The Dragon King

by Candace Blevins

  When it hit, my arms and legs tried to straighten but couldn’t as he held me in place and kept pounding, kept taking me through the orgasm. I opened my eyes and saw his closed, but I got to see his mouth open and bliss show in his expression as his hips slammed into me one last time and he came. I’d watched him masturbate plenty, but apparently, coming while inside me was exponentially better than ejaculating into a towel.

  I’d never stopped panting and screaming through my own orgasm, which still controlled me as I writhed and spasmed under Aaron’s weight, so when the tenor of my screams changed it was the first inkling I had of something unusual.

  I felt both discomfort bordering on pain as well as the most extreme bliss possible, and was still writhing in ecstasy as we both screamed together now, our cries turning to the honking, chirruping, and shrieking of swans mating. Aaron touched one of the bed’s supports with his beak and part of the wall fell away. I followed him into a cave, jumped from a ledge and flew a short way, and saw him fold his wings in to go through a hole. I did the same, plummeting a heart-stopping second before stretching them out and following him.

  I loved the sensation of flying, and soon realized I was a human sized swan again. We went up into the inky midnight-colored sky a good ways before he turned us around to fly over the mountain.

  As we passed the other edge of the mountain’s top, my stomach seemed to follow the contour of the land even though I kept my body at the same elevation. It took me a few moments to find my equilibrium, and I was reminded of the feeling in the car, when I was carsick on the curvy road.

  We must’ve flown thirty minutes before we finally landed in a field, and Aaron immediately changed into his dragon form.

  I closed my eyes and thought of what it’d felt like to be a dragon — my wings leathery instead of feathered, claws instead of duckbilled feet, and a mouth with teeth instead of a beak. I felt the change start, and I breathed into it and held the thought of how it’d felt to be Dragon.

  “Beautiful, My Queen. You’re beautiful. We will have a ceremony for us in this form, where you’ll be crowned My Queen, Sophia.”

  I was getting more used to his dragon voice, associating it with him instead of thinking it sounded like someone else. I tested my own voice, knowing it wouldn’t sound like me.

  “I want to try to fly from here, see if I can take off. I’ll just fly around this clearing and come right back. Is it safe, here?”

  He nodded. “Yes, we’re in the center of a wilderness area and I don’t smell humans close. Just don’t go too far or too high.”

  I jumped up and flapped my wings, but landed right away.

  “Lift your wings as you bend your legs, and then jump with your legs and push down with your wings at the same time. Concentrate on shoving the air into the ground and lifting yourself.”

  I tried it again and managed, though just barely. I flew around the field once, landed, and tried again.

  When I finally felt I had it down, I was exhausted, but Aaron rested his head over my lower back, placed one clawed foot just above where my tail joined my body, and another just below where my neck joined the other end of my body.

  And warmth and love flowed through my body as he gave me energy. A lot of it.

  When he backed away he said, “As a dragon you have four legs and two wings. As a swan you’ll have two legs and two wings. My swan wings turned into legs, and the wings came out on their own. I’m assuming the same will happen in reverse.”

  “You want me to see if I can turn into a swan?”

  He nodded. “I do. I believe I just gave you enough energy for a dozen changes, as your dragon body can hold more than your human one. I’m assuming your swan body will hold onto it magically, and by the time we turn human you’ll have used up a good portion of it. I want us to go to Faerie and show the Winter Queen who we are, Princess. We can negotiate the crowning ceremony with her, and if we don’t want to do it immediately, can set a date.”

  I shook my head. “We’ll need to do it right away, for safety reasons. Killing the princess will be way easier than killing the Queen. Setting a date will put an even bigger target on me.”

  “Tell me what you want to do, Sophia. Right now you are both Queen of the Dragons and Swan Princess. I want you to be Queen of both. The ability to change from Dragon to Swan is huge. If we can both pull it off then I would have us fly into Faerie as a mated couple. If my power is stripped upon entering we’ll immediately leave, otherwise we’ll fly to the Winter Palace, land at the gates, and walk in as naked humans, hand in hand.”

  Mabel had told me to listen to my instincts, so I walked away from Aaron and spread my wings to give myself some privacy as I considered what felt right.

  If I ignored my fear and put aside my feelings about public nudity and sex, I realized Aaron was right. Putting this off wasn’t smart — we needed to let Faerie know who we were now, not tomorrow.

  The power he’d given me flowed through my veins as I thought myself a swan. The transformation was smooth and seamless this time, no encouragement or breathing needed. I had to go through the ancient rituals go to from human to swan, but only had to think my way there from dragon form.

  Aaron’s dragon smile was just a tad creepy, but then he was suddenly a full sized swan and there was nothing creepy about my mate. I jumped and flapped my wings as I’d done as a dragon, and managed to take off as a swan.

  I followed him to a different waterfall, and came up beside him just before we flew into the falls side-by-side.

  The air in Faerie was colder than it’d been in Chattanooga, but also crisper, clearer. I could immediately tell he still had his powers, and my heart soared as we flew for perhaps an hour before I saw the castle in the distance, and I noted people forming outside the gates over the next ten minutes as we neared.

  Word had already gone out, apparently.

  We landed in the middle of the road, Aaron turned human first, and I followed. He reached for my hand and I looked to the Guard of the Gate, my voice strong as I informed him, “Princess Sophia Siyanko and King Aaron Drake request an audience with the Winter Queen, please.”

  He nodded and reached to open the large gate, not the small door within the gate. “Our Queen is awaiting you, and has asked me to let you both know you have safe passage while within these walls today.”

  When he opened the large gates I stepped onto red carpet and looked at Aaron with my eyes wide. We walked a dozen steps in from the gate and he leaned down, put his lips at my ear, and said, “My guess is we aren’t the only royalty. Her Highness made a point of letting you know you’re safe, so if you see your father you need to walk like a Queen. Let him look away if he can’t handle your nudity. This is Faerie, where being naked is no big deal.”

  I nodded and held my head a little higher and my shoulders back just a touch more. The doors to the palace were held open for us, and the red carpet continued as we walked through the foyer into the main ballroom. The Winter Queen was on her throne on the raised stage at the other end of the room, a large waterfall cascading down the wall behind her.

  The carpet ended a few feet into the room, and Aaron and I walked to her, hand in hand. I’d never figured out if it were magic or an optical illusion, but though the other side of the ballroom appeared to be about forty yards away, one had to walk about two hundred yards to get to it.

  When we finally reached her, Aaron bent at the waist a few inches and I gave a half-curtsy. Visiting royalty were required to show respect without having to fully kneel or prostrate.

  “My Queen,” I greeted, my eyes on her gem encrusted shoes peeking out from beneath her elaborate full-length dress. “I’ve brought my mate. The Land let us in without stripping his powers, My Lady. We landed outside your gate as giant Swans before entering in our human forms.”

  The Winter Queen stood and walked down to us. She kissed my cheek first, then Aaron’s.

  “It seems you have a thing for queens, my old Consort. You’ve done well a
nd I can see she makes you happy. I wish you the best.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment, Your Majesty. I hope I make her as happy as she makes me.”

  “My dear,” she said to me, standing before me again, her voice loud enough this time so everyone in the room could hear. I smelled my father and Cyrano, though I hadn’t seen them. I’d focused on the dais as I neared it, not wanting to appear rude by looking around.

  “My great grandfather had a tryst with a human woman, and the product of their affair was your grandmother. Your entry into the world brought much talk, and even more gossip. My sister and I both wanted to mentor you, and in the end we had to agree to each have control of you during our reign.” I gasped as the implications slammed into me. I was related to both the Summer and Winter Queens — some kind of cousin?

  “If you ever came to power, I always assumed it would happen under my sister’s reign. The fact you were born under my rule and will be crowned so close to your birthday brings much discussion as to the energy of your reign. Your choice of mate has added to the rumors and speculation. I’m thrilled to claim you as mine, but today, for the first time ever, you’ll be in the room with me and Titania at the same time.” Her voice dropped as she finished, her words slamming into me as if I’d been punched in the gut. “You must choose which of us is to crown you, Sophia.”

  There was no good answer to this. None.

  “Can my mate and I ask for a private audience with the two of you, My Queen?”

  Her smile told me she approved of the question, and she tilted her head as she said. “Titania is waiting for us in my chambers. You must be hungry after flying in.”

  I was, but I it was generally considered a bad idea to accept food as a guest while in Faerie.

  When we stepped into Mabel’s elaborate chambers I saw Titania standing at the bar with a cocktail glass in her hand, elegant as ever.

  Mabel was dark and beautiful, scary and powerful. One wanted to fall to the ground to beg her not to hurt you. As a child I’d been coached to only give the half curtsy, but her power scared me so bad it was all I could do to keep to my feet and not wet myself at times.

  Titania was light and elegant, her beauty overwhelming and her energy so strong it was hard not to fall to your knees at her feet to worship her — not out of fear, but out of awe at her power and beauty.

  She had a kind smile for me, and then her eyes locked with Aaron’s and her gaze was harsh and cold. I turned to look at my lover, who froze in place as he held her gaze.

  Twenty seconds into the icy stare-off, he tilted his head and said, “Queen Titania, you look as lovely as ever. I’d like to present my mate, the Dragon Queen and Swan Princess. I believe the two of you are well acquainted?”

  Her head tilted, her smile colder than I’d ever seen it. I’d never in my life been afraid of Titania, but in that moment I wanted to run screaming from the room. Aaron gave my hand a small squeeze and I managed my emotions and worked to convince my body it was calm and in control. I didn’t want to broadcast to those with a good sense of smell how terrified I was, after all.

  “While not exclusively mine for some time,” she told him, her voice laced with daggers, “I’ve still considered you mine for over a century. I haven’t given you leave to take a mate.”

  Aaron took a breath to respond, but I let go of his hand and took three steps in front of him. “I don’t know what game you and your sister have played with me for the past twenty-five years, but you had to know he’d play a part in it or you wouldn’t have hidden from him your importance to me. Aaron had no idea we were even acquainted, much less the fact you’re my Faerie Godmother! Not only that, I was never told you and your sister were apparently sharing custody of me! I adored you, and you weren’t honest with me, and now you dare to speak to my mate as if you own him?”

  Titania looked at Mabel and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay, so she has a lot of you in her.” She shifted her gaze to me and said, “Your Dragon has been a bit of a gigolo over the centuries, my dear. It would be easier to point out the females he hasn’t nailed than to list the ones he’s bedded. Part of me didn’t believe he’d finally found a mate, but seeing the two of you together…” She shook her head. “I’m convinced. I won’t apologize to him for my words, but I’ll ask you to take them with a grain of salt. I respect your claim on him, and hope he can keep his talleywacker in his pants when you aren’t around to entertain it.”

  Aaron stepped behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “You both knew I’d never officially mate with someone who couldn’t be mine in every way. I’m sure you’re also both aware she has a dragon form, and now I have a swan form.” He squeezed my shoulder and addressed me, “My Queen, do you have a preference of which sister should crown you?”

  I shook my head. “I feel close to both sisters and will not elevate one’s friendship over the other, even though I’m a bit peeved with Titania at the moment, and aggravated with them both.”

  Aaron chuckled and said, “Well then, since I’ll be calling Jupiter in for a visit so he can crown her Dragon Queen, why don’t we let him handle the Swan ceremony as well?”

  Both Queens froze, their icy stare directed at me, or perhaps at Aaron behind me. He must have felt the affect they had on me because he stepped beside me so I didn’t catch as much of their hostile glares. I could breathe at least a little once the focus wasn’t so close, but Aaron didn’t seem to be the least fazed by the physical weight of their practically twin scowls.

  Titania’s voice was breathy, possibly even a little unsettled as she asked, “You would bring our father here?”

  “I intend to request he come to Chattanooga to crown my Queen, or alternatively ask if we can go to him for the ceremony, if he doesn’t wish to travel. If we can’t come up with a Swan coronation that makes everyone happy then yes, I’m betting he’d be happy to have one ceremony to crown her for both titles.”

  The sisters looked at each other a few seconds, and then both said, “Well, fuck,” at exactly the same time.

  Mabel waved her arm and I was in a beautiful dress. I looked to Aaron, who was wearing a regal tuxedo. The Winter Queen pointed to the seating area and said, “Everyone have a seat and let’s get comfortable.”

  When we were seated, Mabel told me, “A few things are negotiable, Sophia. You will be Queen to his king. Titania and I are both in agreement of this, so waiting until the spring won’t change this.”

  “Not a problem,” Aaron told her. “She’ll rule the Swans and I’ll rule the Dragons, and we’ll each be second in command of our secondary animal form.”

  Mabel nodded and said, “She’ll have to go from human to swan in front of an audience.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but Aaron put his hand on mine to quiet me, and said, “The audience needs to see us as a human and as a swan, without either of us leaving their sight, correct?”

  “Yes, but Swans turn during sex, which means she’ll have to be okay with public sex.”

  “Don’t discount our powers, Mabel.”

  My heart skipped a beat waiting for the Winter Queen to tear into Aaron for using her name, but she acted as if she didn’t even notice.

  Titania leaned forward. “You’re going to have sex as dragons instead of humans? Is that it?”

  Mabel’s eyebrows went up. “However it happens, you’ll need to take the lower position and let her do the fucking. I’ve never seen dragons go at it though, so it could still be a good show.”

  Both sisters looked at Aaron, then at me, and Titania said, “No, he’s found a way to spare her. I can see the love he has for her, and she looks as if she’s only a few short hours past losing her virginity.”

  “Not acceptable,” Mabel told Aaron. “There will be sex or there will be no crowning.”

  “If we don’t have sex before the ceremony then the audience must see the consummation, yes?”

  “What are your terms?” Titania asked.

  “I can be naked but I want her
in a dress. I’ll lift her to my waist, we’ll both remain standing. You’ll put a one-way barrier around us, so the audience can see and hear us, but we can’t hear them. She’ll face the lake but won’t see anyone. I’ll face the audience.”

  “No,” said Mabel. “You’ll be bound, with a huge ball gag and a butt plug that’ll split you open and make you bleed. I want your balls wrapped tight, and domes of flesh-eating fireflies over your nipples.”

  I looked to Titania, “Will you have the same requirements if we wait until the spring to crown me?”

  Titania looked to Aaron, then to me. “As much as I want to hurt him for leaving me, no, dear, I won’t. I’ll allow it to happen the way he wishes.”

  I stood as I looked at Mabel. “We’ll take our leave now. I trust the promise of our safety still holds?”

  “It does, but please sit back down, Sophia. This is between Aaron and me and doesn’t concern you.”

  I didn’t sit, but looked down at her as I said, “He’s my mate and my lover. No one hurts him without going through me. I’d rather have to live in exile than be responsible for his having to go through what you want to do to him!”

  Mabel looked genuinely puzzled. “I’ve done much worse to him when he was my lover. It isn’t so bad, and it’s designed to show your power, to make you look formidable.”

  I shook my head. “Worse! What could be worse?”

  Aaron stood and pulled me into his arms, cradling my head to his chest. “You don’t need to know right now, Soph. Let’s keep our eyes on the end goal. Will you let me negotiate this, please? My threat to pull in Jupiter to do the crowning isn’t idle and they both know it. I won’t accept anything I can’t easily handle. I promise.”

  I looked him in the eyes, saw the truth of his words, and nodded. His arm pulled me back down to the sofa as he sat, and he put his arm around me comfortably as he told Mabel, “You may stop time to insert a room temperature glass butt plug lubricated with normal virgin coconut oil and nothing else. You may not draw blood, nor may you animate the plug in any way. It must remain inconspicuous to the audience, and must teleport out of my ass and into my luggage as I climax inside Sophia. The glass butt plug will remain mine from that point forward, neither you nor any of your agents will have a claim to it.”