The Dragon’s Treasure

by Caitlin Ricci

  “I’m here, darling. How do you feel? You look better.” She ran her fingers gently through his hair and along the side of his face.

  “I’m okay,” he replied, his voice hoarse and strained. Caden frowned as his eyes started to focus. “Where are we?”

  “The mountains. There’s a healer here and he’s going to make you all better,” she replied quickly, her fingers tightening around his. She started to tell him everything about her marriage and about Faolan and everything else that had happened, but she stopped, the words choking in her throat. He didn’t need the details. He was too young to understand them anyway. It would only be a few months out of their lives and then this would all be behind them. She plastered a warm smile to her lips as she kissed his forehead.

  “I’m tired, Izzy,” he whispered before turning over.

  “Alright, love,” she said, quickly kissing him on the cheek as she rose to her feet. “Get some more rest.” He nodded and buried himself further under the blankets. He was snoring softly by the time she was at the doorway.

  Isabelle realized with some embarrassment that she was still wrapped in a sheet. She quickly dressed in some men’s clothing she took from the wardrobe before finding a guard in the hallway.

  “Hello,” she said as she approached him. He quirked an eyebrow at her unusual attire, but wisely kept his mouth closed. “I would like to go see Faolan. Can you take me to his rooms?” she asked. The man nodded quickly and began leading her. Just a few doors down the long hallway from her room the guard stopped, gave her a quick bow and went back to his post down the hall across the door from her suite.

  “This is his room?” she called to him. The guard nodded. “You could have pointed, you know.” He smiled briefly before turning away. With a shake of her head, Isabelle knocked on the door and when there was no answer, let herself in. The room was designed much the same as hers was and there was steam coming from the door to the bath.

  She approached cautiously, not wanting to startle Faolan if he was in there. The scene that met her eyes though instantly brought a soft smile to her lips as she saw him up to his neck in the hot water, his head leaning back against the smooth stone, his eyes resting closed.

  Feeling uneasy about spying on him, she still couldn’t resist seeing him so vulnerable and unguarded. He really was beautiful with his pale skin and fine muscles. His dark hair, so neat before, now lay in wet clumps around his neck and shoulders.

  His eyelids began to open and, not wanting to be caught staring at him, Isabelle knocked on the open door. She forced herself not to smile as his eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, splashing water over the stone. In a moment, the unguarded look in his face was replaced by the cautiousness that she was starting to grow used to.

  “Isabelle…Hello…” he stammered, a bright blush already forming over his cheeks.

  “Hi,” she replied, forcing herself to look away from him.

  He leaned forward slightly and forced himself to slow his breathing. “I’m almost done if you want the bathe to yourself,” he said quietly.

  Isabelle shook her head and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She couldn’t meet his eyes. “Um, actually, I was wondering if you could…um…”

  “You went to see your brother, didn’t you?” he asked quickly, already reaching for the towel beside him.

  “How did you know?” she said as she turned slightly towards him, her eyes wide.

  “A hunch I suppose. Is he better after…Well, what happened…”

  Isabelle nodded. “Much. He seems so much stronger.”

  “It makes sense that doing that would help the most. It’s hard for my father to have his precious heir without that after all,” he said.

  “You don’t want a child?” she asked.

  “I wouldn’t have forced marriage and a child on someone just to have an heir,” he replied seriously.

  “It’s not so bad. I will have my brother back and that’s worth it,” she said softly.

  “I’m glad for you.”

  She squared her shoulders and caught his gaze. “I want my brother well again as quickly as possible. You can help me with that. Like you did last night.”

  * * * *

  He instantly stopped and stared at her, not fully believing what she was saying. “Are you sure, Isabelle? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded once more. “I want my brother to get better.”

  “If that is what you want, we will do as you wish. Would you like to wait on the bed and I will join you in a few minutes?”

  Isabelle nodded and left the doorway. She was vaguely aware of her hands shaking as she began stripping off the loose tunic. At least the simple clothes didn’t take too much concentration to take off or else she might never accomplish it. After a few minutes of struggling with the pants, the clothes lay in a crumpled pile around her feet. Not wanting to seem lazy and hoping to stall for a few extra seconds, she neatly folded them up and placed them on the seat of a nearby chair. She crawled into bed, her pulse ringing loudly in her ears as she attempted to get comfortable among the sheets.

  She turned to the wall as she bathroom door slowly creaked open. The soft padding of his bare feet on the smooth stone was almost familiar now as he walked toward her. She could tell that he was trying to be calm, trying to force his breathing to slow, but he sounded as nervous as she was. The bed dipped slowly and she felt the sheets move aside as he joined her.

  “Isabelle?” His soft voice, so close to her shoulder, startled her.

  “Yes?” she squeaked.

  There was a moment’s hesitation. “Will you look at me this time?”

  Isabelle shut her eyes tightly as unbidden tears welled inside of them. He sounded hopeful, and yet still so scared. “I…I can’t. Not yet,” she whispered into the darkness.

  She imagined the hurt in his eyes and pretended that she didn’t care.

  “I understand. After this child is born and you can return to your own lands, will you hate me?”

  “No,” she said without hesitation.

  “I’m surprised,” he replied softly.

  “Honestly, in a way, I am, too. But you don’t hurt me, you’re nice to me and last night you made it as painless for me as possible. I can’t hate you for that,” she said as she slowly turned toward him. His dark eyes flicked to hers for an instant before turning away again.

  “Thank you. Please try to believe that this is strange for me, too,” he said as he lithely turned over onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows.

  “I know it is.” Isabelle’s eyes caught the fine lines in his shoulders, barely noticeable in the dim light. Hesitantly she reached out to touch him, her fingertips just barely grazing the taut muscles of his upper arm. “They’re scars,” she whispered, half in pity and half in awe. Now that she could feel them, she knew that his upper arm was covered in a fine pattern of thin scar lines. Many seemed to be years old, but others, like the one her thumb gently caressed, looked red and angry and couldn’t have been more than a week or two old at most.

  Faolan took her hand gently in his, keeping his eyes cautiously on hers just in case she decided to pull away from him. He brought her fingertips to his pale lips, at first blowing on them lightly before planting a soft kiss on the smooth tips. Isabelle quickly sucked in a breath through her teeth as a sudden and completely new wave of desire flared in her stomach. Startled, Faolan dropped her hand and turned away again.

  “I’m ready now,” she whispered softly.

  “Are you sure?” he asked after a moment’s hesitation.

  Not trusting herself to speak, Isabelle nodded quickly and closed her eyes as she felt him move silently beside her. His fingertips, slightly calloused and warm, were gentle on her inner thighs as he moved her legs apart.

  Isabelle tensed uncomfortably as she felt him pressing against her. His smell was all around. But it was sweeter than b
efore, almost intoxicatingly so. She wondered when she had become so aware of someone’s scent. It had never been like this before. She tentatively touched his shoulder, her fingers lightly playing against his already tight muscles.

  “Easy, Isabelle,” he whispered softly. He sounded like a groom trying to calm one of her brother’s feisty horses. The thought made her smile a little. “Try to relax. It may hurt less.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes tightly. Taking a deep breath, Faolan pressed his lips to her neck and slowly slid inside. Isabelle fought back the urge to cry out and instantly started blocking out the pain. But she was surprised that, even though she was still sore, there was very little pain like there had been the first time and the burning sensation was almost all gone. She lay quietly under him, letting him do as he wanted. She was ready for any pawing or manhandling he might do. She knew from listening to the other women that men were sometimes rougher than they had liked and she had prepared herself for that possibility.

  But just like the first time, he didn’t touch her any more than necessary and didn’t make eye contact. He was gentle and careful with her, something she knew many men wouldn’t have been.

  He took a few deep breaths and then rolled onto his side of the large bed. Isabelle lay as she was, her heart still pounding as she watched him try to control his breathing. In moments, he was on his stomach again, looking away from her. She wondered if that was how he preferred to sleep.

  “Did I hurt you?” he said after a few long moments. She could still hear the breathlessness in his voice. He sounded vulnerable and almost frightened of her answer. She considered telling him that everything was fine, but chose honesty instead.

  She shrugged and tried to act casually. “It stung at first, but I’m fine now.”

  He was quiet. “I’m sorry that it was uncomfortable though.”

  Isabelle nodded and turned away. She rested her head on her arms and breathed deeply. “I was thinking…”

  “Yes?”

  “This child…I’ll be carrying a half Draconian child, right?” she asked quietly.

  “Yes,” he instantly sounded tense.

  He was such a strange man. Not at all sure of himself. It was far different than the few princes that had tried to court her in the past. Faolan, with his strong muscles and quiet demeanor, could probably beat them at any hand-to-hand fight within minutes, the pompous feather-wearing idiots that they had been. The thought made a quick smile flash across her lips.

  “But I’m sure they are longer than human infants, since you seem taller than most men that I’ve seen. How is this possible?”

  “Lucky for you I already asked Kylin this question,” he replied quickly as he rolled out his neck and shoulder muscles, stretching them.

  “And what did he say?”

  “That because you are human, you will give birth to a physically human baby. It is only later that its other half will show itself.”

  “Well that’s a relief. When both sides are obvious, what will the child look like?” Isabelle tried to sound light, tried to sound like she didn’t care. But it was still a child from her, still something part of her. She didn’t want to think about what it would look like, who it would take after physically. It was already too painful, despite what she might have thought when she agreed to Thadius’s demands.

  “I have no idea,” he replied casually.

  “Will you show me your natural form someday?”

  “Possibly, but definitely not right now. There is no way that I could gather the strength and energy needed to change right now,” he replied with a yawn.

  Isabelle giggled softly. “Okay then,” she said, her voice growing quiet. “Thank you for not hurting me, Faolan.” She could feel his dark eyes on her, scrutinizing her.

  “You don’t have to thank me for that,” he replied seriously, his voice hard.

  “I’m a little tired, too. May I rest here next to you?” she asked, quickly changing the subject. To her surprise, she heard him chuckle.

  “I would like that very much.”

  Isabelle slowly turned to face him, brushing large chunks of hair off her face. She yawned softly and watched him as his eyes began to slowly close. Within minutes, he was sound asleep. She pulled the covers up around his shoulders and quickly joined him.

  Isabelle awoke hours later to a loud rapping at the door. She had been having the most wonderful dream, holding her brother in her arms as they walked through the sunlight. Her mother had even been there to greet them for a picnic. The knocking continued though despite her silent protests. Beside her, the bed shifted as a still naked and quite annoyed Faolan sat up.

  “Damnit,” he growled, running a hand through his long messy hair.

  Isabelle was blushing heavily at the realization that she had woken up next to a man for the first time. And that he was naked, the same as her.

  The knocking persisted.

  “Go away!” he yelled, tossing a pillow at the door for emphasis. It landed with a soft thunk but still whoever it was seemed undeterred as they continued tapping.

  “I have a message from Lord Thadius!” the male voice on the other side of the door called out loudly.

  “Oh alright, come in then if you must,” Faolan replied, crossing his arms over his slim chest in the way Isabelle had seen Caden do hundreds of times.

  A guard came in as Isabelle hid herself under the thick blankets “Lord Thadius, high ruler of—”

  “Get on with the message,” Faolan barked irritably.

  “Yes, Sire,” the man humphed. “Your father wishes for you to have a meal with him in the great hall in an hour.”

  “Fine. You’re excused,” Faolan snapped.

  “Both of you,” the guard said with a pointed look in Isabelle’s direction. Her eyes went wide and her gaze darted to Faolan’s who also seemed surprised.

  * * * *

  He nodded once and dismissed the man with a casual wave of his hand.

  After the door was closed, he stood up and stretched, noticing with a small smile how Isabelle buried her face in the pillow to hide her blush after getting caught watching him.

  Once he had pulled on a pair of pants, she opened her eyes and turned to him. “Why would your father want to see me, too?” she asked.

  “I would assume he would like to get to know you better. You are my wife, after all,” he replied, tossing a clean white shirt over his head.

  “In name only,” she reminded him quietly. With her eyes focused anywhere but him as he finished dressing, she didn’t notice the slight frown that her comment brought forth.

  He tried to keep his tone light as he said, “Then perhaps he is just curious to see if humans really are beasts as we are all taught to believe.”

  Her gaze turned to him and he froze, hoping that his playful jibe would not start an argument. But instead of the lashing he was prepared for, she merely smiled at him and lightly tossed a pillow that he neatly caught.

  “But what am I going to wear?” she asked.

  He chuckled lightly and went to the large wardrobe. “While you were asleep the tailors were busy making you a few pieces. I guess they assumed you’d take my father up on his offer. Hmm…This one will do nicely.” He tossed a dark blue floor length gown onto the bed beside her. “And these,” he said, adding a pair of slipper style shoes to the pile.

  “It’s so plain,” she said, holding the dress up against her chest while still staying seated on the bed.

  With his back to her, he heard her slip out of the bed with the sheet wrapped tightly around her.

  “We do not indulge in frills and lace here,” he replied defensively. He stiffened slightly at the sudden pressure of her hand on his back. It was a testament to how distracted she made him that he hadn’t heard her coming towards him. Faolan turned around slowly, an eyebrow raised in question at her bright smile.

  “I did not mean that
as an insult,” she said gently, her eyes warily searching his as a frightened animal might. “In Nuer, all of my dresses that I had a say in were simple in style. Caring for Caden left little room in my life for parties and pageantry so I got used to simplicity and function.”

  He nodded, the feeling of her touching him willingly making all speech impossible.

  “I…” Her cheeks were tinted in a faint blush.

  She stood up on her toes, her hand tightening on his arm for balance. Her breath was warm on his cheek as she planted a little peck there with her lips. With a quiet, “Thanks,” she was back on the floor and stepping away from him.

  Before he could register what had happened, she was in the bathroom and closing the door behind her as she said, “Wait for me please so that we can walk down together.”

  He could only manage a faint nod as he stood there, touching his cheek dumbly.

  By the time she emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and with her hair in neat loose curls down her back, Faolan had already sent the same impatient guard away twice, saying, “Go away and tell my father that we’re coming.” Truthfully, he was getting frustrated, too, but when he saw her in the dress, he forgot all about that and gave her a short bow, delighting in her soft chuckle as she curtsied. He offered her his outstretched arm, which she eagerly took as he escorted her to a meal.

  At the door though, they met Zorin, dressed in all black as usual and wearing a deep scowl across his face.

  “Zorin,” Faolan growled, instantly stepping in front of Isabelle to shield her from his view.

  Zorin smirked and tilted his head slightly, his onyx eyes trained solely on Isabelle. “Your father needs to see you for business. She is not to come this time after all.”

  “But he said—” Faolan quickly argued.

  Zorin’s harsh eyes shot to him and narrowed. “Your father told me to tell you. It’s an order by him. Leave the girl here and come on. I don’t have time for this.”

  “Selfish bastard,” Isabelle spat at him. “I wouldn’t want to go anyway if I have to breathe the same air as you.”