Dragon Slayer

He ran into his first leg of trouble at the gate to the castle. "Halt!" the guard called. "What is your business?"
"I`ve come to speak with His Majesty."
"His Majesty is not seeing visitors," the guard sneered. "Especially not northern swine such as yourself."
"I apologize." Ingram tugged his hood off, setting his hand on the knee closest to them. He`d slipped on his ring in Magnolia and it sat beside his wedding ring and his mother`s ring. The guard`s eyes widened comically when he saw it. "I must have misheard you."
"Y— Your Highness. I didn`t recognize you. I apologize."
Ingram knew that the combination of stress and travel had likely taken its toll. He`d seen the bruise that had bloomed along his cheek, accompanying the stable that had formed over the past few days. He looked nothing like himself. "You speak to our people that way?"
"I— I didn`t know."
"I`ll deal with you later." Ingram rode past the gate, ignoring the guard`s apologies.

"I respect your orders. But it seems to me that you have a problem."
"A problem?" Hunter repeated.
"Mallory is not here. And you are not welcome to stand on my property."
"Your property?" Hunter sputtered. "Are you insane? Your Highness, I came to take you home. I thought this was what you wanted. To see your siblings again."
"I am home."
"Your father—"
"He and I will have words at some points, I don`t doubt it. But I want you off of Winterveil`s lands. Now."
Hunter backed up a step, eyes darting as he tried to come to a decision of what to do. He knew what awaited him if he returned home unsuccessfully; his rank was at risk. Determination firmed on his face and he stepped forward again, his hand on his weapon. "By order of the king, I—"
"Perhaps you misunderstood me." Ingram wrapped his hand around the bar of the gate and he could feel the magic rising in him alongside his rage. His father had tried to kill him. Hunter thought he could override Ingram`s words. Mallory was off facing a black dragon and he might not return. The metal of the gate began to soften under his fingers and the soldiers behind Hunter took a cautionary step back. "I want you gone. And if I were you, I`d leave while you still have a tail to tuck between your legs."
Ingram released the bar and stepped away, and there was no way to miss the five deep indents in the metal where his fingers had been. "They have ten minutes," Ingram told the guards. "If they don`t move, start firing."

They ran into the next bandit on the stairs and he was far more competent than his companion. His fist caught Ingram across the cheek, stunning him. Eirlys parried his weapon when he would have struck a vicious blow to Ingram`s head. She fought the bandit, blocking every attempt he made to attack. It was like watching a dance, every move she made full of grace. The bandit faltered and Eirlys attacked, knocking him out with a blow that sent him crashing to the ground.
A smirk flirted at her lips, and then she walked to Ingram, offering him a hand up. "We need to get to that bell." They passed the guard Eirlys had subdued and his skin was pale, a thin layer of ice covering his cheeks.
"Remind me to never make you angry," Ingram whispered.
"I wasn`t angry when I did that. It was stress-relieving, actually." Eirlys winked at him and twirled her staff in her hand.

"No one should be without music." Ingram leaned into the piano and began to work. "There`s one thing that transcends even language, and that`s music. No matter who they are, where they`re from, what they speak, you can touch a heart with a single note."
"That`s... beautiful."
Ingram was glad Mallory couldn`t see him blush. "It`s silly. It`s not like it`s swordplay, or anything useful."
"My sword can`t touch a heart. Well, it could, but it`d only have one message in that case. I think it must be nice to create something. To bring something magic into this world."