Hello! I'm so happy to see that there are still readers in the Young Justice fandom. I've been trying to write Halloween themed things and this is what I have so far! Hope you enjoy!
The town was starving.
Their crops hadn't survived the attack from the raiders.
The townspeople had gathered together in the tavern, trying to figure out how they would survive the winter. The representative they had sent to the castle two months ago had never returned. It was autumn and if the town didn't get a supply of food available soon, the elders were estimating that up to half the town could starve during the frost.
This was how Wally ended up traipsing into the hills with rusted armor and a blunt sword.
As one of the town's few capable young men, it was agreed upon that he would venture into the mountains nearby to search for the rumored dragon's lair within the caves.
The tales of the dragon in the mountains had been around as long as anyone could remember. The stories of a great fire-breathing beast being used to keep children from venturing into the forest. No one disputed the fact that the monster used to terrorize the countryside, however no one had seen or heard from the beast in over a century. There was one of the town elders, Kent Nelson, who swore that the mythical beast still resided in the rocks; that on on rare moonlit nights he still saw the creature swooping through the trees.
No one believed him, and there weren't any other options. They decided to send Wally out to find the caves, hoping that there might still be treasure to loot.
The redhead shifted his weight and pulled at the worn leather straps of his armor, the shoulders were far too wide for his lean frame and the sword clanked heavily at his waist. He took a deep breath and rested a the top of a null, pulling out his waterskin.
"We should send someone to Keystone," Peter argued, "We have given them aide in the past, surely they will share their stores,"
"We haven't had any traders come from the west in weeks," Mary pointed out, "If Keystone hadn't been raided we would still have travelers from their direction,"
The majority of the room grumbled in agreement. A collection of concerned citizens gathering in the dim firelight of the tavern, gaunt faces grim as they discussed a solution.
"If we send out more people to forage then we may have enough to survive," Eleanor suggested.
"We have been sending out more people to forage," Charles retorted, holding up the list they'd made of the towns supplies and shaking it, "It is helping, but it will be nowhere near enough,"
"What about the dragon?" Thomas spoke up hesitantly from the back of the room.
"There is no dragon!" Benedict vehemently responded.
"Exactly!" Thomas continued, "But there was, so maybe there's still something in the caves,"
The smalltalk tapered off, and after a few moments of silence.
"That might not be a bad idea," Charles voiced.
"If there is any gold or treasure, we could use it to barter with the nearby towns, or even the King!" Peter agreed. The noise in the tavern grew as the townspeople each began voicing their thoughts, largely in agreement.
Finally someone spoke up louder than the rest, "But who would go into the mountains?"
The silence grew once more, the men glancing around without making eye contact, for they all knew they were eligible.
Then, "I will go,"
All eyes turned to the young redhead sitting with his family. Mary let out a cry and grabbed his hands from across the table. He let her hold on but kept his gaze firm, "I will go into the mountains,"
Wally tore off a bite of jerky and continued walking, gauging his direction by the sun. No one could really tell him where he was going except that the dragon had always been spotted flying off from the highest peak of the Bishops Ridge. This, of course, was decided based on stories passed down through two generations. He had been sent off with a meager weeks supply of rations and told to just head northwest and watch for newer regrowth in the treeline. Signs that the forest had burned in the last two hundred years.
It was not altogether an inspiring journey. But it was better than waiting around to starve.
"Kid!"
Wally turned with half a smile as Kent Nelson meandered over to his family's stables. He had pulled out his grandfather's old armor to try and repair before he left, "Hey old man,"
Kent slapped him hard on his shoulder, jostling him, "I could have guessed it would be you going out there," He said, "You're far to restless to stick around when there's adventure to be had,"
"Someone's got to go," He shrugged, looking down at the rusted breastplate and snorting, "Besides, could be fun,"
Kent was quiet for a moment before he continued, "About the dragon-"
"There is no dragon," Wally retorted quickly, giving the man a hard stare, "Hasn't been for generations,"
The older man held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, but if there is. If, by the strangest, most unexpected finding, there is a dragon in those mountains, then do not fight it," He pressured, "No man stands a chance against a dragon," Kent emphasized his point by poking Wally in the chest with his finger, multiple times, "Not to mention, there have been no attacks in the past century. If there is a dragon, it doesn't seem to mind humans in the slightest,"
Wally scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I doubt I'm going to end up befriending a dragon, old man,"
Kent shrugged, smiling as his eyes twinkled, "You never know, I've heard dragons can be quite the spitfires,"
Five days into his journey, Wally was trying extremely hard not to finish his rations off all at once. Unfortunately his mother had not been the one to pack them, and he felt he'd been shorted.
The redhead had managed to hunt a few rabbits, and was certain he could make it another week or so on his own volition, but living on half a full stomach was supremely killing the optimism for his trek. He was trying to imagine what he would find in the caves of the dragon to lift his spirits.
Gold, gemstones, weapons, bones, years worths of stored food? He was hoping for the latter.
At this point, Wally estimated that the peak of the Bishops Ridge was within a day's journey. He was hoping that after he rested overnight, he could make it into the thick of the ridge by the next midday. The sun was currently cresting over the ridge and the redhead dropped his pack on a mostly-flat boulder as he surveyed his surroundings. He'd found a mostly elevated clearing that would work well for his campsite. It had a good vantage point for anyone or anything who got too near.
After setting up his bedroll and starting a small campfire to cook his latest kill, Wally laid back into the furs and imagined that for every star he counted, it would be another diamond he'd find in the caves.
He had just lost count somewhere in the hundreds when he was startled by a bone-chilling roar that rolled through the trees and shook the leaves. The redhead sat up abruptly at the noise, eyes wide as he looked in every direction searching for the source. Nothing was nearby, the leaves scuttled as critters ran for cover. He gulped, waiting for something to happen.
But, nothing came. No more sounds, nothing came crashing through the trees or flew overhead. It was as if the sound hadn't occurred.
Wally fell asleep shortly after he laid back down, convincing himself it was thunder from the mountain storms.
As Wally made his way further up the mountain, he was coming across more and more sections of the forest that could only have been decades old in its growth. Saplings and new growth brush dotted the landscape the higher he climbed. He felt his hopes grow as he continued on. He must be heading in the right direction.
It wasn't until was about two thirds his way up the mountainside that he began to get more suspicious. The new forest was tapering off, and in its place was fields of ash and the charred remains of trees. The scent of smouldering ashes was wafting across the ridge and the redhead was concerned that he couldn't think of an explanation for why the forests around him were freshly torched if a dragon hadn't been in these parts for decades.
He kept his hand on his hilt as he continued onward.
It was the mouth of a cave. An entrance as wide as a barn and as tall as a cathedral.
And it was quite terrifying.
Wally nashed on his teeth as he stood stock-still and listened for any sounds coming from the gaping entrance. His armor cooled as gusts of chilled air floated out from the heart of the mountain. He glanced behind him and took in the burnt surroundings. It had been easy to spot the cave when it was surrounded by fields of ash. He shifted slightly, his boots having slowly been filled with the soot as he'd made his way across.
"Well," He sighed to himself, "Might as well, this is what I came here for,"
The redhead kept his hand gripped on the hilt of his sword and he slowly made his way into the mouth of the cave. The pathway narrowed as he continue into the mountain. He estimated that he'd walked over a mile until he noticed a change in the air. His stomach grumbled.
It smelled like a fresh roast.
His heart hammered as he ventured further, noticing a faint glow of firelight around the next curve. His mind warred with itself as he both tried to explain away the fact that someone was living here, and trying to convince himself he was not going to walk right into the mouth of a dragon.
Finally, he rounded the corner and found himself in a massive cavern. Wally's jaw fell open as he took it in.
The cavern was lit by multiple bonfires the size of his house back in town, the crackling piles of tree trunks dotting around the perimeter of the room. There was an enormous fire pit in the center of the room with an entire deer roasting on a spit, he had to drag his eyes away from it to continue taking in the rest of his surroundings. At the far side of the cavern lay a pile of more furs than he could count, arranged into some sort of a nest. The was an entire section of cave wall that was lined with dressers and cabinets of all types and colors of wood, the far end of the lineup burnt with warping, black wood. Wally was just taking in a pile of various bones shoved against another line of wall when he was started by a sharp voice.
"Who are you?!"
Wally stiffened as he turned to the voice. It was a woman around his age, with long blond hair and piercing gray eyes, her mouth formed into a fierce scowl. She wore a ragged green tunic belted at her middle and peasant pants ripped off at her ankles, her feet bare and black with soot.
"Uh," He stammered.
She started toward him, her hands fisted as she eyed him purposely from head to foot. The blonde was suddenly standing before him before he could open his mouth to try again. He stumbled backwards as she leaned toward him with narrowed eyes, "Are you a knight?" She interrogated.
"Uh, not really?" He managed to get out, the palm on the hilt of his sword sweating, "You, ah, live here?" Wally asked, eyes darting to the bonfires and pile of bones.
The woman tilted her head slightly and smirked, "I do," She answered shortly, "Which would make you a trespasser," She pointed out.
"Uh," Wally took the hand off of his hilt and ran it through his hair, slicking it back unintentionally, "I'm sorry?"
She crossed her arms and afixed him with a glare, "You think you're sorry?"
He frowned, "I didn't know anyone lived here, I was just looking for the dragon's old lair," He explained, exasperated. He looked around the cave, "Is there, uh, any gold around here? Or like, food?" Wally flushed as his stomach growled.
The blonde's eyebrows raised when she heard the sound. Wally flushed. She rolled her eyes and turned to walk toward the center of the room, "You can have dinner while I decide if I'm going to kill you or not," She announced.
Wally hesitated, standing awkwardly at the edge of the cavern, trying to decide if she was serious or not. When she pulled out a knife and began to slice into a hunk of roasting deer, he decided that being serious about dinner was good enough for right now, and headed over to join her.
"Sit," She ordered, pointing to the floor as she finished freeing a section of meat. Wally obediently clunked himself down next to the fire pit, his armor grating noisily as it settled, "Here, eat,"
He took the food and began chowing down as the woman collected a piece for herself and sat down a fair distance away from him. They ate in silence for some time before Wally finally finished off his piece and began eyeing the blonde curiously.
"My name's Wally," He announced.
"Congratulations," She responded.
He frowned, looking around and trying to decide what to say next. Trying to figure out what his goal was again. This situation was not at all what he had prepared for.
Thankfully, the woman spoke up again in between bites, "So, you were looking to kill a dragon?" She questioned. Wally snorted in response and her eyebrows rose.
"No one thinks there's a dragon up here anymore. Hasn't been a spotting in centuries," He pushed at his armor, trying to readjust it for comfort, "My town got raided and we aren't going to have any food for winter. I came up here hoping to find some gold we could trade for food with the other towns," Wally frowned into the fire, "It was a long shot anyway," He mumbled dejectedly.
The woman didn't respond at first, chewing still before she finally answered, "My name is Artemis,"
Wally gave her a half smile, "You find any gold around here, Artemis?"
She looked away, "If you didn't think there was a dragon, why did you bring a sword?"
He shrugged, "There are still raiders around. That and this old man in our village still thinks there's one up here," He paused, "I think he'll be disappointed I didn't find one,"
"If you found a real dragon, you really think you were going to make it back alive?" Artemis questioned, her grey eyes shining in the light of the fire.
Wally laughed in response, "I mean, I can run pretty fast,"
Artemis snorted, "Not in that rusted bucket you're wearing,"
"You have a fair point," The redhead agreed, he wrinkled his nose, "What are you doing up here anyway?"
The blond tilted her head back, "I like the solitude," she answered shortly.
"And how did you get all these freaking tree trunks in here?" He looked around, suddenly baffled by the huge bonfires warming the room.
"I'm stronger than I look,"
"Oh, and do you know why everything is so charred up here? The whole freaking forest is torched!" He continued.
Artemis abruptly stood, her brows furrowed, "I think you should leave,"
"W-What?" Wally startled.
"I think you should leave," Artemis pressed on, crossing her arms.
"But I just got here," He murmured, "Could I just-"
"I was kind enough to feed you, but I would like you to leave now," She pointed to the cave path he'd entered from.
Wally scrambled to stand up, his palms out in surrender, "Whoa, Artemis, what did I say? Whatever it is I'm sorry," He spoke honestly, "This is all just...surprising,"
She stared at him and he could see her mind whirling behind her eyes. Finally she swallowed, "Fine. You can stay tonight, but that's it," She pointed at him, "You leave tomorrow,"
"Fine, fine, I'll take it," He lowered his hands, "Thanks,"
Artemis turned and walked off to her nest of furs, "You're welcome," She mumbled.
Wally settled into his bedroll from the opposite side of the cavern, and as he drifted off to sleep he could have sworn he saw Artemis's skin shimmer in the firelight as she crawled into her bed.
The plan for Wally to head out the next day slowly stretched out to three as the redhead convinced Artemis to join him as he searched the winding caverns for treasure. She told him that she was only agreeing because she was convinced if he tried to navigate them by himself he would get lost and she would find his bones oneday.
"I made it here, I've got to at least find something worthwhile to take back," He huffed, jogging to the next cave intersection.
Artemis rolled her eyes as she kept up.
"Have you ever been this way?" He pointed to the right. Artemis narrowed her eyes and took in the passageway.
"Yeah, I haven't been left though," She declared.
"Left it is!" He decided, turning on the ball of his foot and marching onward. Wally had left the too-big armor at the main cavern and he was pretty sure he would never be wearing that again, "How do you not get lost in here?"
Artemis shrugged, "Once you take these paths long enough it's easier, and it's more memory of the turns than how everything looks," She explained. Wally nodded, dragging his fingertips along the wall as they walked. Artemis seemed to be able to navigate in the dim light of their lantern without any difficulty.
"How did you find this place?"
She didn't answer for a moment, "I was just wandering around. I didn't have a home. I found this place and figured it would work,"
"If you want you could come back to my town with me," Wally offered, and then frowned, "Well, maybe after winter. We wouldn't have much to offer you right now,"
"Because of the raid?" She asked.
"Yeah,"
"What happened?" Artemis questioned further.
Wally didn't answer at first, turning his head to look at the wall as they walked, "It was a couple of months ago. We'd heard of some raiders in the area, they'd hit a couple other towns first. Everyone pulled out their weapons just in case, but I didn't think it would actually ever happen," He spoke softly, "They hit us without any warning, just came out of nowhere in the middle of the night, like shadows. They had three buildings on fire before most of the town even woke up," Wally rubbed at his side unconsciously. Artemis saw it.
"You fought them?" She asked rhetorically.
"It didn't do much good. Half of them attacked the villagers while the other half ran off with everything in storage. The burned the crops and killed most of the livestock for good measure too," His hand left his side, "They almost took my aunt Iris. One bastard was trying to run off with her. My uncle Barry lost a couple fingers but she's fine,"
"What about the kingdom? The soldiers?"
"Rumor has it that we're on the verge of war with Vlatava. Raiders aren't the King's concern right now,"
Artemis frowned and didn't ask anything else.
They'd reached the next intersection and Artemis stopped to assess their location, she pursed her lips, glancing at Wally's downtrodden expression. "Let's try going right,"
"Okay," He sighed, continuing on, "What do you do for fun up here?"
"I explore the mountain mostly, there's still lots of places I haven't been, haven't found...And I shoot sometimes,"
That caught his attention, "Shoot?"
"Archery," Artemis smiled, "I'm very good,"
Wally remembered the deer they'd still been eating for their meals and had to concede she was likely not exaggerating.
"What do you do for fun in your town?" She countered.
Wally grinned and pulled back to walk beside the blonde, "Well most of the time I'm helping my family, we distill potions and medicines. I'm even working on some new ones myself," He gestured animatedly with his hands as he spoke, "I'm trying to make a new potion that will work as an antidote to multiple common poisons in our area. The townships in this area lose a lot of children to poisonous plants and berries, and if we don't know what they ate, there isn't enough time to try every antidote we have. Especially when some antidotes can't be taken together," He continued explaining, "But right now I'm really struggling with mixing the antidote for wormrot and the moonberry. They just aren't very compatible and I can't get the two to stabilize together and...I'm sorry, I'm boring you, aren't I" Wally tapered off sheepishly.
"No," Artemis smirked, "It sounds really interesting, and very important," She pursed her lips, "And if I'm remembering these plants correctly, laceflower petals may be a good addition to keep the two antidotes stabilized when they're mixed,"
Wally stopped walking as he took her suggestion in, mentally checking it before grinning widely, "Artemis!" He grabbed her shoulders, startling her, "You might be right! How did I not think of this? Laceflower! Of course" He let go and ran his hands through his hair, "The neutrality of laceflower would create a stable potion structure to safely mix the two antidotes, it's brilliant!"
Artemis laughed, "Glad I could help,"
They continued walking again, Wally still grinning ear to ear, "How did you think of that?"
"Well I live on my own, don't I? I've got to know about all the flora in the area to safely scavenge for myself," She pointed out.
"Are you sure you won't come back with me?" Wally asked again, "You could-"
"Look at that!" Artemis cut him off, pointing at the turn in the cavern they had come to. She held their lantern up and blinked as suddenly piles and piles of gold and gems reflected the light back onto them.
"Is this real?" Wally spoke softly, taking in the massive cavern filled to the brim with treasure, "No way this is real,"
Artemis stepped into the cavern, the light shifting as the lanterns light glinted on the horde, she kicked a goblet by her foot and it rang solid like a bell, "Oh yeah, it's real,"
"You sure you have enough?" Artemis asked, smirking as Wally hefted his pack over his shoulder. The contents jingled as they shifted.
"Definitely," He smiled, "This will be enough to trade food for the winter and help repair the farms from the raids," Wally sombered, "Thank you, Artemis. For your hospitality and your help. It means the world to me and my family,"
"You can come back for more, if you need to," Artemis offered.
"Could I come back for you?" He asked, a little quieter.
The blonde crossed her arms, "You- You can come visit, if you want to" She held his gaze for only a moment, "But, I'm not really made for town living. I'm better off on my own,"
"Well," Wally frowned, "If you change your mind, I'd be happy to have you. I-I mean, my family would be happy to have you, stay with us. I mean," He stumbled over his words. Artemis gave a snort. "I won't tell anyone where the cave is, by the way, where we found the gold," He changed the subject, "So hopefully you won't have any unwanted visitors,"
"I would appreciate that," Artemis nodded.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Wally turned to the pathway to the entrance, "See you around, Artemis,"
"Yeah," She mumbled, "See you around,"
The return trip to town was, thankfully, uneventful.
Wally reception when he returned home was warm, to say the least.
There were tears of joy, screams of excitement and wonder. He had returned with a little bit of everything, some gold plateware, gems, encrusted cutlery, gold coins. It was a plethora of goods that was sure to turn their luck around.
The town had a gathering to decide how to proceed with the treasure. They had to be careful where they took it and how they used it. They didn't want knowledge of their wealth getting out or they would only invite more raids.
It was decided that a few individuals would travel to more distant towns in different directions with a couple objects each to sell and trade with. They were not to reveal where the items came from or what town they were from.
That had been a month ago. One traveler had already returned with coins, non-perishable food, and new seeds for the spring. The townspeople were ecstatic.
Wally was suddenly a hero.
He was working on his antidotes when Kent Nelson came by to visit, once again slapping him on the shoulder with enough force to try and knock him over.
"What's up old man?" Wally grinned, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Just stopping by to check on our resident savior," He smirked, "You sure you didn't see any dragon up there?" The man asked, as he did every time he came by.
Wally rolled his eyes, "For the last time, no dragon," He grabbed his pestle, "Just a big, empty cave full of bones and hidden treasure,"
"Strange then, that you didn't even find a skeleton of one," Kent mused.
"Why so?"
"Well if you found the dragon's horde, why did you not find the dragon? After all, a dragon would never leave it's horde behind," The old man explained.
Wally shrugged him off, "There were lots of caverns, the skeleton might have just been in one I missed,"
"Food for thought, son," Kent slapped him on the back.
Suddenly there was yelling in the main square, drawing the attention of the two men. Chatter grew louder and Wally couldn't make out what was being yelled.
"Let's go check it out," Kent suggested, tugging the redhead willingly along toward the commotion.
The voices grew clearer as they came to the edge of the square.
"I'm not lying! I saw it with my own eyes!"
It was one of the men who had been sent out to trade the treasure, he appeared haggard and exhausted, with some of the edges of his clothes singed. His pack was dropped into the dust as he had evidently just returned.
"No one's seen a dragon in a century!" Someone yelled back.
"Dragon?" Wally piped up.
"It was a real dragon! With silver and green scales!" The man exclaimed, "It was in Central. I was on my way back and the raiders came through the town. But suddenly there was a dragon overhead. It was huge!"
Shouts of "He's lying", "He must have lost it!" came through the crowd.
"Let the man speak!" Kent spoke loudly, stepping forward. The chatter quieted.
"The dragon chased off the raiders into the forest. There were screams coming from the woods all night," The man broke down, "It was terrifying, an incredible beast. It had huge claws and breathed fire!"
"It must have come back for it's treasure!" Someone exclaimed.
"It knows we took the treasure! It will come after us next!" Someone else screamed.
Suddenly there were screams of fright and general chaos as the fears and panic grew. Wally was almost knocked over as the crowd grew more rowdy.
"Everyone! Everyone!" Peter yelled from the center of the square, "We have nothing to worry about!" He tried to calm the panic, "If the dragon went after the raiders then it must not know who took the treasure!"
The panic subsided as people began to listen closer. Wally, on the other hand, felt his panic growing.
"The raiders would be the obvious choice for who would have stolen the horde! And we have taken precautions to hide where the treasure came from. The dragon would have no idea it was us," Peter reasoned.
While the crowd was slowly being subdued, Wally took a few steps back away from the square. His heart rate rising, his throat constricting.
If the dragon was back, then it must have returned to the caves.
So what had happened to Artemis?
Wally turned and ran, he had to leave, and he had to leave now.
The trek to the caves went much quicker without his armor dragging him down, but it still took Wally three days to get to the forests of ash. His pulse racing. He hadn't brought any weapons with him, he didn't even really have a plan.
The redhead knew he was no combatant for a dragon, but he had to find Artemis. Get her to safety. If the dragon hadn't found her yet, there was still a chance.
He caught his breath at the entrance to the caves, listening. There weren't any unusual sounds. No scuffling of a large creature, roars, or anything of the like. So he ventured in, taking careful steps and keeping his light close.
Wally reached the large cavern without any problems, creeping into the edge of the room. It looked the same as before. The bonfires still raging, a boar was on the spit. He didn't see the blonde anywhere. He stepped softly into the room, looking for Artemis or any sign of the dragon.
"Artemis?" He risked a soft call, heading towards the pathways that went further into the mountain, the ones she used the most often, "Artemis?" He called as loudly as he dared.
There were echoing footsteps, and then, "Wally?"
Artemis stood at the entrance to a cave, hands on her hips.
"Artemis! You're alive!" Wally ran over to her, grabbing her shoulders briefly before grabbing her hand and turning to run, "Come on, we have to go!"
The blonde dug her heels in and pulled back, frowning, "Wally what are you doing?"
He turned, frustrated, "You need to get out of here, the dragon is back! We have to go!" He emphasized with another tug.
Artemis froze, "What?"
Wally looked around the cave warily, "The dragon was spotted at a nearby town, it's going to come back here, you need to leave," He spoke slowly.
She gave a small "Oh," and pulled her hand from his grip, "I'll, um, get my things. You go on ahead,"
The redhead frowned, "I'm not leaving you, Artemis,"
Artemis took a deep breath, "It's fine, you need to leave too, I'll be right behind you,"
"I am not leaving you," He grabbed her hand again. The blonde took a step back, her features forlorn.
"Wally don't do this," She begged, "Just go, please,"
"Go?" He questioned, "I came back for you. Artemis I'm trying to protect you,"
Artemis tugged free again and crossed her arms, striding to the fire as Wally followed right behind her. She stopped and turned to face him abruptly, "No, you need to leave. You need to leave and not come back. I-I'm sorry," She finished, refusing to make eye contact.
"Artemis, what's going on?" Wally asked, his features puzzled.
"Don't ask me that," She responded bluntly.
"Well I am," He pressed, stepping closer and raising his voice, "There is a dragon out there and-"
"I am the dragon!" Artemis snarled, throwing her hands up.
Wally froze, his features blank, "What?"
The blonde fisted her hands, "I am the dragon, Wally! You are trying to save me, from me,"
"You can't be a dragon! That's ridiculous!" He said, flustered.
"I am most assuredly a dragon," Artemis deadpanned, "Scales, claws, and all,"
"Why are you lying to me? This is crazy!" Wally rose his voice, "This is-"
"Wally!" Artemis snarled, grabbing his attention. She bared her teeth as her canines morphed into fangs, her skin glimmering as small silver scales grew along her shoulders and temples, spreading across the edges of her form, "I am not lying," Smoke trailed slowly from her lips as she spoke.
Wally's mouth gaped a few times as he took in her change, blinking as she took a breath and her human features returned, "But that can't, you can't, I mean that's- But you're a woman?" He finally blurted out.
"That's what you're going with, really?" Artemis questioned, snorting.
Wally threw his hands up in frustration, "Just give me a minute, okay?"
The blonde nodded and didn't say anything further, letting the redhead pace for a while, grumbling to himself.
Finally he stopped, turning to her once more, "You're a dragon," he stated.
"Yes," Artemis confirmed.
Wally narrowed his eyes, "Then why do you not look like a…" He gestured a large form with his arms spread out, "...dragon?"
"I have two forms," She answered, "This is my human form,"
"And...This is your lair," He gestured to the cavern around them.
"Yes," She nodded, "And I ever so graciously let you take some of my horde,"
"Uh, thank you?"
"You're welcome," Artemis kept her arms crossed, her expression firm, "Not all dragons are cruel,"
"I suppose not," Wally agreed, "But then, where did you get all the treasure?"
Artemis tilted her head as if musing on the thought, "There is a reason the King of Vlatava is threatening war with your kingdom. He is very much a jerk, and also very much broke,"
The redhead snorted, "And the raiders?"
"They were also jerks," Artemis spoke succinctly.
"So," He drawled, "You don't need saving?" Wally rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Artemis bit back a smile, "No. But thank you for trying,"
They stood together awkwardly for a moment.
"So...Can I see your dragon form?" Wally asked hesitantly.
Artemis grinned, her eyes narrowing to slits, "Are you afraid of heights?"
"Artemis!" Wally called out, traipsing further into the caves, "Where are my shoes?" He frowned, stopping as he reached the entrance to a small room, "All of them?"
The blonde was standing defensively in front of a chest, "What shoes?" She responded innocently.
Wally rolled his eyes and walked closer, gently reaching out to hold her hands in his own, "Artemis, dear, you know I let you have your hordes," She refused to meet his gaze, "But, seriously, I'm out of shoes. Give them back," He deadpanned.
She frowned, huffing as smoke rolled from her nostrils, "But they're mine now,"
It took the redhead a good fifteen minutes to convince the woman to release his boots, but eventually she relented after he agreed to not disturb the growing collection of axes down the hall.
It had been a full year since the two had met. Wally's town was prospering and his family's potions were now well renowned throughout the valley from his successful multi-antidote concoction.
Artemis had tried to live in town with him for a couple months, but ultimately they found the situation unsustainable. It proved too difficult to hide her dragon mannerisms without causing suspicion. Not to mention the livestock were terrified of her and she had accidentally set too many fires. They agreed to move back to the caves, continuing Wally's potion experiments in the cavern rooms and travelling to town once a month to collect supplies and drop of completion decoctions.
The two had fallen into a pleasant routine and Wally wouldn't have it any other way. He had collected a bit of an odd reputation for choosing to live in the mountains, but he was able to work in peace with a brilliant woman, er, dragon. It wasn't exactly traditional, but he was the happiest he'd ever been.
He grinned as the flask's contents turned green from the drop of silkfruit juice. Artemis's ability to travel further in his dragon form gave him access to unusual ingredients from far away environments. The silkfruit she'd brought back for him last week was proving to be immensely helpful.
"Hey Wally," Artemis spoke from the entrance of his potions room, the redhead looked up from his flasks and cauldrons, "I've heard that there's a group of mercenaries causing trouble in Harbor Town, so I'll probably be out late tonight,"
He set down his gloves and walked over to drop a kiss on her warm cheek, "Okay, stay safe," He smiled.
The blonde returned his gesture, pushing his hair back affectionately and showing off her fangs, "Always. After all, who stands a chance against a dragon?"
The End! Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review to let me know!
Love, Veg