TiTLE: A Wrath of Dragons
ARCHIVE WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions of Violence
TAGS: Fantasy, violence, gore, swords and spells, dragons, ABO dynamics, pre-romance, pre-mating
SUMMARY: For nearly twenty years, Sir William has served House Crawford, having completed any number of tasks in the service of his lord. To have slain even one dragon in that time would be a celebrated feat, but with twelve kills now to his name, Will has grown weary of the death and bloodshed. Lord Crawford, desperate to see his fiefdom secured, offers his knight one final task in exchange for his retirement: slay the Great Red Dragon. As ever the case in life, there is a catch...Will must complete his task while accompanied by Lord Lecter, a foreign mage and seeming dandy of the court.
“A plague,” Lord Crawford said quietly as he stared out the window of his tall tower. “My fiefdom is suffering a plague of dragons.”
“One might argue that the dragons are suffering a plague of humanity,” Will commented, looking down at the map Lord Crawford had left unfurled across his desk.
“Strange words from a knight who has felled so many of the beasts,” Lord Crawford countered, turning from the window to pin Will with a hard look. “Twelve by my last count, is it not?”
“I’d argue that makes me more than qualified to comment on the subject,” Will ground out irritably, adding an aggrieved, “my lord,” as an afterthought.
“Do you sympathize with the beasts, Sir William?” Lord Crawford challenged, his dark eyes lit by an unfettered hatred toward the creatures that hunted his people. “You, who are the last to fly the banner of River’s End?”
The name pulled at an old wound on his heart and Will spared his lord a hot glare of chastisement to have used the ruined hold of his childhood against him. “I empathize with them,” he spat, hands tightening to fists that made the worn leather of his gloves creak faintly. “Overrun the land of any man or beast and like as not they’ll fight to regain their place in the world.”
“And I should simply let my people be devoured as a matter of course? Allow the slaughter of their stock and burning of their fields to go unheeded?”
Will sighed and relented, shaking his head. “I have always done as you’ve asked of me, my lord, and I will do whatever task you have for me now…but to what end? Will you not be satisfied until every last one of them is gone?”
“I will be satisfied when I am assured of the safety of my people,” Lord Crawford said firmly, taking a seat behind his heavy desk. “But if you do me this final task, I will release you from your oath of fealty. You can live out your days haunting Wolftrap Keep, if that will satisfy you.”
