Chapter Text
Roman Prince was a brave soul. People whispered stories of him, stories of how he bested ill-intented witches and bandits with his bare two hands. He grew up from nothing and made his name by protecting his town, then made his living by protecting his kingdom.
So naturally, if there was ever a dangerous job to be done, Roman was the one to do it. Fetching lost cattle from the shadowed wood? Easy. Exterminating a cursed object? Consider it done. Guarding against hitmen? That was practically already his job. It seemed there was no task too big, no assignment too difficult for him to take on.
But this one, this one might change things.
See, he’d faced monsters before. Cultist vampires and enchanted venus flytraps didn’t exactly play nice, no matter who they were up against. He’d long since conquered his fear of death, it was most likely going to be brutal anyways. If the pain was inevitable, he might as well go down with a show.
Still, that wasn’t enough to keep his breath from catching at his new quest.
There’d been signs. Large, inhuman footprints that started appearing on the edge of the forest. Small and weak trees alike were flushed out, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake. Scales that were too big for snakes and too dry for fish. The townsfolk were beginning to whisper again, as if they might summon the beast by speaking too loud.
It wouldn’t have bothered anybody, people knew when to duck their heads down and turn a blind eye. There were only stories, after all, and stories couldn’t hurt anybody if their warnings were heeded.
Except no one could deny the animals that began to run rampant throughout the markets. There was more fauna now than there ever had been, even during spring. Something was driving them out of the forest, and chaos was spreading as a result.
The sun had been high in the sky the day old man Westcaster came to Roman’s station. He was just as much a legend as the young knight had become, and Roman could respect the unspoken leadership that had fallen on his shoulders.
“Good day sir, what brings you here?”
“Boy, you know as well as I do that trouble’s brewing in our forests. I think it’s time that it gets sorted out, don’t you?”
Coming from any other man, Roman would’ve punched his jaw right there and then. But Westcaster had been there before the town even existed, he didn’t take threats to it lightly.
“I understand, although I admit I am unsure what I’m meant to do. What exactly is happening in the forest?”
“Right, the animals haven’t reached the inner cities yet.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The animals are running from something in the forest, and it’s causing all sorts of problems for everyone. They don’t want to leave and face whatever’s in there, but they can’t stay while we’re living here.”
“So you want me to kill whatever is keeping the animals out of the forest?”
“Kill it, drive it out, make it apologize, I don’t care about the means. I’m not going to stand here and give you orders like I could do your job, I’m simply asking for help.”
“It’s my pleasure to assist. I warn you, this may not be a short mission.”
“I’m not timing you.”
“Alright then. I will fetch my sword and head off!”
“Good. And Roman?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
The heat pressed into Roman’s back as he reached the forest. He was no stranger to the wood, so it hardly surprised him how pleasant it appeared in the daylight. Lush green everywhere, life spilling from every crack and crevice there was. He didn’t have much time till sunset, so he would have to travel fast. The land wasn’t nearly as welcoming when the sun disappeared.
The wind carried faded smells of burning wood and smoke, sending chills down his spine. Nothing seemed right without the birds chirping, or the rustling of leaves the bunnies scampered through. It was simply too quiet.
For once he was lucky to travel alone, no one was there to see him jump when he snapped a twig, and he could sing as loud as he wanted when no one was around. The sun was beginning to dip behind the treeline anyways, he’d have to set up camp soon.
Luckily for him, the larger predators opted to go further into the forest while the prey ran out. Which meant that Roman could shelter in a cave without fear of bears or other creatures interfering with him.
The cave he found was strangely warm despite the night’s oncoming chill. It was like he’d set a fire up without even touching a branch.
Then he heard it.
Loud, deep, rumbling breaths echoed through the space and settled in Roman’s bones. Something big shuffled further still into the cave. This was it, the beast he’d heard about. The thing that even bears ran from.
Against every human instinct that screamed to escape, to leave while he still had the chance, he snuck closer to the sounds. He couldn’t back down from a mission now, even if it meant staring into death’s jaws once again. The hilt of his sword met his hand as he pushed forward.
He could see it now, the giant dragon. Massive wings closed to it’s back, displaying the gradient of grey scales that gave way to light blue at the heart and bottom of his feet. Razor sharp talons that could compete easily with his sword, and he could only imagine the set of teeth in its mouth.
Inching forward Roman didn’t dare make a sound. The dragon didn’t know he was there yet, he could still potentially get the jump on it and scare the creature out of the woods.
Regardless of his many battles and victories, killing had never been an easy part of the job, much less an enjoyable one. Roman avoided it when he could and cursed when he couldn’t. The dragon may be dangerous, but it had life and beauty with it all the same. He wouldn’t be able to put aside his guilt easily if he was the reason it died.
As he went to stand and strike, his foot caught a root. In the shock he dropped his sword, the steel clattering on the ground.
Immediately the dragon whipped around, and with it, its tail. Before either of them could comprehend what was happening, Roman was smacked harshly into the wall.
His vision began to blur, but he could feel the rumbling footsteps approaching all the same. Why were they unbalanced, was it limping? It hardly mattered, the dragon was most likely going to finish him off anyways. Roman supposed this was a fair way to die, certainly there were worse ends.
The dragon whined lowly as it nudged Roman’s body. What was happening? The last thing he could register before he fully lost consciousness was the dragon picking him up by the back of his shirt.
…
Logan Croft was a sharp mind. Rumor told there wasn’t a problem in the world he couldn’t solve, no question he couldn’t answer.
It was a rare sight to see him stay longer than a week in any place. He couldn’t afford to, he spent his days as a wandering craftsman. The lands greeted him warmly and in turn he cared for them in kind. Flowers bloomed inexplicably where he walked, birds flew down his path without reason.
Therefore no, he was not frightened of the shadowed wood, not even as the moon was raised proudly in the sky. The night was still and quiet, it seemed not a single animal was awake. To another man it might’ve been worrisome, but to Logan it was peaceful.
He did miss the birdsong, illogical as it was. Logan wasn’t usually a sentimental man, but there was just something about it that put pride in his steps. Perhaps the uniqueness of the situation picked his brain in a way he couldn’t solve. After all, the only thing that beat his love of knowing something was learning it.
Was this stretch of the woods new? The path, one he’d traveled down many times before, was blocked by a fallen tree. He couldn’t remember such a thing being present the last time he visited, and such a sight would be hard to forget.
The trunk was all but completely detached from the body of the tree, but there was strange splintering at the split. Examining the tree further, a large spot of bark on the tree had been messily removed, almost like it wasn’t intentional. Logan moved to the branches, almost stepping on a blue-grey scale. Pocketing it, he noticed that blood painted the branches.
What had happened here?
Suddenly the woods were no longer peaceful. The night that had once been a shield was now a cage, and Logan wanted out. The ground shook and leaves rustled behind him in a rhythmic pattern. Something was out there, and it was on the move.
Logan felt his heart rattle as the steps got louder, closer, clearer to him. He reached for his satchel, which held his spellbook, and whirled around to come face-to-face with an unconscious man.
It just so happened that the man was being carried by the back of his shirt, which was in the jaws of a dragon.
He swallowed hard, racing through the pages of his book to find something, anything, to defend himself. He stopped cold when the man dropped to the ground, looking straight into the eyes of the dragon.
It nudged the body closer to Logan with its head, whining softly before staring back into Logan’s eyes. He (Logan could tell by the pronounced scales on the throat that the dragon was male) seemed… concerned?
Carefully, slowly, Logan kneeled down and put his ear to the man’s chest. The heartbeat was clear and steady, a good sign for both of them. He breathed a sigh of relief as he sat up, watching the man’s chest rise and fall in a steady pattern.
“Your friend is alright, he is merely unconscious.” The dragon tilted his head ever so slightly, and Logan realized the sheer ridiculousness of his actions.
Well, it wasn’t as if there was anyone out there to see him. Coming down with insanity was quite frankly the least of his worries.
“I’d say keep an eye on him for the next day or so, just for safe measures. Otherwise, I’ll be on my way.”
Obviously, the dragon couldn’t understand him, but it was rather nice to simulate conversation. He nodded to the both of them (the dragon who wouldn’t understand what that meant, and the unconscious man who wouldn’t see it at all), and turned around to leave.
He should not have turned his back on the dragon. The back of his coat was fastened tight to something, and his body quickly left the ground. A tail fastened around the unconscious man’s waist, and it dawned on Logan that they were now completely at the dragon’s mercy.
The dragon limped as it walked towards the gaping mouth of a cave, and Logan couldn’t help but wonder why. Soon they were all swallowed in pitch black, only adding to the dread pooling in Logan’s stomach.
Shortly after entering the cave, he was gently placed onto solid ground. Thankfully the dragon lit a small fire, lighting up the cave with a warm glow. Looking down, he could see that the ground was not in fact ground, but an old blanket that was clearly weather-worn. The unconscious man lay beside him, next to a small cat plush and a lantern.
“What is this?” Why was he still talking to the dragon?
The man shifted from his position, blinking his eyes open as his hand moved to hold his head.
“Where… where am I?” He scanned the room, jumping slightly when he caught sight of Logan. “Oh! Who are you?”
“My name is Logan, I am a traveller. To answer your first question, we are inside a dragon’s cave.”
“That’s right, the dragon!” The man attempted to stand up and charge at the dragon, but dizziness overtook him as he rose. Logan allowed the man to lean on him, guiding him gently back to the ground.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, you were ‘knocked out’ for quite a while. It’s been rather harmless thus far, aggravating it would only serve to our detriment.”
“Easy for you to say, you weren’t knocked out by the thing!” The dragon whined, walking over and gently pressing its head against the man’s chest.
“It’s a he, and for the record he seems extremely remorseful about the incident.” The man was staring wide eyed at the dragon, patting one of his horns with shaking hands.
“Well, I-” The dragon settled to the ground, guiding Logan closer with his tail and making himself comfortable at the man’s side. “You may have a point. I am Roman, it’s my job to protect these lands. I thought this dragon was a threat, but now…”
“I understand.”
“Do you have any idea what’s happening right now? The only stories of dragons come with merciless wrath and flame, not camping and fireside chats.” Logan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, sitting against the dragon’s side for support.
“It took me time to regain my bearings, but I believe we are in the middle of this dragon’s hoard.” Roman blinked, eyes darting to the measly objects that surrounded them.
“I thought dragons hoarded gold?”
“Typically, they do. But dragons aren’t limited by it. Whatever they deem valuable, they are free to add to their collection.”
The dragon stood up abruptly, walking in circles around the duo until it came back to Logan, something small and glass in its talons.
“Ah. it appears we have the same pair of glasses. How coincidental.” His tail swayed back and forth, wearing an almost human smile (well, the closest approximation of one a dragon could make).
“But this is all…” Roman ran his hand over the dragon’s scales, letting the dragon lean into the touch.
“It may not have value to us, but to him, it might as well be gold.” Roman let out a breathy laugh, making Logan’s head turn in confusion.
“I guess that means we’re pretty valuable, huh?”
The dragon’s breathing became a soft trill that almost resembled a cat’s purr, it’s eyes blinked slowly out into the distance. It was beginning to storm outside, but the cave was warm and light.
…
Virgil was a careful spirit. The world was a dangerous place, he was simply smart enough to see it. Trouble shied away from him, and he preferred it that way. It might have kept him lonely, but there were less variables that way. He didn’t need people or a home, not when he was safe.
That being said, he couldn’t explain the situation he was in.
He usually found shelter before the night set in, but chaos was running rampant throughout the lands. To make matters worse, storm clouds hung over the sky ominously, heavy with rain. It wasn’t long before a downpour, he could sense it.
He knew where he could find shelter. There was a cave in the woods, fairly close to where he was. It wasn’t ideal, but it would be dry and keep the cold out. Most importantly, it was far enough from the town that no one could try and steal his things or judge his appearance.
It was no secret that whatever was happening was a result of something in the woods. Virgil pulled his cloak hood over his head firmly, forcing himself to travel forward. It was the woods (probable danger) or the town (definite danger). Considering that his regular house was overrun with small mammals at the moment, he opted to take his chances in the forest.
The wind howled in his ears and rain began to fall. The sun had long since disappeared, only worsening his vision in the storm. The ground softened under his feet, making the path not only hard to see, but also slippery. Perfect. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he pushed further into the foliage.
Lighting cracked in front of him, setting a nearby tree ablaze and lighting up the night instantaneously. Virgil stumbled back, falling on the ground heavily. He had to get somewhere, anywhere else.
Scrambling onto his feet, he could just barely make out what he was looking for in the distance. The cave, it was right there. Virgil made a mad dash for it, ignoring how branches caught and tore at his skin.
He was so close, he was so-
Virgil burst into the cave, panting heavily and sliding down the wall nearest to him. He pulled down his hood and tried to steady the beating of his heart.
“Are you alright? It’s storming heavily out there.” Well so much for getting his heart rate down. Virgil could hear the stranger making their way towards him.
“I’m fine. Who are you?”
“I don’t think that’s true. You’re clearly frightened, shivering, and covered in open cuts. We have a fire further inside, I recommend you join me by it.”
Virgil looked up at the man’s hand, outstretched in such a way that Virgil almost took it instinctively. But even though he seemed relatively harmless, there was something that nagged at him.
“We?”
“Ah yes, forgive me. My name is Logan, I am accompanied by a knight named Roman.”
“I believe I’ve heard of him, what’s he doing in a cave?”
“That’s a… long story. You may want to see for yourself.” Logan didn’t meet his eyes as Virgil grabbed his hand and pulled himself up. He hoped against hope he could trust Logan, he wasn’t ready to run back into the freezing night.
Roman was younger than Virgil imagined. Other than that, he looked every bit as legendary as the whispers said he did. He tossed a lazy smile in their direction, and Virgil could feel his stomach flip.
“Logan, who’s this fine young man?” Virgil’s face burned, bringing warmth to his cheeks.
Then he noticed that the rock Roman happened to be leaning against was in fact, not a rock. It was a dragon. And it was staring right at him.
“That’s… that’s a..” Virgil drew in breath so fast he couldn’t push the words out. A soft, inhuman whine reverberated in the cave that shook Roman into action.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. He’s harmless, I promise.”
“Are you sure?! He’s staring at me!” Virgil wrapped his arms around his waist, trying to keep the panic at bay.
“He’s worried about you, you’re freaking out.” The dragon shifted to the side so that there was more blanket showing under him.
Virgil couldn’t force his lungs to find a rhythm, he’d die in a cave terrified and surrounded by strangers and cold and miserable and-
Roman picked him up. It was so sudden and effortless that for a moment his mind shut up. Logan looked apprehensive, but Virgil suspected it was because he’d stopped breathing abruptly. He was set down with the dragon at his back and either man at his side.
He could feel the dragon breathe deeply, and found himself following the pattern. Logan turned to him, shoulders tense.
“Are you calm now?” Virgil waited another breath, letting the air clear his thoughts.
“Yeah. Sorry for spiraling.” Fingers curled into his palms, he looked down at his lap.
“You reacted as any man would. I should have been upfront about the inhabitants of the cave, I apologize for my lapse in judgement.”
“You’re fine.”
Roman cleared his throat, breaking the quiet tension between the pair. “I’m sure this is entirely inappropriate to ask right now, but what is your name?”
“Right, yeah of course, I’m Virgil.” Virgil quite liked Roman’s smile, even if he came on strong.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you Virgil.”
“I agree.”
The dragon pressed its face into Virgil’s hair, mussing it up well. Cautiously Virgil scratched under his chin, suppressing a yelp of surprise when the dragon started…purring? Could dragons even purr?
“Is this the dragon’s home?”
“I would think so, we’re lying in his hoard.” Logan stated calmly, as if he were talking about the weather.
“Don’t dragons get possessive over their things? Like, really possessive?” Virgil moved his feet away from the lantern. It wasn’t going to be his fault if that broke.
“In some cases, yes. But we aren’t threatening anything, and if there were a problem with our presence, he would’ve made it known by now.”
“I guess you’re right.” Logan puffed up with pride for a split second, but he quickly coughed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“Yes, well, I’ve read a few tomes here and there.”
Virgil looked at the small pile of stuff around them. Nothing had any practical value, the dragon probably wouldn’t even be able to use half of it. More strange, he didn’t mind at all that there were three humans, just casually in his things. No matter how careful they were being, no dragon Virgil had ever heard of would let that kind of situation slide. Much less let a human scratch their neck, or get anywhere near them!
Why did this dragon have so many human items? Why was it alone? Dragons didn’t famously live together, but they certainly didn’t avoid each other like this.
“What’s on your mind Virgil?”
“Do you think that maybe he was lonely?” Roman blinked at him, eyes darting from the dragon back to Virgil’s.
“The dragon?”
“Yeah. He’s got all this stuff that he can’t even use. He’s letting us lie against him. He’s concerned for our wellbeing. He was alone before we came along. Don’t you think that’s weird?”
“You did ask why the dragon didn’t hoard gold.” Logan helpfully supplied.
“And he wouldn’t have found company in the forest, all the animals ran away…” Roman rubbed the dragon’s scales soothingly, deep in thought. “Virgil, you may be onto something. We should name him, that might lift his spirits!”
“He’s not a pet, and he’s not upset right now. We’re not naming him.”
“I admit, it would make conversation about the dragon easier if we had something to call him.”
“Logan, you’re supposed to be on my side!”
“I side with logic.”
“I’m thinking we name him Morgan.”
“Morgan?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I know many kind and brave Morgans! It would be an honorable name!” The dragon huffed, shaking his head.
“See? Not gonna happen princey.”
“I’m a knight!”
“How about Patton?” The conversation dropped immediately, the room falling into silence. “My mother told me stories when I was young about the good and just ruler named Patton. He protected and cared for his kingdom as if it were his family.”
Roman and Virgil considered it, and looked to the dragon.
“What do you say? Does Patton fit nicely?”
The dragon purred in response, letting his wings flit in excitement.
“I would call that a yes. Patton it is then!” Roman beamed at Patton, and to the best of his ability, Patton smiled back at him.