by Vanessa Cox
“But don’t get me wrong! You are extremely scary! And…beautiful! You are beautiful and scary and you are to be feared and revered far and wide!” she added excitedly.
She coughed awkwardly when the dragon continued to stare down at her with his unblinking gaze.
Celia was convinced that she ruined any and all chances of being released until she heard a rumbling sound coming from his chest. It reverberated throughout his entire body until it surfaced as a growling chuff. She watched in fascinated fear.
He was going to eat her now, she thought dismally. He was doing some weird thing with the fire in his chest and then he was going to rain a fiery hell onto her and then he was going to eat her, she thought bitterly to herself.
The noise continued and he began to bellow even louder as he looked at her face contorted in confused fear.
That’s when she realized he wasn’t puffing up his chest to rain fire onto her at all. He was laughing at her.
A slow anger began to boil inside of her. “Are…you laughing at me?” she asked accusingly. She somehow managed to temporarily forget that she was talking to a dragon.
“You are, aren’t you? You’re laughing at me. Well that’s just great,” she said as she stomped away, trying to find her robe.
He made no move to run her down or chase after her. They both knew that he could be on her in one leap. Once she found her torn robe, she reached down and grabbed it. As she slipped it over her shoulders, she noticed a shining object on the ground. The dagger, she thought excitedly!
She carefully reached for the dagger and grasped it in her hand. She couldn’t do anything with it just yet, but maybe later? She slipped it into the folds of her robe and wrapped it around loose hanging fabric. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.
Noticing that the dragon had stopped ‘laughing’, she turned around and found him looking at her with what appeared to be an amused look in his golden eyes.
She cleared her throat and walked towards him, hoping that he wouldn’t be able to see her new weapon. “As I was saying, what is going to happen now? Please, I’d like to go h-“
Before she was even able to complete her sentence, he lunged at her and scooped her into his giant clawed feet. Celia screamed as he took flight with only the claws on his feet keeping her encaged and secure.
She continued to scream for another minute or two, mostly because she didn’t know what else to do given the situation. She was over a hundred feet above the ground and she never had the desire to see the world from that angle.
Once she grew tired of screaming, she gripped onto one of his claws like her life depended on it and shut her eyes tight. Somehow the darkness her lids offered gave her the illusion of safety. And she had no problem with that.
***
Celia squinted her eyes open as she awoke from her deep slumber. She felt a bit groggy and her head felt a little hazy but she felt surprisingly well rested. She stretched her arms out wide like a cat and felt the softness of the fur blanket under the palms of her hands. She let out a sweet sigh of contentment, right before her brain started sober up.
Fur? Where did the fur come from?
Celia immediately shot up and frantically looked at her surroundings. It looked like she was in a warmly lit cavern, although it was like no cave that she had ever seen. It was actually decorated rather beautifully with lush carpets on the ground and expensive furniture everywhere. There was even a tray with an assortment of food sitting across from her. Where was she? Why was she here?
At that moment, everything that happened the day before suddenly came rushing back to her, specifically, memories of the dragon.
Her pulse raced as she looked around for the dragon.
“H-hello? Is anyone…there?” she yelled out weakly, not entirely sure if she even wanted to be heard.
She waited a beat, but heard nothing.
“Hello!” she yelled out a little louder.
Still nothing.
“Okay…” she muttered to herself. Maybe he was out doing dragon business? She was hoping that wouldn’t entail eating something…or someone.
The very thought of eating suddenly made her stomach grumble and yell out in protest. She hadn’t eaten in well over a day and her stomach wasn’t very happy about that.
Celia eyed the tray of food once more and her stomach instantly made a loud grumbling noise in response. The food looked delicious. She sat staring at it, wondering if the food was meant for her.
Deciding it worth taking a chance, she crawled out of bed and quickly crept over to the table. The food looked amazing. There was a huge assortment of ripe fruits, cheeses and all sorts of meats displayed across the serving tray. There was no way she would be able to resist any of that.
She quickly began shoveling food into her mouth, not even stopping to identify what it was that she was about to eat. It was food and it tasted delicious and that’s all that mattered.
“I hope you find the food pleasing?” a deep voice said behind her.
Celia jumped about two feet in the air with a start, almost choking on the berry in her throat, and turned quickly around.
Standing behind her was possibly the most beautiful yet strangest looking man she had ever seen. He was extremely tall and broad shouldered, which clearly hinted at the solid muscle that lay hidden underneath his tunic, his hair was a mixture of brown and blonde, with the blonde almost sparkling against the light of the candles, but it was his eyes that made her choke on the berry again. They were a rich, warm gold with flecks of brown. He had a very eerie beauty about him.
Celia gaped silently at the man while he matched her gaze.
His mouth turned up in a slightly amused grin.
Celia continued to stare, completely unaware of the awkward smile that was creeping on to her face.
“Are you enjoying the food?” he repeated once more.
The sound of his voice instantly broke her out of her trance. Celia blinked several times, trying to snap herself out of the weird haze that she felt in her head.
Just a moment ago, while looking at him, she felt an inexplicable wave of happiness and warmth. She had a weird feeling of complete and utter contentment. It didn’t feel…real.
“Who are you?” she asked guardedly while still holding onto a wheel of cheese with one hand.
The man bowed his head as he replied, “I am the great dragon, Rhygthar’s, ward.”
“Rhygthar? Who’s that? You mean the dragon! You’re his ward? What does that mean? Are you his prisoner? His servant? Where are we?” she asked with rapid fire and then paused for only a moment to add accusingly, “Do you work for him?”
His smile broadened as she pelted him with questions, which she found incredibly infuriating for some reason.
“Well?” she demanded.
“You didn’t answer my question yet,” he replied calmly, with the charming smile still touching his lips.
Celia’s patience was beginning to wear thin. Her mind was flooded with emotions and all she wanted was some answers. Could this man help her? Could he help her escape? Or did he work with the dragon and he’s just her jailer? Maybe he could answer some questions and tell her what the dragon wanted from her? To her surprise this morning, she was still alive and there was food waiting for her when she woke up. Clearly the dragon had other plans for her. She hoped.
To Celia’s frustration, instead of being of any help, he continued to wear that annoying, yet devastatingly sexy smile on his face and remained silent.
Celia exhaled dramatically. “What question?”
“How are you enjoying the food?”
“It’s great.”
“Good. ”
“Where am I?”
“You were eating it very quickly.”
“I know. I was hungry. Where am I?”
“It’s not good to eat fast,” he replied. A playful glint danced in his golden eyes as he added, “It might give you stomach trouble.”
Celia cocked her he
ad to the side questioningly. That was an odd thing to say, she thought to herself and yet it sounded familiar for some reason… Celia then looked at the wheel of cheese that she still held firmly in her hand. She quickly lowered the cheese and placed it delicately on the platter.
Clearing her throat, she decided to ask him her questions again, but with a little less urgency. “So, would you be so kind as to tell me where I am exactly?” she asked calmly and politely.
The man looked away from her and absently began to pick at the fruit on the table. “You are in one of Rhygthar’s lairs. He has many, but this one was the closest to your village’s drop off site.”
She shook her head in confusion. “Drop off site? Don’t you mean the sacrificial tree that I was bound to?”
He threw a grape into his mouth and continued to eye the platter for more food. “An answer for an answer. What is your name?” he asked while hunting for more grapes.
Celia rolled her eyes. Fine, she would play his game. “Celia. What’s yours?” she asked as she watched him eat the food.
“Tharos.”
“What does the dragon want with me?”
“Uh-uh, my turn to ask the question. Are you aware that you snore in your sleep?”
Celia cheeks burned bright red. Anger, frustration and more than a little bit of embarrassment began to surface as the frustratingly handsome man continued to dodge her questions and antagonize her.
Realizing that she wasn’t going to get anywhere if she blew up at him, she swallowed back her bitter response and replied, “No. Well, yes, I only…snore…when I’m really tired or stressed out.”
The man lifted his gaze and quietly assessed her and then nodded his head.
“Go on. Ask your question.”
“Are you aware that you’re eating all my food?”
At this, the man froze just as he was about to slip some cheese into his mouth.
Celia crossed her arms over her chest and remained firm in her accusing gaze as he stared at her dumbfounded. She cocked an eyebrow at him and then eyed the cheese in his hand.
The smile that she found so annoying on him returned as he gently lowered the slice of cheese back onto the plate. He then opened his hands wide, showing her that he had no weapons, or in this case, food.
Mimicking her stance, he crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Go on, you can ask another question.”
Her edge softened and she relaxed her shoulders a bit. “Okay…what does the dragon want with me?”
“It’s not clear exactly what he wants from you. He’s not sure, that’s why he has ordered me to escort you to Grondwyr.”
Celia shook her head in confusion. “Grondwyr? Where is that? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t. It’s the land of the dragons and only the dragons know where it is or how to get there. That’s where I come in,” he said matter of factly as he unconsciously grabbed a slice of cheese from the plate again.
Completely oblivious to the cheese or the food, Celia blinked rapidly and continued, “You’re taking me to this Grondwyr…this land of dragons…and I have no say in the matter? I just have to go along with you?”
The man shrugged. “Well, yes, you were your village’s sacrifice, were you not? Besides, I imagine going to Grondwry is a lot nicer than being eaten? It’s actually quite lovely. There’s a forest there that would take your breath aw-“
“Well, I’m not going! You have another thing coming! You can’t make me go. I don’t want to go to this land of dragons! And you can’t make me!” Celia snapped.
***
“Do we have to share a horse? This is ridiculous. A great and mighty dragon doesn’t have more than one horse?” Celia growled.
She sat perched on top a giant horse while Tharos sat a little too snuggly behind her.
“Well, there was no need for more than one horse since I was the only one at the lair,” he replied dryly. Celia rolled her eyes in frustration.
“Plus, when we had more horses, Rhygthar tended to turn to them for snacks whenever he got too lazy to hunt,” he added.
Celia stiffened her back. If he wanted to shut her up by way of shock then he accomplished his goal. He ate his own horses? Celia then thought for a moment and realized the logic behind it.
She shrugged. “Well, makes sense. We have cows that we turn to when harvest isn’t going so well. So I suppose I can sympathize,” she replied huffily. She sat a little straighter, there was no way she was going to allow him to get under her skin. Even after he threw her over his shoulder and carried her to the horse while she was kicking and screaming.
The large man sitting behind her chuckled lightly. “You surprise me, Celia. Most women would squirm and whimper in the situation that you’re in. And they most assuredly would not approve of a dragon eating its own horses.”
Celia stared blankly at the trail and surrounding forest ahead of them. She was silent for a moment, thinking of all that she’s been through in the last day or so. Her village willingly threw her away to be fed upon by a dragon, she was then violated by said dragon, and now she was forced to go to an unheard of realm where a whole bunch of those dragons live. If she didn’t approach the situation calmly and practically she would go crazy. There was just no way around it.
Wanting to stop herself from spiraling into a pit of despair by dwelling on her situation, Celia coughed and asked, “So how do we get to this ‘realm of dragons’? Is there a road or anything?” There was a dose of sarcasm in her question, but she was also truly curious.
Completely oblivious of her sarcasm, or perhaps choosing to ignore it, he happily replied, “There isn’t a road per se, rather than a route that can only be seen by a select few. It’s not visible to the average person and that’s why I’m here to escort you.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not average?”
“No.”
“Really? Hmm…so they just give this ‘sight’, this ability to see the route, to just anyone who shows an interest, eh?” she asked innocently.
“No, not just anyone,” he replied patiently, to Celia’s frustration. Without even looking at him, she could almost hear the smile on his face.
“So why didn’t he just fly me there in his mighty claw like he did when he dragged me to his lair?”
“You enjoyed that ride, did you?” he asked with surprise in his voice.
“No! I hated it! It was awful and terrifying and everything else that is bad. The only thing that kept me from plummeting to the ground was his barely clenched claw. I don’t prefer to travel that way,” she snapped.
Tharos barked with laughter. “Well I suppose you have your answer then, don’t you?”
Celia shifted in the saddle and turned her body slightly in attempt to face the strange man behind her. As she angled her head back, she suddenly became very aware of how close he was to her. Her breath caught in her throat, she was only inches from his golden brown eyes and she could feel his breath on her cheek. His strong arms around her waist suddenly felt very heavy and close to her body.
She sat still for a long moment, unable to say or do anything. He matched her gaze with an alarming intensity. The teasing glint in his eye was gone and now his eyes were shining a bright gold. Her pulse raced and she could feel the color rising in her cheeks.
Confused by her reaction, she quickly whipped back around to face forward and coughed several times.
“You alright, my lady?” he asked with amusement in his voice.
“Yes, I just had something in my throat. Anyway, I- I was just surprised to hear that the dragon actually cared whether or not anyone would be terrified by flying in his clawed feet, that’s all,” she replied stiffly, hoping that the shade of red on her cheeks would quickly disappear.
“He cared enough not to allow you to be terrified.”
“Apparently,” she replied dryly. “So how far are we?”
“About a day and half ride from here. We
should be at the entry point by morning.”
“Entry point? What’s an entry –“
“Yes, the entry point. It’s the gateway that can only be seen by those permitted,” he interrupted. The painfully large and muscular man pressed her body closer to his and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “So we’ll just have to cozy up and get used to each other’s company for a little a while,” he teased softly into her ear.
A shiver danced down her back. At first she thought it was out fear, but quickly realized by the way her body responded to his sudden closeness that, that wasn’t the case at all. Celia swallowed deeply, but remained silent.
The golden eyed man chuckled, knowing full well that he made her uncomfortable. But not necessarily in a bad way.
Several hours and a saddle-sore bottom later, Celia and her would-be captor decided to rest for the night. They were far from any identifiable trail that Celia could recognize and they were deep in the woods, so any hope she had of escaping and finding a trail was pretty much lost.
She still carried her dagger though and fully intended on using it if necessary, so hope was still alive. She had no plans of going to a place where dragons ran rampant like rats. She had to get home. Somehow.
Celia watched silently while Tharos began to build a fire. While he collected dry wood and dropped it into the small pit, her eyes couldn’t help but gravitate towards his muscles. It was almost hypnotic the way his muscles flexed and contoured under his golden brown skin.
“You alright?” he asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Celia blinked several times before realizing that she was caught openly staring at him, more specifically, at his muscles.
Before she could allow herself to blush, she quickly recovered by clearing her throat and replying, “Oh yes, I was just…thinking…about what is going to happen to me once we get to this Grandweird place.”
“Grondwyr” he corrected politely.
“Whatever,” she replied.
She expected some sort of reply but he gave her none, which she found to be a little irritating. Now she actually wanted to have that conversation with him. She really wanted to know what she should expect. “So?” she said pointedly.