And they all lived happily ever…
The heavy foot falls of the Whites were all that filled the night air as the four rode across the Florin country side. Buttercup still wore her silky white dress but it no longer resembled the once beautiful wedding gown she had "wedded" Prince Humperdinck in earlier that evening; now it was a torn and dirty piece of clothing. Her arms tightened around Westley's waist at the thought of the horrid man and she felt the man chuckle quietly, "We can't stop now; they are still tracking us." Buttercup nodded mutely and as if summoned by the simple phrase, the group heard another group of horses galloping behind them, "Halt in the name of the king!"
Inigo and Fezzik pulled on the reins of their horses, successfully halting the creatures, "Westley, go on! We'll hold them off!" Inigo shouted as Westley started to stop. Buttercup opened her mouth to argue, but the look in the men's eyes as they prepared themselves for the battle, cut her off before she even spoke. Her love nodded in understanding and clicked his tongue, urging the horse on. As the two got farther and farther away, the less and less Buttercup could see of her friends. Then suddenly, Westley stopped and, looking back, Buttercup understood immediately.
There was a dragon.
Buttercup had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but when her blue eyes reopened on the battle seen, she was not mistaken. It was a dragon! Not the make believe, storybook nonsense! A real, honest to goodness, dragon! It stood at least ten stories high and was as wide as a cliff face. It was a beautiful sight to behold. The creature had scales that shone like individual rubies and obsidians in the moonlight and wide wings that seemed to pierce into the black nothingness of the night sky. The dragon blew waves of fire at the Florin royal guards and the cries and screams seemed to weave into her ears, searing forever into her mind. The putrid smell of burning flesh floated on the wind towards the watching couple and Buttercup put a dirty sleeve to her face. Westley cringed and wrinkled his nose at the scent. When the fire was done and the last screaming man was subdued, the dragon turned to Fezzik and Inigo. The giant cheered and patted the creatures' muzzle. The couple had ridden back to the battle grounds to witness the exchange and question it extensively.
Fezzik explained that when he had awoken after his fight with Westley, he had found refuge in a cave. That specific cave belonged to the dragon of Guilder, who had so enjoyed the giants' company, that he had awarded him with a golden whistle, one that would summon the dragon to his aid anytime he needed. After thanks were received, the creature spread its beautiful wings and gracefully soared into the night sky, back to its cave.
Buttercup smiled in the direction that the dragon had flown in and shouted a promise; that they would visit soon. The four runaways all shared a secret smile as they mounted their steeds and rode off into the early morning sunrise.