Heya Everyone. I am so sorry this is a day late. Long story short, I went to a funeral yesterday morning and was out all day as a result. Then when I finally got home I had to move a whole lot of stuff and dig trenches to drain away water because with all the rain hitting us right now we’re at a high risk of flooding.
BUT! I did manage to find time to start this and finish it today, so here you go. Enjoy :)
The small dragon was barely the size of her thumb, content to be curled around her pointer finger as she went around her daily task, seeming to be little more than a silver ring remembering the ancient dragons of long ago.
If anyone ever found out that her ring wasn't as fake as it was made out to be would only mean trouble. The ancient dragons had been chased away centuries before she had been born. Tales of how they had ravaged the lands her people lived in had coloured the pages of enough history books to fill a library as large as a villagers house, pages bound within large dragon scales, making the room seem to dance under the torches soft light. Nevertheless, both her and her constant companion felt unease whenever they had to pass the room.
No, it was unsafe for her small companion to be seen. It would mean certain death for her little dragon, or worse, the creature would be taken from her and given to the spymasters that had her Queen’s ear. Yet it did not stop the creature from wrapping itself around her finger day after day, staying still as stone to prevent anyone from catching on. She too carefully made sure that her hand never stayed still long enough for anyone to see the small puffs of smoke that accompanied each breath.
It was a risk they were both more than willing to take.
They'd been together for as long as she could remember, the silver dragon never growing any bigger nor seeming to age as she did. She could remember when it flew around her head as a small baby, trying to keep her happy and entertained while her nurses and mother were away or ignoring her. She fell asleep with the creature curled against her torso, spreading out in the winter months in an effort to keep her warm.
As a toddler the creature was her lone companion, the other children kept away from her for fear that they would corrupt the kingdom's first princess since the dragons were chased away. Even when she started her education the others shied away from her in fear.
It had only been quite recently that she had heard the tale of the kingdoms cursed princesses, a group of daughters that had openly played and entertained the dragons of old. How three dragons with the colours of gold, silver and copper had corrupted the princesses of old and cursed the kingdom. The beginning of a time when dragons were no longer welcome within the kingdom for fear of the curse they brought with them.
The nobles, elders and children believed her cursed, keeping away from her if only due to the fear of what her gender would bring to the realm. It worked in her favour, though, their distance allowed for her bond with her dragon, keeping alive a companionship that otherwise would have been lost to the test of time.
So when her hand in marriage was offered to a second son, the prince of a nearby kingdom they both knew her silver toned friend had to go. She would be expected to hold the hand of her betrothed, to share everything with him as her parents had. The nobles that took her hand and pressed a kiss to it in greeting would double in number, as would the amount of time she spent in public and before those that held her people's fate in their fat greedy hands.
Yet neither could bring themselves to stop, each dawning day had the small creature stretch from where it slept between her breasts, it's tail curling around her finger, front claws gently falling into small spaces they seemed to leave either side of the end of it's curled tail, head resting across the left paw, each small breath a gentle familiar caress across her knuckles. Wings folded up and left loosely down the small creatures back.
It was there on the day her betrothed traversed the forest that bordered their two lands, meeting her and her horse on the other side. An unofficial unarranged meeting that they'd secretly set up, disguising themselves as travellers to get out of their respective castles. It was those secret meetings, accompanied by her most trusted guards that the young couple started to learn about each other, and the cultures that they were to be married into.
She learned that dragons were just as forbidden in his land as they were hers, the same curse that threatened her realm had trickled into his. Stories passed by travellers scaring the villagers until the kings and queens of old were forced to act, driving dragon's from their homes and destroying the harmony that had previously exist.
It hadn't seemed to stop him though she hadn't asked, but she could only assume the golden dragon that was entangled in a chain around his neck was real. She had seen the scarred tissue that spread from his chain to his shoulder as his shirt moved with him, no doubt from when the creature was learning to control his flame.
He moved too much for her to ever be certain, never allowing his chest to hold still long enough for her to catch the gentle rise and fall of the golden creature. It did not stop her from admiring it, unlike her silver friend, it was not curled up, and instead it was spread freely. It's tail entangled with the golden chain, and she struggled to tell which part was the chain and which was the fine scales of its tail. Bigger loops of chain circled around the creature's chest, barely two full loops keeping it secured, wings spread wide out either side, and it's head over the top of the chain, pointed straight forward.
It wasn't until their first official meeting that she was sure, a soft smile on her lips as he pressed a lingering kiss to the back of her hand. She was sure he felt the warm breath of her beloved friend rolling over his cheek, and the twinkle in his eye as he rose was enough of a confirmation, a knowing smirk on his lips as he took a step back, once more inline with his parents as they stood opposite her and her mother.
They weren’t permitted to be alone with each other that visit to ask, dragged quickly between meetings as they set the terms of the betrothal and planned the huge wedding that was expected of them. Books handed to him so he could read the history and learn of the realm that he was to become King of. But, like everything, they'd faced in life, they didn't allow that to stop either of them. She could feel his leg pressing gently against hers beneath the table, raising her eyes to see him sitting opposite her with a smile as he pretended to pay attention to the documents before him.
It wasn't until a few weeks later when he had returned to his own kingdom to start his goodbyes that she finally got her answer. Once more in disguise, as she travelled to the glade in the forest where he awaited her, but this time it was different. The dragon was no longer entangled in his necklace, instead sitting on his shoulder, wings flapping lazily in the cool breeze. Her own companion opened his eyes at the familiar sound, before unwrapping from her finger and flying over to the golden dragon.
They fluttered happily around each other, chirping softly as they spoke in their own tongue. Her prince smiling as he watched the interaction just as she did. They both remembered their guards at seemingly the same moment, hearing the sound of swords leaving sheaths as they moved in closer to the tiny pair.
It was with the same mindset that they snatched the pair out of the air, cuddling them close to their chests as they stared down the guards. They would have to be killed themselves before they would let anything happen their little companions. Backs pressed to each other so they could see every angle that they might be charged at from.
She moved her hands first, feeling her silver friend curl itself safely in her clothing as something else settled at the nape of her neck, hidden beneath her hair. His hand found hers, entangling their fingers as he took the first side step towards the thick expanse of forest. The gentle sound of his sword in his hand, dangling at his side just in case.
Then he spoke the one word that would change their lives forever.
"Run."
No comments:
Post a Comment