One morning, we hopped on my flying broom, landed near the castle of the realm of interest and walked a little bit. One guard spotted us: « Halt, who are you and what are you intentions ?
– The adventurer's guilds' appointed memories keeper. I would like to have an audience with your governor, lord Charles the fifteenth.
– Do you have an appointment ? the guard barked
– Why would I ?
– Procedures. You must have a written appointment with his Majesty and it has to be stamped by him.
– I told you you needed that, Samuel whispered to me.
– Oh. Well, tell you what, I will tell you the why I deliberately came without notice, I sternly tell the guard. One of your comrades was sent to me and he declared me as the enemy of your kingdom and attempted to 'end my reign of terror'. Since I was apparently supposed to be dead, and since I was the 'enemy' of your kingdom, I naturally didn't give notice.
– Procedure is procedure and that's it, the guard dismissed without showing any concern for what I just said.
– You really are tone-deaf, are you not ? In a less than good mood, I would not be asking you politely to enter the fortifications, I would be blasting right through them without giving a second thought about "procedures". Anyway, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, cause I am going in no matter what. The choice is yours. »

Another guard intervened, interjecting that the one I was talking with was an idiot. Both started arguing about enforcing having a written note or just letting me in. He knew picking a fight with me was going to end poorly and they weren't paid enough to fight dragons. Another round of arguing later, I was finally let inside the perimeter of the fortification and lead through the castle doors, Samuel following my tracks. He looked calm, but the next rooms were going to wreak his good demeanor.

We entered the castle and were lead through by the guard. He apologized for how stupid his companion was because he just got out of training. We arrived to a couple of grand doors leading to the throne room. As we approached, they opened into the room itself and we were let through. The room was disproportionately huge with a thick carpet and guards flanking it a few meters apart, leading to the throne. At our sight, the king looked pissed, but remained calm. Samuel was a nervous wreck, he stood close to me, apprehensive of the monarch's reaction. The guard leading us bowed, announced us and regained his position. The crowned individual looked at us:

« Good morning. There is better be a good reason why I was rushed here, or there will be consequences for disobeying my directives !
– Good morning sir, I replied jovially. There is a good reason- (cut off)
– Don't you dare disrespect me and call me 'sir'. I'm already irritated I have to listen to you, like if I had no other pressing matter to take care of.
– Oh, I fainted surprise, of course. That's a good start. You know damn well I'm not your subject and I will refer to you by 'sir', as I do with many royal families and they don't mind, whether you like it or not. Considering what you qualified me of, procedures are out of the window. I was feeling in a good mood today so I entered through the main entrance. Now, I will ask you to calm down because you're escalating this by yourself.
– And now you're giving me orders !? How dare you have such disrespect for the governor of a grand kingdom like mine !? the king replied annoyed. Samuel, you disappointment of a dragon slayer. You failed a lot of missions I gave you, including this one with a sword supposed to help you in your task. We gave you countless hours of training and yet you still failed. You were destined for greatness, you're stuck in limbo.
– I'm sorry your Majesty, Samuel answered very nervously with a trembling voice, I failed again. That sword got the best of me and... (cut off) – Enough ! the king stepped over, At this point, I have no other choice but to deal with you directly.
– Before that, I will tell you why I'm here, sir, I interrupted. You declared me as the enemy of your realm. Impressive title, but you forgot very important details. Indeed, I loaned you some money to help you build your 'grand kingdom' when you were in a delicate situation, said money was to be reimbursed in a couple years. I helped your troops win battles and your realm wars so it could enjoy its independence today. You turned the edge of your own blade against yourself when you sent a dragon slayer, thinking you could get out of debt by framing me as the enemy of your territories. I had high hopes for a calm conversation and revive our relationship this morning, but your behavior proves otherwise.
– (the king remained silent)
– Plus your dragon slayer's sword had a putrid smell of dragonsbane, a substance you failed to disclose the nature of, you know, toxicity. My reading of this isn't just 'I gave you a weapon to help you with that mission and you failed'. It looked like you wanted to get rid of Samuel even if you had to use some underhanded techniques. Well done, for you have shattered the trust and faith he had in you, he now refuses to work for you.
– First, you come in without notice, the king barked furiously, then you disrespect me, then you give me orders and finally you decide to humiliate me in front of everybody ?
– What are you hinting at exactly ? Are you admitting that I'm right ? You better believe I'm damn right, they didn't give me a particular title for nothing ! – First, I'll deal with that letdown of a knight, then I'll punish you. »

The king stood in front of his throne, hand on his sword guard and walked. Samuel became white as a sheet. He didn't know 'hell' was to be pierced by a royal blade and getting disposed of like an obsolete object. I simply warned the king: « Don't you bloody dare. This is your last chance to walk back on your decision. » The king unsheathed his sword and began to swing it towards Samuel who is screaming for dear life, terrified of what he's witnessing. Through some shield magic, I blocked the blade with my arm, saving my new friend in the process. I knocked the attacker back a few meters with a well placed sword swing and a kick. The king exclaimed stupefied:

« You dare deny me the right of life and death over my own subjects !?
– Samuel is no longer just a subject for you to toy with, I replied calmly but very firmly, he's also one I chose to protect and care for. He's a lovely person to live with. He doesn't deserve the punishment you tried to hand him, nor did he deserve the few days of horrible symptoms. I categorically refuse you hurt him more, don't even think about letting him rot in prison 'cause I won't let you. You may not know, but people capable of emotions and reasoning in this room are watching and listening to you closely. Each action sends a strong message. You indirectly told you are ready to use underhanded techniques to get rid of those you deem too incompetent to carry out their tasks, if not straight up execute them unjustly and on the spot if they survive.
– I decide who lives and who dies by my own blade, the king replied seething, I and only I get to decide, nobody else, not even you !
– Ha ! I don't care about your so-called right when the person you were going to coldly assassinate because they ticked you off is innocent ! I reply raising my voice to impose my point and let it be heard. I don't give a second thought about your futile procedures ! You being royally pissed is the cadet of my concerns ! However, you have forgotten who I am exactly and how I helped you. » I unsheathed my own sword, tip resting on the ground, eyes glowing. I continued calmly and firmly. « You have defied many dragons before and you lost many times. Crossing me by sending a dragon slayer, then attempting to murder him, the victim of your caprices, are two mistakes you're about to pay for dearly. »

The king was seething red of uncontrollable anger. The guards were wondering if they should intervene and attempt to deescalate. He finally ordered: « Catch that dragon and drag him out of my sight. I have never thought I would be defied today and I've seen enough. Teach him a lesson if you wish. » Many armored humans stood still, others threw themselves but were quickly immobilized. Poor Samuel looked like his soul left him, his face was a ghostly pale white color with tears running down.

I looked at the king right through his eyes with a piercing gaze: « I'm not quite done. You, teach me a lesson, are you out of your mind ? Let me explain in a few simple words. I, appointed keeper of memories of the adventurers' guilds, mysterious magician, and supposed enemy of your kingdom, will challenge you personally to a duel. This duel shall remind you who helped you rebuild your kingdom, who exactly you declared as your enemy, what I'm capable of. You will feel the fiery anger of an angry dragon. En garde, and let us dance ! »

The ballet began in the throne room. Some guards could only look at the elegant dance of blades clashing and singing their melodies in awe, some others were terrified and just stayed put. The rest bailed out for their lives. Those who were immobilized had no other choice but watch the scene. The king was channeling his rage in brutal swings and was determined to not lose. I cast a few spells to catch my adversary off guard. Many opportunities I left open were met with a block and counter.

After what felt like an eternity, knives and bullets whizzed through the air, deliberately missing the king by mere millimeters. His face turned from red of anger to pale of fear, the fear of impending death. His sword was singing notes of despair and anger. He was so desperate to regain control of the battle he used dirty tactics and toxic weaponry. I answered by wielding two blades, using more powerful spells, more direct attacks. My fiery breath weapon burned toxic coatings, letting the monarch get a taste of what a dragon's rage felt like. The king suffered many blows and near-misses with my unpredictable style of dual wielding. I was in control of the field, not him.

As we progressed, the king's music and dance grew tired while mine was still going strong. After all, I'm used to defeating persistent dragon slayers, achieving that required a lot of endurance the king didn't have. When I felt the monarch was loosening his grip over his sword with the force imparted over my own, I disarmed him dual-blade style.

His primary and secondary swords went flying, and emitted a final note when reaching their destination. End of the music. End of the dance. The king looked at me in disbelief he's been disarmed twice by a dragon. The fight was heated, but the room went stone cold.

« I lost.
– You lost, I promptly replied, smoke still flowing out of my nostrils and letting my second sword disappear into ether.
– I lost in front of my guards, my soldiers, in my throne room, in my own castle, in front of my own people ! the defeated king replied with a trembling weak voice. I lost to a dragon, of all things ! That's what a dragon's anger feels like. »

I slowly advanced towards the monarch on his knees, the tip of my sword hovering over the ground. As he realized what could happen, he panicked and broke down in tears. "Please, the monarch pleaded, I implore your kindness to not kill me. I know how angry you are with my ways and how you wish to avenge dragons I hurt, but please let me live. I promise to change for the better."

The room held its breath, as the cold, indifferent edge of my sword kissed his neck.

(to be continued)

During his recovery from his nasty intoxication to dragonsbane, when he was getting a lot better, I kept a thought in the back of my head: « He's still a dragon slayer. He qualified me as the enemy of his kingdom when we first met that fateful evening. He's still tied to that kingdom, one way or another. While he has no intention of hurting me, what prevents him from turning up to other dragons in the vicinity ? What would prevent him from turning on me ? » In other words, when the drive to do that job is gone I would be able to relax a bit. For now, I had to keep my guard and be ready to fight back with determination.

One day, during meal time, I felt he needed to talk to me about some very important matter.

« Samuel, I started, I feel you need to tell me something, but I'll start. You're getting better each day and I'm ecstatic about it. Your health between a few days ago and now is day and night. However, I can't really turn a blind eye to the fact you have ties to that kingdom, with all the implications that has.

– I know, he sighed, I know. At the end of the day, I'm still a dragon slayer and I still have ties to him, who threw me under the bus on my back and provides me the weaponry to execute his orders.

– You sword is still here, I haven't touched since that night when I was done cleaning it. At some point, you'll be fit enough to go back out and explore the world. What would prevent you from turning up to another dragon and attacking them or even turning on me ?

– Turning on you ? he replied nearly spitting his food, You're kidding me ! You took care of me while I was down and helped me get back on my feet. You also showed me a facet of dragon personality with a friend of yours, something I could only dream of learning about ! I can only be grateful for that. As for other dragons… that king will give me quite the speech if I refuse to act his orders and I've had enough of him cheating on me with empty promises. In other words, I don't want to go back and be miserable and I want to cut ties with him.

– Okay… that's a bit new in the register of dragon slayers I've met. So you want to cut ties with the kingdom you came from, did I understand correctly ?

– Correct, Samuel replied with assurance.

– Knowing your king, he'll certainly send another slayer up my cave to check if you're still here and they'll see that I'm still alive and kicking, heh.

– Oh shoot… I forgot this detail… and hum, your safety in this mess.

– Don't worry about me, I replied, I've dealt with many dragon slayers well before you. Some realized what they were up against and bailed out, others were foolish enough to attempt but they bailed wounded. The most persistent ones thinking they could take me down bit the dust. »

Samuel looked very distressed about the whole situation. I could read all the nervousness and despair on his face. I tried reassuring him that I wouldn't abandon him in that tricky situation. He calmed down a little bit, but he still was concerned about his own safety and the king's reaction to our peculiar situation. He still didn't know what I usually do when nobody's around. When meal time was over, I practiced the delicate dance of washing the dishes. While the human was chipping at a possible plan, I put some books and booklets back into their spots in the library. A small pile of returns was accumulating and had to be dealt with. I could hear moments of excitation and others of deception in his voice. Did he really want to take care of this matter by himself and take a few risky gambles ?

The mailkobold (a mailman but kobold) "ringed" at the entrance of the cave. We exchanged a few pleasantries and discussed about how the human was recovering and the conflict he found himself in. I grabbed the pile of letters the kobold had in his hand and took a peek. Overall, it was the usual news digests with upcoming events and things nearby kingdoms were doing. However, one particular letter from a dragon caught my eyes because of its weight and thickness. According to them, they had a surprise visit from a couple of dragon slayers which were dealt with quickly. I found a couple of sword guards with burn marks accompanying the letter and recognized them immediately: the slayers came from the same kingdom Samuel came from ! That confirmed my suspicions and was my signal to pay a visit to somebody that apparently adores making empty promises.

Towards the end of the afternoon, I was sitting by the cave entrance enjoying the light breeze the end of summer had to offer. Samuel was sitting next to me.

« So did you hatch a plan ? You've been thinking for quite a bit while I was tidying up returned books on the library shelves. I've heard excitation and frustration.

– Yeah… sort of. I wanted to assume other slayers were going to join me but knowing them, they wouldn't even dare fearing they'll lose what they have. I can't afford to be alone either or my king will certainly severely punish me for having failed my mission and not complying. Then, I'd be back in hell for who knows how much time. As you said, he will certainly send somebody to check things and I'm terrified of that moment. In other words, I'm basically stuck between a rock and a hard place.

– Quite the conundrum. I think you forgot you have somebody willing to help you sitting by your side. I was planning playing a little game of letter exchanges and tell your kingdom I'm coming. That said, according to your governor's plans, he's not expecting to receive letters from me. Instead, I'll give him a nasty surprise by knocking at his castle door, without notice. Then, I'll take it from there… with a sword and some magic.

– Are you just going there without notice ? Samuel replied surprised of my way of doing, He'll be pissed. You need the whole paperwork and it's a pain to get.

– Actually, yeah ! I don't care about how mad he'll be, I'm just going to show up at your governor's doors just like that because I can ! Remember how he made you describe me as an enemy of his kingdom and that my 'reign of terror' must be ended ?

– Yeah ?

– Do you think an actual enemy will tell their adversary "Hey by the way, on that date and that time, I'm coming your way and attack you !" ? I don't think they would, whatcha think ?

– You do have a point. »

Of course, I also made sure he was well aware of the consequences if he cuts the bridges with his kingdom. He was more than fine with cutties ties. Just like that, we had a plan and a surprise to make. The next step was to put them into action.

Everything was left on the table for the moment. I sat opposite the human and tried to wake him up with a gentle voice: « Good morning little guy, I prepared some breakfast for us. » He shuffled around, groaned a bit like a cranky teenager getting out of bed.

« I feel like a brick hit my head, he complained sitting and holding his head in his hands.
– A brick. You have a headache ? That's expected from an intoxication to dragonsbane.
– Dragons-what now ?
– Dragonsbane.
– Never heard of it.
– It's the common name of a toxic, putrid-smelling substance a human wouldn't survive given enough prolonged contact, I explained while serving breakfast on the table, I was worried you wouldn't make it, but I'm very glad you did. I assume they talked about it during your training, right ?
– Never heard that name during training.
– Huh, I answer stupefied, odd they haven't told you about this.
– Do you have something for that headache though ? It's hurting badly…
– Yep ! I prepared a little concoction during your sleep. I think it should be effective for your headache. It just tastes terrible. »

The young man grabbed the bottle and drank it in one breath. I was taken aback he asked some medication from me, a wolf-dragon he barely knew he once framed as an enemy of his kingdom to be slain, and drank it. I then told him breakfast was served on the table. Since he struggled with balance, I offered him my forearm so he could lean on it, walk across the room, and we sat opposite to each other. I resumed the discussion:

« I'm surprised you just drank that potion or accepted what I prepared without asking questions. Usually, dragon slayers would either not ask me anything or tell me their have enough in their stash fearing I'll poison them or make them have a bad time.
– Logical, the human replied, that's what they always tell us. Quote, don't accept anything from a dragon, they can only do bad things to you given the torment they went through dealing with you, if they survive. They can only seek revenge after being injured, end quote.
– I suppose most, if not all of them, would react like that. Yet here we are having an open discussion around a table and some food. Considering you declared me being the terror of your kingdom and I had to be dealt with a few hours ago, it's unexpected. By the way, the medication I gave you should be kicking in now. Feeling a little better ?
– Yeah, that massive headache is slowly going away, thank you very much, he replied munching on some bread.
– You're welcome, that's good to hear, I reply nearly finishing my plate and drinking a cup of water. By the way, I'm sorry to spoil the mood. Given your current state and your wobbliness, I don't think it's a good idea to head into the wilderness now. We'll see how you fare tomorrow.
– I don't intend to leave this place anytime soon…
– Really ? I slightly tilted my head in surprise. The usual dragon slayers I've seen wanted to speedrun their way out of here so bad, I thought you would do the same. At the same time, as you said, fear of the revenge a dragon has in store. You really aren't like the others that came before you ! I'm curious to know why. »

As we finished our breakfast, I collected the plates and stacked them aside in the kitchen. Only breadcrumbs remained, a quick wipe with a wet towel and they were ready for reuse; the water bucket and cup stayed on the table. I came back and listened carefully to the pensive young adult:

« It's hard to say, it's a conflict of situations between the training given and what I'm living. They tell us many things on dragons, how they supposedly behave, how mean they are to us and the kingdom, the whole lot you've probably heard a thousand times. Here I am in front of a dragon displaying the opposite behavior of what they drilled into our heads. You could be taking advantage of my vulnerability, hurt me, what have you, even straight up kill me if you wished. Yet you're kind, you worry about my well-being, you stayed awake the whole night to make sure I'm fine, you're treating me well and you go out of your way to make sure I'm comfortable. Of course I don't want to leave ! » A few seconds later, the man continued « I feel terrible, I'm dizzy but at least my head is not hurting as much thanks to your concoction. What a misery to be thrown into against my will…
– Hey hum… I know this whole ordeal is a bit much to process for you. I'll leave you you for a few minutes and take care of some chores and write a few letters. Don't worry, I'm still around in case you need me. We can talk again later just at the entrance of the cave if you wish. The weather is lovely. »

I got off the table, grabbed the bucket and emptied it on the burning embers of the camp. The sun was providing the much needed warmth and light. I returned the bucket filled with fresh water to the table.

A kobold arrived and used the "doorbell", a forged metal ring hung on some stone and that made a surprising amount of noise for its simplicity. He handed me a few letters: one was from a kingdom at the foot of the mountain, another from a kingdom further away and a few others from other dragons. I chatted with him for a while, discussing about random things. I thanked him for his precious service and handed him a pouch of golden coins. I sat on the same log I was on during the night and read the letters.

The first one from the nearby kingdom was a weekly digest of the news. They knew I would pay them a cordial visit if something caught my eye and I usually spent a lot of money while I was there. I was on good terms with its royal family, despite keeping my distance with others. The second letter from a kingdom further away just pretty much listed what was going on in their territories and the upcoming events, nothing extraordinary. The good news is they finally have sorted their internal affairs. Hopefully, it was for the long run.

I heard the human's voice from the back: « Hey hum… dragon ? I kinda need someone to talk to… if I'm not disturbing you…
– Yeah sure, let me just put those letters away in my office and I'll be back to you ! » I replied. After a quick hop in my office, I offered the human I still don't know the name of to discuss just outside the cave. Once on the terrasse, we sat together on some wooden chairs. He was very dizzy from his intoxication and sore from the physical effort. I wondered how many days he has been huffing that putrid substance while walking up the mountain, without questioning much what's happening to him. At least, he knew he was safe with me, and that's all that mattered at the moment.

He explained me why he « hated it down there », how miserable he felt and how the king wouldn't deliver fully on his promise of higher living standards for those choosing and training to chase dragons for « the well-being of the kingdom ». Some things were definitely better, yes, but not distinctively better than your average knight. He felt understandably cheated and was seething at the whole situation. Those who failed their missions repeatedly were met with various punishments, from humiliation to getting impossible "training". The human also explained me how he received the order to walk to my mountain because « that dragon is causing us misery » and he had to « teach them a good lesson with that blade » without telling him the nature of the coating. He felt as if the king was looking for a way to get rid of him despite doing okay, the feeling was reinforced by the non-disclosure of the nature of the coating. It has been a lot to unpack for him.

The morning turned into dinner time. I made something light for my little guest. He was surprised a wolf-dragon was able to cook something that tasty, as dragons cooking human food were usually unheard of. The human ate slowly though, nothing to be alarmed of; the world was probably spinning in his head and he was just taking his time. Once he was done, the usual dance of washing dishes took place.

During the afternoon, the little guy was feeling a bit better despite having puked a few times. When the headache came back in full force like an anvil was dropped on him, I gave him another bottle. I advised him to rest for a bit and that the next day his condition would certainly improve. While he took a nap, I went back to my letters and replied to some.