Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks or Slayers.

The Knight and the Maiden

Harrier fumed as he trudged along the dirt road. It wasn't bad enough that he had been whisked away to the middle. And during an important battle for his terra nonetheless. But to add more to his frustration, he had to walk to what he hoped was civilization. It was utterly horrible, going on foot for what seem to be hours. (When in truth, it was only twenty minutes.) Once he found a good stop, his first priority would be proper transportation.

As he continued on his way in a foul mood, Harrier soon caught sight of a possible dispute. It looked like three unsightly characters, perhaps bandits, surrounding a harmless lady. She looked young with long dark blue hair and jade eyes. The clothing she wore seemed to be of holy order or even nobility. She shrunk back as one of them stepped forward. "Alright, time to pay up!"

"I c-can't," she stuttered. "I only brought enough for essentials… And you haven't exactly offered anything."

The lanky bandit snickered and he leered into her face. "Haven't you heard? This is a toll road now. So, you have to pay a hundred gold to get through."

"Even so, that's outlandish for a toll." The woman moved back a little and as small chubby bandit eyed her with a perverse look. She soon stood tall and said, "If you don't allow me to past, I'll be forced to take extreme measures!"

"Ohh…" The head bandit leered causing her to flinch for a bit. But she regained her composure and then held her hands up.

"FLARE ARROW!" With such a loud cry, you would have expected something magnificent to happen. Instead, she produced a small, carrot-like flame in her hands that slowly flew at the bandit. It landed on his shirt, sizzling for a while before leaving a black mark. All three bandits stared in complete bewilderment. Until finally, they erupted into full laughter leaving the poor young woman flabbergasted.

Harrier had been watching the entire scene. And while he was still miffed about his situation, he felt obligated to help her out. It was part of the Code after all. Chivalry and all that stuff. Placing his hand upon his sword, he marched up to the bandits. Next, he firmly spoke, "Excuse me, but I must ask you to leave the young lady alone."

The bandits soon discontinued their enjoyment and turned their attention towards him. "And who the hells do you think you are?!"

Harrier twitched at the insult but soon regain his grace as he drew his sword. "I am Sir Harrier, leader of the Rex Guardians! And again, I must ask you to leave her alone. Or else, I'll be force to use my weapon upon you!"

"… So, you think you're some hot-shot knight, huh?" The head bandit leered while taking note of the wimpy-looking blade he was holding. "Okay! Let's show this punk what we got!"

All three bandits took out their makeshift weapons and approached him with malicious intent. It was only when he activated his energy blade that the three stopped. "W-wait a sec! You have a Sword of Light?!"

Harrier blinked before glancing at his sword. "Well, it's more like a crystal-energy blade. But I guess you could call it that." He then glanced over at the bandit's own weapons, seeing as how they were nothing more than rusty metal. "… Do you mind if I not use it then? Considering the poor state of your weaponry, I at least should give you a fair advantage."

The head bandit fumed. "Like hells! We're gonna beat you up even if you do have some enchanted blade!"

"R-right!" the lanky one agreed as he went back to being menacing.

The wind passed by as both the bandits and Harrier stood against each other. The sky knight watched carefully for any signs of attack, taking note of the stout one's shifting. Still, he did not make his move. He at the least wanted to let them have the first advance given the unfair advantage they had. (Though, it still was three against one.) As a bird flew up from the grass, the three of them charged forward, yelling at the top of their lungs. They were about to pound on Harrier until…

"FLARE ARROW!"

A fiery arrow struck the bandits, enveloping both them and Harrier in an explosion. Once the smoke cleared, they were stricken with charred clothing. Harrier, for the most part, was still conscious. But his pride was greatly damage from the unknown attacker. He looked for culprit in hopes giving them a piece of his mind. That was when he noticed the woman who the bandits harassed having some slight soot stains of her own.

"Oh dear. I must have used too much power…" The woman coughed before glancing at Harrier. She gave off a slight blush that he had to admit was cute. In fact, he kind of felt hot from it.

… Like really hot.

… Like really really hot.

He then turned his attention back to himself and noticed that his pant leg was on fire. "GAAAHHH!"

It may have taken him forever to get to civilization, but Harrier finally made it. From the appearance of the place, it seemed rather common. It didn't even have a proper haberdashery. He needed to have his clothes properly repaired after that disaster. Speaking of which, the maiden who he had tried to "rescue" was following behind him like a lost little puppy.

"… Um…" she finally spoke after being quiet for some long. "I'm really sorry about before. It's just that I thought I saw one of them pull out another dagger. And I thought that I should try another Flare Arrow again. Of course, I was concentrating more on power than control. But I didn't think that it would be that unstable."

She went quiet for a moment before changing her tone to a much more cheerful tone. "Anyway, I was thinking if you could travel with me as my bodyguard? Though I'm quite capable, I would feel a lot safer if you were to travel with me. It's not particularly far. But I'll understand if you're busy right now."

Throughout it all, Harrier remained quiet. Of course he was busy at the moment. He wanted to get back home before any more of his clothes were ruin. Though, it wasn't exactly like he could turn down her request in a courteous and decent manner at the moment. And so, he continued to silently fume until he heard his stomach growl.

Placing a hand over his stomach, Harrier realized he hadn't eaten since he had got to this strange place. He glanced around until he saw a stand selling what was hopefully food. He walked up towards it with the maiden following behind him and asked, "One... Whatever you are selling, please?"

The person running the stand, while looking a bit disinterested, did bring him something. Possibly what they considered food despite its greasy appearance. The sky knight also didn't like the fact that there weren't any suitable utensils along with it. "Excuse me, but why aren't there any forks with this?"

"That's because you eat it with your hands," the owner replied. "That will be two gold."

Although he was still disgusted, Harrier needed to eat. As such, he instinctively placed a hand into his change pocket. It was after a couple of seconds that he realized that he didn't have any currency with him. And even if he did, he doubted that the owner would be willing to take it. It was different currency.

Trying to figure another method of payment, the woman run up right next to him and said, "I'll pay!"

Harrier turned his attention towards her, a bit surprised by her directness. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure this fellow can be reasoned with."

"But it's okay, really!" She moved closer up to his face. "After all, you did help me with those bandits. It's the least I can do."

Harrier blushed, leaning back a little bit. While it was a fine gesture, he did felt guilty for even accepting it. It wasn't like he saved her from their harassment. In fact, he pretty much got blown up. He was about to decline once again until the owner said, "Just let her pay."

The sky knight stood in defeat as the maiden placed four gold on the table: Two for his meal and the rest for her own. In response, the owner handed her one. She walked away with item in hand just moments before Harrier grabbed his and followed suit.

"You didn't have to pay." Harrier sulked. "It's only natural that I should pay and not let you waste your own money."

The maiden looked over at him with a modest smile. "Oh, it's alright. You can consider it part of your protection fee." Harrier halted for a moment, remembering about that. She glanced over at him, her face becoming worried. "You… are going to protect me, aren't you?"

He froze in horror as he stared into her pure eyes. In truth, he didn't exactly agree to escort her. But he didn't disagree to do so either. After much thought, he decided to go the honorable route. "Yes, I will protect you on your journey."

"Great! I'm so glad you're coming!" The maiden's mood did a complete one-eighty as she skipped on ahead. Harrier stood there, completely bewildered. He did not know if this woman knew that he didn't want to do or not. But if she did, she was good at not showing it.

After a second, a thought crossed his head as he looked at the maiden again. "Excuse me, but I've forgotten proper introductions." She stopped and turned back to him as he bowed. "I am Sir Harrier of Terra Rex."

The maiden blushed at his regal before copying his actions. "Sylphiel Nel Lahda… Of Sairaag."

"Sylphiel?" he repeated as if it was significant. "… Oh! Like the Great Spirit Sylph, correct?"

"I guess…?" she replied as the two headed on their way. Harrier was confident for the most part. She did say the place she was heading to wasn't that far. So, he would be back on his own journey in no time. And who knows. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as before.

Maybe she won't blow him up like before.

Two days later and Harrier was beginning to regret this decision. The journey so far was nothing but one disaster after another. If it wasn't a fast-running river that they needed to cross, it was a random beast that they needed to chase out. And Harrier being the chivalrous knight that he was had to make sure Sylphiel was protected at all costs. That part he wouldn't mind so much if he wasn't getting his clothes ruined. Once this was all over, he planned on getting his wardrobe fix.

Speaking of Sylphiel, she was sitting next to him at a close distance. But it wasn't too close to cause uneasiness. She was rather quiet as was he, mostly because he was brooding. It was only a couple minutes until she spoke, "So… Nice weather we're having!"

Harrier remained silent in his sulking, leaving her a bit flustered. The maiden's eyes darted back and forth before holding her hand up. "Anyway, I'm really glad that you're travelling with me. You kinda remind of Gourry dear."

The sky knight's head perked up as he looked at her. "I'm guessing this 'Gourry dear' is your significant other."

"Well, no. We never have gotten that far…" Her eyes shifted downward away from him. "You see, I have admired him for a long time. But he has someone else… But it's okay! Despite how unpleasant and selfish she can be, she's also brave and enigmatic. And they both balance each other out so well. If anything, I'm envious that I'm not part of it."

Harrier felt a bit understanding upon seeing how she stared at the ground. He then narrowed his eyes when he thought about it more. "So, why aren't these people traveling along with you? Surely they could find time to escort you on your journey."

"I-it's alright!" Sylphiel waved her hands in a panicky fashion. "They travel around a lot so I wouldn't be able to contact them for this! And anyway, I can pretty much take care of myself! I'm a good healer and I've mastered some attack spells… Even though they can be fickle at times."

"Indeed," Harrier grumpily said as he began to recall when they first met.

Sylphiel let out a slight giggle at him before looking down again. "Besides, this is more personal than anything else. The place we're heading to… It's my home, or what used to be."

Harrier became concern as she continued, "A few years ago, Sairaag was destroyed. With it, many of its citizens… Along with my father. We finally have managed to rebuild a new Sairaag. And though it has been difficult, I believe we will manage to make it the Great City of Magic once again."

"… You're incredibly brave." Sylphiel turned to the sky knight as he solemnly stared down. "To go through that. I can't imagine that happening to my terra."

"But I think you're brave too. You've kept me safe while on this journey." Harrier, upon hearing the sincerity in her voice, blushed before giving her a soft smile. It was strange, hearing someone tell him that. Most of the sky knights had talked about how he was cowardice for not fighting the Cyclonians head on. And for even making a deal with them once. And while he did understand that he must, he preferred not having to fight and risk having Terra Rex fall.

His eyes soon snapped open as he began to stretch. "Well, it's getting rather late. I best say we get some sleep for the day ahead. Good night!"

"Oh! Good night!" Sylphiel watched as Harrier lay back on the ground before falling asleep. She couldn't help but crack a blushing smile. She then moved a little bit closer to him until stopping a few inches from him. Looking up at the sky, she closed her eyes as she gave a soft smile.

The next day, both Sylphiel and Harrier soon found themselves in another predicament. This time, it was bandits and a lot more of them too. They had managed to surround to two, ready to strike with their crude weapons. Harrier stood in front of a worried Sylphiel as he held his sword in front.

A few seconds later, the same bandits from before walked out from the crowd along with their leader. "That's them, boss! They're the guys that blown up us!"

"Is that so?" The bandit leader glared down at the two with a crooked smile. "Well that's pretty bad for business, having two cheapskates bailing out on the toll." Upon scratching his grizzled bread, he said, "How 'bout this? You give us five-hundred gold plus interest. And maybe, just maybe, we'll give you leniency."

Both Harrier and Sylphiel's faces grimaced at the ridiculous price he was offering. A bit later, Harrier shook his head and returned to standing heroically. "Never! We would rather fight than pay for such extortion!"

Sylphiel looked around at all the bandits before asking, "Um, do you want me to help out?"

"… That won't be necessary." Harrier winced but maintained his poise. Considering what happened last time, it would've been best to not rely on magic. And still, she was a lady. It would have been improper for him to let her fight. Though it would have been helpful, he was certain he would gain victory if he fought honorable.

The bandit leader, for the most part, seemed amused. "Well, that's all good. I've been inching to try out our new pet." The two seemed confused just before the leader shouted, "Alright! You can come out now!"

Just then, an inhuman howl echoed throughout the area. The ground vibrantly shook in an almost rhythmic nature. In a moment's notice, a monstrous creature jumped out from the bandit army and landed in front of the two. It was great beast with the body of a man, feet like a wolf's, a dragon-like tail, and the head of a bull. Chains were wrapped around its middle as they clinked with its breath it took. Harrier, who was worried before, was now terrified by such a creature.

"Hah! I knew you be scared!" The bandit laughed in a disgusting manner. "We finally got the funds to rent this thing! The guy said it's a legendary monster that rampaged through the great cities of old. It has the strength of a thousand men and its hide cannot be penetrated by common spell! Behold! The great Behemoth, Fifi!"

"… F-Fifi?" Harrier repeated, not sure how to take in how to name such a monster that. But Sylphiel didn't mind it.

"Oh, that's such an adorable name for it!"

The bandit leader was taken back but he growled in angry. "Shut it! Its original owner named it that. And apparently, we can't change it because it's a rental!" He then coughed before returning to his sinister smirk. "Anyway, go Fifi! Crush these cheapskates into dust!"

The Behemoth snarled before lunging forward, fist raised high for a punch. Harrier, as he stood his ground, activated his crystal-enhanced sword and blocked its attack. The recoil of such a powerful blow caused him to kneel. He was about to push the beast back, but it swung its tail around that made him loose his stance. Then, it knocked its head against his, causing him to fall back.

Sylphiel gasped but found relief as the sky knight started to get up. He, though battered, was determined to protect her and his honor at all costs. Easier said than done as the Behemoth grabbed one of its chain and flailed it around. Harrier managed to dodge, hoping to get close enough to strike it. But when he got caught in some of its blows, he could feel his bones get cracked.

For some time, the bandits watched with amusement as their leader laughed heartily. "That's what you skinflints get for bailing out on the toll!"

"Uhhh, boss," one bandit whispered in a nervous tone. "Didn't that guy said you shouldn't let it fight for a long time?"

The bandit leader stopped laughing before turning to his subordinate. "What are you talking about? He didn't say anything about that?"

"I think he did, boss. He mentioned it in the manual he gave up."

Just as the bandit held up a small booklet, his boss snatched it and began skimming through it. He soon paled as he came upon a page with red bold letters in it. It read, "Be warned that the Behemoth should not fight for too long. Else, it will become too enthralled in battle and destroyed any and all in its surroundings. In case of such of an event, please find safe grounds away from the Behemoth. Otherwise, have a nice day!"

Despite the positive quote at the end, the bandit leader was not reassured in the slightest. In fact, he was more worried as he started to see the Behemoth started to rage and attack his own men. They were fleeing for their lives only to get caught by the creature or its chains. The leader, being white as a sheet, slowly walked off to find a good place to hide and rethink his life. He didn't go far as he knocked out a second later.

Meanwhile, Harrier was still nearly standing after going against the Behemoth's onslaught. He groaned, feeling the bruises from withstanding such force. He then gazed upon the slaughter that was happening. And for the first time since that devastating defeat, he felt dread. He was about to flee but remembered his duty to protect Sylphiel. He looked around for her, not noticing the approaching beast from behind.

"FLARE ARROW!"

Harrier turned to see the Behemoth get pelted by powerful but still carrot-shaped arrows. While they managed to surprise it, they didn't even manage to singe its hide. Harrier looked over at Sylphiel who was considerable a good distance away from them. Within instincts, he rushed forward towards her, ready to grab and run off with her. But by the time that he could take her hand, a chain rammed into his side.

"Sir Harrier!" Sylphiel watched as he stumbled to the side like a battered rock. She dashed over in worry, kneeling down right next to him. Much to her relief, he started to get up again. But his face, once filled with pride, now showing the futility of trying.

The maiden's eyes wavered for some time before she took a deep breath. And then, she finally spoke, "Sir Harrier… I'm going to defeat that thing."

Harrier's mouth gapped, completely surprised by how serious she sounded. "No! We must get out of here! We must find a safe place!"

"If we don't defeat it, it will continue to rampage and cause harm to anyone passing through!"

Harrier grumbled as he steadily got up. "And if we don't run now, we'll both be its first victims! Besides, I'm your bodyguard now! I'm supposed to protect you from any harm and if you were to fight that thing-!"

"Harrier." The solemn tone of her voice along with the way he called him by his first name made him flinched. She then looked at him with a soft smile and a warm glow. "I thank you for coming with me. You have been a protector as well as a good friend. But please, let me stand by you and fight."

The sky knight stood in complete disbelief before nodding in kind. This woman, the one was in distress when they first met, was willing to fight against the Behemoth. True, he still thought it was best to run. But he still had his honor and had vowed to protect her at all costs.

"I know what can defeat that thing. I may need some time to cast it though…" She said before holding her arms out. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"

Great power gather in her hand as Harrier watched her cast. Luckily for them, the Behemoth was still in its blind rage to not notice what was going on. But just some time later, one of its chains strayed off and headed toward Sylphiel. The sky knight quickly blocked the attack, wincing from the pain of his other injuries. She hesitated at the sight of him protecting yet she continued on with her chant. Finally, she had gathered the energy needed at launched it at the furious monster.

"DRAGON SLAVE!"

A great ball of red energy flew at the creature, completely unaware of its existence. Upon making contact, it exploded into high-energy field that covered the surrounding area. It dimmed away, leaving behind nothing but a large crater and a few lifeless bodies. Harrier bit his lip. His eye twitching at the horror he just observed. "What was that…?"

"The Dragon Slave," Sylphiel answered in a nonchalant manner. "Other than Flare Arrow, it's the only offensive spell I could cast."

"… You mean to tell me that you can cast such a destructive spell!" Harrier shouted as he waved his arms. He was about to go on telling her how that was an overkill blow and how she shouldn't even learn it in the first place. But the injuries from his battle made him cringed as he collapsed to the ground.

Sylphiel quickly caught him as she tried to leverage him on herself. "It's okay. I can heal now, Harrier dear."

Harrier made a glance at her, letting out a small blush. His ears must have been damaged, but he thought that she called him 'Harrier dear'. It felt strange, especially when she told him the story behind that. But he figured it must have been his imagination and went onto the matter at hand. "Shouldn't we find a safer place first? Just so nothing else catches us off guard."

"R-Right!" Sylphiel gathered her strength as she started to walk off with him on her shoulder. Along the way, she let a small smile curve on her face as she blushed. She was glad that she met him on this journey. It had been such a long time.

"My, that was certainly… Interesting."

The bandit leader, by some shear stroke of luck, crawled out of the smoking crater. Of course, he soon looked up the one person he didn't want to see now. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm here to get back the Behemoth you rented," Xelloss happily answered. He then turned to the body of the Behemoth, which was charred. "Oh dear. I'm afraid you're gonna have to pay extra."

The bandit leader grumbled as he slumped. This was not his day.

Author's Notes:

Hi, peeps! I hope you didn't mind me not updating this in a while. I couldn't think of anything else at the moment and wanted to work on some bigger projects. But anyway, here's a little something to add!

As if you would guess it, this is more of my guilty pleasure romance for Valentines' Day that anything else. I still say this pairing works in the sense that Sylphiel is projecting her unrequited feelings onto Harrier. I really don't consider it to be my best work. Mostly because I'm not well-versed in realistic, unsappy romance. Also, I probably should have Harrier complain more about his circumstances.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Please Read and Review!