Fantasy The Princess and The Dragon, not the most imaginative story out there... (private)

[Aron the Aron]

MJ ._.
Here's something to get you started!



The darkened world of Mitil's closed eyes spun as she slowly roused from her... slumber? Was she just sleeping? It certainly didn't feel so, it was much too cold to be her quarters, and whatever she were on was hard and icky. A splitting migraine shook the Princess' head as she forced her eyes open, only to be greeted with next to total darkness.

Oh, she was in some sort of... cell? It certainly had the feel of one; tasteless cobblestone walls and a lonely iron door on the far side of one such wall were all that made up her prison. Only the peeking sunlight shining through the cracks of another wall told her it was at least daytime; how much time had passed while she was sleeping/unconscious? More importantly, how the heck did she get here?

The headache occupying her cranium slowly subsided as she regained her bearings. Memories slowly came back from her temporary bewilderment; thank the Gods shee didn't have amnesia...

...

Oh, the Dragon... Now it probably felt a little obvious who threw her in here...

Okay, okay. Calm down, take a really deep breath, make a recap to make sure no memory loss actually took ahold, and then get the bejesus out of wherever this place was.

Mitil had let out a few shallow, shaky breaths as she slowly got up from being sprawled over the cold stone floor. At least there wasn't any moss growing anywhere; that stuff was icky to the touch. Once she had crawled back up to her feet, the first course of action was to test the only iron door that broke the monotony of the stone brick room. There was little doubt that it was locked from the outside; how else would she be trapped in h-

Oh, it was unlocked... How convenient!

With a painfully loud and obnoxious creak, the door swung open as slowly as a snail going down a hill. It didn't help that nothing the Princess did could speed up the process, but at least she could squeeze through the gap. Okay, escaping might be easier than what was originally thought...

Tastelessly empty cells lined the halls without end, all similarly in disrepair of varying degrees. Clearly this Dragon could care less about the state of the place; there were puddles on the stone floor and they reeked of fish! The halls eventually came to a split: an upward stairwell likely leading out, or further down the hall where some eerie blue glowing was occurring...

 

[MJ ._.]

Mitil assumed that she had been left in some sort of dungeon. Aside from being abandoned, there was nothing special about it but patterns of a tree carved on the floor and the eerie blue light shimmering in distance. Her eyes followed the sunlight that had lit the staircase. Apparently, the best option was leaving the dungeon immediately. But there wasn’t a reasonable person in the dungeon to follow that path; only a young girl who was too curious for her own good and had made a name for it. And so, she cautiously approached the phantom light. She walked very slowly to keep the sound down to the minimum but every time she took a step her cricking boots make the hair stand on her body. As far as she remembered, the one casting her into the dungeon was an armor-clad twenty meters dragon, so using a blade against it would be folly. If something of that sort was hidden in darkness, she preferred to avoid provoking it rather than holding a weapon against it for defense. Although the corridor she was passing didn’t seem to be very long, her tortoise movement and the stress of facing the dragon again made her feel like she had been walking for a long time yet she hadn’t gotten closer to the source of light, as if that spooky blue was backing away from her approach.

Aron the Aron

 

[Aron the Aron]

Upon letting her feet take her to the peculiar glow, Mitil's eyes beheld a magnificent chamber. The decaying stone brick slowly gave way to the more natural stone of a deep underground cavern, and stronger still did the glow intensify despite its fleeting appearance. It was absolutely breathtaking how the natural halls glittered with precious ores, reflecting off of a gentle stream of water calmly passing under her feet. Not a single sign of life was around to dispel the lonely atmosphere though; the Princess was entirely alone as she carefully waded ankle-deep waters. Even through the hardened leather of her hunting boots, the waters were pleasantly cool to the touch; no doubt the creek was safe to drink out of aside from the rich concentration of minerals it likely held.

The glow was almost painfully bright to stare at off at the head of the small creek Mitil had been subconsciously following; it was a blinding mixture of turquoise and ice-blue, lighting the cavern like the midday sun. A few stone steps slowly rising out of the waters led straight to the source of the glow: a beautifully hewn crystal sphere. It's clarity blended with hues of color reflecting off its rounded face, and its glow was near capable of blinding at such proximity. It had to be an Ether Crystal! The power radiating from it was said to be the breath of the Gods, granting untold amounts of power to anyone who could harness it's unstable magic. And look at the size of it! It could tower over a giant without issue; imagine the power a mage like her would have if she interacted with it.

Too bad there was a Dragon in the way...

Reclining on the last of the stone steps was none other than the perpetrator of Mitil's kidnapping. For all intents and purposes, the Dragon itself was far from being the largest out there, though it still towered over the young lady by an easy few meters. Onyx scales lined its lithe and nimble frame, some delicately engraved with the ancient runes unlike that which Mitil had never seen. Crystaline spikes lined its spine and tail, with a sharp spearhead-shaped tip that could probably crush stone from sheer force. The wings were large enough to encompass a peasant cottage entirely, yet looked delicate with its thin membrane. Two amber eyes stared straight down at the proportionally tiny Human standing in front of him, glowing with the disdain most Dragons were known to have.

And from the look in its eyes, it was not at all pleased with Mitil's presence.

 

[MJ ._.]

“So this dungeon had been a natural cave?” Mitil wondered as stepped into the gallery of untamed rough stones. The new scenery was wild but far more pleasant than the bricked corridor. It had a natural earthly sense into it. She somehow felt comfort by touching the stone walls as if they connected her to mother earth herself. After all, every human and animal was born from the soil. As she proceeded, the light became stronger and she could see more of the cavern. At some point, she had to confess that the reflection of the blue light on uncarved rocks looked magically beautiful. Following the charming beams, she found more and more of it until the brightness was too much for her eyes who had gotten to the darkness. She used her hand to cast a shade over her eyes and kept going. Going on like that, the sound of water splashing under her boots sounded more vivid than when she was simply captivated by the light that invited her to approach it. She looked down and was amazed by hundred reflections of glittering untouched gemstones broken into ripples on the surface of the pure stream. “Is it the entrance to one of those famous hidden halls of dwarves?!” She asked herself and went with more enthusiasm than before, feeling that something amazing was waiting for her at the end of the path.

When Mitil finally found what she had been looking for, it was so bright that she couldn’t even look at it to see what she had found. She closed her eyes thinking if they were going to get used to the strong beams of light and she could open them after a while. Meanwhile, she started sensing the object in the middle of the area, in absence of her sight. It felt like thousands and thousands of magical streams pulling and pushing the weak flow in her body. She was strongly tempted to step closer and touch it. It was asking her to go closer. And she did, only a few steps. Then she slightly opened her eyes as narrow slits and saw the sphere. The appearance and feel of the object were ethereal. The closest description that she had ever read in the texts or heard from mouthes was of the famed Eather Crystal. But she always had thought that it was no more than a legend; a wish for those who were in love with easily gained power. She had to try it and make sure it was real. Her curiosity was killing her. She blinked several times till her vision was adjusted and could see the stairs that made the way to reach the crystal but also, she met a pair of large eyes staring hatefully down at her. “Damn my foolishness! I had to run up those stairs toward the sunlight as soon as I woke up. Why did I have to go deeper in the cave?! I’m done for!” She thought as shivered in her boots due to surprise. It was amazing that she hadn’t noticed such a big figure sooner. She lowered the hand that was shading her eyes and forced a causal smile. “Hello. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you in your private chamber. I’ve just lost my way.” She tried to sound normal. In a second look, the dragon looked more majectic under the light of the Eather Crystal. Even the carvings on his scales shown off vividly. The spikes on his back looked more beautiful than terifying and darkness on his large scales reflected the charming light to a perfection. “I’ll excuse myeslef now. Have a good time.” She bowed politely like a princess and turned to walk back the path she had come. It was futile to try and run from a dragon in his own tunnels. She just hoped that he was too lazy to follow her and then she could go back and try the staircase to the surface. Obviously, she could have more chances for running away when she was out of the cave.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Not even a single step away from the verily annoyed Dragon did Mitil suddenly find her efforts of leaving come to a jerkish halt. Her leather-bound boots refused to follow the motions her legs were trying to make, and one quick glance down explained why rather plainly: walking was a difficult task when the water you were standing in had turned to solid ice. And it didn't take much hint to guess as to who was the culprit...

"And where do you think you're going, Human?"

The Dragon's voice was a smooth, resounding baritone laced with all the commanding presence of a conqueror- errant from a bygone age. The authority and power behind his unconcerned tone reverberated against the limestone of the cavern, punctuated with the little clicks of his claws tapping against the ground out of impatient habit. His deep golden eyes had narrowed into thin slivers when Mitil turned tail to leave, the perceived slight stoking what ire he had already borne for the human. It was true that he was under no notion to physically get up and prevent his human captive from leaving the confines of his abode, but nothing said anything about him needing to.

After all: why act when your magic would act for you?

With Mitil unquestionably stuck without resorting to ditching her boots or breaking the ice- neither actions desirable in a cavern with a Dragon, the Princess had once again become a captive. This time around she wasn't alone in a cold and damp prison cell that was threatening to decay and crumble with her in it, but being trapped in ice with a displeased Dragon was better was... a little hard to consider as 'better' in the eyes of most individuals.

"... I am still waiting for an explanation Human. Why do you wander my halls like a common rat, and expect of me to show leniency in letting you leave?"

 

[MJ ._.]

“Ah…” Mithil yelped as was about to fall. She thought that she must have hit her boot to some heavy rock under the water since she was just going away casually when her foot got stuck and she was about to fall face-first due to the will to move and the inertia of her body. Naturally, she looked down at her feet and found them frozen along with the water of the stream. The frozen stream had embraced both of her boots and she was trapped in an uncomfortable position because her second foot had been trapped when she was about to fall and had put it a little farther than it was used to. She looked back at the unrivaled culprit. Apparently, the enmity in his eyes wasn’t a show and he really did want her dead. She couldn’t keep staring at him though; not only because it was futile but also since it wasn’t an easy form to maintain when the dragon was behind her and her feet were frozen going the opposite direction.

"And where do you think you're going, Human?" The large creature asked shamelessly or at least it’s how Mithil felt about his question. She had to properly face him before answering so she pulled her tiny feet out of her boots and stood on the ice in her woolen socks. “To where I’ve come from?” She spoke while studying his large bright eyes. He could hate her as much as he wanted and yet she thought the creature in front of her was amazing. It wasn’t only his eyes that caught her interest but his natural armor too was something she hadn’t ever heard of. She wondered if that armor could grow with the dragon and if it did, how could it? Despite all the incredible features of his body, he showed to be an annoying type. What was with his tapping habit? The way it echoed in the cave was on her nerves. She didn’t know what sort of answer he expected to hear from her but the way he kept tapping made her sure that her answer hadn’t been a desirable one.

"... I am still waiting for an explanation Human. Why do you wander my halls like a common rat, and expect of me to show leniency in letting you leave?" He elaborated his question and inserted a convenient number of common insults in it. No one would talk to a princess like that even if she was the fourth princess who was called a witch by the court folk at her back. But, since she wasn’t sure if she could count a dragon as a person, she could let it slip without feeling offended. Anyhow, she had to present a proper reply or the impatient monster in front of her or he might feel like turning her into an icicle. She doubted that she could survive an ice cone but even if she did, it was going to be a painful experiment.

“Pardon me, sir. Your question contains irrationality according to my small brain. I’m obviously small in comparison to your greatness but I’m not as tiny as a rat. Since the rats exist in this world and their size is valid for them while mine is valid for me, it’s not correct to put us in the same group regarding our size.” She was fluent in her speech but her tone was like a student answering her teacher in an oral test. “That aside…” She continued as looked down to avoid his eyes. For some reason, they were scarier than before. “You have the right to be angry with a stranger who barges in your chambers. But this time, you are blaming the innocent. I was minding my own business in hunting grounds; looking for a few boars to take home for dinner because my brothers love the prey I catch even if they never thank me for the effort I put into it for their sake… You probably are asking yourself how it is different when I hunt them, right? That’s because I have them go to sleep with a relaxed tune before taking them back to the castle. This way, they don’t feel scared and their heartbeat won’t accelerate and the blood won’t rush to muscles since they won’t be running around…” She noticed that he wasn’t interested in her hunting method since the air felt colder suddenly. Maybe that was only her imagination but she went back to the track for safety reasons. “Well, before I could find a good spot to start hunting, a very large shadow fell upon me. Scary, isn’t it? I looked up to see why a cloud is following me when I saw a big…magnificent dragon flapping his wings and making strong gusts of wind that shook the trees off their leaves. Before I knew what was going on, my horse was so scared that went on a rampage and dropped me. And then…everything went dark…” She said the last part with an eerie tone. “I could have died. To be honest, I thought I’m dead when I woke up. I wonder if hell has cold dungeons… but there was a light at the end of the tunnel and, naturally, I followed it like a moth and ended up here. End of the story. So, as you see, it’s not my fault that you have been bothered. If you need to punish someone for feeling displeased, you would better take your anger out on the dragon who scared my poor horse. And while you are at it, please be kind and ask him why on the earth did he do that?! No matter what people say, it was the first time that I saw a dragon so I’m sure I’ve never offended one.” The last part of her complaint was her main concern; why that dragon had brought her to his chambers. Some folklore told that dragons eat humans, if that was the case then why he hadn’t swallowed her in the forest? She watched the dragon questionably. Surely he wasn't doing her family a favor. It didn’t go well with the dragon’s antihuman nature.

 

[Aron the Aron]

An audible huff bellowed from the Dragon's nostrils as he Mitil regaled him with an innane tale that his the details underneath a thick sheet of pointless storytelling. So the Human Princess was not completely aware that he had been the mastermind behind her abduction; perhaps there was an advantage he could've capitalized on, but the Dragon hadn't been bothered to properly respond to it.

"Hmph, I suppose some of the responsibility lies on me for my actions; I would've otherwise relied on my Wyvern vassals, but they are as British as they are obedient." He dryly muttered as he descended down the stone stairwell he had been reclining on. The massive reptiles bore great resemblance to their Dragon cousins save their distinctive lack of forelimbs, but their collective intelligence made any human look good in comparison. Great muscle when the Dragon needed it! "Regardless, I have my reasons for bringing you here Child of Arka..."

Having come down, the Dragon's size became more measurable as he circled around to Mitil's awkwardly-posed front. "... Your dynasty has made plenty of enemies when they came into power several centuries ago. That hasn't changed with your father, not to your neighbors, and not to me."

 

[MJ ._.]

Mitil didn’t know whether she had to be happy or angry that the dragon hadn’t understood the sarcasm in her story and questions. On the other hand, there was this probability that he got it and ignored it. If so, then she was lucky that he wasn’t mad at her more than before. “Thanks for accepting your share of responsibility. Heaven knows how grateful I am that your majesty has descended upon me except his royal subjects.” She wasn’t going to change her talkative manner. The dragon grew larger as unfolded his body and unmounted his favored seat. He had to look more formidable as well, only if the princess’s inner gal wasn’t fuming in anger despited her calm façade. She forgot about her personal feelings as soon as the king’s name was spoken. If it wasn’t a personal issue but a political dispute, then she had to proceed with caution. “As for my forebearers, I can’t be accountable for what they have done or left undone. You have had enough time to deal with them while they lived and seeking revenge after their death is…unfair and irrational.” She defended herself and her king against his first accusation. “You seem worried about our neighbors. How noble of you. After all, neighbors are closer than brothers, don’t you agree? Unfortunately, these good brothers of ours aren’t the saints that you might have mistaken them for. If not worse, they are not better than us.” She wasn’t going to let him blame her country for an unstable relationship with their neighboring country since the guilt was mutual. “That leaves…how has my father caused you any troubles? I’m really curious to know since, as I told you before, it’s my first time seeing a dragon and if my father had dealings with them I, as his daughter, must at least had heard of them.” She asked. It was her second question but in fact, she was trying to have him answer her first question properly since his previous answer wasn’t convincing at all.
While waiting to receive an answer from the dragon, Mitil felt that her toes were freezing. She tried to pull her boots out of the ic but it was beyond her power. Therefore, she took her hunting knife out and began stabbing on the ice around her boots to break the ice and take back what belonged to her from the iron grasp of the frozen stream. Klank…shank…ding… the cave was filled with unpleasant noises that echoed across rocky walls.

 

[Aron the Aron]

tink... tink... tink...

The metallic ringing of Mitil's steel knife echoed unpleasantly against the Dragon's hearing; so much was his petty annoyance that he rectified such irritation with a healthy tug of magic, ripping it from its owner's hand and sending it skittering across the ice into the darkness. He wasn't about to tolerate brazen acts in his presence; entire millennia has taught him just how far a human would go if their shackles were loosened ever so slightly.

“You seem worried about our neighbors. How noble of you. After all, neighbors are closer than brothers, don’t you agree? Unfortunately, these good brothers of ours aren’t the saints that you might have mistaken them for. If not worse, they are not better than us.”

You could almost hear the twitch in the Dragon's eye when Mitil reasoned her kingdom's poor relations. "Do not presume my comment for worry, Human; at least your neighbors are wise enough to honor their word to a Dragon."

“As for my forebearers, I can’t be accountable for what they have done or left undone. You have had enough time to deal with them while they lived and seeking revenge after their death is…unfair and irrational.” She defended herself and her king against his first accusation. “That leaves…how has my father caused you any troubles? I’m really curious to know since, as I told you before, it’s my first time seeing a dragon and if my father had dealings with them I, as his daughter, must at least had heard of them.”

"Why not ask your father during our yearly meet under the longest night, just as his father did before? I ask you: is it unfair to seek compensation for a treatise your dynasty has reneged on for generations? Is it irrational to be angry when the men and women you once thought of as partners turn their backs on you? I give them the empire, and they return my favor by keeping and tampering with what they don't understand!" The atmosphere dropped to a deep and threatening chill as the Dragon vented his frustrations, cracking the ice he stood over as he paced. "Time and again I stooped myself to that of a beggar in front of your ancestors. "Honor your word!" I would repeat, and yet they rebuff me at their convenience, threatening me with artifacts they do not understand. Perhaps with you under my custody, your father would learn it wise not to tamper with the very threads of creation."

 

[MJ ._.]

"Ouch..."
Mitil was holding the hilt of her hunting knife firmly with both hands so it hurt when the knife was pulled out of her fingers forcefully especially because her fingers were freezing. She cast a scolding angry glare at the dragon before rubbing her cold fingers and finding a less frozen rock to sit on. She hugged her knees in hope of keeping her body's warmth from escaping to the frozen tunnels of the cave. "If you don't let me wear my boots my toes will fall off." She reminded the dragon briefly. In case that he couldn't understand why a human needed her boots, she was ready to explain the difference between a girl and a dragon. It was so frustrating that he not only had not helped her to retrieve her boots but also had stopped her from doing it with her own hands. She wondered if he enjoyed watching her freeze. She couldn't do anything but shivering and listening to him speak about mysteries of the past. The more he said the less it made sense to her. She had never heard of a treatise of the king having a meeting with a dragon. She had no idea which artifacts he was talking about. "See, Mister Dragon...it'd be nice if I knew your name but since you don't believe in the necessity of introductions this is the only title I can use... and you can call me the fourth princess or simply Mitil; I don't mind the courtesy...but I guess you already knew my name since you had been planning to abduct me since a while before, had you not? Anyhow, Mister Dragon, you shouldn't be irritated by repeating yourself at least two times a century. If you really have had a contract with humans, you should have considered that our prosperous life won't exceed half a century. It's really easy to understand; since a human at least lives for one entry and half of his life is spent in childhood and oldness which can't be counted as active durations. It seems that you've been around for several human generations so don't you think it's only fair if you repeat yourself for each generation? I don't understand what makes you mad about it." She started rubbing her toes. "Honestly, the king never told me about your annual meetings. No one did. If it's a secret between you two then maybe the crown prince knows about it. A fourth princess isn't important at all. A princess is useful for uniting two nations with marriage. It's more like sending a hostage at first but after giving birth to a son, and if that sone survives to adulthood, the said princess will become an important figure in her husband's country. But that won't work for me since my mother was a commoner so no prince would want an heir with my blood, which means I'm useless. My father can promise me to his dearest knight or richest lord...but I'm not even that popular...so, the king would never share any information about governing his lands with someone like me. Thus, I'm sorry Mister but you have to explain it yourself. Why would a king and a dragon meet at the winter solstice? Other people spend that night with their families so I thought the king would spend it with his sons and their relatives. Personally, I hold a public ceremony since my maternal family isn't important enough for an individual celebration. Also, please explain which treatise you are talking about. I'm in darkness here. You say you have given us the empire and that we are your partners then why didn't you show your face sooner? If you only talk to the king then the king is your only partner. The rest of my nation doesn't know about your existence so how can they be your partners? Considering the age gap between us...aren't we just helpless children? You expect too much from infants!" She was starting to feel sleepy. It wasn't a good sign. "What has my father used to threaten you with?" She asked thoughtfully. She couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary that could be used against a dragon. Of course, magic was ordinary for her. An orthodox way to solve problems for those who could learn using their inner powers and synch it with the environment. "Our understanding of the world is only a little...even close to nothing. If we are going to avoid touching what we don't know about, we might as well stop breathing." She shifted her weight on the rock. "And I guess you don't know how to keep your hostage alive. I'm going to freeze to death soon." She sighed. Maybe if she told him that her father couldn't change his mind only because of her he would let her go and take a prince hostage. Especially the crown prince would do the job. But if she said so and he listened to her, then wouldn't it be considered treason? It was the same as sacrificing her older brother for her own safety. On the other hand, was it a right decision to sacrifice herself for people who regretted her existence? She couldn't decide yet. Her father had provided her with the comfortable life of a lady but that was everything and she had been ignored by him most of the time. She couldn't blame him though; he had a crucial responsibility and paying attention to her could put the peace of the court at risk.

 

[Aron the Aron]

"... Hmph, flimsy like the apes before you." The Dragon snorted at the apparent fragility of his captive, smashing the ice apart with a single cleave of his tail. The sheer force caused a deep rumble that shook the cavern, a mere showcase of strength from one who was considered physically frail by his brethren.

"Were it any other time, I would've entertained the idea of holding your half-brothers as hostages. But as you are probably aware, they are about as intelligent and useful as a manure sack and a vast empty space." At that point he wasn't even trying to mask his contempt for the Imperial Family, but then again: he likely never held any respect for any humans... "You on the other hand are one an Emperor would logically name as an heir, which puzzles me all the more to the system in which you humans run your societies, where a fool is given preference to rule."

"For my sake I will attempt to make this understandable to you. Your dynasty would never have come to power all those centuries ago without the gift of magic. The treatise was simple: Magic for magic. I gave your ancestors the means to cast magic to found their empire upon; they would hand over any magic artifacts in their possession -past, present and future- to me to study and reverse-engineer once they came into power. Before your forefathers discovered the Chronosphere, they were amicable and courteous with the treaty. Now with the means of altering reality, they spit upon that same treaty with contempt. I was far from surprised to learn nearly seven centuries ago that your distant forefather ordered my name be scrubbed from the annals of Imperial history, memories of my existence lost to your people save hearsay rumors of a Dragon in the mountains. Such is the power the Chronosphere holds that they can threaten me with impunity. A shame that the current Emperor is so soft-hearted that he would not dare trade the lives of his children for anything..."

Perhaps it was best that the Dragon left out details like how Mitil's ancestors attempted to integrate him into the Empire proper by knighting him of all things...

(I'll elaborate in our pm)

 

[MJ ._.]

"First a rat and now an ape? Do you fancy comparing humans with animals?! Well, you are wrong again since an ape is covered by hair and has more tolerance regarding cold...Aaah..." As the dragon shook the cave, the girl slipped off the rock and fell into the water with a splash. She stood and looked down at her wet clothes clinging to her body regretfully. Meanwhile, the dragon was telling her about how useless her brothers were. "Don't insult the princes in front of me. Not that I can defend their names...but it's my duty to feel horrible if anyone talks bad about them and I don't need to foster that feeling now. On the other hand, why do you know my family so well?" She told him casually as if doing her part without feeling anything about it. She was curious to know why he had preferred to take a hostage that seemed valuable in his own eyes while it would be wiser to pique those who were more important for the kingdom. But she couldn't ask him about it or it would sound like she was trying to suggest to him to capture the princes instead.
Mitil's boots had fallen in the stream and were filled with water. She picked them one by one, emptied them, and put them on. Her body shivered in response to the unpleasant feeling of walking in wet boots. "You flatter me, seeing me fit to rule a country. But, no, thanks. I don't have a family to protect me so if my father had chosen me as his heir then families of the previous queens would have assassinated me long ago." She explained then shook her head. She left the stream and found a place on the stairs where she could look at the dragon's face without looking up and hurting her neck. He began explaining everything she had asked him. If what he said was true, then people had been left in dark for a long time. "Chronosphere..." She repeated the strange name then trembled from the idea due to being both overwhelming and exciting. With the strong magic of the dragon being dispelled, she could use her tiny tricks to warm herself and dry her clothes. It was also a good excuse for her to keep her mouth shut and mull over the shocking news that she had heard. She put both her hands on her chest and whispered a few spells. Her body warmed up from inside and her clothes dried up. "That's better..." She told herself before looking at the dragon. "So, it was you who taught us how to use magic? Thank you. I, as one, have enjoyed practicing magic through my life." She said the first thing that came to her mind after hearing his story then bowed gracefully. She had learned to respect her teachers since childhood and the dragon in front of her had to be the teacher of all of her teachers. "I've almost read all magic-related books in the country that were available, but there was no name of the Chronosphere. I admit I've heard about it in court but I thought it must be another myth like the immortal who lives in the empty tower. I went to that tower and there was no sign of life so I know that it was only a rumor." She seemed to feel concerned about the dangerous artifact. "A device that can tamper with time and space...we don't understand these two concepts properly and there are always unsolved arguments in these areas, so I think using the Chronosphere by humans is the same as committing suicide and mass-murder at the same time. One mistake and one won't know what will happen. That's why I think that they have been bluffing about using it. What kind of idiot takes the risk? For the same reason, I'm sure the king will be afraid of handing it to someone else." She spoke her mind honestly. She couldn't say more than that since it'd be against her interests. She was sure that her value was near zero in comparison to Chronosphere. The king wouldn't hand the device and the dragon could kill her in return. Maybe the first day of the winter was going to be her last day of life. That would be a romantic tragedy and the dragon was welcome to compare her with a butterfly; fragile, short-lived, and defeated by the first winter wind. She sighed deeply as imagined her unfortunate ending. "If I were in your shoes I wouldn't make a deal with humans. In your contract, every generation is responsible before their birth. It's natural if after a few generations people's sense of duty gets dull since they have never asked for it. You seem to be a curious dragon; giving so much only in exchange for artifacts...but I'm happy that you did it." She smiled as thought how her life had been improved by magic. And it wasn't only her; she had been able to help many commoners with magic. She pulled her handmade flout out of her belt. "This is the magic tool that I've made from a piece of wood I found in the river long ago. Well, it's not that sort of an artifact that you might be interested in." She took the flout to her lips and began playing a warm and calming tune. She usually played it in order to put rabbits to sleep but there was no rabbit in the cave to react to the music.
After she was done playing, Mitil knew that she couldn't avoid facing the main issue anymore. She put the flout down on her lap and asked an important question seriously: "Only two nights remain to your meeting with the king. What are you going to ask him to do? And what will you do if he refuses?"

 

[Aron the Aron]

(Merry (late) Christmas!)

She pulled her handmade flout out of her belt.

(I'm assuming you meant to say "flute"?)

The Dragon let out a small huff through his nostrils at the small instrument Mitil had on her lap. It was a simple device that she claimed was magic, but his eyes beheld no Ether bleeding from the music piece. More than likely the Human was passively feeding it with magic to produce her auditory effects; a simple exercise of Acoustic Magic. With Mitil seeming to not have any immediate intent to escape his custody, the Dragon quietly returned to reclining upon the stone steps he had been on in the beginning. To act as an assurance, he quietly raised stone spikes further out of the cavern, effectively blockading every exit available to anyone smaller than a large horse.

"Only two nights remain to your meeting with the king. What are you going to ask him to do? And what will you do if he refuses?"

"My demands remain unchanged: he must hand over the Chronosphere. I would rather not have myself or this continent be reduced to a crater because he believes to better understand it than I." The very thought that Emperor Arka would dare claim such nonsense was an insult to the Dragon's pride and honor; who better to handle such a powerful tool than an ancient being who studied the machinations of magic to a microscopic degree?

"As it stands you are one of my few pieces of leverage I hold over your father. A threat of destruction would only provoke him to act foolishly with the Chronosphere, and making concessions will only serve to embolden the court to make further demands out of me. Theft is certainly an option I would've entertained were it not for the volatility of the Chronosphere." Why was he discussing his matters to the Human? Mitil was a bargaining tool; the details of his ordeal were only for him to know and mull over in private!

"I am certain you understand your place in all of this. For the foreseeable future you will remain within the confines of my abode. Leave the caverns at your own peril: the citadel above us is but inhospitable ruins among the Greil Mountains, and I would rather not have to pick your bones from the teeth of the wild Wyverns." Seeing no further need to entertain his prisoner, the Dragon began to get up and ascend the stone steps he had been laying upon. Besides the massive Ether Crystal brilliantly shining at the top there was no clear indication that there was anywhere the Dragon could go to, but the Dragon knew the cavern better than Mitil did...

"... Ah, one last thing. As you have shown a great respect to my craft - however bastardized your kind have transformed it into -, I will let you know that my Library's doors are open to those who can find it. If you are as proficient in magic as your kingdom paints you to be, then this should be a straightforward task for the likes of you."

And with that, the Dragon disappeared around the Ether Crystal.

 

[MJ ._.]

The dragon disappeared behind the Ether Crystal and left Mitil alone in the whirlpool of her thoughts. Despite her initial enthusiasm for touching the crystal, she was afraid of getting too close to it for no good reason so she didn’t know where exactly that giant creature had disappeared to. That even stopped her from chasing after the dragon to ask him to guide her to his library. For the time being, she clenched her flute in her grip and sorted her thoughts out. Mitil didn’t feel good about her future. Although her captor had not cleared what he was going to do about her if his negotiation with the king failed, she could imagine the tragedy waiting ahead. The king would never hand his weapon over because he was afraid of the dragon using it against him. Maybe if he knew how to destroy it he would try to do so in case the dragon put him under pressure. But she suspected that if such a method existed, the dragon would have tried it before resorting to abduction. As their fate had been unfolded so far, the negotiation over the Chronosphere was destined to fail. Then, what would the abductor do? Bandits and pirates would cut an ear or a pinkie of their hostage and send it to the victim's family to prove that they were serious and shouldn’t be treated lightly. But everyone already knew that the dragon had no jokes and didn’t need to bluff. So, he probably had to kill her and send her corpse back. Well, if he was going to let wyverns eat her, then he had only a bunch of bones to send back. Mitil tried to skip imagining her funeral or worse than that; the fright of being torn apart by beasts. She could lament later and there were more important matters to focus on. She decided to consider a positive probability. Whether the dragon was going to kill her or not, he had to take another hostage; a more important one. He had to take two princes. But even after that, the king wouldn’t give up the Chronoshpere. His sons were cherished but the safety of his country was more important. Even if her father wished to save his children, the court wouldn’t let him. A lonely king was powerless after all. In the end, even if the dragon abducted all members of the royal family, including the king, he couldn’t take what he wanted from humans. He could easily kill all of his hostages and still, the court wouldn’t budge. There were many families who would willingly fill their vacant seats. Unfortunately, the only option for the dragon was stealing the artifact which was going to lead into a war. If he couldn’t snatch it in time humans were going to use it out of fear and then only God knows what was going to happen to the country and the dragon. This whole story was a mess, Mitil thought. She was sure that she had missed so many details that could make her whole prediction wrong but it was her limit at that moment. Yet, she knew a better way to have the court bend to her will. She trusted the power of commoners. If the whole country believed that the Chronosphere was dangerous for them and that the dragon was trustworthy, then the court had to give up its own will and succumb to the will of the majority. But was it possible for people to trust a dragon? As long as he had such a cold and arrogant attitude, the answer was negative. She knew a few tricks to gain people’s trust but the risk was high and obviously, the dragon wasn’t going to help her so she had no reason to bring it up with him. On the other hand, she didn’t trust him yet. Maybe later, she could reconsider it depending on the situation and of course if she still lived.

With no reason to sit on the stairs longer than that, specially because her butt felt sore, she climbed down and began searching for the promised library. Before talking to the dragon, she hoped that she could go back to the dungeons and climb up the staircase that led to the surface. But after learning about wild wyverns roaming there she had to give up trying that path to meet the sunlight. It was really disappointing. She ignored the tunnel that lead to the cells and began counting the rest. They were twelve in total. Was she standing at the center of a clock? She found it hilarious that the dragon had barred them all before leaving. She could pass through the stone pillars so what were they going to stop? An army? She laughed loudly at the idea of her father sending an army to her rescue. But, he would try sending agents to spy and steal if he knew something like the Ether Crystal was hidden in that cave. Maybe there were other interesting artifacts stored in the library as well. In such places, thieves were more useful than fighters, she thought and felt more excited about finding the dragon’s library. She didn’t want to search all those tunnels since it would tire her out and could also be dangerous. What if she was lost in a labyrinth? The library was probably the place that the dragon frequented the most. Maybe the stones and pebbles on the floor of the tunnel leading to it were more worn out than the rest of the tunnels. But, could she really recognize such minor differences between stones? If she didn’t have a better option she had to be content with comparing the smoothness of the ground stones of each tunnel with the other but she didn’t have to as long as she could use magic. Bodies of water inside caves were home to many creatures like olms. A few people were fans of olms but they were her best guides in caves and dark waters. She brought her flute to her lips and played a very gentle melody to call them. As soon as she saw one swimming nearby, she changed the tune and asked it about the place that the large creature frequented. The olm swam toward on of the tunnels but didn’t enter it. She thanked the small creature then put her flute back in her belt before passing through stone bars to enter the tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel, she found a large door that was lit by a pair of magical stones embeded on each of the right and the left sides of the swivel wicket door. The elaborate decorations of the gate had stark contrast against the rough walls of the tunnel. She pushed the door open and unexpectedly, it was light and swang open softly. Inside the library was bright with many lanterns. She stepped into the warm atmosphere and found herself in awe. “Wow…” Her breath escaped her lunges as she realized how large and rich the library was. She couldn’t estimate how vast the hall was; it seemed like she could easily get lost between shelves, corridors, and flats. Multiple staircases connected various storeys of the library and each storey had countless corridors made of bookcases. Just how many books had been stored there? Not only books but vitrines of artifacts were housed between bookcases. She desired to see and observe all of them but just looking around the hall made her dizzy. Where should she start her expedition? There had to be a catalog or an index card drawer if not a reference desk to guide her. She leaned on the railing and looked down at the lowest ground. There it was; a line of card drawers. She hurried down the stairs to reach them. There also was an old catalog on one of the drawers. She picked it first and had a look. The catalog contained a guide about colorful lanterns that were symbols of each section. She was amazed as found out that the purple light referred to the ‘Acoustic Magic’ section. That was her zing! But there was another guide for the antiquity of books and artifacts that had vertical order. According to the instructions, the older books were kept at the lowest flats. So those shelves-made corridores around her had kept the oldest books and grimoires in them. She had a look at every passage and saw a large dark door at the end of one. Curiously, she approached the door. Unlike the entrance gate, it lacked both light and decorations. She tried and found it locked. At both sides of the door were shelves of ancient books. She could easily smell their ages. Out of love, she dragged her index on their thick leather sipnes until reached a brown one with a black picture of a dragon on it. Carefully, she pulled the heavy book out then carried it to a desk and placed it gently down on it. She sat behind the desk then opened the anciant book so causiously as if it was made of betterfly wings although it was made of thick yellow papers. “The first Index of the unmoving library”? She read the title then flipped a few pages. It seemed like that book was actually the first index that the dragon had written for his library. Maybe his library hadn’t been too large back then. How many centuries ago could it be? In adition to the lists of books and artifacts, he had written a short article about himself in the index. She read it curiously and absorbed every word. He had an interesting name; ‘Necroa Deevdru di wer Woari: Grand Magus of the Unmoving Library. A supreme master of matters regarding the Arcane’.

Mitil had forgotten about the meeting of the winter solestice and its effect on her life until she put the first index back to to its place on the shelves and wondered where to go next. It was then that she remembered she couldn’t stay in that library for ever. She could use that city of books until the meeting between Arka and Necroa was over and then she would say farewell to this world in a way or another. It didn’t help her to think that the books she was going to choose were going to be her last studies in life. Therefore, she imagined that she was going to go back to the capital and continue her life as before. In that case, she preferred to read the books under the purple light of the Acoustic Magic section, during her two-days library-tour. Thus, she went to the row of index card drawers and checked the drawers with purple cards to find books that could help her improve her skills in a short time. Well, if a book called ‘Basic Magical Music Notes’ wasn’t her answer then she didn’t know what else to look for.

To find her chosen book, Mitil climbed the stairs to the fifth floor and went to the line of shelves which had been lit by purple lanterns. The book she wanted to read had a light blue paper cover and looked worn out but a pair of books just above it piqued her interest. There were two identical hardcover books; one white and one black. The white book had golden letters written on its spine and the black one had silver letters. “Bliss… Misery…” She read their names curiously then decided to read them first. So she took them off the shelf and sat right there on the floor. The white book was titled BLISS and contained melodies that calmed the soul and brought fortune, while the black book was titled MISERY and contained nots that encouraged negative feelings and brought bad luck. She didn’t dare to try notes that were named ‘Fury of Thunder’ or ‘Drought’, so closed the black book and focused on the white one. There was a short melody that she felt like trying immediately. Its name was ‘Happy’ and the description said that it was simply to make everyone who heard it feel good even the sheep would feel like dancing. That was so easy to memorize and very handy thus she pulled her flute out of her belt and began practicing. As soon as she played the melody fluently, a sense of joy filled her heart. So, with the energy that she had obtained from the music, she kept practicing the next melody and the one after it. She didn't stop until her throat was dry and her vision was blurry. "I need to find water...is the water of the stream drinkable?" She wondered but felt too tired to get up. She hadn't eaten for long hours and was low on blood sugar. "I'll rest a bit then go to the stream..." She decided then stretched her body before curling up and falling asleep in the spot.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Ever since the Dragon's disappearance he had silently watched the Princess navigate her way to his library from the private sanctuary of his private chambers deep within, noting her ever decision, action, and reaction to the challenge he had indirectly presented. She showed great promise as a proper magus, moreso when she partook in a small partition of his collection and tested the veracity of his personal theories in Acoustic Magic. No sooner did Mitil lull herself into a deep slumber amongst the maze of books did he emerge; the dark walnut doors to his private chambers swung open to reveal his lithe form taking leisurely steps into his world.

He took a minute to wistfully trace his claws against the beaten leather bindings of his index: the first book from which the library grew. It served little purpose as its contents were rendered increasingly obsolete over the centuries, but the Dragon had not the heart to discard his first book, not when it was likely the last record of his name. "Necroa Deevdru di wer Woari: The Unliving Heir of the Lost"; however forgotten it may have been to the world outside his library, no matter how accursed it was on the tongue of Dragons who remembered it, it was still his name...

Rising up into the library proper, Necroa slowly did a lap through his home and quietly noted every detail in his library: what changed and what hadn't, what was in order and what had been thrown out of his carefully chosen arrangement, what needed cleaning and what had already recieved his attention; such menial duties the Dragon would not dare delegate to another, for nobody else would put in the same tender care that he did into the continued growth of his Library. He offhandedly remarked to himself about the old card drawers he had scattered throughout the library; those old things had only come into being when Necroa was still young and inexperienced in caring for his library. Keeping track of where every individual book had been a monumental task, and Necroa would admit that such a tacky solution such as cards probably took away from the elegance of the old library now that he held no such need for them anymore. Perhaps it was high time he scrapped them for detailed indexes for each section...

Far be it that Necroa would not take pride in the vast opulence of his works; the Unmoving Library was the single greatest source of knowledge and magic within the continent, if not the entire realm. It was the ever-growing fruit of painstaking effort to further his single goal of arcane advancement, and it showed in the scale of his home. Carved deep in the heart of the Greil Mountains, the Unmoving Library had no shortage of space to expand whilst still remaining under eons of protective earth. The Grand Atrium was the main body of the library, a dizzying circular hall stretching vertically from the mountain's peak to deep within its stone core. A vast network of passageways and tunnels fed into different Halls dedicated to different branches of magic (signified by the ambient colors of nearby lanterns), but all were held taut by the Grand Atrium. The further one descended into the library, the older and more powerful the contents became until one reached the bottommost floor; It was there that the most dangerous of spellbooks and artifacts laid, jealously guarded by the doors leading to Necroa's personal room.

And as Necroa finally found the slumbering Princess amongst the shelves and artifacts of Acoustic Magic, he couldn't help but snort to himself. The Princess was certainly undignified for sleeping on the floor, not to mention careless for neglecting her need for food and water. He should probably get to work on addressing both; it wouldn't do if his hostage starved to death on his watch...

 

[MJ ._.]

It's unnecessary to tell how uncomfortable sleeping on the cold stone floor with an empty stomach and a dry throat is. Despite her unsightly condition, what triggered the princess's awakening was the soft sound of air leaving a pair of large nostrils. She opened her eyes halfway and met a dark shadow towering above her. "Just another nightmare." She mumbled and rolled around to fall asleep on her other side. But the stone that touched her body was colder than the part she had curled up on a moment ago and send a shiver through her meat and bone. Reluctant to get up she groaned and frowned. "Close that window, Nancy..." She murmured but no one closed the noon existing window and her body kept losing warmth so she had to way but to push herself up against the floor and seat on her rear. Not noticing the trace of saliva across her cheek, she ran her fingers through her disheveled hair and pulled off the black ribbon that had kept her wild ponytail the whole day. After combing her hair with fingers, she brought the entire lock over her left shoulder and began braiding it. It was a loose thick braid when she fastened its tail with the ribbon. Only after standing up, she looked around to face the dragon. "Ah..." She gasped in shock. She had forgotten about her abduction and Necroa. It took her a pair of blinks to remember that she was in his library, not her personal small study room. "Hm...how long have you been here?" She asked, naturally feeling self-conscious about being watched while unconscious. Then, she noticed how awkward she had been. "Er...thanks for allowing me to use your library. You have an amazing and wonderful collection. It's a pity that I won't live long enough to even figure out what all the knowledge gathered here is about." She smiled in gratitude and felt the line of dried saliva on her face. Turning crimson in embarrassment, she pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and tried to wipe her face. It was a futile effort. Looking up at Necroa, he seemed as mighty as he was in deem light but being sandwiched between bookcases made him look slim. She thought of the article she had read about him and probably had been written by him. "Can I call you Necroa? I don't want to be disrespectful but your name is too long. You can call me Mitil in return." She asked, still covering her cheek with the handkerchief. She had to go back to the stream to wash her face. Then, she heard a noise that embarrassed her even more. She bit her lower lip as the sound of her stomach growling echoed in the silence of the library. "Hehe...so unbecoming of a princess..." She tried to brush it off with joking yet looked away shyly. She knew she was a disgrace after waking up but never expected anyone to discover her little secret since she didn't let even her personal lady-waiter enter her room when she was sleeping. Looking away from the dragon meant that she saw the books she had left on the floor. She picked them up and placed them back on the shelf where they belonged to without looking at Necroa. She didn't know how to think about him. He could be someone whom she admired a lot for his enthusiasm and effort for gathering and protecting knowledge but he also was the one who had kidnapped her and could be the cause of her death in near future. She wanted to learn more about him. Someone like him could contribute a lot to the society but she knew nothing about dragons' society. She couldn't be the first guest using his library, could she? That was impossible. Maybe other dragons used this library as well. "Do you usually share your books?" She asked casually to escape the awkwardness of the situation. If he took the bait, she could start a conversation about his acquaintances and figure out more about him, his friends, and his library.

 

[Aron the Aron]

The bait Mitil offered was fairly obvious to Necroa; centuries of dealing with her predecessors had taught him much in recognizing the techniques of the silver tongue. "Your concern over your addressing of me is unneeded. I care as little as your kingdom does for my name and titles; they hold little value when few know of my existence." He rumbled, idly reorganizing the books the princess had picked out earlier into the proper places his mind's eye remembered. "I also understand that I have personally granted access to my archives to you, but do not mistake such generosity for permission to sleep on the stone brick like a feral animal. This is as much my home as it is a library; some semblance of decency would be appreciated within these walls." He wasn't about to have another aneurysm over organization while he could help it; the last episode he had hadn't been pleasant to say the least.

"It has been a scant few hours since the sun has withdrawn over the horizon. There are guest bedchambers adjacent to the Library's sole exit, themselves connected to an underground spring. You are free to make use of those facilities to rest, however ill-suited they may be for members of the Lesser Races such as you." With but a single tap against the bookshelf he stood closest to, the lanterns suddenly changed their hue from a vibrant lavender to a gentle marigold. "I doubt you are a simpleton, but the lanterns will be your guide should you somehow lose your way. Come to my chambers once you have made yourself presentable to a degree..."

With little else to say, Necroa turned to withdraw deeper into his Library. Just before fully turning around however, he did make one remark that Mitil was barely capable of hearing.

"You aren't the first. Whether you are the last is yet to be known."

---

Indeed, Necroa hadn't been lying when he said the bedchambers were ill-suited for Mitil. Finding the guest rooms had been embarrassingly straightforward when the Princess discovered that the simple doors leading to them had been placed directly beside the Library's grand double doors (then again, one wouldn't be inclined to look behind them when entering a new location for the first time). The guest room itself was cozy and accommodating despite not being geared towards a small human like Mitil; the stone flooring was generously shrouded under soft rugs that were pleasant to the touch, and gentle candlelight illuminated the room with a dim glow that didn't bother the eyes. A small door to the side likely led to the springs the Dragon offhandedly mentioned. Aside from some large empty shelves for holding certain items, the only furniture Mitil was capable of recognizing was the massive pile of cushions and pillows (which were temptingly soft just looking at them) secluded to a rounded corner of the room. Dragons didn't appear to have much concept for furniture if the lack of chairs was anything to go by, though understandable since the majority of Dragons were understood to be quadrupeds...

 

[MJ ._.]

The face that looked pink due to embarrassment turned red in anger. "Would you please stop calling me an animal?" She uttered coldly as looked up at the huge bookworm. It wasn't only being compared to a feral animal that had derived her crazy but he obviously kept humiliating her and obviously called humans the lesser race. Considering that she believed in human supremacy, she could understand her father's and his ancestors' reasoning behind turning their backs to the dragon. If this creature had both formidable power and unlimited arrogance, then he was a danger for those he counted lesser life forms. His attitude toward humans reminded her of her attitude toward beers and boars that she hunted. If the game could use a weapon they would definitely use it against the hunter. Thus, humans had no valid reason to hand the Chronosphere to Necroa. Yet, her fire of fury die off as fast as it had surged up. The dragon had never hunted humans the way she hunted games so his egoism had never been a cause for him to become a murderer. Although, only if he had told her the truth and she had no reason to think otherwise. According to his tale about his past with humans, he was only scared of them committing a regrettable mistake. Therefore, she couldn't hate him for that matter. The situation where confronting sides were hostile out of fear was to worst and most complicated. Still, her impression of Necora had declined so low that when she heard him speak a few words before leaving the library, her assumption was that he had to be nagging more about her manners or how worthless humans were.

Necroa was right; she wasn't a simpleton so she could find her way, using both his directions and marigold lanterns, to the bed chambers and spring. The doors leading to the rooms were very insignificant in comparison to the decorated gates of the grand library, thus she didn't blame herself for not trying to open them sooner. She pushed the smaller but still large door open and found herself in a warmly lighted room. It would be out of place to compare the rugs and candlesticks of Necroa's guest room with charming colorful carpet and crystal chandelier of her own chambers. From a commoner's point of view, the lighting and carpeting of the room had to be pleasant. She didn't expect a dragon to keep beds or chairs in his cave but cushions? It was amazing if creatures covered with large hard scales could feel softness at all. She pondered about it and guessed that the softness of pillows wasn't to be felt only by skin and maybe lizards and snakes could enjoy lying their weight on something cushy. Also, the fact that he had guest rooms meant that he usually had guests visiting him or his library. She took her boots off and let her toes relax on the rug. The was a door, not as large as the one she had just passed through, on the wall at her right side. Since Necroa expected her to try all doors of his residency to find what she needed, she tried that too and found a corridor going slightly downward. After walking down that short tunnel, she was in a larger space that hugged a soothing spring. The air was pleasantly warm and damp like a bathhouse. Mitil forgot everything about Necroa and the longest night of the year as put her toes into the spring and felt it warm enough to bath. Gleefully, she took everything off and slid into the spring with a relaxing sigh. For about ten minutes, she just sat there and enjoyed soaking with closed eyes, wearing a satisfied smile on her face. Then, she inspected around and noticed that the spring was larger than she had estimated. She didn't know how big most dragons were but Necroa could easily sit in the middle of the water. She assumed that it had to be deeper at the center if he wanted to soak the way she had so decided to figure it out and swam to the middle of the spring. Her guess proved to be correct; the spring was deep enough for her to get droned, though she didn't need to be worried about the dept since she knew swimming. After soaking, she needed soap to wash but was there any? If he had left it on one of the shelves in the room, then she had forgotten to check them out and it was too late to go back and look for soap. She could wash herself and her clothes and then dry them by magic but she didn't know how to wash without soap. She had always had servants washing her clothes so never thought of learning cleaning magic tricks. If only she could turn a rock or a pebble into a small bar of soap... Suddenly, she remembered one old witch she used to meet occasionally when she went to school. She usually sang a song while going about her house chores. As a kid, she believed that she was murmuring cleaning spells but the more she learned about magic the less she used that sort of spells and even doubted if they really worked. Out of need, she tried to focus on her objective then uttered the same words as the old woman did. Strangely, bubbles started rising from her skin and her clothes until both of them were covered with foam.
It took a long time and hard effort to get rid of the foam but after an hour or more, Mitil was finally back in the room with a shining body and clean clothes. She slumped into a cushion and was ready to pass out when her stomach growled again. She was too hungry to rest. Necroa had told her to meet him in his chamber when she was presentable. She had become clean but her hair was a fuzzy mess and she didn't have a comb to fix it. After struggling with the cleaning spell, she didn't want to try another experiment on her hair. The best she could do was use the black ribbon to tie her hair in a bun behind her head. That way, her head would look more like a birdnest than a grizzly bear. "The hell with being 'presentable'; I'm starving!" Finally, hunger wone against dignity, and the princess left the room to meet the dragon. She wasn't sure if he was in the central space of the cave with the huge crystal on the stage or in one of the other rooms that he considered his bedroom. She had seen a black door in the library that had been locked so there was a probability that his private chambers were behind it. The best option was to go to the Ethereal Crystal first and if Necroa wasn't there she could try the black door next.

 

[Aron the Aron]

"The hell with being 'presentable'; I'm starving!" Finally, hunger wone against dignity, and the princess left the room to meet the dragon. She wasn't sure if he was in the central space of the cave with the huge crystal on the stage or in one of the other rooms that he considered his bedroom. She had seen a black door in the library that had been locked so there was a probability that his private chambers were behind it. The best option was to go to the Ethereal Crystal first and if Necroa wasn't there she could try the black door next.

It turned out that looking for the Dragon was far easier than Mitil had initially thought it would be; not a moment after the Princess leave the guest room was Necroa visible from the generous perch of the Library entrance. The greyscale beast stood tall despite being at the very bottom of the Library, marching up to the entrance with a peculiar gem-like stone clutched in one of his claws once he had looked up and spotted his human quarry. "Hmm, there you are; part of me wondered if it would be your exhaustion or your hunger that would be your primary focus. Since you are here and not unconscious, it means to me that you require sustenance." He straightened himself out and began to make for the Library's grand double doors. "Come; the ruins above our heads will provide the fruit and game you can forage and hunt for..."

---

The journey from Necroa's Library to the ruins he lurked under had been a considerable trek.

The cavern they passed through was still as Mitil had remembered it with its labyrinthine paths. The magnificently large Ether Crystal was still there where the Princess had last seen it, gently hovering in place in all its glowing iridescence. Come to think of it, the small gemstone Necroa was holding in his claws glowed with the same splendor, and the thick ambience of magic that bled from its tiny (well, relatively tiny; the crystal was easily the size of Mitil's head) matched closely to the overwhelming sense of power the Titanic crystal beheld. Neither object were given so much as a glance from the Dragon however; the Dragon simply carried on and forced Mitil to scurry after him if she didn't want to be left behind...

---

The dungeons felt like a distant memory to Mitil, even though it had been less than a full day since she had awoken within one of those cells. The putrid smell of what could only be described as 'rotten fish's still permeated the moss-ridden walls of the stone and iron structure around them, and the fleeting patches of natural light did little to ease the unsightly atmosphere that had been her first experience associated with Necroa. Speaking of: the Dragon impressively still managed to comfortably navigate the corridors despite them clearly not being designed with Dragons in mind. His heavy steps did little aside from disturb the pebbles and rubble lining the ruined prison halls, and his supernatural grace spared him the awkwardness of scraping his scales and wings against the claustrophobic walls. He still didn't stop; was he finally allowing her to see the outside world?

---

Indeed he was. When Necroa and Mitil finally emerged into open air, the sense of isolation suddenly dropped on the Princess like an iron weight. Nestled into the side of a mountain cliffside, the ruins that hid Necroa's Library from the rest of the world felt more like a desert oasis amongst a sea of sand dunes. Stone mountains and scant grass was all Mitil could see from her place within the ruins, with not a sight of trodden path or road to indicate how people could possibly make their way there. The ruins themselves were peculiar, not being the armored fortress that she likely expected. If anything, the crumbling spires and nest of miscellaneous buildings suggested a sort of academy, maybe the remnants of a magic academy Necroa had helped raise...

True to the Dragon's word, the outside world was rife with wildlife. Berry bushes and overgrown fruit trees had made their home amongst the stone and brick ruins, with sights of wild rabbits dashing from hiding spot to hiding spot. Despite the isolation, Necroa's home looked to be deceptively self-sufficient...

 

[MJ ._.]

Mitil observed Necroa approaching as he held a stone as large as her head in his hand. She had seen him walking on four legs till then so she couldn’t say if he was carrying a shiny rock in his hand or in his front foot. The way he was walking suggested that those front legs were actually his arms and she had been mistaken assuming that they were legs. Yet, it was amazing how he could move gracefully on a pair of rear legs and one hand. Maybe he could walk on two legs but then he would be too tall for some tunnels of his lair. All the nonsense about the dragon’s arms and legs flew away as he spoke to her. A hungry princess is still a princess but a starving Mitil was a brat with attitude. Although she wouldn’t dare to get on Necroa’s nerves, she couldn’t hide her annoyed demanding gaze from him because that was something that she wasn’t aware of. “Obviously.” She replied very briefly as if talking was a waste of breath while a real princess had to thank him for his considerate suggestion. She had heard from him about the ruins above the cave. She could go there from the stairs that she had seen after waking up but her curiosity had dragged her to the dragon’s chambers. Since he had told her that hungry wyverns were waiting there to eat people, she hadn’t thought of returning to that staircase and going out. When he said that he was going to take her there, she guessed that wyverns wouldn’t dare to get close to the big dragon so she was going to be safe as long as he was around. Thus, she followed him without delay. She could dream of a warm meal and hot bread but she would be satisfied with fruits as long as they could extinguish her hunger.

Mitil hadn’t forgotten the path she had walked in the cave yet. Necroa had longer steps and she had to take quick steps or sometimes run to not be left behind. He led her through familiar corridors and tunnels. As they passed by the large Eather crystal, she noticed that he was holding a chunk of that gem in his hand but didn’t find the chance to question him about it since they soon reached the stinking dungeons and she had to pull the collar of her shirt up to cover her nose in order to keep it safe from the horrible odor. Although she had woken up in that place, the smell felt more sickening when her stomach was empty. Fortunately, the staircase was really close and soon they were standing above the ground.

Mitil’s first action after meeting the surface was taking a deep breath of the fresh air. She looked around speechlessly at the remnants of a grand structure. From where she was standing, she couldn’t guess how it used to look in its prime and wondered if she could figure something out if she climbed one of the higher walls. But she put a leash on her curiosity and reminded herself to eat first before she would forget it again. She stole a look at Necroa and thought if she had to ask him before wandering about but then changed her mind, due to her bad mood, and decided that he could call her whenever he felt she was doing something wrong. According to her experience, mountains hosted raspberries, apricots, apples, cherries, and pears. But not all of them were ripe and ready at the same time. She didn’t want to pick fruits from the ground so ventured around trees, bushes, and fallen walls looking for a tree with a considerable amount of fruits that was easy to climb. She chose one with white and green apples that had grown near a part of ruin that provided sure footholds. She climbed the broken stone bricks and sat on the wall then picked a rather large and juicy-looking apple then sank her teeth in it. The tender skin broke with a pleasant crunch and her mouth was filled with acidulcis liquid. She closed her eyes and cherished the heavenly feeling as if she was alone in a garden.

With two apples, Mitil felt full and decided to have a better look at the ruins. She spied the tallest wall and found it too dangerous to climb so chose another one that seemed to be safe regarding her climbing skills then went closer to climb it. From atop the wall, she could observe many plants that had covered the rocks and debris remaining from a former grand building. It seemed to be one structure or one set of structures that used to be connected. She couldn’t figure out more than that from just looking. It would be too hard for humans to build such a large construction in such a remote location. She wondered if the place belonged to dragons from the very beginning and if they had built it by using magic. But why was it rundown and abandoned like this? Usually, cities became isolated after a disaster or a war. Which tragedy had destroyed what was called a ruin at that time?

Without finding an answer to her questions, she crawled back down and approached the dragon. “Would you please tell me about this place? It looks to have a history behind it.” She asked him politely. After solving her stomach’s problem she was a sweet little lady again. Well, if she could be considered one in her nice mood.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Without finding an answer to her questions, she crawled back down and approached the dragon. “Would you please tell me about this place? It looks to have a history behind it.” She asked him politely. After solving her stomach’s problem she was a sweet little lady again. Well, if she could be considered one in her nice mood.

Necroa sighed deeply as his eyes scanned the ruined buildings that served as the facade for his Library underneath. It didn't surprise him that Mitil knew next to nothing about the place; the scale of the overgrowth that had conquered what had once been a thriving centre told stories of how long it had been since the imagined glory days. "This was one of many academies dedicated to the Arcane Arts, one of many that your Ancestors struck from the annals of the Kingdom. Those who were willing to challenge the journey to this Academy were ones who were willing to challenge themselves to greater heights in the fields of magic, and the ones who could stand in front of the gates were ones who were welcomed as students, regardless of their walk of life."

The Dragon idly glossed his gaze over a ruined statue, one that had been irrevocably damaged, and was no longer recognizable from its original shape. "Your King granted me the privilege of personally heading an academy: the very one you stand before now. It was here I taught my arts to names you'd likely know and not know. There h-"

SSKKKKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Dragon's speech had been drowned out by an ear-splitting cry from high above Mitil's head, forcing the human to clamp her hands over her ears in a desperate bid to preserve her hearing. But while she had been distracted by the screech, a massive shape crashed onto the ground in front of the girl and Dragon.

By the Gods, it was huge! Even compared to Necroa, the sheer size of the new beast readily dwarfed any other visible being. Its wings were comparatively similar to Necroa's in size and magnificence, but the musculature, the frame, the scales; everything just looked superior compared to the onyx Dragon, and yet the latter had not the slightest ounce of fear in his expression. If anything, Necroa seemed more annoyed than alarmed by the stranger.

"Svabol re wux tirir tenpiswo!? Si tira ti shala wux ekess valru esostek di ve vur gewj hefoc vi soti!"

The language sounded so foreign to the Human's ears. It sounded nothing like any language she had ever encountered in her life, yet the pronunciation of the Dragon's mother tongue sounded so... exotic, and yet fitting at the same time. The individual words carried the weight of an entire civilization, no, an entire species.

Not that the mysterious Dragon-like creature seemed to care, letting out another screech before it was silenced with an angry roar from Necroa.

"Aurthon! Wer munthrek ui onureth sia doege; wux geou ti sone coi! Jaka jaseve sia toma!" It finally seemed that whatever Necroa said had cowed the mysterious creature, as it hastily stretched its wings and gracelessly took to the air to leave the two alone.

"... Forgive my outburst; that was one of the Wyverns under fealty to me. It appears you are more than a desirable meal to the wild predators around us."

 

[MJ ._.]

Mitil's widened eyes revealed how surprised she was. She could feel regret or sadness from Necroa's speech but wasn't sure if her guts told her the truth or her sentiments were misguiding her. As the dragon told her of the history of ruins, her imagination revived the old school and its people. Walls grew tall again and ceilings and doms blocked the cold wind of the mountains. Statuses of a king and a few famous figures of the arcane arts stood at the courtyard and other vast spaces. People of various races walked the corridors and climbed the stairs. Some of them were carrying books and scrolls, and some were talking or discussing as they passed by. There was no wonder that a grand library had been built under those grounds. How many people still remembered that academy? If Necroa had told her the truth, then her ancestors had hidden or altered every text that had mentioned that academy or its library since they lead the reader to the existence of dragons and their contract with Necroa. What if the academy had not been abandoned and ruined? Mitil wondered if her mother would be one of those who climbed the mountains to seek pearls of knowledge. Maybe she wouldn't meet Arka and her destiny would be completely different from the story that had led to Mitil's birth. Perhaps her parents would meet and marry anyway and then she could come here just like her mother. But what had happened to the academy? The place looked remote enough to be safe from humans' invasion. Had a dragon or a group of dragons had put an end to it? She was pondering when a deafening inhuman scream startled her. Covering her ears, she looked up in fear of the source of the terrifying voice but only managed to see a huge darkness diving and landing on the ground in front of them. That creature had to be a dragon. She didn't know what else it could be. It surely was a gigantic sort of draconic race. Following her instinct, she retreated and walked backward, not daring to turn her back to the predator, until her back met a half wall. What she really needed was a hole to jump in and hide like a mouse. She didn't care if Necroa was going to call her a rat afterward; a living rat was better than a dead lion.
Despite her expectations, which were tragic and bloody, Necroa spoke to his huge guest demandingly. Believing that the fearsome monster was civilized enough to hold a conversation, she felt at ease and noticed that Necroa's tongue was unrecognizable in her ears. He was speaking a language unknown to her yet parts of it sounded familiar like something she might have heard once upon a dream. Then, that thing let out an animalistic cry that change her mind about it being intelligent, so she didn't dare to move even slightly. She was frozen, staring up at the savage being, until the intruder left and Necroa talked to her.
"... Forgive my outburst; that was one of the Wyverns under fealty to me. It appears you are more than a desirable meal to the wild predators around us."
She found it hard to answer so only nodded. Her feet felt weak and her knees gave out. She sled down against the wall and sat on the fresh grass. Necroa had called that thing a wyvern. Thinking about it without the fear she had been experiencing, she remembered that it didn't have separated hands like Necroa. Instead, it had wings attached to its arms. She could have guessed that it was a wyvern if she hadn't paniced. "Wyverns...I had no idea that they are so huge. I thought they are like five-meter birds with sclase instead of feather." She confessed her ignorance. Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and stood up again. "I was about to ask you more about the academy. About it's name and what has happened to it. But...now I would rather know what you mean when you say; 'more than a desirable meal'. Do you mean that I'm different from other creatures from their point of view or is there...more to it?" She asked doubtfully. Necroa's way of speech was relatively suffosticated but he only had told her about clear subjects. This time, she was concerned and saw ominous signs everywhere. She was afraid that if she ran to the west and a herd of sheep ran to the east, wyverns would rather fly west to catch her than go east to hunt sheep.

 

[Aron the Aron]

"Wyverns...I had no idea that they are so huge. I thought they are like five-meter birds with scales instead of feathers." She confessed her ignorance.

"Wyverns are to us Dragons what apes are to you humans; creatures that happen to have distantly related progenitors and little more. They are brutish, unintelligent magpies with a disposition for wanton destruction; they bring us Dragons embarrassment with their existence ..." The Dragon's disdain for his armless cousins bled through his speech as he crushed the Ether Crystal in his claws (huh, Mitil had forgotten he had such carried such an item with him from the Library). The rush of raw Ether flowing through his veins intensified and manifested in an eerie iridescent glow along the carved runes on his scales and wings, along with the intensified weight his presence demanded from the Princess.

"I was about to ask you more about the academy. About it's name and what has happened to it. But...now I would rather know what you mean when you say; 'more than a desirable meal'. Do you mean that I'm different from other creatures from their point of view or is there...more to it?"

"You humans are many things: annoying, moronic, and tastelessly prolific in population being among the traits. However, one thing I must concede is that your kind is a resilient and adaptable lot. Certain bloodlines of humans I have noted have physical and mental capabilities far superior to their more common brethren; I believe the majority of the individuals from these bloodlines are called "Heroes" by your fellow man." Necroa turned his eye to the skies when he noticed the shadow of another Wyvern flying in slow circles far overhead. "I have hypothesized that your ancestry has had one of these "Heroes" integrate into the family somewhere in the past, which would explain your affinity for the Primordial Schools of magic. I wouldn't be surprised if you indeed have the blood of a Hero from somewhere in your family's history, though it brings up a question: when did such a hero get introduced into your bloodline? It is likely that such could've happened before your kingdom's founding, though another possibility that exists is that your family welcomed a hero between my erasure from history and your birth."

It was interesting seeing Necroa so invested in a topic as he mulled over some thoughts to himself. Normally the Dragon should've been reclusive and hesitant to share any of his thoughts, but to see him do so without batting an eye at Mitil either spoke testament to how quickly he could open himself up, or how unique Mitil was compared to other people...

(AN: the Draconic standards of magic are slightly different than the human one. Instead of Common, Royal, and Dark magic; the Dragons' parallels are the Primary: made up of classical elements like Fire and acoustic, Primordial: which deals with ancient elements like Life and Death, and Foundational: which almost exclusively deals with concepts like time and Ether)

 

[MJ ._.]

Although Necroa had used an easy-to-understand example to describe the relationship between dragons and wyverns, he seemed to be unfamiliar with human feelings. On contrary to his spiteful tone when he spoke of the brutal race, humans usually saw apes as funny and interesting animals and never counted them as part of their society to be ashamed of their existence. On the other hand, apes never were as bloodthirsty and dangerous as wyverns so Necroa probably had the right to hate those armless flying lizards. Mitil wasn't going to stick to the conversation about wyverns and apes. She had already asked him important questions about the fate of his school but he had avoided answering them. He had answered her other question so he couldn't be blamed for that but she preferred to focus on the first topic and ask him about the academy again when he broke the rock he had carried with him with raw force. She couldn't help backing off again. He hadn't done anything that threatened her directly yet witnessing him revealing a portion of his brutal power intimidated the girl. Letting his anger get the better of him wasn't a behavior that she expected from a scholar type. She didn't know how she could feel the power of the shattered crystal was spreading in his body but she could see the patterns and lines of his body glow with a light similar to the ether. At the same time, the atmosphere tensed up. It came to her mind that his body was radiating something more than ethereal light. His heavy presence silenced the girl and had her swallow her questions.
Mitil's silence didn't take long as Necroa gave her more information to mull over. His view of heroes was very exceptional. But it was his theory about her bloodline that really surprised her. "I didn't know that heroism can be carried by the blood." She said with amazement. "For us, heroes are those who make a great contribution to their society. A hero of war might be a saint in eyes of his people but a demon from the enemy's point of view. Usually, chivalry and devotion are the main traits of heroes. Someone who guides people to avoid starving during years of drought is a hero and so is the one who might save a city from a plague. Even a minister who knows how to handle a country's finance perfectly will become a hero in political history." She spoke honestly. Mitil had high regard for those heroes. "But as for me... it's not far from a king's blood to be related to a hero. In fact, it's an honor for the royal family to adopt a hero into their family tree through marriage. But I can't be sure that I've inherited this trait from my father. I know a little about my maternal family. My mother had kept them away from the royal family to keep them safe from plots and schemes that could threaten their well-being. Even now I don't dare to ask about them let alone trying to find and reunion with them. People dare to bring up rumors about her such as; she had been a wandering researcher before becoming a queen. Well, that's hard to believe since my father wouldn't marry her if it was true." She didn't know how being a decendant of a hero was going to affect her life. Did Necroa expected great deads from her? He had witnessed how ordinary she was in the past day so he couldn't have his hopes up, could he?

 

[Aron the Aron]

"I didn't know that heroism can be carried by the blood." She said with amazement. "For us, heroes are those who make a great contribution to their society. A hero of war might be a saint in eyes of his people but a demon from the enemy's point of view. Usually, chivalry and devotion are the main traits of heroes. Someone who guides people to avoid starving during years of drought is a hero and so is the one who might save a city from a plague. Even a minister who knows how to handle a country's finance perfectly will become a hero in political history."

(short post )

Necroa let out a soft snort as Mitil explained her take on the human Heroes she had heard of. If anything, her interpretation sounded romanticized to the Dragon, who wasn't terribly interested in the ideological aspects since they hadn't appeared to have any measureable value to him. "These so-called "Heroes" that I'm referring to are strictly based on their physical and mental abilities. Researching what is metaphysical in nature will not lead me to tangible results I can measure and experiment with. I care not for the ideology, though traits of selflessness appear to be recurrent among the majority of the cases I've studied." It was likely his Draconic side that was blocking him from seeing any value in unmeasurable aspects; how did one measure chivalry and devotion to a cause?

"Those humans capable of feats of strength, speed, skill, and intelligence that exceed what your kind considers ordinary: they exemplify the aspect I wish to study upon and hopefully tap into for myself. So far the powers I have observed and researched surpass what the human body should logically be capable of; imagine what progress could be made if such powers could be dynamically coaxed into manifesting..." Necroa was dangerously teetering on the line towards having a god-complex, though it seemed like it wasn't a trait he was intentionally fostering...

"I can't be sure that I've inherited this trait from my father. I know little about my maternal family; my mother had kept them away from the royal family to keep them safe from plots and schemes that could threaten their well-being. Even now I don't dare to ask about them let alone trying to find and reunion with them. People dare to bring up rumors about her such as: she had been a wandering researcher before becoming a queen. Well, that's hard to believe since my father wouldn't marry her if it was true."

"It is a valid point to bring up the possibility that your plausible Heroic blood is maternal in origin." With both Dragon and Princess done, the former turned around and began to lead Mitil back in the same direction as the library. "Regardless of whether it is true or not that you are a descendant of a Hero, it will aid me in my studies. Whether you have a hero in your ancestry will help quantify how such circumstances affect proficiency in matters of the Arcane." Necroa continued on as he and Mitil returned below the surface, past the dungeon and caverns to the Ether-rich sanctuary of his Library. Being in the comfort of his home brought ease to his features and stabilized his mood; the earlier episodes of intense outrage and obsessive inquisition eroded away into a sense of calm. "You are free to do whatever it is a child of human royalty does; I will be busy reestablishing contact with my proxies outside this Library..."