A Song of Ash and Light

In a wasteland where monstrous nightmares known as the Ash feast upon every living thing, bastions of human societies still exist thanks to the Wardwalls, mysterious magical shields that have kept the few remaining cities from crumbling into ruin. Above all, the people in these communities fear the harbinger of these monsters, an unnamed dragon who hunts the skies, the creature Aislin's people call the White Death. Aislin's father, the king of one the last human cities, compels his best knight to swear an oath to slay the dragon, believing this would successfully cripple the Ash. But Princess Aislin's dreams have been full of the dragon since she was born. She doesn't know whether to trust the monster making its way into her dreams, but when the dragon tells her it's the source of the magic that shields their cities from the Ash, the princess takes it upon herself to save the monster from her father's most deadly knight. No matter the cost to herself.
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This story was created as part of ONC 2026. The prompts used are as follows:
Spring 4: You discover a dragon everyone fears is in danger, and you are the only one who can save it from the knight sworn to slay it. (Primary prompt)
Fall 86: A wasteland hides pockets of thriving communities protected by mysterious shields. (Secondary prompt)