A/n: A request from iiQueenBii. I wasn't able to think of a good outpost or location in the game, so this is placed in nowhere specifically. I apologize beforehand if this was a crappy piece. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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~3rd Person POV~

"Please, you must help us!" The man begged, falling to his knees.

"This is quite outlandish behavior for a dragon," Ignis said.

"Yeah, they're usually peaceful unless provoked," Noctis said. "What exactly is happening?"

"That monster keeps terrorizing the town! It won't leave us alone!" The man shouts.

"Has the dragon killed anyone?" Prompto inquired.

"N-No, but-"

"How about destroying anything?" Gladio questioned.

"Um, no..."

Noctis raised a brow. "Then, How is it terrorizing the town?"

"It flies above and taunts us with its fire and roars. The children are scared and we can't stand for this any longer!"

"We're not taking up this hunt until we've proof," Noctis stated. Just then, a loud roar was heard in the distance. The boys turned and saw a dragon heading straight for them.

The beast carried something in its mouth before swooping in and dropping it gently down. They saw it was a young man it had dropped off. He ran over and latched onto Gladio. "You've gotta kill that damned thing! It almost ate me!"

"But she didn't," Gladio retorts, shoving the man off of him.

"How can you tell it's a 'she'?" Prompto wondered.

"The size," the shield responds.

The dragon landed just past the town limits and roared loudly. A group of townspeople charged out of town with weapons and targeted the beast. The boys ran after the deranged citizens to try and stop them from provoking such a dangerous creature.

"Hey!" Gladio yelled as a man fired a pistol at the dragon, causing her to wail in pain. The royal retinue thought she was going to attack, but she did the opposite. She took steps away from the people and hissed in warning.

While Noctis, Prompto, and Ignis dealt with the townspeople, Gladio gave his full attention to the dragon. She glared down at him, but he didn't back down. He's read countless of books about dragons and how to not provoke them. He stuck a hand out and the beast eyed him curiously. She lowered her head and just as his hand was about to make contact with her beautiful white scales, someone pulled the trigger and fired another round at the dragon. She cried out in pain and jumped away from Gladio before flying away.

The bodyguard was seething as he turned towards the townspeople and stormed over to the man who had shot her. He grabbed him by the collar and glared at him. "What the hell is your issue?!"

"That thing will kill us all!"

"She hasn't killed anyone! You bastards are the ones attacking her!"

"If you won't kill it, then we'll find another band of hunters to do the job!" A woman shouts from the crowd.

Noctis sighed, "We'll take the hunt."

Gladio faces the prince with disbelief written all over his face. "You can't be serious, Noct."

"I am. Where's her den?" The raven-haired boy asked.

"Just north of here. Her den is located in the Duscae region," an older man answered. Prompto and Ignis stared in shock as Noctis thanked him. Gladio was rooted to the spot as the townspeople retreated back home.

Once they were out of sight, Noctis explained his reasoning. "Let's find her and get the real story."

"What're you talking about, buddy? It's not like dragons can talk," Prompto exclaims.

"This isn't a normal dragon. She's a shifter. A real dragon would've killed everyone after being attacked. Let's go." Noctis, followed by the others, headed to the car and drove a little ways down the road.

Ignis pulled over when he saw signs of the dragon in the area. "Do exercise caution." They exit the Regalia and walk further into the dense woods of the Duscae region.

They walked straight until they reached a large den that was well-hidden by trees. Prompto had stepped on a thing and alerted the dragon of their presence. White scales glinted in the sun as the dragon emerged from her den. Her crimson eyes bore into them, sending a chill down all their spines.

Gladio, being the bravest, took a step forward. He stuck out his hand just like earlier and saw the hostility leave the beast. She lowered her head and allowed Gladio to place a hand on her muzzle. He watched as she closed her eyes and put her trust in him. "We want to know the real story," he said.

The dragon's eyes open slowly and she nods. In the blink of an eye, the dragon was replaced with a girl who had (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes. Gladio's hand that was once in the dragon's muzzle was now on top of the girl's head. She stared into his eyes, making the man smile. "What's really goin' on?"

"The man you were talking to-Gaiven-is sending men to try and collect my eggs. The man I brought back today was trying to steal them while I slept. Gaiven has been feeding the town lies. He tells them I'm a killer and needs to be killed. He even claimed I slaughtered a friend of his."

"Talk about a manipulative bastard," Noctis comments.

Gladio rubbed the top of her head. "What's your name?"

"(Y/n)," she smiles gingerly.

"Let's get Gaiven set straight."

(Y/n) tilted her head in confusion. "How will you do that?"

He removed his hand from her head and took her own. "With your help."

Her eyes widened in fear. "N-No! If I go there like this, they'll-!"

"I won't let them lay a finger on you, I promise."

(Y/n) stared into Gladio's amber eyes before answering. "Alright, I'll go with you." With their new tag-along, the boys head back to town to make sure everything was set straight.

When they returned, all the people were waiting eagerly of the news they brought with them. (Y/n) swallowed hard as she tried to hide in the backseat of the Regalia. Gladio took her hand and helped her out of the car so she wouldn't try to hide from the townsfolk.

"Where's Gaiven?" Noctis asked as they approached the large crowd.

The man stepped out of the throng of people and smiled. "Did you kill it?"

The prince glared harshly at him. "Hell, no! You're lying to these people!" He gestured to (Y/n) and the people looked at her. "She's done nothing wrong! You're the one who's been trying to steal her eggs!"

"Is that true?" An elderly woman asked.

"What-no! They're lying!" Gaiven bellows.

Gladio released (Y/n)'s hand and formed over to him. The shield grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him so he couldn't look away. "You better set this straight or I'll make sure (Y/n) gets to tear you to shreds herself for your actions, you bastard."

Gaiven shook in Gladio's grasp and his eyes darted to (Y/n). "I'm sorry! Don't let her kill me!"

"So, you did lie!" The crowd of people set their sights on Gaiven.

Gladio released the trembling man and kicked him towards the furious townsfolk. "He's all yours." Gaiven's jaw dropped to the ground as the people grabbed him and dragged the man away. The boys and (Y/n) watch as the townspeople were relentless towards the scheming scum.

"Glad that's over," Prompto sighs. "What're you gonna do now, (Y/n)?"

"I'll head back home. I can't leave my eggs unattended for too long."

Gladio patted her on the head. "If you need anything, we'll be around the area for awhile."

"Maybe we could come and visit," Noctis suggests.

(Y/n) smiles and nods. "I'd like that very much."