Dragon's Domain

[WP] A small town deep in the forest has a town dragon. Yep. His name’s Darryl, and he’s actually a really nice dude! He even married the mayor’s daughter with the mayor’s consent! However, a group of travelers not accustomed to giant beasts dropping by for groceries has just stopped in town. Uh-oh…

*****

Darius sat sullenly while Asana paced the cell in which they were locked. She had been fuming for the better part of an hour and he a relatively sure that she would be up for talking soon.

"What were they thinking!" Asana yelled suddenl

Darius kept his voice low. "Technically we did disobey the law

"That's stupid and you know it! Almost every city has laws against bringing in weapons, but you and I always have something tucked away for just this scenario. We're mercenaries, godsdammit

Darius held up his hands in acquiescence. Looking at them now, his scarred, calloused hands did feel empty without a broadsword or hand axe. "I guess they take it more seriously here

"More seriously than a dragon attack?" Asana immediately stopped pacing and dropped on the bench next to Darius. "I got in a good hit with my dagger, but its likely he'll recover from the wound. We should have taken chase, but the guards decided to lock us up and let a monster go loose

"It'll be fine, Asana. There'll be a fine, we'll get slapped on the wrists, we'll make back the money, and next time a dragon tries to burn down this town, we can ignore it

Asana laughed and laid her head on Darius' shoulder. "You're right. I'm glad you have a cool head at least

Suddenly a sound in the prison put them both on alert. They stood and met the guards at the iron-barred door. The leader of the company was a grim-faced man who stared daggers at the two mercenarie

"The Mayor wishes to see you," he uttered through clenched teet

"Really?" Darius asked. "What does he have to do with this

"Listen, outlander!" the guard barked back. "Be grateful I'm not taking you to the gallows. It took this long for us to decide not charge you for murder

"Murder!" Asana yelled. It started the other guards enough to make them raise their weapons. Darius laid a hand on her shoulder and raised another in surrende

"Take us to him

​It was a short walk to the Mayor's Grand Hall. The torches were out in half of the enclosure, leaving the area behind the Mayor's chair in darkness. The mayor was a middle-aged man with greying hair, a comfortable paunch over his belt, and a sour expression. Darius was beginning to think it was the city's customary expressio

"Have they been searched for weapons?" The mayor asked in a stern, but tired voic

"Yes sire." The guard replied. "Before and after they were imprisoned

"Very well. You can leave us

Soon, Darius and Asana were alone with the mayor. He stood and approached the

"My name is Jairus, and I am the mayor of this fine city. I take it you think our town is a bit odd

"Odd!" Asana exclaimed. Darius attempted to intervene, but she said, "Not now! We try to take down a dragon that descended in the middle of the market, and you arrest us for having an emergency weapon ready? And the guard claims that we could have been charged for murder? I think that is a bit more than odd

Jairus' lips drew into a thin line. "May I ask you, young lady, what harm the dragon offered you

Asana blinked. "I-it's a dragon

"And

Darius stepped forward. "I believe what she is trying to express is that dragon's are generally seem as a hazard to peaceful folk. It's what dragons do. We tend to hire ourselves out as protectors, and we thought that it would be best to strike preemptively to keep as many safe as possible

"So talking was out of the question for this encounter

"I'm sorry

The mayor became more animated, "You decided to attack without first trying any form of diplomacy. Now I have a mess to clean in the markets and my daughter's husband is being treated for mortal wounds

"I'm sorry, was he harmed by the dragon

"No," Came a voice from behind the mayor. The voice was resonant and laced with growls. From the direction of the voice came a glob of fire that ignited a ring of torches. "He was the dragon

The green-scaled beast was sprawled behind the mayor's chair and a portion of its hindquarters where Asana had thrown the was layered with red-stained bandages. Darius and Asana stood agape, but the side door to the hall was opened before they could respond. A young woman ran in and wrapped her arms around the drago

"Nax! Are you well? I told the maids to keep the lights down

"Lise, you coddle me like a wingless drake. I am well enough; no thanks to you two." The dragon shot a glare at the mercenarie

"He's proud, but he will survive the wound," Jairus explained to Darius. "We were forced to imprison you until we addressed the severity of the wound. Had he been killed outright, I would have needed to exile you at the very least. Tarrinax has become the very soul of our little city

Asana was still staring with wide eyes, so Darius said, "I don't understand, sir

"I was like you once, but my daughter showed me that not all beasts are beastly, if you see what I mean. When I was younger, I could not have imagined my daughter marrying a flying lizard, but now I cannot imagine life without him

Suddenly, Asana stepped forward. Her hands were still bound behind her, but she strode directly in front of Tarrinax. The great dragon tensed and began to extend his wings at the protestations of the young lady, but he stopped when Asana knelt before him.

"Great, and gentle Tarrinax," She said with her eyes toward the floor. "I am sorry for having harmed you. I was in error and I make no excuse for myself. Will you ever forgive me?'

"Of course," Tarrinax rumbled. He stretched his neck forward and pressed his snout against her head. "That's what dragons do.

​