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Clover stared down into the fathomless black pits of the dragon's eyes, silver and blue scales gleaming in the fading daylight. He’d been tasked several months ago by the queen of Argus to slay the ferocious dragon as no knight or mage had been able to do so thus far. Or rather no knight or mage had returned so far from their hunt. Clover hopes that he’ll be the first.
The creature roared a spark of blue, the only warning Clover had to take cover as ice erupted from the creature's gaping maw. He shivered as Ice covered the outcropping of rocks her hide under, the temperature dropping drastically making his hand go numb as he gripped the hilt. Unlike the knights who came before him though Clover is lucky, blessed with fire magic through his ancestors. He calls upon it, the fire surging through his veins before being directed to his palms, lighting them up in an orange glow. There’s another roar from above him and Clover rolls out of the way as it releases another bout of frost. The giant beast bellowed in anger, claw raking itself through the dirt, before it rose up, azure wings beating powerfully, stirring up the dirt and debris in the area that they were fighting in. The thing was…Clover didn’t want to fight the beast.
“Wait! Wait!” Clover raises his arms up in front of him, dropping his sword in front of him to show the large creature he means no harm. It didn’t seem to deter it, as it swooped down low and Clover prepared for the worst, eyes beginning to light up, the soft green, twisting into a darker shade as he prepared for a hit. It never came.
“STOP” Clover watched as a translucent barrier rose up in front of him, one that shuddered as the dragon crashed into it before landing in the dirt. The dragon's gaze shifted from him to the person who had yelled one that Clover quickly evaluated as he turned to see who had saved him. They were one of the skyfolk, patches of black feathers trailing down his arms, softer downy ones peeking out of his shirt on his collar bones. The last of the ones that Clover could see were located at the corners of his eyes flaring out towards his temples, an ombre of black that slowly faded towards a crimson red that matched his eyes. Eyes that now stared at him intensely.
“I almost had him” ice cold fear trickled down his back as he heard the dragon speak for the first time, the rumble shaking the rocks on the ground. The skyfolk was unaffected by it, looking unimpressed by the voice that spoke.
“And we said we’d give anyone who threw down their sword a chance. James.” There is grumbling from behind him and Clover is tempted to turn but instead he waits, feeling a cold gust of wind hit him before another man, naked because why would he be dressed? They were never dressed.
“What’s your name Knight.”
“Clover of House Ebi”
“Well Clover of house Ebi. Why have you come” the man circled him, the many silver and gold bracelets jingling the only sound as he passed. The other man. James, as he’d called him, stood to the side, arms crossed.
“I was tasked with getting rid of a dragon” James blue eyes flash, sharp teeth digging into the tender flesh of his lip enough to make it bleed. In a flash James hand was around his throat, fingers transforming into claws, the points of them digging into his neck. One wrong move and he would tear out his throat.
“See! He’s trying to kill me and take what is mine!” Clover closed his eyes. Of course the dragon would assume he wanted his horde. Many a knight had chased after the fantasy of gaining vast riches by slaying the mighty beasts.
“Temper. Temper. Jimmy. You're jumping to conclusions. Clover said he was tasked with getting rid of a dragon. He never said he was commanded to slay them.” James' eyes narrowed as he regarded him before releasing the hold on him.
“Well?”
“He’s not wrong. I don’t want to harm you or take what’s already yours but your presence has caused a disturbance in the kingdom. People are afraid.” Clover paused, watched as the dragon's eyes turned impassive and maybe a little guilty.
“But I uh have a solution. There’s acres of land to the West. You’ll be undisturbed by both Mistral and Argus” James seems to consider the words, blue eyes sparkling in interest.
“I’ve already looked into a few areas that might be to your liking.” Clover added when nobody said anything, shifting uncomfortably. It’s why his mission had taken so long; he wanted to be able to escort the dragon out of it’s current territory to somewhere safer, if they would listen.
“That sounds lovely Sir Ebi” the red eyed man says after a moment resting a hand on Clover's shoulder, before looking at the dragon shifter pointedly a silent conversation taking place between the two of them.
“Would you show us where Sir Ebi” the skyfolk after a moment, crimson eyes returning to him.
“Of course and just call me Clover”
“Well just Clover, lead the way”
In the end James and Qrow, who’d given him his name after much cajoling; collect a few things from a small cave that had been carved into the side of a mountain. He catches trinkets and baubles in Qrow’s bag, unsurprising considering the skyfolk had a habit of collecting shiny things. He wondered if he could offer something once they’d reached their destination as a parting gift; it would only be fair considering the other man had saved his life. Surprisingly he doesn’t see James grab much more than a few pieces of clothing and a coin purse. He didn’t question it though James horde was his own and Clover wasn’t one to question other people's choices. It’s dark when they finally leave and Clover has half a mind to ask them if they can leave at daybreak considering he couldn’t see very well in the dark. Fumbling through the forest half blind likely wouldn't win him any favors with the two either. Clover turns just as James shifts, watching as scales creep across his skin, his form shifting and cracking before James' dragon form is in front of him.Clover stares at him a moment now that he wasn’t fighting for his life he could take in the way James scales in the moonlight, baby blue scales climbed up from his tail and trailed up along his spine. It shifted into a brilliant sapphire as it creeped across his shoulder blades, turning nearly black along the wing bones. The wings themselves shimmered silver as James extended them before crouching down.
“Uh.” Clover looked over to Qrow eyes wide. Qrow only smirked at him.
“You didn’t think we were going to walk did you?” James lets out a huff at this, a light frost coating the grass as his breath touches it.
“I can’t fly” Clover blurts out, and Qrow cackles at him, eyes dancing in mirth. James' blue eyes reflect it too and Clover feels his cheeks heat up.
“I got that part. James can carry you” Clover eyed James wearily. It was one thing to escort the two of them to a new location. It was entirely something else to allow the dragon that had tried to kill him only a few hours prior, carry him thousands of miles above the ground. One wrong move and Clover would be freefalling to his death, another victim to him. Dragons were cunning like that especially when something wasn’t to their liking and for all Clover knew James might be more unwilling then he was actually showing to leave his home.
“I can’t see in the dark,” Clover says after a moment, eyes not leaving the dragon in front of him until Qrow speaks again.
“I can” Qrow counters and he watches as Qrow rolls his eyes motioning for him to get onto James' back. He hesitates a second longer before stepping forward. He clambers on awkwardly, his armor clattering against James scales, ringing out across the field. He hears a snicker behind him and can only assume Qrow is watching. He situated himself in the middle of James' back.
“I don’t think this is going to-” He doesn’t get to finish his sentence as James beats his wings in the air. Panic grips him as he feels himself slide back, stomach clenching in fear as James begins to gain momentum. It isn’t until James' front legs are beginning to lift off the ground that he sees James scales glow a deep red that trails down before wrapping themselves around his legs. He stops sliding and even as he shifts he can feel the buzz of magic keeping his legs stuck tightly to the dragon. He looks over to Qrow only to see that he had shifted too, wings bursting forth and extending down his back. Clover stares in awe at two sets of wings, the first and the one that many of the skyfolk had on his shoulders, Feathers inky black. The second set went further down approximately where his ribs would start. These feathers were a rich wine red and glistened as they caught the light between their feathers. downy feathers drift down his back, covering every inch until Clover is uncertain where feathers begin and end. His eyes don’t leave him once, even as blood red eyes turn to him glowing, the light settling the nervousness that Clover had been feeling.
“Ready?” It takes a moment to register what Qrow had said, his voice sounding more like a bird's throaty cries than human speech.
“As ready as I’ll ever be” they lift Clover's breath stutters in his chest, fear returning him as they get higher and higher off the ground. He shuts his eyes as the trees begin to look like specks below him, leaning forward until he was laid nearly flat against James. This close Clover can feel how warm James truly is, scales, giving off a gentle heat that keeps him warm as the frigid wind assaults them as they fly onwards.
“Thought knights were supposed to be fearless warriors” Clover glances up to see Qrow gliding beside them, easily avoiding James' wings.
“ A knight who isn’t afraid of anything is a fool” Clover says, eyes shutting again as he catches a glimpse of the land below them, grip tightening. He knows logically that Qrow’s spell won’t let him fall from James' back nor would it wear off until they had landed but the view still unsettled him.
“You can’t tell us where to go if you're not looking,” Qrow yells.
“It wouldn’t matter! I can’t see in the dark”
“Right. Your human” even through the roaring of the wind Clover can hear the gentleness to them, as if they were as fragile as he was compared to the two of them. It’s not said with disdain or derision but as if they were precious, as if he’s mortality was a gift that Qrow was unaccustomed to. It left Clover wondering how old both of them could be, dragons could live for centuries upon centuries. No one knew how long the skyfolk lived for they were secretive with their lifespan, unsurprising considering their history with other civilizations.
It’s nearing down by the time James begins his descent back to land, slower than his lift off, slower perhaps due to the reminder that his passenger wasn’t used to the novelty of flying like he was. Clover’s relieved when they finally touch down, the red glow around his legs dissipating. He slides off legs wobbly as he moves to stand. Clover surveys the area as the two shift back into their human forms. The clearing they landed in is lush with vegetation, the treetops standing high above them. In the distance he can see a mountain and if it was the one Clover had seen during their travels then they weren’t far from the first area that Clover thought James would like.
“We're not far. If you’d like to see it before we rest” Clover turned when neither of them responded. James was staring at him intently, blue eyes roving over his form as if he was looking at him for the first time. Qrow was sitting at his feet, head leaning on his knee fighting sleep.
“That would be lovely Clover” James eyes met his as Qrow let out a grumble of complaint. James ignored it instead hoisting Qrow up and onto his back, his arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his middle.
“Stop whining, you knew i’d carry you” Clover barely catches the chirp of acknowledgement before Qrow is drifting off to sleep, head resting against his shoulder. James eyes turn back to him holding a softness that Clover isn’t expecting.
“It’s taxing on him to hold a spell and shift.” He nods, he’s not familiar with magic, but by how quickly he fell asleep Clover can believe it.
“I could carry you… if you’d like” There’s something more in his words, something that Clover can’t quite pick up.
“I can walk.” James nods disappointment reflecting in his eyes before Clover ushers him forward to begin their trek. They are silent as they walk, the only sounds coming from the forest around. From all around them the birds chirp and in the distance Clover can hear the babbling of a brook. It’s peaceful and Clover loses himself in it as they walk.
“Do you have any family?” he startles at the sudden sound, eyes going wide as he turns to see James staring at him intently.
“Uh. No. Not really” James raises an eyebrow at him, head tilting in curiosity.
“Not really is not a no”
“I’m a godfather to two of my friends' kids but other than that…” he trailed off.
“But your a knight, with a family title surely your parents-”
“My mothers dead and my father… doesn’t care for his bastard child” Clover is met with silence, and this, this was what Clover was used too. Had known it his whole life. No matter how good of a knight he was, how good of a son he was, he would always be whispered about, looked on with by pity, shame, disgust. Being judged by a dragon was something new though and Clover picked up his pace, striding ahead of him so he could regain some of his composure. He hears hurried steps from behind him.
“You know. I never understood mortals' obsession with bloodlines” Clover is thrown for a loop at the words.
“A hatchling is a gift” James says softly, a hand moving to rest on his shoulder gently.
“Even when they’re illegitimate?” Clover asked, and James' nose scrunched up in distaste.
“There are no illegitimate hatchlings”
“Right” he wasn’t going to argue with him even if he didn’t believe him.
“Are you married?” Clover turned uncertain how they’d gone from their previous conversation to this of all things. All he was met with was genuine curiosity.
“No.”
“No?” Clover sighs, staring ahead as he answers the unasked question.
“No mortal wants a man with no title to claim. No one of nobility that is” He pauses, a deep sadness claiming him as he remembered the decision that he had made long ago.
“And I refuse to let someone I love be ridiculed as I have because they are part of a lower class. it’s better if I’m alone'' His heart was still heavy with the burden of his choice but he did not regret it. Was doubtful that he ever would. For all the rumors and gossip he received he knew it would be tenfold for anyone he married.
“That's noble.” James replies and he gives him a sad smile.
“Its fucking stupid” Qrow says sleepily, a frown written across his face. Clover doesn’t reply. Instead he stops in front of the clearing they approach, a Cave’s entrance is located on the western side of it, trees keeping it well hidden from prying eyes. The soil is soft and rich with nutrients for crops that could be grown if one so pleased. While they couldn’t see it Clover knows that there is a lake not too far off, a river bringing water closer to the area.
“We’re here” Qrow slides off his back leaning into James side as they look around. Clover sits by one of the pine trees as they make their way across the clearing, smiling at Qrow’s chirps of delight when he finds something to his liking. James is quieter in his observations, the only indication he likes it at all the hums of approval he gives when something is particularly to his liking.
“This is great Clover” Qrow calls to him.
“Good to hear it” Clover replies, eyes drifting shut as he leans his head against the tree's bark.
“I’ll be out of your hair once I get some sleep” Clover figured that would be the end of the conversation. That he’d wake later that day and be on his way.
“Can’t we keep him Jimmy?” Clover cracked his eyes open at the words, watching as Qrow ran his fingers through the ruffled feathers in his hair.
“If he doesn’t wish to stay Qrow I’m not going to force him” His eyes drifted over to James.
“But-”
“No Qrow” He sees Qrow’s lips stretch into a pout, arms crossing over his chest like a toddler. James eyes only harden further shoulders straightening to make him seem larger.
“You want to keep him I can tell and I like him too” Qrow said petulantly as if it would win him the argument the two were now having.
“We ask him to stay if he wants and if not. We let him go Qrow” Qrow sighs, shoulders slumping.
“Considering he’s still awake and hasn’t said anything I think that's answer enough” Both look over to Clover who sits up straighter.
“Would you like to stay? With us Clover?” James asked gently, taking a step back even though it was unneeded.
“I’m not sure. I need time to think on it” James nodded but Qrow seemed dissatisfied with the answer.
“Why don’t you stay and find out?” Clover looked away from him at that. If he stayed even for a little bit he’d been tempted to never return home but… would that truly be a bad thing? Home was cold and cruel and bleak. A life that was going to be spent alone.
“Qrow-” James says in warning, frost beginning to spread out from his feet.
“What! It was only a suggestion!”
“Okay.” Both turn to look at him.
“Don’t feel pressured to stay because this one doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut” Qrow squawked in protest. The feathers along his arms standing up in annoyance.
“I’m not. I just thought it might be nice. To not be alone I mean but uh if I’m intruding then. I’ll go” between one blink and the next Qrow is leaning into his side cooing happily, before smushing his head into his shoulder. James stands over them uncertain.
“Do you want to know what James hoards Clover”
“Uh. sure”
“People”
“Not just any people” James added as he glared at Qrow, frost leaving him as he huffed in annoyance.
“Right my apologize not just any people but the people he likes”
“And you like me?” Clover asked the words feeling obscured to hear. Yet there was already affection in James' eyes.
“Yes,” James says with conviction and Clover is at a loss for what to say.
“Maybe I’ll stay for a bit” He whispers, hearing a chirp of approval from Qrow as James sits on his other side. He leans into it, eyes sliding shut as the dragon's arm wraps around him. Yeah he thinks he’ll stay because these two bodies pressed against his own, safe and warm and maybe at the very least liked rather than tolerated was better than anything he’d ever experienced at court.
“We can discuss it further when we wake. Now sleep Clover” and he does, dreams clouded with all the possibilities of what could be when he wakes.