[Primus]
The wench was tied to the wagon in the exact location I had requested. They had even trussed her up, making sure she was tied securely so that she would have no chance of escaping. Good. I guess I do not have to take back my good favor from the village for something as stupid as misunderstanding my directions. I’d rather not waste a valuable resource just to prove that I can as a way to save face.
The town of Crimson provides my castle with the fine fabrics and spices we need to run a household worthy of a Dragon Prince. Without them, I’d have to go further afield to find the goods that I need, and it would be…inconvenient.
Reaching down with one of my foreclaws, I scoop up the wagon and take flight once again. I can hear the wench screaming, which is how I know she is still alive. Flight can be terrifying for the wingless. I expect a few screams of surprise, but she doesn’t stop. She just keeps going, a long loud bellow that resonates and scratches the inside of my eardrums in the most peculiarly painful and irritating way. I take a few deep breaths to steady my nerves, hoping that she would stop. But she doesn’t, not even to catch her breath.
Thankfully it is a short journey from where I received her to the castle gates. If I had to listen to her scream for much longer, I’d have thrown her into the sea and let my brother deal with her. I didn’t even need a maid this badly. I only asked for her to give me a reason to be benevolent. I would have never let the town starve. The problem was that they asked me directly, using formal channels. Unfortunately, that meant that all of the kingdom knew of their request for aid, and as they were under my care and protection, that left me no choice. A dragon always keeps his word but never does a favor. There is always a cost.
Which is how I got stuck with this whining, sniveling, shrew of a woman.
I toss the wagon a bit harder than I had intended and it goes skidding, crashing into the wall. I hear a loud smack, and then silence.
Finally, blessed silence.
As I reshape myself, I place a finger in my left ear to stop the ringing. Wow, that woman could yell.
My scales retract into fine armor. My green hair is braided back and hidden behind my horned helm. Standing taller than most human men, I tower over the wagon, looking down at the frail figure tied to its bed. The landing, or her fear, has knocked her unconscious and so she doesn't notice me standing there, staring down at her. Using one of my razor-sharp nails, I cut the ropes that bind her, watching as the color returns to her hands and feet. She has the most beautiful brown skin, dark like mahogany or rich loamy soil. Her hair, a dandelion fluff fans out around her in a downy pillow that reaches her waist. Her features are strong and sharp, pronounced in the way of one who has not had a decent meal in years. Despite her gaunt frame, she still has full lips, like ripe fruit, her body gently curved beneath long loose, simple skirts that were clean but spare.
I wonder what color her eyes are.
As my gaze wanders back to her face I find out the answer as two golden brown eyes, the color of wheat, open wide with fear and shock. She begins to open her mouth...
"SILENCE," I bellow, using my most authoritative voice.
She closes her mouth. Blinking up at me she skitters to the edge of the wagon, moving as far away from me as possible, holding up her hands as she notices that the bindings are gone. I take a step back to give her the illusion of safety.
"Descend from the cart, wench," I demand.
She doesn't move from her corner, her whole body shaking in fear.
"I have no use for a frightened servant," I explain. "If you don't get down I'll..."
"Will you eat me?" she finally speaks. Her voice is hoarse from all the screaming, but I can hear a crystalline musicality to it. She looks up at me bravely now, finding whatever is left of her courage. "Are you the dragon?"
"I am Primus," I state simply, "And you are now a guest in my home."
"Guest?" She raises an eyebrow. "Is that what you call your food these days?"
Insolent wench. She has no idea how lucky she is. If she had spoken that way to my father, or any of my siblings, she'd already be broken and lying at the foot of this mountain.
"I wouldn't speak to me like that," I warn her, all warmth gone from my voice.
"Why ever not?" she puffs herself up bravely, challenging me as she steps out of the cart. "If you wanted to kill me you would have done it already."
"Maybe I have other plans for you." I take a step forward, placing a great deal of promised pain into every movement. She takes a step back, her legs shaking almost imperceivably. "Maybe I don't eat underfed food, and I want to fatten you up first," I sneer.
We walk together, me leading as she takes another step back, her body hitting the wall of the castle, her hands reaching back to find the slick, sharp stones. "Or maybe I just don't think you are worth the effort." I grin, my fangs elongating below my lip. I stand even closer, deep within her personal space, the pointed nose guard on my helm almost touching her face, as I bend down and ask, "But what does any of that matter to you, maid, as you are now mine to do with as I wish? You are a trophy, a prize, an item that I have collected to add to my horde. The only value you have is that which I assign you. Your village gave you away to pay off their debt."
Pinching her chin between my fingers, I lift her face to mine and explain. "You belong to me. Until you die or I grow bored."
Her eyes scream disagreement at my words, but her mouth is smart enough to stay closed.
"How old are you, girl?"
She has grown quiet, still. She tries to look away, to cast her eyes down, but I force her to look at me when she answers, "19, I think."
"You think?"
"Nobody knows. I don't even know. My memories started when I entered the village twelve years ago."
I can tell by the steady pace of her heartbeat that she isn't lying.
"Are you a virgin?" I ask bluntly. I needed to know I wasn't taking her from loved ones or children.
She doesn't answer. Maybe she doesn't understand what I'm asking. Sometimes the very young or inexperienced can be confused about such things. "Have you ever lain with a man or woman in the way one does when..."
She doesn't let me finish before answering, "not by choice."
I try to control my anger as I grip her chin tighter. She whimpers, and I loosen my grip slightly.
"So you have already..."
"Not by choice!" she screams at me now, tears running down her eyes. "I had no choice about what others did to me. I had to obey, and if I didn't, they took what they wanted anyway."
"I see." I sigh. "I should throw you from this tower now, let your bones decorate my hillside for the disrespect your village has shown me by sending me an ...impure offering. I prefer my belongings to be untouched. However," I pause, trying to figure out a way to keep this poor child from being returned, "Rather than punish your village by sending you back in pieces, I'll have to find a way for you to balance the debt."
“How?” Blinking up at me she is shaking noticeably now.
"You, my little beauty, will serve under me. Personally."
[Millicent]His malicious grin, the only part of his face I could see clearly, was predatory and possessive as he grabbed my hand roughly and led me through a stone door at the side of the keep. The door slammed behind us, the solid boom reminding me of the finality of my situation. Any chance for my freedom ended when that door closed behind us.We entered a small chamber that led to a dark hallway, lit by odd metal torches burning with a strange green flame behind clear bowls of hand-turned glass. I didn’t have much opportunity to appreciate the cleverness of the craftsmanship, however, because I was still suffering under his rough handling and he pulled me along faster than my much shorter legs could travel. Nobody was around to see him drag me up the stairs as I struggled, hitting and punching his back, hoping he'd stop moving and let me go. But he didn’t. Nothing seemed to matter as he continued. Not my screams, not my tears, not all the nasty things I said about him, his parenta
[Millicent]Leon led me back the way he had come, past the waterfall room, which is called a “terrarium,” into a dark hallway that I had somehow missed the night before. He presses his hand onto a small panel in the wall igniting more of those green-fire torches, illuminating the corridor before us. As we make our way through the doorway, the hallway opens up into another grand chamber, not quite as big as the last, but sufficiently big enough to hold one of the largest collections of books I had ever seen in one place.“Why are there so many books?” I ask, honestly curious.“For enjoyment,” he replies as if the answer is obvious. “Don’t you like to read?”“No,” I admitted. “I’ve never had enough time to learn how.”He stopped abruptly, holding out a hand. “You don’t know how to read?”“No,” I shake my head. “Why would I need to? Only merchants and lords need letters written on a page. I am just a maid. What need do I have of books when all I’m expected to do is clean?”He looks at me
[Millicent] It was several minutes before I was able to move from the spot where I watched Leon leave. When he had exited, there had been a door, with a typical handle carved of wood. As soon as he disappeared from sight and the door closed behind him, it melted into the wall, becoming stone. Stepping forward, I gently rubbed my hand to see if I could feel a seam or any other sign that a door had been here only moments before. It was no longer warm to my touch, only cold polished stone with not even the smallest blemish. Remembering the trick from before, I placed my hand on the center of the door, waiting for it to warm to my touch and open outward as it had before. Patiently I stood, fear slowly bubbling up my body from my gut, as the stone remained cold, hardly even warming up to my body heat. What had Leon said? That I was the only one who could enter. He didn’t say anything about whether or not I could exit. He also hinted that I wasn’t the only one who would be able to cont
WARNING: This chapter contains verbal, physical, and psychological abuse. It also contains brief descriptions of graphic violence. [Primus] The girl is staring at me as if her eyes were made of blades and her glare could pierce my armor. I’ve noticed that she is quick to anger, a trait I can respect. “You cannot destroy an entire village,” she argues, her dainty foot stomping hard on its wooden heel, reverberating through the mostly empty hall.
[Millicent] I hate him. Right now, there isn’t a single part of my body that doesn’t hate him. What was he thinking, bringing those horrible men into this keep? Every single one of them represents a handful of memories that I’d rather forget, parts of my life that I had to endure. Seeing them like that, having him demand that I tell him how each should die, sent me right back to those moments to live once again. I know that he sees me as insignificant, I am only a human, and the lowest of them, and he is a dragon prince. He has no reason to see me with any kind of regard. But what he did tonight,
008: Peace Offering [Millicent] I hear a “thump, thump, thump,” against my wall--a pattering of fists forming an oddly regular rhythm of flesh and stone. Squinting, I lift my head to see the first light of dawn begin to crest over the horizon. Rolling over, ignoring the pounding on my wall, I watch as the room slowly warms with morning light, refracted into sparkling rainbows through cut crystal windows that stretch from the marble floors to the high stone ceilings. Beautiful and cold, it is a lovely gilded cage. Grabbing a ridiculously oversized pillow, I pull it over my head in a vain attempt to silence the pounding which continues without pause, in perfect sync. I don’t need to check to know who it is on the other side. Voice muffled by the oversized cushion I groan, "I guess you can come in," and I sense more than hear when the door reappears and opens, allowing them all to come filing in. "Miss," a politely monotone and emotionless female voice to my left speaks. "We were se
[Millicent] Leon and I spent the morning re-teaching me how to sit (with one’s back straight, head pointed towards the heavens), how to eat (slowly and with care, never hurried), and then how to read (a painful process for the heart, mind, and eyes). It was more than a bit humiliating, but he did all of this with such patience and goodwill that I felt at ease, even at my lack of understanding. \ For example, it is “unladylike” to use your hands to dip your fruit into your bowl of cream. There are little forks for eating your berries so that your fingers are never sullied with juice. Nevermind that the juice often tastes better licked from one's hand. It is also “undignified” to pour your own cream in the first place because that is what the attendants are hired to do. Even if that meant you waited in hunger until they made their way over to you. Rushing and impatience are also “undignified,” so those moments of waiting your turn are important when cultivating patience, a desired vi
[Primus] She entered my home only three nights before and already her allure overwhelms my senses. I can smell her in the walkways, taste her fingertips as they brush against my walls, and feel the butterfly kisses her feet make as she moves through her room. There is no part of me that doesn’t crave to be near her. It makes no sense to me why I suddenly feel this need to be close to anyone, never mind a small, fragile thing like her. Could she even bear my touch if I were in my true form? Would she willingly come to me scaled as I am, or will she only ever want the touch of human flesh? If she could bear it, would I crush her, breaking her without knowing? Even for a human, she is still so weak, still needing so much more care than I have yet been able to give her. Cold, wet, smelling deeply of earth and my familiar dragon scent, it is dark in my cave. Adjusting my wings, I roll over onto my back to stare up at the bats and stalactites. I get adjusted, curling into a ball, my scale
[Carnelia] When I sat there, tied to that wagon almost a year ago, I had no idea how my life led me to that place. I couldn't even remember who I was or where I came from. It is amazing how much can change in such a short amount of time. When I was a hurt, angry girl, I had no idea that one day I'd wake up and be seen as the mother of a kingdom, or that my children would not only be heirs to all of Luxandra, but to the Solar Throne of the Southern Continent, a rebirth for a royal line thought long dead. Nor did I understand that my old life, and everyone who existed within it, would be nothing but ash and sour memories before the next summer blossomed. All I knew as I fought against my bindings was that in the next few minutes, my life would either end drastically or it would be changed forever. Because even if my body were not destined to die as a dragon’s meal that evening, something in me realized that the girl I had been up until that moment would die that day. There was n
[Eleanora] “Your Majesty, you shouldn’t be down here,” the small man sniveled as I entered the new lab. "This is no place for a lady." “Where else would I be?” I demand, cracking my knuckles as I stare down my nose at the human technician in charge of keeping my husband’s body from dying. “My husband is here, so I am here. I wanted an update on his condition.” “We could have written a report and sent it…” he begins to sniffle but I raise my hand and he bows low before me, his back deeply bowed as is proper. “I wanted to SEE him, you dolt,” I correct the fool shaking before me. Humans are so weak-willed and this one is weaker than most. I brought him from my family home because I can trust he will be loyal. He'd sooner tattle on himself for a perceived mistake than risk being accused by someone else. Similarly, he's the first to report when anything seems amiss. The perfect little worm to place in any apple. Because while he is telling on everyone else, he is also spying for
[Segundus] “Greetings citizens of Imperial City,” My queen and I shine brightly as the sun begins to set, our white clothes studded with diamonds so that when the spotlights shine on us, we gleam like fallen stars, fitting since our intention tonight is to make celestials fall from the heavens. “The Celestials have lorded over us for several millennia. Living in their sky throne, they control our resources, taking what they want and leaving nothing behind. Their children, the Sun Dragons, were especially notorious. They controlled the power that fueled our cities, and if we didn’t make proper payment, they would burn our cities, raid our farms, and send their blight to wipe all life from our land.” I pause to let my words settle into the hearts and minds of those gathered. A gentle hissing roar throughout the crowd assembled. My wife, Queen Eleanora, squeezes my hand in encouragement, smiling sweetly, projecting her confidence and trust. “My brother, Segundus, sought to alig
[Carnelia] There is a bright glow as I close my eyes and I know that it is the last time I will ever see Cressida, that she sacrificed her spark to save me. My screams turn into howls of pain and sorrow. Cressida, the kind mother who nursed me through the birth of my babies, and accepted me into her family even when she thought I was a human. I didn’t even really get a chance to know her, and now I am mourning her, along with the loss of my mate, trapped on the other side of a gate I cannot cross. “CLOSE THE GATE!” one of my captors bellows through the entry gate as we arrive at the Northern Sky Portal, “By order of Queen Cressida. This is her final command!” The drakes at the gate go immediately to work, tapping buttons on clear surfaces lit from within with swirling and changing images of blue, red, and green. The surface beneath our feet shifts and shakes and I scream in fury as I watch the large metal iris of the portal snap shut. “How could you,” I pound the chest of m
[Segundus] “Sir,” one of my aerial knights bows before me as I ready myself for the next phase of the war. I had just sent my generals from the room and was looking over a map of Luxandra. I already have an idea of what this knight is going to say before he opens his mouth. Looking at the map, I have marked several cities that have recently been destroyed, each one a hub for an energy hub. I had them each commit to continuing the story of Skyfell, telling the untruths of how the treacherous Celestials came down to Terra, burned our cities, and stole our light. In many ways, these new attacks on major city hubs are feeding into our story, except for the unpredictable element of them being completely untrue. “Report,” I am getting irritated by all the bad news I have been receiving. My generals didn't have anything good to report from their respective lands, and the lack of resources coming into the capital was starting to make me anxious. It has become harder and harder to hide the
[Primus] Ever since I first saw her tied to that cart, there was something about her, something that captured my heart. Seeing her taken from me, held roughly by the hands of those trying to save her as she is taken away, screaming my name--that broke my heart. So much has happened since that fateful evening when she was left as a sacrifice at the foot of my mountain. She had fire in her then too, but it was buried deep within her, almost smothered by a lifetime of hate and abuse. Once I started to brush away the ash and soot of her previous life, she began to glow, her fire mostly directed at me, but fire nonetheless. Even when she tried to extinguish it, when the weight of the world and her sadness threatened to crush her spirit, she came back to me, her fire bright and true. Loving her has been hot and pure and never boring, never predictable, almost like flame itself. Right now, burning with rage, with righteous indignation, she is the brightest I’ve ever seen her.
[Carnelia] The still of the morning is shattered as everyone moves into position to protect Primus, Cressida, and myself. We all drop to the ground as another beam of light shoots over our heads. “How many do we have below,” the queen bellows, commanding her men, her body rigid with fear and power. If she is afraid, it is impossible to see, her movements sure and precise. “At least a full platoon of air drakes with another half platoon of fire, My Queen.” One of the guards answers back as another shot zooms overhead. “Possibly more hidden beyond the ridge.” “Un
[Segundus] My back aches as I land near Hatchery L11. It is early morning, just after dawn. Eleanora was still sleeping when I left. I have a feeling the doctor will give us auspicious news today about her health. Based on the color of her cheeks and her increased appetite, I am certain she is carrying our first clutch. I leave my small group of guards behind in a nearby town. I cannot have anyone who enters these facilities other than myself cannot leave once they enter. We cannot risk trade secrets leaking out to our competitors. I know that Elfholm is considering creating its own factories using a different breed, but as it is now with energy being one of our main exports, I do not want to give away anything that will lessen their dependency on our sources.
[Ona] The fighting has stopped. We are vastly outnumbered. Thankfully, the Imperium soldiers on board were given orders to stun and contain us, not shoot to kill. Even so, we lost more than a handful of sun dragons to the battle that ensued. Including Daax and myself, the number of resistance fighters on the boat is down to 36. Four days ago, at the start of this adventure, we had more than 60. By the time we reached the end of the tunnel, we numbered 42. I try not to think of all the bodies we lost during the evacuation of Segundus’ lab. So many had never awakened when released from the pods--and there had been hundreds of them. Drakes, drakaina, and some little more than hatchlings. Watching them die as they took their first free breaths in decades is a memory I will torment me for all the remaining moments of my life. There were more bodies on the ground than walked out of that room. I have been fighting this battle against the Imperium for the last four decades but on