Rustam and Daelyniel ran as fast as they could back to their fathers. They didn’t see the dragon anywhere, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t close. Rustam didn’t know if the guards could even fight off a dragon, but he knew they would be safer with them.

“Where did it go?” Daelyniel asked.

“I don’t know. It flew over us, but I didn’t see where it went,” Rustam replied. He heard the dragon’s roar again and looked ahead. The dragon flew toward them and got lower. Rustam pushed his cousin out of the way just as the dragon’s foot flew right where they’d been.

Daelyniel grunted from the fall and looked over to Ignacia. The little girl was conscious, but she could barely move. The dragon circled back and he saw fire charging in the back of its throat. “It’s coming back!” He picked Ignacia up and ran into the woods nearby with Rustam as the dragon shot another fireball at them.

The little Dwarf saw the dragon fly past them again. “It won't stop until it gets us…”

His cousin looked at Ignacia who looked at them with tear-filled eyes then looked at his cousin. “Rustam…”

“I-I’ll get its attention,” Rustam said. His little legs were shaking as a shiver went down his spine. His little hands were shaking even more, but determination was clear in his eyes.

Daelyniel frowned and shook his head. “I’ll do it, Rustam. You’re the prince and I-”

“No! You’re the only one who can carry Igy. I’m too weak. I can do this! Wait until it comes after me before you run.” He felt a tug on his sleeve and saw Ignacia holding him. “Igy, there’s no time!”

“Shut up,” she mumbled and pulled something out of her little satchel. She held it to her chest and chanted something, making more blood leak out of her nose. When she was done, she handed the object to him and he couldn’t help but look at her in disbelief.

“A wooden bird toy?” he asked.

“Just throw it at the dragon if it gets too close. It’ll distract it for a short time,” Ignacia told him.

Rustam looked at it and nodded to her before running out of the woods. He didn’t know where the dragon was, but he hurried down the path away from Daelyniel and Ignacia. Deep down, he knew there was no chance of him outrunning the beast, but he was determined to get it away from them. All he had to do was buy them a little time so they wouldn't get its attention. He ran as fast as his little legs could move and didn't look back.

The dragon roared behind him and heard it getting closer. A strong rush of air hit his back as the beast flew past him. Rustam yelped when he fell and scraped his chin and hands on the ground. He sniffled from the pain and blinked back tears. All he wanted at that moment was to be in the castle library with Ignacia and Daelyniel. Or sitting in the study with them while Oren talked about magic and other wonders of the world outside of Oretierra. He wanted all of this to be a very bad dream and prayed he would wake up soon.

The ground shook as the dragon landed in front of him. Now that it was up close, Rustam could see all the disgusting details. Black liquid leaked out of its milky white eyes and the saliva dripping from its mouth was a nauseating green color. Its gray body had a green tinge that made it look sickly along with the black webbed substance covering most of it. The beast slowly walked to him and growled as he slowly backed away from it.

Rustam held the little wooden bird tightly in his hand. He wanted to throw it, but his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. His heart was pounding so fast that he felt it might burst out of his chest. When the dragon opened its mouth, Rustam closed his eyes and sobbed as he clutched the wooden bird. “I’m sorry, everyone…”

He opened his eyes when he felt something hot fly above his head. A large fireball hit the dragon in front of him and knocked it back. Rustam flinched when he heard something heavy land behind him. Daring to look back, his eyes widened at what he saw.

Standing right there was one of the six legendary dragons he’d read about. Its bronze scales had a soft sheen to them and a mix of black and dark gray spikes were scattered all over its body. The pale yellow underbelly had numerous scars all over it, especially around its neck.

“Yamanaereus, the Bronze Horror,” Rustam whispered in awe. He couldn’t believe a legendary being was standing right there. The dragon spared him a quick glance and the little Dwarf couldn’t help but admire its bright green eyes. He was so taken by the dragon’s appearance that he failed to see the other one running at them.

He yelped when something swept under him and was suddenly covered in darkness. When the darkness lifted, Rustam screamed when he realized he was in the palm of the Bronze Horror’s hand and high up in the air. Was this it for him? Was he going to be eaten?

The Bronze Horror looked at the boy for a few seconds and Rustam heard what sounded like a chuckle come from it. The dragon brought the little Dwarf to its shoulder, encouraging him to get on. Its bright green eyes saw the other dragon glaring up at them and readying itself to fly. Looking at the scared boy, the dragon spoke with a deep, gravelly voice. “Hold on tight, little one.”

Rustam’s bright blue eyes widened after hearing the dragon speak. He nodded and moved down to the base of its neck. His hands held onto the sharp scales despite the pain and bleeding they caused and readied himself as the other dragon flew up.

Luvern sighed in relief when he saw his son running to them carrying Ignacia on his back. “Daelyniel!”

“Father!” his son shouted. All the adults ran to him and he felt one of them take Ignacia away. “Her nose is bleeding, but she’s unharmed.”

King Padraig looked around desperately for his son. He didn’t see the familiar head of red hair anywhere and felt his stomach twisting in fear. “Where’s my son?” He looked at his nephew. “Dael! Where’s Rustam?”

The little Pixie boy looked down and hiccuped. “H-He distracted the dragon…”

The king’s heart dropped at those words. “He what?”

Daelyniel looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “He distracted the dragon so Igy and I could get away. I-I told him I would do it, but…” He started crying when he thought about his little cousin sacrificing himself to save them.

Everyone looked at the Dwarven king, who’d gone pale from hearing the news. The king heard the words echoing in his mind. His little boy. His youngest son. Sacrificed himself to save his cousin and friend. Padraig replayed the words over and over again. He didn't want to believe them. 

Ignacia frowned at the grim looks everyone had. She looked over to the dragons clashing in the sky. Both beasts were slashing, biting, and breathing fire at each other. Even though the Bronze Horror was larger, Ignacia noticed that it looked a little thin and its movements seemed sluggish. But that wasn’t what caught her attention.

She jumped out of her grandfather’s arms and dug around in his satchel, ignoring his questioning. When she pulled out his small telescope, she looked where the fight was happening through it. Her vision was blurry from exhaustion but she swore she saw a speck of red hair.

“Igy, what’s wrong?” Oren asked his granddaughter.

The little girl ignored him and walked over to the nearest Nymph, another girl who didn’t look much older than her. “Excuse me. Can you carry me and fly up really quick?”

One of the Nymph guards approached her and scolded her. “You will address Princess Galenova respec-”

“It’s okay,” the Nymph girl assured him and nodded to Ignacia. “Yes.” She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and manifested her wings. With a small jump, she flew up with little struggle thanks to Ignacia's size.

Ignacia looked through the telescope again and her breath hitched when she confirmed what she’d seen earlier. “That’s Rustam!”

“What did you say, girl!?” the king shouted from the ground.

“Rustam is on the back of the Bronze Horror!” Ignacia yelled. She looked again and saw her friend’s head of red hair at the base of the dragon’s neck.

Daelyniel shakily flew up next to the Nymph girl holding Ignacia. “What do you mean? Rustam is on the dragon?”

“Yes! Are you deaf!? Rustam is on Yamanaereus! The Bronze Horror! One of the biggest and oldest dragons in the world!” Ignacia yelled loud enough for everyone to hear and handed her friend the telescope.

Daelyniel went back down and looked for himself. Sure enough, he saw his friend clinging for dear life as the dragons fought. “Oh no…”

King Padraig snatched the item from his nephew and felt his heart stop when he saw the gray dragon breathe fire near his son. The Bronze Horror kept it from directly hitting Rustam by grabbing its chin and pushing it away. There wasn’t anything he could do to save his boy even with the Nymphs’ help. No one was prepared to fight against a dragon.

All he could do was pray that Rustam would make it out alive.

A very special shout to Jen Leifire! She drew a chibi version of Daelyniel! He looks so adorable! <3

Thank you, Jen! <3