Summary: When Chuck left Jacob's tavern one morning, his staff in hand, he had thought his day would progress as usual: normally, with nothing of interest happening; he didn't know what a chance meeting with one of King Kane's knights would lead to. ·Raymanthia AU·

Written for RiniRhyme for yuletide.

I eventually decided against using their titles; it got a little awkward.

Thanks for Kaelin for the betaread and Dogmatix for the info-checking!

Luck

By Dark Ice Dragon

Chuck frowned, brushing his hair away from his eyes. He was sure the mushrooms Jacob wanted were around… He jerked his head towards a distinct crash, the sound almost swallowed up in the dense foliage. It was probably nothing, but he adjusted the grip on his staff anyway, just in case.

Whatever it was, it was coming closer, sounding far bulkier than anything Chuck had heard before. He briefly bit his lip before he closed his eyes and swept his awareness out – there were always spirits he could sense around him, but only a few were just as receptive to him as he was to them and it were those ones that he could truly communicate with.

Chuck focused in the direction where the crashing had come from and - there. A red oak that felt older than Jacob whispered back at him, a soft query in its thoughts; Chuck let out a breath, forming the question in his mind, letting the oak hear it. There was only a short pause before the oak accepted, and Chuck's world span, settling again straight away, and he could see what the oak could. Experiencing the world through a spirit was always different, their senses prioritising different things compared to a human's. That, and it was uncomfortable not feeling a heart or a set of lungs.

Just as Chuck understood what he could see (colours were muted; light was enhanced), he felt the impact of something hitting the ground around the oak's roots as someone wearing light blue (those were Northern Raymanthian colours) crashed into sight, looking harried – but it was impossible that he was the one that had made the ground shake so much, so what had –

Something huge, scaled, and bright red burst through the trees after the Northern Raymanthian (one of Kane's knights? He wore the uniform), snarling.

Chuck twitched when he realised the echo he was hearing was getting shorter and louder, and how close the two had to be from where he stood. He sent a quick thank you to the oak before disentangling himself from it, blinking owlishly as his eyes adjusted to the switch, feeling the familiar drain after he used his power. Except he couldn't just stand there and hope they would miss him; he didn't have that kind of luck.

It sounded like the two were heading straight for him and if Chuck hadn't seen how fast the knight had been moving, he would have thought it was yet another one of Kane's plots to expand his kingdom (or maybe it was, and it had gone sour for the people involved). Chuck moved so that a tree would block the sight of him when the knight and beast reached him. He hoped. He shifted the weight on his feet as he gathered his magic, focusing it through his staff, feeling it pulse as it held his power. He could feel the two getting closer through the shudders travelling up his legs, and Chuck breathed out, trying to settle his heart, trying to prepare himself for what could happen next. The knight could still attack him, or try to make the beast attack him instead.

The knight stumbled into sight from Chuck's left, not his back, and Chuck span to face him, his staff raised; the knight (he was brown-haired, and looked about the same age as Chuck) stared at him, and then his expression flicked from sharp concentration to wide-eyed panic – it was that expression that made Chuck point his staff, a sizzling bolt of magic exploding from the tip. Seeing that, the knight dived out the way, the bolt passing him and crashing into whatever had been chasing him. The knight had been worried about him, and that raised Chuck's expectation of him – now, if his magic had actually done any damage to the –

"Is that a dragon?" he blurted out, seeing the claws, the fangs, the wings that had flung themselves out at the impact. The colour of freshly spilled blood, it was twice the size of a horse, solidly built like it was made to smash through anything in its way. Two thick horns arched back from the top of its skull. But that was impossible! Dragons were a legend – no-one had seen one in centuries!

"Yes," the knight wheezed. "Gawk later!" The knight grabbed him by the arm and Chuck stifled his yelp as he was half-dragged for a few steps before he shook himself free, running on his own, hearing the dragon begin to catch up with them.

"I don't suppose you know a teleportation spell?" the knight asked as he practically loped alongside Chuck's stumbling gait. The dragon's roar dogged their every step, and Chuck didn't want to turn around, didn't want to see how close death followed them. But he could hear the dragon smashing into trees behind them, splintering wood filling the air beneath the dragon's snarls. Chuck couldn't help but imagine that he could feel the dragon's breath at his nape, the dragon's fangs glistening just before they tore into him.

The knight led them on a route that didn't seem to make any sense, using his own momentum to swing around trees; Chuck wasn't close to being as agile, having to shove himself off a tree to change direction each time, but it seemed to work, if the constant crashing behind them was any indication.

"Hah – not that powerful." Jacob on the other hand… Chuck winced at the thought – the communication crystal hung around his neck, thumping him in the chest with every step he took, but he couldn't waste his breath to warn him.

"Guess we cou – woah!"

Chuck's own response wasn't as quiet as the ground suddenly gave way under them and everything was a whirling mass of brown before it came to an abrupt halt, all the air whooshing out of Chuck's lungs in one go.

"O-ow." Chuck's back hurt, and he rolled over to his side, coughing as he attempted to get to his feet as quickly as possible, trying to ignore how sore he already was, not wanting to think about what else was going to happen next. There was a ringing in his ears - no, that was the dragon above them, scrabbling at the hole, roaring in fury, making more dirt fall on top of them.

"Don't tell me it's going to chase us down here too…" Chuck groaned. They were out of reach – couldn't the dragon get bored and wander off? He looked around and found his staff only a short distance away, thankfully still in one piece.

"I think it is," the knight said, peering up, a hand shielding his eyes. He shook his head, turning to Chuck. "We need to get as far as we can from it before it does."

"We can't outrun it," Chuck pointed out. Not without any trees to block its path, but he straightened his cloak and looked around for an exit.

"I don't know," the knight said, "we seemed to do a good job just now."

Chuck didn't bother to respond, studying the area around them instead. They were in a cave, thick vines dangling from every surface, sprouting some kind of flowers that emitted a soft blue glow; it was enough to see clearly, and there was a clump of those flowers shining above a hole in the wall to their right. It looked deep enough and wide enough that they could pass through it – big enough for the dragon to squeeze through as well.

"Hey," Chuck said, grabbing the knight's attention (and he really should find out what his name was if they survived this). "Down there." He nodded in the direction of the light.

"Wow, good eyes," the knight said before he started to head in that direction.

Chuck blinked, before he stifled a sigh and followed after the knight, gripping his bruised hip. Right. Sometimes he forgot what he could see wasn't always what everyone else could.

"Are you all right?"

Chuck let out a weak laugh. "We just fell who knows how steep a drop after being chased by a dragon; I'll be all right if we survive this."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" Chuck was sure he misheard that wistful tone.

It was darker inside the tunnel, and Chuck could see the knight running his hand over the wall as they jogged forward; there wasn't anything strewn across the ground that he had to warn the knight about, at least.

When they finally emerged from the other end of the tunnel, they were greeted with an even bigger cave, lit up by luminescent mushrooms, the spores dancing in an unfelt breeze, casting a purple light on everything, brighter than the flowers. That…was strange; Chuck had never seen anything like them before. He shook his head after he realised he had already bent over one to look at it closely, straightening up again. Now wasn't the time to be curious!

"Huh, what's that?"

And it looked like he wasn't the only one being distra… "Wow." There was a building leaning against the far wall, lit up by something that wasn't magic or mushrooms; it flickered, but not like a flame's. Strange characters were written across it, but Chuck couldn't read them. Was this…?

The knight had already clambered in through a window and had started to riffle through its contents.

"What are you doing?" Chuck hissed, stilling at a 'thump' in the direction of where they had come from, the air getting trapped in his throat. Their time had just run out.

"I need a weapon," the knight said, still looking through the room, disappearing from sight. "I lost my sword when I was – oh, that's nice."

What was nice? But before Chuck could see what the knight had uncovered, there was an echoing roar and Chuck span around, lifting his staff in preparation, wildly looking for an exit again.

There was a constant crashing sound coming towards them (did the dragon have their scent or something?) but Chuck snapped his head towards a shout of triumph behind him.

"Got it!"

"Got w-" The dragon had already reached them, skidding to a halt, staring wildly around the cave. When it saw Chuck, it growled, narrowing its eyes as it started to stalk its way towards him. Seeing that singular focus on him made Chuck's knees weak, and he swallowed, trying to think what they could do.

But there was nothing – they were surrounded by walls at all sides, the only exit lay behind the dragon, and they couldn't fight it. His magic hadn't even scratched its scales, and the knight didn't have a weapon (except, what weapon could pierce a dragon's hide?). They were trapped with a furious dragon that wanted them dead.

When the dragon's attention shifted slightly, the direction of its snout turning to something to Chuck's left, he became aware of the knight's presence beside him.

"Do you think you can trust me?" the knight murmured, and Chuck's mind stuttered, because how did the knight have a plan and what exactly was it?

No time – the dragon was drawing in on itself and Chuck did not like the way it was opening its jaw.

"Yes," he said quickly.

"Great – we're going to ride the dragon out of here."

"We're going to WHAT?" Chuck would have span around to gape at the knight, the dragon at their front be dammed, but the knight had grabbed him by the arm again and hauled him out the way of the dragon's fire that tore its way towards them.

It ploughed into the building and before they had time to blink, the building exploded, the blast knocking them sideways.

This had to stop happening, Chuck thought dazedly as the world span again and he tried to drag air back into his lungs.

All right, stay in an enclosed space that magically enhanced a dragon's fire, or try to get out, riding said dragon. They were spoilt for choices.

Chuck looked up to see burning debris crashing their way towards them.

Instinct took over and Chuck swung his staff at the debris, magic crackling over the staff as it shot out and destroyed the debris above them.

"Still willing to ride the dragon," Chuck wheezed, thankful the dragon seemed as disorientated as they were as he lurched back to his feet, dodging the smaller pieces of debris.

"Me too." The knight sent him a grin before his eyes widened and Chuck felt the dragon thundering towards them.

There was suddenly a flash and a growling sound, more continuous than the dragon's and Chuck halted in his tracks to stare at the…weapon that had formed in the knight's hand. It was staff-like, lit up with blue magic on both ends – and he had to stop getting distracted.

Chuck scrambled out of the way, trying to reach his equilibrium again as he watched the knight dance his way around the dragon, keeping its attention on him through both attacking it and insulting it. His weapon was a flurry of motion, never keeping still for even a moment. The impossible thing in Chuck's mind was how the knight grinned throughout it all, as if he were having fun. But every time the knight scored a hit, it became more and more obvious that, while the knight was doing some sort of damage, all he was merely doing was antagonising the dragon, his new weapon not quite piercing its tough scales.

But then, since panic wasn't quite holding him as strongly as it had been before, Chuck blinked at the sight of a collar around the dragon's neck, the familiar band of light blue in the middle. He gritted his teeth against the wave of rage that threatened to overwhelm him; so it had been a plot of Kane's, using the dragon. He shoved the rest of his thoughts away with a shake of the head - he could find out the hows later, but he would only be able to do that if he survived this encounter.

"The collar!" he yelled, drawing his magic to him again, focusing, hoping the dragon would keep still. And that the collar truly was controlling the dragon and not merely a marker of possession.

"Got it!" Chuck could see the shift in the knight's movements instantly, focusing, and Chuck had thought the knight had been fighting before - no, the knight had been concentrating on distracting the dragon, it was obvious now, now that Chuck had something to compare it to (distracting the dragon from him?). Every strike was directed, intending to bring him closer to the collar.

That didn't change the fact that the dragon had its own weapons built into its skin, and Chuck stopped breathing when a clawed wingtip came scything down towards the knight. He span away just in time, but while it didn't hit him, the knight still stumbled; Chuck berated himself for merely watching what was happening. He swung his staff, hastily flinging his magic at it, hoping that would be enough. The bolt of magic exploded from the tip and smacked into the wing. Chuck took more time to collect his magic together as he saw the dragon pause, lifting its head to face him again and he wavered, nearly losing the control he had on his magic. That - had been what he'd intended, but he hadn't thought it through and-

"Hey!" The knight had gotten back to his feet, throwing himself right back at the dragon. It snarled, whirling back at the knight. They could – they could try that. Work together to keep it distracted – the knight would be able to destroy the collar if he kept its attention.

The tactic seemed to work, both of them distracting the dragon at different times, but Chuck could feel his energy depleting with every spell, taking longer to muster his magic together the longer the fight wore on. The fight needed to end soon, but with how the dragon was constantly moving, Chuck couldn't predict where the dragon's neck would be next, and he constantly missed, sometimes not even hitting the dragon.

The dragon lunged at the knight just then, its teeth snapping scant hairs away from the knight's head, but the knight leaped out the way, and that move extended the dragon's neck enough that Chuck quickly gathered his magic and cast. The shot finally impacted perfectly, and the collar disintegrated in a blaze of blue.

The dragon halted in its tracks, frozen like the collar had animated it. Chuck stood there, gaping at it as he breathed harshly. Was it over? Was the dragon going to leave them alone?

"Now!"

Now? For what? Except Chuck found exactly what the knight wanted when the knight suddenly dashed towards the dragon.

That? Even as he watched, the dragon seemed to be shaking itself free of its stupor and Chuck started to run towards the dragon as well, his gut screaming that he wouldn't make it before the dragon flew off.

"Hurry!" the knight yelled at him, already scrambling up the dragon's side, his weapon gone. Already, the dragon seemed to have freed itself of whatever had been holding it, and it did not like having a human climbing over it. It roared, trying to shake the knight off but he wouldn't be dislodged.

He was trying to, and Chuck dodged a paw that tried to flatten him to a paste, not sure how he was supposed to make his way up when the dragon was absolutely refusing to stay still.

Chuck's stomach dropped further when he had to shield his eyes with his arms when the dragon flapped its wings, throwing dirt into the air.

"Jump!"

What? Was the knight – how could he think – But the knight was there, a hand clasped around a wing-joint, his other hand reaching towards him.

He was only going to have one chance at this. Chuck gathered the last of his strength and threw himself at the knight, flinging his hands up.

The knight caught his wrist, and an 'Oof!' escaped Chuck's throat as he slammed into the dragon's scales. Ignoring that, he tried to find purchase anywhere on the dragon and one of his feet finally caught onto one of the dragon's legs, and he shoved himself up, sprawling across the dragon's back, his staff still clasped in his deathgrip.

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Chuck yelped when he felt hands at his cloak, hauling him back into a sitting position. He fell back onto the knight before straightening himself.

"Why did you-" He had been fine where he was. Not moving.

"It'll make staying on the dragon easier," the knight explained.

…Oh. Oh no. He'd only been thinking about getting on the dragon; he hadn't thought about what was going to happen after.

There was also a very obvious problem that Chuck could see. "How do we stay on the dragon?" he squeaked, because all there was in front of Chuck was the dragon's head, its horns thankfully pointing away from him; there was nothing to hold on to!

The knight laughed. "With some difficulty, luck, and a lot of grip!"

Chuck took a breath to retort –because what kind of plan was that?- except the dragon flapped its wings once more, launching itself into the air with a weightless leap that dragged Chuck's stomach though his feet and then he was using all the air in his lungs to scream as loudly as he could as the dragon continued its rolling ascent, rocking up and down with every wingflap.

As tough as dragon scales were, they was also smooth, with almost no purchase. Chuck found himself with his hands braced against the dragon's back, his cloak jerking everywhere with every flap of the dragon's wings. Except that meant he could see the ground getting further and further away in the corner of his eyes; if he lost his balance right then and slipped off… He had some distance to fall. He swallowed, his arms shaking.

When they reached the ceiling, close enough that Chuck could see the overhanging roots, the dragon reared its head back, blasting a fireball at the ceiling and Chuck's back slammed into the knight as he tried to make sure he didn't get skewered by the beast's horns. The fireball went through the ceiling. Where the dragon was still heading straight towards, breathing another gout of flame, making the hole even bigger.

Chuck stared in wide-eyed horror, his heart stampeding in his chest as he realised what was going to happen. They weren't covered in fire-resistant scales like the dragon was; they were going to be burned alive when it squeezed through the hole! They didn't have – Chuck's cloak pulled at him again with the next wingbeat and that sparked an idea in Chuck's mind. He frantically yanked off his cloak, throwing it over him and the knight as he tucked his legs up, hoping that would be enough, that it would grant them time. The knight understood what his plan was instantly, grabbing hold of his cloak.

Chuck knew exactly when they started to pass through the hole: everything became unbearably hot and he started coughing, tearing up at the smoke, the dragon's muscles bunching up differently under them.

When the light suddenly changed, Chuck had absolutely no air left in his lungs when the knight wrapped an arm around his waist, and jumped. They tumbled in a storm of confusion until the cloak was snatched away and Chuck had just enough time to see the ground rush towards him before he met it practically face first.

Coughing, he rolled over, dazedly trying to see where the dragon was; he was glad when he saw it continuing its path, completely ignoring them.

"That is why I don't ride horses," Chuck said hoarsely, making absolutely no attempt to move.

The knight chuckled, though it trailed off into a cough, and Chuck could already hear him moving. How much energy did he have? "Horses aren't bad! Especially when you compare them to a dragon."

"Haaa." He had no strength to argue. Really no strength to argue. Every part of him felt bruised, he'd used up all of his magical reserves, and his heart was convinced it had to keep its rampaging beat or else he would die otherwise.

But they were alive. That was the important thing.

"My name's Mike," the knight said, his voice sounding drowsy, or was that him?

"Chuck." There was no stopping the way Chuck's eyelids were drooping, and he let exhaustion take him.