Dragon Bound

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Chapter Twenty-Three

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The atmosphere the next day was nothing short of manic. The entire stronghold from the knights down to the kitchen milk maids were preparing for the oncoming battle. The forge was filled to capacity, the sound of clanging metal and the bubble and hiss of hot metal in water filled the air before the sun had even properly risen.

Lune woke early and was surprised to see Jason already dressing, the rider’s face grim. Jason hadn’t yet shaved, his jaws shadowed with a rough growth of auburn hair. He had heavy circles under his eyes that seemed to age him half a dozen years. Lune sat up, the blankets pooling at his waist. Jason looked over at him and forced a weak smile that didn’t carry to the man’s worried eyes.

Damon was still snoring, the yoru’s arm thrown over Lune’s hips. Jason leant down and pressed a gentle kiss to Lune’s cheek. Wanting to offer some comfort to the man, Lune rubbed his cheek against Jason’s, nuzzling him much as he would if Jason were a distressed dragon. The man’s scruff itched a little. Jason let out a slow heavy sigh and reached over to give Damon’s shoulder a shake.

‘Get up Damon, we need to prepare like everyone else,’ Jason said in a voice as tired as his face. The larger dragon grunted and cracked one eye open. Lune saw the bloodshot gaze drift to the glass windows and then back at his master.

‘The fucking sun isn’t even up yet,’ he snarled as a response. Jason turned without answering and began pulling on his boots. Lune slipped his robe over his head and followed Jason to the low breakfast table. Jason rang a bell to summon something for them to eat whilst Damon, swearing and grumbling, dragged himself out of bed.

‘What is going to happen today?’ Lune asked softly. Jason reached out a hesitant hand and Lune took it in his smaller ones.

‘Both of you will go back to the stables and be checked over by a medic to make sure you are healthy and fit to fight. Damon needs to have his armour and gear fitted,’ explained Jason. There was a light knock on the door and Damon strode over to accept a tray of food from a panting servant.

Undoubtedly the boy was running to and from the kitchens to be sure the knights were fed and watered before they started what was to be a long day. Damon carried the tray back to the table, handing out bread and butter as Jason gratefully took up a cup of strong dark coffee. Lune sniffed at it curiously.

‘Don’t even think about it. I can’t even imagine you drinking coffee,’ Jason said flatly as Lune peered at the cup.

‘I dunno, might be kind of fun,’ Damon sniggered before biting into a sausage.

‘Is it not good to drink?’ Lune asked, his little nose wrinkling.

‘Not exactly. It helps me stay awake, but it would be far too strong for you, and I don’t need you bouncing off the walls,’ Jason exclaimed sternly.

Lune blinked. ‘I’ve never seen you bounce,’ Lune said, confused. Damon choked on his food, snorting with laughter. Jason sighed. He took Lune’s chin in his hand and pulled the little dragon close for a soft kiss that ended Damon’s mocking sniggers.

‘It’s a figure of speech love,’ Jason said softly as he pulled away. Lune was pink in the cheeks. He had a faintly dazed look in his lavender eyes and Jason couldn’t help but kiss him again, loving the way the younger male went soft and pliant under his touch. When he drew back, Lune’s blush had deepened to crimson.

‘Eat your food,’ Jason coaxed gently, nodding to the bread in Lune’s hand. Lune buttered his bread and ate with more of an appetite. He was keenly aware of Damon’s hooded gaze. What was more, he could feel Damon’s keen interest. Since their bonding the night before, the link the three shared seemed to have strengthened. They ate in a comfortable silence, absorbed in each other’s company and contentment.

Once they had eaten enough, the three headed down the long winding corridor to the stables. Lune gave a yelp of alarm as he was nearly barrelled over by a stable hand running past him with his arms full of bridles.

‘Watch where you’re going!’ Damon bellowed as he scooped Lune into his chest and out of harm’s way. There were people everywhere. The rabble was quite overwhelming, and Lune found himself pressing into Damon’s side to avoid being knocked about. Jason cut a path to their stall and sighed as they reached the relative silence of its insides.

‘I’ll need both of you to shift. This…’ He paused. His expression was tight and conflicted as he stared at Lune’s angelic features. ‘This will probably be the last time you will be in human form until we get back,’ Jason finished in a hollow voice. Knowing the rider’s emotion better than ever, Lune stepped forward and gave the man a hug. Jason wrapped his arms around his little dragon and squeezed him tightly.

‘Cut that out, you’re strangling him. Don’t be such a pussy. We’ll be back in your room fucking like rabbits in a day or so,’ Damon cut in. Lune choked on something between a sob and a laugh. The horrible dread and tension that had seemed to be building all morning broke and Jason drew back from him, clearing his throat. Damon might be abrasive but right now, it was exactly what they needed.

‘It’s strange. That it’s come to this. I never imagined we would be here like this now, together,’ Lune said quietly. They looked at each other rather ruefully.

‘I remember you told him to go drown in a river,’ Damon said, his lips twisting in amusement. Lune blinked. That somehow seemed so long ago and yet his capture couldn’t have been more than three or four months ago.

‘I also remember you saying you would never submit. I am glad you… resigned a little on that,’ Jason murmured. Resigned was an odd choice of words but Lune knew it was because they were both thinking of that day when Jason had finally lost his temper. Jason reached up a hesitant hand and cupped Lune’s cheek.

‘For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,’ Jason whispered. Lune shrugged meekly. What was done was done.

‘Suppose it wasn’t all bad. I have Damon.’

‘Mmm, in that I’ve done you a great disservice,’ Jason said, lips twitching.

‘Fuck you,’ Damon barked. Lune laughed.

‘Right. Let’s go then,’ Jason said, sounding much more like himself.

Lune and Damon shifted back, and the magic unravelled. Lune stretched his wings comfortably.

‘We are headed for the arena. It will be messy, busy, and congested. Stay together and be on your best behaviour. I’ll have no fighting with the others. Not today,’ Jason barked. His eyes landed specifically on Damon who let out a billowing snort of smoke in response. Jason rolled his eyes and led the way back out of the stall.

The full scale of what was about to happen was really beginning to take hold. There were dragons of every size and colour lined up in the massive arena, some getting their armour fitted, others being groomed or inspected by a team of medics. Lune recognized Amphion, the stone dragon easily the biggest dragon there. He towered over the gathered crowd, many smaller dragons trying to give the huge male as much room as possible.

Lune went over to him without hesitation, finding comfort in the enormous male. Amphion lowered his blunt snout and snuffed at Lune. Logan looked around in surprise at the sight of the glittering Kagame. His initial alarm of a beast so rudely invading his dragon’s space dissipated as Lune rubbed against Amphion, warbling in a sad low tone. Amphion huffed but nosed him back, clearly picking up on the little dragon’s worry.

‘Sorry for him. He’s very shaken by all this,’ Jason said as he came up beside the man, Damon following not far behind. Logan sighed and rubbed at his eyes.

‘Aye, many of the young ones are upset. They are deciding now which squads to take. Ours will go, of course, but we haven’t been told yet who will fly with us. How’s your other beast?’ Logan grunted. Damon was watching Lune and Amphion from a respectful distance.

‘He’s fine. This isn’t his first battle. Worried about Lune though, of course,’ Jason sighed. Logan nodded sympathetically. Amphion’s natural thick armour plating meant that the dragon needed no additional manmade armour which was just as well because there may not have been enough raw metal to make such an extensive fit.

As he was the largest, he was being fitted with hefty bags that would carry extra arrows, leathers and weapons for the men. A team of stable hands were rushing around him, fitting his saddle and checking the weight was even on both sides as the huge dragon patiently stood and nosed the Kagame.

Lune looked around at the sound of a bright whistle. He saw Amara and her lapis filly. The filly was not much bigger than Lune and she approached shyly, her head bowing to Amphion. When Amphion made no move but to grunt, Lune stretched out his neck hesitantly to sniff at the female.

She snapped her teeth at him, but the gesture was more playful than aggressive and after a moment, she sidled in a little closer, her lovely blue patterned wings flexing in the sun. Her good mood seemed to comfort Lune a little and he stayed with her as Damon took his place to be examined and fitted for his armour.

Fredrick and Vulkan went past not long after, Fredrick stopping briefly to chat with his fellow squad members. Lune overheard Fredrick explaining that Vulkan had made a good recovery in only two short days, but his wing was still a bit stiff.

Estevan and his dragon, Jouet, arrived not long after mid-day. Jouet was a smallish thin mottle green dragon with long pointed horns and a tail full of neat little spikes. He had a silly prancing stride and held his muzzle right up as though the other dragons were beneath his notice. When he caught sight of Lune standing by the filly, he snarled.

Lune started but before he or Damon could retaliate, Amphion let out a thunderous growl. His teeth were as long as Jouet’s entire foreleg and the smaller dragon seemed to take that into consideration as he stared at Lune with open dislike.

The day was indeed a long one. The dragons were brought food in the afternoon and Lune couldn’t help but notice it was a lot of food. Jason patiently explained that it could be a few days before they could eat a proper meal again. The riders had to be especially vigilant to stop the dragons from squabbling over kills. Lune was kept safe from any threat mainly due to the other dragons not wanting to get anywhere near the behemoth that was Amphion.

Several of the smaller or younger dragons were removed from the arena as the day crawled on and the king and his advisors made their way up and down the rows, selecting who was to go and who was to stay. A few of the older more experienced squads were to remain in case of an attack whilst the king was absent. Finally, the Sun King stopped in from of Logan and his squad. Lune watched nervously as the man spoke in a low voice with Logan.

‘Garret is to remain to watch over the squires alongside Gabe,’ the king commanded. Logan nodded. The king squeezed the man’s shoulder briefly before coming over to Lune, Damon and Jason. Lune shivered as the king took Jason’s chin in hand and raised his face.

‘Keep your little dragon close,’ the king murmured. Without his rage or fluctuating magic, Lune noted that the king’s natural eye colour was more hazel than gold, though the iris seemed to sparkle even in the low light.

‘Yes, my king,’ Jason murmured. The king’s grip seemed to tighten and Lune felt more then heard Jason suck in a sharp breath.

‘Don’t you die tomorrow, Jason. You still owe me a pound of flesh.’ The king’s voice was soft like velvet and oddly affectionate. Whatever moment they shared ended, and the king stepped away to continue his inspection. Lune puffed out a breath and glanced over at Damon.

Don’t ask, was the dry response he got from the Yoru.

Whilst many of the squad left to either retire to their stable or take on watch duties, the bulk of the dragons were bedded down in the arena. There was more room to move in the vast space. As it took hours to have some of the dragon fitted into their war gear, it was safer and easier to bed them down in the massive space than negotiate the smaller corridors and ceilings of the stables.

Lune couldn’t deny that Damon in his armour was an incredible sight. The ebony scales glittered in contrast to the smooth metal. As a larger dragon, he could take the weight of a chest piece and the metal plates on his shoulder had menacing spikes. He looked, Lune thought, very regal.

Jason left them briefly to go bathe and eat but came back before too many stars had appeared. He had brought a bedroll and stretched out between his two dragons. Lune was glad for his return. Despite being with Damon and Amphion, Lune felt very much uncomfortable with so many unknown people and dragons. It was set to be a disruptive and rough night.

The atmosphere was highly charged and several times during the late hours, knights had to break up fights between the beasts. The air was filled with unfamiliar smells and the stronghold remained unsettled even as the sun began to rise again the next morning.

Lune was almost glad to see it. He’d had only a few hours’ sleep, tucked close under Damon’s wing. The Yoru had slept with much snoring, but Lune couldn’t settle his jangling nerves. Jason was unnaturally still beside them, and Lune suspected the man hadn’t slept either.

As the morning rose, the knights were fitted into their own armour. Many of them chose to wear full chainmail, a decision that didn’t make much sense to Lune. Surely the heavy metal would slow them down and add weight to their dragons.

Jason wore his thick leathers though he did put on slim wrist gauntlets and a smaller chest piece that would protect him from any direct hits to his heart. He seemed to decide he would rather keep his mobility in the saddle than add extra protection.

Finally, they all stood, the dragons practically vibrating with tension and excitement. There were yowls and snarls as the smaller beasts began to bicker, desperate to leave the confined space and set themselves to the hunt. They were all waiting. It was Amphion who saw them first, his massive head swooping up with a great snort. Heads turned and Lune lost his breath as the most incredible sight met them.

Takara, in full armour, the king atop his back was entering the arena. His gold scales glittered blindingly. He was a creature of extreme beauty. About a head smaller than Damon but well-proportioned with a crest of crystal-like spines around his elegant head and impressively long wings. Lune was transfixed.

‘Take up your weapons, defend your lands and your kin. We leave on this day to reclaim our lands and prove once and for all that the Sun will always rise again,’ the king thundered. A battle cry rang out amongst the men, carried on by the roaring and stamping of their dragons until the noise was like the crescendo of some terrifying storm.

Lune jumped as he felt a hand on his neck. He looked down to see Jason smiling weakly up at him.

‘Are you ready Lune?’ Jason asked. Lune wasn’t so sure. His legs were shaking, and his nerves were a tangle of worry for himself and the others, but he gave a little nod all the same. Jason beckoned and Lune lowered his lovely snowy white head. Jason wrapped his arms around the Kagame’s neck, hugging him tightly. The man smelt like leather and smoke. He felt Jason reached for his collar and adjust it, settling it against Lune’s scales and fiddling with the metal until it lay flat.

When Jason pulled away, his expression was so oddly distorted that Lune wanted to ask what was wrong, but the man just shook his head and moved away to recheck Damon’s gear. The others were already climbing into the saddle.

‘Can’t we do something about his colouring? He sticks out like a baboon’s ass,’ Estevan sneered towards Lune. Lune’s head shot up indignantly. That was a ridiculous statement especially when they were being led into battle behind a creature as eye catching as the king’s Takara.

‘So will the light off the metal of our armour. Do us all a favour and shut up,’ Jason snapped. Estevan straightened his spine but before he could say anything Logan cut across.

‘Whatever shit you have to deal with, bury it. We don’t have time for you two to be bitching at each other. Mount your beasts. We are leaving,’ the squad leader barked. Jason climbed up Damon’s shoulder and settled himself in, buckling himself into his harness.

The king wheeled his dragon around and led the way out of the arena. As soon as the gold dragon cleared the mesh dome, he opened his elegant wings and took flight. Logan’s squad with Vulkan and Damon in the lead positions went next. Lune was desperately glad to be rid of the oppressive atmosphere of the arena as he took to the sky. The air was filled with noise as those remaining humans in the stronghold cheered and screamed for them as they took to the air one row at a time.

There was an unspoken understanding between these souls that some, maybe many of them would not return. The dragons flew higher and higher, spiralling above their home in a cascade of wings.

Lune felt his spirit lift even as his heart sank. He looked to the left and right of himself as they rose. How many of these dragons would die for this human war? How many of them had hoped to be freed only to be led to the slaughter on the whims of a territorial king?

With a great pang of misery, Lune realised that he had never even gotten to say goodbye to Gabe. He tried to imagine what the old knight might say, but all that came to mind was the grizzled features of a man that had already lost his own dragon to war. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to come see Lune on purpose?

Lune couldn’t pretend to understand the enthusiasm of the younger dragons as they pulled at the bit, eager for a fight. To him, the loss of life was so unnecessary and yet as they rose to meet the cold air and the hot sun, he knew that his thoughts on the matter was irrelevant. All he could hope as they began their flight towards the mountains, was that his own part to play did not result in the deaths of the ones he had come to love.

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END

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