Drarry One Shots

1. Once Upon a Time...

A mash-up! And I couldn't help the little nod towards 'Spirit Obsession' amongst other things 😊

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Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a handsome and noble warrior. The warrior was only eighteen years old, but despite his young age, he had already achieved more than most because, for seven years, the young man had been whisked away to a castle in the north and had completed dangerous tests set by the leaders of his country. He had battled with dragons and other giant monsters, he had learnt magic, and mastered Death. The tasks had culminated in a dangerous war right on the doorsteps of the castle, but the young warrior was more than capable, even though many around him still doubted his abilities. There had been no prize of a princess or plentiful gold and treasures at the end; however, the warrior had saved their world from an evil overlord and his minions.

Ever since, across the land, everyone happily celebrated each day with great parties and fancy feasts. Everyone, that is, apart from the warrior. His only indulgence was to replace much of his wardrobe after the war. He had decided it was time to not conform to others' ideas of heroic colours and banners; green had played a dominant role in both his casual and formal wear. The truth was, no one ever saw who the young man really was; they did not see the many scars he had gained upon his body, they did not see the pain he carried and the dilemmas he battled with. They just saw his name and his handsome face, decided what they wanted to see and made the rest up. All because they were safe.

In fact, the troubles were not over for the young man because another great evil arose from the ashes of the war.

On the morning of 16th November, some six months after the Great Battle, the warrior awoke to find himself locked in an unfamiliar room at the top of the tallest tower in the castle. His new room was comfortable enough, but it was sparse. He had nothing in it, only a large four-poster bed and basic furniture, and a trunk filled with his clothes at the end of his bed. When he checked his trunk for his belongings, he was very confused as to why all his shirts and t-shirts were now red, though that was the least of his worries. More concerning was that his wand was missing, which was very distressing for the young warrior because, without his wand, he had no weapon.

He spent his first day pacing his room. He broke his chair by smashing it against the wall in anger and shouted for help until his voice was raw, while he banged and rattled the locked door of the tower.  He spent the rest of his time at the window, hoping and praying to Merlin that someone would come and rescue him, but instead, he watched a great thorny hedge spring up around the castle, cutting him off from the outside world.

That evening, a young woman came to visit him. She said she was called Marina Loved and was very beautiful, with long, glossy black hair, plump rosy lips, and deep brown eyes that had bewitched many a young man and boy before. She brought food, which the young man ate ravenously. She fixed his chair and healed his bleeding fingers. She warned the young warrior that he must stay in the tower for his own safety because there was a giant white dragon that lived in the dungeons, and it would eat him up or burn him to ashes with its angry, fiery breath. She said the dragon had arrived and cast an enchantment upon the castle. She claimed that she was not strong enough to break the magic, but at least she had rescued the warrior before the dragon started demanding tribute in the form of human food and gold. She said she was trying to get help from the outside world and had sent messages far and wide asking for aid.

And because the young warrior could not help himself, he said, 'Should I battle the dragon? I am, after all, experienced.'

'Oh no!' said Marina. 'Under no circumstances must you leave this tower or a great misfortune will befall you.'

Then Marina promised to return the following evening with more food, but she said she could not come more than once a day because she was scared of waking the dangerous beast that would surely eat them both.