Chapter Text
Once Upon a Time, a brave Knight was riding her black stallion through the forests. They were on their way back from a neighbouring village, where they had been to investigate some concerns of monsters, whilst keeping an ear out for their next adventure.
“What exactly did this monster do when it was here?” The Knight had asked the Blacksmith, “Any information may help me track it. Did it destroy any part of the village? Eat the elderly?”
“Well, not exactly…” The Blacksmith rubbed his stubbled chin, “it just sort of wandered about singing.”
“So, you want me to capture it because…?”
“It keeps the children awake at night.”
With an air of annoyance, the Knight ‘investigated’ as was the Knight’s Code, but never seemed to catch the monster nor identify it. Citing the need for further research, the knight had left the village. Of course, she had also been frustrated by the villager’s admissions that the monster wasn’t exactly… evil. It probably wasn’t even a dragon. It had likely just been a drunkard.
The Knight slowed down as she heard a rustling in the leaves above. She clicked her tongue and pulled at the reins, slowing the horse to a stop. The Knight dismounted, unsheathed her sword, and scanned the foliage. There was nothing in eyesight, and she was about to be back on her journey when a small voice called out from the trees,
“Hello? Hello! Up here!” The Knight looked up to see what appeared to be a small blue dragon sitting on a branch. Whilst the knight couldn’t see her expression, she noted the beautiful pattern of gold in the crevices of the Dragon’s deep blue wings and the burgundy spikes going down her back, ending in a pointed burgundy tail. As the Dragon moved her head, the knight noticed as burgundy spots shimmered against her other scales. “I don’t mean to be a bother, and if you’re busy then I understand. I suppose a Knight such as yourself is very busy, but—”
“Are you stuck?” The Knight interjected. The Dragon gave a small nod in response. “Would you like some help?”
“Yes, please.”
The Knight gave a sigh, tethering her horse to a nearby branch. She looked up at the tree and swallowed thickly. Of course, the Dragon had to be stuck in the tallest tree around. The Knight carefully climbed the branches of the tree, taking a shaking breath as she sat on the branch beside the Dragon.
The Knight could now see the Dragon’s worried expression and, despite her own anxieties, was determined to distract her.
“What’s your name?”
“Kara.” The Dragon carefully regarded the Knight. Knights weren’t usually so pleasant towards dragons. “What’s yours?”
“Lena Kieran, The Noble and Gracious, Lady of the Luthor Corps, Slayer of the Krypton Beast, Keeper of the Deadly Archives, Guardian of the Irish Hills, and Defender of the City of Nationals.” The Knight stuck out her hand with a grin, which the Dragon carefully grasped with her own golden-clawed hand.
“That’s rather a mouthful.”
“Well, yes, I suppose it is rather,” the Knight thought aloud. With a smile, she responded, “You may call me Lena.”
“Well, Lena, what brings you all the way out to these parts?”
“I was called to investigate a monster that was terrorising a village nearby…And it turned out to just be…singing…”
“So, you went all the way to a village in the middle of nowhere for a ‘singing’ monster?”
“In my defence,” Lena huffed, “it was keeping the children awake.”
“Oh, the horror!” Kara snickered, “A truly noble quest!”
“Careful, Dragon,” Lena raised an eyebrow, the corner of her lip twitching, “or I might decide this ‘monster’ needs dealing with too.”
Kara tensed beside Lena, her claws digging into the bark of the tree.
“You’re…not going to capture me, are you?” Kara asked, hesitantly.
“Depends,” Lena smirked, “Are you planning to terrorize any villages with songs?”
“No!” Kara exclaimed with wide eyes. “I didn’t realise my singing was keeping anyone awake the last time-” Kara quickly cut herself off, “I mean-”
“It was you!”
“I didn’t mean to!”
Lena gave a small chuckle and gave Kara a pat on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it. I think that village just needs to lighten up.” Lena smiled at the dragon. Kara smiled slightly, a fang peeking out from between her scaly lips, but it faltered as she looked down, her blue ears drooping.
“How do you propose we get down?” Kara asked, looking across at Lena, who had turned slightly ashen faced. “You’re scared of heights, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say scared,” Lena said, folding her arms. “But yes, maybe ever so slightly.”
“You climbed up a tree knowing you’re scared of heights?”
“You’re the one that has wings yet is apparently stuck.” Lena gave Kara a pointed look.
“Yeah, that’s a fair point I suppose. I didn’t mean to get stuck, I’m just a bit new to the whole dragon thing. I’m having a bit of trouble navigating the flying aspect. You should see the dents I’ve left in some of the poor trees.”
“You’re new to the dragon thing?” Lena asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a long story,” Kara sighed and rolled her eyes. “I angered a Warlock and they cursed me.”
“How did you manage to—”
“You don’t want to know,” Kara interjected. “But in my defence, they were mean.”
“This curse…” Kara hesitated a moment, wringing her claws together, “It’s not exactly… simple.”
“Aren’t curses by definition not simple?” Lena replied, one eyebrow raised.
“You might change your mind once you know the details.”
“Well,” Lena regarded the dragon thoughtfully. “I’m not afraid of a challenge.”
Lena regarded the dragon carefully as she sat there with her arms folded and a scowl across the cerulean-blue scales of her face. This was a very strange dragon indeed. Lena couldn’t help but wonder what this dragon was actually like as a person, assuming that Kara had in fact been a person before she was ‘cursed’. She was unsure why she felt such sudden tug of loyalty towards this small creature. She needed to be wary – she mustn’t let her walls down too quickly. She wouldn’t let herself be hurt again. But something in Kara’s hopeful gaze softened her resolve.
Kara was also deep in thought as she scowled. She was having a little trouble working out the intentions of this Knight. Of course, Lena could be genuine and want to help. Kara liked this Knight that was sitting next to her in the tree. Kara wanted to trust her. However, no matter how much she liked Lena, she knew what Knights were like.
“So, how do we break this curse?” Lena asked. Kara looked up, her brows shooting up in shock.
“We what?” Kara shook her head. “You only just met me, and you want to help me?”
“Well yeah, of course I want to help you. It sounds fun and you seem like a good dragon to have an adventure with.” Lena smiled, noticing as Kara slowly began to smile back.
“First, we need to get down from here. Maybe…” Kara thought for a moment before looking at Lena with excitement. “Maybe I could drop you gently?”
“Drop me?!”
“Well…”
“How about we try something that doesn’t lead to me plummeting to my death? Maybe you could try flying again?” Lena frowned as Kara’s smile faltered. She looked down at her claws. “Try again. I believe in you.”
Kara met Lena’s eyes and for a moment felt hopeful. She gave a small smile and flapped her yellow wings. Kara put an arm around Lena.
“Wait, what are yo—” Before Lena could finish, she was being pulled from the tree by the dragon. They seemed to drift to the floor, and for a moment it was calm, but as they landed on the grass, Kara lost her footing. They arrived on the ground in a mess of limbs, wings, and a tail. Lena let out a very undignified shout and some unknightly words, wriggling beneath Kara. Lena sat up, removing the tail from across herself and placing it back on the ground.
“I think you need to work on the landing,” Lena dead panned. Kara raised one eyebrow but couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto her face. She got up and held out a hand for the Knight, pulling her to her feet. Lena gave a chuckle and said, “Now, let’s go and break a curse!”