Even when they unexpectedly dunked her head underwater after vigorously rubbing a sweet-scented, oily, waxy substance into her hair, she hardly responded, merely holding in what little breath there still was in her lungs. In some strange way, she was beginning to grow accustomed to the rough manner of this dragon-lizard-shapeshifter race.
They didn't seem to know their own strength, and being covered with scales, one could hardly expect them to understand what it felt like to be "smooth and soft," as Hargoid had put it.
She allowed herself to be lifted out of the tub, roughly dried off and draped in cascading, heavily embroidered material, shaped into something like a long, closed poncho.
"Wait in the garden," the first lizard-lady said brusquely. "The butler will fetch you when the king is ready for you."
Chapter 2: Close Encounter
Ria sat on a smooth, black rock near the entrance of the garden trying not to think too much, which was a little tricky, given that she had been blessed with a vivid imagination. It was one of the reasons she had chosen to become an astronaut in the first place.
She had found two holes in her garment, which seemed to be meant for her to put her arms through, and now she was busily fiddling with the embroidery, in an attempt to distract herself.
She wondered if NASA's search bots would be nearby yet. Rescue was beginning to look like her most attractive option currently. They had probably cordoned off the wormhole area by now. Surely someone would come after them?
She imagined her family in front of the laptop, searching the scans on NASA's website, worried out of their minds. It made her feel better to think of being missed, and believing someone was searching for her.
Her thoughts turned to Brian. Geeky, hopelessly romantic Brian. Her old man had been dubious about their relationship and freely voiced his doubts.
"You're too different from each other, Riezie," he had said. But Ria hadn't wanted to listen. She reasoned that he was just as much of an explorer as she was, except he explored cyberspace, while she explored outer-space. But then, when the call for the first Mars colonisation mission had come, she had been torn in two.
She remembered Brian's face when she had told him she wanted to go. Bubbling over with excitement, she had laid out her plans to him of how they could get married on the Red Planet and be the first to populate the new colony with a new generation.
"Babe," he had said, his eyes sad, "You know I won't make it out there." Sitting on that black rock in an alien garden, tears glistened in Ria's eyes again as she remembered. Despite all her childish dreaming, she had known he was right. She had also known that he knew she would die, inside, if she didn't go.
And so, he had released her with his blessing. "You better come visit, so we can watch a Rockets game together before we die," he had joked on their last date. Even mutually agreed break-ups sucked, Ria thought now. She wished he was here with her, even though she knew he was just a comfort zone for her. Right about now, I could do with one of those, she thought wryly.
The lizard butler appeared at the doorway, still wearing his bored expression. "The king awaits," he said simply and turned to walk away. Ria felt like running in the opposite direction as the bear-like guards let her through and she heard their metallic claws unsheathing again.
The pinch of the bracelet on her ankle reminded her that even if she could get out of the maze-like palace and find a ship to escape in, she would be blown to bits the minute she left the perimeter of the galaxy. Instead, she took a deep breath, drew on every ounce of terror-survival training she had endured, and followed the swaying tail of the lizard butler.
It was a not too surprisingly short distance from the garden to the Dragon King's chambers. Ria actually would have liked more time to prepare herself, but she stilled her hammering heart with deep, slow breaths and walked past the self-opening door into a cavernous interior which held a desk far off in one corner, and a large, four-poster bed that looked like it could sleep four people at once. He must be a really large dragon, Ria thought.
"Leave us, butler."
Ria recognised the Dragon King's voice and soon he appeared from behind the thickly embroidered curtains of the bed, which looked a lot like the robe Ria was wearing. It must be a favourite pattern of his, she thought. Random thoughts about mundane things helped to keep her mind from dwelling on what she was sure would transpire in the next few minutes.
As the door closed behind the departing tail of the butler, the Dragon King walked over to his desk, picked up a few sheets of what looked like very thick paper, and looked intently at Ria.
He would fit right in at a cosplay convention, she thought, He could easily pass as a villain from the Space Odyssey game. She could see his scales more clearly now, close up, and they shimmered with a strange translucence that she had thought was caused by the light, but now seemed more like a smouldering, internal, golden fire in each one.
His deep amber eyes had the same fire smouldering just below the surface and held nothing but self-assured confidence. Although she did also detect a little concern as if something was troubling him.
All at once, Ria felt awkward. She had no idea what the custom was. Should she be approaching him? Was she expected to disrobe? Perhaps better to wait on his commands. At least that way she would have a good excuse if she did the wrong thing. Err on the side of caution, her Dad had always liked to say. She pushed the thought of him from her mind as the Dragon King began to speak.
"Tell me, B5279, are you any good at diplomatic relations?"
The question caught her entirely off guard. Had she been mistaken all along? Was satisfying the king's physical desires not in her job description after all? She smothered an internal giggle as she imagined what shenanigans could have ensued if she had decided to disrobe in an effort to please him.
"Well, yes, I have training in diplomatic relations, although not very much experience. I was part of the ambassadorial team handling liaisons between our space program, and governments, other space programs, the public, you know, the usual. Then the Mars Mission came up..." she trailed off. It was obvious he wasn't listening any more.
The scales on his brow were doing a strange dance that Ria surmised must be a frown as he perused a thick book he had picked up from the desk while she was speaking.
"Good." His tone was flat, perhaps a little tired, if it wasn't her imagination. "You are dismissed. I shall summon you again tomorrow and then we have some work to do." His demeanour suggested nothing in the way of 'conjugal rights'.
Relief washed over Ria in waves and she felt so light she almost expected to look down and see her feet dangling above the igneous rock floors. She actually laughed at herself for thinking that physical relations with a dragon alien were even possible. That was obviously why he hadn't shown any interest in her during Collector Hargoid's presentation of his gift. He had probably already earmarked her for a diplomatic desk job.
As she replayed the scene in her mind afterwards, Ria came to the conclusion that relief was not an emotion they had been taught to deal with in basic combat training or special ops. Relief had loosened her tongue a little too much and resulted in the ensuing events that unfolded.
"Thank you, Highness!" she said expansively, bowing low and turning to leave. Then, suddenly, in a flood of cockiness, she turned back with a wry grin on her face.
"You know, it's so funny! I misunderstood why I was here! I was thinking I was part of your harem and that I was supposed to... you know," she giggled, "do what a concubine does for a king."
Still staring at his book, the Dragon King didn't bat an eyelid. "You were correct in surmising such a thing. That will also be part of your duties."
Ria froze. The light, giddy feeling dissipated as quickly as it had come. "Oh," was all she could get out.
The king seemed to be humouring her, waiting in silence for her next response, which was not altogether strange, since he had humoured Hargoid's backchat that very afternoon. She had expected him to ha
ve them all bodily thrown out of the throne room, and yet he had shown the flabby alien favour by accepting his gift. Which just so happened to be her.
She plunged in, knowing she might not like the answer to her question. "But, uhm, is that even possible? Seriously? We're kind of two completely different species. Will the physiology even work?"
The Dragon King looked up without a word and slowly returned the book to the heavy, black desk that looked like it had been made from railway sleepers. He took a step forward and Ria began to feel that same pulsating power emanate from him that she had been witness to in the throne room. Terror gripped her. Had she angered him with her thoughtless comment?
His eyes locked on hers in a mesmerising gaze that made her feel like prey under the inexorable spell of a predator. The power that flowed from him increased in intensity, drawing her in, crumbling her defences, ruling her in a way that made surrender feel not only inevitable but almost serene.
Without warning he gripped the neckline of his one-piece robe and pulled downwards and outwards, ripping the thick material from top to bottom in one violent action. Holding up the two ends of cloth, he looked down, and Ria followed his gaze to behold the naked glory of his being.
His whole body was covered in the same scales as his face and neck, but other than that, his biology was all man. Human man.
Ria swallowed, feeling her body respond to his surging magnetism, even as her mind balked and her soul shrank back. She felt her neck and face flush hot red and looked down at the floor, shame engulfing her as her mind grappled with her body's desire.
It was clear he was ready for action, and even though she still felt that initial fear and trepidation, Ria knew she would be physically powerless to even try to resist him. She cursed her loose tongue and desperately searched for a way to delay what she now finally realised was inevitable.
He spared her the trouble. "As you might have noticed, I am perfectly capable of copulating with other humanoids," he said, allowing the now torn ends of his robe to fall together again. "In fact, ours is a physiology common to all humanoids."
Ria grasped at the clinical, biological turn that the conversation was taking, feeling slightly out of touch with reality, but still able to reason and inquire.
"But are you..." Ria paused and rephrased her question, in an attempt to lend the conversation a less personal feel. "Is your kind able to reproduce with any other humanoid race?" she asked, trying to sound as scientific as possible.
"Yes. But my bloodline is tightly controlled by the Onoatiga." Ria didn't bother asking who they were, she would find out soon enough, she was sure. The Dragon King continued as Ria felt her cheeks cool, and the pulse in her ears slow down and grow fainter.
"It is imperative that our bloodline remain pure, so our kind's royalty are given mates chosen by the Onoatiga. Six months before puberty, I had a procedure done that prevents me from fertilising a female. This will be reversed when the Onoatiga have found a suitable mate for me."
Ria thought vaguely how it sounded like a horse breeding program. "You mean, an arranged marriage? And you're fine with this? Doesn't sound like an arrangement you'll get much love out of." Where this familiarity was coming from, she had no idea.
"That has always been our custom, and I see no signs of it changing," he said, and Ria thought she detected a hint of defensiveness. "My parents' marriage was arranged, and it turned out to be a favourable union for them, in the end, so I believe it is an acceptable compromise."
He turned back to the desk, picking up the book again and flipping through the pages like a student who knows he should be studying but would rather be out clubbing.
"Now, you must retire to your chambers. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow." His voice held an indisputable note of finality and Ria turned to leave. The door opened automatically, and she was surprised to see the lizard butler waiting outside in the passage. She couldn't help wondering how much he had overheard, but, going by the habitual look of boredom still plastered to his face, she figured not much.
"I will show you to your chambers," he said flatly, moving off without waiting for a response, as was his manner. As the door closed Ria glanced into the Dragon King's chamber again, feeling a strange, nauseating guilt mingled with a desire to stay there with him. None of her NASA training had prepared her for this, she thought grimly.
One good thing, though, was the idea that she would be more than merely a means to satisfy the king's carnal desires.
The Dragon King evidently had some diplomatic post planned for her. She made up her mind, there and then, to immerse herself in that work. It would keep her mind off being a concubine, as well as offering her untold opportunities to investigate and explore the customs and culture of this alien nation.
"Butler," she said, in as respectful and confident a tone as she could muster, "May I please have some writing utensils and paper brought to my room?"
"Of course, my lady," he said, without any change in expression, as he showed her into her private quarters, in a large courtyard, diagonally opposite the entrance to the concubines' garden. At least she had been upgraded from 'concubine' to 'my lady'.
The room was immense, although not as large as the king's, obviously, but it did house an equally large bed. She hoped it was for the sake of catering to all sizes of aliens. The idea of having the king come to her chamber for his... Well, she just wanted at least one place that was completely hers, where she could just shut out everything else and connect with the innocent Ria who had only ever slept with one man. And even that knowledge would have freaked her mother out big time.
She wished she had a photo of Brian with her. The whole cold turkey idea had maybe been a little rash, but there it was. She lay on the huge bed, on her back, staring up at the lavish drapes and remembering her lost love, longing to feel his gentle arms around her, consoling her.
Her door bleeped. "Who is it?" she asked, suppressing the half irrational fear that it might be the king coming to relieve the poised libido she had been witness to only minutes before.
"Your writing utensils, my lady," came the lizard butler's monotone through the intercom.
Ria jumped up, "I'm coming!" she said excitedly, and the door opened in response to her voice. As the butler entered with the same kind of thick paper-like material she had seen in the king's chambers together with some thick tubes that seemed to be made of solid graphite, Ria asked him, "What exactly opens this door?"
"There are sensors that are coded to pick up and react on your voice and words. When you say, 'Come in,' the door automatically opens. Your words now, 'I'm coming' sounded to the sensors like, 'Come in.' It will also respond when you say, 'Ajar.'" Ria felt as if she was listening to one of those recorded information bots.
"So, it only opens when I speak? No one else's voice can open it?"
"Only the Dragon King's voice, and the Head Matron's voice, in case of emergencies, or for rebellious concubines."
The butler's toneless syllables gave no hint as to whether that last comment was directed specifically at her. She wondered what exactly was considered an emergency. Perhaps alien girls less thick-skinned than herself were given to taking their own lives. Or perhaps there were some foolish enough to refuse the king.
Ria took the writing materials from the butler and thanked him, purposing in her heart not to do anything that would label her as a 'rebellious concubine'. The butler left, throwing a parting bit of information over his shoulder. "To close the door, say, 'Shut-down.'" And then he was gone.
"Shut-down," Ria said, grateful for the small feeling of self-determination that this simple act awakened in her. If she played her cards right, this whole experience might not be too harrowing. She just had to keep a cool head and gather as much information as possible.
With that thought still echoing in her mind, she moved towards the desk that stood at the far end of the room. To do so she had to pass a large window that took up most of the wall it was set in. What she saw stopped her
in her tracks.
A busy metropolis stretched out below her, massive buildings constructed from dark volcanic stone, much like that which was used for the floors in the king's palace. It seemed that the palace was set on a hill, looking out over the city, and she could see vehicles of all different shapes and sizes and propulsion systems populating the bustling streets.
She wondered what she had expected. Forests like the one in the concubines' terrarium? Alien desert wastes?
Certainly not anything as civilised as this. But why? Was she seeing him and his kind only as dragons and lizards? Animals? Her mind wandered back to their conversation. He spoke intelligently, used eloquent language, in fact, more eloquent than many of her colleagues in NASA used.
His technology was superior to hers. And she was his captive. Yet still, that ugly human superiority thing was rearing its narcissistic head. This whole time she had recoiled in horror at the idea of being basically raped by a beast. But what if he was more than that? What if she actually got to know him?
She thought of his humanoid appearance, and despite the scales and horns, she had to admit he possessed a certain kind of appeal that many Earth women would find magnetically alluring. He had actually seemed to look a bit like Orlando Bloom, she mused, thinking that if the Onoatiga went wife hunting for the Dragon King on Earth, they would have no problems finding a wide variety of candidates eager to fill the post.
Suddenly, she caught the reflection of her face in the glass of the window. Her friends had sometimes said she looked like the female version of Orlando Bloom, so maybe the Dragon King had been copying her physiology in that aspect.
Or maybe that just happened to be his genetic look in humanoid form. Or maybe they had located Earth and were researching its inhabitants. The possibilities were endless.
With her scientific explorer's mind running down a myriad of rabbit holes, Ria continued her trek to the desk, sat down, figured out how the graphite sticks worked and began writing:
Gifted To The Dragon King Page 2