Dragon Slayer: A Lisoo Dragon AU

Chapter Eight: Return

"I can't, Lisa!" Jisoo yelled. "I just can't!"

"Why not? The king will want to see you!" I argued.

"Because I'll have to explain everything!" she shouted. "I can't just say 'Father, I was transformed into a dragon and accidentally killed some of your knights.'"

"When you say it like that, it sounds terrible," I said.

"It was terrible!" she exclaimed.

"Jisoo." I rested a hand on her shoulder. "We both know that's not the real reason why you don't want to go back. You can tell me, whatever it is."

Jisoo gripped my hand lightly and brought it off her shoulder. "When you're a princess, you have this image around you. It's so expected that when a girl is anything different than that, she's ostracized. Once the kingdom finds out that the dragon was me, they're going to turn on me. I just know that they will and even my own father will turn on me. Soon enough, you will too."

"Princess." My hand trailed the side of her cheek and wiped away a few tears. "You always have me. You know that, right?"

She feebly nodded, but I could tell her heart wasn't in it.

"If it makes you feel better, we don't have to tell the king," I said.

Her head tilted to the side. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "I can make up a story that doesn't involve your dragon or the tower. Maybe I found you lost in the woods or something."

She leaned against the wall and sunk down to the floor. "Why is this so difficult? Why can't I just be free and happy and not have to worry about these sorts of things?"

"I know it's hard." I sat down in front of her. "But whatever you decide, I trust that it'll be the right decision."

"Can't we just stay in the woods?" she groaned.

I shook my head. "Your father misses you, Jisoo."

She groaned again as her head rested on my chest. "You're impossible."

"I know," I chuckled. "Now, c'mon. We better get a move on if we want to be there before it gets dark."

I offered her my hand to help her up. I understood why Jisoo didn't want to face the king after this. It would be hard to admit that she had been magically transformed into a dragon, much less to have others believe you. But she was brave. She was one of the strongest people I had ever met, despite her glittering jewels and fancy gowns. Come to think of it, she could have been a very skilled knight.

"How long is this journey?" she questioned.

"About a four days walk, give and take," I estimated.

"Four days?" she gawked. "That's absurd! Did you come all that way just to rescue me?"

I nodded. "It is a knight's duty to save the princess, after all."

"That's only when the princess can't save herself," Jisoo quipped. "We aren't all damsels in distress."

"I know," I chuckled.

I kindly grabbed her hand, admiring how soft and gentle it was in mine. It was quite different from her scaly claws, but I wasn't complaining. I bent down to give a light kiss on the top of her hand. Sure, it was customary for knights to do this whenever the princess was around, but everyone at the castle dismissed it since I was a woman too. But in all honesty, that was one of the things I had most wanted to do when I became a knight.

"What was that for?" Jisoo giggled.

"Princess, I made a vow to the king to protect you at all costs. And I promise to uphold it for as long as I live. You'll always be safe as long as I'm here," I stated proudly.

"Pinkie promise?" She held out her pinkie.

I linked it with mine. "Pinkie promise."

"Lis, will you let me try something? It might help," she said.

I looked at her, perplexed. "Sure, I suppose."

She let go of my hand quickly and took a deep breath in. She seemed nervous, as if she was doing something that she'd never done before. Her eyes closed and her lips pursed. My eyebrow raised, trying to comprehend her actions.

Soon, I figured out what exactly she was doing. She was channeling her ability. A shimmering light formed around her, causing my eyes to widen. I stepped back slightly as the light enveloped her. It grew larger and larger until it faded into oblivion.

Behind it was something rather familiar. The dragon from the tower returned, with her fiery red wings and scaly body. I stood there in shock. How was she able to fully transform back into her dragon self if she was cursed in the beginning? Was the curse not broken? I had many questions.

"It worked," Jisoo panted, but then saw my confused expression. "Is it not okay?"

"No, no!" I waved my hands. "I just wasn't ready for it."

She smiled. "Hop on."

"What?"

"C'mon, it'll get us there faster if we fly," she persisted.

I sighed. "Alright, we'll fly."

She bent down to help me get on her back. It was kind of strange knowing that this large creature who could breathe fire was the princess. In a way, I really liked it. It gave me a sense of adventure. Besides, I definitely didn't want to give up dragon flying. It was the best experience I'd ever had.

"Hold on, okay?" She readied her wings.

I wrapped my arms around her neck, pulling myself closer. Her scales were hard leaning up against them but I didn't mind. She took off into the clouds, making me let out a small scream. Even though I'd flown on her before, it still scared me sometimes. But the view was worth it.

The majestic rolling hills were breathtaking at such a height. The way the sun reflected off the rivers and lakes was enchanting. It was better than the balcony on the tallest tower at the castle. I'd never been able to explore something this beautiful, especially not with a dragon princess.

But then, I noticed something odd. As we neared the castle, billowing smoke started to come into view. I caught a few glimpses of fire that closely resembled the color of Jisoo's wings. A loud roar could be heard off in the distance that caused Jisoo to stop flying. She hovered in mid-air for a few moments, barely moving.

"Jisoo, what is it?" I asked, leaning down to be close to her.

"That sound," she said, her voice wavering.

Before she could say anything else, she let out a roar quite similar to the one we heard in the distance. Quite frankly, it was almost exact. My eyes widened as I began to speak.

"You don't mean-"

"Yes," Jisoo said gravely. "Dragons."