That night the late winter snows closed the mountain passes leading from the valley. Mikhail and Spirit found themselves confined to the hospitality of Altai Village.
And what hospitality! For the villagers were quick to welcome the famous dragon hunter and his stallion with bonfires and roasted meats, winter games and long conversations filled with laughter.
Mikhail was quick to repay their kindness in turn. He repaired snow-damaged roofs and chopped enough firewood to last two winters. When the village children accidentally awoke a wild forest demon, the noble knight and his stallion drove it away, never to return. And each evening, Mikhail stood guard atop the village's church tower long into the night, sharp sword and bright shield in hand, awaiting the arrival of the dragon.
But weeks of winter passed and no dragon came.
So it happened one night, as Mikhail gazed up at the starry sky in impatient frustration, that he received a visit from Princess Aruzhan. He had leaned against the tower railing and reached for his first ashroom since arriving in Altai Village when he spied her from the corner of his eye. She stood at the far end of the tower railing in a long, thickly-padded jacket.
“So this is why you return so late to my father's workshop each night.” Aruzhan smiled sweetly and approached the knight. “There are many people here who would gladly help you keep watch for your dragon.”
“Long have I hunted this beast,” Mikhail replied nobly, grateful to finally have things to say. The knight knew a great deal about dragons, after all. His dark eyes filled with determination as he sheathed his sword. “It is my quest, and my responsibility to bear.”
“They are fearsome, awful creatures,” Aruzhan agreed. Her hazel eyes flickered with an understanding that Mikhail had seen in many burned villages on his long journey.
“You yourself have been attacked by a dragon before?” Mikhail asked gently as he looked down at her .
“When I was a child,” the princess explained quietly. “A great fiery serpent learned of my father's kingdom and all its wealth. It set our town ablaze one moonless night before anyone could recognize the danger. Though the spreading fire trapped me in my room, my father broke through and carried me to safety. He has always taken care of me,” she smiled. Gracious princesses always find reasons to honor their parents, after all.
“Your father might not think it safe for you to be up here where I await yet another dragon.” Mikhail felt his face grow red as he spoke. Knights can't help but be overly protective at times.
“Oh, I always let him know when I climb the tower to watch the northern lights.” Aruzhan gestured at the glowing bands of green and blue and white that began to dance in the sky over the snow-capped mountains like heavenly waves.
“Many nights I watched the night sky in my own land to the south,” Mikhail spoke after many long minutes, “but we never had such beautiful sights as these.” He stared in wonder as the soft lights ebbed and flowed over the darkened valley. “You have an eye for the beautiful, Aruzhan Yerlanovna.”
“And what do you watch for in your own night sky, Mikhail Andreyevich?” Aruzhan asked politely as she rested her gloved hands next to Mikhail's on the tower railing.
Mikhail pointed with his polished gauntlet to the north. “You see the bright star at the horizon, princess, just above tallest mountain peak? That is the Polar Star. All other lights in the heavens move to and fro, but the Polar Star remains fixed and constant. It reminds me to hope, to be faithful and true in all that I do.”
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