Work Text:
Shuu almost sighed—whether it was out of relief or exhaustion, he wasn’t sure—upon seeing that a narrow, decrepit stone bridge lay before him. Finally, the end of his trek was in sight. He stopped his chestnut horses, Senichi and Manji, and dismounted the latter, one hand still tight on his reins.
“Easy,” Shuu murmured when the two became restless. “I’ll just tie both of you here to this tree...should be fine.”
Fortunately, these forests were lush with greenery and fruit. Furthermore, the Silver Dragon’s continued presence in this mountain had scared away any major predators or creatures that could even eat his horses. Not like his horses hadn’t seriously injured others before with a brutal kick or two. Shuu honestly wasn’t worried for them on that front, really. Senichi and Manji would easily be fine here on their own for a week, though Shuu wasn’t planning on taking that long.
Good thing he packed lightly because though the bridge looked intimidating enough, beyond it were the mountains, and further still would be the tower Prince Minato lay in.
And, of course, the Silver Dragon, who had sent many hopefuls like Shuu himself running back to the Kingdom of Kazemai, tail between their legs.
Kazemai had been in this specific predicament for about a year now, but the kingdom had been facing some troubles with the Kingdom of Tsujimine, made worse by some other incidents happening amongst the nobles. The crown and only prince of Kazemai being kidnapped by one of the most fearsome, ancient dragons for unknown reasons amidst rising tensions and instability did little to soothe the nation.
And so, King Takehiro declared that any prince that could save his son would have Minato’s hand in marriage. The decree garnered many aspirants due to Kazemai’s untapped wilderness, but their numbers dwindled when the Silver Dragon proved his reputation was earned and lasting.
To be honest, Shuu expected he would perform better than those before. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a complete “victory,” but it was an inevitability he would rescue Prince Minato. There was a reason he had stayed back when others raced at the opportunity, after all. Not only would he make a respectable show of his skill to gain even more honor for both the Fujiwara and his Kingdom of Kirisaki, but Shuu would also be the one to succeed at this quest.
Making sure his pouch, armor, bow, and sword were ready and secure, Shuu walked down the stone bridge, mindful of all the unsteady looking parts and the steep fall. Fortunately, he made his way without much incident or fear.
Now came the truly difficult part.
Shuu wondered if there was even a way to completely bypass the dragon instead of continuing to run through his current plan.
Probably not.
Traversing the slope had proved more tedious than Shuu had guessed; he ended up taking two days before he could see the spire of the beautiful tower, but luckily, he was in good shape. His weapons were still sharp, his armor immaculate, and furthermore, he was well-fed, the mountainside rich with game.
So this was it. Shuu wasn’t going to rush into the Silver Dragon’s territory, brandishing his sword. Better to use the cover of the trees and strike from there.
Besides, Shuu was infinitely better with a bow than he was with the blade.
He climbed a tall, leafy tree easily due to his light armor. Once he was situated somewhere high and stable enough, he focused his attention on the dragon, who was currently napping—just like all the previous princes had said, the Silver Dragon was never awake in the afternoons (unless roused by a weapon, that is)—and Shuu looked to a small patch of unscaled skin in the middle of its forehead. Every dragon had a weak spot, no matter how powerful.
The weak point in question was the size of about two square feet, made even more minuscule from this height. But the sun was still in the sky, and Shuu’s bow arm had never wavered.
He drew a simple but finely-crafted arrow. It was more than enough to fell creatures the Silver Dragon’s size in minutes if it reached its target, which Shuu was more than happy to work with.
Once he was sure he would hit his mark, Shuu released the string, and the arrow flew. The second the arrow sank into flesh, the Silver Dragon’s eyes swiftly opened.
The beast roared and stood, though not without some difficulty (Shuu almost smiled at that), and then its cedar eyes focused onto Shuu. Not his exact location, but close enough.
Shuu inhaled sharply before unsheathing his sword, or rather, attempting to unsheathe it. With graceless speed, the dragon practically launched itself at where Shuu was perched, knocking his blade and scabbard down into a ravine far below. The prince was barely saved, a single claw keeping him dangling above the edge.
Normally, Shuu wouldn’t have been worried, for the dragon had not yet killed any of Prince Minato’s suitors, but it was clear the arrow was taking effect.
And yet the Silver Dragon continued to study him, peering deeply into his eyes.
“You are worthy,” was all he said. Shuu was taken aback at how grandfatherly the creature’s voice was before his thoughts focused on the actual content of those three words.
Worthy? Did that mean-?
The dragon’s hold on him went limp with a sudden crack, and Shuu’s life quite literally flashed before him. Was he seriously going to die here-
A thick, large arrow pierced through his armor, but not through his body, and attached to it was a heavy rope. Shuu didn’t even have time to marvel at the pinpoint accuracy, mind still lost in the beautiful, resounding ring that had echoed throughout the area.
“Sorry!” Came a pleasant voice. “Please hold on for a moment, we’ll get you out of there!”
Shuu looked up into green eyes. Prince Minato. He truly did take after both his parents in equal measure.
“What the hell, prince,” said a redhead, who was gripping tightly onto Shuu. “You could’ve killed him had your aim been off.”
“I’m sure Seiya would have done something!” A tall, freckled boy came up behind the redhead and started pulling Shuu up as well. Now he was getting somewhere.
Shuu had managed to help himself up, assisted by the two other boys, when another one spoke, “Debatable, Ryouhei.”
Shuu got onto his feet and was met by the sight of a bespectacled boy. Dark hair, blue eyes, seemed familiar...oh. The Kazemai royal physician. He was the good doctor’s son. The second one, if he had to guess by age.
“Could you please explain this?” Shuu looked to where Minato still was. The other prince was dressed in surprisingly plain clothes, but Shuu highly doubted he would wear princely garb outside of formal situations too. Minato sheepishly smiled.
“Well, I think it’s fine since Tommy approves of you; you’re the first, in fact, but I guess you could say I wasn’t quite in distress as most people said?”
“Yes, I figured considering you aren’t in the tower, but why?” Shuu asked.
“I don’t think it’s a secret Kazemai’s been facing some difficulties lately,” a new battler joined the fray, pink hair and eyes to match. “Plus, there’s been some serious threats on His Highness’s life, so it’s better to have him protected by a dragon. Besides, not like Tommy’s killed anyone. Oh, I’m Nanao, by the way. The grumpy redhead there is my cousin, Kacchan. All of us minus His Highness are knights, we came here under secret orders to watch over His Highness while also providing company-”
“It’s Kaito," his cousin interrupted sharply.
“I think Kacchan sounds better!”
Before the two could squabble, Shuu cut in, “Is it really alright to tell me all of this, though? I’m honored by the trust, but I still am the prince of a foreign nation.”
“You’re the only one Tommy’s approved of so far,” Minato shook his head. “Besides, I don’t think you’re the type to share that myself.”
He wasn’t entirely incorrect; it wasn't as though telling his family would have done anything anyway. Same end result, regardless if this was an elaborate spectacle or not.
“Speaking of the dragon,” Shuu wondered what kind of dragon would name their kid Tommy, of all things, “Is he alright? He’s been laying there for a while. I hope I didn’t hurt him.”
Tommy gave no response other than a tiny groan. Looking more closely, he seemed to be in a stiff, uncomfortable position.
“Oh, nah, Tommy’s back is just bad. Really, really bad,” Ryouhei smiled like that explained everything. It clarified what that horrible snapping noise from earlier was, at least.
“Alright.” Shuu didn’t know dragons could even get severe aging problems like that. He brought his hand up to his chin, “I truly do not wish to rush this, but I’m still at a loss. Does this mean I take you back to your father now?”
“Oh, about that,” Minato chuckled wryly. “Actually, we weren’t really expecting anyone pure of heart to come here so soon. Er, but I don’t think it’d be appropriate to just send you back, would it?”
“Just say the dragon was too mighty for you. Wouldn’t surprise anyone,” Seiya shrugged nonchalantly, but Shuu didn’t miss the coldness in his voice.
“Prince Minato and I could always take the long way back to Kazemai,” Shuu suggested. Upon inquisitive stares and a dead-eyed look from Seiya, he continued, “Say the dragon picks all of us up and drops us somewhere a month away from the capital. Perhaps two months. Maybe more. From my understanding, negotiations with Tsujimine are slow in progress but going well nonetheless.”
Seiya and Kaito opened their mouth to say something, likely in disagreement, but Nanao was quicker to the punch, “Ooh, I like that idea! His Highness needs a taste of the world outside the castle anyway.”
“Prince Minato could eat my mom’s home-cooking!” Ryouhei nodded enthusiastically, and at that puppy-eyed look, neither Seiya nor Kaito said anything.
“It would depend on Sir Masa,” Minato reined them in. “Though I don’t think either he or I would disagree.”
“Sir Masa?” Shuu looked around. He didn’t see anyone else...?
Once again, Seiya and Kaito were keen to speak, but it seemed like they were on different pages this time, the former looking visibly annoyed and the other appearing to have stars in his eyes.
“Sir Takigawa is an oaf barely above freeloader status.”
“Sir Masa is a knight and archer beyond compare!”
The two then stared intensely at each other. Shuu wisely decided to leave them in their mental tug of war.
“First, I’ll have to fetch my horses; I can’t abandon them,” Shuu was looking at Minato once again.
“Tommy can help you with that,” Minato assured him. “Er, after his back is less broken. Just wait an hour. He’ll give you a ride.”
Shuu wasn’t sure he wanted to ride on the back of a dragon that was deeply out of commission just from a simple sprain, but it probably beat going to his horses on foot.
“In the meantime, you could have lunch with us,” Ryouhei popped back in. “It’s about that time.”
“Race you to the tower!” Nanao called before darting to the clearing, Ryouhei yelping and then hot on his heels. Kaito and Seiya stayed back, still in the middle of an argument, but Shuu could tell they were at least sparing enough attention to their liege’s safety.
Shuu followed the group at a slower pace, but Minato shortened his strides to match his and whispered, “Thank you for the offer, by the way. On not returning me home immediately, I mean.”
“It’s no problem, really,” Shuu himself wasn’t too fond of the idea of reuniting with his family again and marrying another so shortly after. Besides, he rarely got the opportunity to venture out like this, and so extensively, too. A fresh breath of air in his otherwise rigid life.
...it also helped that Prince Minato had pretty green eyes and archery skills to match his own. No harm in getting to know his potential spouse, right?
The breeze ruffled Shuu’s hair as he neared the sound of laughter and scent of food.