Dragon’s Breath

Flavius stares down at me thoughtfully, urging me to continue.

"He came to my horde to conduct business with my father. When I met him, he was charming, graceful, and overall beautiful. He was so exotic, so different. That's what drew me in. But it was all a façade; he only got close to me in order to use me, and I was so young and in so much pain I allowed it to happen. I allowed myself to be used, then thrown away. But he didn't get away unscathed," I say, cracking a cynical smile at the end.

"What exactly did you do to him?" Flavius asks with an arched brow.

"After telling me that I was easy and that he already had a mate, instead of showing him my tears, I left him with a nasty scar. A reminder to never mess with the wrong person," I say.

I will never allow myself to be used by someone again.

Flavius chuckles, squeezing me in his arms ever so lightly.

"The guy got what he deserved. But you know, I never saw elegant and graceful as your type," Flavius comments.

I roll my eyes, swatting his shoulder, "It's not. I like kind, passionate, and strong men. Elegance means nothing to me, but at the time I was in awe of Slyvan's beauty. Even for a dragon, he was gorgeous."

Flavius frowns slightly at my words. Cupping his face in my hands I pull him in for a kiss. I stare into his eyes fondly with clear determination.

"I'll have you know that I find you very attractive, even more so than any other man I've ever seen. Granted, I don't find you beautiful like I did Slyvan, but that's only because the word beautiful is not fit to describe how I see you," I murmur fondly.

I look into Flavius's deep brown orbs. Hooking my arms around his neck, I pull him down until our foreheads are touching.

"Now, I no longer wish to think of that man who only brings me pain and sorrow," I say.

Untangling myself from where I sat on Flavius's lap, I stand up facing him with a grin.

"So, I heard from Soren that you've developed some dragon slayer abilities, care to show me?" I ask eagerly.

He laughs, ruffling his curls, "I wish I could, but I'm not sure how to access my abilities yet. However, Soren did a mighty fine job teaching me to use a spear."

"A spear? Interesting, but I'm not too surprised. Soren's preferred weapon is the spear. You'll have to show me what you've learned," I say with excitement.

Giving a bright, closed-eyed smile, he slowly stands up, "I'd love to show you."

I watch as he walks partway into the trees, then returns holding a halberd spear. I furrow my brows, recognizing the spear by the blue leather grip and silver beaded strips handing. That's Soren's spear, I think my brows furrowing in confusion.

Flavius approaches me, and I grab the spear from his hands, studying it carefully. I was right, this is definitely Soren's spear.

Running my hands along with the smooth metal of the spear, I look up at Flavius with a smile.

"Soren must really like you," I comment.

"Why do you say that?" he asks, sounding confused.

"This was Soren's weapon that he forged himself out of his own egg. And this," I say, touching the blue grip and silver beaded strips, "Was given to Soren by his mate, Sarafina right before he went out to his first war. Him giving such an important thing is his way of saying he likes and approves of you without actually saying anything. Not to mention dragons ore is very precious, you're very lucky to have this," I smirk happily.

"For a while, I thought Soren was only putting up with me because I was your mate," Flavius says thoughtfully.

"Trust me: if he didn't like you he'd make it very clear, regardless of you being my mate. Still, though I'm very surprised he gave you this," I say caressing the spear.

"Soren told me about dragons ore, but I'm still curious, I've never seen such a metal before," he tells me.

"It's only natural that you're curious. There's actually not a lot of dragons ore in the world. Dragon females cannot have children very easily, the conditions have to be just right. You see, dragons ore comes from a dragon egg, and in order for a dragon to hatch, the temperature must be extremely hot so as to soften the egg shell. Have you ever heard of the Southfait mountains?" I ask.

"Yes, isn't that a volcanic mountain range with many geysers?" He says.

"Yes, and that's the place where dragon females go to have their young because it's the only place hot enough in all of Midgar to be able to soften a dragon egg. It's also the place where many go to forge weapons out of the harvested dragons ore since it is so hot. Southfait mountain is also the only place where dragons will conjugate in peace. Every Summer solstices, the hottest time of the year, dragons from all over will gather in the Southfait mountains," I explain.

"That sounds truly amazing, so many dragons gathering in one place. Now that would be a sight for sore eyes," Flavius says in amazement.

I laugh at his words, "I'm sorry, but it won't be possible for you to see the Southfait mountains."

He furrows his brows. "Why is that?" He asks.

"The temperature alone there would boil you from the inside out. Humans weren't built to withstand such heat," I say.

"That's too bad, it is something I'd love to see," Flavius expresses.

"Yeah, me too," I say.

Flavius looks at me with confusion swirling in his brown orbs, "You've never been there?"

"I've spent my entire life thus far in the horde, coming here is my first time leaving horde territory," I answer.

Flavius's eyes light up with a spark.

"When we handle the things here in Mimmgar, and in your horde, lets travel the world and see everything there is," Flavius vows.

My heart swells at his words, "I'd love that," I say earnestly.

Setting the spear down, I turn to look out at the lake admiring the sparkle upon the blue.

"We should go for a swim," I say, turning around to face Flavius.

Pulling his shirt loose, he smiles at me, "Why not?"

I watch intently as he strips out of his clothes until he's in nothing. My eyes follow the many tribal tattoos swirling on his bronze skin.

Tearing my eyes away from him, I begin to strip out of my clothes as well, folding up my leather pants and shirt. We walk slowly together into the icy lake water. Swimming over to him, I trace one of the tattoos on his shoulder.

"Do these have any meaning?" I ask quietly.

"I got most of my tattoos on my sixteenth birthday, as a symbol of manhood. Neron's mother was a part of a tribe known as the Sceneca, they lived in these woods. They had a tradition where at the age of sixteen, boys would get these tattoos to symbolize their ascent into manhood. Being raised by Neron, I was brought up learning such traditions, which is why I got the tattoos done," He explains, as if reminiscing a fond memory.

"So, Neron is not a native to this country?" I ask.

"Neron's father is from the city, but his mother was from the Sceneca tribe that lived in the forest. Neron, much like myself, was a bastard child, and was raised by his mother, until the tribe was killed by people in the city who feared their traditions. After the death of his mother and tribesmen, he moved to the city and shortly after took me in," Flavius explains.

It would seem that humans live lives full of strife. While I myself did not have the greatest upbringing, most dragons live fairly comfortable lives. Then again we dragons are good at separating ourselves from the other races of Midgar.

Flavius and I spend the next few hours talking and enjoying each other's company up until Soren finally shows up to continue Flavius's training, and I head back to the castle alone.

***

I move my chess piece once again knocking out Gregory's king, winning the game.

"So how has the wedding planning been going so far?" Gregory asks while clearing the chess board.

"Honestly, working with your wife is even less manageable then I thought it'd be. Why does planning a wedding have to be so hard?" I whine leaning back into my chair.

Sitting up, I look at Gregory closely, "How have things been on your end?" I ask.

"I have gathered a group of my most trusted soldiers and along with the help of Soren and Daniel. The plans for the wedding have been running smoothly." He answers.

"That's good to hear," I say.

After discussing the serious stuff, Gregory and I spend the remainder of the day playing chess and talking about a bunch of nonsense. I finally getting a much-needed break from the chaos of my upcoming wedding, each of us simply just having a good time in the other's presence. We talk late into the evening until I begin to feel tired, and decide to retire to my chambers.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter don’t forget to like and comment.- Ray