DabiHawks Week 2024

Day 2: Mythology

Keigo had absolutely no business being so confident. Sure he had been raised his entire life to become the greatest knight of all time. But so had everyone else who had faced the dragon. The lucky ones were the ones who were still able to crawl away with their lives. The dragon was no joke. But Keigo was destined for this. His whole life lead up to this moment. 

The King was very particular about who was able to go on the quest. But with more and more knights never coming back home, it was finally Keigo's chance. The very first time that he had petitioned the King to make the journey, and the many times since then, Enji had simply laughed him out of the castle. 

But today, he was finally on the way to slay the dragon. He would prove himself a worthy knight, and no one would ever associate the name of Takami with his deserter of a father again. 

It had never been quite clear exactly how it had happened, but somehow the Prince had been taken captive by the dragon. Of course, the King didn't care too much if the Prince never returned home, seeing as he had two other sons to take his place if he never did. But how would it look if the King had left his son to die.

The closer that he got to the dragon's den, the more Keigo felt his heart racing. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, ready to fight. Ready to win. 

"I wouldn't go there if I was you," A voice rung out through the trees. 

Keigo felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest. Fumbling with the sword at his belt, he turned around. A boy about his same age sat in the tree behind him, with a smirk on his face.

"Well, if that's how you pull your sword," the dark haired boy laughed as he swung down from the branches. "Looks like I don't have anything to worry about."

Finally having pulled his sword from his belt, he held it out toward the boy, trying to hide the shaking in his hands. "Who are you?"

"Oh me?" the dark haired boy, hesitated for a moment, clearly thinking of a name. "You can call me Dabi."

"What's your real name?" Keigo narrowed his eyes at Dabi, "And what are you doing all the way out here? No one is supposed to be all the way out here. The King-"

"I don't care what the King says," Dabi waved him off. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked up to Keigo, sizing him up as he circled around him. "You seem to care a lot what the King says though. It's a shame, it's not as though the King cares about you."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Keigo muttered, not sure what to do as Dabi continued to circle him. Should he attack? Or should he figure out who this stranger was. "He sent me here on a very important mission."

Dabi stopped in front of Keigo, staring into his soul as he asked, "You're not the only one that he's sent on this very important mission, now are you?" He raised his eyebrow, waiting for an answer but Keigo was too stunned to speak. Something about the way that Dabi was staring at him, something about the look in his eyes. It was almost hypnotizing.

"What's the matter? Not going to answer me?" Dabi turned away from Keigo. The second that their eye contact broke, it was like a spell had been broken. "That's kind of rude of you."

"Who do you think you are?" Keigo shouted, mostly embarrassed that he had gotten so lost in those blue eyes. It didn't make any sense. "You don't know me, or anything about me. I may not be the first, but I will be the last. I'm going to save the prince from the  dragon and there's nothing you can do to stop me. So if you don't mind."

Keigo moved to take a step past Dabi, ready to put the annoying stranger behind him. Dabi caught him on the shoulder before he could pass. Leaning in close to his ear, he whispered, "What makes you think that the Prince needs saving from the dragon?"