After a long day of toil, Richard finally shed his armor, washed his face, and collapsed into bed.
No sooner had he settled than, beneath a sky-blue cloak, Aurina’s golden eyes flickered open.
She watched him in silence, her ears twitching upright until the steady rhythm of his breathing confirmed he was asleep.
Only then did she allow her eyes to drift shut.
How could a greedy red dragon like her sleep soundly atop a hoard of gold with a potential thief nearby?
The fact that Richard, this curious little insect, hadn’t made a move for her coins spoke volumes.
It proved that even if she, the mighty dragon, stumbled, her unparalleled cunning could still twist the strongest of insects like Richard into her unwitting servant.
A sly smile curled at the corner of Aurina’s lips as she slipped into slumber.
The next day, Aurina didn’t stir until noon, roused only when Richard shook her awake.
“Why do you disturb this king’s rest?”
She demanded, her petite frame still draped in Richard’s sky-blue cloak, nestled atop a gleaming pile of gold coins, freshly polished by dragonfire.
“We haven’t finished tallying the spoils,” Richard replied.
“I’ve already claimed my half of the treasure,” Aurina said, her tail flicking a stray coin closer to her soft belly with a possessive sweep.
She eyed him, annoyed at how he loomed over her.
Rising to her hands and knees, she yawned and stretched languidly, her body arching in a way that, for a fleeting moment, made her waist seem to elongate.
Standing, she seized the “high ground,” letting the cloak slide off to reveal the glittering bed of gold beneath, which lent the room a sudden radiance.
She glared down at Richard.
“What now?”
“I need you,” he said, crouching to meet her gaze.
“More treasure?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with interest.
“No.”
“Then this king understands—you’ve no intention of claiming this town.”
Aurina’s gaze drifted to her golden bed, intrigued by how soundly she slept atop its unyielding surface.
Richard, curious, reached out to prod a coin, only to find it as hard as stone.
Her tail lashed out, striking his gauntleted hand as he yanked it back.
“Are you coveting my treasure?” she hissed, baring sharp, shark-like teeth.
“I’m just wondering how you sleep so well on something so hard,” Richard said.
“You’re usually awake by morning.”
“Gah! Your frail insect body could never savor the bliss of gold,” Aurina scoffed, tossing a strand of red hair behind her.
“If you’ve nothing important, leave me be, or you’ll taste the wrath of a true dragon.”
“You still haven’t finished copying your penance,” Richard reminded her.
“What was that you said earlier?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
“I need you,” he repeated.
“I’m worried the townsfolk might try to besiege us. There could be conflicts requiring force.”
“Gah? A siege?”
Aurina’s eyes sparkled as she grinned.
“Perfect! By your foolish moral code, if they strike first, we can claim their wealth, can’t we?”
“This town’s worth a fortune! So that’s what you meant by ‘cleaning up.’”
Richard shook his head.
“It’s not that. As knights of Tyr’s Hand, we don’t just eradicate evil—we must strive to reform the land and establish just laws.”
“Black Pig Pete’s been entrenched here for years, cunning and sly.”
“He never preyed on the townsfolk, even funded their projects.”
“But the freed slaves say many locals helped him trap escapees…”
Aurina yawned, her dragon’s pride keeping her upright when all she wanted was to collapse back onto her golden bed.
“Where are we going, and who’s getting burned?”
“The town’s on edge,” Richard said.
“Rumors are spreading that I plan to arrest half the population.”
“Meanwhile, the knight-lord’s servant arrived, demanding we execute the vile Black Pig Pete immediately or hand him over to ‘the land’s most just arbiter.’”
“He also insists Pete’s estate belongs to his master.”
“Why tell me all this?”
Aurina asked, exasperated.
“To lead by example.”
Richard stood, extending a hand.
“Come with me. Let’s start by changing this town.”
“How dull,” Aurina muttered, her enthusiasm waning.
Richard finally piqued her interest.
“There’s a pile of spoils to distribute.”
“Some go to the freed slaves, some we’ll convert to gold.”
“And we’ll carve up Black Pig Pete’s land to claim our due reward.”
“Gah?”
Aurina perked up instantly.
“More gold? Will there be roast lamb tonight?”
“I’m a bit full, but if you’re offering a whole roast lamb, I’ll show those insects what a true dragon’s breath can do!”
The next two days dragged on, monotonous and tiresome.
Richard repurposed a former perfumery into an office, where he met with petitioners.
His plan was to redistribute Black Pig Pete’s estate and its tenant farmers to those deemed virtuous, enforcing a semblance of divine law in the town.
He consulted with local devotees of the God of Justice, exchanging courteous bows under the banner of honesty to discuss the town’s affairs.
Aurina, meanwhile, sprawled atop her gold, dozing through it all.
She couldn’t fathom why Richard bothered with such tedious matters—seizing authority, filling power vacuums—when her only joy came from the nightly feasts of roast lamb or veal, which roused her to gorge with relish.
“…My thanks,” Richard said to a merchant.
“I hadn’t realized the Five Ports Alliance had a presence in this backwater.”
“I assumed you dealt in slaves.”
The merchant laughed.
“We did, once. But the Lord of Champagne outlawed the slave trade, so now we merchants contribute to justice.”
“We have wagons ready and a letter of introduction.”
“When you head to the city, visit our branch.”
“Just… protect our fragile caravan, will you?”
“Excellent. Let’s sign a contract…” Richard began.
“Speaking of which,” the merchant interjected, “I hear the heir to Champagne’s ruling family is your companion…”
“Yes,” Richard confirmed.
“Though the knighthood disapproves of her methods, she’s pledged to end the slave trade, and we’re willing to work with her.”
A commotion erupted outside.
“Lord Richard, someone’s dismantling our gallows!”
“Aurina? Aurina!”
Richard called, tiptoeing to shake the half-asleep dragon awake.
“Gah, what? Gallows?”
Aurina rolled over, sending a cascade of coins tumbling from the stacked tables she’d arranged to avoid being loomed over by “puny insects.”
“Let them tear it down. Why not just let me burn it?”
“No,” Richard said firmly.
“This is a public execution. It will instill righteous order.”
“It’s Black Pig Pete’s final purpose.”
Aurina poked her head over the table’s edge, noticing a richly dressed, lanky merchant eyeing her curiously.
She ignored him, focusing on Richard.
“Any gold in it?”
“None.”
“I’ve finished my penance,” she declared.
“I’m bored of roast lamb and your silly insect games.”
“I’ve been experimenting with a new grilled fish recipe,” Richard offered.
“Acceptable.”
Aurina sucked a coin into her mouth, leapt from the table, and perched on Richard’s shoulder, her tail deftly scooping up a fallen coin.
The merchant’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Forward, Richard!” she commanded.
In the end, Aurina put on a show, spewing fire into the sky, scattering the riotous crowd.
Richard had rounded up “volunteers”—some driven by justice, others by opportunism—who donned confiscated armor and wielded wooden clubs to maintain order.
A legless Black Pig Pete, his mouth stuffed and bound with cloth to silence his pleas to be devoured by the dragon (followed by inevitable regrets), was paraded through the town on an ox.
The townsfolk saw his face clearly before the procession reached a makeshift earthen platform.
Brandishing a codex of laws, Richard declared Pete’s crimes and sentenced him to hang.
Beside him sat local supporters, some devotees of the God of Justice.
A chestnut-haired victim led the charge, glaring at the crowd below but holding his tongue.
He and others slipped the noose around Pete’s neck, threading the rope through a pulley.
With a collective heave, they hoisted him up.
Pete thrashed, fell to the platform, and was pulled up again until his body stilled.
“Paladin!” a group of horsemen thundered in, leveling spears at Richard.
“You dare set up a court and pass judgment on our lord’s land?”
“If your lord had the courage to defend his corrupt laws, he’d face me with an army,” Richard retorted.
“Not cower in his castle.”
“I find not only Pete guilty but your lord as well—he sheltered Pete.”
“Look at these documents; the evidence is undeniable…”
Aurina, catching the drift, muttered, “So it’s a sacrifice to his god, this Tyr.”
“Such a fussy deity, nothing like our dragon gods.”
“…I pronounce immediate execution,” Richard declared, hefting his greatsword.
Before he could continue, Aurina leapt onto his shoulder, pounding his helm.
“Hurry! Forward!”
Richard mounted a warhorse, and the accusing riders fled in terror.
Galloping to the knight-lord’s castle, they found the gates barred and crossbows trained on them.
Richard signaled Aurina to transform into her dragon form.
Teleporting onto the ramparts, he swung his longsword, felling several guards in the narrow confines.
“We’re all human!” he bellowed.
“No need to die for a tyrant who sells slaves for a coin and a half a month!”
With a dragon soaring overhead and Richard’s ferocity on display, the castle’s fifty-four guards opted to slack off.
Richard slew the knight-lord, seized the treasury’s gold, and penned a letter to Earl Grim.
He framed his actions as justice, noting he’d found no direct evidence implicating the earl.
He recommended a brave warrior to manage the land under feudal duty, sealing the letter with his own crest and the late knight-lord’s.
When the letter reached Earl Grim, he was rallying his vassals.
Furious, he overturned a tea table and fired off letters to kin and high nobles, decrying Richard’s subversion of kingdom law.
The kingdom buzzed with debate.
Meanwhile, an urgent missive from the Five Ports Alliance sped overnight to the city, relayed by the Shielded Mages’ Association via magic to Champagne.
In less than two days, it reached the hands of Frostsilver, Champagne’s new heir.