Dragonslayer

The blizzard continued to beat the knights and mages of Threanas as they made their way through the forest. Winter this year was harsher than the usual. Within a few weeks, most provinces were already buried deep by the frequent snowstorm. No person in their right mind would travel under such conditions but for the knights and mages composing the company, the journey was necessary, in fact, the very existence of Fehl depended on the trip.

"The-the dragon, ho-how big was it a-again?" Lyrus stuttered, not because of nervousness but of the biting cold. He was grateful that Alea gave him her fur coat a few weeks back. He would had been suffering from frostbite by now if it weren't so. The sound of the chilling wind that blew drowned out the sound of his voice and even that of his horse's hooves. He didn't like winter one bit for it reminds him of the nights where all he can do was lay on his bed hugging a bunch of cinders wrapped with a rag for warmth.

"The-they sa-say it was a-as large as a small hi-hill." Alea wrapped her coat tighter around her body as she struggled to hold the reins of her horse with one hand. Looking around, she saw the other squires and helpers struggling to walk. She felt guilty accepting the horses from Thenan but her mentor insisted especially upon learning that Lyrus is going with her.

The squires, together with a band of knights and mages were tasked to defeat the dragon terrorizing Fehl. The province of Burne had already fallen, only ashes remained of the merchant village. The dragon apparently decided to continue its rampage with the nearby Fehl and if nothing would be done about it, other provinces would surely suffer the same fate.

Alea clenched her teeth at the thought of what might befall the other villages. Why did her father choose to take action only when Burne was no more? He could have sent the Dragonslayer and a couple of knights and mages to slay the dragon even before it began burning down the province. Alea glanced back and forth at their company. Fifty knights and a dozen squires and mages. Surely one of them has the Dragonslayer. However, despite travelling for almost two weeks already, she was yet to see any sign of the weapon or its wielder.

"Help! Help!" The shout of distress made Alea unsheathe her blade in panic. She tried to look and see what the commotion was about only to see the armored backs of the other knights. To Alea's shock, she felt a hand grab her own, it was Lyrus. The man dragged her in a rush.

"Help. Please, a little help." A man in tattered robes pleaded before the captain of the knights. Behind the said man was a broken and badly burnt wagon containing an assortment of clothes, food, and crates, with a woman and a child on it. The family was shivering badly, and judging by their appearance, must have come either from Fehl or Burne.

To Alea's dismay, their captain merely asked a few questions from the group before ordering the others to fall back in line. "Wa-wait!" Alea turned around to see Lyrus hurrying towards the wagon. The peasant examined the wagon for a bit and asking the captain for permission, proceeded to fix it, much to the annoyance of the high-ranking knight.

Lyrus hammered the wheel of the wagon into place using the hilt of his sword. He felt the eyes of their company's captain boring on to the back of his head but it didn't matter. He needed to help them. He knew all too well the feeling of being ignored and left helpless. To his surprise, Alea joined him in fixing the wooden wheel. Within a matter of seconds, the other squires also started to help them in their endeavor.

A few minutes later and the family was on their way, thanking Alea and the others profusely. Fortunately, their captain let their insubordination pass, simply shouting at them to hurry back to their formation. Alea looked at Lyrus and saw him smile as he mounted his horse. Alea blushed. Lately, she felt something stirring inside her whenever she was with Lyrus. It was like her stomach was full of butterflies, fluttering about, making her uneasy while ticklish at the same time. At times she would be nervous when talking to her friend and at the same time happy. Is she…is she inlove with Lyrus? Alea tried to shake the thought off her mind but it just clung on.

Trying to distract herself, Alea focused her thoughts on their journey. They had been travelling for two weeks already. This was the longest time she was outside the castle. As if by some unknown luck, her father went on a trip and would be gone for a month, making her "escape" easier. She recalled how Silvia and she argued when the maid learnt of her mission. Silvia even cried, pleading that she do not go. Thankfully, Thenan was less troublesome to convince, much to Alea's surprise.

The commander knight immediately agreed, saying that he would assign some of his subordinates to watch over her. Alea surveyed her companions. She had become familiar with the faces of the knights for the past few months due to her training. One, two, three, four, five. Five faces completely alien to her. They must be the ones under Thenan's command.

"Ah-choo!" Lyrus sneezed once more. The cold was starting to get to him. While it helped that he wore a thick gambeson underneath his coat, the padded cloth armor can only do so much. A faint tinkling sound echoed inside his horse's saddlebag. The blizzard's howl was so loud that Lyrus barely hear the plated armor Karos gave him and Alea as it shifted inside the bag.

Just how are they going to slay a dragon under these conditions? The thought terrified him. He never had that much experience in actual combat. He couldn't hold his ground before the Woodland Beast, and even a bunch of robbers. How would he even do it before a dragon?

Lyrus held the reins of his horse tighter as if expecting the animal to suddenly speak up and offer words of encouragement to him. This was what he signed for. He kept repeating the thought in his mind, hoping that it would somehow steel his nerves. It didn't. It only reminded him of the times when his father would come home with a bruise, a gash, and once, with a dagger still stuck at the latter's arm. His father…Would Renus be proud if he saw his son right now? What would his father say to him?

"Are you alright?" Lyrus snapped out of trance upon hearing Alea's voice. He looked at the face of his friend and somehow he felt at ease. Come to think of it, Alea had always been there for him. She even saved his life a couple of times. It was thanks to her that he is where he is right now. He stared at her hazelnut eyes for a few seconds then at her whole face. Alea's beautiful, why did he realize it only now? Lyrus' eyes unconsciously focused on his friend's lips, and suddenly, for some unknown reason, he felt the urge to kiss her.

"What the—"Alea exclaimed as Lyrus slapped himself. Realizing how stupid he might have looked. Lyrus quickly tried to come up with an explanation. In the end, he said that he slapped himself to keep him awake since the cold was starting to take its toll on him. He berated himself heavily afterwards.

"Everybody listen! We will be reaching Fehl by tomorrow morning so be prepared. The peasant earlier told me that the dragon has wyverns accompanying it. I know some of you are still inexperienced in combat but we have our orders. The king wants the dragon slain so slay it we shall!" The voice of their captain thundered before the bonfire. The company had made its camp for the night inside a cave to ensure that they don't end up freezing to death or being ambushed by the dragon. Everyone wore a serious look. Lyrus himself felt his hand trembled at the thought of tomorrow. Tomorrow might be his last day. The idea seemed unpleasant but Lyrus chose to entertain it and found that for once it gave him a bit of strength.

Alea on the other hand, also felt fear and panic rose in her chest as she listened on their captain's plan. The plan didn't sound good to her, for it didn't mention anything about the Dragonslayer which meant that most likely, her father didn't send with them their only hope. While Thenan may have his people protect her, Alea worried more about those who has none…like Lyrus. She was sure that if worse comes to worst, Thenan's subordinates will retreat with her but she doubts if they will allow Lyrus to go with them.

"Hey." Lyrus sat beside Alea outside the cave. The blizzard had stopped and the skies have cleared, revealing numerous stars.

"What's the problem?" Lyrus asked as he looked up and gaze at the celestial wonder before them. He felt a heavy feeling within his chest. He missed Noir. He missed his hut. He missed those times where he would watch the night sky from the window of his hut.

"Nothing. I-I…I just can't help but feel scared for tomorrow." Alea wrapped her arms around her. She was scared, not just for herself but for Lyrus as well.

"Do-don't worry. I-I will protect you. I might not have slain a dragon before but I've already slain a wild boar. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two is their size." Lyrus laughed which he immediately regretted upon seeing the dumbfounded look on Alea's face. Just what the hell was he thinking? However, before he can even excuse himself, Alea stood up and suddenly held his hands.

"Thank you. Thank you for being always there for me." Alea smiled. She can feel Lyrus' warm breath slightly brushing her lips. Not wanting to hesitate anymore, and before her mind can talk her out of it, she kissed Lyrus.

Lyrus was shocked at what Alea just did. He tasted the lips of his friend against his'. Alea's lips tasted sweet and her kiss warm. He felt his worries melting away like snow under the hot sun. Within a matter of seconds, he returned the gesture, and the two kissed passionately.

"I-I…I love you Lyrus." Alea felt her heart beating faster and faster with each passing second. Lyrus was the one. She didn't care about what her father would think, what the other princes would think, what the whole Threanas would think for she knew in her heart that she loves Lyrus.

"I…I love you too," Lyrus replied, holding Alea's hand tightly as he did so. For a moment, he forgot all about Auria, the one person he admired all his life. It didn't matter if a few hours from now he would be fighting a dragon. It didn't matter if a few hours from now he shall die. What matters is now, the person before him, Alea.

The two spent the rest of the night, talking, laughing, and simply enjoying each other's company. They decided to let go of their worries even for a night, and even for only a night, the two experienced how to love.

"Lyrus! Lyrus! Where are you?!" shouted Alea as smoked filled the village of Fehl. They had underestimated the dragon. When their company arrived at the village, they were surprised to see that the place was intact. There were a few burnt houses here and there but other than that, everything seemed to be in order. At first glance, one might think that the village was simply deserted. However, the moment they set foot inside Fehl, all kinds of terror broke loose.

Wyverns larger than Wulforses leaped from the surrounding forest, while others burst forth from the houses, and some even from beneath the ground, the creatures were like small dragons except they possess only a pair of legs and their wings were not fully developed, allowing them to merely glide over a small distance. The formation of the company was broken immediately as squires, knights, and mages alike scrambled for their own lives, avoiding the snapping the rows of teeth that seemed to come from everywhere.

Within a few minutes, a number of the company's members were slaughtered, blood splashing at the wooden walls of the houses. Just when it couldn't get any worst, Alea heard a loud roar and looked in horror as the dragon emerged from behind one of the mountains, quickly flew over them, and spurted fire all over the village.

The rumors were correct. The dragon was indeed the size of a small hill. Its scales were the color of copper with a few yellow-ish ones here and there. It had a very jagged body, small horns protrude from almost every part of it besides its pale yellowed belly. On its head sat four long brown horns, the same color as its claws. Even though it may be small in dragon standards, it was still a sight to behold if only it would not bother to kill Alea and the others, that is.

Landing at the northern part of the village, the dragon continued to bellow flames, burning anyone foolish enough to come near it. As if regaining their senses, the remaining mages immediately grouped together and started hurling spells against the beast.

"Protect the mages!" The captain's voice echoed amidst the sounds of bones snapping and flesh being ripped. Alea hurried towards the throng of men gathering near the plaza where the mages were. As she ran, she looked from side to side, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lyrus. The last time she saw him was near the village entrance, with two wyverns running after him.

Alea dodged as an arrow flew past her. She turned her head and saw a wyvern twitching beside her, dead. Looking around, she saw two men, whose faces she was unfamiliar with, at the top of one of the houses, releasing arrows into the sky. They must be Thenan's subordinates. A loud roar, and a wyvern came running towards her. Alea steadied her legs and raised her shield as she prepared for impact. She heard a dull clunk as the beast struggled to bite her, with her shield wedged in between its rows of sharp pointed teeth. She stabbed the creature twice in the neck and felt it slumped down. Pushing away its carcass, Alea resumed running towards the plaza.

"Help me!" Turning around Lyrus saw another knight, bloodied, its right arm missing, crawling towards him, pleading for aid. He ran to help the poor fellow but before he can do so, a stream of flames engulfed the knight, knocking him back at the same time. His eyes widened in terror as he saw the dragon flying and burning down the village and everyone in it. It had no disregard whether a wyvern or human gets caught in its fiery torrent.

"Alea, we should go to— "Alea was nowhere to be found. They might had been separated by the ambush earlier. Cursing under his breath, Lyrus proceeded to look for Alea.

Blood splattered at Lyrus' armor as he killed another wyvern. Thankfully, his body was now better suited for combat due to his training and maybe as a side effect of Edrana's potion. His flabby belly had become flat now, his arms bulkier, and his legs stronger. In fact, he doubts if he would last even a minute here in Fehl in his old body. However, his' musings were interrupted as he saw a fellow squire slumped at a pile of rubble near him. He was about to go to his comrade when he saw two wyverns slowly inching towards the wounded man. "Hey! Idiots! Look here!" Lyrus shouted, banging together his two arming swords as he did so. Sure enough, the two turned their heads to him and in a blink of an eye rushed to him.

A cool feeling enveloped Alea as one of the remaining seven mages casted a healing spell on her while another put up a barrier to protect the other five. She immediately felt some of her strength coming back. The runes drawn on the hands of the mages glowed brightly as they continued to perform magic. They were a good distance away from the dragon but Alea knew that if the beast got impatient, it could easily swoop down and end their puny lives.

"Everyone! Protect the mages!" Their captain shouted once more as he fell another wyvern. Alea and the others had no choice but to fight outside the barrier to ensure that the mage casting the barrier does not tire easily while the remaining four can focus to attacking the beast. While all the mages can perform healing and barrier magic, the results and effectivity of such magic relies heavily on the user's state of mind and right now, Alea doubts if all the mages are keeping their composure.

"Dragon!" Alea and the others ran towards the barrier as the beast let loose another stream of flames towards them. However, some of the knights were not lucky. Alea watch in horror as burning bodies scrambled then fell on the ground, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. Sweat covered Alea's face as she struggled to remove from her mind the image of Lyrus lying down somewhere, bloodied, or worse, burnt.

An hour had passed and Fehl had disappeared under a blanket of smoke. Screams of agony mixed with the roar of the wyverns filled the air like a haunting melody. Overhead, the dragon had stopped its assault, circling the village, most likely contemplating on whether or not to end already the lives of the humans beneath it. Alea and the others used the smoke as a cover to change their position. Only four mages were left, after the mage casting the barrier lost focus due to exhaustion and a wyvern successfully passed through their defenses, tearing three unfortunate practitioners of magic into pieces.

"What now?" Alea asked their captain as they continue to fend off wyverns. With all the mages now focusing on attacking the dragon, Alea can feel her body getting more and more exhausted with each passing minute. Thenan's men were no more. She saw the two archers turn into ashes a few minutes ago while another pair who tried to help them ended up getting their heads bitten off clean.

"The preparations should be complete by now." Their captain, unstrung the horn tied at his waist and sounded it. Another loud booming sound, most likely from another horn answered in return.

"Spread out! Gather everyone who's still alive! The five of you protect the remaining mages," Alea's captain commanded. Preparations? Just what is their captain planning?

Using every bit of their strength, the mages struck down the dragon using a large bolt of lightning. Upon crashing on the ground, a binding spell was immediately casted, preventing the dragon from standing up. The beast roared in frustration and as if on cue, the wyverns started to behave erratically, killing anyone on sight with utter disregard for their life.

Looking around, Alea saw a knight carrying a glimmering spear. The knight followed by the captain and others as well, killed any wyvern that tried to stop it from making its way towards the dragon. Straining her eyes, Alea saw what seemed to be runic writing running from the handle of the spear up to its tip, its handle the color of mahogany while the blade at the end is bright red and appeared to be made of a scaly material. It was the Dragonslayer

Lyrus was lucky that one of the wyverns tripped while in pursuit of him, allowing him to quickly dispatch it before slaying the remaining one. With one blade in each hand, Lyrus continued to slay the wyverns that rushed at him, his strikes more precise than ever. It was as if his injuries were giving him a greater clarity of mind.

A few moments later the peasant limped back towards the entrance of Fehl, wearing now only a gambeson and breeches, and the fur coat Alea gave her, which was badly torned and singed. The plate armor Karos gave him had been badly dented in many places. While it protected him from the two wyverns, it hindered his movements later on when a whole bunch attacked him.

A flash of lightning followed by a loud crash. Looking up, Lyrus saw the dragon hurtling towards the western part of the village. Alea. Somehow, his' instinct told him that Alea would be there where the dragon landed. Lyrus forced his legs to run, even if his left leg hurts due to a gash left by one of the wyverns. He must get to her. He must protect her. The thought echoed over and over in his mind.

As Lyrus neared the dragon, a wyvern suddenly emerged from a pile of rubble to his right. The accursed creature opened its jaws and lunged at Lyrus. It was too late, he cannot dodge. He closed his eyes and raised up his arms to cover himself, anticipating the painful sharp pain of teeth digging into his flesh. But it never came. Opening his eyes, Lyrus saw the wyvern stumbling back, clawing at a greenish gooey substance covering his eyes, and burning its face.

Looking around, Lyrus saw one of the knights, a man whose face was heavily scarred, carrying a vial, in his one hand, while a whole batch of them was tied around his waist. Somehow, it reminded him of Lophen. The knight simply nodded to Lyrus who uttered a thanks under his breath and went on his way.

"Lyrus!" Alea exclaimed as she saw her friend limping towards them. She immediately rushed to his side and offered her shoulder for support. The remaining knights continued to hold their ground as the two walked towards the dragon. The wyverns have started to retreat, seemingly realizing that their alpha had been incapacitated. As they neared, Lyrus saw a knight holding an elegant looking spear. The runes engraved on the weapon glowed a pale yellow as the mages held the dragon in place. A Dragonslayer. This was the first time he saw a Dragonslayer and he can't help but be in awe at the aura emanating from the weapon. Lyrus smiled and allowed his eyes to close. It was over.

A loud roar jolted Lyrus awake. A flash of bright light blinded both Alea and Lyrus. When the light faded, the two looked in horror as the dragon stood up once more. Before the dragonslayer can even take a step, the dragon set fire to the poor man and swiped the knight away. The dragonslayer was just killed by the beast.

"No!" The captain shouted with grief and in desperation ran towards the behemoth, brandishing his sword as he did so.

Lyrus immediately dragged Alea inside one of the houses and pulled her down to the ground just in time as fire soared through their heads. The inferno continued for a good two minutes or so before it died down. The two cautiously made their way out of the burnt house.

"No, no, no." Alea started to cry as she and Lyrus huddled against one of the burnt houses. The mages are dead. The dragonslayer was dead. Their captain was dead. Only a few of them remained and while the wyverns had retreated the dragon was still with them. Lyrus hugged Alea tight, trying to comfort her but to no avail. Lyrus himself felt like crying. Their situation was hopeless, there's no way they will come out alive of this.

A glimmer caught Lyrus' eye and at a distance he saw the Dragonslayer, still whole. A foolish idea occurred to him, one that could end up with him dead. "Alea, I want you to trust me on this, okay?" Lyrus kissed the confused Alea on the forehead and before she can even react, he ran away.

"No! Don't do it!" Alea sobbed as she realized what Lyrus was about to do.

The dragon immediately saw the peasant running and with a loud roar breathe flames towards Lyrus. Lyrus for his part, did not bother to look back even when he felt hot flames slowly creeping up to him, even when he felt the tips of his hair getting singed. He knew that if he looked back, it would be the end of him. Just a couple of meters. He can already see the runes written on the blade.

"Hey! Over here you idiotic beast!" Alea cried, banging together her sword and shield. At the same time, three small vials crashed at the dragon's feet, producing orange smoke. Turning her head, Alea saw a heavily scarred knight throwing vials one after another from his belt. This was followed by more shouts as what remained of their company started to distract the beast. The dragon tried to take flight, but fell immediately, the poisons thrown by the scarred knight working their way inside the creature's body. In rage, and now completely distracted, the dragon continued bellowing fire from its mouth, giving Lyrus ample time to reach the weapon.

The Dragonslayer felt light on Lyrus' hand, contrary to what he expected. Not knowing how to use it, Lyrus decided to follow his instinct, he used magic. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and within a matter of seconds, felt something warm leaving the tips of his fingers. It was the same sensation from when Edrana tested his affinity of magic. Lyrus focused his senses some more. The blade. He filled his mind with the image of the spear, and the spear alone until it felt like it would overwhelm him.

An amazing scene greeted Lyrus upon opening his eyes. The tip of the spear had been engulfed in flames, the runes on it glowed brightly like gold. However, he felt also his strength slowly ebbing away. It appears that wielding the weapon greatly drains someone of mana. The peasant steadied his legs and tightened his grip. He only has a few moments to slay the dragon.

With a triumphant shout, Lyrus charged at the beast. The dragon in response drew in air and released a stream of flames towards him. However, just before the inferno reached him, it vanished, the spear slowly sucked all the flames inside its body, and glowed brightly than ever. The dragon swiped Lyrus with its claws but missed. Within a matter of seconds, the dragon roared in pain as Lyrus proceeded to stab the creature, dodging with perfect timing, every single one of its attacks.

Alea can't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight before her. Lyrus looked like some kind of hero in an epic as the peasant battled the dragon. It was as if, Lyrus himself was a dragon, delivering powerful blows while keeping up with the beast's attacks. Even the remaining knights can only stand in amazement at the ongoing fight.

Lrus gritted his teeth. His attacks were reaching the dragon but not doing enough damage. Then he remembered, 'Language'. He needed to use Language to perform magic and achieve what he desires. But he can't read any of the runes on the Dragonslayer. He must think of another way. Then it struck him. As he dodged a swipe from the beast, he reached out to his bleeding left leg and with the blood scrawled the only rune he can think of on the plam of his right hand. 'Slay', the rune roughly means.

"Fyl!" It was a mage, the very last one who casted a spell on Lyrus. A powerful force tossed Lyrus high above the dragon's head. Taking this as his cue, he pointed the tip of the spear downwards. He missed and luckily fell on his feet.

"Slay!" Lyrus chanted and the runes on the Dragonslayer glowed brightly. Using every ounce of strength left in Lyrus dashed towards the beast's chest. Holding the spear firmly with both hands, and with one powerful thrust, Lyrus plunged the weapon into the beast's heart.

The dragon wailed loudly. Shouting with it at the same time, Lyrus twisted the spear, and in a brilliant flash of light, the beast itself burst into flames. He pulled the Dragonslayer out and started to walk but before he can even take a single step, he collapsed.

It took another three weeks before Lyrus woke up, with the remaining members of their company carrying him back to Noir. Thankfully, within a matter of days, Edrana was able to visit and tend to him. Alea for her part was just glad that they were back. It was on the nineteenth day since their return when Lyrus finally regained consciousness. Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted with the image of Alea crying by his side. He stroked Alea's hair. Alea, still teary eyed, hugged Lyrus then simply continued to cry. On the other hand, word of the dragon's defeat quickly spread throughout the capital. However, accounts varied as to who and how the beast was slain.

"A peasant wielded the Dragonslayer and slayed the dragon? A peasant used a pointed stick to beat a flame breathing behemoth?" King Deanor asked irritably. He was once more in the secret room with Lophen. Once more also the prince seemed to be testing his patience. His search for a way to replicate Quirun's potion had been for naught. Moreover, he found out that Alea joined the expedition he sent to Fehl. His patience was indeed being tested tonight.

"It appears so your majesty. My source is very reliable, you know, unless of course, you're doubting the very words I spoke of," Lophen curtly replied, relishing the grim expression of the king of Threanas.

"I am not doubting you. I am just making sure that I heard correctly what you said," Deanor just couldn't believe it. A Dragonslayer is a magical weapon, it cannot be wielded by anyone. In fact, it is even said that the Dragonslayer is the one who chooses its master. "And what is it you're saying about the peasant and Alea?"

"Your majesty, it seems that Alea…has her affections for the said peasant. My source saw the two…share a kiss." Deanor's stoic expression quickly changed into that of rage. How dare her disobey him. Moreover, how dare that peasant seduce Alea.

"Lophen I want you to keep an eye over the peasant. Find out everything about him." Deanor commanded as he rose from the granite seat and walked out of the secret room. Deanor had enough. He's had enough of her daugther's disobedience, of Lophen's tricks, of everything going beyond his control. It's time to take back what is rightfully his.