The Dragon’s Treasure

by Caitlin Ricci

  “Oh? Then you’ve seen him in his natural form, have you?” the dragon quipped.

  “Well…no…” she replied. “But he can’t be much scarier than you.”

  A second after the words had left her lips, Isabelle realized what she had said. Her hand came up to her mouth and she gasped loudly.

  “I…I…” she stammered. She could already feel her cheeks turning a deep red.

  The dragon king across from her merely chuckled though. “Thadius did say that you had nerve.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing right now, sir,” she replied meekly.

  “You’ve got spirit and here, you’ll need it. Now, why did you want to meet with me?”

  She took a deep breath. She had almost forgotten why she had asked Thadius to call him in the first place. “I wanted to apologize for what I said.”

  “Is that all?” Lysander asked.

  Isabelle gulped nervously. Thadius had told her to keep all apologies to dragons simple and above all not to beg. But had she forgotten anything? She pressed her lips together and nodded quickly, hoping that it wouldn’t further offend him.

  His large green head tilted to the side, his eyes closing. After a moment he nodded and turned to look at her. “You are the first human to ever apologize to one of my clan. And this is the first time I have ever said this to a human. You are forgiven.”

  She opened her mouth to thank him, but he already nimbly spun around and launched himself into the sky. The strong beating of his wings blew cool air around her. And for the first time since her father had told her stories of the dragons when she was just a small child sitting in front of the fire with him, she wasn’t afraid of them. He was beautiful as he dove and turned in the silent sky. She knew he was powerful and quite dangerous. But he was also regal and respectable. Isabelle knelt down on the cold stone floor until she could no longer see his dark silhouette against the fading light.

  A few hours later Isabelle lay sprawled on the crumpled sheets, her nude body still damp from the bath. She sighed softly and turned on her side, reveling in the feeling of the warm air lapping against her skin. After visiting Caden, she had rested, had some tea and then taken a bath. He didn’t look any better, but at least he didn’t look any worse. She really had very little to do in the mountains and she still wanted to help in some small way. To suddenly have no responsibilities or chores was a hard transition for a girl who had done almost everything for herself and Caden while they were in Nuer. If this was how marriage life was supposed to be she wasn’t sure how she thought about it yet.

  She did imagine though that getting to go outside once in a while would help her outlook on things. She missed the smell of grass and the sound of birds singing, things she had taken for granted before coming to the mountains where the only things that seemed to be alive were the dragons that she would occasionally see far off in the distance. She rolled onto her back and stretched lazily. Absently she wondered when Faolan might be coming back, though she doubted it would be anytime soon. She hadn’t seen him since early that morning and he had said he wouldn’t be back until late. He had seemed calmer, though he had barely spoken to her at all and had come back sometime during the night while she was asleep. That, it seemed, was becoming a habit for him.

  She had a lot of thinking to do, she realized. And with Thadius’s marital words of wisdom fresh in her mind, she knew what she had to do. Kylin had also hinted that just being passive about this marriage would not be enough to cure Caden. Somehow she also had to enjoy being here, being married, or at least as much as any two strangers could enjoy being married. She humphed loudly and resolved to figure it out later. Judging by the sun’s height, she figured she could have at least a few hours nap before Faolan would be back. She closed her eyes and, not bothering to throw even a sheet over her, fell into a light sleep.

  Although his steps were quiet as usual, she still woke up as she heard Faolan walking around the room. He had his back to her as he drank an amber colored liquid from a glass.

  “Hello, Faolan,” she called to him. She reached for the sheet to cover herself up, but decided against it. She was feeling bolder, braver. She wanted to try something.

  “Isabelle.”

  His voice sounded almost foreign to her, causing her to pause. It was thick and rich, almost like— “You’re drinking!” she gasped, a large grin coming across her face. “How positively indecent of you.” Her voice was teasing and light. She was going to scold him, but as he turned toward her, his dark eyes catching hers, the words died on her lips.

  “And what if I am?” he asked, taking a step closer to her.

  His eyes were heavy, almost hungry. He looked more like a man than she had ever seen him. His gaze was almost predatory as he looked at her naked body. Isabelle gulped nervously. She was scared, she could admit that to herself. But there was also something else there, something that she didn’t quite know how to describe as it coiled and tightened in her gut.

  “Faolan?” she whispered.

  His eyes snapped back to hers and he took a step away, blushing deeply. “Yes?”

  “Why are you drinking?”

  He stared at the almost empty glass and shrugged indifferently. “Am I not allowed to?”

  Isabelle quickly shook her head no. In the span of a minute, he had gone back to being the warm, gentle man she knew and was starting to care for.

  “It’s not that. I…just haven’t seen you do that before. Is something wrong?”

  He shook his head no quickly.

  She knew him well enough by now though to know better. “What is it?” she asked gently, coming closer to him.

  “Zorin,” he spat, causing her to cringe.

  She had thought that man would have left by now.

  “He was visiting today, probably out of boredom if nothing else,” he said, answering her unspoken thought. “He said some things. I let them bother me more than I should have. Nothing more.”

  “What did he say?”

  He looked at her seriously and put the glass down. He leaned tiredly against the wall across from her. “Apparently I’m taking too long to get you pregnant.”

  Isabelle blinked rapidly, not quite sure if she had heard him correctly. “He said what?” she asked, her mouth hanging open.

  His dark eyebrows quirked upward and he smiled teasingly. “You need me to repeat such stupidity?”

  Isabelle humphed loudly. “He’s such an ass.”

  Faolan laughed loudly and took a few steps closer to her. “That, my dear, is an understatement.”

  She smiled at him and blushed. “You’ve never called me that before,” she said quietly.

  “What?”

  “Dear. You’ve never said anything like that to me.”

  He nodded and took another step closer to her. “Would you like me to?”

  She smiled at him.

  “Alright, I’ll try to make it a habit,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  He quickly flashed her a smile. “Now, mind explaining to me why you’re still naked.”

  She turned a dark red and looked away. “Um…I…Well…It was hot.”

  He chuckled lightly. “It was hot? That’s the best you can use your wonderful human mind to come up with?”

  “Well it was!” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. “Does it bother you?”

  He looked away from her quickly. “I’m a man, Isabelle. Seeing you doesn’t bother me, but it does complicate things.”

  “How so?”

  “Are you really so naive that you would believe your body does nothing for me? That there aren’t plenty of things I’d rather be doing with you right now than talking?” he asked quickly, his cheeks turning a dark red.

  “So do them,” she replied much more confidently than she felt.

  He stared at her openly. “You’ve gone insane. This heat has gotten to you somehow and it has made you lose your mind.” />
  Isabelle rolled her eyes at him. “Look, it can’t be easy to do this with me either. But I was thinking today that something’s got to change. Neither one of us is exactly happy in this and I’m getting tired of passively lying under you and I doubt you feel that wonderful afterwards either, right?”

  He could only gape at her. She smiled widely at him, feeling at once both powerful and scared as she felt like she was finally making some decisions.

  “So let’s try something else. We don’t love each other, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some things, right?”

  He nodded dumbly.

  “Do I have to take your hand and bring you into bed myself or will you come on your own?” she teased him.

  Faster than she had ever seen anyone move, he was lying next to her. Somewhere in between standing across the room from her and lying beside her, he had also managed to get his clothes off as well.

  “You’re fast,” she breathed.

  “Draconian,” he reminded her. She looked away and he smiled at her. “You don’t seem very sure about this,” he teased her gently. “Where is all that bravery now?”

  “Hiding,” she squeaked.

  He chuckled and nodded, getting comfortable on what she realized had somehow become his side of the bed.

  “I…want you to do something for me,” she whispered.

  “Yes?”

  She met his eyes and held them as she bit her bottom lip. “Don’t move.”

  “What?” his eyes narrowed at her and he froze defensively.

  “Please, Faolan? It’s important. I…I want to touch you. But you can’t move. Please?”

  He blushed quickly and nodded.

  “Do you promise?” she pressed.

  “Yes,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers.

  She nodded and scooted closer to him, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath and slid the rest of the way toward him until her knees were pressed against his side.

  Isabelle hesitantly lay down next to him, smiling at him as he raised his arm for her to rest her head on. He smiled briefly back at her before closing his eyes as she began to gently run her fingertips over his ribs. He jumped slightly at her touch, causing her to scowl at him.

  “You promised,” she scolded. He scowled at her, but said nothing as she continued to slide her hand further down his torso.

  Her fingertips curled gently in the patch of hair between his legs. “May I?” she whispered, noticing with a small smile how his eyes were closed tightly as if he was in deep concentration.

  He nodded quickly and then hissed as he felt her fingers stroke him.

  “It’s not scary,” she breathed in awe.

  “It shouldn’t be. It’s just a part of me, after all. But, Isabelle, wait—”

  Her fingers paused on his velvety skin. “Yes?”

  “Don’t you think that we should talk about the other night?” he asked quietly, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable.

  “Not really. I spoke with your father about it already. I understand a little more now,” she replied, her voice as soft as his.

  He nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle, soothing kiss.

  “Faolan?” she whispered.

  “Yes, Isabelle?”

  She smiled softly at him and returned his kiss with one just as gentle to his chest. “I think I’m ready now.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Isabelle awoke to an empty bed with the bright morning sunlight hitting her in the face. She sat up slowly and frowned at the hollow dent in the sheets where she knew Faolan had been last night. His side of the large bed was already cool to the touch. She wondered where he went in the mornings, but never questioned him about it. They were getting along and becoming comfortable with each other. There was no reason to ruin that by prying into something which didn’t concern her after all.

  She slid out of bed and rose to her feet. But she quickly sat back down though as a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. She ran her hands through her long tangled hair a few times before again standing. There was no dizziness this time, but her stomach felt a little uneasy. She poured herself a cup of hot tea and began sipping it as she curled up in one of the large chairs in the room. Someone had left her a few small cakes to have with her morning tea for breakfast. She ate them slowly as her stomach seemed to calm down with each tentative bite.

  A small knock drew her attention to the door.

  “Come in,” she called after swallowing a mouthful of cake. A bright blonde head poked around the corner of the door, followed by a widely grinning little boy. “Caden!” In an instant, Isabelle had him in her arms and was hugging him tightly.

  “Izzy!” he exclaimed as he threw his arms around her, too.

  “What are you doing here? You look so good,” she asked him as they sat down and she poured him a cup of tea and passed him a cake.

  “Kylin said I was doing well enough to come see you for a change,” he said between hungry mouthfuls. “And he forgives us for sneaking out before. He actually told me to get out of bed this morning and to go play.”

  “That’s wonderful, Caden. You are looking so much better.”

  He nodded quickly and then took another large bite. “I feel stronger, too. Is this what you have for breakfast every morning?” he asked as he eyed the rest of the cakes greedily.

  Isabelle giggled and passed him the plate to finish off.

  “Usually this is it. Do you like them?”

  “They are great! I haven’t been allowed to have anything solid since we came here. Kylin was afraid it would make me sick. Since I can be out for a little bit today though he said that I could eat as much as I wanted as long as I felt alright. Where do these come from? When Kylin says I’m all better, I’m eating these everything morning!” Caden exclaimed with large eyes as he ate another in just a few bites.

  Isabelle laughed and rubbed her brother’s tousled hair. “I’m not sure where they come from actually. Something is always here waiting for me with a pot of hot tea. I just assume Faolan orders it for me before he leaves in the mornings.”

  Caden became quiet and put a half-eaten cake back on the plate.

  “Is something wrong, darling?” Isabelle asked as she pulled him into her arms.

  “Do you think he’ll like me?” he asked softly.

  Isabelle smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “I think he will like you very much. Hopefully he’ll come back here before you have to go back to Kylin and then you could meet him and see for yourself. Now what do you say to me getting dressed and then I’ll take you on a tour of the mountain?”

  Caden grinned widely. “Only if you get dressed really quickly. I’m glad you forgave him for what he did. Like I said, it wasn’t as if he really had a choice.”

  She quickly kissed his cheek and handed him his half-eaten cake before slipping away.

  Isabelle lay up to her neck in the warm bath. It had been hours since her dizzy spell that morning, but her stomach had never fully recovered. After a quick tour of the parts of the mountain she was familiar with, she and Caden had finished off a small meal back in her room. They had spent another hour with her reading Caden a storybook from Thadius’s library before returning to her rooms for Caden to take a nap and her to get cleaned up. Thankfully they had only seen a few guards on their walk that smiled politely at the pair before passing them.

  Isabelle was surprised she had felt ill early that morning. It was unlike her to be unwell and especially for her stomach to still feel uneasy hours later. She closed her eyes and relaxed, hoping that the warm water would help get rid of whatever was ailing her.

  “I like your cakes.”

  Isabelle sat up and stared at the closed door that led to the bedroom.

  “Really?”

  She recognized Faolan’s voice and quickly got out of the bath and dried off.

  “Yep. The berry ones were the best.”

  T
hat, she knew was Caden. She was surprised to hear him easily talking to a stranger since he was usually so shy. After wrapping herself in a robe that was far too big for her, she opened the door to see Faolan sitting across from Caden sharing a pot of tea.

  “Do you think I should ask for those to be brought up tomorrow morning as well?” Faolan asked with a gentle smile.

  “Every morning! With extra for me to sneak back in case Kylin tries to feed me more gruel,” the boy replied. He made a face of such pure disgust that she couldn’t help giggling.

  Caden grinned widely at the sight of her and rushed over to quickly hug her. She picked him up in her arms and exchanged a quick smile with Faolan.

  “Do you feel better? You look better,” Caden asked as he cupped her face between his hands and peered at her intently.

  “You were ill?” Faolan asked with a frown.

  Before she could reply, Caden answered for her. “Yep. She looked awful. She was pale and gross looking.”

  “Caden!”

  “Well you were, Izzy,” he replied before sticking his tongue out at her.

  “Should I go get Kylin?” Faolan asked. “If you aren’t feeling well perhaps he should take a look at you, just to make sure that nothing is wrong.”

  Caden gasped and shook his head wildly. “No don’t do that! He’ll take away the cakes!”

  “Caden, please!” He was instantly calmer at his sister’s light scolding. She took a deep breath and, more softly said, “I’m fine, both of you. I was a little down this morning, but I really do feel fine now.”

  Caden nodded and she quickly kissed his cheek. “You look a little sleepy still, would you like me to take you back to see Kylin so that you can get some rest?” she asked him.

  “Faolan will take me. I want Faolan,” he said quickly.

  Isabelle’s eyes widened in surprise. It was definitely not like her brother to latch onto anyone but herself. “Caden, I’m sure he is tired after being busy all day. If you can wait just a few minutes for me to get dressed I will take you down there.”

  “Faolan. I want Faolan…” he grumbled, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.