Cinder-knight (bxb)

killing fireflies

"We aren't sure if it's actually a dragon," an old man told the prince and the knight while they were questioning the villagers, of the area which was rumored to be possessed by a mystical fire breathing dragon, "But if that's the case, then it'll make more sense. There were several times forest fires had occurred near this area. And some people also say they've seen someone practicing firecrafts here, though there's another rumor saying it's the work of a witch."

Prince Charming gave the old man a nod.

"Thank you for the information sir," he said and glanced at Eric who was standing next to him, "My fellow knight and I promise to free your town from whatever creature that's out there."

"Thank you," the old man smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges as his lips drew into a wide curve, "We appreciate your heroism, young men."

And that was how Eric found himself in the tail of the prince who ambled into an uncanny looking forest in the middle of the night.

The knight's shoulders were shaking, the coldness hitting him like bullets of frost from every direction. The squelching sound of their boots craming against mud as they trudged deeper, was blending with the occasional muses of the forest trees rubbing together and also the hoots of owls. The combination was so perfect to the point where Eric felt his stomach churn.

He focused ahead, his hand ready and promising to wield the sword in his sheath if a sign of danger appeared. His eyes and feet followed the prince, as the moonlight that penetrated across the canopy led them to the direction of the night breeze.

"My prince, may I take the lead?" Eric asked the prince who didn't bother to look back.

"No." Charming answered, his voice stringent. In response, Eric felt a scowl replace his expression.

"But your highness, I have to keep you out of harm's way-" before the knight could finish his sentence, the Prince shushed him and looked at the direction where a sound of dry rustling came.

Eric stilled, his hands inching down to grip his sword by the handle.

As a sound of a low rumble, like that of a ferocious dragon, emitted from the deep forest while cracks of fire were whirling around, Charming took a small step forward. The flickers did a pirouette, and if the circumstances weren't the same, Eric would've loved to watch the show those glitters had to offer.

"Your highness, please. Stay back.."

Charming was quiet, slowly making his way towards the sound while his knight followed his every step. The rumbling got more and more louder, and Eric found himself fearing for the prince's safety, maybe his own too.

All so suddenly, came a loud growl as a bolt of fire shot through-

"It's a dragon!"

Eric shielded his prince, the blade of his sword reflecting back the shot of fire that came their way, and sending it to the snarky forest. A small gasp left the prince before he too unsheathed, the movement earning another c***k of fire, that was again avoided by the knight, whose legs were shaking profoundly for some reason the prince couldn't decipher.

"Ginger, stay on guard."

"I'm always on guard, my prince," Eric panted, grabbing his prince's delicate wrist and connecting their eyes. "But we need to go."

He saw how Charming's eyebrows knitted together.

"What? no. We aren't going anywhere until we've seized that creature!"

The resistance the prince had, made the knight feel like thousands of needles were pointing at his back. Very annoying. Yet it was a must that he should know where he belonged. His status was much lower than the Prince and he couldn't forget that. So obviously, hitting his prince's head to make him unconscious was not a choice.

Cold winds swept across the side of his neck as he stared at the way leaves brushed against each other, the sound giving the nature a chance to mask the growl that rushed through air. The knight breathed out, slowly, as the sound increased in loudness, and the prince stood, frozen to his spot.

"It's coming, I can feel it." Charming whispered, retrieving a step back as his knight focused his gaze over the dark core. Both of their heads had gone hazy once they saw something coming their way from the void.

"Stay behind me, prince-" Eric's hands fell into a defensive position once a creature as black as the night sky ran towards them, his hand inclined his sword to the side, and waved it across thin air, eliciting a whipsplashing noise that rang in their ears.

Charming almost fell back, but after seeing that the so called creature was only a cat who sped out of the area, he blushed and adjusted his posture, sending his knight a look of embarrassment.

"We seemed to have overreacted a little, I see." he said as Eric relaxed a bit, then looked at him with eyes wide.

"Oh-h yes, I suppose that's the case." he admitted and looked down, seeing the dead fireflies scattered on the mud, with the help of the moonlight. More fireflies flew in small twirls, as the prince and the knight calmed down, their senses finally coming in peace.

So, what they had been actually doing while thinking they were fighting a dragon, was killing poor fireflies?

How embarrassing.

After the failure of their mission, Henry and Eric managed to come back to the castle by the time of sunrise.

The prince was still blushing like a tomato, and the knight couldn't help but smile to himself- only to end up wincing as he realised he was extremely tired, and would have to continue the rest of his day without a minute of rest unlike the prince, who could do whatever he desired.

Soon though, prince Charming left for his room with a wave and, "Take care, ginger." while Eric continued to stare at his retrieving frame pathetically. When the prince had disappeared completely from his sight, the knight let out a feathery breath.

"Achoo!" Eric sneezed and sighed, now he was in double trouble.

Goddamn it.