The Dragon Assassin, a short story series

Chapter 1-

There are many stories of the Crusades, some that are fact, while others are fiction. This story on the other hand is a mix of both. This story follows the ancient race of Draconians. Most of the Draconians resembled the common European dragons as well as the Chinese dragon, except being anthro. During the 13th Century, the Draconians were prized for their stealth and brutish fighting style. There was one special Draconian, born into the Assassins in Jerusalem, named Ibsin ad-la Adda, a red European Draconain.

Over the years of Ibsin being raised in the Assassins, he learned their culture as well as way of life. When Ibsin was growing up, he sometimes believed that there was more to the world than the Assassins. When he was resting after instruction, he would climb up to the Hall's roof and think about himself traveling around the known world, seeing everything that there was to see, meeting people hostile and friendly alike.

A few years had passed, and Ibsin had risen to the rank of Master Assassin. As the right, he was allowed to leave the palace and venture out into the world as much as he chose. So, one day, with his things all packed, he left the safety of the palace and set out for the nearest city, Damascus.

Now, the Assassins were never truly smiled upon by the local governments and were hunted and killed if they were ever found. Ibsin on the other hand, was the best, and was only noticed a few times stealing some food. After a few days of camping out in the cold desert night, he finally made it to Damascus. His bones weary, his muscles aching, his mind so tired, he trudged onward towards the city gates. He had nearly made into the city, when he noticed a woman being harassed by the guards. Without raising suspicion, he watched for a bit longer to take everything in. He noticed that most of the Damas people were native born, meaning that they were all Desert Asps, unlike the girl who was being harassed, for she was a young Brown Squirrel. Ibsin took a few more steps towards the guards, to listen to what they were saying.

The guard that had a hold of the young squirrel was using his tail to lift up her gown, and trying to get inside her clothes. The squirrel tried fighting back by struggling but the snakes were too strong. The snake managed to lift her dress up, revealing her young, untouched naked form to the guards, who had the look of want in their eyes. Ibsin decided that he had to do something before the guards did, so he made his move.

Ibsin snuck up behind one of the snakes, and snapped his neck, which alerted the others. The one who had a hold of the squirrel let go to help his comrades. The squirrel, who was defenseless at the time, watched the battle unfold from a nearby wicker basket stand. She studied Ibsin's moves. How he managed to break free from one guard's hold, and use one of their own weapons against them. He then drove his claws through two separate guards, and stood there, waiting for the last one to make a move. The squirrel could even tell that the guard was frightened, and the guar dropped his weapon and slithered off.

The squirrel waited a few more seconds to come out from hiding. As she approached Ibsin, she noticed how he was looting the bodies for ammunition, or whatever he could find. Before she could try to lay a hand on Ibsin's shoulder, he had a hold of her around the neck. He then realized who it was and let her go. "I-I am sorry for that, I thought there was still more guards. You may go now, it isn't safe here." "There is nowhere for me to go, but I do thank you kind sir for saving me. I do not know what those guards what have done if you didn't show up." Ibsin stood up, and the squirrel saw how tall he really was. He stood at least a head taller than her, and when she looked into his eyes, she felt that there was no other man to keep her safe.

"What is your name?" The squirrel snapped back to reality by the question. "Hmmm, what?" "I said, what is your name, or do you not have one?" "Oh! My name is Clemencia, and I am not from these parts, as you can see. I am from England." "Ah, England. I have been there before. I most definitely stuck out in the crowd." Clemencia giggled and said, "Yes, you most definitely would. We Englanders are mostly all dogs, cats, and squirrels." "How about we go somewhere else and talk instead of this alley?" Clemencia nodded, and Ibsin took her arm in his and they walked to the nearest inn.

When they walked inside, the air was thick with smoke, and the smell of sweat. There was some shouting off somewhere else, most likely over gambling. And te barkeep was busy cleaning the mugs, and keeping the bar clean. Clemencia took her hood off, showing off her long blond hair, which Ibsin took notice off immediately. She looked up at him, "What? It's like you've never seen blond hair before." "Actually no, around here most people either have no hair, or brown. For someone to have blond hair is a rarity in this area. Come, let's sit."

They found an open booth and sat down, and then they ordered some food for themselves, and chatted amongst their meals. A little while into the meal, Clemencia took notice that Ibsin was eating nothing but meat. And Ibsin took notice of what Clemencia was also eating, which was vegetables and nuts. "Don't you eat anything that isn't meat?" Ibsin looked up from his meal and said, "Don't you eat anything that isn't vegetables?" They both looked at each other and laughed. "It is alright, uh…you never told me your name," Ibsin said. "Neither you," Clemencia said back. "How about you tell me yours first, I need to know the name of my rescuer," Clemencia said, resting her head on her hands. "I am Ibsin ad-la Adda, and I am an Assassin by trade. What about you? Why are you so far from your homeland?" Picking her head up, Clemencia told Ibsin of why she left her home, and her country. She was being forced to marry a man she did not love, and her parents were strict with her enough as it was. Eventually, she had enough and stole some money from her father's safe and boarded a ship to any destination that was far away from England. Ibsin sat there and listened to her tale, only asking questions when she paused to take a breath. When she finished talking, she took a sip of her ale, and then asked Ibsin why he was in Damascus. He told her the only reason why he was there was because he was out to see the world, being of rank in the Assassins that he could leave the palace. Clemencia stopped him short when she heard enough and said, "You know, since I have nowhere to go, and it seems you owe me something for rescuing me, I think I should go with you." Ibsin took in a breath to argue with her, but then realized that she was right. Clemencia let out a little laugh and the two saw that night was approaching. Ibsin went over to the barkeep and asked for two rooms for the night. When Clemencia got her key, the two of them went up the stairs to the rooms. When they got to their doors, Clemencia took a look at the number on her key, and seeing that it was the same as Ibsin's. She looked at him, scowling, and saw that he was smiling, his white teeth showing. "You booked the same room, for the two of us?" Ibsin cleared his throat before he said anything, and making sure not to look at Clemencia's angry face. "I need to keep you in my sight, to keep you safe from any other harm. So, I thought it would be a good idea if we shared a room." Clemencia just shook her head, and went into the room, Ibsin following her. When she walked in, she saw there was only one bed, and asked Ibsin why. He didn't say anything, but said that they might have to share it. Clemencia just stood there, giving Ibsin a look that could cut through stone. Ibsin knew then that he would be sleeping on the floor that night. Clemencia went straight into bed, putting out the lights, and leaving Ibsin in the dark. That was no problem for him, being a dragon. He got onto the floor, hearing the patrons below, and soon fell into a rough sleep.

Chapter 2-

When morning came, Ibsin woke up to the sound of someone walking around in the room, and the sound of water being poured. He sat up, making sure to be quiet. He walked silently towards the closet that the sounds were coming from, and opened the door enough to look through. His eyes widened as he gazed upon Clemencia taking a bath. As much as he wanted to avert his gaze, he felt himself wanting to look upon her longer. As he stood there, drinking in her image, she did not seem to notice. He took in every amount of her naked body that he could, starting with her face. He gazed upon her wet, young face. He never noticed until then how much beauty it held until then. He then brought his gaze down to her round, full chest, which he stared at for minutes on end. Then he brought his haze past her smooth, flat stomach, and down to her thighs, which he admired greatly. She then turned towards the window, allowing Isbin's gaze to fall upon her young, round butt. When he was still staring at her, she turned around to wash her hair off, and saw him looking through the door. She let out a scream, and hurled the sponge at him. Because of her shouting, Ibsin fell backwards, hitting his head on the nearby table.

He then woke up to the sound of Clemencia asking if he was alright. When his vision came to, he saw Clemencia looking over him, a towel around her body. He saw that even though she wore a towel, it didn't help to conceal her curves. Ibsin shook his head, saying that he was alright, and that they should leave to head to Acre.

Within an hour, they were all packed, and were heading off to the nearby market before going to Acre. In the market, there were sellers with everything imaginable. From clothes, to weapons and armor, to slaves and pets. Ibsin took a hold of Clemencia and walked her over to a nearby armor salesman. He explained to merchant that Clemencia needed armor that was light, but also fitting to her body, to protect her along their travels. The salesman agreed and took Clemencia inside the tent to take measurements. After a few minutes of waiting, Ibsin saw a group of guards asking people questions, and holding a wanted poster of him. He saw a group of people walking towards his area, and blended in as soon as the guards were near him. After a few more minutes of hiding, Ibsin came out of the crowd, just in time for Clemencia to appear from the tent. The armor salesman told them it would be a few hours before the armor could be finished, and he would only accept the payment when the armor is finished and fits Clemencia perfectly. Ibsin thanked the man, and the two wandered around the market for a few hours, buying and looking, and hiding from the guards when necessary. "Don't you think you stand out in this crowd Ibsin?" "Why is that?" "Because, you are clearly wearing the robes of an Assassin, but apparently he guards aren't bright enough to pick up on that." "Listen, Clemencia, I am sorry for this morning, I thought there was an intruder in our room, and when I saw that it was you…I…just couldn't pull my gaze from your beauty." "Don't say such things, I am not beautiful," Clemencia said while looking to the ground. Ibsin held her head up with a talon saying, "Of course you are, to me you have the beauty of a goddess, and you should be treated as such." Clemencia blushed, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about; it is alright to have such feelings for someone. You are not in England anymore." With Ibsin saying that, it was like a great weight was lifted from Clemencia's shoulders and she let out a heavy sigh. "Thank you Ibsin, for saying that. I can now focus on something more important than my homeland." "And what is that" "You," said Clemencia as she jumped at Ibsin, kissing him right on the mouth. The two stood there, embraced, feeling the inside of one another's mouths with their tongues. After a few seconds, they broke free of the kiss, and smiled at each other. The two lovers then ran off into the city, exploring and running in happiness. While they were exploring, one of them was holding back a secret, another a lie. And soon, the two would find out what it meant to be betrayed, by their loved ones and peers.

Find out what happens in the next issue of the Dragon Assassin!