Fara cursed, scanning the ground and the fallen slavers for weapons. She stepped back, ready to grab a halberd from the ground, but those sharp arrows were pointed at her. It was clear that the Murlians wanted them alive, but the slavers wouldn’t mind skewering them with arrows to soften them up.

“Alright,” Razam said, holding his scimitar in both hands.

“Yield yourselves!” one of the Demon Knights shouted from behind a rock, a dark blue cape shrouding his shoulders. “You are surrounded. Try anything funny and we’ll bleed you like a fox on a hunt.”

Razam gritted his teeth. Fara dropped the dagger, holding her arms still.

“Any brilliant ideas?” Razam mumbled.

“It looks like this time it’ll be iron chains and not ropes,” she replied.

“I’ve had it worse.”

Would she be willing to die like that? No, this would be a pointless death. Members of the Khanjar had sworn to give their lives to the Empire. But this death would be useless. Perhaps she could take a few Demon Knights with her. Though her knives would likely bounce off their helmets, waiting for them to draw close could give her a chance to aim for their eyes.

“Patience,” she said.

Razam sighed.

“Murlians are famous for one thing,” Razam said.

“Oh yes,” she said, her thoughts suddenly turning to it – torture of the most egregious kind. Their creativity in that subject involved every unpleasant method she could imagine, taken to the extreme.

Maybe death didn’t sound that bad after all.

At that moment, a cloud drifted rapidly through the sky, obscuring the sun. A noise erupted, like carriages tumbling down a ravine. Fara blinked, squinting up at the blinding sun.

Then, the sight that unfolded caused her to rub her eyes in disbelief. A blue figure crossed the sky, wings spread out like the canopies of great kings, a body covered in gleaming scales, like a thousand sapphires reflecting the sun. Then, flames burst from his mouth, like an erupting volcano. It descended like a punishment from heaven, carving a circle of flame where the Murlian soldiers had stood. Screams pierced the air as men caught fire, writhing in agony among the flames. A few hurled spears, a handful loosed their arrows, but the dragon burned them all.

It was like a dream, an illusion, the kind people see right before their death, but it was undeniably real. Vrarog descended, opening his powerful wings, stretching powerful claws toward both of them. Razam had his eyes closed. Vrarog took Razam first, then reached for Fara, who stretched her arms and welcomed the dragon’s embrace. Soon, the dragon rose above the ground, leaving the carriages and their enemies far behind. She looked down, stunned, watching the dying men beneath her become as tiny as termites. From there, she could see the paved main road and the surrounding buildings - businesses and farms. As they flew further, small towns appeared in the distance, resembling beehives

She stared about, blissful, at the blue sky that spread around her from every side, and at the sparse clouds that waited and whirled around them jagged by the wind.

She wanted that for her people, she wanted to have a dragon by her side. She hoped and dreamed, thinking of ways to convince the dragon to help her. Dragons had stayed far from human issues for thousands of years, they lived in the South, in remote mountains, far away from human settlements.

By her side, Razam, seemed to be deep in thought, ignoring the landscape and view.

The dragon kept flying, veering off from the mountains around the commercial routes, southward.

“What’s happening?” she asked Razam.

“Why…” Vrarog answered instead of him, wings completely spread as it glided across the sky. “Why… so much… pain.”

Razam remained still.

“Razam?” she asked. “Are you communicating with him?”

He nodded absently.

“Why? Why did they cause him so much pain?” Vrarog asked through his fangs.

Razam faced Fara for an instant. He sighed in frustration.

“I’m telling him that I thank him for helping us, but that I’ve had it much worse. He’s really worried about what just happened.”

“All… all that pain...” the dragon continued.

“Well, you just roasted forty people to a crisp,” Razam said. “You caused pain too.”

“We defend ours, those we are bonded to, and those they loved. I… I tried to let go, but I just couldn’t let that happen.”

Razam nodded understanding.

“I…” Vrarog hissed, his inhuman voice echoing in the sky.

“Hey, it’s alright,” said Razam. Fara thought, for an instant, that he was talking to her. “It’s alright, you’re safe with your kid now. I mean, your egg. I’ll be here, living my life.”

The dragon turned his scaly neck and answered, bright eyes glowing even in daylight. “I made a mistake when bonding with you. I broke the rules, but I did not know it’d be so hard,” Vrarog hissed. “And I don’t know if letting you die will make it worse.”

Razam shrugged.

The man was not what she thought. She had not seen that side of him. Why was his expression so understanding, so compassionate…

“Razam…” she said softly.

“Huh?” he said, raising an eyebrow and facing her.

She paused for an instant, breathing deep.

“You are a good man,” she said with all the sincerity she could muster.

Razam opened his eyes wide. He seemed genuinely surprised. His jaw dropped, but in an instant, he snickered dismissively and shook his head. “Ah, girl, I know it must be a shock to go through all that, but we’ll be alright.”

“I mean it, Crimson Thorn.”

Razam looked away, glancing at the landscape beneath them.

“I think I understand you better now,” Fara said softly, before clearing her throat. “I was wondering, perhaps, that you’d like to come with me to Arsacia and join the Royal Guard.”

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Razam seemed even more astonished than before. He smirked, a crooked smile forming on his teeth. She hadn’t noticed before, but he had a nice smile.

“You’re a good candidate,” she said.

“I,” Razam looked forward. “I will think about it.”

“Think about it?” Fara asked. “You are getting the offer of a lifetime. What, you prefer wasting your life? You want to end up as a slaver? I know the King, he can reward you, he can protect you. You have talent, and I know you are a good man.”

“Do I get my own accommodation or will I have to stay in the barracks?”

“A good salary, good enough to buy a farm.”

Razam’s eyes got lost in the distance again, but his expression had changed.

And, she thought, it was a crazy idea, but what if she also got the dragon along with the Paladin. Maybe it was true, those poets were right, maybe Arsacia was about to be saved by the return of the ancient Dragonbound.

“I mean, that’s not bad. What would be my title?”

“Paladin,” she said simply.

That single word made Razam place a finger on his chin.

“It sounds nice. Royal Guard.” He sighed. “You know, some words don’t seem to have that ring to them, but this one sounds alright.”

“You mean like the word thief?”

Razam's expression changed abruptly. “I am not a thief."

Fara shrugged.

Razam continued: “Royal Guard sounds great, even my father can’t say it’s disreputable.”

“Your father? Is your father…”

“He’s a fisherman. Long story. Anyway, you’re good at talking too, you almost convince me. Let me just go, review the conditions, and we may have a deal. I need at least forty days of leave.”

Razam faced forward.

“Vrarog, I understand what you want to do, please leave us in Arsacia. In Arsacia we’ll be safe.”

The dragon purred, but to Fara it seemed like a positive expression.

“Excuse me,” Fara shook her head. “What’s going on?”

Razam sighed. “Vrarog here wanted to distance himself from us. I don’t blame him. He’s trying to follow the rules the Circle of the Dragons set. But… Well, it turns out my life is too stressful. He had to come for us.”

“So, what does he want to do? Vrarog?”

“I can’t keep breaking the rules, it may doom my kin,” the dragon responded. “I must fly far, far away, far enough that the bond doesn’t bother me.”

Fara felt a sting of sadness. The dragon really did not want to come help them. It did not want to have anything to do with human. For an animal, she could perceive its emotions.

“Master Vrarog,” she said reverently. “Please tell me what’s wrong. Why?”

“Your people betrayed us,” the dragon hissed. “Your people turned against us.”

Fara swallowed, drawing her head back.

“But that was many generations ago, it was an evil dynasty, we reject it too! The people kicked them out.”

“So what? Mankind is fickle, untrustworthy. It was lost.”

Fara sighed.

“What can I say, that’s true. There are people with all kinds of ideas, and dynasties come and go, some kings are good, some are deranged and crazy. But…”

“It is not worth the pain,” Vrarog hissed. “I… It’s a hard thing to stop. I know if any of my kin join you.”

“I see, I understand.” Fara said. “We did mess up many times in the past. And compared to you, so stable, so powerful and so wise.”

“Don’t use your flattery on me, woman,” the dragon said.

“It’s not flattery,” she said. “I’m completely sincere. And you know that.”

“That won’t help.”

“And still, we’d like to know about you. We’d like to help you. We know things are not easy for you.”

“Enough!” the dragon said. “This is why I shouldn’t mingle with humans. “Your flattery is seductive. You say things and then betray, you change your mind.”

“I’m not trying to flatter.”

“You changed your mind about helping us,” Razam said.

“How could I not!” he said. “What they were doing to you, I know you did not even intend to hurt them.”

“At first,” Razam interrupted him. “Don’t forget I ended up killing them.”

“I had no way of knowing,” the dragon said. “It is… like a hunger. That’s why I must return. Return to my land and to my kin. And stay away from you.”

Razam sighed.

Fara stared back at him and smiled. She had known he was compassionate, but he was much more than she had originally thought. He would make a great Royal Guard and a great addition to the palace. Even her younger sisters would find him charming. As long as he didn’t steal any of the decoration and sell it for half the price. She still had to be wary of that part.

The journey continued, with them resting on a green hill. The dragon was a love, he himself brought a deer from the mountain and dropped it in front of them. Razam was quick to skin it and make a fire. And yet, Vrarog remained aloof.

Razam talked a lot, he was a smooth talker. He asked much about the palace. She thought he’d be too much of a flirt, or even obnoxious, but he was treating her with respect. Surprising.

This infamous stranger was a pleasant person to be with. She had saved her life more than once.

“Let’s see,” Razam said. “I’ll try to behave.”

“I think you’ll do just fine,” Fara said.

With the afternoon sun descending and after having to leave half a deer to the beasts and animals, the dragon asked them to climb on his back and continue their journey.

They rode on Vrarog’s back, glancing at wonderful vistas no human had seen in thousands of years, rivers, villages, cities. Before sunset, with the sun casting a gradient of hues in the distance, she recognized the Zaiti mountains, northern border of her land. From there, in crossing those mountains, Fara could finally see her home. The Castle of Talahn towered over the landscape, above a rocky cliff, surrounded by a glorious citadel, built thousands of years ago, still glorious and proud.

“There,” Fara pointed. “Right on the terrace of the palace.”

It had been a long journey, Fara sighed, just as the dragon flew over the night clouds. A few lights had still been lit in the night across the city. The palace, however, looked dark. The Unicorn Banners of Arsacia fluttered softly.

Vrarog’s wings were spread open, now tilted and slowing down. He gently landed on the terrace.

“Alright,” Razam said, turning around and acrobatically dismounting. Fara climbed down from the dragon’s back.

“Fine, humans. You are safe now,” said Vrarog, his sun colored eyes gleaming in the night. Fara could see herself reflected in them. “I shall return to my land.”

“You’ve helped us a great deal,” Razam replied, placing a hand on the dragon’s neck. “Thank you.”

“I need no thanks,” Vrarog said. “May you be guarded by Eternal Light.”

The dragon pressed his chest against the ground and hopped, flapping his wings rapidly and casting a powerful wind that made Fara’s hair flutter. Vrarog quickly gained height and glided across from the castle.

“That was wonderful,” Fara said, facing Razam. “So. It’s late, but I’m sure my family will be happy to see you. Come, I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

Razam raked his dark brown hair.

“Maybe we should change first, don’t you think?”

“We should, but, forget it, we were about to die and we’re home now. I’m sure they’ll treat you like a king.”

“If you say so,” Razam said.

Fara guided him to a door on the corner of the terrace, where she guided him down the stairs.

“The chambers are around here,” she said, entering an illumined section with lamps on the walls. But there was something wrong. There was a large stain that covered part of the carpet and the wall.

“Huh?” Fara said, moving forward.

That… That was definitely blood.

She gave Razam a stunned glance. Razam’s expression had changed, he narrowed his eyes and had a hand on his scimitar.

They advanced warily, attentively, Fara’s heart beating hard. It could not be, it had to be a mistake. She guided him across the rooms, blood stained the walls, the curtains. There were steps on the ground, as if someone had tried to run, that ended soon. Blood across the carpet, on the walls.

Then, there was a pungent smell. Fara recognized it. Instinct and knowledge of the battlefield made her date the time. It had not been a long time ago. Her heart shrank inside her chest and she advanced toward the throne room.

A simple glance at the scene made everything fade to black.