My Dear Damsel

Chapter 5

My weapon's out—no point trying to conceal it. 

It's not much of a weapon. Too small to inflict the kind of damage I wish it could, if the need arises. The fact is that I'm walking in broad daylight through a wide, beautiful forest—and I'm terrified. 

I haven't seen anyone yet, but that doesn't provide much solace. There are bad people lurking in these woods. To get to Amber Falls takes maybe a day and a half on foot, provided I don't sleep, so I will be here at night. 

And everyone knows that the bad things come out  at night. 

The terrain here is strange. The soil's a reddish-brown colour, thick and muddy and littered with pine needles from the soaring trees. I've never been out in the woods before, and the colours—oh my goodness, they're amazing. Dark brown and flaky bark. Rich green needles forming a spiked canopy, little shards of blue filtering through the gaps. Everything's so vibrant, it's hard to take it all in. 

While the trees formed an unbroken horizon outside the palace gates—a single, solid smear of emerald just above the border wall—once I'm actually in the forest I'm starting to understand the layout. It's all gentle rolls and swells, like the ground is fluid thing. Small clusters of lime green plants dotted with little flowers or berries erupt here and there, and clear blue swirls that I can jump easily split the terrain up. There's more space in between the trees than it seems from outside, providing ample space to travel. 

Though I don't doubt the existence of dangerous animals here as well as people, so far the most dangerous thing I've encountered is an exceedingly chubby squirrel.

After maybe an hour and a half of travel, the sun's reached its zenith, suspended brightly. I've mostly let down my guard at this point. 

Which is why it startles me so much when an undersized dragon scampers across my shoes. 

"Ow!" Is my first reaction, followed by a steady stream of cusses as I scan the trees, looking for my attacker.  

And then I spot it. 

I've heard of them, but I've never actually encountered a pseudodragon before. It's about the size of a cat, with gleaming dark aqua scales that have a lovely diamond shape and piercing eyes like rings of hardened amber. The blue scales are broken up by spikes of dull copper that contrast beautifully. Small copper bat's wings extend from its back. 

They say pseudodragons are generally harmless, but also pretty damn smart for an animal. 

I lower the knife cautiously. "Hello?" 

Dragons of all forms have avatars—humanoid versions of themselves. The dragon lit up with a bright copper flash, causing me to look away. When I glance back at it, a child maybe a few years old with dark skin, amber eyes, tufts of blue hair, and small metallic wings sits in its place. It's wearing a small slip the same colour as its scales. In its chubby fist it holds a letter. 

"What the..." I approach the child, who studies me curiously. Reaching out carefully, I grab the letter. The kid smiles up at me, displaying perfectly small pointed teeth. I hesitate, mildly unnerved, before opening the letter.

If you're reading this, that means Fahj-Dsal managed to sneak out. 

Fahj-Dsal is the dragon, in case you're wondering. Don't worry. She's harmless, unless you hurt her. 

Anyways. 

My name's Cheryl. I live in a tower. Not by choice, though. I'm trapped. I've been trapped here since birth. 

I've been trying to escape for years, but nothing's worked. If you're reading this, you might be my only hope. 

If you're willing to help, Fahj-Dsal knows the way. If not, please return the note and pass it to someone else. 

Either way, you've impacted my fate somehow. 

Thank you in advance, dear Recipient. 

Signed, Cheryl

Your damsel in distress

I frown. The dragon child—Fahj-Dsal—studies me intently. I reread the letter a couple times until it really sinks in. 

Someone out there needs my help.

Or—and now logic's kicking in—it could be a prank or some sort of joke, or even something a bit more sinister. Maybe this Cheryl person's real, but they're trying to lure me in somehow. And yet...

Well, there's a dragon, which is really cool. 

Also, something in the letter itself—maybe the rushed, watery cursive, or how it's so short and yet so specific—makes it seem so much more believable. 

I look at the kid. She blinks at me, somehow conveying impatience. "Yeah, alright," I say, hearing myself say the words and yet hardly believing they're mine. I fold the letter and stuff it into one of my glorious pockets. 

She purrs contentedly, a sort of rumbling emitting from its stomach. It's a noise no human would make. After switching back into dragon form, it starts to fly in a direction that veers away from my previous destination. 

"Wait!" I exclaim, taking a couple steps in her direction. She pauses in midair and looks at me inquisitively. 

"I'm not ready to go yet," I say, praying she gets what I'm saying. 

A couple wisps of blue smoke curl from its pointed snout. I feel like I'm being searched as its amber eyes pierce me. Finally, after a loaded moment, her head bows. She flies down and, before I can react, sprawls herself across my neck. She's warm and surprisingly soft. 

"Great!" I say. She purrs again in response. Rather against my will, I find myself already attached to the little dragon. "I swear I'll do my best to hurry up and rescue Cheryl. There's just some stuff I gotta do..."

Fahj-Dsal's rumbling has slowed a bit and evened out. I'm pretty sure she's asleep. 

"Right, then." I mutter. The forest seems a bit less huge, though, now that I'm not completely alone. 

With the dragon's reassuring warmth pressed up against my neck, I continue my previous path. The letter seems to weigh down my pocket as I walk across the dead needle. 

The lingering silence gives my thoughts free reign. As wisps of smoke curl down my back, borderline painful, I ponder what exactly I've gotten myself into.