Saving a Dragon

My entry for the Shortys hosted by ShortStory

I saw this 'knight saving a princess from a dragon' prompt and decided to switch it up some... so here we got a knight who rescues a dragon from a princess instead. And as I love anime and games with adventurers and guild themes I also tossed in some of those because why the hell not. So our mc is an adventurer from a knight class pretty much.

Cover/art credits go to me! I drew it myself and slapped some text on for the title. It features the to-be-saved dragon for those curious ^^

Word count: 4,296

~~~~~~

A large figure tore through the sky, pushing aside clouds and forcing birds to dive aside. Nothing but a white blur shooting past at great speeds, unseen by those below. A young girl felt the mighty wind lift up her hair, but looking up she saw nothing and thus continued on with tending to the field, unaware of the creature flying overhead.

The blur was a griffin. A large white griffin with wings tipped in a blue rivaling the skies above. A black hand reached out and touched the lustrous feathers right in front of him, feeling the beast's mighty muscles work to keep them aloft and sense the magic flow beneath the skin and through each shimmering feather. "We're almost there, Eira!" A man called out to the griffin, who let out a sharp cry in answer. Folding her large wings, the griffin descended to a large field beyond the city gates.

Talons touched down, and the man jumped off with ease, silver armor catching the light. The griffin brought her head down to look at him and he placed his hand carefully on her beak, unable to resist the small smile at the trust she showed. "I will be entering the city now," the griffin hissed at that, some feathers puffing up, making the man chuckle and stroke her beak, "you know you cannot come with me. Magical beasts are forbidden to enter human settlements. You know the people will panic if they see a griffin walking the streets." Personally, he'd love to take Eira to see the merchant stalls and the colorful streets of Drusa. He knew that the griffin would love all the music and sounds and smells. She often sang in her whistles during their journeys, and he thought that she was quite musically aligned. "I promise I will bring you some snacks. See you tomorrow, okay?"

The griffin stared at him for a moment before rearing back and screeching towards the heavens, wings flared wide and eclipsing the sun. Wind rose and blew in his face, and yet the knight stood still, fully trusting the creature before him who was feared by so many. Talons flashed and she took to the skies, leaving the knight behind who watched her go.

Only when Eira had disappeared amongst the mountains in the distance where he knew she had made her home, did the knight turn around to head towards the city of Drusa where he lived. Adjusting his backpack, he let out a sigh and started to walk. He would need to get new provisions and a new quest before he could leave again. As well as get himself a hearty meal. Seeing the tall city walls and the gathered crowd who wanted to enter, he headed towards the line he knew was for the use of adventurers where he waited until it was his time to enter.

~~~

In the evening, the knight found himself in a tavern, digging into a steaming meal that had just arrived at his table. When he took his first bite, he took a sigh of relief, almost feeling like he could cry. He owned some cooking utensils and was able to put together a basic meal when he traveled, but he knew he wasn't the best cook so it never tasted as well as something made by those who actually knew what they were doing.

"Uilliam!" A young voice called out to him.

Looking up, the knight saw a young girl heading his way, zigzagging between the tables and other customers with ease. Curly black hair tied with blue ribbons trailing behind her. The daughter of the owner of the tavern he liked to visit. Adina occasionally helped out her parents when it was busy, like tonight judging by the packed area. He put up a hand in a wave. He took a few more bites before the girl reached the small table in the corner he had claimed for himself. The girl skidded to a stop before him and gave him a smug look upon noticing the way he dug in. "And that is why I tell you to get more people for your party! If you find someone who can cook well it will help you out as well, you know? You are a pretty high-ranking adventurer I heard, I'm sure many would love to join you."