I Guess I'm a Dragon Now (Part 1)

The Kingdom

"I welcome you back, Commander Sera." King Emric said as the woman entered his throne room, and with the commander's long strides, it only took her a few moments to cross the long room before she knelt in front of the throne. "I trust your hunt went well?"

"I apologize, your majesty, but it did not." Sera answered.

"Oh? It's unlike you to not catch your quarry. Tell me, was the information false? Was the dragon not there?"

"The information was not false, your majesty. The dragon was there." Sera responded before looking up at her king. The man wore fancy red silk robes that was covered in a white tiger's fur coat, perfectly complimenting the many golden rings and rubies that were embedded into the fabric. He was also covered in jewelry, and while the common peasant may have believed that he was simply a man who enjoyed to indulge in his luxury, Sera knew that each of the items were really enchanted with powerful magic that completely protected the Kingdom of Ligan's ruler.

"So you actually did fail?" King Emric asked in an amused tone, making Sera slightly wince as he mocked her. "You do realize that there are much more powerful beasts in this world other than dragons, don't you? What use do I have for a commander that can't even kill a wyvern?"

"Your majesty, I have no excuse." Sera continued bowing her head. "The dragon's hatchling noticed our ambush and the beasts were able to drive us off the first time, though when we returned, both were gone and were nowhere to be found. We believe that they may have permanently left the den...and it was completely my fault as the leader of the expedition that they escaped."

"Such a pity then... and what of the dragon's treasure?" Emric asked.

"Captured and awaiting your inspection, your majesty." Sera answered.

"Good. While it may not be worth as much as the creature's head on my wall, I may at least be able to salvage something from your incompetence." Emric clicked his tongue, and Sera had to clench her fists in order to hold her anger inside of her. She'd lost several good men do to the dragon and it's spawn, and no amount of coin was worth their deaths in her opinion.

"Your majesty, if that is all..." Sera said after several minutes of silence after the servants had brought in the treasure. King Emric had risen from his throne and gone to inspect his spoils, and had appeared to have completely forgotten about her.

"What? Oh yes, you may go." Emric said passively with a wave of his hand before giggling as he pulled a large golden necklace out of the wooden chest. And as soon as he gave her permission, Sera rose from her knees and started to walk towards the doors of the room, only to be ambushed by a friend of hers on the way outside.

"I see that even though you have failed, that you have given it your all." Osman, and old man and the royal alchemist said with concern as he looked at the newly formed scar above Sera's eye. "I also see that you returned with far fewer men than you started out with... was the opponent really that fierce?"

"The wyvern wasn't a problem, Osman. It was the dragon's spawn that ruined our efforts." Sera said angrily as the two finally exited the door. "The creature somehow saw right through our illusion magic and spotted us instantly. It turned several of my men into solid blocks of ice before the rest even knew that we'd been spotted."

"A wyvern giving birth to a water dragon? How is that even possible?" Osman asked thoughtfully to no one in particular. "As for the illusion magic, there are several breeds of dragons that are adept at magic, though I wouldn't think that a hatchling would be able to do such a thing... at least not yet. It must have a very high potential with the arcane."

"It wasn't just it's ability to see though our magic that doomed us... it was... it was intelligent!" Sera almost yelled  as she walked to the nearest wall and punched it. "Instead of attacking anyone near it like most dragons would, it circled around us and attempted to kill our priests. And when it couldn't do that, it aimed for me... It was as if it knew which of us to prioritize!"

"So that scar..."

"It wasn't even the work of the wyvern. It was the doing of the hatchling, though I gave him a matching wound." Sera spat. "That little lizard ruined everything, and now it's out there, free to grow as it pleases... Who knows what kind of monster it will become when it matures?!"

"Relax Sera." Osman patted her shoulder while attempting to comfort her. "Even if the beast grows, there's no way that it will be able to pass through the Sea God's Wall. Nothing from the Land of Legends ever has."

"Nothing has yet." Sera looked at her friend. "Osman... I saw that dragon, I know how much of a threat that it is. The men at Castle Kel are in danger, and if anything could manage to get through the Sea God's Wall, I swear that it's that hatchling."

"Even if you wanted to end the threat, you have no idea where that hatchling is now. And if you did, I highly doubt that his majesty would allow you to take more men to kill it, especially now after you couldn't do it the first time." Osman sighed after speaking. "The orcs tribes are rallying to the east, and the frost trolls are beginning to show signs of war preparation to the north as well. The entire kingdom may be in peril soon if both of them act together, so we need all of the forces that we can spare. Including our commander."

"I know that... I know." Sera breathed deeply while attempting to calm down and get the hatchling out of her mind. "It's just that, for some reason, I feel... afraid."

"No good will come of fearing the unknown." Osman pulled her away from the wall so that he could look her in the eyes, though that was difficult seeing as he was a dwarf and she a human and she had to kneel to face him with even height. "Let's focus on the problems that we can see first and we can always worry about that dragon of yours later."

"Later..." Sera stated softly as if she were speaking to herself before she started following her friend towards the dining hall. It had been a long journey through the underground tunnel that connected the Land of Legends to the Kingdom of Ligan, so she couldn't deny that she was hungry. And after eating, she managed to drink a fair amount of alcohol that made her partially forget about her newfound rival. Though little did she know it, that very same water dragon was headed directly toward the Sea God's Wall in an attempt to find safety. And only time would tell if these two would meet again, or of what the outcome of what such a meeting would bring.