[Tancred]

And now, part 2.

***


There was a shout, and a sound like blades meeting, followed by the sudden roar of the dragon. Tancred opened his eyes, hope suddenly replacing the abjection. A knight stood over Siona, striking sparks from the Dragon's teeth, forcing the creature's mouth back. A helm was upon his head, but Tancred recognised him; it was one of the strange party that they had met in the Aldenwood, a week before. He had said little then, but here he was, wielding a sword with a speed Tancred would not have believed.
Thahklarii'yt roared as the feeling of having one's teeth hit with a sharp piece of metal penetrated his nerves. He drew back as the warrior who had seemed to come out of nowhere circled around him, away from the maimed cleric on the ground. The dragon struck, but the sword whirled around, the combination of a swing and a leap backwards somehow parrying the dragon's claws. From the rock-pile, Tancred yelled encouragement as he battered the rocks that held him trapped his his free foot.
Another strike, this time from the Dragon's mouth as it whipped forward, but the knight was ready for the attack, swinging his notched sword upwards in a vicious arc that split the Dragon's lip. The dragon advanced on the warrior, who gave ground quickly, leading the dragon away from the now-unconscious elven woman.
A sweep with both claws and bloody maw now, but the knight saw it coming; a duck and a dive to the ground avoiding the snapping teeth and claws of one hand, the strike with the sword as the knight surged to his feet cutting deep into the dragon's other claw, between the talons.
Thahklarii'yt moved its' claw to its' face while sweeping at the floor to keep the knight back, but as it looked at the slowly bleeding claw it realised its' mistake. The knight had kept hold of the sword, embedded in the claw, and now he swung himself onto Thahklarii'yt's snout. The dragon shook its' head in surprise and alarm, but not before the sword sliced again and part of the Dragon's world went first red, then black. The knight was sent clattering to the floor of the cave, muffled cries of pain emerging from the helm, but the dragon roared in pain and outrage, clutching both claws to its' ruined eye.
At last, the rocks gave way, and Tancred scrambled to his feet, running towards the dragon, scooping up his sword ready to assist the warrior. The dragon was blinded, surely the two of them could finish it now?
The knight had regained his footing, and seemed to be standing over the charred mess that had been Falco; but as he stood, he could see the Dragon gaze upon him with fury burning from its' good eye. From across the cavern, Tancred could see the knight's helm turn towards him, and heard the frantic cry, muffled by the helm he wore:
"*RUN!*"
As the dragon roared again, the knight took off, running back towards the glow of riches at the back of the cave. Tancred began to pursue, but stopped as the knight yelled back at him; and his gaze flicked between the dragon and the still form of Siona, still crumpled against the cavern floor. Duty and love warred within him for a second; before the clear favourite won.
Scooping the frail, barely-breathing form of Siona into his arms, Tancred looked once more at the receding forms of the knight and the dragon, wondering what on earth he had just witnessed, and who had come to their aid.
"Helm forgive me," he muttered, as he began to run out of the cave, hoping against hope there was still time to save the woman in his arms.

***

Tancred glanced back, catching a fleeting glimpse of his younger self picking Siona up and running for the exit. Despite the dragon on his heels, Tancred mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Well, he thought, that bit went alright. What happens now doesn't matter.
He tried to remember what he did next, and then realised that he hadn't seen himself do this bit of the fight. It was time to make it up as he went along, reflected the Cavalier - with more than a little pathos.
Thahklarii'yt thundered after the young Cavalier, murder on his mind. Tancred had hoped running through the dragon's hoard might slow the dragon a little, but no chance; the maddened beast had smashed its' way through piles of gold, jewels and artifacts like a charging bull in a potter's yard, intent on his life. Now it smashed aside huge stalagmites to keep up with him.
Tancred heard the tell-tale sharp intake of breath amongst the din in the cavern. He dived behind a pillar of rock as blistering heat washed around him, the dragon's breath charring the very rock; then he dived forward as a swung claw demolished the pillar he had been sheltering behind.
It was fast, a lot faster than he remembered. Or was he just slower?
There had been an explosion, he remembered. He had just got to the exit, Siona in his arms, when there had been a huge explosion and the cave had collapsed in on itself, burying the dragon - he assumed. He led the Dragon further and further into the centre of the network, hoping against hope it was stupid enough to follow - and clutched the ring he had taken from Falco's charred skeleton. With any luck, it had the power to do what he hoped it could do.
Folco's magic ring - what had he called it? The Ring of the Sheep? The Goat? The Ram?
Right. About now looks ok.
Tancred turned, darting over to the left as the Dragon screeched along the rocky floor, coming to a stop. Now half-crazy with pain and fury, the Dragon leapt at the knight with abandon, slashing and biting, breaking rocky columns and scoring deep grooves across the floor of the cave as Tancred dodged aside, carving his sword in arcs designed to keep the dragon's attacks from getting to him. Slowly, he lured it onwards, readying himself for -
With a bone-jarring impact, a flailing claw caught him, sending the Cavalier flying, numb. Somehow, miraculously, Tancred kept hold of his sword.
The dragon charged on, smashing a clenched talon-fist into the rock where Tancred had been a moment before; Thahklarii'yt earned another slash in his lip as the Cavalier rolled to his feet, muscles and bones protesting in pain.
Now seemed as good a time as ever, thought Tancred, as he opened his hand ready to use the...
Where was the ring?
He had been using his sword two-handed. Damn it! The ring must have been knocked aside as he had landed! Tancred looked about him in mounting panic, but had no time; the dragon was already preparing to breathe flame, and the paladin could barely dodge the blast as it followed his frantic dive. Tancred forced himself to his feet, but he was nowhere near fast enough now; bruised, battered, he barely had time to raise his sword before a claw again smashed him aside.
Pain - REAL pain - struck him now. The claw had sliced right through the armour, almost slicing right into the stomach; as it was, a wound in Tancred's side bled freely, staining the rock and his armour red.
Damn, he thought, dazed and barely conscious. I'd only just got the armour repaired.
He raised himself up, hand clamped to his side, as the dragon's mouth moved forward, snake-quick. Simple reflex saved him then, as he raised his sword, to see the dragon quite literally impale itself upon the blade even as it sent him spwaling again. Thahklarii'yt squealed and tried to prise the blade out of its' nose, but to no avail; the blade had stuck all the way to the hilt, and the dragon's blunt claws couldn't grip it carefully enough.
Wounded, weaponless, Tancred crawled away, hoping that maybe the dragon would miss him; but no such luck. Stung, bleeding, now with a needle pricked deep into its' nose, the Dragon wanted payback. It saw the wounded Cavalier flounder away, and moved ready to devour the weaponless human in a single gulp.
Tancred could hear the vast thing move up behind him, still strong and with enough strength left in it to crush him ten times over. It was a Dragon after all; powerful, old as time. He only wondered how his great-grandmother had managed to slay one...
Suddenly, as his vision cleared, he saw it, laying on the ground, a few feet before him.
The ring!
He scrambled the last few feet forward, even as the Dragon's jaws champed down at him. Grasping the ring, Tancred rolled onto his back, pointing the ring straight at the Dragon's head. With a silent, desperate thought, he hoped it would fire...
A sudden blast of magic echoed across the cavern, as a charging spectral ram hurtled from the ring Tancred held, moving with incredible speed and force. The dragon saw it coming and barely dodged, but dodge it did; bringing its' head to one side as the magical ram hurtled past. Tancred watched it with a sinking heart, as the Dragon turned to him and laughed.
But the Ram carried on; up and up, until with an audible SMASH it cannoned into the cavern ceiling. Already weak as the dragon had demolished many of the rocky pillars that held the cave open, this massive impct into the roof of the cave caused cracks that quickly spread across the whole roof. Stalactites and huge chunks of rock fell, hammering into the rocky ground with the force of vast hammers. The dragon and the cavalier stared at the rocky sky as, with a sudden and terrible impact, the sky fell in.
A stone glanced off Tancred's helm, and then it all went black...

***

Slowly, consciousness returned, and with it the pain. There was pain in his side, pain in his heads, pain all over his body; from some torn ligament or bruise, everything ached. With groans and muffled hisses, the Cavlier got to his feet, pushing aside the debris and snow that covered him, and tried to remember where he was. It was snowing, the sky was grey and overcast -
Memories flooded in, and with them a contradiction. SKY? Hadn't he been underground?
Tancred looked around him, with mounting wonder and amazement. He HAD been underground - rock lay everywhere, and a cave streched away before him. Rock was all around him; but here, the side of the a mountain had collapsed inwards, letting the sky through the vast hole in the rock.
Tancred gasped as he saw the dragon.
Half-buried, the once-mighty form of Thahklarii'yt had been smashed down by the brutal rockfall. Stalactites and rocks had battered and pierced the powerful, armoured body of the creature, dealing it blows of such strength that even a dragon could not stand against it. The creature's head lay only a scant ten feet away from the Cavalier.
A close thing, this, he thought. Just a few more feet and I'd have been buried too.
He caught sight of the hilt of his sword, still stuck in the dragon's nose, and he limped across the snowy rocks to get it. It was stuck fast - a few tugs were needed - but as the blade slid free Tancred marvelled to see it once again glowed with the holy power of the gods.
Kneeling - because he both was overcome by awe, and because he lacked the strength to stand suddenly - he looked at the sky, and offered a prayer to Helm.
Thank you, he thought. Thank you for this.
If Helm heard, he gave no sign.
Slowly, Tancred got back up, and began to limp away, towards the woods in the distance.