If it was any other dragon, she wouldn't be worried that it was a pointed attack and would've just fended the dragon off with everyone's help but it was a red dragon, the same dragon that sat on the roof of the Duke's Mansion. If it was there, then Fredrich definitely knew she was alive.
"Madaline!"
The fairy appeared in a nick of time and saw the humongous creature almost immediately. Without question, she enveloped the whole desert stork in a green barrier. In response, the dragon spat fire at the barrier but was unable to break it with just that.
"Is that a…..fairy?" Marvis asked in amazement. Everyone else was staring at her as well. They couldn't possibly know it wasn't an ordinary fairy but the fairy mother herself but there was no need to broadcast it.
"I'm sorry for calling you here like this Madaline but I need that."
{Are you sure that is what you want? You worked hard to get it.}
"It's fine, I can always get another one. Just do it."
Madaline nodded, disappearing. A green light flashed in Natalia's hand and a blue fruit appeared in her hand. She turned to Mavis.
"Can you throw this into one of the nostrils of the dragon? This should drive it away," she said, placing it in his hands. He stared at her, dumbfounded.
"How exactly do you expect me to do something like that?!"
"You're a werewolf. I have faith in you," she said, conveying her absolute faith in her eyes. Her eyes and the eyes of the other passengers bothered him. He finally rose and decided to do it, slipping through the barrier easily.
The dragon attacked immediately on sight, blasting fire at him. He evaded with precision, landing on top of the dragon. As the passengers cheered, Natalia shook her head. If there is anything someone should know about dragons, it's that they are not to be ridden either domestic or wild.
The dragon turned, shaking him off. Everyone gasped as he fell to the ground. Natalia face palmed, waiting for him to come back up. When he did, face full of dust, they cheered again.
{What is he doing?}
"No clue. I thought he would be able to do something as easy as sticking a fruit up a dragon's nostrils."
{He could get fried to a crisp you know}
"Only if he were human."
{Do you want me to help him out?}
"No. You can easily become the dragon's target. Stay invisible until I need you again. People are already giving me suspicious looks for having a fairy with me. I suspect we would be attacked by someone."
Marvis was still having a hard time doing something that Natalia thought to be simple. The passengers watching suddenly realized they couldn't see him anymore. The ones who could, which were a select few, saw that he had become faster, his features becoming more wolf-like. He was finally taking the fight serious, his claws digging into the dragon's almost impenetrable hide for stability. The dragon roared and thrashed around to get rid of him to no avail.
He finally got the opportunity to stuff the fruit up one of the nostrils of the dragon. It was an unusual request but as she put her unwavering faith in him, he did the same, retreating back into the barrier. Before he could ask why she did something like that, he saw her eyes glowing green, her lips moving. He decided not to interrupt her and watch what happened.
Before their eyes, the large dragon disappeared. She sat again, breathless. Everyone stared dumbfounded, a myriad of questions on their lips. They backed off when they saw Marvis's glare. He patted her back comfortingly, offering her a water pouch. She shook her head and opened her palm. In her hands was a small metal pendant in the shape and color of a red dragon. His eyes widened in shock.
"H-How?"
"Secret," she smiled, placing a finger on her lips. He decided there and then that she was just as unfathomable as she was capable. With the dragon gone, they could finally journey in peace. Well, relative peace. Everyone kept piercing them with their stares until they reached the disembarkment point of the Berden Pass. After reaching the disembarkment point, they disappeared before anyone could find them.
The mountain range of Polivia was as daunting as expected. It would take them a few days' journey to get across it to reach Polivia itself. It would've been easier to travel with people familiar with the mountain range but for the both of them, it would be best if they stayed out of sight.
"What do you plan to do with the red dragon?" He asked as they began their journey through the mountain range. Natalia normally wouldn't answer but she knew he was just trying to make small talk.
"If I can't tame it, I would like to see what dragon stew tastes like," she said, looking at the metal pin. The pendant shook but it felt unreal. But turning a red dragon into a metal pendant was unreal in the first place. Marvis was horrified to hear her answer.
"Dragons may be a non-human race but they still take on human forms. Are you the type of person that is interested in tasting non-human gourmet food?" He shivered, maintaining a safe distance from her.
"What are you on about? Weren't you the one that asked me what I wanted to do with the dragon? What's wrong with eating a big lizard?"
"Y-You're very scary, Lia."
"Says the person able to battle a dragon fairly easily."
"It wasn't easy! Falling down hurt a lot and I got dizzy from being spun around like that!"
"People would normally complain about being burnt to a crisp while fighting a dragon but you're worried about being dizzy? Must be nice to be so strong."
"That's not the point!"
Natalia chuckled, tossing the pendant into her bag. She found a suitable cave for them to stay and made them settle in there for the night. While Marvis set up, she wrote a letter to Sebastian. She wanted to get there before his wedding and tell him about her journey. She was excited to see him again. After she was done writing it, she sent it with magic. She turned back to see Marvis had set everything up and was tending to what was over the fire.
"If you can send letters like that, I'm really curious as to who you really are," he said, handing her a plate of steaming soup.
"I mean, you pull things out of thin air, you can easily teleport without a magic item and you can turn a dragon into a pendant. You are walking around with a fairy! Are you a god?"
"I wouldn't wish that fate upon my worst enemy. I'm not a god but I can't tell you who I am just yet. If you're patient until we get to Polivia, I would tell you who I am. That is, if you're willing to listen to my story after telling you who I am."
"I'm curious about what is making you go all this way. Although with a dragon clearly after you, I would say it has to be one hell of a story. I'm more patient than I appear so don't worry, I will hear you out. You can sleep first after eating. I'll keep watch."
In her chest, there was a sort of pleasantness that arose after hearing his words. After living in the cutthroat world of high nobility and surviving her hellish matrimonial home, it was nice to see someone like Marvis. It felt too good to be true and that is why she didn't want to ruin it until she was safely reunited with her brother.
"Thank you," she mumbled, hiding her face behind the bowl. He smiled, rising from where he sat. He walked out and soon, she couldn't feel his presence nearby.
"Madaline."
The fairy mother finally made herself visible, circling the cave.
{He's a rather gullible one, isn't he?}
"I mean, I did save his life. He must trust me to some extent seeing as I bear no ill will. I wonder if his mind would change once he finds out."
{Why are you worried about something like this when your magic is almost fully depleted? I warned you against teleporting so many times. You need to get to a safe place for me to be able to start the ritual. Please be more careful with your body, Natalia}
"I used it when it was necessary. We would reach Polivia in a few days provided there are no incidents. Don't worry too much about me, Madaline. This life that you saved, I would treat it preciously," she promised. Madaline sighed and disappeared.
Yes, provided everything went well, they would be safely out of the mountain range and would enter Polivia in a few days. However, with her experience, Natalia knew that it could never be that simple.