For Aries, the journey had been long and tiring. His muscles ached underneath his leathers. The wolf pelt that was thrown over the top kept him warm from the piercingly cold winds that tore through the mountainside. His horse, too afraid to continue up the side of the dangerous cliff, tore off in some unknown direction. Perhaps, it knew something that he did not.
Four days along an unforgiving trail and away from the comfort of the capital of Randelan. There were no more inns or brothels to relax and find someone to keep around; it was just a wasteland. The cold and snow choked out any potential plants so fauna was nowhere to be seen. The horse that bolted somewhere down the mountain had Aries' supplies which meant he could easily perish before he completed his quest.
His feet stomped forward, the snow underneath crunching as he walked. His leather boots were lined with soft furs which helped keep body heat below and his pants were made of thick hide that helped keep the bite of the wind out and away from his sensitive skin. The sun was nowhere to be seen and was hidden behind dark grey clouds. If there were trees that stuck out towards the sky, they were naked like gnarled guardians.
The environment was like a direct reflection of the task Aries was assigned to by King Therdun. If the Gods felt he was worthy, the mountain would not take his body. After all, a circle of knights gave him their blessing after the Princess was taken by a beast and his hellish powers. Aries shivered but not from the cold. His fortitude could easily shrug off any extreme temperatures, even if he was stripped down to his loincloth. What he feared for was getting shredded by the foul creature that took purchase in the mountains.
From what the Senate described, it was of the magical variety which meant it was far more dangerous. It was a true test of his skill as a hunter. Most of the circle had completed such tasks of valor. Sir Vicente had killed four drakes while saving a family from a burning building, Sir Maximo developed some of the best medicines and cures using hag hairs, and now it was Aries turn to join the table with the rest.
Aries clutched his longsword at his side harder. He was going to slay the beast and take what title was due as well as rescue the Princess. He trudged on. His stomach rumbled with hunger and his eyes burned from the cold but he continued. Up and up the mountain he went until he eventually reached a spot where there was a lone cave. The mouth of the cave was about eighteen feet tall and large enough for a much larger creature to easily make their way inside.
Although Aries did not know exactly where the dragon was, the locals of the area had pointed him towards the mountain. No one seemed too frightened of the caves and no one warned him not to go further. Each of them seemed almost confused why a knight was looking for a dragon in the first place. Aries even recalled a mother who told him the strangest story of the creature; how it traded for sheep with jewels.
The knight-to-be knew it had to be some magic afoot. After all, he was told of the hexes the dragon used to steal the Princess away from the King and how his daughter practically fell into the monster's arms. Aries gulped, the torchlight coming from the caves lighting his way. The snow on the ground quickly gave way to moisture which slickened the rock. The warmth coming from the entrance was enough to breathe new life into Aries' aching muscles. It felt like the pain even made its way into his bones and the warmth only brought the fact he was so cold to the front of his mind.
Unsheathing his sword, Aries held it close as he walked forward. He scanned his environment like his training instructor had told him. The opening entrance to the cave was surprisingly organized. From the ceiling, banners hung of the various kingdoms of the area. There were three main ones; Rendelen, Lanish, and Sarwin. Swords, spears, glades, and any weapon forged by the King's blacksmith was displayed and shimmered at the mouth of the cave.
Aries made note and continued onward. The opening of the cave started to narrow and each of the walls of the cave were little more than an arm's length away. Aries' ears could hear two voices as he made his way forward.
"I'm cutting you off of the wine, Princess," a deep, rumbling voice said with finality. Aries focused ahead and crouched down. Although he was in his leathers, he was thankful he didn't bring his full plate armor. He would have been found out immediately.
"Oh, loosen up...you have been practically celebant since you took me...," the Princess stated and rolled along a rug made out of bear fur on the floor. She was laughing joyously. A dragon, as blue as the most gorgeous sapphire, stared down at her as if he had no idea what a human even was. The dragon was in a pair of tied pants with a nice fitting tunic..
Aries made a note that he could take the creature by surprise. The girl had given him a window that he was more than happy to exploit.
After the insult, the dragon huffed and a bright puff of fire came from his nostrils. He moved forward and grabbed the Princess's wrists.
"You WILL go to my quarters and you WILL take a nap. I will not play babysitter to a spoiled brat," the dragon said with a roar to his voice that would have made any other human wet themselves but the Princess still had a stubborn resilience about her.
"Oh reaaaaaaalllllyyyy? You are the one that kidnapped me, you offered me wine with my dinner, and I just happpppened to find the reserve in your liiiitttttlllleeee hoard."
"I took you because I had no other choice. Your pig-headed father would not listen to reason. Now, it's time to rest!"
The dragon led the Princess towards the bedroom and this moment gave Aries a breather. The knight came out of the narrow hall and into the room. The room was large enough for at least four people. Chairs were set up in a living room style with a square table able to comfortably sit at least four people around it. The wood was a nice, cherry color and polished to perfection. Scratches were on the surface of it and cut into the surface but they were patched up with careful precision. A bottle of wine sat with about three-fourths of its contents drunken down. There were two goblets near the wine and they were polished gold. One was filled to the brim while the other was completely empty.
The lips of the cups had shiny rubies that gave the rim of the cup a nice highlight. Swords of various heights and weights were placed in their holdings. Many of them were more for display than anything else and not for actual damage. In fact, there were many things of note. Old tomes were placed neatly in shelves as well as ornaments and statues made from various metals and gems.
The magic the creature possessed turned the area into much more...liveable conditions that were comparable to a meeting room in the castle. Banners of various empires were hung on the wall and from every kingdom all over the continent. Why a dragon wanted them, Aries had no idea. Cabinets were pushed off to the side. If Aries had managed to get his hands on just some of the materials in the cave, he would be set for life.
Glancing over where the dragon and Princess walked away to, Aries listened carefully. He couldn't hear anything which meant he was free to pillage. He walked to the ancient tomes first. After all, there were magicians that would pay lots of gold for such ancient texts. The curious human brought his index finger forward and traced across one of the spines of the books. They clearly had not been touched in forever if they gathered so much dust.
Brushing away until the gold leafing of the title showed, Aries read it out loud.
"Rambunctious Ways to Cure the Colds: Magnus's Guide to Potions of Health."
A long, pretentious title and one that Aries had never heard of. He had glanced through some of the mage's texts long ago but these appeared to be even older than that. After all, Magnus died before the first war which happened at least five hundred years ago.
Before Aries could move onto the next book titled "Fireball, Fireball, Fireball", footsteps sounded out behind him and the human turned on his heels and froze.
The dragon had scales that were an icy blue that reminded Aries of the glaciers that floated along the oceans. His eyes were the same color as the scales and stared at Aries with little concern. Claws, dark as obsidian, capped his fingers and a long tail swished back and forth behind the creature as it walked forward. His muzzle was elongated much like a lizard but had more of a humanoid appearance.
