Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

The Dragon Knight (Ren Olvry & AlabasterDragoness)

"Drace is here on his accord," Joanna addressed the crowd. "He hopes that he will be accepted as one of our own."

"How do we know that he won't turn on us?" asked a man.

"He won't. I've spent enough time with him to know that once he pledges his loyalty, he stands by it."

"But do you trust him?"

She placed a hand on Drace's arm. "With my life."

Questions and statements continued to flood them until another girl yelled from her father's shoulders, "Are you gonna marry her?"

Joanna cheeks reddened significantly as a few chuckles grew from the sea of people and a few comments of how adorable the child was acting floated around.
 
'His'... well, that was not perhaps entirely correct, Drace mused to himself, but he was certainly staying very much of his own accord. Regardless of that, though, he offered Joanna a light smile hearing that response of hers, and feeling her hand on his arm. To one in particular, though, his ears decidedly perked up, and the dragon found himself glancing somewhat nervously off to the side. Perhaps... an honest enough answer, while not saying too much.

"Who can say... but the queen will marry who she wishes to, when she wishes to. It's her choice, simply that," the dragon replied with a slight shrug. Not too much, he hoped... but it seemed there was plenty of opportunity for the topics to move on from that little point as the time passed, the dragon himself loosening up at least a little by the time it would be time to move on to a next village, and perhaps a next... depending how much time they ended up with.
 
Joanna did her best to hide her reaction as Drace affirmed that she would marry when she was resdy to whoever she chose. Although a few did catch her somewhat loving look towards him, she managed to remain composed as they continied to walk through the crowd.

"Looks like Quentin's got some competition," one man said.

"I never had any interest in Quentin," she simply said, leaving a few with agaped mouths.

While she was pleased with the fairly warm reception Drace was given, she could only hope that the rest of her people would do the same. And, just as she thought, a few courriers dashed off to neighboring towns to alert them of her upcoming visit and Drace was accompanying her.
 
Hardly able to help the slight smirk that tugged at the edges of his lips at that particular rebuke from Joanna, Drace otherwise managed to keep his expression fairly passive. So far, so good, then... and onward toward the next town.

"That's one down, then... and I'd dare say possibly some rumors to spread, though we were likely never going to stop that," Drace idly mused on the way, before letting a bit further of a smirk cross his face. "'Competition', though... I'd never even deigned to 'compete'. Precisely why I've already moved so far ahead of him, I think," he suggested with a little chuckle, before his mind wandered a little to the direction they were headed.

"This next place, then... where the parade was, as I recall. A few had already seen me, at least in passing, though they were too occupied at the time to seem to care... perhaps this will be another simple one," he suggested.
 
Ignoring the smirk he had from her rebuke, she continued to walk to the next town. She nodded as she recalled the next one being where they witnessed the parade. "It should be the same as here."

The next town wasn't too far from the first one, and already the guards were ready for them, giving them enough space to move and at least acknowledged Drace. The townspeople were all too eager to see Drace and marvel at him, though a few had fought in the war and were slightly wary of him.
 
A few... soldiers from the war, Drace could only guess, from some of these next reactions. Others, just as well, that had mentioned sighting him there that day, before he and Joanna had disappeared their own way back to the castle. That much, at least, didn't terribly surprise him... but as some of the difficult part, it seemed, had come, it was probably only right to address that. Well... somehow.

"Then... the soldiers, if I'm not mistaken," the dragon spoke up, after some chatter and curiosities on other subjects. "Truthfully, I haven't much to say on that point. Take it as you will, but I was simply following orders; I take no real pride in any of it. Just as truthfully, though... this place is rather interesting to me. And if I was to fight again, it would be for her; no matter what," he offered, giving a small, pointed tilt of his head toward their queen. Perhaps it wouldn't be much, he could imagine -- particularly with his lacking skill with words yet -- but so far, everything had seemed to go well all the same. Well enough, perhaps, to at least make it to one more after this.
 
At his words, one soldier crossed his arms and gave Drace an expressionless look. "We shall see." Apart from this, the people of this town were more eager to learn about Drace than anything else. The children once again wanted to touch his tail and one little boy, hardly over a year old, glanced up at him and looked to his mother. Once his mother gave no protest, he held his arms out and reached for Drace.

"Too afraid to hold him?" Joanna teased quietly.

The little boy tilted his head as his fingers twitched.
 
So they would, then... for now, Drace could just leave it at that. A bit more talking, and children, then... and... another one. Curiously tilting his head slightly -- if the boy wanted something, well, the dragon didn't exactly have much to his name now -- his ears soon twitched slightly to Joanna's suggestion. Hold him? Well... if they insisted, then, he could easily and carefully enough scoop the boy into one, fairly large arm... though it certainly drew some other attention quickly enough.

"Ah... easy, alright...? I can't... mm..." he awkwardly muttered as some of the other children appeared to want much of the same. Just... for a little while, then, he supposed, kneeling down so he could be a bit more careful still about it, and help avoid any attempted tugging or anything. "I may... need a little help soon..." he muttered, awkwardly biting a little at his lip as the children started getting a bit more excitable, the dragon himself glancing up to Joanna.
 
Joanna tried her best not to laugh as more children wanted Drace to pick them up, drawing a few small laughs from everyone else as well. Crouching down, she helped Drace with the excited children, ensuring they all got a turn being held. "Well, if the children are wanting to be near you and nobody has voiced their objections... it's a good thing, I suppose."

"Can he hold me next?" a young woman yelled.

"Clara, honestly!" her father chastised. "You're getting married in a month!"

"Joseph doesn't need to know!"

After the children had their turns, they all scrambled back to their families as Joanna smiled. She waved at a few young girls who seemed to have been fascinated by her.
 
"Mm... so it would seem," Drace offered with a little nod, his ears soon perking at the next suggestion to come from the crowd, and a somewhat embarrassed look coming over his face. Not the only ones that might want to be near him, perhaps... though even that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, if it meant people were getting more comfortable around him. For now, though, he stood back up with a fairly slight stretch and small breath besides. There was still... much he'd have to get used to, it was rather clearly appearing.

"I think, then... it may be a good time for us to move on, if we're to reach at least one more village before the day is done," the dragon suggested after a short while longer, glancing momentarily over to Joanna. "Though... I'd dare say I will at least be coming back here sometime, should there be anything like that 'parade' before coming along again," he suggested with a slight grin. Later, perhaps... but for now, they could at least have one more village to visit, having seemingly already made fairly good progress.
 
After a short while, Joanna led Drace to one last village for the day, only to be escorted by the local guards once they reached the gate.

"We're just making sure nothing happens, your majesty," the captain said. "There were quite a few that weren't pleased about hearing the dragon coming."

"How are they being dealt with?" she asked.

"We've been keeping an eye on them. So far they haven't come out with pitchforks."

"Let's hope it stays that way."
 
Guards, hm... well, if they insisted. Drace much doubted anyone would be turning pitchforks on Joanna, but if it was turning pitchforks on him... well, they could try, he supposed. He doubted most of them would get very far even if they did. On, then, to some wary, some rather curious, gazes, the dragon soon exhaling a light hum, reaching over to gently clasp the queen's hand for a moment, and stepping forward himself around the middle of the town, that had now been quite cleared out. And, in turn, giving a small wave for the guards to stay back.

"All who oppose me being here, then... step forward. Make your voices heard, not your weapons," he lightly called out, letting his eyes idly wander the crowd with a simply calm gaze. "I don't expect to appease all of you, but I will at least be trying. With some help, likely enough," he offered in turn, glancing momentarily back to Joanna.

They'd have to deal with this sooner or later... better, he figured, to at least let them speak, rather than try and silence them.
 
A few curious eyes wandered to Drace and Joanna's hands before he spoke to the crowd.

A small group of men stepped forward with their apparent leader making himself known. "Why should we trust you after fighting your kingdom for years? Your king is the reason most of her family is dead."

"Don't you dare mention my family," said Joanna, her fists clenching as she stared the man down.

"It's the truth, your majesty. Jarus just swooped in on 'em and..." The man could only sigh. "Why make a truce with 'em? Why bring him here?"
 
So it was something like that, then... more so than their own families, the ones above them that had been lost. In a way, Drace could almost respect that... but there were times to stay upset, and times to move on. As he saw it, this was much the latter; a different ruler, a different way of things.

"What my king -- my former king -- has done, what he has ordered, are things that can't be changed. But I will warn you, just as she: do not bring her family into this," Drace spoke up, casting a slight, but careful, glare toward the man, before his expression slowly calmed again. "But if you must insist on going that direction, tell me: why shouldn't we stop fighting? For revenge? Because it's expected? Or is there something else you hope to gain from this?" he somewhat coolly asked, before exhaling a slight sigh of his own.

"But whatever I say, even if you don't trust me... should you not trust her?" he asked in turn, giving a small, brief tilt of his head toward Joanna.
 
"I'm not saying we should keep fighting," the leader added, "I'm just saying that I believe it's too soon to have someone like you walking amongst us."

Joanna's expression darkened as she angrily approached him. "Watch. Your. Tone."

"M'lady, please." The captian stepped in between them as her hand began to produce a blue aura.

"What?" the man asked. "Am I supposed to scared?" He yelped as a string of blue aura whipped at his ankles and knocked him off his feet. Glancing up, he quickly bowed his head and scrambled to his feet.
 
Well, if they didn't want to continue fighting, it was... a start of some kind, Drace supposed. Otherwise, he could easily enough let Joanna herself handle a lot of it from there, much as he certainly hadn't believed her incapable in any real way; at the least, it got him a view of a bit of her magic, that he hadn't gotten to see yet before.

"That aside..." the dragon thoughtfully hummed, keeping a smirk off of his face otherwise. "...you are correct that it is rather soon. But there is also only one of me, and I've sworn myself as Queen Joanna's personal knight. If you don't believe my words on that point, do believe her reaction," he added.

"As I've said otherwise, though... I can't change what's been done, only what happens moving forward. So perhaps, then... a brief stay here. You can see, directly, who I am, then decide for yourselves," he suggested.
 
The man huffed, deciding it wasn't worth pursuing this much further. "We'll see about that." Motioning for his men, he left the town square as the rest of the people closed in.

"Forgive his trespasses, my queen," a woman said. "My husband is just upset that we almost lost our sons in the war."

Joanna nodded, though there was no excuse for his behavior.

"Perhaps we can hold something for your knight in the near future. Try to let bygones be bygones?" The woman nearly knelt at Joanna's feet.

Placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, she helped her back up. "Please don't kneel. There's no need."
 
"Mm... I needn't any recognition of my own. Not really," Drace offered. "I was expecting... more of that sort of reception than we've yet received, truthfully. That we've only received so little is comforting, in its own way," he mused, exhaling a small, thoughtful hum as he once again glanced a little over the crowd.

"But I won't hold grudges; I won't blame others for not approving of me. If I may, though..." he added after a moment, trailing off a little in embarrassment. "We have, erm... been walking and visiting villages for some time now... is there a place here we might get a bit of food...? My offer still stands just as well, if there's something around here I might be able to help with in the meanwhile."
 
"Oh! The tavern just down here has some food!" a young woman said. "Follow me!"

"Well, I was about to suggest we stop somewhere for a bite to eat," Joanna whispered, placing a hand on his arm, leaning into his ear. "Perhaps we can head back afterwards." She glanced at a few young boys who ran along the side of the crowd and hardly noticed a scaffold that was about to give way.

"There doesn't seem to be anything they-"

A few screams, and Joanna cast a few bolts to destroy some falling debris from the scaffold. She cursed to herself as she ran towards the boys, wishing she had learned a levitation spell.
 
Tavern, then... it certainly seemed as good a stop as any. So, with a small nod, Drace started to head in that direction with Joanna, a slight grin spreading across his face at her suggestion. It was getting a bit late after all... and in the meantime, his eyes curiously continued to wander a little... enough, perhaps, to be able to act just a bit before the screams, one way or other. He may not have been great on his feet, necessarily, but he could still help himself forward a little with his wings just as well; it was certainly going to sting, using a wing in some part to help cover.

"That, I think... should do," the dragon lightly sighed afterward, shifting his wing a little with a slight wince once it seemed that the boys were unhurt, but for maybe a scratch or two. The same couldn't entirely be said about him... but the tough scales did well to cover most of him, and the wing was still in fair shape, if a bit scratched up. "Right... a bit of food, then," he suggested, standing back up fully and not seeming bothered by any of it, really. "And please don't worry yourselves at all over me; I've had far worse than this, as you might imagine."
 
Joanna was forming another bolt when Drace rushed to use himself as a shield for the boys. His wing was scratched, but she was astonished by how unbothered he was by the ordeal. She went over to him and examined his wing. "They're more resilient than I thought." Leading him to the tavern, they were given a small room to themselves so they could have some form of privacy.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked him, though she planned on tending to him once theu returned to the castle.
 
On to the tavern, then... and a room alone, it seemed. Not quite what he had in mind, perhaps, but it would certainly do. Once they were alone, and Joanna spoke up, Drace's ears flicked up curiously, a thoughtful little hum coming from the dragon as his head tilted slightly to the side.

"This? As I've said, I've had far worse; only this much means rather little to me, though I will be careful enough not to fly with it 'til tomorrow," he replied with a little shrug. "We are rather... naturally sturdier than humans, I'd dare say, to say nothing for being raised as I was to be stronger still. Although... if I am to adapt more, perhaps it's not so bad to have someone worrying over it," he suggested with a slight chuckle.

"Besides... I'll not much complain if it moves things forward a bit further. I'd say things are going quite well so far, hm?"
 
"I see." She was just thankful that he didn't sustain a more serious injury. The next hour or so was spent in a comfortable silence as they were able to eat and drink in peace while everyone outside the room seemed to talk of nothing else but Drace and how he saved those boys.

Once they were finished, she managed to sneak out with him and make their way back to the castle. "I should say that today was fairly productive." They reached his room and she had him sit on the bed once she locked the doors. "Don't move." She prepared a basin of warm water and brought it over, gently dabbing the damp cloth on his wing.

"I don't want this infected," she told him. "I have a few salves in my room that I can use for your scratch."
 
A bit of food, a bit of rest off of his feet... after the day's events, for better or worse, it was a nice change. Then back to the castle, fortunately at least having freshly eaten and not needing to be bothered, or around others much... though as Joanna directed him to the bed to start caring for his wing, Drace exhaled a light, thoughtful hum, his head tilting slightly as he watched her fuss over it with barely a wince from the wing itself. That, especially... was certainly rather different than he was used to.

"Mm... as you wish," he replied with a slight shrug. "Tomorrow, though... or the next few days, perhaps, I think I may take a little time to look around alone, now that things have started to go as well as they have. Not that I don't very much enjoy your company, of course, and I will be available for anything I might be needed for... but while people are starting to know I'm here, it may be good to see how they act without you around," he mused.

"That is, of course, unless you have any disagreements?" he asked, at least feeling he'd need to check on that, if nothing else.
 
Joanna briefly left him to grab a salve; she qyickly returned and rubbed it into his scratch. At his request to go to other towns over the next few days, she sighed. "That would be fine." She gave him a fake pout. "That will only make me keep you all to myself when you return."

She gave him a small kiss and rubbed his shoulders. "Now, I believe in not letting good deeds go unrewarded. And I wanted to give you something for saving those boys." With that, her hands slid to his hips and she began to pull his trousers down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom