurrying to put it away, no children playing along their working parents trying to steal a bite. Only a lonely mountain far in the distance, casting a shadow over the land. Both pairs of golden eyes darkened. It was the dragon’s den.
They arrived at the village just a bit after noon. The same sad view awaited them there. No young people in sight, only old and sick were left to stare at two noblemen in distress, silently pleading.
“This is …” started Lan Xichen but couldn’t finish. His brother only nodded.
They could now understand why their uncle left in such a hurry after receiving the letter from the village chief, begging the knight for help. What the dragon had done was beyond any natural calamity they had witnessed so far.
“Ah, brave heroes, what brings you to this poor village?” called out an old man who stood up at their arrival, although he had to use a stick as a support to walk. Lan Xichen turned to greet him with a smile that immediately faded. Half of the old man’s face was covered in burns and his hand, the one that was not holding the wood, was no different than a piece of black coal. Lan Wangji felt sick.
“We are looking for the village chief,” managed Lan Xichen.
“Ah,” said the old man and half of his face twisted into a smile. “That would be me!”
Both brothers dismounted and the older one rushed to the chief’s side and supported him when his step became uneven.
“You look familiar,” said the old man when they walked between the abandoned houses with Lan Wangji leading both horses. “Are you perhaps related to the knight that came here a few days ago?”
“Yes, that would be our uncle,” answered Lan Xichen.
“Your uncle, he …”
The chief stopped talking, looked down in pain and the brothers understood. They felt like their chests have just been stabbed.
“Where is he?” asked Lan Zhen, finally breaking his silence.
“In the main hall,” answered the old man, pointing forward with his torched hand. “He was such a great man, and he tried so hard … I couldn’t just leave his remains lying there for the beast to feast on, but when I dragged him away, the dragon, the fire …”
He stopped and sobbed, and Lan Xichen gently conferred him, silently willing Lan Wangji to move forward. The younger brother walked on towards the biggest building. It was huge and made differently than simple structures around it. It was covered with the pitch-black wood that seemingly sucked out the light from around it. Before it stood an ancient-looking woman. She wordlessly extended her hand towards the horses and Lan Wangji handed her the reins. By her raspy breathing, he could tell that her throat was damaged like she inhaled too much smoke. His fingers clenched into a fist. The dragon was truly a horrible creature. After she left, leading the horses away, he entered the hall. His uncle was laid not far from the entrance, already washed and prepared for the funeral. He was now wearing simple peasant clothes as his were probably torn to shreds. The black robe they put on him was a bit too short, so Lan Zhen could see the ends of the wounds on his chest and legs. There was no doubt, no doubt at all. His teacher and master was torn apart by a dragon. Anger boiled behind the cold pretence as the younger of the twin Jades bowed and paid his respects to his uncle for the last time. He promised himself that he will not rest as long as the beast still lives.
After Lan Xichen joined him and silently bowed next to him, they waited. They refused any food or money old people tried to offer and only accepted hay and water for their horses. After a few hours of meditation, they were approached by the youngest person so far. She was the village chief’s daughter, a woman in her late forties or early fifties. First, she showed them her back. Lan Xichen blushed a little when she suddenly lifted her clothes and Lan Wangji’s ears turned red, but they both gasped when they saw the backside of her torso was as black as her father’s hand. She put her clothes back on and sat next to them.
“I am going to tell you everything I know about the dragon so you can kill the bloody thing,” she announced and started. “It is invincible at day, do not even attempt to go near it then! It will kill you faster than you can draw your sword. But at night, it cannot see that well. It will still patrol the area, circling around the mountain to scare away other predators. I watched it so many times already, it will always do the same thing! It lands in that little forest over there in the distance and it drinks from the river. This is when it’s the most vulnerable.”
She leaned closer to them as to tell them a secret and she whispered: “Your uncle managed to damage it, right here on the neck – if you stab it there, it will die!”
Then she got up, stroke the dust out of her clothes and left.
The brothers stared after her.
“She told the truth, and only the truth,” finally said Lan Xichen. “And yet, there was something off about the whole speech.”
“We have to kill the dragon,” said Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen could only agree.
If there was something off about it or not, it was still the only piece of information they had. It was the only clue they could follow. Asking anyone else was fruitless – most could not speak and those that could, only begged them to kill the beast with tears in their eyes.
“My poor son, my poor boy!”
“My granddaughter, she was five …”
“My parents will never speak again. My sons and daughters are gone, eaten alive. My wife killed herself. Kill the dragon, noble warriors! Kill it!”
They could only nod and share their grief with the villagers, as the beast also took someone from them.
“We will go at night, to that forest,” finally decided Lan Xichen.
They left when it was already dark, riding towards the trees in silence. Their swords in their hands.
“Wangji, you need to promise me something,” said Lan Xichen when they almost arrived. “If the dragon is too strong if it overpowers us … Run. Please. Run and let me distract it.”
His brother said nothing, and Lan Xichen sighed. They arrived at the spot of their battle. It was a small clearing hidden in the little forest, with a river running across it and covered in dragon tracks. Broken bushes, twisted trees as if the hurricane flew by and huge claw marks on the ground. The whole sight was beautiful in the moonlight, and yet the brothers felt dread creeping into their hearts as the riverbank was covered with deep red patches. They would be far from being first who attempted to slay that dragon and Lan Xichen shortly marvelled at the beast’s arrogance - it still came here every night despite being attacked so many times already. The dragon had to think himself invincible.
The older of the brothers dismounted and left his horse on the clearing’s edge, advancing on foot with his sword raised high while his brother followed still mounted. Fighting on the horse would be harder, so one had to be on the ground and the other on the animal to reach for the dragon’s neck. Their uncle had a spear, but they only had swords with a short range.
“Ready?” asked Lan Xichen as calmly as he could.
Lan Wangji nodded and steadied his horse. It was then that they first saw it. In the beginning, it was only a shadow that covered the moon, only visible for a second. Then it was a bird on the dark night sky, but as it flew lower and lower, it became impossibly huge. The dragon, as dark as the moonless night, with only a few red scales decorating its long and lean neck and its stomach. The grace of its movements rendered the brothers speechless as the beast circulated closer and closer. The dragon landed as soundlessly as it was flying. Then it looked at the brothers, looked at them, they were sure as the gaze from those pale eyes shot right through them and then the dragon simply ignored the Lan brothers and lowered its head to drink from the river. The stars reflected in the water got dimmed by the dark shadow. A few moments passed in silence. The dragon gulped, few drops of water sliding down its scales, making tiny sounds. And Lan Xichen charged. He looked as the knights from legends when he attacked, all in white with the shining sword in hand and a mane of dark hair down his back. But the knights from the legends had a chance.
The dragon simply raised its head and turned so fast trees swayed in the sudden wind. Its tail flew just a little above the ground as fast as a whip. Xichen could just barely dodge it, and so could Wangji, but not his horse. The animal was hit with the full force, throwing it all the way back to the tree line as it landed on the back and crushed its rider’s leg. The horse was so loud in its pain that it covered its owner’s gasp when his bones got broken.
“Wangji!” screamed Lan Xichen in terror and rushed back but the dragon was faster, grabbing the struggling animal with its teeth and threw it again. This time after the terrible sound of bones breaking and meat crushing upon the landing, no other sound was heard. Lan Xichen reached Lan Wangji while the dragon was distracted, throwing himself over his younger brother. He looked up where the dragon’s head was covering the sky above them and he saw it. The huge wound on its neck that the chief’s daughter told them about, the wound that their uncle inflicted. Mindlessly he gripped his sword and throw it straight up towards the wound, and somehow, he hit. The weapon stuck itself right into the beast’s neck. The sound the dragon made was excruciatingly loud. It slashed down towards the brothers in a rage with its claws and Lan Xichen could not move or he’d risk his brother’s life. And yet, to his horror and disbelief, he felt himself being pushed away.
“No!” he screamed when he saw claws rip through the second Jade’s back like a knife through butter.
He found himself sobbing, trying to stop the bleeding on his little brother and begging the other to stay awake. It was like the dragon hadn’t existed for a moment, but then it lowered its head and looked Lan Xichen in the eyes with its gray ones. The sword fell from its neck and into the first Jade’s lap. Then the beast opened its mouth and grabbed Lan Wangji as a dog grabbing a ball, it spread its wings and before Lan Xichen could do anything, it was already in the air. With the first swing, the beast rose above treetops, with the next swing it was on the way back to the mountain, leaving the older brother behind crying in sorrow. The sword slipped from his lap as he stood up and then fell to his knees again. His white robes were stained beyond recognition with dirt and blood, his horse was long gone, and his brother was dead. There was no end to his grief.