The Preposterous Tale of Sir Edmund The Courageous

Chapter 6 The Deceitful Sprite

Meanwhile as Sir Edmund galavanted down the slopes a small figure spotted him and, finding him very curious, decided to investigate further. This figure was a sprite.
Sprites are similar to fairies in some ways, but very different in others. To start off fairies are pure of heart, meaning no ill to any creature, while sprites will lash out at any who cross them, not always directly but often cunningly and cruelly.
Because of their innocence the sprites long ago deemed the fairies silly and have since then held them all in high contempt, consorting with them only unwillingly when nothing else can be done instead. Sprites also have bat-like wings and a more even male to female ratio compared to the seemingly entirely female dragonfly-winged population of fairies.

Anyway, this particular sprite was Visazj, a dark haired sprite with sharp features who was in and about the Dragon Mountains visiting a minuscule dragon aptly called Tinykrakk, who had somehow never managed to grow more than one yard long.
Visazj happened to be on his way to the tiny dragon as he heard a load roar from a nearby cave, this on its own would not have gained his attention as dragons are prone to wrath and the cause is not always noteworthy enough to bother uncovering, but at this same time he noticed a small glittering figure running down the mountain as the sun reflected off its silver mail.
This was enough to capture Visazj's attention and down he flew to investigate. Flying over to a tree near where the knight had stopped running and dropped down. There Visazj watched him, and before long a horse trotted up and the man began to talk, apparently to the horse though Visazj was not aware that any man could understand the ancient tongue of the fey, or indeed that any horse could speak it, though this is what the horse spoke and the man replied in human language.
From this Visazj guessed rightly that this was no mere horse, but one enchanted with intelligence high above that of a normal beast. Anyway, the two creatures continued their conversation and Visazj quickly gathered that both the horse and the man were named Edmund, and that they were attempting to rescue a princess that the dragon Krakkfaster held.

Then the two began almost begrudgingly to walk back up the mountainside. Visazj followed, but neglecting to do so stealthily resulted in a sudden and fluent movement from the man that ended with Visazj caught firmly in the man's grip.
"No, help!" Visazj cried but no one was near enough to hear him.
"Who are thou?" The man demanded.
"Visazj."
"And why are you following me?" The knight was not angry, but stern. All the same Visazj first attempted to lie.
"The mountain pass is not your private property is it? A sprite can go wherever he wishes and I just so happen to be going this way."
"This is a lie, I saw him listening to us more than fifteen minutes ago down below." The horse whispered.
"Tattletale!" Visazj shot back without thinking "Why don't you worry about your own business!"
"It is my business." The horse replied.
"So you can understand him?" The man asked, overlooking for a moment the fact that Visazj had not yet answered his second question.
Visazj snorted "Of course I do! He's speaking the fey language isn't he? What did you take me for? Some kind of walrus?"
"I did not know that the fey language was the one which my steed speaks," the man replied.
"Oh, well you must be a dense one. Anyway, who might you be? I don't think you've been so polite as to share."
"I am Sir Edmund the Courageous of Zanlar, bravest knight in the land and liege to King Jeffery the Second!" The knight announced with a sudden flourishing bow, that unintentionally sent Visazj crashing into his breastplate as the knight forgot that the person he was speaking to was in fact in his hand.
"What a long name," Visazj mused as he recovered "mind if I call you Eddy? And what about the magic horse? Does it have a name?"
"Ah yes, my trusted steed is called Edmund the Wise."
"Out brained by a quadruped, and you have to share a name! How mortifying." The sprite muttered.
"And now," Sir Edmund said, returning to his point "if you don't mind my asking, why were you following us?"
"You didn't seem to mind my minding before." Visazj said, then he shrugged "I don't really know I suppose, you sounded interesting."
"I see," said Sir Edmund, releasing his hold on the sprite, who hopped over to a nearby rock and began straightening his wings. Meanwhile Sir Edmund and his name alike discussed quietly among themselves, finally Sir Edmund once again addressed the sprite.
"I have decided that you may accompany me on my quest." He said.
"What?" Visazj looked around, facing the knight with a confused look.
"I said that I have decided that you may accompany me on my quest." The knight repeated.
"No, no, no." Visazj rubbed his forehead "I got that, I mean where did you get the idea that I wanted to?"
"Well I guess I got that from your interest in following us..." The knight trailed off as he failed to think of a response.
"No, no." Visazj interrupted his mumbling before it managed to come to a complete awkward pause "I suppose I will, I feel like I'm in the mood to mess with a dragon."
"Well, I shall be the one to actually slay the beast." Sir Edmund inserted.
"Yeah yeah, calm down." Visazj fluttered over to Sir Edmund's shoulder and patted it "You'll get to use you big boy sword, don't worry. I'm just thinking of a distraction for you, that's all. Now lets go rescue a princess!"