The Rose Dragon was said to be the size of a house with pitch black scales and cherry red eyes. Nobody really knew if this was true, since the farmers near the Rose Garden only ever saw the dragon from afar as a dark shadow harassing their flock of sheep.

Faris can now confidently say the dragon was not pitch black, but a beautiful iridescent color that reminded him of the beetles he used to catch when he was young. He remembered proudly showing off their multicolored armor to his mother, who smiled at him with a stiff but fond smile.

She told him to let the bug go, for all creatures deserved a life of freedom.

Kindness, humility and mercy, that was what his mother taught him.

Next to the slumbering dragon was a pure white tower, and in it, was the sleeping princess many men coveted. The dragon was sleeping in front of the tower doors. The area it was resting on was scorched black, with armor and bones lying around. Faris wondered if he would find one of his brothers there somewhere. He hoped so. He’d like to bring even a piece of their armor back home.

“We should wait for Prince Mikhail to arrive before deciding what to do next,” Faris said to Mage Cian.

Mage Cian was leaning on a small rock, quietly observing the slumbering dragon. 

“We should sneak around the dragon and get up the tower,” Mage Cian said. “That way we can find the prince and meet up with him midway. I can fly us to his location once we’ve found him.” Due to the storm that suddenly appeared earlier, a huge part of the Rose Garden became exposed. The moon shone brightly in the cloudless night sky.

“You can fly?” Faris asked. It was a skill only mages of great power can do and it was said the royal mage had yet to achieve that skill. The last person in the kingdom who could fly was the late royal mage who was an apprentice to Archmage Vogel.

“Well, no.” Mage Cian said sheepishly. “I can gently float us down. That’s why getting up the tower is ideal, because not only can we confirm the princess’ safety, but we can also search for the prince.”

“In the dark?” Faris said doubtfully.

“I have a spell that lets me see in the dark,” Mage Cian replied.

“If you knew such a spell, why didn’t you tell us sooner? Navigating the dark forest would have been easier then,” Faris pointed out.

Mage Cian scratched the back of his head, “Alright you caught me, it’s not really a spell but this eye.” He pointed at the third eye. It blinked slowly at Faris like it would like to go to sleep.

Faris let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. The mage did not keep such an important spell from them after all. Of course he wouldn’t, if he had, that meant the man did not care to help the soldiers stumbling in the dark when they first entered the garden. 

Nodding his head in understanding, Faris easily agreed to the plan. With the current manpower they have, there was no way they could defeat the dragon. Faris had no idea how to use his new arm and Mage Cian was still recovering the mana he lost. Waiting for more back up was the most logical conclusion.

But how long will it take for the prince to find them? It would be better if they found the prince first instead.

“Very well, let’s go.”

The sweet taste of Danico’s blood lingered on Mikhail’s tongue as he followed the man through the garden. He licked his lips. The blood doubtlessly had some sort of healing property, because Mikhail’s wounds and sores disappeared in the blink of an eye. Even the bone Caela had cut through when she pierced her broadblade on his arm was healed.

He didn’t know what to make of the bard anymore.

On one hand, he’s still as cheerful as ever. He hummed a jolly little tune as he skipped over the cobblestone road. On the other hand, Mikhail witnessed the bard, Danico, perform some incredibly advanced and deadly magic. 

He still needs to get used to referring to the bard by his actual name instead of his title.

Danico was an incredible mystery to Mikhail. Every time he wanted to talk about what happened with the fairy, he would distract the prince with something inconsequential or dance around the question. It was frustrating, but Mikhail understood that everyone has their secrets.

However, there was one thing which irked him.

“Why did you join my campaign as a bard if you were such a capable fighter?” Mikhail asked. 

“I didn’t know where the Rose Garden was,” Danico replied with a shrug. “I figured it would be easier to join you instead of getting lost. I also thought it would be less of a hassle because I didn’t want to sneak around while following you and be branded as a spy if I got found out.” 

“So you would have never joined me if it weren’t for your awful sense of direction?”

“That, and if some drunkards hadn’t suggested it at the tavern! I honestly would have moved on with my travels if they didn’t mention the dragon’s existence,” Danico said.

“Oh,” Mikhail thought he should find those three drunkards and thank them for leading such a powerful mage to him, even if they didn’t know what they'd done. He doubted Danico showed off his skills to them if he’s been so secretive the whole time they’ve known each other. “Why did you leave so suddenly? Was it truly not because of my confession?”

Danico looked at him with a tilt of his head, “Hm, I guess telling you the truth won’t hurt. As I said before, I was planning to leave either way once I saw the Rose Garden, but your confession definitely sped up my decision to leave that night. You were kind of a creep.”

“A creep? How? I thought I was nothing but a gentleman to you?”

Danico looked him dead in the eyes, “Your highness, you confessed your love to me in a month of knowing me.”

“How is that wrong? A month is plenty of time.”

“Are you crazy? That’s barely enough to get to know someone!”

“We’ll get to know each other better once we’re wed.”

Danico frowned, “You’re creeping me out again. Don’t tell me you believe in that love at first sight shit.”

Mikhail looked at him with hurt in his eyes. Danico almost felt sorry.

“I do, actually.”

Danico raised an eyebrow. “Love at first sight doesn’t exist.”

“It does! My parents fell in love at first sight, just like Sir Faris’ parents and several noble families I know! No doubt the peasantry experience it too.”

Danico scoffed and muttered something under his breath that was too quiet for Mikhail to hear, but not quiet enough to not catch a few words. “Fairy tale and land,” were the words he understood. Mikhail didn’t need to hear the rest to know that he was being mocked.

“Would you have at least stayed until we entered the Rose Garden with the rest of the soldiers?”

“No,” Danico said simply. “I was going to enter ahead either way.”

“Why? If you stayed, we could have prevented so many deaths! You could have saved so many people!”

Danico looked at him with amusement, “I’m not some saint who is going to risk their life for some random strangers they never even had a single conversation with. It’s not my job. You let me join as a bard, not a soldier.”

Mikhail pressed his lips together and dropped the subject. It seemed like the kind bard he knew was nothing but a mask. Now that they’re alone and he knew Danico’s secret, he finally showed his true colors. He could feel his heart break to pieces.

“Say, do you know anything about the dragon we’re about to fight? Like, what does it look like? How large is it? Does it have any special abilities, like breathing fire?” Danico asked.

Mikhail cleared his throat and with as much professionalism as he could muster, he said “We’ve received reports the dragon is as tall as three houses and is as black as coal. Not much else is known about it, since the only time one can glimpse the dragon is when it flies around the Rose Garden’s perimeter.”

“I wonder if it’s intelligent,” Danico murmured.

“Dragons are nothing but beasts,” Mikhail pointed out.

“Well that’s not fair,” Danico said. “You’ve never met the dragon before, correct? How can you say it’s as dumb as a simple beast? It could be capable of human speech for all we know!”

Mikhail tried not to frown. Why is it that Danico seemed more humane and caring towards a beast that terrorized the land, compared to the humans he spent his time with at a camp? 

“I guess you are correct. No one has ever returned to report after entering the garden.”

“Exactly! It’s better to assume the worst than be unprepared.