Once, dragons and men coexisted…
"Get back here you filthy lizard!" Nergal heard a rough voice shout. Peering through the window of the tavern where he was eating his evening meal, he saw a woman garbed in a brown cloak run by, hood held tightly to her head. Close behind her were five brutish men, naked blades held in their hands.
Hastily stuffing the tome he had been studying in his knapsack, Nergal leapt out his booth and headed towards the tavern doors. "Just put it on my tab, Anna!" he called to the red-haired woman behind the bar, then dashed out into the crowded street, just in time to see the woman slip into an alley, the gang following. With a muttered curse, Nergal ran after them.
"End of the line scaly!" Ninis heard the man say as she stopped in front of the large brick wall at the end of the alley. Desperately looking around for a way out, she spied a pile of crates against the wall stacked up to within a few feet of the top. Scrambling up the crates, she reached the top and was just about to jump up to the edge of the wall when a rough, calloused hand seized her ankle, yanking her back down.
"You won't be getting away that easy, scale-face," the lead man growled cracking his knuckles ominously as his cronies dragged Ninis to the ground. Drawing a wickedly curved dagger, he advanced on the helpless woman. Using the tip, he flicked back her hood, revealing Ninis' terrified face.
"Well aren't you a pretty one," the man said, cupping Ninis' chin in his hand. "I think we should have a bit of fun with you before we leave your body in the gutter. What do you say to that boys?" The other men whooped loudly, grabbing and tearing at Ninis' cloak until it finally ripped off.
"Get your hands off her!" Nergal cried, just coming upon the desperate scene. Ninis' face lifted hopefully as the thugs let off their attack to turn and face the young man.
"And who the hell do you think you are, one of those dragon-lovers?" he scoffed, his men sniggering behind him. They had right to laugh, because Nergal was in no way intimidating. Tall and lanky, he was wearing white pants that met soft brown boots just below his knee. Over that was a grey robe lined with pale silver, tied at the waist with a red sash. Covering all this was a black cloak, held together by a small clasp at his neck. Coupled with the spectacles he wore on his face, his rather disheveled hair, the messenger bag slung across his back, and the fact that he wore not a trace of armor, he seemed a little threat, if any at all.
"Call me what you will, but I will not let you hurt this woman," he sternly replied, pulling a dark blue tome out of his bag. The gang put uneasy hands on their weapons, looking on to see their leader's reaction.
"Why the hell would you protect one of her kind?!" the man incredulously asked, gesturing back to where Ninis was cowering against the wall. "Don't you know what those filthy things did up in Aix? They burned the city to the ground, that's what!"
"How can you hate us based on the actions of one group?!" Ninis anguished, shakily standing up. "King Inkitmar himself issued a formal apology, citing the actions as that of a rouge group. Your king even pardoned him-"
"Shut up, you filthy lizard bitch!" one of the men snarled, knocking her to the ground with a punch to the jaw. He was about to strike the woman again when a ball of dark energy hit him square in the back, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening crack. All eyes immediately looked back to where Nergal was standing, dark wisps of magic swirling around his hands. The scene seemed to freeze, then the leader drew his sword.
"You bastard! You'll pay for that! Get him men!" the remaining three cronies drew their swords and charged the mage, screaming vengeance.
"Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever to try that new spell," Nergal muttered to himself, pulling another tome out of his pack, this one dark black with a red binding. Putting his hands together in front of his chest, he closed his eyes, seemingly oblivious to the bloodthirsty men charging him. They were no more than a few yards away when Nergal's eys snapped open.
"Luna!" he cried, throwing his hands out towards the men. An unperceivable darkness slowly began to form around the men until finally they were trapped in an opaque ball as black as a cold winter's night, dark purple threads of magic sparking around it. Suddenly the threads of purple slipped inside and three agonized screams rang out. The leader looked on in horror as the ball slowly faded away, nothing but the charred bones of his comrades remaining. Then he smirked as Nergal collapsed to his knees, cold sweat running down his face as he panted breathlessly.
"Looks like you've spent yourself, little mage," he snorted derisively, sauntering over to tower over the helpless shaman. The leader lifted his sword high, poised to take off Nergal's head. "The world won't mind the loss of one dragon-lover."
"So this is how I'm to meet my end, eh?" Nergal thought to himself, bracing himself for the strike. But it never came, the swish of the sword cutting the air replaced by a horrid gurgling. Looking up, Nergal saw the man drop his sword, a small dagger erupting from his throat. Behind him Ninis stood, driving the point in. With one final shudder the man fell, his body hitting the ground with a thud.
"Are you hurt?" Ninis asked as Nergal slowly rose to his feet.
"No, I'm fine, just a little tired," Nergal replied, wiping his face with a kerchief he'd pulled from his bag. "But I suppose I should be the one asking y-" he began, but the words got caught in his throat, for standing before him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
Though muddied from her ordeal, her pale blue sleeveless dress flowed around her, perfectly matching her long cyan hair. On her wrist she wore bracers of the same color, with gold circlets just before her elbow.
But most striking were her eyes. Almost rose-like, her soft red eyes contrasted the pale blue she wore, but not so much as to make it jarring or uncomfortable to look upon.
"We should probably get away from here before the guard shows up," Nergal advised, tearing his eyes away from the angel before him. "I have a house in town, if you need somewhere to stay." Ninis paused, gazing up at the quickly darkening sky.
"I think that'd be a good idea," she agreed, following Nergal out of the alley. The two walked on, slipping into the shadows until the finally reached a small flat near the port.
"Well, this is it," Nergal said opening the oaken door. Ninis paused, uncertain whether or not she should enter, then stepped through. Her mouth fell open as she let out a soft gasp. Books of all sizes were laid on bookshelves throughout the house, some stacked in pile when there wasn't enough room. Manuscripts covered any available space that wasn't already taken.
"Umm, sorry about the mess," Nergal sheepishly said, closing the door behind him. "I don't get many guests."
"No, no it's fine," Ninis assured him, stepping over a discarded scroll. "I'm sorry, but I never caught your name."
"Oh, my mistake," Nergal replied rather embarrassedly. "It's Nergal, and you are?"
"Ninis," she responded with a small curtsie.
"Well, Ninis," Nergal said, turning towards the dragon, "Welcome to my humble abode."
A/N: Thanks to Sora's Final Form, The Serenity, Lemurian-Girl, and wIlloFoNe792 for reviewing, and sorry this came out so late. Lots of finals and stuff, but now I'm just making excuses. Also, if anyone has any Fire Emblem lore or a copy of the game script, that would be extremely helpful! Thanks again you four, and I'll try not to let you down!
