Like the good dragon Tikki was, she made sure her bright red and black spotted scales blended into the autumn forest where she decided to rest for the day. She had started her journey mid fall to the Valley of Dragons, hoping to make it to the hidden utopia before the winter storms blocked the way. Other dragons from her homeland were planning to start their pilgrimage closer to the end of harvest to avoid the farmers, but Tikki wanted to get there early for her second year visiting.
Certain there were no human homes nearby, she rested her head on the leaves, closing her eyes to allow sleep to overtake her.
She didn't get a chance to rest long, as she heard a horse's whiney and the voice of a human calming down the beast.
"Whoa, steady boy," urged the voice, Tikki doing her best to remain still as she heard the human dismount his horse. She felt something small reach out and touch one of her scales, running along an area. The human smelled clean, with also a scent of wild grass and polished metal.
"What in the…" the human pondered, dragging the something further, heading towards her tail area. Maybe the human would go around her, she hoped.
Instead, the human continued following her scales along her behind, following her tale. She opened one eye, slightly curious. She saw a male human with his arm reaching out to touch her. He had shaggy blond hair, and his green eyes perplexed by what he saw until they met hers. He immediately jumped back, drawing his sword, pointing it at her open blue eye from the other side of her tail.
"Please don't hurt me," she exclaimed, curling tighter into herself as she squeezed her eye shut. She did not plan on dying on the way to the Valley of Dragon's, so begging for her life seemed the best option with the warrior.
"You can talk?"
She opened her eye a little, the sword slacking in its master's hands as he stared at her.
"Yes, most dragons can actually. I know very few who only speak in the Old Language."
"Old Language?"
"Usually the elder dragons that are hundreds of years old still converse in that language. Your human language is much more accommodating."
"So dragons and humans are on speaking terms?"
"More like 'do not bother each' terms."
The warrior looked confused by her statement but nodded his head, as he sheathed his sword. Tikki expanded from her curled position, raising her head a little to look at the warrior at eye level.
"I'm Adrien, by the way." The knight bowed, Tikki returning the gesture with a nod of her head, as was the proper greeting between a dragon and human.
"Tikki. I'm sorry for intruding. I thought this forest was deserted of humans."
"It will be for a few more weeks. Then hunting season starts."
"Then I came at the perfect time then," Tikki smiled, earning a chuckle from Adrien.
"I guess you did," Adrien smiled, kicking up leaves as he walked, Tikki opening her position more so he could stand between her front feet and tail.
"Random question, do you know of any black dragons," he asked, looking her in the eye.
Tikki looked up, trying to fathom any dragon she had met with black scales. Those from her pride were colorful with dashes of black or white. There were dessert dragons she knew to be more earthy tones, and water dragons that also had colder colors. But none she knew that were black.
"None that I can think of. The dragons I know are all colorful with a little bit of black or white." Tikki gestured with her tail, Adrien noticing the black scales scattered amongst the varying reds.
"I see."
"If I may ask, why do you seek such a dragon. Like I said, dragons and humans are on a non-bothering terms."
Adrien frowned, shifting his attention from Tikki's tail to her head.
"Last summer, a dragon kidnapped our kingdom's princess."
"Oh how terrible. The older dragons told me that practice had gone extinct years ago."
"So I was told as well. But she's been kidnapped and the kingdom is on a mass search to find her."
"Why are you traveling alone then? Should you be with other knights?"
Adrien sighed as he sat down. Tikki laid her head down, still keeping her gaze on the warrior, as if asking him to proceed with his story.
"I had only seen the princess from afar on several occasions, since I was raised in seclusion in our family's manor. But my mother was once friends with the Queen, so they planned that for the Princess's 16th birthday, I was to become her personal knight and bodyguard."
Tikki smiled, already liking where the story was going.
"I met her officially at her royal birthday party. My services to her were to be announced later in the night, so I asked her to dance, as person to person rather than princess to knight."
Adrien sighed as he smiled, resting his head and upper back against Tikki's belly. Tikki grin grew too, easily recognizing the look of a person in love, as she had seen with many dragons in her pride.
"I had never seen a person so happy. Even before we danced she flitted around the guests, poor and noble, making conversations with everyone. When we danced, it was like skipping on air the way we twirled around the room. Her smile was everyone's joy."
Adrien's smile then quickly turned to a sour frown, Tikki mirroring his expression
"Our dance was interrupted by a visiting prince, Theo from the house of Barbeau. It was as if the room dampened by his presence. There were only polite smiles between them, the princess following protocol and dancing like a princess could. At the end of the dance, he announced his intentions to marry her, pledging one of his own guards to her as an act of goodwill. Thus my services were no longer required to be her body guard."
"Oh no, I'm so sorry. And the princess seemed like such a lovely person too."
"The loveliest." Adrien stood, brushing the dried leaves off his trousers. " But now she's been kidnapped by a dragon, and both kingdoms are in a panic to find her so that the wedding can continue. The dragon already bested Prince Theo, saying only someone who is worthy enough can win back the princess."
"So you hope to be the one to find her? Become her loyal knight?"
Adrien blushed, not meeting Tikki's questioning gaze, "Something like that." He then stood back at attention. "Which is why I must be the first to find her, before Prince Theo's men do. Her parents just want her home. They do care about a wedding or peace treaties anymore."
"Her poor parents. And they didn't hire the dragon to be her protector? I've been told that was an old custom amongst the nobles and dragons."
Adrien shook his head in disagreement, "She disappeared the morning of the wedding. Prince Theo went after her, and came back with news of a dragon. Our kingdom's history never even used dragons in battle in the olden days."
Tikki lifted her head, finding it hard to believe after over a hundred years of nonhuman interference, a dragon would go an kidnap a princess. Whoever kidnapped her was either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid.
If she was to kidnap a princess, not that she would, but she would hide in an abandoned castle, like in the stories. But with winter coming, the castle wouldn't be a good option for long unless they went south where it never snowed, but there weren't mountains to offer refuge for a dragon that far south and most of the castles were occupied. Unless… a dragon wouldn't be that stupid… to bring a human… well if he kidnapped a princess, he might be.
"There is a possible place the dragon you are looking for might be."
Adrien looked up at Tikki with hope sparkling in his eyes.
"It's a place only dragons can go, so it would be incredibly stupid if the dragon did take her there. But it would be the best place to hide a princess this time of year."
"Can you take me to it then?"
"I don't know Adrien. I sympathize with you, really. I can't imagine losing someone from my pride. But bringing a human to the Valley of Dragons, it's forbidden."
"Consider it righting a wrong. A princess is in danger, it is for the greater good if I go. Just for the winter. If she isn't there, I'll resume my search elsewhere and will never set foot in the Valley again."
Tikki eyed him suspiciously. He did make a good point.
"You promise?"
"Upon my family's honor."
Tikki nodded her head, accepting his promise. It was now her job to help right the wrong of the princess-napping dragon.
"Alright, I advise finding a place to keep your horse. We'll leave tonight at first moonlight." Tikki rested her head in the leaves, feeling Adrien circle his arms around a part of her neck.
"Thank you Tikki." Tikki brought her head closer to Adrien, nuzzling his backside.
"No problem Adrien."
Was originally going to do a reverse, with a Prince Adrien asking to be rescued by Dragon Tikki, but thanks to a recommendation from guest on AO3, this fit their characters more.
