Chapter 3- The Dragon

Rosalina sat frozen for a second, shocked by the sight.

Since when was there a dragon here? She wondered, then shook her head and jumped out of the saddle, unfastening the bag and pulling it off. She then made her way toward the dragon, avoiding the torn human bodies that littered the ground. Blood squelched under her boots as she walked. Bandits, she thought with disgust.

She reached the black dragon and saw it was still alive but badly injured and unconscious. It was covered in open wounds that leaked blood, some long and shallow and some short but deep. One wing was torn in places and possibly broken. It made her heart hurt to see such a majestic creature injured like this.

Rosalina set her bag down in an area relatively free of blood, a difficult feat as the entire clearing was soaked in it. She opened it and took out a clean rag, a potion made for cleaning wounds, a needle and thread to close up the wounds once clean, and strips of fabric to bind them. She then moved over to a cut on its leg and began to clean it.

After a few moments she finished and moved onto another. She worked quickly and efficiently, thanks to years of experience patching up animals and herself.

She had just reached a long, deep cut in its side when Spirit came up beside her.

"It's a bloodbath," she said quietly. "Why did they do this?"

Rosalina looked up from the wound and around at the clearing. She saw the horse was right; it was a bloodbath. Blood covered the ground so thoroughly that the only visible green was that of the leaves on the trees surrounding them. Maimed bodies and broken weapons were scattered across the clearing. This place would've been so beautiful, she thought sadly.

"Perhaps they wanted to capture the dragon," she said to Spirit after a few seconds. "Maybe they wanted to sell it." Human greed knows no bounds, after all, she added silently.

"No," said a deep voice. "They wanted me dead."

Both horse and human turned to see the dragon lift his head- his voice was unmistakably male- and gaze down at them with a cold expression in his bright blue eyes.

"Oh, you're awake!" Rosalina exclaimed while continuing to treat his wounds. "How are you feeling?"

The dragon seemed stunned by her kind treatment of him. "I am fine. There is no need to concern yourself with such minor injuries. They will heal on their own."

Rosalina finished bandaging the wound and moved on to the next, a shallow cut on his tail. "You've lost a lot of blood and, as far as I can tell, have a broken wing," she retorted. "I wouldn't call that minor."

"Just listen to her," Spirit snorted. "She knows what she is doing."

"Of course I do," she responded. "After all, I've done this many times before."

The black dragon looked from the horse to the human. "You are a beast tamer, are you not." It wasn't really a question but she answered him anyway.

"Yes I am."

Everyone in the kingdom of Illridia, from the lowliest beggar to the highest noble, had magic of some form and to varying degrees and rarities. Magical gifts such as simple telekinesis, plant whispering, and basic healing were the most common, although stronger versions of these were less so. Beast tamers and elementalists were less common but still widespread, with most elementalists only able to control one of the four main elements. Only a handful could handle two elements, with none known to be able to handle three and only Duke Ravenport able to handle all four.

Beast tamers were able to communicate with and sometimes control animals with varying degrees of success, usually only being able to handle certain animals and even then only a few at a time. Rosalina could handle all kinds of animals but preferred to only use communication and treat them with the respect they deserved.

The black dragon watched as she moved from his tail to his wing and began patching up the tear. "Very well," he relented with what she believed to be an amused snort. "Do as you see fit. I will not interfere."

"How wise of you… what is your name?" She asked. "I can't just call you dragon."

"You may call me Berkeley," he said after a moment of silence. "What should I call you? I am sure human would not suffice."

"My name is Rosalina," she responded, tying off the last stitch. "Rosalina Ra- Robinborne." She corrected herself. "And this is Spirit." The horse dipped her head in greeting.

Berkeley's eyes widened at the mention of Rosalina's name and his body moved from shock.

"Woah, hey, don't move!" She chided. "I still need to make sure your wing isn't broken!"

"I apologize," he said, collecting himself and allowing her to take hold of his wing. She checked it thoroughly, gently touching it and moving it.

"Looks like it's just sprained, not broken," she said, stepping back. "You dodged an arrow there." She grabbed her supplies and packed them neatly into her bag.

"I'll be back to check your bandages tomorrow," she said, attaching the bag back to Spirit's saddle. "I'm sure you have a den somewhere nearby but it would be best for you to stay here." She paused, looking around at the messy scene that surrounded them. "We should probably clean this before we go."

"I will handle it myself," Berkeley said.

"It's best you limit your movement," she told him, "or your scales might cut through your bandages."

"I do not need to move to get rid of this." He said. She looked at him strangely.

"You don't plan to eat them, do you?" She asked him, slightly suspicious.

"Of course not!" He snorted incredulously, eyes narrowing. "I do not eat people! How dare you accuse me of such a thing," he added with a low growl.

Ah, I think I've made him mad, she thought, taking a step back somewhat fearfully. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure," she said, trying to placate the dragon.

Berkeley got an unreadable expression on his face and he stared down at her for a few seconds. "It is fine," he finally said with a sigh. "I know you mean no offense. I should not have reacted so." He fell silent, looking away from her to the sky. "You should go," he said after a moment. "I am sure your family will worry if you do not return in a timely manner."

"Will you be alright here by yourself?" She asked. He nodded.

"I will be fine. Go."

She mounted Spirit. "Then I will be back tomorrow," she called, waving to him. Then she rode away without looking back.