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A hundred years ago, the great kingdom of Dogwarts froze over.
Even after a century, the neighboring kingdoms sang different ballads about how the once great kingdom fell to ruin. There was one figure which seemed to transcend through all of them - a great ice dragon. Some say that it was the cause of the collapse of Dogwarts, and of the end of its king's lineage. Some say it covered the land in nevermelting ice, but none is able to say why - was that from rage, or pain, or misery. Just as the kingdom collapsed, the great ice dragon disappeared as well, but none is able to say why.
Not many dared to venture out to the chilly corpse of the old kingdom. All that awaited them were the ruins of once great castle, the crumbling remnants of its defenses, and the gaping entrance to a cavern deep in the underbelly of the hill. Over time, the entrance froze over as well, shielding the cave with a thick wall of clear ice. Some say that the great ice dragon is still inside, asleep for a century, waiting. One could only wonder what it was waiting for.
Another strong blizzard shook the long dead kingdom to its very core. Thick icicles hung from any remaining stone overhangs, some of them long enough to reach the frozen solid ground. The dense, pristine blanket of snow covered the ruins, as if hoping to cover up any remnants of civilization long gone. Wind howled like a pack of hungry wolves, running along the land that was long bare of any signs of life. Prey has left decades ago, and their predators left soon after, leaving only the weather to wreak havoc on anything that remained. Whatever had ever happened to Dogwarts, it seemed like the kingdom would never see the sun again, and the once thick, luscious grass growing over the hill would never grace the land with its presence.
In such a blizzard, a young knight forced his way through the heavy snow and freezing-cold gale. He had long lost his way home, and his horse ran off, terrified after a particularly strong gust of wind. The knight covered his face with his cloak, hoping to find some shelter in the ruins overhead. All he needed was a small spot sheltered from the elements, to light the fire and warm himself, before venturing out into the wild again.
The man shivered as he passed by the entrance to the cavern. Long, thick ice spikes guarded the entrance. Some of them still had remnants of blood frozen inside, probably from all the way back when Dogwarts fell. The knight wouldn't even dare to look towards the clear wall of ice, at least a foot thick. He knew better than to attract any bad ice spirits at such difficult times.
As he climbed the mountain, the blizzard seemed to slowly lessen. The sky was still covered with thick, dark clouds, but the wind no longer felt like it could knock him over at any moment. The knight sighed with relief, the sight of the storm weakening poured hope into his bruised heart. His dog-like ears peeked out from under his hood, no longer at such risk of frostbite. The man even began to quietly sing, to raise his own spirits.
Oh, the great old kingdom,
Whose king once lost his head.
How wise were those, who led you,
Your flag, a shining red.
Oh, the great dead kingdom,
Whose heart is frozen still.
As evil spirits cursed you-
"Uhhh... As evil spirits cursed you... Um... How did the last line go? Dang it..." The knight chuckled to himself. "And... Something something, lineage will..." He didn't expect anyone to hear him, and maybe it was for the better. He took great interest in ballads and epics, but his interest did not go in pair with a great memory.
If only he knew that this one time, someone did, in fact, listen.
Something moved within the cavern.
A huge, cold mass of icy-blue scales shifted, cracking the frost that had long covered it tight. A pair of big, blue eyes slowly opened, the slit pupils contracting. The beast growled with long unquelled pain, and slowly began to get up. First, the head and front legs, allowing the back half of the monster to stretch after half a century of not moving from its place. The dragon hissed as two large wounds on its back burned anew with pain he had almost forgotten. He then got his hind legs up, allowing him to finally reach his full size once again. A pair of giant, twisted horns scraped against the ceiling, knocking off a few stalactites and icicles. The long tail flickered from side to side, knocking over a pile of once corpses, now bones, in the corner of the cave. The dragon shook off the last of its sleep, then turned towards the entrance. The thick wall of ice still guarded his resting place, but even through it, he felt something. It was like a call.
Someone came to Dogwarts. And now, it was up to him to protect the one place he still held dear.
Ren sighed with relief as the feeble fire grew in size on his small, makeshift campfire. He managed to find shelter in the remnants of what could once be someone's bedroom. Now, only three half-broken walls and a bit of ceiling remained, all in a thick layer of snow. He managed to clear a spot for himself in the very corner and light a campfire, using the branches of a long dead tree nearby. Silently, he wondered how it managed to stay here all this time, without collapsing to the ground from the strong winds.
The knight rested his back against the cold wall of black, crumbling stone, and opened his bag. Luckily, he saved some food, and his flask did not freeze over. He took a small sip of the strong drink inside, then pulled out a piece of beef jerky he kept hidden for a special occasion. A bit of food was all it took for him to feel energized and hopeful once again. He sighed with relief and closed his eyes.
"C'mon, Ren, you remember that..." He grunted to himself. "As evil spirits cursed you... Uhhh..." His ears suddenly perked up as he could swear he heard something. But the kingdom was dead... It was probably just wind, wailing through the holes in the broken walls. "Oh! I remember! As the evil spirits cursed you, to break your lineage will! Now, how did the last verse go..."
His ears perked up again, but this time, the sound was harder to mistake for wind. It sounded like something tough, metallic, scraping against rock. Ren pushed his back against the wall and put one hand on the handle of his sword. Maybe something did live here, and now wanted to steal his resources? Or, even better, feed off of him?
"Who's there?" He finally gathered the courage to calm down. He turned his head, to peek through the window just over his head...
But then, a hissing sound could be heard from the direction of his campfire.
Ren turned back again. His campfire gor crushed by a giant, clawed paw, the light blue scales blending in with the pristine white snow. The knight shivered, then looked up in fear.
"Oh no..."
A huge, lizard head was looking straight at him, the bright eyes watching his every move. The beast's scales looked like they were covered in a layer of frost - or maybe it was a form of natural growth, just like long, icicle-like spikes growing along the spine of the creature. It seemed to bear no wings, and two large wounds gaped open in the spot they should be growing from. The dragon remained unmoving, as if inspecting the knight.
Maybe he can't see me if I'm not moving, Ren thought. Or maybe it's thinking about how to eat me... So long, my Fairy Queen...
Slowly, the beast's pupils dilated. There was something about the knight he recognized. He smelled unfamiliar, and he looked younger than who he had been dreaming about this past half a century, but... He could feel his soul. The same soul that left him all these years ago, now in a new, feeble, unaware body. Even the eyes of the knight seemed familiar - big, blue, gentle despite facing what could likely be his death. The tension in the dragon's body slowly relieved, as he took one more careful step towards the knight, pinning him against the wall. Ren chuckled nervously, but tightened his grip on his sword.
"H-hey there, big guy..."
Even his voice... A different accent, but the same tone, same pitch. The dragon felt his frozen heart pound harder. He took one more sniff of the knight...
And then rested his big, weary head on his chest.
"W-whoa! Easy now..." Ren huffed, but did not move. He lessened the grasp on his sword. He could easily slay the beast now, by forcing the sword between its scales and right into its neck... But there was something about the monster that stopped him. It didn't want to actually kill him - if it did, it could've done so already. He watched as the dragon closed his eyes and let out a heavy, relieved sigh. "Hey... Are you alright...?"
The dragon opened his mouth, but only let out a pained cry. It would take a long time for him to be able to speak again. Half a century of crying after his king left his vocal chords severely damaged. Not to mention, only now that he woke up, the hunger that haunted him for half a century began gnawing at him. The most primal of his instincts tried to convince him that it wasn't his king, that it was just some man that he could devour and satiate himself-
But he wasn't. Not him. Not his king.
"You look lonely... Poor guy..." Ren whispered, then began carefully stroking the beast's jaw. Its scales were hard, but on his jaw, neck, chest and stomach they were also surprisingly warm. The knight rested his head against the dragon's muzzle. "You're probably hungry, too... Not much prey to hunt here, hm?"
The dragon's eyes opened again as a strong smell hit his nose. The knight pulled out another piece of jerky and reached it out towards the dragon. The beast barely stopped itself from devouring the snack, probably together with the man's arm. Instead, he gently grabbed the gift and ate it right away. Not much, but it would have to do now.
"Listen, I'll have to go soon... I live far away from here, and my queen is probably worried sick..."
"Kkkkkk... Kiiing..." The dragon managed to growl. Ren tilted his head.
"No, no, I don't have a king... I have a queen. Her name is Lizzie, and she's so wonderful..."
Ren began to ramble, as the dragon pushed his head against the man's chest. He only half listened to him. The voice filled him with a sense of ease, something he hadn't felt for the past one hundred years. Since he failed to protect his king...
But it didn't matter now. His king was back with him. And no matter what happened, he would follow him to the ends of the earth.