Chapter Text
You knew you should’ve left your uncle’s deteriorating castle when you still had the chance.
You were born to a small kingdom, tucked away deep in the hollow of an expansive mountain range. Your kingdom wasn’t very prosperous compared to the neighboring ones, as it suffered from long winters and was only able to trade various type of ore mined from the surrounding mountains, but it was your home. The only home you’d ever known.
Your childhood had been pleasant enough; you had been fortunate to be born as the only child to one of the more well-off families in the area, and your parents had adored you, and you them. Life had been peaceful, happy even.
That all changed in your late teens.
A plague had swept through your small kingdom on your ninetieth year, ravaging the frostbitten land, and killing anyone in its path.
This had included your parents.
You had been inconsolable for days after their deaths; torn between missing them terribly, and worrying yourself sick about what this meant for you. You had no other close family, and you were unmarried – there was no possibility of you being able to say in your old manor by yourself – the kingdom’s old laws wouldn’t allow a young, unwed maiden to own property unless she had a husband, but your parents hadn’t wanted you to marry young, so they had held off on arranging a marriage for you; something you had always been grateful for, but you hadn’t been sure what that meant for you after their untimely deaths.
Thankfully, your father had a solution to that problem.
Before he died, he had reached out to a relative, asking them to take care of you as his final wish. This relative had been a distant uncle you weren’t aware you had, and he just so happened to be the ruling king, making you royalty by association.
You had never met your great uncle in person before. Hell, you had barely seen the old king outside of his castle, as he was a notorious recluse, so you had no idea what to expect when his guards had shown up outside your old home one day to whisk you back to the castle with them.
Upon meeting your uncle for the first time, two things had been made clear to you:
One: he hadn’t taken you in out of the kindness of his heart. He had only done so because his oldest nephew, your father, had asked him to take care of you as his dying wish, and it would’ve been disgraceful had he declined.
Two: he really had no interest in getting to know you, seeing you as someone he was simply meant to keep around until he found a purpose for you.
Several years later; that purpose had reveled itself to you.
It was no secret that your great uncle was old, and his prospects weren’t great. He’d had three sons, all a great deal older than you, with his late wife. Two had died in battle some time ago, and the oldest had gotten married, but the marriage hadn’t brought any sort of growth to the kingdom, and the financial situation the king found himself had grown dire.
The castle you now lived in had probably been quite beautiful at one point in time, and you could still see some lingering traces of grandeur in the darkened rooms, but due to poor financial decisions, and your uncle’s hidden gambling addiction during his long reign, it had caused it and the kingdom to fall into a state of disarray.
To put it simply; the kingdom was in debt, and the monarchy, even more so.
You could still remember the day your uncle had summoned you to the throne room, and had made it clear to you that you were simply there to serve a means to an end. He had publicly claimed you as a princess only so he could find you a suitor from the neighboring royalty, and marry you off as soon as possible, so that he could reap the monitory gains from your marriage and pull him and his withering kingdom out of dept.
You had been furious when he told you this, but you hadn’t been surprised. You had expected something like this. From the moment you’d realized just how much debt your uncle had accumulated over the years, you knew he would be looking for a way out by any means necessary, and that included using you.
“Did you think I was going to just let you waltz around these halls without some form of payment?” your uncle had scoffed at you when you tried to protest. “I was gracious enough to take you in after your parents died. The least you can do is repay my generosity this way.”
You had never tried to argue it with him again, knowing it was futile – but you would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about taking off into the night and trying to make it on your own in a different land; away from the place your parents had met their untimely end at, and away from your uncle and his depressing politics.
It was around that time you had discovered something that had made you even more worried about your current predicament, and almost made you wish your uncle would follow through with his promise of marrying you off to some prince from another kingdom.
You hadn’t truly grasped just how far in debt your uncle was, until you had seen him locked in deep conversations with several men who claimed to be from a wealthy organization every so often. It hadn’t taken you long to realize that the organization in question was highly illegal, and the men you had seen talking to your uncle were gangsters. Abet, well-dressed, and highly versed in the way of business, but gangsters, none the less.
Your suspensions had all been confirmed when you had the misfortune of running into their leader, Kai Chisaki, as he was exiting the throne room after yet another hushed meeting with your uncle.
You had heard stories of the man in question, and you knew it was him the moment you laid eyes on him. How could you not? His name was well known in your kingdom, and for all the wrong reasons. Everyone knew of the massive criminal organization – the Shie Hassaikai – he ran just outside of the kingdom’s boarders, deep in the forest. Everyone knew to stay away from the tall man who wore a plague mask covering the lower half of his face, and the first time you met him in person was no exception. The moment you saw that bird-like mask, you knew the financial situation your uncle was in was far worse than he had let on if he was entertaining a bunch of highly dangerous criminals.
You had done your best to be cordial and polite to the gang leader before excusing yourself, not wanting to be in his presence any longer than you needed to be, and looking back on it now, you almost wished you hadn’t been as kind, because after that meeting, he’d started asking to see you.
Your uncle of course, had been no help in defending you, and instead had encouraged you to entertain the mask-wearing man when he visited the castle. You had been strongly opposed to that idea, but you had no choice in the matter – especially when your uncle had all but admitted to you in secret that he was, in-fact, borrowing money from the gang in order to support his own gambling habits that you had always suspected were there, but never had enough proof to confirm.
You had cursed him with every foul name you knew that night, locked away in the privacy of your chambers.
And so, you were forced to keep spending time with the criminal lord every time he came to discuss “business” with your uncle, which was far too often for your liking.
Which brought you back to the present.
You were in your chambers, staying out of the way of your uncle and his advisors as you usually did, when there was a soft knock at your door. You opened it, only to find one of the handmaidens who helped look after you at the door. She didn’t so much as look you in the eye, instead, preferring to keep her head bowed.
“His Majesty wishes to see you.” she told you softly, before bowing deeper and disappearing as quickly as she came.
That was concerning. Normally, your uncle hardly wanted anything to do with you. The only times he had summoned you before, was to tell you of his plans to marry you off for his own selfish gains, or to confide to you that he was in crippling dept to criminals, and how it was your responsibility to keep their leader happy.
Every time he summoned you personally to his throne room, it didn’t mean anything good for you. You highly doubted this would be any different.
You sigh and make your way down the lengthy hallways towards the center of the palace, knowing it wouldn’t do you any good to keep him waiting. Once you reach the large doors heading into the throne room, you take a deep breath, stealing yourself, and push the doors open without being announced.
Your uncle’s advisors are already there, talking amongst themselves, but they all fall silent as soon as they notice you enter the room, and a thick tension settles over the air as you approach the old wooden throne where your uncle is sitting. You stop short of the creaky platform where your uncle resides, and give him a small curtsy as you wait for him to address you.
He regards you as one might regard a pebble stuck in their shoe, before telling you to rise and attempting to smile at you. You feel the hairs on the back of your neck prickle at the awkward sight – already knowing that you were going to hate whatever he was about to tell you.
“Good news girl, I’ve found a match for you.” He rasps, and you cringe inwardly. You hope your displeasure doesn’t show on your face, as you force a smile at the withered old man before you.
“Really? Who?”
You swear you see something dark flash through the man’s sunken eyes as he responds; “Lord Chisaki has asked for your hand. I’ve granted it to him.”
You feel your vision swim at his words, whether it’s from intense anger or you trying to hold back tears, you can’t say – but you swear your blood has turned to ice in your veins, as the horrible realization of what he’s just done washes over you.
You remain silent, and your uncle takes it as a sign to keep talking about the marriage he’s fixed for you; unaware that he’s killing you inside.
“—You’ve made a good impression on him, and he seems to be quite taken with you. This marriage will benefit us both. He will marry into our family, and I—we, the kingdom, will prosper finically from your union.” The old man laces his boney fingers together, and you’re overcome with the urge to lunge forward and snap them one by one like some kind of wild animal. But you don’t. You don’t dare move when all eyes are on you.
Your uncle falls silent after a moment, and he looks all too pleased with himself as he leers down at you. “Any questions girl?”
“Your advisors are aware that you intend to bring a wanted criminal into the royal family, correct?” you snip before you can think about what you’re saying. Your uncle’s eyes narrow dangerously at you, and you know you’re playing with fire, but the rage you feel at the fate he’s doomed you to makes you strong.
“Then I also assume they’re aware you’ve been borrowing copious amounts of money from the Shie Hassaikai to support your numerous gambling addictions.” You glower, finally airing out the secret that your uncle had tried so hard to keep hidden.
Judging from the blank stares your uncle’s advisors are giving both you and him, they in-fact, did not know that tidbit of information.
Your uncle’s face is redder then the any shade of red you’ve ever seen, as he forces himself off his throne and down towards where you’re standing, as he all but bellows in your face.
“Listen here girl, and listen well: you WILL marry Kai Chisaki. You WILL NOT put up a fuss. You WILL obey him and I, and you WILL SHUT THAT INSOLANT MOUTH OF YOURS OR SO HELP ME I WILL—"
The sudden sound of the doors slamming open behind you stops him mid rant, as he glares past you. “Who the hell dares disturb—”
“My lord it’s urgent! Trouble to the Eastern Mountain range!”
You turn around startled, only to see one of your uncle’s patrol scouts standing behind you, shaking like a leaf, looking as though he had just seen a ghost. It’s enough for uncle to momentarily forget his tirade towards you, shoving you out of the way to stand in front of the badly shaken man.
“Well then? Speak up boy. What could possibly be so important that you had to interrupt me.”
The scout is silent for a moment longer, before hesitantly taking a step closer to your uncle and lowering his voice, just enough that you can still hear him.
“My lord… The Burned One has reappeared.”
The effect his words have on your uncle is instantaneous. You watch as the old man’s eyes widen impossibly and his face loose colour momentarily before he regains his composure.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive my lord. There can be no mistaking it. It was him.”
“Impossible! No one has seen that thing for years! Why would it show itself now?”
“It would appear… he is active again.”
You have no idea who or what they’re talking about, but you notice that all of the older people in the room seem to share the same horrified expressions on their faces. Whoever this Burned One is, it clearly has them frightened.
You redirect your attention back to your uncle and notice that he seems to be confused.
“Active?”
“We encountered him up near the valley on the Eastern pass. We didn’t notice him until it was too late – he came out of the blizzard like a hurricane. It hid him well.”
Your uncle has nothing to say in response to that, but you can tell the news has shaken him. You watch him swallow thickly as he nods to the space behind the scout.
“Where is the rest of your unit? There should be six of you.”
“He… he said it only takes one person to deliver a message.”
The implication of what the scout is saying makes your eyes widen in shock, and you can hear shocked murmurs echoing through the chamber around you. You watch as your uncle struggles to maintain his composure in front of his council as he manages to force out a strangled; “And what exactly would this message be?”
The scout exhales shakily as he quietly responds. “He said that we’ve been trespassing on his territory for far too long. He said he’s been lenient about it, but now it’s aggravated him. He demands compensation.”
Your uncle’s eyes bulge out of his sockets at the message. “Did he say what exactly he wants as compensation?”
“He wants the kingdom’s most valuable object – he said it would serve as a reminder for you to stop encroaching on the land he claimed as his territory decades ago.”
Your uncle falls deadly silent at that, and the murmurings of the court fall silent as they wait for his response. A heartbeat passes before your uncle can say anything, but instead of flying into a rage like you expected him to, he seems… oddly withdrawn, when he finally speaks again.
“Unbelievable… to think that creature has reappeared after all these years of silence.” He murmurs as he turns his back on the scout and slowly makes his way past you and up onto his throne again. “I thought for sure he had died. I should’ve known the silence was too good to be true.”
“Who is this Burned One, that you speak of?” you finally ask, unable to take the suspense anymore. “and why has he returned?”
You uncle simply waves you off, not bothering to answer your question. “Silence girl. I’m thinking.” He grumbles as he laces his boney fingers together to rest his chin on top of them. One of his advisors takes the opportunity to approach the throne to speak in hushed tones with the older man, but you’re close enough that you can still here everything they’re saying.
“My lord, what do you propose we do?”
“Keep quiet, I’m thinking.”
“But my lord, what could we possibly have of value that could appease him? I heard he has riches beyond imagination. We don’t have anything in the treasury that he wouldn’t already have, and most of the family heirlooms have either been sold or lost to time—”
Your uncle suddenly holds up a hand, silencing him. He locks eyes with you and gives you a quick once over, and you know that you’re going to hate whatever his next words to you will be.
“He only said he wants the most valuable possession we have. He never specified what it had to be, or what kind of value it had to have.”
You feel a cold sweat break out on the back of your neck as what your uncle’s words wash over you like a bucket of icy water. “Uncle, what are you talking about—”
“Have you ever heard of the legend of the ancient war between all the races of this country?”
You pause at his question. Of course you had. Everyone knew that story. It was one of the first stories ever recorded in your country’s long history. It supposedly told the legend of how the country first came to be;
A war had first been triggered between the humans and the dragons for some reason lost to time, throwing the county into a state of chaos. During that time, a dark mage had appeared, and used the current discord to try and overthrow both of the dueling factions and steal power for himself, alongside his own group of loyal commanders – each of them from some of the most scorned and mis-beguiled races residing in the vast lands that made up your home county – each wielding unimaginable powers that they used to reap destruction and death upon those who dared to oppose them.
In an ironic twist of fate, one of the dark mages most fearsome commanders had been revealed to be the at-the-time dragon emperor’s eldest son, who had been presumed dead for years. The story said that he had joined the dark mage to try and overthrow his father so that he could take possession of the throne. While he ultimately didn’t succeed in his original goal, he had succeeded in killing and injuring a great many dragons in what the legend described as one of the most brutal and bloody fights ever recorded.
The legend itself ended on a lighter note: At some point, a great hero as well as a subsection of humans possessing extraordinary powers, had risen up to bring peace between the dueling factions. They had managed to defeat the dark mage and force his commanders back – ending the conflict for good and creating the current country.
You were well-versed with that story, your parents having told it to you many times as a child before you’d gone to sleep, but you failed to see how that had anything to do with the current situation.
“Well, of course.” You manage to get out, realizing you still hadn’t answered your uncle. “But I don’t understand how that has anything to do with this—.”
“It has everything to do with this.” Your uncle snips, but it lacks any of the usual distain that he has when he speaks to you. “Tell me; have you every met a dragon? Ever seen one?”
No, in fact, you’ve never met a dragon – even though you’ve secretly always wanted to.
Dragons where an open secret. Everyone knew they existed, just like vampires and other various types of legendary creatures, but were notorious recluses. They could be found living in some of the harshest environments the county had to offer, such as around volcano’s and at the tops of mountains – places that were not easily accessible to humans – or anyone else for that matter. There was the odd occasion that one would descend from their home for a brief period of time, but would always quickly return, never lingering in one place for too long.
Then there was the Dragon Empire, a sprawling temple found at the peak of the highest mountain at the center of the county – home of the ruling dragon emperor and his family. Dragons had their own laws separate from the other races that called the land you lived in home, and all discussions took place at their palace, away from everyone else. Outsiders were strictly prohibited from taking part in the Court’s discussions, so the powerful beings were always shrouded in mystery. There had been little known activity there since before you were born, so you had assumed that everything was fine, but now with your uncle questioning you like this, it’s making you wonder if you had missed something.
You slowly shake your head, and you uncle laughs bitterly.
“I have.”
Well, that was news to you. As long as you’ve been alive, you’ve never seen your uncle venture outside of the cold walls of his castle for longer than a day or two – certainly not far enough to encounter a dragon.
Your uncle continues before you can press him for more information. “It was years ago.” He clarifies with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It was a few years into my rule when I encountered that scared beast in the mountain pass.” He grimaces as he seems to recall something particular unpleasant.
“Make no mistake: some may paint them out to be these regal, majestic creatures, but I assure you, they are anything but.” The old man hisses. “They can live for centuries. They always remember, and they never forgive.”
“Uncle, I don’t understand—” You try, but the old man cuts you off once more.
“Do you know what dragon decided to make his home in the mountains that surround this kingdom?” your uncle cuts you off sharply, and you notice that an eerie silence has fallen over the rest of his court at his question. You slowly shake your head, and the old mans beady eyes take on a nasty glint.
“Touya Todoroki. First born son of the pervious dragon emperor Enji, and the disgraced heir to his throne.”
You feel your eyes widen. You knew that name. You’d heard it once, long ago. Enji had been the name of the longest reining dragon emperor in recorded history, and the name of the dragon emperor from the old story about the shaping of the country you called home.
That would also mean that—
“Do you understand now?” you uncle growls as you quietly put two and two together. “That burned beast is the same dragon that fought against his own kind ages ago. Killed a whole lot of them if memory serves correctly. He crippled his own father too. It’s why the old bastard holed himself away in the first place, never to be seen again after the war.”
You remain silent as you attempt to process the information your uncle is telling you, and he takes this as a sign to continue.
“I came across him by chance once years ago, and I wish I hadn’t.” The older man rests his chin on his hand. “He was banished here after the war. Made his home in the mountains here so he could live out his exile. I never told anyone outside of the castle about his existence here. It was better that no one knew what was living in the mountains around us. No one understands how dangerous that monster is. Even now, he could level this kingdom easily if he wanted to, so we must keep him satisfied, no matter the cost.”
He regards you coldly. “Since that creature is demanding our most valuable object… and never specified what that means… I’ve decided you’re going to go appease him as a tribute.”
The silence that descends on the large throne room is loud.
You hear your blood roaring in your ears as you struggle to process what you’re hearing, a part of you still not quite believing what your relative just said. You can hear the council members whispering amongst each other, and your uncle’s personal advisor steps closer to him – possibly to try and dissuade him from going through with what he’s suggested, but he doesn’t get the chance, as your disbelieve wears off and turns to anger.
“What the hell?” you hiss, once the initial shock had worn off enough to allow you to speak. “What did you just say?”
“Watch your tone with me, girl. That’s no way for a lady to speak, much less a princess.” Your uncle responded with a slight sneer and a dismissive roll of his eyes, like he hadn’t just told you that he was essentially offering you up as a sacrifice.
“As I said. He never specified what he wants of value. He has riches and wealth that far surpass anything we have here. Currently, you are our most valuable asset.”
“An asset?” you gawk, shocked that now your relative doesn’t even see you as a person. “Is that all I am to you? I’m your family! Your blood? My father trusted that you would help take care of me when he sent me here – not have you offer me up to a dragon as a human sacrifice because of an error your scouts made—”
“I have a kingdom to think about!” your uncle booms, slamming his fist down on the wooden arm of the throne. “You best mind your damn tongue girl. Let me make myself perfectly clear: You will do this. I’m not giving you a choice. You’re going to go to the temple he calls home. You will do it without complaint and you will appease him. If not for me, then you’ll do it for the people of this kingdom and their sakes.”
“Don’t you use them against me!” you snarl, unable to hold back your frustrations any longer, watching in satisfaction as you uncle’s eyes widen a fraction at your outburst. “You’re doing this to save your own skin. Don’t pretend it’s for the people’s benefit. We both know better.”
You uncle falls quiet for a moment as soft whispers from the few people in his council begin to circle around the room, but they too are silenced as your uncle slowly leans forward, staring you down with the most piercing look he’s ever given you.
“I don’t think you get it. You’re going to do this whether you like it or not, because the moment you leave these walls, you no longer have a home here. God help you if he decides not to accept you as his offering, because if he doesn’t, you won’t becoming back here. You’ll be out on your own.”
You don’t have anything to say in response to his cruel words. They shouldn’t upset you as much as they do; you were never close to your uncle. He’d treated you as if you were no more then a thorn in his side from the moment you’d first arrived. There was certain no love lost between either of you, but you had still never expected someone from your own family to be so uncaring towards you.
The feeling is made even worse as your uncle tacks on, “Well, you probably won’t be coming back at all if he decides he doesn’t want you – he’ll probably just kill you.”
The harsh statement is enough to snap you out of your gloomy thoughts one last time. Any amount of care you might have still held for the withered old man (regardless of how small it might have been) – vanishes instantly.
“What about Kai Chisaki?” you fire back, one last ditch effort to see if you could get the old man to change his mind. “You already promised me to the leader of a group of criminals. What are you going to do when he comes to collect me, only to find me gone?”
Your uncle falls quiet, and for a moment, you think you’ve got him, but any hope you had of him changing his mind is dashed as he quietly sighs. “I’ll deal with him when it comes to it.”
And with that, you know your fate is sealed.
You’re all but numb, as you’re escorted out of the throne room and locked in your room. You hear the metical shuffling of guards being posted outside your door, and you immediately know they’re there to make sure you can’t run off. They give you too much credit, even if you could, your uncle is right, you truly don’t have anywhere else to go. At least here in the privacy of your room, you have a moment to yourself. You’re too stunned to cry, even if you weren’t, you wouldn’t want to give your uncle the satisfaction of your tears.
As you slowly drift off into a dreamless sleep, you can’t help but wonder if perhaps getting sent off to the dragon’s lair is the lesser of two evils – at least if you displeased the dragon, your death would be quick. If you were wed to Kai Chisaki, your fate would be a far more drawn out one.
Your dreams are filled with fire and the distant sound of distant screams that night.
-----
That was how you found yourself here: seated in an old wooden cart, hands bound, being taken up high into the mountains that surrounded your small kingdom by some members of your uncle’s elite guard. You’re dressed in a white gown that resembles funeral clothing more than any traditional wedding dress you’ve ever seen, which only drives home the fact that you might very well be heading towards your death.
You can’t help but wonder if anyone would mourn you. Your parents are gone, some of your friends had died in the same plague that had killed your parents, and the few that hadn’t, had their own lives now – you had been separated from them when you’d been taken from your old home, and had unfortunately had lost contact with them – something you deeply regretted now.
Your maid might miss you, but it’s not like you had any time to get to know her on a personal level past learning her name. You great uncle certainly wouldn’t mourn you; he’d made that perfectly clear last night, and you figured the same would go for his son, your elder cousin. There was no bad blood between either of you, but your relationship was distant at best. Your handmaiden might miss you, but again, it wasn’t like either of you were close.
If anything happens to you, no one will know, no one will grieve you. You are well and truly alone here.
You don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself, before the wooden cart suddenly jerks to a sudden stop. One of the guards sitting across from you in the cart suddenly stands, and steps closer to you.
“Why have we stopped?” you ask as the man motions for you to stand.
“We can’t go any further by cart. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.” He tells you sullenly, draping a thick fur coat around your shoulders and fastening it for you.
“How far is it?” you ask nervously as the guard leads you to the edge of the cart and helps carry you down.
“Far enough.” He responds gruffly. “Horse won’t be able to travel much further then this. The mountain pass is too narrow and icy – the only way to reach the temple is to go by foot.”
“Can I have my hands free then?” you ask, wriggling your fingers to emphases your point. To your dismay the guard shakes his head.
“I’m sorry Princess. Your uncle said you have to be kept bound at all times while we take you up the mountain. I’d untie you if I could but…” he trails off and you know he doesn’t have to say anything else.
“It’s not like I’d be able to tell anyways.” You attempt with a weak smile. “I’m a dead woman walking anyways. It’s not like any of you will ever see me again.”
At your words the guard shakes his head. “Don’t say that. Our paths my still cross yet one day. Dragons are known for being good judges of character. They’re not the mindless creatures your uncle makes them out to be.”
“You think so?” you ask quietly, as the guard loops his arm through your own so that he can guide you up the steep incline that makes up the upper crest of the mountain.
“I’m saying I think you have more of a chance then you think you do. I don’t think you deserve this. None of us do.” He nods to the surrounding guards, all of which refuse to make eye contact with you for some reason. “Now let’s go.”
The trek up the mountain isn’t an easy one. Since you don’t have the use of your arms, your escort has to half lead you, half drag you up the icy trails that lead further up the mountains. By the time you notice that the steep embankment is slowly starting to even out, you hear your guard clear his throat.
“Not much further now. We’re close to the top.”
He pauses to let you look around but you can’t see anything due to the howling winds whipping snow around you, effectively rending you snow-blind. You have no idea where you are, or how far you’ve come since you’ve never even stepped foot onto the mountains before, but if you had to guess, you had to be more then halfway up the largest mountain that made up the Eastern range.
You squint up at your escort in question and he only shakes his head. “We’ll be coming up on a large open field soon. The land will level out more so we won’t be climbing for much longer.” A frown pulls at his lips.
“Once we reach the field, you’ll have to make the rest of the journey on your own. The manor the dragon occupies isn’t much further past the field. We won’t be welcome there… but if you go by yourself, you won’t be seen as a threat.”
You want to believe his words, but you can’t help but think that your guide sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as well.
You say nothing as your escort gently pulls you along for a little while longer, before a massive wall of stone slowly starts to emerge from out of the blizzard around you. You see another one of the guards who had come with you pointing to a large crevasse in the wall and guesting you over to it.
You feel your guide squeeze your arm, causing you to look up at him. “Not much further now.” he tells you over the howling wind. “Once we pas through here, we’ll be at the field. The journey will be much easier from here on out.”
You highly doubt that, but regardless, you allow him to pull you through the opening in the wall and into the cool darkness of the cave. One of the other men behind you lights a touch so your walk isn’t in complete darkness, but still, no one says anything, and now you’re starting to apricate the silence. It would be worse if they tried to talk to you, you reckon. At least your guards aren’t forcing you to act as if everything was fine and this was a leisurely hiking trip. That would’ve been unbearable.
You walk in silence for a while, until you gradually start to see light at the end of the tunnel. A breeze whistles through the cold stone walls, and to your surprise it feels strangely warm, unlike the blustering winter winds that had stung your cheeks and frozen your fingers during the climb.
You push through the crevasse and out into the light, but the sight that greets you makes you pause. Your guard was right; there is an open field on the mountain. The lush greenery takes you aback, as you find yourself staring at a large field covered in wildflowers of different hues and types. You’re shocked to see that the sky is clear and sunny above you instead of overcast and snowy as it was when you were hiking up the mountainside. The field is really more of an open meadow, but the space is large enough that you can see a sprawling pound off to the far side, glittering gently in the sun, and there’s very little snow coating the greenery, despite the howling blizzard you’d been force to endure coming up the mountain. The meadow seems to be situated more off to the side of the mountain- tucked away from the eyes of anyone below it, as you notice the vast peaks of the other mountains nearby inclosing the meadow on all sides, acting as a protective barrier of sorts.
You’re so engrossed in admiring the meadow and all of its beauty, that you nearly forgot the reason why you’re here, until your guard clears his throat softly beside you.
“I’m afraid this is where we must part ways.” He tells you gently as he unlaces his arm from yours. He takes out a knife and cuts the ropes binding your hands behind your back. You rub at your raw wrists as he gives you what you think is meant to be an encouraging smile, but comes across as more of a grimace.
“I hope to see you again.” He tells you quietly, but all you can do is nod in response, not trusting your voice anymore.
Your guard gestures to a narrow path behind you on the far side of the meadow that you would have missed had he not pointed it out before. “That’s where you want to go. We don’t dare go any further than this. From here on out, you’ll have to take the path alone.”
“Thank you.” you tell him hollowly as you pull your cloak closer to yourself. “Please be careful heading back down.”
The guard looks as if he wants to say something more, but seems to decide against it. He can’t look you in the eyes as he murmurers a soft “I’m so sorry. Truly I am.”
Maybe you will be missed more then you thought you would be.
You don’t bother to respond, and quickly pivot on your heel and make your way in the opposite direction so that he can’t see how close to tears you are. Tears wouldn’t save you, no matter how dire your situation was, and the last thing you wanted to was for your guards to see how scared you really were. You wouldn’t let your tear-stained face be the last thing they saw of you.
The clacking of the armor behind you fades away as your guard unit slowly leaves the meadow back through the crevasse in the mountain, as you make your way in the opposite direction towards the narrow path on the other side of the meadow.
As you approach the enclosed pathway, you freeze as a cold breeze drift’s down through the path. Taking a breath, you force your feet to continue on up the path as you struggle to keep yourself upright as you navigate up the rocky, steep path.
As the air grows colder around you, you notice that the pathway is starting to open up gradually the closer you get to the top, allowing the cold mountain winds to blow down the pathway you were on. As you reach the crest of the pathway, you look up in surprise to see the silhouette of a massive, traditional styled castle emerging from the protractive cover of the surrounding mountains.
The castle is massive, far bigger than anything you’ve ever seen before. It put’s your uncles old, worn-down castle to shame. The design of it is far more elaborate than any building you’ve seen, and the proportions look like they span across the majority of the mountainside it’s built on.
As you slowly approach the front stone steps, you realize how small you are in comparison to the castle. The front steps alone are double, almost triple that of a regular step back at your uncle’s castle – indicating that something, or rather someone very large lived in it.
You hike your skirts up, and climb up to the large entryway until you’re standing face to face with the massive front doors. You glance up at the large wooden knockers hanging above you tauntingly, and you hesitate.
Now that you’re here, you’re frozen in place. You have no idea what to expect once those doors open. You know what supposedly lurks behind them, but you don’t know if you’re ready to come face to face with the creature yet.
A freezing blast of wind nearly knocks you off your feet as you ponder your next steps, and you desperately pull your fur-lined cloak closer to you, as your teeth chatter painfully.
One thing was for sure: you couldn’t stay out here in the cold for much longer. Your fingers have gone numb a while ago either from the cold or fear, and the dress you had been forced into wasn’t made for warmth. Going back home wasn’t an option. Here at this castle high up in the mountains, was your last hope.
Gritting your teeth, you reach up onto your toes, grasp the large metal handle with both hands, and slam the knocker against the glossy doors. The sound echo’s around the area ominously, reverberating off the icy cliffsides, before the howling winds replace it once more.
You wait with baited breath, not daring to take your eyes off of the doors even for a second as you mentally brace yourself for what you might see emerge from them – but nothing happens.
A heartbeat passes, then another, and another but still no one comes to the doors. You squint at the wood, confused. Did they not hear you? Was no one home? You tried to rationalize it in your mind, before a loud groaning sound from the doorway catches your attention.
You watch as the old wooden doors slowly swing inwards to reveal a woman dressed in a traditional kimono who didn’t look much older than you. You almost could’ve believed that you were looking at a normal human woman, save for the fact she had glowing green flames that seemed to mimic an up-do in place of normal hair.
To her credit, she seems just as surprised to see you as you are her, and for a moment, all you can do is stare at each other in a stunned silence. Finally, the woman opens her mouth, allowing you to catch sight of large, white fangs inside her maw – reinforcing the fact this was no human woman you were looking at.
“What are you doing here?”
Her question catches you of-guard. You had assumed the dragon, or whoever this was, was aware of the request – no – the demand the prince had asked of your uncle; and was expecting the tribute to be delivered to them. The more you think about it though; they were probably expecting a tribute of monetary value, not a live person to show up at their doorstep.
You privately curse your uncle again before answering the fiery woman before you. “I’ve come on behalf of the king of the village in the valley below.”
The woman takes a step towards you and you can see her nostrils flare briefly, before nodding slowly, still looking bewildered.
“I see… but why are you here? We haven’t had a human from the village come up here in a very long time. At least a century or two.” Her eyes narrow slightly, and it’s only then that you notice that her pupils are slitted, much like that of a cat.
“Don’t tell me that you’re here to deliver a message to his highness. If your king is requesting him for council, I’m afraid you’ve come all this way for nothing. The prince rarely leaves this palace, and he won’t go down to your village. He doesn’t like it much there – no offence intended of course.”
None taken. I don’t even like it there. You think to yourself bitterly.
“No, not quite. I’m here on behalf of a… request your… prince, made with the king… well, I mean, his scouts.” You tell her, trying to fight down the angry flush you feel creeping up your neck, as you’re force to explain the reason why you’re up here in the first place.
“I suppose they encroached on his territory, and your prince wanted an offering of value as compensation… so…” you trail off, completely unsure of what to say next, as the not-quite woman stares you down incredulously.
The woman is silent as she looks you up and down, her expression unreadable. The green flames that make up her hair shimmering as the crisp wind blows a few spare stands around. Finally, she shakes her head, looking lost.
“That fool… he didn’t mean… he didn’t want a… what could he have possibly been thinking…” She looks at you closely now, taking your shivering form in, and suddenly her eyes widen and she quickly steps aside, gesturing for you to come closer.
“Come in. You must be half frozen to death out here. I don’t know what your uncle was thinking; sending you up here, but you can come in and warm yourself up. Gods know I’m not about to let you freeze to death on my doorstep.”
You thank her gratefully, and step inside the threshold, only to be greeted with the sight of an expansive courtyard laid out before the main building. At one point in time, the courtyard must have been quite beautiful, but now it’s barren and dead, showcasing years of neglect. You can see glimpses of its former grandeur laid out in the remains of the dead trees and shrubbery that still remain, but it’s clear that no one has taken care of the courtyard gardens for quite some time.
You didn’t get to look for long, before the sounds of the massive front doors closing behind you startles you out of your thoughts. You turn to see the fiery woman shutting the doors and sealing the dead bar, that looked to be the size of a small tree, back into place across both doors with the flick of her wrist.
Whatever she was, she was definitely not human.
She catches you staring as she turns around, and instead of trying to hide her magic like you assumed she would, she instead flashes you a sharp grin.
“What? You didn’t think I was going to move that back into place by myself, did you?” she chuckles, bemused at your stunned expression. “We’re in dragon territory my dear. Everything is almost triple the size. Sometimes more.”
“What are you then?” You ask, unable to stop yourself. The woman blinks at you slowly, grin not leaving her face.
“Not a dragon.” She tells you as she takes the lead, leading you through the dead courtyard, and towards the main building. “My name is Moe, but others around the castle call me Burnin. Pick what you like. It matters not to me.”
Burnin. A fitting name for a woman with fire for hair, you think to yourself. You tell her your name and she nods.
“We’ll get you warmed up, then we can discuss what we’re going to do.” She purses her lips. “I’m going to have to alert the prince that you’re here… but I’ll do that later, after you’ve rested some.”
“By the prince, do you mean the dragon?” you ask tentively. The woman only nods.
“That’s the one. He’s resting right now, but I will have to alert him that you’re here sooner rather than later. His mood is already foul enough as is, I don’t need it to get worse.” She fixes you with a stern gaze as you approach another set of large double doors.
“When he wakes, let me speak to him. He’s not good with new people. Especially not unexpected guests.” She must see your worried look, as she simply pats you on the shoulder. “But that’s hardly your fault. Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.”
You wish you could believe her.
Moe takes you down a series of twisting corridors, each seemingly grander then the last. You note that the interior of the castle is just as large and imposing as the outside, and that everything is nearly three times the size of what you would find in a regular building – clearly designed for something far larger than your insignificant human frame in mind.
As you and your companion make your way through the series of winding hallways, torches mounted on either side of the hallway burst into flame as you walk by them, lighting the way for the pair of you. However, the fire isn’t the normal orange and red that you’re used to seeing – instead, the flames burn a bright blue, the heat radiating off of the small balls of fire is intense, and you make a comment about it to your companion.
“It’s a spell.” She tells you, sparing a glance at you over her shoulder, but she doesn’t slow her pace. “You’re not in the human world right now – you’re in the land of dragons, and they have ancient magic at their disposal.”
“Blue though?” you ask and she nods.
“The prince’s specialty.” She tells you, but she doesn’t elaborate further, and you don’t ask.
As you follow her down the hallways, the soft blue glow emanating off the torch’s sheds light on old tapestries and paintings that adorn the walls. They are some of the most stunning art pieces you’ve ever laid eyes on. They depict dragons of various shapes and colours in various poses, some breathing fire, and others flying through the sky; all long, and serpentine in nature, just like the Eastern dragons you’ve heard of from old stories your parents used to tell you as a child.
You don’t get to look at them for long as the fiery woman quickly leads you though the maze of winding corridors, until you reach another set of heavy double doors. You watch in amazement as she extends a hand forward and the doors open on their own without her touching them. She turns back to you and usurers you in, grinning slightly at your disbelief.
“You’ll have to show me how to do that.” You mutter as you pass her, causing her to laugh.
“If I gave away all my secrets, I wouldn’t be very interesting.” Moe counters as she takes the lead once more.
“Will you tell me what you are, if not a dragon?” you ask, eyeing the green flames that act as her hair. She only flashes you a sharp-toothed grin, showcasing her inhumanly sharp teeth.
“I’ll tell you later.” She finally offers as she leads you into a lavishly decorated siting room.
You have to stop your mouth from dropping open in amazement. You may have come from a modestly wealthy background yourself, but even your uncle’s palace didn’t have the level of finery that this one room alone had. Plush rugs and pillows decorate the floors, while silk curtains drape down from the ceiling, creating a cozy, almost nest-like environment.
You hear Moe chuckle behind you, and you have no doubts that your shock is written across your face.
“We use this room mostly to entertain guests—not like we have many around here.” She informs you, as she gestures for you to take a seat on one of the large throw pillows that lay on the floor in place of a traditional couch, before taking a seat beside you. “Most of the other rooms in the castle aren’t made to look like this. The king wanted a more traditional summer home, but liberties were taken with this room so visitors would be more comfortable.”
“The king?” you echo, and Moe nods sagely.
“The prince’s father – my master.” She confirms before scrunching up her nose.
“Though, I suppose I should say the former king. His youngest son ascended the throne after...” she trails off as a distant look enters her eye for a moment before she brushes it off as quickly as it had come.
“It doesn’t matter. I serve under the past king. I often forget that he’s no longer the ruling monarch. It’s been such a long time since I was last at the imperial palace, and it’s been even longer since I last saw the king himself, I forget that things have changed.”
“If you still serve under the old king, why are you here?” You ask. Something doesn’t seem right. You can tell from the way that she speaks that she’d rather be anywhere else but here, and yet, for some reason, she remains.
A shadow passes over Moe’s face, but before she can respond to you, the sound of the door creaking open behind you causes her to shift her attention away from you to glace behind you, a small smile breaking out across her lips.
“Ah, Chiyo. Perfect timing. Come meet our guest.” She calls out. You turn to see a small figure shutting the heavy doors softly, before shuffling over to your seated forms.
Your shocked to find yourself staring at a tiny, elderly woman wearing traditional medical robes. Her long gray hair is pulled back into a bun and she’s carrying a cane that she taps softly along the ground as she makes her way to where you’re sitting. Unlike Burnin, she looks shocking human – something you didn’t expect to see in a place meant to house dragons.
You note that the poor woman looks tired, and something tells you it’s not due to lack of sleep. Burnin seems to notice the same thing and moves to help the elderly woman sit on one of the large pillows across from where you are.
“You look exhausted Chiyo. Sit down before you collapse.” The younger woman tells her gently as she helps adjust the small woman’s form on the pillow.
“That’s because I am tired dear.” The elderly woman responds with a chuckle. The flaming woman sighs in response.
“How’s he doing?”
“Not well. Today’s treatment was worse than others. I had to stop earlier than normal. His body couldn’t take anymore, which worries me.”
She looks up and directly at you, and her wrinkled face breaks out into a beaming smile. “Hello dear, I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet. Who might you be?”
You introduce yourself quickly and Chiyo smiles warmly at you. “A lovely name for a lovely girl. It’s so nice to have a new face in the castle. I can’t remember the last time we had guests here. Do tell me, why are you here again?”
Shit. You really didn’t want to explain the reason behind your sudden appearance here again. Thankfully, Moe seems to pick up on your hesitation and speaks for you.
“Her situation is complicated. You know the kingdom in the valley down at the base of the mountain range? The one that the prince demanded tribute from?” The old woman nods, looking confused, prompting Moe to sigh.
“Their idiot king sent her instead.”
At her words, Chiyo looks at you with a mixture of shock and anger. “Why in God’s name would he send you dear? Does he not understand how dangerous this mountain can be? You’re lucky you weren’t buried in a blizzard, or found by something much worse.”
You shrug, twisting your hands in your lap. “He figured the prince had riches more valuable than anything we had in the treasury. So, he decided to send the second most valuable asset; which in his mind is me.”
Chiyo scoffs, crossing her small arms over her mid-section. “A human life is far more valuable than any gold or silver, I assure you When the prince asked for a tribute, he didn’t want a servant. I’m sorry that fool put you in such a dangerous situation – though clearly, he must think highly of you if he thought you more valuable then any of the kingdom’s treasure.”
This time, you can’t help but scoff. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Oh?” Chiyo quirks an eyebrow at you and you can see Moe staring at you as well. You sigh inwardly. You might as well tell them who you are. They’re bound to find out soon enough.
“That man cares nothing for me. I can tell you that with certainty.”
“Oh… forgive me if I’m mistaken.” The older woman apologizes. “I’m sorry that he forced you into this predicament. Did you live in the castle with him? Were you a personal handmaiden?”
“Worse, I’m his great niece.”
Both women fall silent at your confession. Moe recovers faster. “So that would make you a princess then, correct?”
You nod sullenly. “Yes. In name only. It doesn’t make any difference though. The only reason why I’m here is because my uncle is almost completely out of money. There isn’t anything of value in that kingdom the prince would want. He was going to marry me off to the gang of criminals he’s been borrowing money from to settle his debts with them, but when he got word that he had angered the prince by sending scouts up here, he sent me here instead.”
“Dear child, why don’t you go home?” Chiyo asks you gently. “We couldn’t possibly keep you here if you were sent here against your will. If you wish to leave, we will find a way to escort you back home once the weather is calm. The prince will understand I’m sure, he’s not unreasonable.”
You freeze up, and your uncles parting words flash through your mind; he had made it quite clear that you that you no longer had a home back at the castle, and therefore, you didn’t have a home anywhere in your kingdom. You didn’t have a home to return to.
You drop your head, suddenly unable to look either woman in the eyes. “I can’t.”
Chiyo furrows her brow, but Moe seems to hear what you said. “What do you mean?” she prompts you gently. You sigh.
“I mean I can’t—”
An unearthly sound, somewhere between a scream and a road floods the still air of the castle, causing you to jump up in fright. The frightening sound is so loud it shakes the palace floors, and rattles the doors leading into the sitting room slightly from the force.
“What was that?” you whisper, as you look around in a panic. “Are we in danger?”
To your surprise Chiyo and Moe look completely unfazed, but you note that Moe has adopted a sour looking expression on her face now. “That would be the young lord.” Chiyo confirms. “I didn’t expect him to be moving around so soon after how poorly the last treatment went.”
“He shouldn’t be moving around at all from the sounds of it.” Moe scoffs, but the older woman simply waves her off.
“Are you going to try and tell him otherwise?”
Moe’s scowl deepens further, but softens slightly when she locks eyes with you again. She nods to the closed doors. “His highness will probably be come looking for us and this is the first place he’ll check. When he comes, don’t say anything – let me talk to him. He’s probably going to be in a horrible mood, and it’s better if I explain why you’re here—“
Another earth-shattering roar pierces the air – this time much closer than before. Now, you hear something slow and heavy making its way towards the room you were seated in. As the sounds gets nearer, you realize they you’re hearing footsteps approaching, but you can’t help but notice as the sounds draw nearer that they sound odd; uneven, almost. As if someone was limping.
You don’t get to ponder on it any longer before the doors leading into the room are suddenly flung open and an intense heat fills the room. Your eyes water, and you feel your heartbeat in your ears as a low growl permeates the air. You can’t see what’s on the other side of the door from where you’re sitting, until a giant, clawed hand crosses the threshold of the door and directly into your line of sight.
You’re hyper focused on the massive talons lining the tips of each clawed finger. Each is almost as tall as you, and damn near as long. You’re so focused on the razor-sharp claws; you almost miss the creature that follows after it and partially into the light of the room, You rip your eyes away from the massive claws, and follow them up a scaled arm, across an expansive chest, up a long, slender neck, and suddenly, you find yourself staring into the fiery blue eyes of a dragon.
No, not just a dragon. This must be the prince you’ve been hearing so much about.
Your brain takes a moment to process what you’re seeing, but you suddenly understand why the castle’s dimensions are as big as they are, because the dragon before you is larger then life, and far bigger then you thought possible.
The dragons serpentine body lets you know you are looking at an eastern dragon. His long, slender face is twisted into a fearsome snarl, showcasing wicked sharp teeth lining black gums. Looking up further, a wild white mane of spiky, coarse, hair starts between the two long, straight ivory horns sprouting out of the top of his skull, and travels down the back of his neck and the rest of his back until you can’t see it anymore from where you’re sitting, but you assume that it reaches the end of its tail, out of your line of vision.
You shift your gaze to the dragon’s lean body once more, trying to take him all in from your spot hiding behind Moe. Just like the wild mane of hair running down his back, the dragon’s scales are an almost pearlescent white, shimmering with a slight blue glow under the light the torches lining the walls provide, but you notice the scales look quite weird in some places.
There are dark patches scatted all along the dragon’s body, marring his chest and run upwards across his neck and even his lower jaw. The dark patches don’t appear to have the same texture as the shimmering white scales that otherwise coat the dragon’s body. There’s something not quite right about the strange-looking scales, but you can’t tell what it is from where you’re sitting, and you don’t dare move closer to try and get a better look.
The dragon, to his credit, hasn’t moved closer from his spot lurking in the corridor just outside the sitting room, and judging by how furious he looks, you think it’s best if you keep your distance as much as possible.
You’re still in shock by the appearance of the dragon, you almost don’t realize he’s speaking to you, until Moe grips your thigh, snapping you out of your stupor.
“Who are you.”
The dragon’s tone is flat, threatening, and seems to echo all around you, as he glares at you from the doorway. He hasn’t approached further, keeping a respectful distance between you and your companions and himself.
Your throat feels dry and you struggle to cough out something, anything, but Moe beats you to it. She stands up and bows formally to the dragon and tells him your name before you can think.
“—She’s from one of the neighboring kingdoms below the mountains.” The firey-haired woman tells him. “She’s here because—”
“I didn’t ask you, Burnin. I asked her.” The dragon’s eyes narrow further until you’re staring into piercing blue slits. “Tell me, what is your name, and why are you here?”
You swallow shakily and stand up, following Moe’s lead, you bow respectfully, but you don’t rise, waiting for the dragon to relieve you, not wanting to appear rude. It’s only when you hear the dragon huff dismissively, do you dare to rise up again. Catching an approving looking from Moe, you know inwardly you made the right choice.
You force yourself to meet his unnaturally blue eyes and tell him your name and where you’re from, praying to every god you know that your voice doesn’t shake or give out on you. Once you finish introducing yourself, the dragon’s eyes narrow.
“Interesting. Tell me: you wouldn’t happen to be from that backwater village down at the base of the mountain, would you?”
You cringe inwardly. Shit. No point in beating around the bush. He’d find out eventually. If not from you, then probably from Chiyo or Moe if he asked them.
You nod, and the dragon lets out a sound somewhere between a snort and a scoff. “Figures. Did that senile old man who calls himself a king send you up here to beg for my forgiveness? Tell him that sending a pretty girl up here in his stead won’t work. I want actual compensation from him intruding on my territory.”
An irritated snarl, followed by a trail of smoke pours out between his jaws, making you shudder, but you swallow down your uneasiness. “Not exactly, your highness.”
At your words, the dragon barks out a laugh. “Oh? Is he too stupid to follow simple orders now as well? I told him he’d better bring me back something rare as an apology for trespassing in my domain. I’ve been nice for years and overlooked him sending his scouts into my lands, but the last group got a little too comfortable, and damn near forced their way into my palace. I’m not overlooking that disrespect. I know he sends them here. Probably to see whether or not I’m still alive. Why else would they come all this way.”
Huh. The scout had failed to mention that in his report. What the dragon is saying makes sense: your uncle had prior knowledge that the dragon lived in the mountains surrounding your land, and had known the dragon before you hadn’t been seen in some time. You think back to all the patrol parties you’d seen go into the mountains from the time you were a little girl – you hadn’t understood it then, now it made a lot more sense.
Once again, the familiar rage you’ve become accustomed to feeling boils up inside you. All of this mess was seemingly caused by a massive oversight by your great-uncle. All this was his fault. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be here; stuck trying to appease a clearly pissed off dragon.
“Your message was received loud and clear highness.” You try again, hating yourself for what you’re about to say next. “It’s… it’s why I’m here.”
The dragon cocks his head at you, prompting you to explain yourself. You swallow thickly, trying to wet your dry throat, as you force out;
“He sent me as compensation for trespassing on your land.”
Your words are greeted with silence. You don’t dare risk looking at Chiyo and Moe, keeping your eyes trained on the dragon in front of you. To his credit, the prince looks lost for words, and you can almost see the confusion written across his features. Finally, he speaks.
“You jest.”
“I wish.” The words escape you before you can pull them back, but to your surprise, the prince seems to ignore your comment completely. He’s not looking at you, and is looking towards his subjects for confirmation.
“This must be a joke. Surely, he didn’t actually send me a human as compensation.”
“I’m afraid my prince… he did.” Moe responds evenly. “I found her shivering outside the front gate after her entourage dropped her off here. The king thinks that she is far more valuable than any treasure he has in the kingdom.”
“So what? He forced some castle maid out here to offer herself to me? What did he possibly think I meant when I said I wanted something valuable? I wanted to humble him; not for him to try and weasel his way out of—”
“My prince.” Moe interjects abruptly. She quickly moving towards you, clasping your hand in both of hers as she stare down the dragon. “This is no ordinary woman. This is his great-niece. The princess.”
The dragon pauses, and fixes you with an unreadable expression. A heartbeat passes, and suddenly, he lurches forward, dragging his long body through the doorframe and across the floor towards you. You don’t even have time to react before he is in front of you, towering over your small frame.
His proximity towards you allows you to see him clearly for the first time, and you suddenly understand why he kept his distance originally, because he looks rough.
Now that he is standing before you, you can get a good look at the odd patches of dark scales that are spread all along his body. At first, you’re not quite sure what you’re looking at, until it suddenly occurs to you that the dark marks aren’t scales at all, they’re scars.
The dark patches don’t have a single white scale on them, and you quickly realize that you’re looking at gnarled, wrinkled skin. Skin that should be protected by the Dimond-like scales that dragons were known to boast for protection, and yet, the closer you look at the dragon before you, the more you realize he appears to be missing a great deal of his scales.
Scars cover the majority of his long hide, most looking quite old, and painfully dry, and other spots look to be smaller in size, and if you look closely, some of the smaller patches appear to be trying to grow some small white scales out of them, giving the dragon an almost warped appearance – like a serpent trying to shed its skin and missing chunks of its old shed in the process.
The scars littering the dragon are unsettling, but they are not the most jarring thing about his appearance. As you force your eyes to keep moving, and not linger on the worst of his scars for longer than necessary, you happen to glance down again at his clawed talons, and you understand why it sounded like he was limping when he first approached initially:
His right arm is gone.
Not completely gone, but everything below his elbow has been severed off. You hadn’t noticed he was missing an arm from how he had positioned himself in the entranceway, but now that he’s up close, you can see that he’s shifted the majority of his weight onto his left arm to keep himself upright and even as possible. Even his back legs seem to be slightly spring-loaded, working hard on keeping him balanced.
You don’t dare look any longer than that, and you snap your eyes up to meet the princes piercing blue irises again. If he noticed you gawking at his scars and missing appendage, he doesn’t comment on it, but you swear you see a flash of amusement flicker though his eyes, before it vanishes just as quickly as it came.
Strange, you think to yourself, as you take in the entirety of his damaged form. You’d known that dragons were long-lived and battle-prone, so scars should be expected, but the damage the prince had sustained was extensive. You couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the massive amounts of scaring that littered his body.
Then you remember who you’re looking at: this was the infamous Touya Todoroki – Kin slayer and one of the dark mage’s most powerful commanders, if the legends surrounding him were to be believed. He had fought in more battles than you could count before you were even a distant thought. Of course, he would be scared to hell and back. He had fought and killed so many of his kind, it would be odd if he didn’t have any battle scars.
The dragon huffs again, snapping you out of your thoughts, and he dips his massive head down so you’re staring at each other face to face. His breath is sweltering, and you’re reminded that he could just as easily turn you to ash right now if he wanted. Yet, despite his foul temperament, you’re not actually worried that he will.
After a moment of staring, you down, the prince lets out a sigh, and straightens back up. He opens his jaws to speak, but what comes out of them next surprises you;
“Go home.”
“I—sorry, what?” you ask him, scarcely believing what you heard.
“Go home.” The prince rumbles again. “My quarrel isn’t with you. It’s with your shitty relative. It’s not your fault he can’t follow a simple order.”
“But I—”
“When the weather clears itself up, I’ll have Burnin escort you back down the mountain. When you return, you’d better clarify that I want something of high monetary value from your… uncle. Tell him I don’t accept human sacrifices. I’m not as barbaric as some of my elders.”
He turns to leave, and you can hear Moe and Chiyo let out sighs of relief from your side, but all you can feel is dread.
Your uncle’s words flash across your mind; a warning of what to expect should you fail the impossible task he forced on you:
“—the moment you leave these walls, you no longer have a home here. God help you if he decides not to accept you as his offering, because if he doesn’t, you won’t be coming back here.”
“I can’t.”
Your voice, shill and panicked, makes the dragon pause mid-movement. He swings his massive head back around so he’s facing you again. You know Moe and Chiyo are both looking at you expectantly, and you curse inwardly as you remember that you never actually told them why you couldn’t go back home.
“Come again?”
“I can’t go back home your highness. I’m sorry.”
“I won’t tell you again girl, I’m not going to keep you here. I have no need for another servant, nor do I want one. What I want is to be left the hell alone, and I want your shitty uncle to finally get the message—”
“No, you don’t understand, I really can’t go back there.” You gasp, desperately searching for the words to make the prince understand. You see something akin to confusion flash across his muzzle, but before he can speak, you interrupt him.
“The situation down there is more dire than you think.” You tell him. “My uncle… he… there is no more money.” You admit, lowering your head. “There is nothing in the treasury that would appease you. We have no valuable heirlooms, and any money that was collected from taxes has been squandered.”
The dragon before you remains silent, and you take it as permission to continue.
“My uncle is in horrible debt. To criminals no less.” You tell him bitterly. That’s what he sent me here. He was going to wed me off to their leader in order to absolve his debts to them. That’s why he thought he would gift me to you when you demanded something of value. As of right now, I am the kingdoms most valuable asset.”
You hear Chiyo whispering angrily to Moe as the truth finally comes out, but the prince remines silent as you continue.
“He told me this was it for me: I had to come here, because now I don’t have a home to return to. He made that perfectly clear to me before I left.”
Despite everything, you feel the tell-tale sign of angry tears pricking at the corner of your eyes, and you wipe them away harshly with a bitter laugh.
“Even if I was to go back down there, chances are he’d just marry me off to the leader of the criminals he’s been borrowing money from, and quite honestly, I think I’d rather take my chances here then with him. Kai is a horrible, violent man. I’d sooner end it all then marry him.”
Your speech is met with silence. Moe and Chiyo look like they want to comfort you, but you can see them casting unsure looks up at the dragon standing before you, and you know they’re waiting for permission from their Lord.
The prince is still staring down at you with an unreadable expression. Finally, after a pause, he speaks, but it’s not at all what you thought he’d say:
“…And I thought my family was bad. That’s some uncle you have there princess.”
Your eyes snap up to meet the dragon’s cool teal gaze, and he snorts, smoke curling out of his nose.
“If he’s willing to sell his own family member to make up for his debts, no wonder you want away from him.” The dragon continues on, letting out a sound akin to a snicker. “Tell me; your parents are alright with him selling their daughter to common thugs? Worse yet, me?”
“I wouldn’t know. My parents are dead.” You respond quietly. “But I would imagine not.”
The dragon quiets at your admission. You see something unreadable flash through his eyes, before they harden once more and you see him straighten up so he is towering over your small form.
“You know who I am, correct? What I’ve done? Why I’m here?”
“I have heard the stories.” You tell him softly. “My uncle knows as well. He’s quite frightened of you.”
“Your uncle is right to be wary around me.” The prince clicks one of his deadly curved talons at you, “and you should be to, if you know what’s good for you.”
Before you can ask him if that is a threat, the prince turns away from you and limps towards the exit, brushing past Moe and Chiyo without so much as a word to either of them. He pauses at the doorway and tosses you a look over his shoulder.
“I will allow you to stay here for the time being, but you are not to get in my way while you reside here. You can go where you’d like around the palace, except for my wing. It is forbidden.”
You don’t dare ask why.
“Thank you.” you call out to him softly as he turns his massive head away from you. The dragon grunts once, acknowledging you, before calling out Moe’s name for the first time. The flame haired woman turns to him almost mechanically, and he jerks his head in your direction.
“Find her some new clothes. My sister will most likely have dresses from our childhood in her old chambers. Something should fit her there. She doesn’t need to be dressed like a sacrifice.”
Ah yes. You’d almost forgotten that you were wearing that stupid white garb your uncle had forced you into before kicking you out.
The dragon flicks his scared tail and exits the room without another word, leaving you to try and process everything that happened to you. You barely register Chiyo and Moe taking you out of the sitting room and down more torch-lit hallways towards a section of the palace you hadn’t seen yet, each corridor glowing a soft blue from the fire swirling idly around in the torch holders.
You scan each corridor you pass, hoping to catch a glimpse of the dragon prince one more time, but as quickly as he appeared, he’s disappeared somewhere down the maze of hallways.
Somewhere deep down inside you; your inner child – one that you thought had died alongside your parents – is thrilled that you finally got to see a dragon, let alone speak to one – even if he is a blood thirsty war criminal.
And you know that despite the dragon’s warning to you, this will not be the last time your paths cross.