Dragon Slayer: A Lisoo Dragon AU

Chapter Three: Lacy

The sound of birds chirping woke me from my slumber. I hadn't even realized that I had fallen asleep, much less slept for hours. I looked to my side to see that I had fallen asleep leaning on Jillian's scales. Oh God, was I really that close to her the entire night? Why was that such a problem? We were friends, I suppose. Even so, I still felt the need to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was leaning on you," I said.

"It's nothing," she laughed a bit, which was a very gentle sound. "You seemed so happy. I didn't want to disturb you."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"No idea, but the sun came up about a few hours ago," she replied.

"That means the king will want to know if I made it back," I sighed.

"What's wrong with that?" Jillian asked. "You seem sad."

"The king, he's heartbroken right now," I explained. "He loves his daughter so much. Much more than anyone else. I just don't know how to break the news to him easily."

I felt Jillian's clawed hand on my knee again, a feeling I quite liked. "This is going to be hard for the entire kingdom to take in. From what you've told me, this princess sounds like she was wonderful."

"Yeah, she was." I smiled a bit. "She was always so nice to me. Nicer than anyone else. She supported my journey to become a knight. It's just not going to be the same without her."

"You were quite fond of her, I can tell." She smirked slightly.

"One could say that, yes," I let out a small chuckle. "The boys always teased me. They called her my girlfriend and always joked about it. Come to think of it, I'm going to miss those jokes."

"Does that mean you like girls?" Jillian tilted her head to the side.

"Yes. I always have," I answered. "You?"

"I've never really thought about that." She pondered for a moment. "I don't think I have a specific gender I like. I just like people."

"It must be easy being a dragon when it comes to love," I sighed.

"Not really." She shrugged. "For dragons, it isn't normalized."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me put it this way," she started. "When you're a human, you get to put on these impressive displays of affection for someone you love. It's okay to be vulnerable to the other person, because society takes it as 'sweet' and 'heartfelt.' But for dragons, if you show a little bit of affection towards another dragon, you're seen as 'weak' and 'pathetic.' Dragon love is rare and far between."

"I'm sorry," I said. "That sounds horrible."

"Not terribly," she replied.

"Have you ever been in love?" I asked.

She looked at me strangely, but then answered my question. "Love is a strong word. But I have liked someone."

"Tell me about this someone." I propped my head up on my hand.

"Well, for starters, she was a human girl. Brown hair and brown eyes. Kinda like you, actually," Jillian said dreamily.

"What was she like?"

"Strong. Much stronger than I could ever be. She was brave and kind and really smart."

"What happened to her?" I questioned.

She let out a long sigh. "I never told her any of those things. I was afraid to get too close because...well, look at me. I don't exactly appear sweet. A while back, I flew away from that town and I never saw her again."

"So, you never courted her?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No." She shook her head. "Besides, I had a feeling she was straight then."

"Straight until proven gay," I sighed.

"Exactly," she said. "She always hung out with boys. Handsome ones, so at least she had good taste. She seemed to have fun with them. That's when I'd get to see her smile."

"Sounds like you were smitten." I nudged her scaly shoulder.

She giggled. "I guess you could say that."

"What was her name?" I asked.

Jillian hesitated for a moment. "L-Lacy."

"Lacy sounds beautiful," I responded.

"So does your princess."

I scoffed. "She isn't mine. Besides, she barely knew I existed."

"What do you mean?" She inquired.

"Apart from occasions that I was supposed to be her bodyguard, we never interacted. I was told not to, so I never tried. And I don't think she really wanted to talk to me either. We barely said a word to each other," I explained.

"Maybe she was nervous," Jillian suggested.

"I don't think princesses get nervous," I said.

"You never know." She shrugged. "They're people too."

"I guess you're right. But why would she be nervous around me?" I questioned.

"Maybe she liked you." She nudged my shoulder.

I laughed. "You're funny. Girls don't like me. Not like that, at least. And especially not a princess of all people."

"You're pretty quick to judge," Jillian noted. "And oblivious too. I bet there's hundreds of girls who'd like your strong arms wrapped around them."

"Now you're making me sound like a playgirl."

"Not intentionally," she said. "What I'm trying to say is, you should give the possibility of love a few chances."

"You should too," I replied. "Lacy would be lucky to have you."

She scoffed. "I don't think a dragon would make a good girlfriend to show off at parties and such."

"Are you kidding?" I chuckled. "What's cooler than a dragon girlfriend? You could have creme brulee whenever you wanted to!"

"That's what your mind goes to?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What? It's really good."

Then, an idea came to my mind. Well, apart from the creme brulee one. I had no chance with ever courting Jisoo. She was gone and I had to accept that fact. But I could help Jillian court her girl. I'd rather make someone else's life better than wallow in pity about my own.

"Jillian!" I grabbed her clawed hand swiftly. "I'm going to help you."

"With what?" she asked.

"Courting Lacy," I elaborated. "You shouldn't be here, wondering what would have happened if you made a move. Why not just do it?"

"You're crazy."

"I think I'm quite reasonable."

Jillian sighed. "I'm not sure. I mean, it's not like I can walk up to her and ask her out. I'm a dragon. I'd terrorize at least five people before I could even get to her."

"For a magical creature who can fly and breathe fire, you don't have much confidence," I noted.

"Yeah." She looked away for a moment. "I never have. That's why I couldn't talk to her when I had the chance."

"Never fear!" I got up dramatically. "Your chivalrous knight Lisa is here to assist you on your romantic journey."

She chuckled adorably. "You're such an actor. I wish I was as confident as you."

"And with my training, you will be," I said, extending my hand out to her. "Will you let me help?"

She gave me a smile and grabbed my hand. "Sure. Why not?"