The Dragon and the Princess

Chapter 17

The tent was no match for Lithon's larger form and instantly shredded as his body continued to increase in size, until, finally, he was fully shifted. The reaction of the soldiers to the large dragon in their camp was predictable and swift. Within seconds, soldiers surrounded him, swords and spears at the ready, their shiny, pointed tips directed at him.

Staring into the eyes of the man in front of him, Lithon let out a deep rumble of anger, smoke propelling out of his nostrils with every breath. His eyes swiftly scanned all the soldiers, assessing how much of a threat they were until his eyes landed on Lydia and the two soldiers making their way towards her. Letting out a roar of worry, he reached out to her but was quickly blocked by a wall of soldiers. Lithon could easily kill them and pass, but he didn't want to take a life while Lydia was watching. Besides, he knew that the soldiers would never hurt their princess. They were trying to protect her. He would find another way to reach her.

"Lithon!" Lydia called as she was grabbed by the forearm by two men. She looked into the eyes of the man, the dragon, that she didn't want to leave, and saw conflict within them. However, despite being surrounded by armed men, he didn't move. He didn't fight back as swords hesitantly came in contact with his scales. Seeing a slither of an opportunity, she ordered the men holding her to help her towards John. Finally managing to hobble over, she called out to him.

"John! You must stop this! Look at him, he isn't attacking! He isn't fighting back!" She pleaded with him. Trying to appear strong, she let go of the soldiers that were supporting her and tried to stand on her own. Wincing in pain, she knew that she couldn't hold herself upright and fell forward. Right into John. Clutching to his shirt and ignoring the earth-shaking rumble Lithon made, she looked into her ex-fiancée's eyes and pleaded again. "Please John. He's not evil." She said softly, her voice slightly quivering as her desperation gave her a sudden need to cry.

"You're completely delusional. That dragon" he pointed his sword up towards Lithon who was still surrounded by soldiers, "has corrupted your mind." He wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her in place. "Now watch as we kill the beast and release your mind from its clutches." With a single gesture of his hand, the soldiers slowly advanced on Lithon and began attacking him with their weapons more violently than before.

Lithon didn't know what to do. He was strong, stronger than any man, but he couldn't just swipe them aside or he could kill them. Even while holding back almost all of his strength, he still ran the risk of potentially killing them. A human was no match for a dragon. Even a group of humans with this many numbers were of no match.

Knowing he needed to do something, he brought his tail around and tried to gently push the men away from him. Some of the men instantly fell to the ground with the force but a few remained standing and turned their swords against his tail. Crying out in pain as several of the sharp iron objects pierced his hide at once, Lithon immediately retracted his tail and curled it close to his body, protecting it from further harm. One sword still deeply embedded in his flesh.

Hearing his cry, Lydia stopped trying to reason with John and turned her attention back to Lithon. She knew that he could kill all of them easily, so why wasn't he? Why wasn't he defending himself?

She watched in horror as he did nothing but curl up to defend himself and allowed the men to slice into his scaly hide. Lydia could see the looks of confusion on the men attacking but those looks soon morphed into smiled of victory.

Multiple men cut into Lithon's wings, cutting the thin membrane, and others took to stabbing him in the legs, his back, his snout, everywhere they could reach. It didn't take long for Lydia to see the blood. Lots and lots of blood.

"Lithon! Lithon, leave!" She cried out to him, hot fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. She saw the dragon's eyes land on her but he didn't move. A deep rumble so disagreement reached her ears."Run away!" She tried again. "I can't see you get hurt like this! Please... Please just save yourself and get out of here!" She yelled with all her might.

Suddenly a sharp pain spread across her cheek and then her whole body as she violently fell to the ground. Placing a hand on her burning cheek she looked up at the man who had hit her. Again. She saw John opened his mouth to say something but he didn't get the chance as an ear-piercing, furious roar filled the entire forest. Lydia had to place her hands over her ears to block out the angry, yet pain-filled, call.

Lithon didn't care if he killed the men in front of him anymore. He didn't care if he crushed every bone in their bodies. However, he did care about Lydia, and he knew he had to get her away from here. Raising to his feet, he completely ignored the men below him and stormed towards where Lydia lay. He could feel that he had stepped on someone, most likely killing them on impact, but he didn't care.

Finally reaching her, Lithon ignored the pain in his leg as John pierced his hide with his sword, and concentrated only on Lydia, whose face was now stained with the still falling tears. Clutching her in his talons he used all his strength to beat is wings and lift himself off the ground. It took more effort than usual as his wings were damaged, but, with more than a little determination, he managed to lift off the ground, knocking most of the soldiers to the ground with the wind pressure his wings created.

Not wanting to waste a single second, Lithon swiftly flew towards his home, Lydia now full-on crying in his talons. He knew that she was panicking, and he knew that he needed to get back home quickly so that he could calm her down.

Their plan had failed, but at least he still had Lydia. He would protect her. Nothing was ever going to harm her again. He would make sure of that. It was an oath, and he would keep it with his life.