Frey looked at Runa, awaiting her approval. She nodded, and their romantic night ended. The black dragon hadn't seen them; large beasts tended to ignore anything they considered too small. And this beast was very large, not comparable to the dragon king, but much larger than the green dragon that attacked Artemia. Frey had once killed one almost as big, but this time they intended to trap it, not kill it right away. They could follow it, find its hiding place. Why hadn't they seen it before? The dragon the scouts were looking for was supposed to be red and medium-sized.

The monster flew towards the lake, always with the couple behind on Jumper's back. The pegasus seemed to slow down if they got too close without Frey ordering it, but it wasn't restless, more wise than fearful. It crossed the entire lake until it reached the other shore, where two large mountain rivers formed a delta. It crossed behind the mountain and landed in an empty valley. The couple decided to return to the city immediately. Who knows how long it would be there.

It was pitch black when they touched down in front of the palace entrance. Jumper snorted, exhausted, and stayed in Frey's care while Runa raised the alarm. He gave it some feed and water; it would need to be fresh. The situation wasn't just the trap. When a dragon appeared so close to a large population, an attack was imminent, especially if it had never been seen nearby. Frey's instinct urged him to act, although he wondered if everything planned would work with such a large monster. But if he was right, there was no alternative; they had to try.

The Unermia dragon slayers rushed to their posts. The city's chief engineer barked orders louder than Prince Conerfin, wanting to reinforce the trap. Several dozen workers checked every joint, every link in the chains, and recharged the enchantments. Runaesthera argued with Captain Asterion about whether or not to wake Eri. They decided they would only do so when the dragon had fallen.

The preparations were almost ready. The sweat on Frey's forehead had little to do with fatigue or the heat of a sun that was about to rise. Runa approached him, her stride firm, her head high, her gaze fixed, her back straight. In that moment, she was the princess, more than his wife.

"Frey," she said, her voice sharp, full of authority, "I'm going to do this."

"What are you talking about, love?"

"Don't call me that now. I'm going to take Jumper, and I'll bring the dragon. You're going to get ready to kill it if necessary."

"Runa," Frey hesitated, it didn't make sense, "I've been training with the pegasus, I'm the best dragon slayer, success..."

"I'm better than you at this, Frey. Dad had a pegasus seventy years ago, I rode it for over forty. Jumper is tired, I'm lighter, and I can protect us with magic, you can't. Believe me, if there were more time, I wouldn't do this. It's what you do, what you live for, but today..."

"Enough, you know me better than that. Just promise me you'll be okay. That you won't leave Eri and me alone after so many times you've asked me to be careful."

Runa smiled at him, losing the princess pose.

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"You definitely know me better than that."

They both knew what to do. They walked towards each other, kissed in what could be the last time, and went their separate ways.

––––

Before mounting him, Runa spoke to Jumper.

"I know I wasn't the one who passed your test, but I promise you we'll be okay. Last night you saw my courage. I won't let you go if you don't let me go."

The winged steed snorted, bringing its head close to Runa's. A beautiful memory crossed the princess's mind, but there was no time for nostalgia. She mounted him with a leap, and together they soared towards the waterfall.

Runa guided Jumper precisely and expertly. She hadn't forgotten how to make a pegasus ascend and descend, giving commands in advance, not reactively. She flew much faster than Freydelhart because she knew the animal's limits perfectly. In a few minutes, she was over the lake, flying just above the water like fishing birds sometimes did.

The sun peeked lazily over the mountain behind which the monster was hiding. Jumper slowed down without being ordered. They ascended to access the valley that had served as its lair. It was still there, curled up on itself like a cat on a cushion. Its body occupied the entire space of the small valley; the trees all yielded under its weight like mere blades of grass.

She inhaled deeply several times to stop the tremors. Determined, she raised her right hand to summon storm clouds. Magic couldn't be used directly against a dragon, but the forces of nature were unstoppable. She accumulated lightning, swirling the clouds over and over again.

She closed her fingers, and it all happened.

The dragon's roar mixed with the thunder in a terrifying sound that crossed the entire region. The waters of the lake trembled, the leaves of the trees shook, and the earth itself quaked. Runa did not.

She ordered Jumper to circle the dragon to make sure it saw them, to know they had attacked it. She threw ice stakes at it to further draw its attention. The enormous yellow eyes fixed on her; she had finally achieved it.

They dodged a blue ethereal flame, dropping and resuming flight. Runa's skill as a rider was unmatched. She regretted not having left this battle to her husband, but she didn't doubt her decision for a second. In her mind, she saw Frey falling with each attack of the beast due to a small mistake or lack of experience. She spiraled upwards to provoke the dragon into flying after them.

The beast dove, its wings causing powerful gusts as it rose, but Runa maneuvered Jumper like that day on Golden Sun's back when she had crossed a storm hoping to save her mother. It had been over forty years ago. But now was not the time for memories. She couldn't afford to fall or lose control.

The black beast flew after Runa, roaring and launching flames. She used magic shields to defend Jumper and herself when she couldn't avoid the flames. She had to keep going at full speed without looking back; the dragon would gain speed as it gained momentum in its flight. If she deviated or hesitated, it would catch her. There was no time to be afraid.

They reached the waterfall, the most difficult part of the plan. She had to fly a little further and come back. It seemed impossible as she would have to pass by the dragon, unless...

Instead of going forward, she flew down the waterfall, taking care to align herself with the ledge. But if she entered through it, the dragon wouldn't see her. Indeed, the monster flew down after her, who, using a magic shield, crossed the waterfall. The enormous weight drained her magic reserves, but she managed to pass without falling, although she had been pushed almost to ground level. She looked back, waiting...

An agonizing flapping of wings and flaming roars tried to cross the waterfall, but the water extinguished its flames and rendered its wings useless. It was submerged in the lake in seconds. The chains and magic shackles they had prepared captured it immediately. The dragon slayers, with Frey at the head, surrounded it in case it managed to get its head out of the water or break free somehow.

Prince Cormin was already bringing Eri by the hand.