Fantasy The Dragon and the Hunter's Daughter (Vikki_Rose)

[DergTheDergon]

Awakening once again in a dark, dank cavern, Xavier slowly sat up and stretched him human form. He had been remaining in this form for some time; this way, it was a lot easier to hide (much smaller body) and as long as he wore a hood and kept his head down, few, if any, would likely recognize him for the Dragon he was. However, those trained to spot a Dragon, namely the Knights who hunted his kind, could still spot his horns straining the fabric of the hood he wore, and by one glimpse of his face, most would know immediately what he was.

Sighing, he lit the fire with a small puff of his white-hot flame breath as per usual and began cooking a breakfast of the deer he'd hunted the other night, in doing so making use of his dragon form for the first time in a while out of desperation. It was risky flying around in these parts, but he'd been starving. Hiding out in the wilds had left him malnourished. To eat a Dragon's share of meat from the smaller animals he was far more likely to find on foot was nearly impossible, and he felt rather weak this morning. He was rather certain that he wouldn't be able to fend off any knights that had found him, so he flew about the nearby forests in search of larger game with which to replenish himself. He barely had the energy to find shelter and drag teh animal there. This cave was rather uncomfortably close to human civilization, as he saw a small cottage of sorts near the cave before he found it, and he knew a larger community of humans was nearby. He had planned to depart right after eating his meal, wanting nothing to do with mankind and certainly not do anything that would bring the attention of Knights to him. Unfortunately, little did he know, his little deer hunt the night before had been quite enough to do so. One sighting is all a Dragon ever needs to be hunted in these parts, his father had taught him.

Just as he was taking the first bite of the roast deer he'd cooked, he heard the tell-tale clanking of armor and clopping of horse hooves outside the cavern, growing ever closer. Cursing under his breath in Draconic, he took a deep breath. He didn't have the energy to transform and use his Dragonic body right now, which would be the best defense, and so he found himself unsheathing the worn, but well-honed longsword he always kept by his side, and with a slow deep breath sneaking his way out to confirm if, indeed, knights were at his doorstep. Because of his groggy and weak state, he was spotted soon after he confirmed his fears and began to try and sneak off into the forest away from them.

'You there!" One knight commanded. "Show yourself!" Knowing that showing his face would mean being attacked, he decided to make a break for it. In his current half-starved and thirsty condition, however, he wasn't capable of outrunning horse-bound knights, even on this uneven terrain. It wasn't long before he found himself surrounded and disarmed by a well-placed sword-blow to his arm. One of the knights caught a glimpse of his horns and facial scales beneath his hood. "A filthy Dragon trying to outrun us, eh?" Said one. "This one ain't trying to transform. Why d'you think that is?" Said another. "He looks pale and sickly... we're lucky this time. We can put him down before he can cause us or anyone much trouble."

They dismounted their horses and brandished thier weapons, Xavier taking up his sword in his off-hand and standing up. One lunged at him with his own sword, and he parried the blow. Even though no life-threatening wounds had been dealt to him yet, with having to use his other arm to fight combined with his current state, he was rather certain he was a goner, and began to panic as the knights circled him, weapons drawn.

The clearing that he'd been caught in was close to that quaint little house he'd seen before. Little did he know, choosing shelter near this place was about to be the differnece between life and death for him.
Vikki_Rose

 

[Vikki_Rose]

Arissa heard it the clanking of metal and the horses neighs.She knew the knights had found something but she knew for sure that she wasnt going to let them hurt the poor creature.She packed some of her smoke bombs she had made and rushed out.The sun nearing its end of the day she knew the dark would be able to hode her and the creature she was going to save.

Upon nearing where the knights had circled the man no it wasnt a man it was a dragon in a mans form.she took a deep breath of air,she threw the smoke bombs in the middle near the captain of the knights.Soon the clearing was filled with smoke as she rushed through knocking over some of the knights.

"The beast has a witch with him."One shouts unable to see as Arissa grabbed the hand of the dragon.She pulled him to safety and back to her small home.She opened her hidden doorway allowing him into the room where she made her remedies and more.Her training as a hunter from when she was smaller keeps her alive.She looked to the dragon once they were safe.

"Are you alright?"She asks unsure how he will act.She carefully watched him,she noticed his arm was bleeding and she began to move around quickly finding things to make a ointment.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

(Sorry i was really busy at work.)

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier continued to parry strikes and try to get in a few defensive shots, but with his injured sword arm and his current state, parrying and dodging were all he could really accomplish, and he knew he couldn't keep it up forever. Just when he'd more or less mentally resigned to his fate, all of a sudden, there was a bang near the captain and smoke began filling the area. Unable to see, he bumbled about in confusion as he heard guards calling out as their heavy armor was pushed to the ground with a thud.

The moment he heard something about a witch, he felt an unfamiliar tug on his hand, startling him. The grip was firm, but the hand soft. In his current state and in the confusion, he allowed himself to be dragged away. If it was away from these knights, he guessed he was being saved, so who was he to protest?

As the knights still bumbled and swung their weapons among the thick artificial fog, Xavier was led outside of it and found his eyes widening as he looked at who'd been pulling him along. It seemed to be a young human woman,with long red hair. Witches normally had a magical aura about them, but he did not feel anything of that sort from her. She was decidedly a non-magical human. He wasn't able to see her face right now as he was drug along behind her, but he could see no features about her that marked her as anything but human. Why would a human be helping him? Did she have a deathwish? Even if she didn't believe the horror stories about his kind like most humans did, she was labeled as a witch now and would likely be hunted herself even if the knights manage to catch him again. He was grateful, but he couldn't understand why she'd do this for him.

The time in which he had been dragged into her home and into some secret room passed by in a blur. He locked eyes with her, finding himself looking over her for a moment. She was rather beautiful, and at first, glance seemed a little younger than him. He gave her a confused look at first, unsure what to say or what else to do. It almost seemed like the reverse of those fairy tales that seemed to be spread to garner hate for his kind. In this tale, the dragon was saved by the princess from the knights, instead of the knights saving the princess from the dragon. How ironic.

"I... suppose I am, yes, going by my usual definition of 'alright', which means 'somehow still alive.' I'm tired, starving, and obviously in pain, though mostly I'm confused. I am thankful, but... why did you help me? You know what I am, yes? Heard the stories of my kind, that all of us are bloodthirsty monsters? You're also aware that those knights will likely hunt you for the rest of your days now, yes?" He met her gaze with a mix of confusion and mistrust, though there was certainly a hint of underlying gratitude in his expression. She was decidedly the reason he was still breathing, after all.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

"I dont care what those knights think of me i kicked their butts more than once anyways."She says honestly as she mixed water into the crushed up herbs and dried out bugs.

The mixture became a white substance as she looked at him,"i know what you are a dragon and no create should be called blood thirsty monsters besides humans."She says as she walked to him with the bowl of white substance.

"I can help with the wound if you let me bit you must promise not to get mad it may sting."She says looking into his eyes giving him a reassuring expression."if you dont trust me i can use it on myself first."She says simply.

Arissa pulled her fire red hair into a ribbon before staring at him.She smiled kindly,"Anyways i always wanted to meet a dragon.My name is Arissa."She says kindly.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier found himself tilting his head sideways as the girl mentioned that she'd fought Knights before. He watched curiously as she prepared what looked like some sort of medicine for him. He found himself chuckling a bit, then wincing in pain and grasping his cut arm as she made her quip regarding humans being the bloodthirsty ones. "I must admit I'll have to agree with you there. Strangely enough, I've never met a violent Dragon before... One bad apple spoils the bunch, as they say."

He nodded as she said she'd treat his wound. He held out his arm. "Go ahead. You saved my life, I've more reason to trust you than to not do so." Her sentiment that she always wanted to meet a Dragon made his eyes widen, and a bit of a soft smile appeared on his face. That cleared up at least part of her reasoning. "Xavier. It is... nice to meet you, Arissa. It's very nice indeed to meet a human that isn't trying to kill me... it honestly feels rather strange that I am being treated so kindly." He found himself thinking about just how beautiful her eyes were as he looked into them. Was this woman secretly an angel in a human disguise?

 

[Vikki_Rose]

"This may sting a bit but after i will give you something sweet to enjoy while i cook."She says smiling before putting some of the ointment on her fingers and lifting the clothing on his arm before she applied it to his arm.

She carefully wiped the blood before she wrapped the wound.She got up then reached for a jar on a high shelf,she couldnt quite reach it as it was slightly a bit from her finger tips. She continued to reach for it trying to give him the promised sweet thing.

 

[DergTheDergon]

He found himself blushing a little, feeling like he was being treated like a child for a moment before he allowed himself to smile. It was clear that she was just trying to make him feel better and it was heartwarming, if rather surprising, to know this. He only found himself able to nod as a response.

Wincing a bit with the stinging he was warned about, he held his arm still and allowed her to treat his wound, curiously watching her work. As he watched her try to reach a jar up above, to no avail, he found himself smiling at the scene for a moment, shaking his head, before simply standing up beside her, reaching for the jar with his good arm, easily reaching it due to being around a head and a half taller than her, and handing it to her. "I've no qualms with helping you out in return for saving me, you know," he said.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

Arissa blushed slightly but smiled,"thank you Xavier but you are hurt so you shouldnt be doing anything."She says to him.She opened the jar and handed him a piece of homemade candy."Here i made them myself enjoy."She says smiling.

She went to make dinner for the two of them.Soon the house began to smell of roasting meat.She cooked dear that she had caught alone and injured on her travels once.She did the humane thing for it and is using it for food as a proper person should.She finished the dinner calling to him.She had set the table and made potatoes and had two cups of water.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Her blush was rather adorable, he found himself thinking, then nodded and sitting back down. "You are welcome."

Arissa's kindness reminded him a little of his mother, which brought on a feeling of sadness as well as joy, a wistful smile adorning Xavier's features for a moment. There was something else there, too, though; an attraction of a more romantic nature that he could feel bubbling up within him. Part of him was afraid of growing too attached to her, but mostly he felt wonderful to be able to feel this way about someone, and of course be cared for in the way Arissa was caring for him, after so long of only having contact with beings that wished him ill.

Regardless, Part of him was still suspicious of her due to this, so after taking the candy, he smelled it first to ensure through his sharp draconic sense of smell that there was no poison or what have you, as much as he desired to trust her implicitly.. He tried to sneak it so that she wouldn't notice. When he detected no note of dangerous substances, he then popped it in his mouth and found himself humming a pleasured "mmm".

"These are wonderful, Arissa, thank you. In fact, While I'm at it, thank you for everything."

Xaiver sat and relaxed, finding his eyelids drooping from the exhaustion that came over him due to the stress and physical exertion he went trhough this morning, running for his life and nearly dying at the hands of knights. If he'd had the strength, he might've been able to fight them off, but this clever young woman was able to wrest his life from the knights' hands.

The smell of roasting meat soon perked him up, his stomach growling so loudly that Arissa had to have heard it from her kitchen. "U-umm, apologies," he said.

AS she called to him, he found himself all but running to the table, taking in this smell of the food, particularly the deer. 'Funnily enough, I was about to eat some of the deer I'd caught a little earlier before nearly being hunted myself. Tahnk you again, by the way, I don't know how I'll ever repay you. Speaking of those knights, don't you think they might come looking for you here after what you did? Even if not, they'll certainly keep looking for me. I know you've fought them before but in my experience the more times you thwart them, the more and more experienced knights they send. I learned the hard way just this morning, weaker than I'd ever been, that underestimating the enemy is never wise until they're all dead."

He then began to all but devour the deer meat Arissa had prepared, clearly enjoying it very much.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

"Well the thing is my family is those of hunters before the hunting ban.Also im protected by the noble of the village he seems to have a fasination with me yet i refuse him."She says sadly before she ate a couple bites then gave the rest to him.

"Eat up you will need it."She says smiling before she stood heading to the hidden room again to work on some things.She comes back out before apologizing to him,"i dont wish to be rude but you dont need to thank me i did what every good person would do.But now that i look at you, you are handsome."She says blushing slightly.

"The knights wont find you here i promise i have hidden passageways through out the house."She says smiling,"I can hide you well and the knights know of my distance from the villahe yet they will never put it that i make rememdies for the body with herbs."She says smiling.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Hearing that her family were hunters before hunting was banned, something he's not surprised that human authorities would do sadly, he felt that it explained rather well how good she was at cooking deer. At hearing she was protected, he felt relieved, but hearing it was a human noble who seemed to, from her words, only be doing so for a chance at getting her in his bed disgusted him at the thought. Such manipulation among Dragon society is intolerable, as honor and honesty were of great importance to the entire species. Burned villages and the like usually happened because a dragon's eggs were stolen, or their kin killed. Some dragons killed and ate humans carelessly, yes, but those were the exception, not the rule. Similarly, most Dragon males were respectful of females and never tried to manipulate them into sexual relations or anything of the sort. The same could not be said for many human males, Xavier had heard. He was glad to hear that she had refused the noble's advances, both for her sake and, though he felt a little guilty for thinking this way about a woman he'd just met no matter how kind or beautiful, it meant it left him the possibility of being able to court her himself once they got to know each other a little better. After all, he doubted he'd ever get to meet someone like her again, especially among humans, as it was rare for a human to even tolerate his presence.

"I see... I am sorry you must go through all of that... if he will not leave you alone, perhaps I could scare him off next time he comes, hm? It won't be too long before I'll be able to defend myself again, after all, especially after such a robust meal. Besides, Dragons heal quickly; with your expert care, I don't think it'll be too long." His tone was serious, he wanted to do something for her.

He found himself smiling a little at her next remark, his heartwarming a bit. "You are very kind. However, thanking people for the good deeds they do is part of my own view of what it means to be a good person.

"alright, you've convinced me. But, I'd rather not hide but fight with you if necessary, and I will do so if you ever seem to be in danger. I thought I myself was invincible to knights once, too, but well.. you saw that I'm clearly not. Either way... I look forward to staying with you for the time being. Not like I have anywhere else to go... and well, I quite like the company." He smiled, a hint of a flirty grin hidden among the otherwise friendly expression.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

Arissa smiled kindly,"well you are welcome to stay as long as you would like."She says kindly."i have a spare room down the hall across from mine.You are welcome to use it."She says before she began to clean up the dishes.

She put them in the sink and grabbed the bucket for water as she went to fetch it.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier found himself smiling back slightly, though upon his visage a deep sense of tiredness overshadowed the lightness he was feeling due to her kindness. "I am glad, as I feel I 'll likely be staying for a while. Thank you, I'll go ahead and lie down for a while."

He had already ben exhausted ,of course, but with the wonderful meal Arissa had cooked now in his belly, his body was beckoning for sleep. Once he found the more sparsely decorated bedroom at the end of teh hall, the one that had to be teh guest bedroom, he found himself all but collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

Arissa worked over the night on medications and more candies.She yawned slightly before placing her head down on her arms as she fell asleep at her workstation.Her soft breaths could be heard by anything as cute fairies wandered her homes halls.

Some looked at the dragon asleep in the room and slept next to him.Fairies liked dragons since they were the might knights of the Faie world.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier stirred slightly, swearing that something was different about the room he'd been sleeping in, as if a magical presence was there. Sure enough, as he opened his eyes, they widened a little more as they took in a few fairies lying beside him, one on his pillow and others by his chest. He smiled, as he had not met a fae in a long time during his journeys and had fond memories of them. They often would gravitate toward dragons for protection and company.

Just as he was about to go to sleep, he thought about checking to see if Arissa was asleep as well. She needed her rest too, after all. Getting up slowly, careful not to disturb the fae, he crept through thje house to discover Arissa sleeping at a workstation. In front of her were what seemed to be herbal remedies and candies, likely for him. His heart warmed as he realized this. gently, her scooped her up, wincing a bit as he put pressure on his injured arm but otherwise able to carry her well. He slowly made his way to her room to tuck her in, trying carefully not to wake her.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

"Five more minutes dad i promise."Arissa mumbled as she snuggled closer to him smiling.She continued to sleep as a fae flew over to him,"mighty dragon have you noticed she is special,she has the heart of a fae."The fairy chuckled.

The little fae smiled before floating next to him.She whispered to him that Arissa was not like most humans which is why she can make many remedies no other humans can make.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier found himself smiling as he gazed at her happy face, seeming to mistake him for her father in her sleep. She didn't sem to speak of her father, he just realized... perhaps something had happened to him? And her mother? After all, she seemed to live alone and had not yet spoken of family. It would be a topic for another time after the two of them had grown closer togther, Xavier decided.

He hadn't been called 'mighty Dragon' in a long time, Xavier thought as the fae flew over next to him. He smiled and nodded at the tiny winged girl's words. "Yes, I definitely felt upon first meeting her that there was something different about her. She certainly isn't like other humans I've met, in more ways than one. This certainly clears up why... in fact, I just realized that I likely wouldn't be able to carry her yet if not for her medicine," he mused softly, voice kept low so as hopefully not to wake Arissa.

Once he reached her bedroom, he carefully tucked her in before smiling down at her for a moment brushing her her from her face, and beginning to head back to his own room to lie down among the fae who'd taken a liking to him.

'I could certainly stay here a while," he found himself thinking aloud as he drifted off.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

The next morning the fae had all fallen asleep next to Xander.Arissa woke up as she was confused how she got in her bed before she remembered Xander must have brought her in after she fell asleep.Smiling she got up and changed to a hunting outfit before she made breakfast.

Heading back to her herbs and candies she placed the full jar back on the shelf before she called for xander to come enjoy hos breakfast.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier's slumber was exceedingly peaceful after he laid Arissa down, then went to his room and laid down himself among the Fae who settled back down themselves around him on the bed. It was like a dream from a literal fairy tale, but the dreams he had when he fell asleep were even better. They all included Arissa and himself, happily smiling together. It was like a sign that the two of them needed to be closer. It was the best sleep he remembered getting ever since some of his first memories of waking up as a young hatchling.

He awoke pleasantly to the melodious voice of the woman he'd been dreaming of, it taking him a few moments to realize he was no longer sleeping for he got up and called "coming!"

Once he entered the kitchen and saw her, he smiled. "My arm is feeling much better," he said. "Mmm, smells delicious. How did you sleep?"

 

[Vikki_Rose]

"Pleasantly,thank you for bringing me to my room the fae always tell me i sleep at my workstation."She says smiling.She plated the food handing him a plate.

She sat across from him and began to eat,the fairies fly out as they all yawn before going to the counter where little meals sat waiting for them. "GOOD MORNING!"The fae sing to the two.

Arissa smiled singing a small good morning back to the fae.Her voice was angelic as she sang small tunes to them.She smiled as she ate then looked at Xavier with her smile.

 

[DergTheDergon]

He smiled as she said she'd slept well and thanked him for bringing her to her room. He chuckled a bit as she said she always fell asleep at her workstation. "Well, I'll have to remember that so that I can keep making you you're comfortable," he said, smiling. Honestly, part of him wanted to just keep holding her like that. He already felt so comfortable around her, a human... though as the fairies said, maybe the reason he feels to able to be vulnerable around her is because she isn't like any human he'd met before; she was almost the complete opposite.

As he sat down across from him, he smiled at the delicious smell of the food, the sight of Arissa clearly enjoying it, and the sights and sounds of the fairies making thier morning brighter. Arissa's melodious voice joining them was absolutely wonderful to hear, strikingly beautiful just like she was to him. "Good morning," he said, never one to sing, but his tone was more cheerful than was normal for the dragon. With that, he began to eat, and fopund himself devouring the meal quickly , still rather malnourished from all his running for the past few years. Being safe here with a beautiful girl and so many friendly fairies almost seemed too good to be true, but he decided to enjoy it and relax while he could.

"Wonderful food as always, Arissa," he said. "I'm feeling better today, perhaps we could do something together. They're still looking for me though so I'm still rather afraid to go outside for any reason. When I'm back at full health though, I might be able to take you for a ride through the skies, if you don't mind the height. I bet you'd like to see my true form, as well."

 

[Vikki_Rose]

"I definatly would kind sir and maybe you could help me gather some berries."She says smiling kindly.She gave him the rest of her food again,she smiled kindly."Go ahead and enjoy the food i can let you borrow one of my fathers old cloaks if you would like."She says when the fairies enjoy thier food.

Arissa stood as she went to the room he spent the night sleeping in before coming back out with a large cloak that had triple padding in the hood."it can protect your horns so nobody can recognize you."She says smiling

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xavier nodded in agreement to Arissa's request to help her gather berries, though a small amount of trepidation ended up among his otherwise amiable posture and facial expression. He certainly wanted to help her in any way he could, though as he had discussed before, he was afraid to even step foot outside after what had occurred just the day before. He found himself eating the rest of her food just as ravenously as he'd devoured what had been on his own plate, still needing a lot of food to keep regaining his strength. He had not been able to eat near enough for a dragon for a long time once the Knights had found him the first time and began relentlessly tracking him.

After Arissa left the dining room and came back with a cloak that seemed perfect for concealing what he was, Xavier having finished what she had offered him a moment before, he breathed a sigh of relief as he gently took the garment from her. he gently felt and inspected the garment for a few moments before trying it on, and found that it indeed worked rather well indeed. "Thank you. I think this'll be perfect," he said with a grateful smile. This generous gift had taken most of the immediate trepidation he felt away. Besides, with what he'd seen before of Arissa's skills, she could likely help him out of another pinch just as easily as the first. Deciding to trust in her to do so, he smiled to her kindly. "Shall we get going, then?" despite his trepidation, he did find himself excited to be outside again.

---​

Meanwhile, a certain noble waited as his servant packed his carriage, tapping his foot impatiently as the poor boy worked as fast as he could. "Put some pep in it, boy, I've very important business to attend to." The servant wanted to make a remark about 'important business' hardly seeming to equate to harassing a girl on the outskirts of the village who seemed not the least bit interested in him in return, but he held his tongue. He didn't fancy a beating right now, so he did as he was told and sped up his process of loading the man's coat, luggage and a few extravagant gifts for Arissa into the carriage, before meandering back inside to clean while the man's carriage driver ensured the horses were saddled. The man had a smile on his face as he relaxed in the back of his carriage, feeling certain that Arissa would be his soon in not too many more trips to visit her.

 

[Vikki_Rose]

Arissa smiled,"okay everybody you must conceal yourselves on the journey in case we meet another human."She says to the fairies who nod.

She put the dishes in her sink to wash when they returned,she grabbed her own cloak and closed her workspace.she opened her front door before she looked at Xavier.

"Dont worry nobody is brave enough to venture throigh the woods behind my home.Well besides me of course yet i know how to fight."She says smiling at him.