A/N: Hi guys! So, someone over on AO3 asked me for some DarhkAtom and after thinking about it for a while, I came up with this story, which I hope you will enjoy! I spend my life saying I don't like to write Heroic Fantasy but, you know, in small dosage like that, once in a while, I do like it quite a lot. So maybe if you guys want to, I'll make a sequel. Just not now.
A Knight, a Damsel and a Dragon
Once Upon a Time, in a faraway kingdom, a brave traveling knight by the name of ser Raymond of the Palms was looking for work. More accurately, he wanted to do what every knight in the stories did: find a damsel in distress and save her from the dragon who was keeping her prisoner. For that purpose, he had traveled far and wide, following rumors here and there. There had been no sign of a dragon yet, however, but our brave knight would not be stopped by something so insignificant. One day or another, he would find someone running away in fear, asking him to slay the dragon attacking their village. It was always how it happened in the tales.
He had been right to persevere. Upon arriving in a small, nameless village, he felt the ground shook and the air resounded with the growl of a monster. His horse neighed and became agitated at the sound. Ser Raymond patted his neck reassuringly.
"It's alright, Gumball, it's probably nothing."
Beside him, a villager chuckled:
"That ain't nothing, sonny, that's the dragon."
Ser Raymond's eyes grew wide with excitement.
"A dragon? There's a dragon living near this village?"
"Yeah, up the mountain, in the caves."
"Is it keeping a damsel in distress?" he asked hurriedly.
The villager seemed confused and shrugged.
"Don't know if you could call it that, but sure."
Ser Raymond didn't even hesitate – or ask for more information. He sent his horse to a gallop, and followed the road through the village, over the bridge, and up the mountain.
"This is it, Gumball," he said to his horse, "Finally, the chance to be a real knight!"
The path zigzagged up the mountain, and Gumball slowed down as the slope became harder and harder to climb. Still, ser Raymond was excitedly pushing his horse forward. The ground shook once again, and Gumball stopped. The same threatening growl as before echoed in the valley, scaring a flock of birds out of their tree. Gumball neighed and started turning around. Ser Raymond managed to get a hold of the reins, though his metal gloves didn't help. He forced Gumball to turn around once again and face the path upward.
"Come on, Gumball. We're not giving up now."
The horse neighed again and tried to turn around once again.
"No, no, no, not that way."
Finally, after a third attempt at leading his rider down the mountain, only for the stubborn knight to put him back on the right path, Gumball gave up and started walking up the mountain once again. He was rewarded by a pat on his neck.
"Good horse. There's nothing to worry about. It's just a dragon."
Slowly, Gumball made his way to the top of the mountain. He was not as excited as his master to be up there.
Finally, they reached the end of the path, which led to the entrance of a cave. A whole bunch of animal bones was strewn about before the entrance, which made Gumball fret even more. Ser Raymond jumped down his horse and took his sword out. He clanked loudly with every step he took because of his heavy plated armor. He carefully moved forward, passing around the many bones which had been picked clean, and what strangely looked like a little garden of plants, growing all in an orderly fashion. Ser Raymond rounded the corner when he finally saw what he'd been looking for. A dragon.
It was keeping the entrance of the cave, all curled up in a scaly ball. Ser Raymond couldn't see its head, but he could clearly see its claws, long and sharp like a rack of swords. The dragon was growling in its sleep, and the sound sent a chill down the knight's spine. He took a deep breath. The air smelled somehow both mossy and ashy as if the burning smell of the dragon still wasn't enough to chase away the humid smell of the cave.
"Time to save a princess," he whispered to himself.
He rose his sword and approached the sleeping dragon. It had yet to wake up. He held his breath, and with all his strength, he stabbed the beast.
His sword bounced off harmlessly on the monster's scales. The impact was so strong, it sent him back and he almost fell to the ground. Ser Raymond shook his head and ignored the pain in his shoulder. Just try again, he told himself. However, he never had the chance. In front of him, the dragon uncurled and growled, and he was suddenly faced with its massive head, and its two yellow angry eyes glaring at him.
Ser Raymond stumbled back. He was now facing a dragon so big its head hit the ceiling of the cave. It had teeth as long as his arm, sharp and gray. A massive set of horns, four on each side of its head, was scrapping the rock from the top of the cave. Spikes ran down its neck, all the way to its long, slithering tail. It tried to unfurl its wings, but there was not enough space. As it stood up, each time it placed a paw on the ground, the earth shook around them. The knight lost balance multiple times and almost fell down.
The monster growled angrily. Ser Raymond prepared another attack. He raised his sword, ready to strike. He suddenly noticed the dragon was opening its mouth, and ready to spew fire at him, he assumed. The brave knight stood his ground and raised his arm in front of him, to protect himself. A flame flickered at the back of the monster's throat, but no tongue of fire came out. In fact, the flame extinguished itself, turning into black smoke, and the dragon seemed to cough. Ser Raymond recognized this as his chance to strike. He hit the dragon's belly with his sword, but once again the steel bounced off of the scales without leaving so much as a scratch.
The dragon's cough turned into an angry growl. He tried to claw at the knight, but the cave was too small to allow him the freedom of movement required. Ser Raymond moved as nimbly as he could in his heavy plated armor to the side, ducking under the dragon's raised claw. He tried to strike him again. This time, however, before his blade could hit the dragon, something took a hold of him. The knight found himself frozen in place, as a strange but powerful force surrounded him. He tried to lower his arm, but he was stuck. He frowned in confusion. He'd never heard of dragons have magical abilities such as this.
A voice came from the darkness of the cave, a woman who walked toward him with hurried footsteps, with anger in her dark eyes. She was holding her hand in front of her, directed straight at him.
Beside them, the dragon growl and cough, but it was no longer angry. It sounded kind of annoyed, actually. It curled once again by the entrance of the cave, its head oriented toward the young woman.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked.
Ser Raymond tried to answer, but he found he couldn't speak. The woman seemed to understand, too, as she released him from her spell. He fell back on his feet, his sword dropping on the rocky ground. He took in a deep breath and threw his helmet away. This was not how he had imagined things would go.
"I'm here to slay a dragon and save a damsel in distress..." he finally explained.
She crossed her arms, her glare still seething with anger.
"Do I look like I'm in distress?"
"No, not really," he admitted.
"Good. Now you can take your things and go."
She glared one last time at him for good measure, then turned to her dragon. She petted his scaly nose and dark smoke came through his nostrils.
"You're supposed to rest, remember?" she whispered to him.
Beside them, ser Raymond was stunned. The damsel wasn't in distress. In fact, she wanted the dragon to be there. Also, there were pretty high chances she was a witch, which, he supposed, would explain the dragon.
"Excuse me?"
She sighed with annoyance and gritted her teeth before turning back to him.
"Why are you still here?"
"I don't understand. You live here?"
"Yes. Just because I don't have a mailbox doesn't mean I don't live here."
"Okay. And the dragon isn't dangerous?"
"Does he look dangerous to you? He's sick. He needs to rest and fighting against idiots is not going to help him heal."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe I can help?"
"You've done enough. Now leave."
Ser Raymond looked at the ill dragon once again before looking back at the woman. Finally, he nodded.
"Hum... I'm sorry, about your dragon. I'll be more careful next time."
She crossed her arms and watched him as he tried to bend at the waist to pick up his sword, and failed on multiple occasions because his armor was too rigid. Finally, on the fifth try, he managed to pick up his sword. He stood up and sheathed it. He looked back at the woman, who was looking at him with annoyance.
"I'll go now."
He walked out of the cave and around the bones until he found the path again. Only, his horse was nowhere to be found. It seemed Gumball had turned around and ran away as soon as the first growls from the dragon had been heard.
"Gumball?" the knight called out.
No answer. Ser Raymond looked around and started walking further up the mountain, in hope of finding his horse hiding somewhere there.
"Gumball? Who wants a treat?"
Ser Raymond had been looking for his horse for quite some time, though he had no idea how long. He'd gone up and down the mountain, gone round in circles multiple times in the forest before returning to the village, and back into the forest when he hadn't found his horse there.
"Come on Gumball! We have places to be!"
Still, no answer. No nearby neighing betraying the horse's presence, no sound of hooves echoing in the distance. Ser Raymond let out a sigh and ventured deeper in the forest.
He passed around a very large tree, and almost bumped into someone. Both parties stood a foot apart, stunned to see the other. All it took was a glance for the knight to realize it was the woman from before. She, too, recognized him instantly, and let out an annoyed sigh.
"Oh, it's you," he said with a smile.
"What are you still doing here?" she asked, though the answer didn't particularly matter to her.
She walked around him and continued on her way. He followed her closely.
"I'm looking for my horse."
"He's probably dead. Go back to the village, buy a new one and be on your way."
Ser Raymond shook his head.
"I can't just leave him behind."
Silence fell between them, but still, the knight continued to follow the young woman, who walked at a hurried pace up the mountain. Less than a minute later, the banging of his armor had gotten on her nerves. She bolted around and glared at him. He stopped dead in his tracks. Though much much shorter than him, she easily scared him.
"Are you following me?"
"No? Why, do you need help? I can help you."
"I don't need your help. You've already done enough to ruin my day."
She started walking again, and he followed her.
"Let me help you! I feel guilty for attacking your dragon, maybe I can repay you for saving me?"
"Oh, poor you. You feel guilty."
"I do."
"Well, I don't care. Now leave me alone."
"It's dangerous out there. Let me accompany you to your destination. I can protect you in case of..."
She bolted around once again, fury in her eyes. Because of the steepness of the slope, she was taller than him.
"Now you listen to me, knight. I don't need your protection, I don't need your help, in fact, I wouldn't even be out here if you hadn't attacked my dragon. Now, I have to go up that mountain over there and get a flower to help him get past his cold. I can handle myself."
"I'm not saying you can't, but, if it's my fault you need that flower then honor compels me to help you."
She seemed to have calmed down a bit, and he continued.
"It's the duty of a knight to help the innocents."
She snorted and turned around.
"Then you don't owe me anything."
"On the contrary. I have wrong you, my lady, and I need to atone for my mistake."
She turned around to face him once again when she heard his armor clacking. He'd kneeled in front of her, his sword planted in the ground.
"I pledge my sword to you, my lady, I promise to help you cure your dragon of his cold."
She let out a long sigh when she realized there was no getting rid of him. She crossed her arms and clenched her jaw, thinking for a moment. Finally, her jaw relaxed a bit and she said:
"Fine, you can come with me. But if you so much as get in the way I will kill you myself."
He smiled and heaved himself up with difficulty, which made her groan in annoyance. She already regretted saying yes.
"Thank you, my lady. I promise I'll be nothing but the perfect knight or my name isn't ser Raymond of the Palms."
She chuckled.
"Seriously?"
"Oh, you've heard of me?"
"No. Do you often go around shouting your names like it even matters."
"I need to if I want people to remember me."
"I've already forgotten what your name was."
"Ser Raymond of the Palms," he repeated. "But you can call me Ray."
She sighed, turned around, and began walking again. He followed her instantly.
"What should I call you, my lady?"
"Nora. And can you stop with the 'my lady' thing? I'm not a lady."
"Well, it's the proper term when addressing any young woman. I don't want to be disrespectful."
"Ray?"
"Yes?"
"If you don't shut up right now I will turn you into a tree."
"Got it."
They made their way over the mountain, down into the valley and up the next mountain in record time. Not once did Ray complain that his armor was too hot or getting dirty. No sign of Gumball as well, but Ray wasn't worried. His horse would turn up eventually. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, shadowing Nora through her journey. However, silence was very hard to keep for Ray, and from time to time he would burst into a long monologue, talking about the forest around them, or the birds he could hear, or the dark clouds coming over the horizon. Nora would always let him rant for a minute, in the hope he would stop himself, before finally sending a menacing glare his way, and shut him up for some time.
They were halfway up the mountain when Nora stopped and turned around. She took in a deep breath, tired of her walk. She looked down at Ray who was positively red and sweaty.
"The flowers should be up that slop. I get them, we go back down and you can go your own way."
"Are you sure?"
"You have been completely wasting your time following me around. There is nothing dangerous here, never was, never will be."
He shrugged.
"If you say so."
They began walking again, side by side, their footsteps and the clank of Ray's armor the only thing disrupting nature's silence.
"Why don't you take it off?"
"What?"
"Your armor? It's obvious you're very uncomfortable."
"Why would I take it off? I'm on duty. I need to be able to protect you at any given moment. Plus, where would I put it if I were to take it off?"
"I don't know. Just leave it behind. It's heavy and it slows you down. You couldn't even pick up your sword earlier."
"Every knight needs his armor. Plus, this one's special."
"How so?"
"It was my dad's. When my brother became Lord of the Palms he gave me our father's armor and said I should put it to good use. So it's what I'm doing. I'm helping people."
Nora was silent for a moment. Ray thought it was normal, and their conversation was over, but then Nora declared:
"I've never heard of the Palms before."
"Oh, it's very far from here. I had to take a boat to get to this kingdom. The Captain was very nice. She made me work to pay my crossing, and she said the Waverider had never been this clean since she'd become Captain."
Nora chuckled.
"You say that as if you liked cleaning things."
"I do. It's fun."
She laughed at his words, but he didn't take it badly. He smiled, happy that he could make her smile.
"If you think so I should invite you back to my cave because it definitely needs cleaning."
"It would be an honor, my lady."
They reached the end of the path and arrived on a plateau, made of gray smooth stones. They were heavily cracked, and lone flowers were growing through the cracks. They were completely white, petals and stems, but with copper-tinted pistils, long and thin, emerging out of the flowers like little tentacles.
They were very high up, so high Ray almost thought he could touch the clouds. They had a complete view of the dark forest rolling over the valley, all the way to the harbor some three days from there, and the sea. Dark clouds were rolling over them, and thunder rang in the distance. Ray thought it would rain soon. He could see the clouds' shadows over the valley, quickly creeping their way.
Nora kneeled beside one of the cracks and pulled out a small blade from her belt. She carefully picked one of the flowers and held it up for Ray to take.
"Hold that for me, will you?"
He walked forward to stand beside her and complied, placing the flower in his open hand. It looked so precious as if it were made of ice and would break at any second.
Thunder rolled over them, and Nora froze before she could cut a second flower. She looked up, her eyes scanning the sky. Ray followed her gaze into the clouds.
"What? What's going on?"
She shushed him quickly and stood up. Thunder echoed once again, nearer this time. Nora pursed her lips to hold in a curse. She placed the small knife back around her belt and prepared herself.
There was another flash, nearer this time, and Ray waited for the thunder to follow. At first, nothing came. However, when thunder did seem to follow, it didn't sound like thunder anymore. It was distorted and higher-pitched, and sound Ray had never heard before. Until this very morning.
There was another flash of lightning, and suddenly, a gigantic shape appeared in the clouds. A monster twice as big as the mountain itself, with wings that could cover the whole valley if it wanted to. Long sharp claws that could destroy a mountain in a swipe. Its eyes alone were the size of Ray himself. This was a dragon.
Dread filled Ray's chest as the shape disappeared in the clouds once again. The dragon roared, and the ground shook. On instinct, Ray drew his sword, though it probably looked like a toothpick for this monster. He glanced at Nora, but he couldn't see her face. His eyes then focused solely on the clouds. There was another flash, and rain began pouring down on them. Ray's vision became even more limited than before, as he even lost sight of Nora. This was a rainstorm like he'd never seen before, thick and dark as if it were absorbing all light around him. It banged heavily on his armor, soaking him in an instant. He had to make sure it wasn't ice falling from the sky because of how loud it was.
There was another flash looming over them, and the following roar made Ray's heart stop and tremble in his chest. Then, the ground shook and cracked at his feet. He lost balance, falling on his back. He almost lost his sword but he held on tight. He pushed himself back up, and called out:
"Nora! Nora, we have to go!"
Through the banging of the rain pouring on him, he heard no answer. Only, when another flash of lightning appeared in the sky, he saw the dragon, perched on the cliff above him, looming down and ready to attack. Its eyes had turned into the color of light itself, and bouts of electricity crackled as it opened its jaw, ready to spew it down on the entire plateau. Ray frantically looked through the rain, but he couldn't see anything. He raised his arm to protect himself from the incoming blast as if it would do him any good.
He heard thunder detonate, louder than the sound of a canon, but felt no pain. He looked in front of him. Nora was standing there, both hands in front of her, containing the thunder blast in her hands with difficulty. The dragon stopped its attack, roaring angrily. The ball of electricity in Nora's hands disappeared.
Ray moved to stand beside her.
"We have to go, now!"
Before he could pull her away, however, the dragon sent another blast their way. Once again, Nora caught the end of it in her hands, gritting her teeth in pain. She was so focused on the blast that she didn't see the thick spiky tail sweeping over the plateau. Ray did.
"Watch out."
He took Nora in his arms and placed himself between the tail and her. It hit him in the back with so much strength, they were both thrown off the plateau.
They rolled down the hill, Ray never letting go of Nora. They rolled and rolled, picking up speed as they went. They hit rocks and trees on their way down, but it didn't stop them. Not until they fell over a smaller cliff and landed in a mossy pit. Both stunned from the fall, neither of them dared to move for a long, long time.
Nora felt the cold rain hitting her back painfully. She pushed herself up and winced. Her entire body ached, both from conducting an ancient dragon's electricity and from the fall. Though she assumed Ray must have taken the brunt of it. She sat up quickly and looked down at Ray. He was unconscious, blood trickling down the side of his head. He must have hit a rock on the way down. More than one. The side of his armor was all banged up, and she couldn't even imagine what the back must have looked like. In his right hand, he was clutching a broken sword, probably shattered on a stone on their way down. In his right, she found the flower she had given to him before, barely damaged. He had held onto it like she'd asked him to.
Above them, the dragon roared angrily, unhappy to have lost its targets. The rain died down as thunder rolled away. Nora watched as the sun peaked from behind the clouds and through the canopy, shining down on them. She looked back down at Ray and placed a hand on his neck. She felt his pulse under her fingers, and let out a sigh of relief.
Ray was woken up by a painful pounding in his head. His eyes refused to open. Slowly, the rest of his body woke up. It was aching, some parts more sores than others. There was something hot and moist on his forehead. He tried to bat it away but he found he couldn't move his arm, else it sent a spike of pain in his entire upper body. The smell of ashes and moss filled his nose as he tried to breathe in deeply. He cough when he tried to fill his lungs fully. The pain in his ribs kept him from taking more than short, slow breathes.
He forced his eye open and found himself staring at the inside of a cave. Sharp shadows were projected on the walls by a fire, in the center of the cavern. He managed to move his neck without difficulty and looked to his right. There were wobbly wooden shelves against the walls, with vials and pots stacked precariously on them. Beside them was a table with all sorts of knives and tools resting on it. There was no bed, and only after searching for one longly did Ray realized he was laying on the only bed, a mat of hay with an old flat pillow and a ratty blanket.
By the entrance of the cave, Ray recognized Nora's pet dragon. He was sleeping again, curled in a ball with his nose close to the fire. Its bronze-colored scales shimmered under the flames and reflected the light on the ceiling. A big banged up pot was balanced over the flames, and the liquid inside was boiling softly.
Ray tried to push himself into a seating position, but once again his left arm refused to obey. With difficulty, he used his good arm to force his upper body in motion. His ribs and shoulders ached, but he ignored them. The wet cloth on his forehead fell into his lap. He looked at his left arm. It was in a splint, caught between two pieces of wood and a cloth which barely hid his purplish skin. Well, at least the bone hadn't gone through.
He quickly noticed the left sleeve of his shirt had been cut off, and bandages had been applied around his ribs, under his shirt.
"Ray?"
He looked to his right. Nora had walked in, a heavy bucket in her hands. She must have gone to fetch some water.
"Here, let me help you," he said, as he tried to stand up.
Before he could even get a foot flat on the ground, his head started spinning. He almost fell back, but Nora dropped her bucket hurriedly and ran up to him. She caught him before he could fall back down.
"What are you doing? You should be resting"
Ray was disoriented for a moment, and Nora placed him back on the mat until he was laying once again. When his vision stopped spinning, Ray saw Nora hovering over him, a worried look on her face. She placed the cloth back on his forehead.
"I wanted to help..." he said.
"I think you've done enough already," she replied.
She made sure his splint was still in place, then went to the pot over the fire. She picked up the bucket and poured some water in. She then went to her table and started chopping something into tiny pieces. Ray watched her do from the bed. She placed the chopped pieces in the pot and went to check on her pet.
"How are you doing?" she asked in a hushed voice.
The dragon yawned, all its pointy teeth in full view. Nora caressed it scales.
"Fever's coming up. Good."
She let her dragon rest while she went back to the pot. It was almost as if she was desperately trying to ignore Ray, not even glancing at him. Ray didn't seem to notice.
"What happened? I remember the big dragon on the mountain and the rain, and then..."
Nora was silent for a moment. She mixed whatever was in the pot for some time before she actually answered.
"It was an Ancient Lightning Dragon. He has made this mountain as his new home. I should have known..."
Ray tried to shrug.
"It's not your fault. Dragons kind of do whatever they want."
"This was the only spot of dragon lilies I have ever seen that wasn't under a dragon's dominion. It was just a matter of time."
"It's okay. I'm sure you'll find another spot soon..."
His voice hadn't even died down before she shouted back:
"No, it's not okay! I needed those flowers! Not just one stupid flower I had to use already! I needed more! You think it's easy to find dragons lilies?! It's not! Okay? It's not!"
She stared at him as if he'd insulted her. He pursed his lips and looked her straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry. It was inconsiderate of me. I don't know a lot about medicinal plants, really. I just wanted to cheer you up."
Upon hearing his words, Nora seemed to deflate. Soon enough, all her anger seemed to have disappeared, and she was struggling to keep her tears at bay. She failed miserably. She rubbed her eyes quickly, trying to erase the tears before they could roll down her cheeks. As her throat constricted she stiffened a sob. She tried to turn away from him, but even in the dimly lit cave, Ray had noticed.
"No, I'm sorry..."
He pushed himself in a seating position once again, willing his mind not to spin.
"I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sorry..."
"Stop apologizing!"
She let out a long breath. She brushed a few stray tears once again.
"Why do you have to be so nice and perfect all the time?"
Ray shook his head.
"I'm not perfect. I can't kill a dragon. I mean, I could try but I really don't want to."
This brought a smile back on her face, even if it was faint and short-lived.
"It's my fault. I could have killed the dragon. I could have healed you. If only I could control this curse."
"What? Your magic?"
"It's not magic, it's a curse. All it does his hurt people."
"Well, it didn't hurt me. Actually, you saved me from the dragon."
She frowned.
"What? No, you did. You jumped in the way and saved me. I would be dead if you hadn't been there."
"Really?"
Nora was stunned. It was as if this knight hadn't even realized what he had done. He had protected her from a tail whip from an ancient dragon and had protected her again during the entire roll down the mountain. She'd always imagined knights liked to brag about these things, about saving people and slaying monsters. Ray certainly was different.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter," she said quickly. "Just rest. You can stay until you recover, it's the least I can do."
"Thank you," he said.
He was about to lay back down when he realized something:
"Wait, where are you going to sleep?"
"Doesn't matter."
He shook his head.
"No, you need to rest too. You look tired."
"Where am I going to sleep exactly, Ray? I only have one bed and you're in it."
"I can scoot?" he suggested.
Nora looked at him as if she didn't believe what he had just say. He, big tall Ray, was going to scoot and leave enough space for her? Sure she was relatively small, but it seemed rather improbable. She was going to say so but when she opened her mouth a yawn escaped.
"Come on. I promise, I don't snore," he said.
"No, I'm okay. You rest."
He shook his head.
"I'm not going back to sleep until you come over here and rest too."
She groaned but relented. He scooted to the side until only half his body was laying on the hay, making just enough space for her to lie down. Both of their bodies were glued from shoulder to waist, but neither expressed how awkward it was. He was about to give her the pillow when she pushed it toward him.
"You're the one who's bruised."
He didn't protest and placed the pillow under his head. He closed his eyes, trying the ignore the heat radiating from the woman beside him. Nora closed her eyes as well and crossed her arms as if it were going to help calm her heart. She thought she should just wait until Ray fell asleep to creep out of the bed, but now that she was actually laying down, she found she really didn't want to get up. Maybe a few hours of sleep wouldn't be so bad.
"Nora?"
She huffed. Of course, he still wanted to talk.
"What?"
"How did you get me back to your cave?"
"I shrunk you."
He chuckled, then stopped.
"Wait really?"
"Yeah, shrinking is kind of the only spell I can make work all the time. That and immobilization."
"Oh, okay."
He fell asleep after that, and she followed soon after.
Nora woke up in a far more comfortable position than when she'd gone to sleep. Her head was resting against something soft and warm, which could have been her pillow if it wasn't slowly rising and falling. It was a lot more comfortable than the few times she'd used her dragon as a pillow. Of course, she could guess what it was, and she really hoped she was wrong. The thought alone left her mortified. Please, please let her be wrong.
She opened her eyes and sighed. Ray was holding onto her pretty fiercely, his good arm snaked around her waist and keeping her close. Her head was placed on his chest, in fact, she was half-laying on him. While this was definitely a comfortable situation, she very much wished to get away from him as quickly as possible. Preferably before he woke up. However, she quickly realized that his grip on her was a bit stronger than she'd first assumed. It wasn't painfully strong, but it definitely was enough to keep her in place, stuck against his chest.
She realized he wouldn't let her go unless he was awake, and huffed.
"Ray," she called out.
He groaned but didn't move.
"Ray!"
He mumbled something. Finally, she lightly hit his chest.
"Ray, can you let me go?"
He finally opened his eyes, and his grip slacken. She rolled off of him and stood up quickly. She prayed he hadn't realized what had happened.
"Sorry," he said from behind her.
She knew her face had grown hot, but she ignored it. She brushed a few strands of dark hair away from her face and turned around.
"Let me see your arm. If it's too swollen I can make something."
He complied without another word and held out his arm. It wasn't swollen at all. In fact, the purple bruise was completely gone.
"What the hell..."
She undid the splint and looked at his arm under every angle. She had a firm grip on it and Ray didn't even wince.
"Take off your shirt," she ordered.
"What?" Ray asked in confusion.
"I want to see your ribs."
"Oh, okay."
He lifted his shirt up to his bandages and Nora unwrapped his ribs quickly. There wasn't a bruise left, not even a scratch. He was completely fine.
"Is this normal?" he asked, pulling his shirt down.
"I..."
She thought longly about it. She hadn't imagined the many, many bruises on his ribs and back yesterday. Nor his broken arm. Those kinds of wounds couldn't heal in a short night. This kind of healing was miraculous. Magical.
She turned around quickly, pressed her hand against his forehead, looked deep into his eyes.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"I think..."
She pulled back after looking him over once again. He looked fine. More than fine.
"I think, somehow, I healed you while we were sleeping."
"Really? That's neat."
"No, it's not. I've never done that before. I haven't healed anyone before. It could be dangerous..."
Ray smiled, and somehow all of Nora's troubles disappeared from her mind.
"I don't see how. You healed me. I feel fine. Thank you."
He stood up and stretched, and she stayed there, her train of thought running wildly.
"So, what are you going to do about that ancient dragon?" he asked after passing a hand through his dark hair.
She cleared her throat and stood up.
"Nothing. There's nothing I can do. I'll just pack everything and move until I can find a place with dragon lilies nearby."
"Oh, maybe I can come with you. Moving all of this isn't going to be easy."
Nora shook her head. She pointed a hand to the nearest shelf, and it shrunk down instantly, with all of its content still on the shelves. She picked it up carefully and placed it on the table.
"You were saying?"
"Oh, neat."
It took barely ten minutes for Nora to pack everything, shrinking it all down into traveling size and packing everything in a small satchel she could carry across her shoulder. The only thing left was the dying fire in the middle of the cave, the mat of hay and Ray's banged up armor, stashed in a corner. He kneeled beside it, looking at every piece and realizing there was no fitting in anymore, not without uncomfortable bumps here and there. Beside it rested what was left of his broken sword. Ray picked it up and sheathed it.
"I guess a trip to the blacksmith is in order."
He turned to Nora.
"Can you shrink it down for me? It will be easier to carry until I find Gumball again."
"Are you sure? You'll need magic to enlarge it."
Ray smiled.
"Well, maybe that way we can do a bit of journey together. I mean, if you don't mind."
Nora didn't answer, but she did shrink the armor pieces so they could fit in Ray's purse. She then proceeded to shrink her dragon down, until he was so small he could stay on her shoulder and sleep there easily. Ray petted the small dragon and it let him do.
"Aren't you adorable?" Ray cooed.
Nora rolled her eyes. She looked back at the cave, just to make sure she hadn't left anything behind and walked out. Ray followed closely.
Once outside, he whistled, and called out:
"Gumball?"
There was a loud neigh, and Gumball came trotting out of the forest. Ray smiled as his horse came walking toward him.
"Gumball! I knew you hadn't gone far!"
He petted the horse then climbed on its back. He then turned to Nora and held out his hand.
"What do you say? A horse is a bit faster than on foot."
Nora smiled and took his hand. He heaved her up in front of him, both of his arms on either side of her to keep her from falling. He trotted away, down the path.
And so our brave knight who had been looking for a damsel to save and a dragon to slay may have been stuck with the wrong adventure. He had never slain a dragon. He had never found a damsel to save either, but he had found a lady to accompany him on his adventures. He really was the luckiest of knights.