He cast off his doubts when he and the dragon threw themselves against each other. His hand swung the sword almost without thinking. Sword met flesh and the sword was almost torn from his hand. He continued at full speed when he passed and turned around when he came out of the reach of the dragon's flames. His legs were wet. His thigh was injured; a claw from the dragon was stuck in it. He felt the pain now, a throbbing pain with the leg at its center.
He was no longer confused or hesitant. He was driven by the battle lust and by the pain spreading through his body. The dragon was silent now, it waited for him. A cloud of white smoke gathered around it. He gave a battle cry again and the horse rushed straight towards the monster. Battle lust was mixed with pride, he was here to protect the Lady from the dangers outside and he would do so.
This time, he hit its wing, a pure hit that almost separated the wing from the dragon's body. The dragon had hard to move now; it could no longer make counterattacks. The period of quick attacks was over. He rode slowly around it while he remained just outside it's reach. It swung to follow him and would not leave him with his eyes, but it had to struggle to do so, its injured wing often came in its way.
It stumbled once but this was enough. He had been waiting for this and did a quick strike against it. He hit the head with the sword tip. It cut into the skin just above the eyes and got a green liquid to flow out over them. He backed quickly away and noticed that the dragon had hit him, his left arm was heavy and hung uncontrollably at his side. But the dragon was blinded now, the liquid flowed heavily and covered its eyes.
"You win again, human." This time, he was not surprised by its voice. When he heard it he threw himself forward to get a last hit. He was not fast enough, the dragon was only a fog when his sword reached the spot where his body had been. It disappeared with a sound that could have been a laugh.
The Lady of the castle waited at the gate and waved at him. He was dizzy now, the pain from his leg was back and darkness invaded from the edges of his vision. He rode to his queen but lost consciousness before he was halfway.
He was awakened by a hand gently stroking his cheek. He opened his eyes and smiled at the queen who leaned over him. He was happy to see her, but even happier that he served her in battle.
"Today, I fought for you. I hope I did well."
"Yes you did my sweet human. You fought like a great warrior from ancient times. Now you must rest and heal you so you can fight back when the dragon will return."
* * *
One day a visitor from home came to the castle. She let the human sleep so he would not disturb them or be alarmed. The visitor, Lagamel, was young for a dragon and had not yet tired of the world.
"There are humans here," said Lagamel. "Do they not disturb you?"
"There is only one here. He does not disturb me, he amuses me with his stories about human problems and countries. He gets bored sometimes by being alone here but then I let him practice his skills. He does his best to impress me and I show that I appreciate it. He is civilized to be human. Unfortunately, he begins to feel his years, humans life is so short and quick.
* * *
The years passed. Petrigal rarely noticed them. He lived his life with his queen and was happy with her proximity. When the monsters of various kinds threatened her and the castle he rode out to battle with them and drive them away.
"I feel old," he admitted to her one evening when he sat beside her in front of the fire. "My body is aching in the mornings and my armor feel heavier than it used to do. During my last battle, I felt stiff and slow and I was more surprised than pleased that I managed to win." He was ashamed to tell her, but he was concerned about what would happen the next time an enemy came to the castle. What if he lost the battle, what would happen to her? "
"Do not worry, you are still a brave and skilled warrior." She held out a hand and stroked his hair. "You fought as much as ever before." A wrinkle in her forehead troubled him for a while but then he was reassured her words and touch.
But during the lonely days, his concern returned and when she came to him one morning, he felt fear for the first time during his time in the castle. The only time he met her in the day was when a monster threatened the castle and he needed to fight against it. She looked worried and sad.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I have, as always. But my legs ache and my eyes are not as crisp in the mornings as they once where."
"It makes me sad to hear that. But I hope that you can still fight for me. Today, I need you once again."
"I'm always ready to fight when I am needed. Is it the dragon?" Most of his battles where against the dragon he had fought against the first two times but during his time here he had fought against many types of enemies.
"It is not an ordinary attack today. It is an lot worse, that will require all your skill and courage." She hesitated, something she never did. "A human is approaching our castle. He comes from a faraway kingdom, and is here to capture me. He must not even come close to the castle, you must meet him in the the forest and stop him."
The forest. He barely remembered it, but her words brought back old memories. "One time I fought against someone there. It where just before I am came here. I have not been there in a long time."
"The horse will lead you to your destination my brave knight. Meet our enemy and defeat him. When you come back we will celebrate all night and all day. She sounded happy, but his eyes were dark and quiet.
"I will fight against our enemy. I will do my best, as I always have."
"Then eat my knight. Eat and gain strength and then riding to the battle."
She stayed while he ate and looked at him all the time. The food where even better than ordinary, it was the kind of food he normally received in the evenings when he had fought for her. He wanted to eat much of everything but instead got up even before he had eaten as much as a regular breakfast.
"Are you done already?"
"Yes, I want to eat lightly before this battle so I'm not weighed down by a full stomach."
"You are wise, as always. Today I will help you to prepare yourself. She did so and he where happy for it. Prior to his recent battles it had taken a long time for him to get into the heavy armor.
She led him to his horse and helped him up on it. The horse looked like the horse he had ridden up to the castle into that day for so many years ago but it could not be. He could not remember when it had been replaced and where the new horse had come from. But this horse where young, its legs were full of power. He looked down at her and raised his sword in greeting.
"I will protect you and the castle my Lady, as I always have."
"Yes my pretty, you shall. You shall." The last sentence came out in a whisper.
The horse carried him along the path he had followed when he first came to castle. The trail where still the same despite the years gone by. It was wide and no plants ventured up on it. It did not take long for him to reach the stream that formed the border of the castle grounds. The forest opened out into a clearing here.
He got off the horse and let it rest. He would not need a horse to fight a human and a recollection of a stumbling horse led him to want to fight on foot. He drew his heavy sword and leant against a tree to wait.
He did not wait long. The forest birds stopped their singing and he heard someone coming along the road. A young man came out of the woods and walked to the creek. Barely even a man, rather a boy. Petrigal hoped he would not have to fight. He did not want to hurt or kill a child. But of course he would do it if it was needed as he had done in all his other battles for his Lady.
"Stop!" He called out but the word came out weaker than he had hoped. The man did not stop. He stood at the water's edge and looked towards Petrigal. He saw an evil glint in the eyes of the man that got the man to seem older than he had done for just a moment ago.
The man, the youth, the boy stood still for a moment but then laughed.
"Why would I stop? I'm here to explore and find treasures a
nd I intend to do so."
"Turn around, there is only death for you here."
"No, my goal is here somewhere, I can feel it."
"Pass the creek and I will fight you. I will kill you if I must. The country belongs to the castle's queen."
"A queen, here in the wilderness." The man laughed again. "I doubt it. But if there is a woman in the forest it just gives my quest increased pleasure. Go away from here and do not let me see you more. Then I'll let you live." The man drew his sword and stepped out into the creek. "
Petrigal waited until he got over the creekand raised his sword. He still hoped that he would not have to kill the young man, that he would understand the warning and turn. Petrigal felt uneasy about having to fight against a human, after all the times he fought against dragons and monsters, the enemies to all humanity.
The boy blocked Petrigals blow easily. His sword moved much faster than Petrigals and the parry made Petrigal lose his grip. The sword fell on the ground with an resounding sound and lay still. Petrigal froze. He could not understand what was happening. How could he lose when he fought for his Queen.
The boy did not wait. His sword turned and struck Petrigal in the stomach. Petrigal fell. His face met the ground and blood and his life flowed from the wound. He could not move. He heard the boy's steps beside him. The last thing he felt was a sword tip against his neck before the kick of a heavy boot to his head caused him to lose everything.
* * *
In the evening Edir held court for her new human. He told of his adventures and conquests, but her attention was elsewhere. She felt a strange longing for the years Petrigal had been hers and thought that this one was too shallow and too boring for her. She did not think she would find him interesting for very long. Maybe not even long enough for his replacement to come to her wilderness. Perhaps this one would have to lose one of his battles against her.
Dragon love Page 2