A Knight's Story

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"No, she said a male with a twin soul. Meaning you, who consider yourself a man, dress like a man and act like one are with me who cross dresses and acts like a lady at times, but my gender is male.  She didn't refer to you as one. Now... " He waved the camel over and had it lay down as he went through the saddle bags. He found a vibrant red yellow pen, and a thin red square of parchment in a bag. He licked the tip of the quill, wrote something on the square and said a few words as he folded it into a crane and it burst into flame like a mini phoenix and flew off to deliver the note.  "That'll be delivered to master so he knows we're safe. I can make one and apport it to your family and Zane so they don't worry that we're gone too long. I promised them it'll only be a half day, but more like a extra day is added to the time here. 

[SkySong278]

“Oh okay then I misheard as well as misunderstood her. My bad,” he said in reply before watching as Avery had the camel come over and then went through the saddlebags to get a piece of parchment paper and a quill pen. He then watched as he wrote a note and then sent it off in the shape of a mini Phoenix although it had been folded into a crane first. “Okay and that’s a good idea in case Zane asks Master Riko to send him here and he thinks he needs to rescue us.”

Edited February 8, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

True to her word, Star came back in a day and a half, looking quite satisfied and happy. Seeing her eggs where kept at a even temperature the entire time, even had coals to retain the heat longer placed strategically around the pile so the heat will stay at a consistent temperature while she slept. 

 

Thanking then she lead them to the end of the canyon and let them ride off before returning to the clutch of six eggs. 

 

 

-----

 

A few weeks later, Avery was getting ready to head back to the desert, planning activities for the prince's beach date and the food they will have, spells for water exploring and the like. Then..... Out of nowhere Zane and Edward became ill. Their eyes turned discolored as fever robbed them of their sight temporarily, skin broke out in blisters or rash, Zane getting bumps simmiler to chick pox. The king and queen where placed under a quarantine, then an area outside of town in a old hospital became the quarantine spot as the fever claimed more victims. 

 

Three hundred people had died across the entire country within a matter of days. Most victims where the weakest and most vulnerable ones, teens under the age of fourteen succumbing to the fever within a day the elderly within hours from high temps nearly cooking their bodies from the inside out. This wasn't a typical fever where one sweats it out, but the blisters and rash keeps you from sweating,and they had to keep the people cool with cold baths frequently and plenty of air. Although with the summer heat on the way, it will be hard to keep them cool if they didn't find a cure soon. Avery and his master where tasked with finding such a miracle for this plague. But to do that they must first discover what it is to make a cure.

[SkySong278]

Cody thanked her when she led them to the edge of the canyon before they rode away and back towards where they had left the masters and other apprentice.

 

•~•~•~•
 

A few weeks after their return, Cody and Alex seemed to be a bit under the weather but weren’t sure why. Alex grew concerned when Zane seemed to get ill as well but he had a fever that caused his vision to temporarily go. She wasn’t there yet, but she felt a bit warmer than usual and she started to have a rash form on her right shoulder. Despite that, she tried to take good care of Zane while putting a cold, wet cloth on his forehead and dabbed at it from time to time in order to get him to feel cooler.

Cody started to get bumps forming on his hands, but also only felt slightly warm and not to the point where he had a fever yet. He mostly stayed in Avery’s warehouse and tried not to move around too much. He mostly read while either sitting up or laying down on the couch and would sometimes nap in between chapters, but he wouldn’t go outside at all.

Edited February 8, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Avery had created a circle of runes to keep the area around the couch cool and the same runes where placed on the door and windows of the quarantined house where Zane and the prince where. They where bunk mates in a private room split by a thick screen. 

 

Avery stirred up unicorn hair in the soup he made for Cody then added some horn dust to it all gathered from the same unicorn  that provided him with a few hairs and a few of her hured mates. He stepped in the circle and gently woke him up to spoon feed him some of the soup then let him go back to sleep studying the symptoms to see if they would disappear or not. 

 

 

----

 

Zane breathed shallowly feeling he cool cloth on his head. He opened his eyes, now a light albino pink with the film and yellowed but saw only a gray haze. "Al?" He croaked throat dry. "You don't have to come all the time. You need to rest too." He said lifting his hand to deal for her. He found her arm and followed it to her neck then face. He ran his thumb over her lips. "I don't want to get you sick mi amore. I am taken care of here. Besides, little Edward is getting jealous of you coming to me and his sweetheart can't." He offered a weak smile. "Besides your "sister" would be furious that you keep seeing me only in my underthings and shirtless all the time. Although.. I don't mind. A little peek before the wedding night never hurt anyone.." he started laughing then quickly turned into haggered coughing that lasted a couple minutes and left him gasping for air. 

[SkySong278]

Cody sipped the soup that Avery made for him before closing his eyes again to get some more rest. He felt slightly better from eating a bit of the soup but still had the bumps on his hands as well as feeling warm. Perhaps after he had gotten a bit more rest, he’d feel even better.

 

•~•~•~•

 

“I’m worried about you, but maybe I can just come every other day or every two days to help take care of you. Just as a husband takes care of his wife when she’s injured or sick so should a wife do the same to her husband. I’m already feeling a bit sick but I don’t have the same symptoms as you,” Alex said in reply before softly kissing his thumb when she felt it trace around her lips. “I’ve seen you shirtless a few times before now so seeing you shirtless now isn’t any different than those other times. I guess not,” she said in reply to his last few statements with a small blush on her cheeks before getting up and getting him a glass of water when he started coughing and was then gasping for air afterward.

Edited March 25 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Avery watched his rashes fade slightly and saw he slept better taking a note. Unicorn hair helps with burning and rash, magical animal needed for treatment possibly. He jotted down on his notes checking the clock then his bags. He'd be heading to the desert soon, but didn't want to leave Cody alone. With a sigh he started mixing another potion, this time with some dragon scales given to him by Star. Her first egg had hatched and had some deformed scales that need to be carefully plucked out for the others to grow in correctly. He ground up a single tiny scale and poured the mixture into a cold tea pot for Cody to drink when he woke up again. 

 

 

-----

 

Zane greedily drank from the glass and sighed when it was empty. "True, but other times I'm also wearing proper pants and not just my underpants. The nurse said it was easier to keep cool and get in and out of the tub without having to move much. Although I don't like how the nurse keeps saying something about my scars.... " He said his other hand running across a few intersecting ones on his chest. "I don't like that. Not one bit."

[SkySong278]

Cody slept a bit better after sipping the soup Avery made for him. He heard him sigh before opening his eyes after sleeping a bit more and said as he kind of figured what he was thinking, “I’ll be fine if you want to go to the desert. My symptoms aren’t as bad as Zane and Prince Edward’s and about the same as Alex’s. I’ll just rest some more and eat a bit more of the soup in between resting.”

 

•~•~•~•
 

“Oh well I’m not paying any attention to your underpants or anywhere else that’s south of your face and chest,” Alex said in reply after taking the now empty cup and putting it down on another small table nearby. She then heard the rest of what he said, especially the part about the nurse keeping on saying something about his scars. “Oh? What is she saying about them?” she asked curiously. She would’ve done the cute little head tilt that her dog and cat friends do when she does or says something that interests them but she wanted to wait to do that until he could see again.

Edited January 7, 2020 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"First drink this tea." He said holding the cup to Cody's lips tenderly. "I wish there was something I can do to help you. You have the plague but you aren't as sick because I've been testing cures on you. Edward and Zane are strong, your sister is ill, we lost so many people within weeks it's awful! If I learned potions I could find a cure faster! All we are doing is delaying the symptoms.... Anyway I leave tomorrow morning I want one more try before I leave at the cure. " He said softly.

 

----

 

Zane's smile fell and his milky eyes turned to the ceiling. "She comments something about sinning or self harm. She is new to these parts and apparently where she's from scars are highly frowned upon unless you received them in war and she knows we hadn't been in a war for ten years now so she knows I haven't seen battle. She keeps asking how I got them and touching the ones on my back... And the burn I have on my lower back....then she tried to touch the ones on my inner thighs and I smacked her hands away. It got really uncomfortable then. It doesn't help that I say I'm engaged and I can't wear my ring because of the swelling and sweat. I'm weak, hot, that woman just won't take no for an answer.  We have so few people who are allowed to be in here that I can't request another nurse, she's the only one who's approved to be the royal family physician."

[SkySong278]

“I also meant when you’d be gone to the desert that I’d make sure to eat the soup and rest a lot,” Cody said in reply before taking a sip of the tea Avery put up to his lips for him to do so. “You’ve done plenty to help me. I already feel so much better than when I first started feeling sick. That’s been a lot of help and I appreciate it. I know they are and so is Alex. She’s been visiting Zane to help take care of him. My sister’s being very well taken care of by the family doctor so I’m not worried too much about her and she’s also strong. I know but I also know that you’ll find a cure soon to end this sickness going around,” he said in reply after he took the sip of tea and handed the cup back to Ave.

 

•~•~•~•
 

Alex’s smile also faded a bit when she heard everything that he said in reply to the question she had asked. “Oh. Would you like me to tell her what the scars are from as well as tell her that I’m your fiancé? Would that help get her to not make you feel so uncomfortable?” she said and asked in reply as she gently brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

Edited January 7, 2020 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

He sighed and put the tea down beside him then started to finger comb Cody's hair. "I know. I just... I can't lose you.  I love you too much." He said softly and kisses Cody's cheek. He frowned amd pulled out a thermometer and stuck it under his tongue. After a moment he had Cody take another sip of tea again. "Darling, your temperature went down 10° from one sip. I think... I think I found the  cure but... Oh no.... " He said softly writing his findings down. "Baby sand dragon scales. " He said doing quick math. "and to help the whole kingdom we need.... Six thousand baby sand dragon scales.... And each baby has.... Exactly one thousand.... She has six... No... Nonononono..." He started to cry not wanting to take a life of an innocent creature even if it means saving everyone he loves.

 

 

---

 

Zane was quiet. 

 

"Do it! Defend your man! He says some colorful curses at her in Spanish and I'm tired of him complaining. " Shouted Edward. "Shut up pretty boy!" "Make me you pathetic Spaniard!" Zane grabbed a spoon from the table and threw it randomly. It fell on carpet. 

 

"Loser." Said the prince. They went back and forth with the insults and Edward saying 'protect your man's honor woman!' and 'miss steal your man' until they both ended up in a massive coughing fit that brought in the two nurses, one of whom was the woman in question and found out they where coughing up blood, one of the last reported stages of the disease before death claimed them. 

Edited November 8, 2019 by AroaraAngelwolf

[SkySong278]

“You won’t. I love you too,” he said in reply while enjoying him run his fingers through his hair before the thermometer was put under his tongue. He was then curious when he saw the former frown, wondering why he was doing that before he was given another sip of the tea. He took it before setting the cup back down and then heard everything that was said afterward. “Really? That’s great news,” he said with a small smile before it was his turn to frown when he caught what was said and then grew a bit concerned when he saw his boyfriend start crying. “Is there a way to get the scales without having to kill a baby dragon?” he asked as he figured out why he was crying.

 

•~•~•~•
 

Alex giggled a bit at their back and forth banter, knowing that they probably didn’t really mean what they said and were just getting a possible frustration with each other out. She nodded a bit when told to defend Zane and to do what she had suggested before she grew really concerned and frowned deeply when they both started to have coughing fits, almost crying when she saw that they were coughing up blood now. She quickly wrote out a note on a piece of paper with a piece of charcoal that she had before rushing out of the room to locate a messenger to send it to Avery so that he could be updated on Zane and Edward. She then went back inside and had a small chat with the nurse that was taking care of her love, explaining who she was as well as what his scars were from.

 

((can edit if needed))

Edited February 8, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"If they lose them naturally but that'll take a couple years! We don't have that long..." He sniffles. Isabo cherped softly in the corner. "T-there is a spell. It's dark magic though and requires many rare and dangerous artifacts. It's dangerous to the caster, but harmless to the one the casting is going to. It replaces the scales temporarily with scraps of metal or weapons until the scales can regrow. One of the key ingredients is the blood of a dragon Slayer and metal once bathed in dragons blood. Those are impossible to find for they are coveted by Lords and Kings everywhere..." He jumped when pounding came from the door. 

 

Leaping to his feet he rushed to it and yanked it open. A pale faced messenger stood out of breath and waved a note in front of him too tired to speak. 

 

Snatching it, he reads it quickly and turned white. He snapped his fingers and a pen started scribbling onna note, the note attached it's self to isabo's leg and a cork flew into the spout of the tea pot. Without a word spoken to command the bird she snatched it up in her claws by the wooden handle and flew straight to the quarantine zone and into the window setting the kettle on the table and perched on the bedpost holding out her leg.

 

--

 

Zane barely heard the bird swooping in over his own fit until she started scratching. He couldn't speak bird, but he waited until Alex interpreted what she was saying. 

 

"Avery found a cure! Baby is fine by the way, cure is in pot! Baby dragon scales, half a cup of tea each and their fever and rashes will go away. Rest with quiet should heal them completely. " She said, mentioning the cat, Bunny now in Avery's care while Zane and Alex where in the quarantine zone.

Edited November 9, 2019 by AroaraAngelwolf

[SkySong278]

“Oh. What kind of harm would come to you if you were to use that dark magic spell? If it’s not that major and it doesn’t cause too much harm, maybe you could use it just this once. If you don’t want to take the risk to do it, I understand and maybe we can try something else if there’s another solution,” he said in reply before he also jumped slightly when he heard the by pounding on the door for he wasn’t expecting it.

 

“What did the note say?” he asked curiously after watching Isabo fly away with a note attached to her leg.

 

•~•~•~•
 

Alex looked to where she heard a flapping sound come from the window and saw Isabo there. She waited until she was done talking before saying in translation, “She’s saying that Ave found a cure and that Bunny’s fine. Ave has been taking care of him. The cure is in the pot. Drink a half cup each with quiet rest and it’ll make the fever and rashes go away.” She then got up and stroked her a bit with a smile before saying, “Thanks Isabo.”

Edited January 7, 2020 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"The note was from Alex. Zane and Edward both started to cough up blood, the last stage of the illness. I sent isabo with instructions and the tea. You are already stopped sweating and the redness is fading fast." He said and walked to his bookshelf pulling down a large locked black time unlocking it and flipping to the back. "If I don't have the correct ingredients and say it incorrectly the consequences could be potential partial blindness, burns or scarring on my hands, nosebleeds frequently or headaches. " He said softly looking at a dark bound spell book. "If done by a novice, death can occur or loss of an eye or limb. I am not a novice and already have advanced to my second stage of training, to combat spells and defense spells I just need to wait until the contract with isabo is up." He said scratching the cat behind the ears. "I need metal bathed in dragons fire, cooled in dragons blood. It's the only other substitute for the dragon scales, and wouldn't irritate the dragon. The blood of a dragon Slayer or a descendant, a lock of hair from the same person, scales from the dragon, a single drop of blood from each dragon the spell is for, blood of the caster forming the circle and a bit of the caster's tongue. The rest is very easy, herbs for healing and itching, etc, etc. Basic transference spell items. Yes it sounds scary with all the blood, but that is what makes it dark magic. Blood is life and energy, to use it is to draw energy directly from the source." He explained. "This idea may just work I need the metal though. The only thing I know that meets the requirements are..... Zane sword and Zane himself...."

 

----

 

The nurses got them the tea and both boys drank it down. Isabo waved her foot with the note. "Master has the note for you Alex. It is about the cure ingredients. Oh, he's telling me about the spell to get the ingredients." She was quiet for a moment tilting her head. "Master needs permission from Zane to gather things. Master..... Is going to do a dark spell to get the baby dragon scales without hitting the baby sand dragons he's looking after for Star."

[SkySong278]

“I meant that we can find another solution for the other people that are effected by the sickness to find a cure if the spell doesn’t work,” he said in reply before watching as Ave went over to a bookshelf to get a black tome that appeared to be locked or sealed. He then listened to everything else he said with interest before taking another sip of the tea. When he heard the bit about the sword and descendant of a dragon slayer, his eyes widened slightly. “Will he get his sword back if you use it in the spell?” he asked curiously before listening to everything else that was needed from Zane as part of the spell. He nodded in understanding about the stuff about a lot of blood possibly being scary and hearing about the amount that was needed.

 

•~•~•~•
 

Alex looked at Isabo’s leg curiously when she heard that it was a note for her before taking it and reading it with interest before hearing the rest of what she said while Zane and Edward drank the tea that the falcon brought over for them. “Will he get the sword back?” she asked before looking over at her love. “Mi amor Ave needs a lock of your hair and some of your blood as well as your sword for a dark spell he wants to do in order to cure everyone that has the sickness,” she said to him after asking Isabo what she did.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"I need more then just a sword for six dragon pups. And he will but.... It'll be broken into pieces and swords like that are near impossible to reforge unfortunately. Unless you can find a dragon tamer blacksmith to reforge it." He said sadly. He knew how much that blade ment to Zane. He said it was the only good thing his father gave him. This would be a great sacrifice for the kingdom if he'd allow it be used. 

 

----

Isabo relays the information on to Alex of what her brother told Cody.

 

"What spell? The hair and blood I don't mind giving but my blade.... " Tears formed in as misty eyes. "Even in here it doesn't leave my side. I have my great grandfather's armor that he had on when he fought the beast. It's black like my blade, turned that way by flames and blood. And a Roman like sheild, huge thick piece of metal the same way.... Would that be enough? It's at my house, the mansion, in the trophy room in the basement next to the three heads of the dragon. " He said softly reaching out to his sword beside him and hugged it to his chest. "I'm not going to give this up easily..."

[SkySong278]

“Oh,” Cody said in reply with a small sad sigh at hearing the news of what shape his sword would be in afterward. He knew his friend and brother wouldn’t want that to happen to his sword as well as him caring too much for it and for it to be in that kind of shape. He wouldn’t want to part with it.

 

•~•~•~•

Alex frowned sadly when she heard what Isabo said about what Ave said to Cody in regards to what would happen to his sword during the spell before hearing everything Zane asked and said afterward. “A dark spell he found in a tome he has on his bookshelf back at his warehouse,” she said in reply to his first question before his other one that he asked after saying what he did about the armor and the dragon heads. “It might,” she said before turning her attention to being back on Isabo again afterward. “Would that work and could you convey that to Ave to see if it would?” she asked the falcon with a bit of hope sparking in her eyes.

Edited February 8, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Avery tilted his head. "apparently there's a whole set of armor made from the same material. I'll have to check it's quality to see if it's good enough for the spell so I'll be heading over to his mansion to evaluate the matireal. Drink the rest of your tea dear." He said kissing Cody's forehead softly and left the wearhouse to get his horse and head to the Sander's family house. 

 

---

 

"Already did.  And he's on his way there. I need to be with him. I'll come by and tell you if it will work." She cherped and flew out of the room. 

 

Zane had started to loose his rash and bumps. The note that was on the bird's leg was a recipe for unicorn hair soup and instructions to pair it with the tea. 

[SkySong278]

“Okay,” Cody said in reply to everything that Avery said before doing as he was told after the former has left. After he had drunk the rest of the tea, he went back to sleep on the couch for a little while.

 

•~•~•~•
 

Alex nodded in reply to what Isabo said before she left and then looked at the note again to see that it had a recipe for soup on it before also reading the instructions that said that it needed to be paired with the tea. She nodded to herself before taking the ingredients that were wrapped in the note and made it afterward after following the steps. She then brought the bowls over to where Zane and Edward were and told them to have some soup as well as to drink a bit more of the tea. She also told them to be careful while eating it since it was hot. She had noticed that the rash and bumps that Zane had before, were now gone and she figured that it had something to do with him drinking the tea earlier. “Dear the rash and bumps you had are gone.”

Edited January 20, 2022 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Avery headed over to the house swiftly asking the servents still there to guide him to the basement. Once down there he looked in absolute horror at all the rare and magical creatures in the "trophy room" there where several dragon heads, three from the great grandfather and three more from older generations of Zane's family, indeed there was a single sheild, completely blacked out to the point where the dragons flames etched the metal. Three colored swords stood on stands, pure red stained one, one stained silver with a burn from a blast from chopping off a unicorn horn, and another one that was colored red gold like the sands.  Avery fought back the tears that threatened to fall. Isabo cooed softly. "I.... I think this would work. I see why this room is the only one not dusted. Poor poor creatures...." He choked back a sob. Using magic, he took the shield and armor, plus the two reddish swords. Now he knew why the Sander's name was murmured among the mages and magical creatures, and why Zane rejected that name it was synonymous with the slaughter of many magic creatures, ones now rare or even extinct from overhunting. 

 

--

 

Isabo flew back in he window and perched on the bedpost again. "So many animals have been killed. Master said the shield and two other blades and armor would work. " She trilled softly. 

 

Zane ate the soup. He couldn't tell the stringy things in it was but it was very good. "Really? I feel like my fever is down too. "

[SkySong278]

“Mhm and that’s great. How about your vision? Is that getting a bit better where you can see better now?” Alex said and asked in reply before hearing Isabo come back and everything she said. “That’s truly sad but glad those things will work,” she said in reply to everything the falcon said before turning her attention back to Zane. “The armor, other swords and shield will work for Ave‘s spell,” she told him as a translation of what the latter said.

 

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Zane blinked hard and rubbed his eyes. "Shapes are coming back. I can see your outline and it's becoming clearer. It may be a little before I can see again. I'm really sleepy though... "He yawned. "That's good to hear. I don't like that stuff anyway, I was considering selling it to start a magical creatures endangerment fund.... But I'd rather have it used to help those creatures too. If I'm better by tomorrow when he leaves can I go? I want to see a dragon... And apologize for my ancestors..." He mumbled as he started to nod off after eating the soup. 

 

"Book says blood and hair must be fresh, so it can happen. " Isabo cherped softly now that Avery had arrived back home and was going over the ingredients again for the spell. 

[SkySong278]

“I’m glad love and that’s good to hear. That might still be a good thing to do with the rest of the stuff that Ave ended up not taking to use for the spell. I don’t see why not,” Alex said in reply before hearing Isabo’s response. “Isabo said that the blood and hair have to be fresh so that can happen,” she said before leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on his forehead afterward. She then got up and started to head for the door to head back to their house and let him rest. She would’ve stayed there but she thought she’d give him a bit of space.

 

•~•~•~•
 

When Ave got back to the warehouse, Cody was sleeping again but both the bowl and cup near him on the small table were empty. He had finished both before wanting to rest some more.

Edited March 7, 2020 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Avery finished up his packing and started to clean up his  home and the dishes, organizing his heros and ingredients and triple checking the spell before deciding to take the book with him.  He prepared a transfer circle for the scales and a portable one when he was there. Then he looked in the mirror. His hair was extremely long, and it was getting too hot for it, and it was cumbersome.  Maybe he could cut his hair? But would he look too much like a boy then?  He studied the image of himself from all sides trying illusion spells of different hair styles liking  the messy pixie cut the best. Maybe he could surprise Cody when he gets home with a new haircut?