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The dragon awoke to an alarm spell going off. It sighed. Another one. Why did humans have to bother dragons? Was there some unwritten rule?

The dragon sighed again and stood up. May as well get this over with. Blasted humans and all their shiny bits. They really should know by now that it was pointless. There was no way to harm a dragon, not with those silly little weapons. The dragon had heard some story about some knight somewhere that slew a dragon with naught but a lance, a sword, and a pure heart.

Yeah. Right.

Now? Everyone had to do it, it seemed. Nothing worse than a copy cat. Find your own legend to slay and leave the dragons alone, the dragon thought.

The dragon decided that the best bet was to simply walk out, knock the foolish being from its horse, allow it to run if it liked or just to kill it if it resisted.

Simple. Easy. Then the dragon could go back to sleep.

Perfect.

The dragon yawned as it lumbered out of its cave and stood at the entrance, stretching. Sure enough, the sound of hooves approaching rapidly. Another fool seeking out its death, the dragon muttered. As if human lives were not short enough. This one was approaching even more rapidly. An overeager fool at that. The dragon settled back to see what this idiotic knight would announce, who they were avenging, etc etc

After a moment, the knight road around the corner on its magnificent charger, lance held high, pennon snapping in the breeze. It was a picture out of a story book, at least that's what the dragon had heard as the dragon had never read one. It looked at the knight with a bored expression, waiting.

The knight stopped at the sight of the dragon standing there. It appraised the rather large beast, looking it over as it sat in the sun, staring back. Bright red scales fading to cream along its belly, white horns curving back from its head, all the classic aspects of dragonhood. The knight touched it's spurs to its charger and plunged forward

The dragon looked mildly surprised. No demands? No story? No lost honor to regain? Hands of princesses to be won? Treasure? Well, that suited the dragon fine. Less to listen to, quicker to sleep. The dragon waited for the knight to get close and casually stepped aside, flicking its tail out, knocking the knight off its horse easily. It sighed. They never did learn

The knight struggled on the ground for awhile before righting itself. It tried to get to its feet but cried out in pain and fell, evidently something wrong with its leg. The dragon sighed. Lovely. Now it would starve to death outside the liar and pollute the air with its decaying stench. Wonderful

The knight tried to get to its feet once more and screamed in pain again, falling. The dragon even winced a bit at that. It was a rather shrill noise. The dragon watched, wondering what to do, when the knight pulled off its helmet. Long blond hair cascaded down and a human female with piercing blue eyes looked at him

He started. What was this? A human female? All knights were male. What was going on here?

"Finish me, dragon! I cannot fight!" she spat, teeth gritted in pain

The dragon sighed and shook his head. "No."

"What?!'" she blurted.

"No. Not interested. Get to your horse, limp off, whatever. Not killing you."

"You can talk!"

The dragon shook his head. "Humans. Always obvious. Go," he said and walked back into his cave. Damned foolish business all of it

He awoke sometime later to the sounds of sobbing. He grumbled. Blast it all, why didn't she just leave? Crawl on three legs or just hang on to her horse or some such. Now she wouldn't shut up and he wasn't going to get to sleep with that constant racket. He sighed and lumbered outside

She was only a short distance away from where she had been knocked down. She sat, clutching her knee, and gritting her teeth, then would burst out sobbing. The dragon clicked in disgust. "Must you make that noise?"

She looked up at him with pure hate. "You shattered my knee!"

He shook his head. "No, you shattered. Did not have to come here."

"Yes, I did! You're a terror! A menace!"

The dragon snorted. "How?"

"Burning villages, stealing away maidens, robbing caravans!"

The dragon shook his head. "No."

"Yes!"

"No. Did not do any of that. Have not left here in many months and then only to find food or reagents. No interest in burning, killing. No."

"You lie!"

He shook his head. "No. No need to lie. Why bother? You would not care, truth or not, and you most likely die anyway, so what then is the point?" He sighed, and opened his jaws a few times and closed them. Human language never came easily to him.

She looked at the dragon and started to cry, trying to hold it back. Muffled sobs, falling by open weeping caused the dragon to flick his ears back and hiss in distaste. "Cease!"

"Shut up you worthless lizard! I'm hurt, going to die, you're going to let me, why shouldn't I weep?"

The dragon considered. "Your fault. Why weep?"

"It wasn't supposed to end this way!"

The dragon snorted. "Yes. I was to die. You take treasure, be important. Get nice husband, mate, pop out babies perhaps?"

She looked flustered. "None of your damn business!"

The dragon rumbled his amusement. "Not going to happen now, is it?"

"Damn you!"

The dragon shrugged. "I sleep. Die quietly, please."

The dragon tried to sleep but the woman's sobbing and weeping continued. This would not do. Not at all. The dragon huffed a sigh. He didn't want to kill her; that was very distasteful. Yet it could take weeks to die like this and he wasn't sure he could manage all the noise either. Frustrated, he walked out to find her laying on the ground, her face drawn tight with pain. She shifted her gaze to him and grunted. "Come to torment me some more?"

The dragon huffed. "How long will it take you to die so you are quiet?"

She laughed. "Dunno. Never done it before."

He growled. "Your noise is keeping me awake!"

"Yeah? So? Why do I care? You're leaving me to die, may as well get some revenge!"

He shook his head again. "You are the one who did this. You imposed. Now you are making my life more unpleasant."

"Oh, well that's too bad now ain't it? I'm dying. Cant be arsed to care. After all, what are you going to do, kill me? Get it over with."

He growled. "I do not kill unless needed."

"Well that's interesting. Why not?" she asked, her head swimming with pain

"It is distasteful. I would not take life unless protecting myself. Only humans run around destroying each other and liking it."

"Ha. Yes, but you'll watch me die won't you?"

"Only because you are here doing it."

"Only because you've killed me!"

"No. You did."

She laughed bitterly. "Perhaps me coming here did end my life. Perhaps this was a mistake. The longer I think about it, the more I think you're right about that. But you know what? You're the one who knocked me from my horse and shattered my knee. You say you don't want to kill, but you've killed me and not only that, you've killed me in a slow, agonizing, painful death. So how's that for distasteful?"

The dragon hissed in anger and she just laughed. "Oh yeah, get angry. Kill me. Come on you bastard! Put me out of my misery! Kill me you son of a bitch!"

The dragon raised his clawed hand and she just stared at him, defiant. He paused. There was something to what she said. There was something about her gaze, her defiance, her fearlessness that gave the dragon pause he lowered his claw. "What would you have me do?"

She looked surprised, then wary. "What does it matter? You're just waiting for me to die."

"What would you have me do, I asked."

She laughed again, still holding that bitter edge. "Get me out of my armor, splint my leg so it heals proper. Feed me and get me water, let me rest until I can hobble out of here. No idea what I'm doing after that. My fighting days are done

The dragon huffed a sigh. "Very well." He went to her and started to tug at her armor until she screamed and hit him on the snout He drew back, growling angrily

"You can't just pull it off like that! That hurts! You need to undo the buckles and take it off piece by piece!"

"My hands are hardly suited for this."

"Fine. Just hold me up so I can do it. Put your hand around me and support me while I undo all this crap."

The dragon considered for a moment, then carefully placed a hand around her. She swallowed nervously, but then started to work at the buckles and straps. It was awkward and took far longer then it should have, but she finally got the armor removed, nearly passing out in pain as the greaves dropped from he wounded leg, letting the bones shift.

He was about to let her go when she screamed. "No! Can't support...weight....carry me."

He growled. "Not carrying you anywhere."

"Then you are leaving me to die here. How honorable!"

He grumbled again and carefully took her into both hands. She screamed once as her leg was jostled, then whimpered in pain. He carefully walked her back into his lair, trying not to think about how his human felt sitting in his foreclaws.

He carefully sat her down on a pile of furs that he curled against when it was cold out. "This fine?"

"Yes," she said, voice taut with pain. "Now, get me some splints or bandages."

"What are those?"

"Just some sticks to hold my leg straight and some strips of cloth to behind it all together

The dragon huffed another irritated sigh and trundled off further into his cave. When he came back he carried some rough hewn boards in one hand with some old tattered remains of clothing in the other. She eyed them

"Thought you never raided."

"Did not. Found them here."

"Ah," she said. She took the boards and splinted her leg as best she could, wrapping it tightly, trying not to cry out the entire time. When she was done, she lay back and passed out.

He stood there, watching her sleep for some time, not quite understanding what he had done or why. Humans were trouble. Best this one left soon and if this was the way to do it then so be it. He settled himself down to drowse, hoping she would be healed by morning and gone.

He awoke to her trying to get back to her feet, falling and yelling in pain. "Not healed yet?" he huffed

"No, damn you, I'm not. It'll take weeks. Right now, I need to get to the privy"

"Do not know word."

"Toilet!"

He shook his head. "No"

"Damn it, dragon, where do you piss?"

He blinked. "Out in stream."

"Then you need to take me there unless you want me to piss all over your blankets!"

He grumbled. "Not carry you"

"Then I hope you like the smell of human piss!"

He growled. "Fine!" The dragon reached out and grabbed her up, causing her to yell in fight. He took her out to the stream and set her down, where she tumbled to the ground.

"You're an asshole!"

"Dragon."

"Same thing!"

She rolled to her feet as best she could and started to work at her clothing while the dragon grumbled, looking on. She just about had her trousers down and glared up at him. "A bit of privacy?"

The dragon snorted. "Why?"

"You don't need to be watching me piss!"

The dragon snorted again. "Why? Does not everyone do it?"

"Yes, but we don't stare at each other!"'

He rumbled and looked away and she quickly lowered them the rest of the way and tended to her business as best she could. She looked up to find him staring at her and she yelled in startlement. "Bastard!"

"Thought it was asshole."

"Same!"

He snorted. "Why do you have hair there?"

She turned bright, bright red. "None of your damn business! Now look away!"

He rumbled deep in his throat, laughing at her discomfort, but turned until she finished. "Carry you back, I assume?"

"No shit"

"No, you pissed."

"Bastard!"

He carried her back, rumbling off and on in amusement. Perhaps this was going to be more entertaining that he thought.

"Why?" the dragon asked, looking at the raw meat

"Because humans can't eat raw meat!"

"Seem foolish."

"Maybe so, but it's the way it is. Now, get a fire going so I can cook this before I starve. Nuts and berries are no way for a warrior to live."

The dragon snorted and blew out a short blast of flame, setting the logs to burning. The human started, then grinned at him. "Well, that's more like it! Light, heat, and cooked food. This is almost like home!"

The dragon grumbled "My home. You leave soon."

"Yeah, yeah, when I'm healed."

He huffed a sigh and settled himself down to watch her cook. He wouldn't admit it to her but he did find her to be fascinating, the way she moved, the things she needed. He had never really paid humans much mind outside of killing the odd knight here and there. They were, he had to admit, rather interesting little creatures

"There. All done," she said, sniffing at the meat approvingly. "Want some?"

"Not hungry"

"Try it anyway!"

He huffed a sigh. "No."

"Baby!"

He glared. "What?"

She laughed. "A big baby! Too scared to try some cooked human food? Poor little thing!"'

He snarled and snatched the bit from her hand, causing her to yell in startlement and jerk her hand back. He popped the food into his mouth, intent on just swallowing it, but then stopped, eyes wide.

This was rather amazing. Meat was always good, but cooking it, she called it, made it taste even better. He looked down to find her grinning at him. "See? Told you it's better."

He smiled tentatively back at her. "Need to learn this so I cook when you gone"

"I'l teach you."

And so she taught the dragon how to cook, how humans did things in general, and a lot though simply watching her. He found himself watching her often, even watching over her as she slept. He could not figure out why, however. She was human. She was a pest. She was an intruder and he'd be happy she was gone. He was sure of it. Quiet. Sleep. Good things. Not a human bumbling about, asking questions, wanting things, watching him.

Or petting his nose, talking to him, listening....

He settled back, watching her sleep, troubled.

"Dragon?"

"Yes? Good morning, you say?"

She gave him a half smile. "Yeah, that's what we say. Good morning to you, dragon."

He nodded. "Shall I get food for breakfast?"

She sighed. "No, not today."

He cocked his head. "Why not? Are you not well again?"

"No, dragon, I'm fine. Able to walk, get around with a bit of a hobble, but no pain anymore really."

"This is good. Not like carry you."

She laughed. "You protest a bit much." He growled, annoyed and she laughed again. "Well, you need to carry me to the valley below at least, so I can be on my way."

His heart went cold. "Leave?"

"Yeah. That was the deal. You got me well, I left when I could, and now I can. I'll be out of your hair, dragon."

"No hair!"

"Figure of speech."

He sighed, looking troubled as she gathered up her things. "Alright. Ready to carry me?"

He reached out his hands to her like he had countless times over the last few weeks. His mind went back to all the times he had carried her when she could not walk, supported her before she would fall, and even held to keep her warm when the winds came up. He swallowed hard and drew his hands back.

"Hey now, pick me up so we can get going!"

"No," he rumbled softly

"What do you mean, no? It's time for me to leave"

"No! Do not want you to leave. You stay with me."

She looked stunned. "What?"

He looked away. "Stay. You stay."

She looked confused. "After all the fussing you did about having a human about, how much noise I made and so on? No, you need me out of here."

"No! Need you here!"

She considered him for a long while. "And why is that, dragon?" she asked softly

He said nothing for a time, fidgeting. He finally whispered. "Lonely."

"What? The big tough dragon who wanted to sleep, to be left alone is lonely?" she said , laughing at him. "Oh, do tell! Dragons are solitary! Dragons are happy alone! You are annoying human!"

He glared at her and she took a step back at the tears in his eyes. "Lonely!"

She watched him for a long, long time, holding his gaze. "So you are," she said very softly. "As am I...." She trailed off. "You want me to stay?"

"Yes!"

"Just to keep you from being alone? Seems selfish."

He shook his head and moved closer to nuzzle her. "No. Not just alone. Like you."

"Like? That all?" she said teasing him

He growled. "Love."

"Was it so hard to say it?" she asked gently

"Yes!"

"But you did, finally."

"You stay now? I love you?"

She laughed. "Never planned on leaving, really."

He looked surprised. "You said you would leave!"

"And at first, that was true. Then I got to know you and you me. Then I saw you slowly fall in love with me and I....well, I admit, I rather like you too. Not love...not yet...but it could be, someday. And I'd like to find out if it could."

He looked at her then nuzzled her gently. "Stay then?"

"Yes dragon. Stay."