Side note: Ok so final fantasy has dragoons, but my version is different, if anything I’m borrowing the name bc I couldn't think of anything better than dragon/lizard-people

Also, this doesn’t fit the plot exactly buuuuuuut it’s close enough?

The field was filled with bodies crashing against one another. Men and women on horses, on feet, war dogs nipping at their heels. Those filthy dragoons in their heavy armor shoved their ways through the line of elves. The dragoons were the cause of this war. They were prideful and boastful. They decorated their full-body armor like dragons, embossed scales and horns decorated their chest plate with wings carefully hammered into their backs. Their helmets showed the fire of the dragon hearts, angry dragon heads with sharp teeth and swirling horns, those in power had long manes that whipped in the wind of battle. Their avarice disposed of any rationality in their brains as they tirelessly conquered lands. This time they were trying to take elven lands, but the elves were smart and war conditioned people. They would not release their land.

Alice was an established archer amongst her elven brethren. She had long mastered the skill of mounted archery and was especially keen in eyesight. Though young, she was able to pick out cracks in the outlandish dragoon armor and shoot their weak points. In battle she was nearly unmatched.

“TRAP THEM AGAINST THE HILLS! KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE FORESTS AND HOLD YOUR GROUND!”

The orders were shouted, and the mounted cavalry shot into action. Bows armed and arrows flying. Alice and her companions steered their horses into the fray, pushing the league of dragoons back near the cliffs. Elven words were shouted in the air, no longer sounding beautiful and smooth but harsh and dangerous. Alice avoided an axe to her horse and swerved out of formation, another mounted archer quickly taking her place. Well trained in the strategies of her people, she quickly circled around. She guided her horse closer to the edge of the cliffs to block the dragoons from escaping. However, she quickly found herself in the midst of her own battle. Her horse was hit by a renegade dragoon, throwing her off her mount and nearly off the cliff. Alice caught herself quickly and rolled out of the way of another dragoon’s spear. She tore a dagger from her belt and weaved beneath the soldier’s spear and slid it through an opening under his arm. The dragoon fell with a grunt. Alice quickly spun to face the other dragoon. This one had glorious armor decorated like the man himself was a dragon. His helmet gleamed red and the dragon depicted on seemed to blow fire straight from his mouth. Two slits where the dragon’s pupils would be showed the glimpse of the man inside. Alice met his dark eyes with her light ones, instantly glaring and crouching into a defensive position. The dragoon lifted his massive sword and began to circle her.

It was like there was no noise around them. Not even their own heavy breaths could disrupt them. Dark eyes met light in a dangerous battle. The two circled like animals, ready to fight to the death. There was no warning, no thought, not signal when the lunged into action. Their weapons clashing in the middle. It was like a dance, Alice with her stealth and lithe body able to slip under or around the dragoon’s strong blows. They fought dangerously near the edge, nearly stumbling over many times. They were both confident in their abilities, though they had both severely miscalculated each other.

In one harsh clash they found themselves tumbling, both bodies recoiling from the other’s strength. They fell and rolled, unable to catch themselves. Alice quickly felt the ground vanish beneath her as her body was thrown from the cliff, though it seemed like the dragoon was banished to the same fate. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable caress of the rushing river beneath the cliff.

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Alice felt consciousness surging from within her body. Harsh coughs pushed through her lungs as she abruptly sat up, only to immediately roll over into her hands and knees. Alice heaved after she had expelled the water from her lungs, taking a moment to fill her lungs with oxygen instead. Her whole body hurt, minute aches in her head and deep in her muscles. Eventually she had regained enough strength to move back into a sitting position. She looked down at herself to find she had somehow washed up on the bank of a gentler part of the river. Her clothes were ripped and muddy, stained by blood and dirt. Some of her armor had been ripped from her body, her silver chest plate seemed to be missing along with one arm of bracers. Alice briefly checked herself, relieved to only find a few scratches and a lot of bruises but nothing in serious need.

Seeming herself for to move, Alice slowly stood up and began to walk along the bank in hopes of finding her lost items. In the distance she saw the glint of metal hiding behind a rock. Picking up her pace, Alice hobbled around rocks to the shine. Yet, instead of finding her own armor she found his-the dragoon's horrendous helmet, spitting dragon looking more crumpled than terrifying. Alice groaned and picked up the dented metal, looking around to find its owner. She couldn't let him get away. They were deep into elven territory. Growing up running through these forests and river, Alice knew exactly where she was, and she knew that if that dragon was still alive he was exactly too close to home. Using her enhanced eyesight, Alice scanned the surrounding trees and bank for the man. He wasn't too hard to find with his bulky armor catching the warm days of the setting sun. He was down stream with half his body still in the water, armor most likely taking in water and anchoring him to the bank.

Alice felt around her body hoping to find one of her weapons, but she felt nothing. She groaned and picked up a rock, it had been rounded by the water, but it was all she had to protect herself. Slowly, Alice stalked over to the dragoon's prone body. Her lithe form was taut despite her aches and pains, adrenaline serving to ready herself for anything. Yet, when she got close to the soldier it appeared he was unconscious. Warily, Alice dropped her posture and crouched near him, but out of reach. She looked down at his exposed face and nearly gasped. She was definitely not expecting that.

The man beneath the suit was almost normal looking. The elves had always been told that dragons were ugly, brutish creatures with snake-like skin and pointed features like the dragons on their helms. This man looked nothing like that. He was tanner than elves, but not dark like the snakes that slithered on the forest floor. He had no scales, only a faint discoloration on his face, decorative circles like pseudo red scales that sprinkled the side of his face from his temples to the base of his cheekbones. His hair was black and silky, cropped close to his head. The strangest part was his eyes, large green irises filled with flecks of yellows and brighter greens and pupils slitted like a dragon.

Alice met the dragoon's gaze, both of their eyes widening in realization. Alice yelped and jumped back while the dragoon let out a shriek and a groan. Alice perched herself on a rock and eyed the dragoon warily. He had tried to jerk way from her as well, but stopped short. He now was hunched over his legs, hands tugging at the links on his greaves. Huffing groaning in frustration, the dragoon ripped off his gauntlets and tore his plate from his body. Water rushed down his body, finally freed from the restricting metal.

Curiously, Alice gazed at the man unable to keep herself from asking, “What are you doing?”

The dragoon froze, slitted pupils darting over to her before silently going back to trying to remove his armor.

“Is this your surrender?” Alice asked, sitting up a little taller.

The man was making himself defenseless in front of her! What else could he possibly be doing?

A low growl came from the dragoon’s mouth and Alice realized maybe he was a little more dragon-like than he looked. She watched as the man finally tore the plate of metal from his shin, the action causing him to let out a pained shout. It was then that she realized he was injured. Alice hopped off the rock and hovered over the dragoon’s back to see the wound. It was deep and bleeding bright red like the color of fire. She was almost amazed had it not looked so disturbing. The dragoon huffed tiredly, his shoulder moved with every breath he took, and it seemed like he was barely hanging on to his consciousness.

“I can fix that for you.”

Alice did not know why she offered, but something about the man intrigued her. When she looked into his eyes on the battlefield she felt charged. At first, she thought it was from the adrenaline of war, but upon the second-time gazing into those green eyes, she knew it was something else.

The dragoon paused, breath stilling. He did not turn his head, but rather dropped it, “Why?”

His voice was deep and hoarse. It had a husky edge to it that sounded like smoke and a heat to it like flame.

“I-” Alice trailed off; she didn’t know why. He just knew that when she looked at his eyes she couldn’t turn away.

“I know how to heal,” Alice settled. She shifted closer to the man, “Let me see.”

The dragoon’s posture tensed when she came near, but soon let his shoulders drop. He carefully picked up his leg and pulled it out of the water. Fiery blood seeped from the wound and the dragoon winced. Alice nearly did the same in sympathy for the man.

“What is your name?” Alice asked quiet as she hovered over the man’s leg.

“Why?” He repeated.

“Is that the only word you know?” Alice asked tersely, poking to wound to make him wince, “I figure if we’re not going to kill eacother we may as well know each other’s names.”

“Jackson, at least in the common tongue,” the dragoon relied.

“So, he does speak,” Alice smiled before moving her hands over the wound, “You may want to hold onto something. This may hurt.”

Alice closed her eyes and focused on Jackson. She sensed his being, the warm blood that ran through his body. His dragon’s heart pumping within his chest. She focused on the cycle of balance from within his body and the break cause by the wound. Soon her hands began to glow, and the wound began to heat up. At this point an elf would have cried out in pain, yet she heard nothing from Jackson. When she opened her eyes again, the sun had set completely, leaving the sky in a shade of midnight blue chased by inky black. The stars had already begun to shine and the moon greeted them from over the horizon.

Alice turned to look at Jackson and gasped as their gazes met. His bright green eyes glinted in the moonlight, reflective like an animal. Yet the motion in them surprised her the most. He did not look angry or terrifying like she had heard. They were not hardened and concentrated as she had seen on the battlefield. They were almost soft, yet focused on her own face. His pupils had widened so that their shape did not look slitted anymore.

“I-it’s done,” Alice stuttered, moving away from the man’s leg.

“Thank you,” Jackson replied, voice warm and comforting like a fire on a cold winter’s night.

“Did you not feel any pain?” Alice asked out of curiosity, “Normally the heat becomes unbearable and sometimes burns the skin.”

Jackson gave her an incredulous look and rolled his ankle for good measure, “Uh, I’m kind of a dragoon?”

“Well, yeah. What does that have to do with-holy mother Valar you’re not burnt,” Alice gasped and grabbed the man’s ankle to inspect it closer. His skin felt warm to the touch and a little rough around where the closed wound was.

“I have fire literally running through my blood,” Jackson supplied, “It’d be a pretty painful existence if I couldn’t stand a little heat.”

“I-I did not know that.” Alice blinked up at Jackson.

“Are all elves this dumb?” He asked sarcastically, “Do you know anything about dragoons?”

“They’re brutish fiends that have the hearts of dragoons and the greed to match,” Alice replied coldly.

“Well then, thin one, elves must all be pompous brats too high on their horses to come down and see the real world for what it is,” the dragoon smirked.

“Don’t calling me that!” Alice groaned.

“Until you provide me with an alternative, you’re just thin one to me,” the dragoon huffed.

“Alice,” she spoke quietly.

The dragoon laughed, surprising Alice. It sounded like wet wood popping in a hot fire and held the warmth of low embers.

“I suppose I don’t know much…” Alice muttered, eyes downcast.

Jackson suddenly looked sympathetic, “I could say the same...You seem much more hospitable than we have been told at home.”

“You seem a lot more humane than I have been told…” Alice replied, “How about we get out of the water though?”

She stood up and held her hand out to the dragoon. He gave her a small smile and allowed her to help lift him of the ground. Alice led him into the woods. She knew exactly where she was, having run around these woods her entire life. She led Jackson silently through the dark woods to an area where she knew patrolling elves would not go. By the time the mon reached high in the sky, Alice had convinced the dragoon to hold kindling and sticks for a fire. She later arranged them into a pile and helplessly tried to light it with some rocks. The dragoon just chuffed at her failed attempts. Eventually she grew frustrated with the man and snapped.

“Alright then dragon heart, if you would rather freeze overnight then be my guest!” Alice growled and threw the rocks down in surrender.

“That’s not going to happen,” the dragoon rolled his eye, “I may have fire in my blood, but it does not come out of my mouth.”

Alice groaned and dropped her head to her chest, “What else is there that I don’t know?”

Jackson just laughed and helped light the fire. Alice was rather disappointed to find that he did it in the same way she had failed to do so. Despite his birth element being fire, no, Jackson could not breathe fire. It was under the moon that Alice learned a lot more about dragoon society and Jackson learned elven culture. She learned many things, like how Jackson did not need and external fire to keep warm because the fire in his blood kept him warm and if Alice sat close enough, it would keep her warm too. Alice found herself intrigued by all she learned and before she knew it she found herself falling for a warm culture and bright green eyes. She only hoped that whatever outcome came from the war that she could keep Jackson by her side.