A friend in need

The approaching army obviously had dragon knights training, thought Tiamat. As he circled above them in the sky he recognized their riding formation.

All of the men were plainly dressed and devoid of colors so it was hard to tell just which side they represented until the man leading the charge opened his mouth and yelled.

"Campbell! A Campbell!" shouted Torque.

He wanted these cutthroats to know who killed them before he sent them to an early grave.

Torque's sword flashed like quicksilver under the refraction of the glistening noon sun.

He returned to the watchtower to land and told the guards, "not to worry. They are not our enemies."

Tiamat recognized the man he was proud to call friend and ordered the drawbridge to be lowered.

He remembered the first time he met Torque they were both newly made dragon knights fighting in their first crusade on behalf of the dragon King.

The man wore the latest in fashion under his armor, burgundy velvet embellished with ruby and garnet stones.

He was tiring even as he fought brashly against the enemies upon a stunning reddish brown chestnut destrier.

Torque had been overconfident even then and had been ambushed by the enemies. Any man would have been envious of the clothing Torque wore and it was no surprise that he was attacked by the enemy hoping to take the pure silver chainmail he wore.

He fought well but without help he would soon be overpowered by the eight men surrounding him.

Four of the men were on foot while the bloodthirsty remainder were on horseback and determined to cut the dragon lord down.

Tiamat didn't hesitate to jump in and help the stranger, he kept his face covered with the visor from his helmet down to keep his identity concealed.

So that if any of the enemies managed to make it out alive they wouldn't be able to retaliate in the future because they wouldn't know who rescued their victim.

He cut down the first soldier then swerved to the right and swung his sword in a wide merciless arc.

Used the claws on his left hand to rip out another villain's jugular causing blood to splatter everywhere.

Tiamat ignored the gurgling sounds of his enemy with a smile on his face as he and the knight fought back to back to get rid of the one's on horseback.

Seeing their comrades falling, their adversaries began to make beginner mistakes and Tiamat took advantage of their shortcomings.

He slashed at the hind legs of the horses bringing down another and the horse reared from the pain and unseated his master who flung against a tree and broke his neck.

With the two of them fighting in unison the other three remaining rogues on horseback did not stick around after the last horse man died instead they fled the scene in fear.

"Any serious injuries?" Tiamat asked curiously.

"Nothing that a little rest and relaxation wouldn't fix. Thanks to you I live to fight another day," replied the stranger while he pulled off his helmet.

He wiped off his right hand on the dark velvet before reaching out to shake Tiamat's hand, "I am Torque Campbell, Duke of Argyll.

"I am Tiamat Thorton, just a regular knight at your service."

"No need to be formal with me. I owe you my life and a lifetime of gratitude.

Torque was so happy to be alive his eyes glowed with a healthy amount of exuberance.

He was definitely a lady killer with those smoky gray eyes and blonde hair that could not be contained under the helmet.

A muscular physique most men would envy as Torque looked to be in peak condition with no flab to be seen anywhere on his body.

After accepting the outstretched hand he questioned the young man.

"Tell me why you were out there in the field fighting by yourself, where are your men?" he inquired of Torque.

"I left my party behind at the campsite not too long ago. I thought this area was pretty safe to go for a nature walk when I was attacked by those brigands and got lost in these woods," exclaimed Torque.

Tiamat nodded his head at his explanation, both men were still breathing heavily from the huge amount of energy they just expended.

"You are bleeding," said Tiamat pointing to the gash on Torque's left arm. "Come with me, I'll get you stitched up in no time."

"By chance was your father Lord Azmat?"

Tiamat gaped.

"Did you know my father?" he asked incredulously.

"Your father was highly favored by the king and beloved by the court. I heard he had a son that chose to shun court life but I never thought in a million years our paths would cross. This must be fate since you appeared at a time when I needed help the most. Someday I hope you will allow me to return the favor," replied Torque fervently.

"Yes, my father was an honorable man. There is no need to put such a shackle on your honor, just tell me all you know about my father and I would consider the debt many times repaid."

Lord Azmat was a busy and mysterious man who was always away from home being the younger one, Tiamat never got to spend as much time with him as he would have liked.

He envied his older brother Jabez for being able to have sit down conversations with their father, that was something lost to both of them when their father suddenly passed away.

Tiamat didn't like to think about Jabez much when he was younger he did everything in his power to get his older brother to love him, when that seemed to be impossible he settled for his attention instead doing ridiculous pranks.

Instead of his brother's admiration for his pluck and intelligence he got his enmity and so Tiamat gave up on that task of earning his brother's affections and just left him alone.

After that it was hard to get rid of Torque who somehow always managed to show up no matter where in the world Tiamat went.

The two were lifelong friends and trusted each other completely; they swore that nothing could come in the way of their friendship until Torque first laid eyes on Fiona.