Knight-Errant
A Word: Prompt from kaitouhime is exactly what the summary describes pretty much.
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Tim never expected to be saved.
It just wasn't statistically likely given all of the handicaps he was saddled with. First was the fact that the Drake kingdom was small, and more rich in history than it was with gold and gems. There wasn't much of worth to be offered up in ransom to the dragon that caught Tim, and Tim knew his parents too well to hope otherwise. King Drake would try once someone managed to drag him out of his research room where he planned fact finding missions only he and other scholars cared about. Queen Drake wouldn't allow it though. The attempt would leave their little kingdom destitute and she was too fair a ruler to allow that even when it is her own son at risk.
He loves his parents, Tim really does, he just doesn't expect them to outright buy him back.
The chance of them offering up a reward for his rescue is more likely anyway. Even if it is just as statistically unlikely to be followed through on. The reward will have to be small to not break the treasury which will limit the pool of rescuers. It will exclude all those with a lot of experience, and deter those who have to travel long distances. They can't even offer up a marriage in return, or a title to sweeten the deal. Tim is an only child, and he is very much a prince despite what some of his peers may tease him on.
That leaves Tim with one option, he's going to have to rescue himself.
It's a possibility that has come up reluctantly as the days pass by, and Tim considers all of his limited options. The cave in the mountains is in the middle of a sheer cliff face that makes Tim dizzy to peer down. The expansive maze of tunnels inside is vast, but reveals very little Tim can use. There's rock, which doesn't hold up very well against other rocks let alone the metallic hide of a dragon. There's treasure everywhere, but anything even vaguely weapon like is either rusted to uselessness or purely ornamental.
The gold coins might be useful given their weight, but using them -bundled in a sack of silk like a cudgel- would require more strength and stealth than Tim has to bludgeon the dragon to death without being fried to a crisp first.
It's discouraging to say the least. Tim has carefully picked through the treasury, gathering up what little appears to be useful, but most of it will only do him any good after the dragon is dead. Something that Tim is going to have to figure out how to accomplish fast.
It's been nearly six months now with no word or sign of rescue. Eventually, the dragon is going to get tired of feeding Tim and waiting for the ransom that isn't coming. Tim will either be killed then, or left to wander the caves and starve.
Tim's counting time as the dragon goes to hunt food for them both, carefully cutting and tying bolts of silk into a rope he isn't really sure will hold, when he hears a foreign sound at the mouth to the cave. It's a shuffling sound that makes him pause and listen closely.
The entire time he's been captive he's only seen the dragon and the dead animals it brings back with it. No other creature has tried to enter it's lair, rightfully wary of a place that smells so strongly of fire and brimstone.
It's not a guarantee though. Tim knows there are creatures out there who can and will challenge a dragon. That there are those that will wait for it to leave before invading it's lair. None of them are any better than the dragon in the terms of Tim living to his next birthday.
Tim swallows hard and picks up the sturdy wooden haft he pried out of a ridiculously ornate pole-axe. It's smooth and comforting in his hands, but Tim doubts the wood will hold very well against much even as he creeps towards the entrance on feet as silent as he can make them be.
He's thinking about griffins and naga as he edges closer to the source of the noise. Trying to remember what he knows about their anatomies from his father's library when a sharp cry rips through the caves. Tim freezes in shock as someone starts cursing. Fluidly and inventively, and unmistakably human.
"Hello?" Tim calls out, and then immediately bites his lips because that was stupid. What kind of person sneaks into a dragon's cave when it's gone except for thieves looking to steal while they have a chance? How likely was he to find one sympathetic to him over one who would happily slit his throat?
The voice, when it calls out, is unexpected. Both for it's youth and its words, "Prince Drake? Are you unharmed?"
A rescue! Tim's heart nearly jumps out of his chest and he almost runs the remaining distance. Disbelieving that his predictions were false. That someone has taken the reward to rescue him, and that they seem to have some intelligence if not skill. Waiting for the dragon to be away before entering the cave.
"Yes! Yes, I am," Tim nearly trips as he takes the last bend in the cavern and plows straight into the cold armored chest of his rescuer. The staff clatters to the ground as they both reel from the force of the collision.
"Whoa! Easy, you're safe now," his rescuer says with a laugh as he manages to keep them both upright and not send them sprawling on the ground.
"The dragon-" Tim starts to say, panicked because it's been a very long time, and the dragon is bound to be on its way back. He doesn't finish his sentence though, because when he pulls away he's faced with a set of colors he'd never thought to have the chance to see for himself up close.
His rescuer is dressed in red, green, and gold. A bright mash of colors that belong only to one group of individuals in all the lands. The knight-errants of King Wayne in Gotham. A group of knights who wander the lands to save any who require it regardless of their circumstances or the reward. Tim has heard many stories of them all, and their dark mentor who never leaves his King's side. The knights are nameless, going by monikers and hiding their identities behind strips of silk that match their colors. All the better to allow them to right the wrongs they find in the world without fear of personal retaliation.
The shield slung over his rescuer's arm bears a stylized, golden R on a dark background that shows the hint of the shape of a bat. His rescuer is a Robin. The training class of the knight-errants, true, but they have always been rumored to be more skilled than five knights form any other kingdom.
"The dragon's dead," the Robin says with a smile, and Tim notices that he is battered. A fresh scrape with blood beading up marring his cheek and stopping just before the green silk cloth that covers his upper face. Black hair flops messily over it, and green eyes peer down at him. Flickering over him, checking for injuries no doubt as Tim just stares up at him. Unable to even form words as he's confronted with a person who belongs to a group of knights he has idolized for so long. "I took care of it before coming down here to check on you."
"Oh," Tim blinks and feels rather stupid as he realizes the Robin is still holding him. Gauntlet covered hands resting against his sides as Tim just stares. Tim feels his face heat up as he steps back and away from the man who sounds to be not much older than himself even though he is taller. "Thank you. I, I'm sorry that I wasn't more careful."
"Think nothing of it, Your Royal Highness," the Robin snatches Tim's right hand, sweeping into a courtly bow over it, and Tim's face goes an even brighter red as he feels lips brush lightly over his fingertips. It's a cheeky gesture more acceptably given to a princess, and Tim should rightly feel angered over it. He can't though. Not with those green eyes smiling warmly up at him.
"You are injured though," Tim takes his hand back when it's released and steps back again. Putting some space between them and doing his best to ignore the heat that must be visible in his cheeks. "On my account. We should tend to that before leaving."
"As you wish, my Prince," the Robin says, and while the words are courtly the tone is verging on scandalous. "I am yours to command."
Tim doubts that. The knight-errants who carry the mark of the Dark Knight only answer to him first, and King Wayne next. He can't deny the way his heart skips a beat though as he leads the Robin back into the parts of the cavern he's colonized. To the small stash of usable goods that include fresh water, and a few dried herbs that should still be good enough to at least tend the knight's minor wounds.
It is the best outcome he could hope for, even if the odds of it happening were so small Tim had never considered it a possibility before. After all, Gotham's knights were so very few and the injustice in the land was so very large. Tim smiles a little in the dimness of the cave. He never expected to be saved, but he does expect that the trip back home in the company of his rescuer is going to be very eventful.
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