"As everyone knows, dragons are loaded. Even if you don't bring a gift, scoring a free feast is reason enough to stop for a bit in Black Town. What do you say, half-elf?"
The bar in Black Town was buzzing with chatter about the upcoming event. Soone turned to Jenkins, who was sitting quietly to the side. He imdiately nodded and declared he was a huge fan of anything free, a sentint that earned a loud chorus of approval.
The dragon hadn't carried the princess off by force. On the contrary, the king of so distant, minor nation had proposed the union for political reasons. So, while Jenkins wondered what a dragon could possibly gain from marrying a human, the marriage was, in fact, perfectly legitimate.
Aside from the "dragon-slaying hero"—whose current whereabouts were a mystery—everyone in town was eagerly awaiting the wedding. The streets were already being adorned with decorations, and shops along the main thoroughfares were preparing for the influx of well-wishers from all over.
This was an age where supernatural beings still road freely, and the material world was a patchwork of small, fragnted nations. Thanks to a rare combination of traits—literacy, supernatural abilities, and elven blood—Jenkins, despite being a stranger, had managed to secure excellent lodgings in town.
The story's central conflict was supposed to be between the dragon and the dragon slayer, which, on the surface, had little to do with the town itself. But Jenkins didn't believe things could be that simple. In the ti leading up to the wedding, he worked tirelessly to gather information.
Supernatural power was incredibly abundant in this era. Not only were otherworldly creatures and adventurers a common sight, but Jenkins had even found a recruitnt flyer for a magical academy on the table in his inn room.
This flourishing of supernatural power had led to a degree of chaos, but under the watchful eye and intimidating presence of the dragon lord, the town maintained a high level of civilization.
On the afternoon before the wedding, Jenkins witnessed the dragon lord himself spread his wings and take flight from his castle on the hill, soaring eastward over the town. The gust of wind from his passage drew gasps of awe from the people in the streets. From what Jenkins knew of dragons, it was unquestionably a silver dragon in the pri of its youth.
While this world might not follow the strict alignnt classifications for tallic dragons found in so tales, history and legend both painted silver dragons as a benevolent and orderly race. This, to so extent, confird that the story's account was largely credible: the crisis at the wedding wouldn't be caused by the dragon, but by the young "dragon slayer" who was expected to pop out of nowhere.
However, by the morning of the wedding, Jenkins still hadn't seen anyone matching the description of the young man from the story arrive in town. He worried he might have missed a key figure, or perhaps the young "dragon slayer" would only make his entrance during the ceremony itself.
Either way, his suspicions demanded that he attend the wedding and wait for events to unfold. The risk of missing everything was too great otherwise.
"Then again," he thought, "if the 'dragon slayer' never shows up and nothing happens, wouldn't that be for the best? No, that wouldn't do. If the story doesn't play out, how am I supposed to return to the 18th Epoch?"
The dragon lord was exceptionally generous, holding the banquet in the courtyard of his own castle and welcoming anyone who ca in good faith. Because the castle was built to a dragon's scale, it felt spacious even with the massive crowds pouring in.
The dragon's lizardfolk steward, leading a retinue of servants, greeted wedding guests at the entrance to the path leading up the mountain. He also accepted gifts on the lord's behalf.
Showing up empty-handed to freeload was sothing only a select few could pull off without sha. Jenkins saw that most people were carrying gifts. He'd briefly considered just picking up a rock to pass off as a present, but the thought felt too undignified. Instead, he bought so cheap materials and crafted a stone that glowed with light. Its supernatural properties made it a respectable, if not extravagant, offering.
Upon entering the dragon's castle, he discovered it was even grander than it appeared from the outside. Towering walls stood so high they didn't block the sunlight from the courtyard, where celebratory guests milled around long tables laden with food, loudly offering their congratulations to the yet-unseen dragon.
The wedding was scheduled to begin at noon, but as the sun reached its zenith, Jenkins still hadn't spotted the "dragon slayer." The other protagonist of the wedding, however, did make a brief appearance—the princess from the remote duchy. She was a beautiful girl in the bloom of youth and didn't look the least bit distressed about marrying a dragon.
Jenkins, blending in with the crowd, spared her a single glance before losing interest and turning to resu his search for the missing young man.
The princess's brother was also present as a guest. Before the ceremony, he gave a speech to the crowd, the gist of which was that his duchy and Black Town would maintain friendly relations henceforth.
The dragon only appeared after the prince had finished his speech. Given its enormous size, it didn't fully enter the courtyard but instead peeked out from behind a towering side turret, extending a friendly welco to the various races in attendance before announcing that the feast could begin.
Jenkins had no idea what a wedding ceremony in this era entailed, but he was fairly certain it didn't involve slaughtering the guests. Just as the silver dragon lord was pulling his head back, about to return to the massive hall behind the turret, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky. Seconds later, several orange fireballs rained down, hurtling toward the castle courtyard.
The castle's defensive enchantnts flared to life, intercepting the fireballs. From behind the clouds, other dragons erged, beating their wings as they dove downward. Amid the startled cries of the guests, the silver dragon—still wearing its ceremonial wreath—shot into the sky with a furious roar, ready to et the attackers. Realizing what was happening, the guests imdiately turned to flee the castle.
But this was a preditated assault. In addition to the three old dragons above the castle, dozens more were waiting over Black Town, ready to "welco" anyone who escaped. The sight of so many dragons forming a dense, dark mass that blotted out the sky was a spectacle unique to this era. Jenkins was certain he would never witness anything so magnificent—or terrifying—again.
The silver dragon lord had his own servants and guards, and the wedding guests included more than a few powerful adventurers. In an instant, the celebration turned into a warzone. Ordinary folk had nowhere to hide and could only retreat back into the silver dragon's courtyard, rushing into the lord's great hall in a desperate attempt to survive. Swept along by the panicked crowd, Jenkins was carried into the dragon's stately ho, where he saw the princess attempting to restore order.
She looked rattled, but as one of the hosts, she did her best to soothe the people, urging them not to panic. Though the silver dragon lord was ultimately responsible for this disaster, the guests hadn't yet been completely blinded by fear. They obediently followed the princess's directions, moving deeper into the hall to await the outco of the battle raging outside.
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