Here There Be Dragons

The stalwart hero stood before the dragon's cave. It looked dark inside, as caves are expected to be, though he thought he could detect a faint gold gleam just beyond his field of vision.

He crept forward, drawing his sword as he did so. As he crossed the threshold, all outside light disappeared.

"What the...?" His voice came out as a whisper, but seemed to echo into the depths of the cave.

He swallowed, then took a step back out of the cave. The sudden glaring of the sun made him blink.

"Okay, here we go," he said, and he stepped over the threshold again. The sunlight died again, and this time he noticed the faint gold gleam for real.

He licked his lips and crept along the passageway towards the glow. The rock under his boots was smooth and slick, and he thought he could hear a trickle of water somewhere farther inside.

As he neared a corner, around which he was certain he would find the treasure, and the dragon itself, he heard an ear-splitting roar that made him bite his own lip to keep from yelling in surprise.

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT TO! I WON'T, I WON'T, I WON'T!"

The hero blinked, confused.

"I TOLD YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE. YOU HAVE TO."

He took a breath, then stepped forward around the corner. "Have at you, foul creature!" he cried as the wyrm came into view.

"NO, NO, NO," said the second voice. "GET BACK, HE'S NOT READY."

"Um, what?" he said. His sword lowered to his side.

"MY SON ISN'T READY TO FACE HIS FIRST HERO." The hero now noticed two dragons in front of him, the larger in front, the smaller peering over the shoulder of the larger. The larger was the one speaking.

"What do you mean?" asked the hero.

The dragon (probably the mother, guessed the hero), snorted, and a jet of steam burst from her nostrils. "HE WANTS TO JUST BURN YOU AND EAT YOU," she said. "HE HAS NO APPRECIATION FOR THE GAME."

"The game?"

The baby dragon (if you could call it a baby at only eight feet high at the shoulder, and sixteen feet long), used its wings to propel itself on top of his mother's back. When he spoke, it was in a softer, sullen voice. "We dragons are meant to play with the heroes that fight us. It is sport, not only for the contestants, but for those who watch."

"So you have to give me a chance?" asked the hero.

"No," said the dragon. "I have to make it appear that you are doing well."

"That sucks," said the hero, raising his sword. "I don't need a baby dragon to pretend that he's losing."

"OH, DON'T START THAT," said the mother. "SERIOUSLY, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?"

The hero held up his non-sword hand in a gesture of supplication. "I just wanted to get a little bit of treasure. I'm behind on my loans, the bank is foreclosing on my mortgage...I just need enough to where I don't have to worry about money anymore."

There was a pause.

"Well, that's just sad," said the small dragon. "You know what, grab a chest and throw some stuff in there. I'll give you a ride back home."

The hero blinked, and lowered his sword slightly. "Really?"

"NO, NOT REALLY," said the mother. "YOU REALLY THINK A PAIR OF DRAGONS ARE GOING TO JUST HAND YOU THE ANSWER TO YOUR PROBLEMS? YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!"

The mother dragon breathed a flame at the hero, who tried to dodge out of the way...

And I woke up, water having been thrown into my face by my fiance.

"It's about time!" she said. "Get your ass out of bed and get to work. Your loans aren't going to pay themselves off!"

"I'd rather take the dragon right now," I grumbled.

---

When I gave the prompt about a dragon to fight for this week, I certainly wasn't expecting to be including dragons in the story. Somehow, it just fit!

Thanks to Kelsey, Jen, Erin, and Heather for their input. It definitely was a fun one to do.

For next week, give an example of an insanely simple task. Post your submission in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't!