November 19

Word Count: 1007

Lasser knew the minute he stepped off the dragon that he was out of his element. Riding on the back of a dragon had been quite an experience. They'd mounted, one by one, along the dragon on his neck between his shoulder blades and his head. There was very little to hang on to but each other.

Snult had apparently dealt with wary human travelers before. "Just hold on tight and we'll be there in two shakes of a dragon's tail." He thumped his tail twice against the ground. "Well, maybe a little longer than that." He unfolded his wings and spread them wide. With one flap they were airborne. Snult rose with such grace and small effort that Lasser expected that magic did more flying for the dragon than the wings which were large, but not nearly big enough to lift that much weight that fast.

"I'm going to assume they haven't moved Capitol City while I was asleep?" Snult rose above the treetops and headed west. Lasser grabbed tightly onto the maid in front of him who clutched firmly onto the princess. He was almost afraid to look down when a startled bird flew past, but his curiosity overwhelmed his fear.

The forest looked like a mass of colors. Some of the trees had begun to turn into their brilliant orange and scarlet colors. Others were startlingly a brilliant green explosion. Rarely could Lasser see past the canopies and to the forest floor. He tried to imagine himself, hopping over tree roots and ducking under fallen trunks traveling in his own way through the forest. This was definitely more convenient. They were in the air less than an hour before the trees thinned, and the first chimney's smoke plum rose into the sky. The dragon flew past the first fields at the edge of the forest. The farmers on the ground were frozen in surprise as Snult flew past them. Some pointed at the sky and others ran to find shelter. Wherever they landed, they'd cause quite a commotion.

"Snult," the princess shouted in front of him. "We should probably not land in the castle proper. Maybe the field outside the castle will be better."

"That's sounds like a good idea," Lasser added. "We don't want a huge welcoming committee until we can get things explained."

"Right." Snult veered slightly to the left as the castle appeared on the horizon. As the population became more dense, more panic ensued on the ground. People ran, screamed as fast as they could manage. "You'd think they don't like dragons," Snult said sarcastically.

By the time they'd settled down into a field near the castle, and slid off Snult's back, a full contingent from the castle was approaching their position.

"Oh look! It's a welcoming party!" Snult rumbled. "Do you think they'll bring cookies?" He lashed his tail at his own joke. Twenty men approached on horseback in the most ragtag fashion. This was obviously not the regular army. In fact, it looked as if they'd gotten together whatever piecemeal armor they could find at a moment's notice and had put it on. Some men had on shining silver breastplates and heavy black helmets. Some carried long lances, but wore no armor at all. One man had managed a full set of armor from his silver boots to his metal gauntlets. One breath from Snult and he'd be his own oven.

"Really. And what do they think they're doing? Those get ups wouldn't even work against lesser dragons." Snult laughed as they came closer.

"Oh look, Trevvie, it's the suitors. Someone has sent the poor lads on a dragon hunt. I suppose they've been promised a princessly hand if they slay the dragon." The two girls laughed as the mismatched brigade came to a halt in front of them. One of the front knights tipped up his helmet visor and said, "Your Highness!" before it tipped down again with a loud clank. It stuck fast as he tried to reopen it, and he pulled and tugged while sitting atop his horse.

The two girls giggled to themselves, not even trying to keep a straight face. The man finally gave up and pulled the helmet off his head. He dismounted and kneeled in front of the princess.

"Please forgive me Your Highness. I hadn't realized your beauty had tamed this magnificent beast." As he spoke the rest of the pack dismounted and kneeled.

"Rise, Sir Areguin, and please, escort us to the castle. We would like to speak with the king." The maid spoke for the princess, and the nobleman reacted. Three of them presented their horses for the ladies, while Lasser was pushed to the back. The men weren't exactly being rude. They were simply ignoring him. They had no interest in him, only in the girls. For the distance they were going, he would not need a horse. Lasser smiled. Perhaps it would be more impressive if he road a dragon into the center of the castle.

He turned his attention towards Snult, only to find that he had disappeared. There had been no noise of flight, and no breeze. Snult was simply gone.

"Where did the dragon go?" One of the noblemen asked before Lasser could speak. They stood there staring at the huge flat spot the dragon's weight had made in the grass. A bird surprised Lasser by landing on his shoulder. Its talons grabbed gently into the fabric of his shirt. Lasser turned his head and found himself facing Snult who blew a whiff of smoke to laugh at his surprise.

"What? Did you think Great Dragons existed as the top of the food chain without a few tricks under their scales? Besides, this way I can eat until my heart's content and not make any enemies of farmers or humans."

"So are you really that big, or really this small?"

"Big. I'm big. I can keep this form for as long as a few days, but it becomes quite uncomfortable after a while.