Outcast

5. Attack

Thump.
The large dragon landed on top of the horse drawn carriage his cautious eyes warily set on the people. Smoke billowed from his nostrils and his reptilian gaze was pure fury.
Ka-Ching!
Swords are drawn with the surprised yells of privileged Knights.
Riyah swung his long three pronged tail at a couple guards and knocked them out. As he was distracted by the prince swinging his sword in his direction he didn't notice the sharp sound of a sword flying through the air toward him. A low growl rumbled from his giant chest, his claws arching towards the prince.
Slash.
In a flash the blade of one of the Knights that was thrown at Riyah hits him in the leg with a sickening slice of scaly skin. The wounded dragon wails in pain, a sorrowful screech of fury before lifting off into the air. Scarlet blood flooding from the deep cut.

The prince's eyes narrowed as he raised his sword in the direction of the dragon warning Riyah to stay away.

Riyah fell from the sky, dropping a few feet in his wooziness from the loss of blood. He kept loosing altitude until he reached the ground and stood warily on his four scaly legs. His dragon mouth was a snarl, dangerously sharp teeth bared as he shook and wavered his vision getting blurry.

The prince took a reluctant step toward's Riyah. In Riyah's fuzzy vision he could barely make out the royal boy. He looked about his age by the faint outline and height. If only a bright golden crown wasn't atop his neatly combed dark brown hair.

'We could have been friends. Maybe.'

Riyah's thoughts wandered as his eyes widened and a green flash encased him and in a moment he was human again laying in a pool of his own blood.
Riyah backed away dragging his limp leg, the fabric of his ratty old pants drenched in dark red fluid, as he scooted away from the sword's end.

" L..leave my home! Royalty belongs in a castle not a cave. Leave me be!"
Riyah exclaimed his electric green eyes full of fear and desperation as the prince stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell? Why aren't you a dragon any longer?" The brunette pure blood asked hostility clear in his voice as he sheathed his sword. Instead of using a blade he gripped the wounded boy by the shirt collar and held him tight,and jerked him up to make sure they are eye to eye.

" Are you a monster?" The prince hissed, pale blue eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Riyah stiffened at the accusation reminding him of.. His past.
He spat blood at the other teen's face.
A red stain dripped down a pale cheek.
When Riyah was dropped onto the ground he stood and leaned against a tree after backing away.

" No matter what I am 'my prince'.."

He paused to do a small curtsy mocking him with a pained smirk.

".. This is my home and I am acting in self defense."

The prince sourly wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and took the statement as a challenge.
He had a small smile as he asked the dragon shifter a question.
" What is your name?"

Riyah was surprised by the sudden off topic inquiry but answered all the same.

" I'm Riyah. I wasn't always an outcast you know."

The bloodied blonde replied with a small smile at the prince as he relied on the trunk of a tree to keep him standing.

" Really now? Interesting I will keep that in mind "beloved one". I am Prince Henry son of Iscalus the king of Winter Wind. "

Prince Henry took another slow step towards Riyah and held out a hand in truce.

" Prince Henry Hmm. Then Henry leave me home or I will have to use force. My scary dragon form will make you soil your royal trousers again m'lord."

Riyah said confidently a fake air of cockiness in his facade to divert the prince back to his castle. He ripped a piece of his torn old shirt off of his body and secured it around his leg with a hiss of pain from the unforgiving sting.

Henry laughed despite the situation and waved at his men, much to their distress and protests, to get back on their horses and return to the palace without him. He instructed they leave one horse for him to depart on after he had a talk with Riyah.

After the armored men had rode off deeper into the forest and out of sight Riyah rolled his eyes.

" I thought I told you to leave with them. Not to stay here and trespass on my territory any further."

Riyah whined running a hand through his messy white blonde hair in habit.

Henry was now standing in front of Riyah and met his eyes yet again face serious.

" This isn't your territory. All land belongs to my father and someday will to myself. Remember that dragon."

Henry said while gripping one of Riyah's hands in his own forcing him not to retch it away.

" Not a chance Your Majesty! This is my home. You see that cliff up there? That's my only safe haven and you're not taking it from me. NEVER."

Riyah reputed anger seeping and rolling off of him like rampant waves of emotion as he pointed at the cliff miles above outlined by the waning sun.

Henry dropped his hand and nodded in defeat with a click of his tongue in annoyance at the other boy's persistence.

" Fine. But if my father finds out you and I are both dead."

Riyah was supremely relieved and heaved a much anticipated sigh of contentment.

He slid down the tree and sat there for second his eyes closed as he slowly drifted asleep as his blood bled through his makeshift bandage.

"Than..k.s.. Heh.. Hold on a second..sleepy.."
Riyah muttered his eyes slowly closing and his voice weakening and trailing off as he started to fall into a deep slumber.
The last thing he saw was Henry, on his knees in front of him a small smile on his lips as he picked him up in his arms bridal style easily lifting his skinny malnourished form.

"Time to get you back home. The great and mighty dragon is injured and must return to his cave."

Riyah would have laughed at the situation if his head didn't feel so damn heavy. He let only a small smirk slide into his scarlet stained mouth as he finally stopped fighting the blood loss induced sleep and felt his eyelids flutter closed.

'Mighty dragon huh?'

He thought bemused half asleep before the world turned dark and his face slumped against Prince Henry's powerful armored chest.