1 1. How it Started.

His eyes fluttered, fighting against weariness. He felt a drop of something slide off his face, and when he raised his hands to wipe it, he could see only red. He turned his head slightly, wincing at the sharp pain erupting in his neck. There was a shiny object on the ground near him, serving as a mirror, and he leaned over, peering at his reflection.

He was certainly very bloody at the moment. A deep gash across his forehead spilling a curtain of dry blood over his face, his tunic torn and soaked in wet crimson. There was confusion in his gaze. But his expression was mild in comparison to the actual level of confusion he truly felt. The blood loss probably contributed to his dizziness as well.

Alexander forced his weary mind to think. Why was he lying in a cave, covered in his own blood? How did he get to this point? He propped himself against the rock wall, looking around him for any clues as to what happened.

He seemed to be in a cave of some sort, the dirt floor uneven in certain areas. The walls of the cave seemed at least 20 feet tall. The ceiling of the cave had odd tunnels and spikes that led seemingly everywhere. He looked down, the tiniest stream of water spilled out from between two rocks. It glided between tiny bumps and rocks before continuing to descend out the mouth of the cave. That was when he noticed the sleeping figure laying a few feet away from him.

It was humongous, even when curled up with its wings tucked. His vision was still faulty but he could make out the dark violet scales and spikes traveling down its spine. The head was tucked away, but he could see its long spiky tail moving slightly, the dark purple blending into a dim crimson at the tip. It was so big that every movement sent dust hurling in every direction.

"Dragon?" He whispered, eyes widening. Was he in the dragon's cave? Was that how he got so bloody? Slowly, bits and pieces started falling into place.

Alexander woke up in an inn which typically only served the nobility. He knew this because of the expensive minimalistic decorations around the room that a regular inn could never afford. Beside him lay a pretty noble lady. She was still asleep, long eyelashes resting on her cheeks. He had seduced her with money he stole and she had given him more than he expected. Waking up next to her, he still felt like he wanted more than what he got.

He sat up on bed, careful not to stir her. Bending over her, he grabbed her purse. Due to his years of pickpocketing, he had developed light fingers. He could grab whatever he set his eyes on and no one would notice.

He found some gold coins in her purse. He grabbed them for himself. Along with a few of her jewelry which he felt would cost a satisfactory amount at the pawn shop on the state's border. Once he had taken the things he wanted, he laid back beside her, staring at the ceiling.

To leave now would make her suspect him. A few minutes later, the girl woke up.

"Hey, Alex." She greeted with a smile. Alex smirked at her, lifting himself up to rest on his elbow.

"You know, when you give that smirk in the morning, you look even more handsome." She whispered, her finger traveling up his arm coyly.

Alex leaned in to peck her on the lips. "C'mon, let's hurry and leave. The party last night was great, but you were even greater. I wish the night could go on all day and never end."

"Alex!" Maddie scolded, giggling. Deep down she felt excited that she had earned the affection of the town's most handsome bachelor. She knew that if she took him home for marriage, her father would not bother with his background so long as he had the money.

"I think you should head out first, I need to freshen up a little." Maddie said. "Unless you want to join me…?"

Alex smirked. "I would love to, but then we don't have time to repeat last night's events I'm afraid."

Alex watched the lady giggle as she walked into the bathroom. Alex got up, dressed, collected his things and went to the guest dining. He saw a lot of nobles there. Dressed as one, he sat at the table to eat.

"Did you really hear the king's announcement that he would give one ton of pure gold to the person who can wake the dragon?"

"Yes, I heard that too!"

"Man, if I could get one of my slaves to do that, I would get my hands on all that gold!"

"Heyyy! That too!"

Alexander who sat by the side was initially not paying attention, but the moment he heard the word gold, his ears pricked up, no longer focusing on the soft scrapes of cutlery. Pure was evidently much more valuable than fake gold. That gold was worth a lot, exchanged for money or sold to make into jewelry. He didn't care so much about the purpose, more so the money he could get for it. He shifted closer, eyes still casually on his food.

"But with the danger involved, I don't think it's worth it."

"Not worth it? What do you mean? After gold refinement, one whole ton of 24k gold is worth tens of millions!"

"It doesn't matter! You would be putting your life at so much risk! The dragons are rumored to eat human flesh and drink its prey's blood. It's a ritual they perform to gain massive strength."

"Pfff." The first man waved it off. "That's just a rumor."

The second man stared. "You can't just say that, Marjun. Rumor or not-"

"Fraco is right, Marjun. In every rumor, there is at least an iota of truth." Alexander chipped in. The two men turned to stare at the unknown man. His appearance was starkly unconventional, with spiky platinum blonde hair and a dangerous twinkle in his eyes. He wore a thick burgundy cloak that stretched over his muscled arms, the v-neck collar lined with spiky black feathers. He was still dressed nobly, but various traits of his clothing made him look a bit mad.

"Who are you?" Marjun demanded. "What family's noble young master are you?"

"My background is my business. I am merely intrigued by your conversation. Fraco, how true is this promised award?"

Fraco stuttered. "It is very true. My father sits in the king's courtroom."

Marjun sneered at him. "That was very unnecessary to add, Fraco." Marjun humphed.

Alexander knew everything that went on in the village, but this one was new to him. "Did you really say that anyone who could awaken the dragon would get a ton of pure gold?"

"Yes." Fraco answered. "Why do you ask? Do you have intentions to do that? You are still young! You are a noble! Nobody goes in there and makes it out alive."

"I know." Alexander said, getting up. "But if I do come out alive, I will get the reward right?"

Marjun frowned, getting irritated. Why was Fraco taking this lunatic's words to heart? He could very well just be an imposter or a fool who wanted to waste his life on a quest like that.

"Leave the man if he wants to waste his life!" Marjun grumbled loudly. This drew attention to the little party instantly. People began to lean over, yelling objections.

"What is the matter here? Who wishes to let his life go? If anyone wants to waste his life, he can do so by waking that dragon." A man yelled.

Alexander stared at the people. "I do want to wake the dragon."

There was abrupt silence.

Footsteps came to a stop from the doorway. "Alex? What did I just hear you say?" Maddie asked softly. She had come out right at the moment Alexander made his declaration. How could she lose him now? She had just finished planning their wedding from start to finish.

"I want to wake the dragon." Alexander repeated, a steely gleam in his eyes.

"Boy, you are too young for thoughts like these." A man said, his two gold teeth flashing as he spoke.

"He's probably just drunk!" Another said, lifting his own glass as if proof.

Everyone began talking loudly amongst themselves, downplaying the situation. Alex got up to leave, dropping a few coins on his table. As he headed for the inn's exit, a few people stopped him and tried to convince him to drop his intentions. He brushed them off and claimed they had nothing to worry about. Some of them took it as an agreement to drop their thoughts.

But when he was alone, he gave it some actual thought.

"I have nothing to lose. But everything to gain." He said to himself, coming to a conclusion. "Even if I die, it is gain."