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

[MJ ._.]

(Sorry about the 'decenfant of a gero'! I hope you have had a good laugh since it made me laugh right now. XD )

"Oh, so you are talking about athletic types...then why am I so short? And I feel a little plump whenever I try to wear a dress with an elegant waist..." Mitil noticed that she had said a bunch of irrelevant stuff that a dragon wouldn't care about so closed her mouth and pretended that she hadn't spoken at all. A princess wasn't supposed to talk about her body in front of strangers. She didn't know why she didn't feel or act like a princess since she had woken up in the dungeons. Maybe the reason was the change of atmosphere or Necroa's treatment. Anyhow, she kept her mouth shut and listened to the dragon boasting about his materialistic measuring system. He reminded her of the old accountant of the curt who measured everything by silver and gold. He came to her mansion once a month to give her the allowance of the next month out of her father's coffers and she had to report to him how she had spent every bronze piece she had received the previous month. Whenever she reached the orphanage expenses, he would groan about fat lazy children under his breath. The only reason that he wasn't trying to make her understand how she should spend her money, was that the first time he tried she argued about 'an extra bowl of soup won't fatten a child'. She started with that and argued for hours until the old man returned to the palace with no results but headache.
The princess followed the dragon back to her underground vast prison. Even in the fresh air among the ruins, she wasn't free since she couldn't find her way back in that isolated part of the mountain and there were wyverns who would love to swallow her ar once. Necroa seemed to have had found a favorite topic to talk about since he didn't stop talking as they returned. She assumed that he was willing to study more about human abilities and hero blood but did it mean that he saw her as a guineapig? It wasn't far from him. On the other hand, she could be more positive and assume that he was going to teach her arcane arts and see how fast she could learn. When he dismissed her, she had so many questions to ask which she doubted if he would answer. One of them was about his proxies. Who were they? Other dragons? Was he going to investigate Arka's reaction to his daughter's abduction? She was almost sure that he wasn't going to answer it so omitted that question and asked a few other ones that had more chance to receive an answer. "This human child is curious." She began. "She is so curious that she might not be able to sleep without you answering her. She wants to know about your academy. Why is it abandoned and ruined? And she needs to know about your studies. How are you going to study the effect of hero's heritage on arcane affinity." She brought up two questions; an old one and a new one. Still, she really didn't expect him to bother himself with quenching her thirst to know.

 

[Aron the Aron]

(short post because I'm super rushed! I'm already a few classes behind, so don't mind me if I suddenly disappear for more than a few days!)

"This human child is curious." She began. "She is so curious that she might not be able to sleep without you answering her. She wants to know about your academy. Why is it abandoned and ruined?

Mitil's questions forced Necroa to pause midstep halfway down one narrow stairway that would've begun his retreat to his personal room. He knew that the curiosity the girl had wouldn't let her leave him alone without something to satiate her burning question; it distantly reminded the Dragon of himself whenever he got into a flight of inspired research.

"... Emperor Rami the Second saw to the erasure of my very existence; his grandson saw to the destruction of my legacy." He spat bitterly, tightly clenching his claws into a balled fist that looked ready to smash a hole in the delicate stone brick floor. That accursed name only brought up unpleasant memories of the self-righteous sovereign, memories that Necroa preferred not to have on his immediate mind as he spat the name out with barely-hidden contempt. "To strike me from history is one thing... To destroy everything else, to burn years of precious research and discovery that this academy stood for is another..." The only consolation Necroa had was that the Unmoving Library remained undiscovered and unmolested, though that didn't stop Emperor Arka from finishing his forefathers' business. It was only a matter of time before someone broke the uneasy lull in the dispute, be it Necroa in his endless attempts at attaining the Chronosphere, or Emperor Arka and his Royal Court in their endless paranoia. The moment someone rocked the boat, someone important would be spooked into prematurely activating the Chronosphere, unleashing untold effects that could irreversibly damage the realm...

"I hold no love for your family or the people who keep me bound to the shadows at their feet. Yours is a death most insignificant in the grand scheme of your family's future, but you will have your use while you still live..." Necroa turned his head back forward and stalked down the stairs to return to his chambers, evidently done being face-to-face with the smaller human. Just before he fully disappeared from Mitil's sight, he left one last parting sentence...

"And she needs to know about your studies. How are you going to study the effect of hero's heritage on arcane affinity."

"You're smart; I'm sure our previous talks are hint enough at my intentions."

 

[MJ ._.]

It made Mitil glad that the dragon turned around to face her, as she assumed that he was going to give her at least one proper answer. But the amount of disdain and fury in his eyes had significantly increased. She felt cold again, like when the wyvern had shown up to devour her. He probably was going to tell her to get out of his sight and shut up for the rest of her life, but he didn’t. Instead, he began explaining the history of the academy for real. She felt relieved and surprised as she listened attentively. It wasn’t only Necroa’s decision to speak to her that had surprised her, but also the story that he told sounded unbelievable. The end of his academy was a tragedy for sure. And what Emperor Rami had down to him was unforgivable. But how on the Earth had Rami been able to do that much destruction? Was he that powerful? If he was, then the history books that had denied the existence of Necroa, had ignored the emperor’s great powers as well. Destroying that grand building required a whole army equipped with catapults and trebuchets. There was no way that Rami's grandson could bring so many forces up to that remote spot of the mountains. Also, they had to fight wyverns and at least one dragon. Unless Necroa had not been there during the siege. On the other hand, even if he could bring his army up to the academy, he had to clear memories of his subjects to make sure they wouldn’t tell the tale and would take that secret to their graves. If they were sent to their graves too soon people would suspect the reason behind their early deaths. Then, another idea pushed all her thoughts aside and replaced them. If Rami was a wizard strong enough to summon something as destructive as a meteor and hit it at the academy, he could easily do the damage before Necroa could read his hand. But, was that even possible for a human to control such great magical powers?

Before she could ask about Rami and his grandson’s powers, she noticed his clenched fist and his desire to break the cave down in rage. He had become the same intimidating creature she had met a few minutes before leaving the surface. His power and hatred scared her enough to tremble in her boots. When he was done talking about the academy, he directed his contempt at her, starting with her family. She didn’t love her family but didn’t hate them either. Her breath froze in her chest when he spoke of her insignificant death. She knew that was coming but hearing it from him was the same as seeing her fate being sealed. Suddenly, the end felt too close; as if she was standing at the edge of a bottomless well of darkness, waiting for it to gulp her down to its endless void. Subconsciously, she cast her gaze downward as an automatic attempt to hide her weakness that was more than obvious.

At the moment that Necroa left the hall, Mitil wasn’t smart at all. Her brain had frozen, and she was unable to comprehend his final words. After one minute of standing idly like a porcelain doll, she dragged her feet to the guest room. Her head felt heavy and empty at the same time. Once there, she kicked her boots aside and tossed some pillows to a wall that was warmer than other walls due to being closer to the hot springs. She dropped down on a pillow and rested her back to another. Seeking the slightest amount of emotional support from whatever she could reach out to, she hugged the third pillow tightly. Her eyes were wide open, and sleep was nowhere to be found. How could she rest when that night could be her last night? He knew well that the night after was the time for the annual meeting between the king and the dragon. And Necroa had made it clear that no one cared about her life. She hadn't forgotten him adding that she could be useful, but only while she lived. She had no idea what he meant by saying those words. While she lived could be one night and one day until her father was going to reject his proposal, or as long as he needed her to live. She could find a teaspoon of hope in the latter conclusion. Yet, that ray of light was too faint to cling on. She wondered how Arka was going to explain her death without mentioning Necroa. That was easy; the fool evil princess went to the mountains secretly to summon a dragon with her flute, as people always knew she would try, but her magic backfired, and she died, leaving no trace behind. That was a perfect story, and no one would feel sad for her. But she was wrong; a few people would be sad. She had friends among her former classmates and her subjects. She was worried about what was going to happen to her orphanage, school, chapel, farmers, and workers after her death. Probably, everything under her surveillance was going to be left to her brothers' care. She wished that they were going to treat her subjects well. “Enough, you fool! How long are you going to lament?” She scolded herself as tossed the pillow that had been resting in her embrace aside. She couldn’t count on her father’s kindness or a dragon’s mercy. For the sake of her people, she had to try to save herself. If those people, who didn’t know her, expected her to tame dragons, then why shouldn’t she try what she had been already accused of? She never thought of using magic against a real dragon, but if only she could keep wyverns away or hide from them, she would have a chance to flee from the caves. There had to be enough information in the unmoving library about wyverns. After wearing her boot with determination to survive, she strode towards the library.

As expected, the books including information about wyverns, were countless. She needed a pen and paper to take notes as she flipped through the pages seeking a clue that could save her from the enormous bloodthirsty beasts. “I can’t waste time on finding stationary…” She murmured and remembered a book she had seen on another floor; “Basic Mandatory Spells”. It referred to a series of volumes containing simple spells that witches across the world used every day. The first volume was an index, and according to it; the spell of 'attracting known objects' had been explained in volume 23. She piqued that thick book and found the mentioned spell. The hand gesture, the words, and the mindset had been perfectly described. But, the moment she raised her hand, she remembered the mess she had made with the washing spell. Thus, she decided to practice the new spell on the pillows in the guest room instead of Necroa’s library. She was sure that if she harmed his precious books, he would crush her under his fist.

Pillows weren’t as obedient as described in the book. She had memorized that page before putting the book back in its place. She had done everything accordingly but hadn’t met a result yet. The more she tried the more anxious she became since the time was scarce and she had a lot to read and harder skills to learn in only one day. “Come here you stupid bag of feather!” She blamed the pillow for not reacting but her emotions were so strong that the pillow flew to her and hit her face hard enough to push her off balance. She fell on her rear and cussed the pillow in a disgraceful manner. Throwing the pillow tackling aside, she thought that she had gotten the knack of it so tried a few times more before going to the library.

Mitil’s guess was right. There were white papers, ink, and pen stored somewhere in the library since they came to her when she called them. Then, she started her real task and got ready to look for the information she needed to escape the cave and return home. Due to an emergency, she didn’t feel sleepy or hungry even when the sun was up. By that time, she had filled about one hundred pages with her neat but tiny words about wyverns. Yet, hadn’t reached a favorable conclusion. She had lost the track of time so didn’t expect the dragon to come to the library any soon.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Necroa never considered himself the most sociable individual out there; most sapient beings who had ever interacted with the secluded Dragon were either dead or too fearful to raise anything beyond a few whimpers and squeaks. Mitil had quickly proven herself incapable of truly standing up to him (though in fairness: who could?) and had already begun plotting an escape attempt, but he was well aware of her plans. Nothing slipped by him when it took place within the confines of his library, be it a book falling out of place or the whispers of conspiracy that any visitors dared to let slip, and while he found it admirable that the Princess showed great initiative and good intuition in researching her way through what problems she was expecting to encounter, she was far from ready to escape him. He was going to have to do something about the growing pile of notes that she was rapidly accumulating; her information was unusually concise and detached like an amateur researcher, but utterly worthless with conclusions drawing blanks and information being derived from what he had personally written of the Dragon-like lizards.

Wyverns were an aggressive lot, highly territorial and violent to perceived outsiders. The few who ever laid eyes on the ruins above his academy in the past century always had grievous injuries from a Wyvern encounter, and none returned to tell their tale. Necroa kept them in check from expanding beyond the mountains since that would attract the wrong kind of attention, though personally culling Wyverns from time to time made for a perfect excuse to test new magic spells when the creatures dared to fight back.

Speaking of spells, Princess Mitil had proven herself capable of handing a Dragon-invented spell. The incantations Necroa had filled his spellbooks with were nothing like the Human-invented spells Mitil was likely more familiar with; Necroa had developed his spells off the basic Draconic concept that Dragons gathered and used Ether from their surroundings to fuel their spells. From what he had gathered over his centuries of spying and reverse-engineering: Humans pulled Ether from within themselves to cast their magic, making spells much more attuned to the individual at the cost of being physically and mentally draining to the caster. Mitil likely hadn't figured the difference between needing to use external or internal Ether, which was why she only accomplished her "Pull" when she lashed out emotionally.

Overall: Necroa was more amused than worried about his captive's escape preparations, not worried a bit since he was shadowing her progress. His meeting with Arka was not until the moon reached its zenith, which gave him half a day to quietly observe and laugh at his guinea pig's escape attempt. Maybe he could lead her on for a moment or two, pretend that he was none the wiser as to encourage her to be bold. He wasn't the greatest actor in the world (if he could even say that he ever tried to act), so maybe he would accidentally let slip a few hints here or there, but perhaps not enough that Mitil would get the hint that something was up!

Welp, time to play the fool.

Announcing his presence with a mighty thud was no problem when Necroa descended from the Library's cavernous ceiling and landed on the Library floor. His grand entrance kicked up what dust he had forgotten to take care of, and a few books that were improperly placed had their pages shake and rattle like an angry swarm of bugs, but he didn't do anything that he would need to fix later... He made sure to land with his back to Mitil, further pushing an idea that he didn't see her as he stomped over to one end of the Library.

Necroa had to admit that he was practically coming up with his act as he went, grumbling some incoherent thoughts about "not being versed in theater" to know if he was pulling a convincing performance to a hopefully-watching Mitil.

 

[MJ ._.]

So much effort and Mitil had learned that Wyverns didn’t have a weakness that a weak maiden like her could use against them. Her best option was not being seen. She could conceal her scent and sound but becoming invisible was a skill that she didn’t have enough time to learn. She struck that option out and thought of another one. She could use teleportation. That would be neat if she had tried it before, but she hadn’t and it was dangerous to practice that sort of magic without proper preparations. Her last choice become something that Wyverns wouldn’t care to hunt. A scorpion would be a good option. She couldn’t learn transformation in a few hours but she knew a potion that could do the job. As for the ingredients; she decided to try her luck with the Pulling spell. If she went to the exit, without leaving the cave, and attracted what she needed for her potion, she might have a chance to retrieve them from the wild. She had already provided a map to find the way home and had memorized it. The potion usually worked for about 24 hours so she was going to be a scorpion for a whole day. The only problem was that she wasn’t an intern in a witch’s hut. First, she didn’t have a cauldron. Second, if she started boiling water and brewing a potion, its smell was going to fill the cave and alarm the dragon. She was aware of how smelly that potion was. Even thinking of drinking it made her sick but she didn’t have another way to survive. There was a solution to her brewing problem; wizards’ bubble. She had seen them holding their palms facing each other and concentrating their power in the small area between them. They could keep the required materials floating in the mentioned space and work on them directly. For example, a wizard could keep an ice cube floating between his palms and melt it. The melted ice would remain floating in the spot like a sphere of water. She was wondering if she had to begin researching about that technique or had to start practicing according to her memory when the dragon entered mightily.
Before figuring out what had happened, her notes had scattered everywhere and the stack of the books she had studied had fallen from the desk with a threatening sound. Mitil had jumped to her feet with a gasp. She looked at the papers covering the floor and then at the dragon with fear. Fortunately, he wasn’t looking her way. Since he hated humans so much it was natural if he kept his back at her to keep her out of his sight. With a quick motion of her hand, she gathered the papers and the books. Her newly learned spell had become her favorite so soon. The dragon still hadn’t bothered to see what the hell she was doing so she quickly put the books back to their places and hid her papers under a bookcase. Hopefully, he wasn’t going to sweep that section until the next day. When everything was tidy, the anxiety that had been controlling her since being startled by the dragon disappeared and she started feeling thirsty and hungry. She wondered if she had to approach Necroa and ask him to take her out again. Ignoring him in his library while she was using his books wasn’t polite at all. No matter how she looked at it, she had to go and say hi. Therefore, she walked to him with doubtful shaky steps. “G-good morning…” She sounded hoarse with a dry throat. She cleared her throat before continuing. “I was thinking…maybe…” Yesterday, she had spoken a lot to the dragon without a problem but now that she had an escaping plan in her head, even talking to Necroa was a problem. “Would you please help me to get something to eat? I mean, from the surface…like last night?” She finally found the right words to ask for breakfast.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Necroa had busied himself pretending to be sifting through and reorganizing a section of the library when Mitil finally drew the courage to approach him. She was a complete wreck physically and mentally, a "night and day" contrast to how she was when the two had first met a few days back. She was afraid of him, afraid of her and her hastily drawn up plan being outed as if he could read her mind; the truth wasn't too far off if the Dragon had anything to add.

“G-good morning…” She sounded hoarse with a dry throat. She cleared her throat before continuing. “I was thinking…maybe…” Yesterday, she had spoken a lot to the dragon without a problem but now that she had an escaping plan in her head, even talking to Necroa was a problem. “Would you please help me to get something to eat? I mean, from the surface…like last night?”

"Hm... I suppose you are owed the dignity of sustenance on what could be your last day in this realm." He mused as he made a show of putting down his half-finished reorganization work. "Very well, I will grant you this one, if not out of pity that your father is unlikely to make the wiser of two choices tonight." In an unusual show of good faith, his claws gently curled under Mitil and lifted her up, her being neatly seated on his claws when he turned and made for his Library's exit.

Neither Princess or Dragon had any real idea why the latter had chosen to carry Mitil on his claws, the young lady having subconsciously held onto his claws as she squirmed uncomfortably on them. She looked the complete opposite of the pristine Dragon who was carrying her; his shiny onyx scales countered her wrinkled attire and messy hair as they left the safe confines of the Library.

The cavern they passed through still hadn't changed since the last two times Mitil had passed through its stone walls. The magnificently large Ether Crystal was still there where the Princess had last seen it, though it was noticeably dimmer then when she last recalled...

---

The dungeons were none too different from the last time Mitil had passed through, even though it had been less than a full day since she had awoken within one of those cells. The putrid smell of rot and mold was still omnipresent and stunk her sense of smell horribly, but the sensation wasn't too long as Necroa quickly navigated the twists and turns with nary a sound.

---

When Necroa and Mitil finally emerged back into the lonely outside world, Necroa finally lowered her down onto the ground from his claws. In the time since both had last visited the surface, the buildings had taken on more foliage, and the sense of isolation only grew as the ruins of Necroa's academy fell into further dilapidation. It was a shame that Mitil could only imagine what such an institution was like back in its heyday; the flourish in the architecture suggested immense affluence and prosperity, and the shadows of what had once been classrooms and study halls tickled her curiosity... and Necroa's nostalgia if he wasn't lying to himself...

 

[MJ ._.]

The dragon didn’t need to be so cruel. Mitil was already at the edges about her probably tragic end by wyverns and yet Necroa had to confirm that it was her last day. Both of them were sure that the king had already forsaken his youngest child. Although she was aware of her situation, his words made her feel cold. That feeling of hopelessness didn’t last long as he easily picked her up in one hand. She gasped in shock for the second time since sunrise and fell on his fingers like a limp marionette. He was unexpectedly gentle and warm. She was amazed that those large claws hadn’t crushed her bones. The coldness had been replaced by amusement and she wondered why the dragon had decided to carry her. Her best guess was that he was tired of her slow steps and wanted to save some time. It was the first time that she was that close to him. His scales looked more majestic and she sort of felt the great strength in his body. As he walked, she had to cling to his finger to stay steadily in place. He had called her a rat once and now she felt that; the only creature she could hold in her hand like that was a rat… or a mouse.
As he took her through the same path for the third time, she realized when Necroa said it was her last day in this realm, he meant the library. Her pessimist mood had interpreted the realm as the realm of the living. She felt a tiny bit guilty for thinking bad about him. Still, there was no guarantee that she was going to live to see the next sunrise so she had to focus on her escaping plan. She had a good chance to gather some ingredients while they were under the blue sky.
“Thanks,” Mitil said subconsciously when Necroa put her down as gently as he had picked her up. The air was fresh and the sun shined brightly. It took her eyes a few minutes to get used to the light. She took a deep breath and smiled. She wondered if the gloomy atmosphere of the cave had caused her extra stress. First, she looked for food like a squirrel. She climbed the trees and picked a ripe fruit from each. After satisfying her stomach, she still kept harvesting but this time for ingredients. Once a while, she peeked at Necroa to make sure he wasn’t watching her and then gathered mushrooms, bugs, worms, herbs, and soil. She gathered everything in a handkerchief and hid the small bundle under her shirt. The hardest part was finding a scorpion. She walked through the ruined walls, watched them, and touched them as if saying goodbye to the old academy. After wandering around for a while, she found a dead scorpion under a rock. She also found many carvings on the walls which didn’t make sense. Even those words that she could read were left alone without a visible sentence.
Going down the same path for the fourth time, Mitil couldn’t pay much attention to her surroundings. She was thinking about the fifth time that she had to crawl back to the surface as a scorpion. Imagining herself that way felt creepy and made her shiver. Finding all the required ingredients had had her believe that she could perform her plan perfectly. She didn’t want to think about all the things that could go wrong. She needed her false courage to flee.
The wizards’ bubble; she didn’t need notes to practice that. She had told Necroa that she would be taking a bath and had gone to the springs directly. The hot mineral water was perfect for practicing. She patiently worked on the said skill for hours. It probably had passed noon when she managed to freeze the water and vaporize it inside a bubble. It was time to start brewing the potion. She put her ingredients out and took the parts that she needed like wings, eyes, caps, etc… She chopped them, smashed them, and ground them. She put them in the bubble in a specific turn and boiled them. She had lost the track of time. When the potion was ready, she felt very tired but satisfied. Unlike that morning, she wasn’t hungry since she had remembered to bring down some fruits to eat before moving out. She ate her fruits, turned the potion into a capsule, put the capsule in her pocket, and walked out of the guest quarters. She didn’t know that the sun was about to set and Necroa might have left his caves to meet the king. She didn’t know why but she believed that he wouldn’t leave without telling her. As she entered the room of the giant crystal, she thought maybe he would want to take her to the meeting. That would be too unfortunate because she wouldn’t have a chance to escape if he decided to smash her in front of her father. Thus, instead of looking for the dragon, she went to the staircase and walked up to the surface.
The air was cool and pleasant. The sky was clear and she could see a curved moon and countless stars shining down on the mountains. She took a deep breath and mustered up her courage before swallowing the capsule. Then, she waited. The potion didn’t act until it reach her stomach and made her feel sick. Her insides were lurching. Her head felt dizzy and she fell to the ground. The voices and smells disappeared. Her body started shrinking. It was painful but she couldn’t cry; her body didn’t obey her. The lights were out. She was as numb as a corps.
Mitil saw a green and black world. She looked at the limbs she could move and made sure that she was a proper scorpion. The only problem was that her surface was glowing slightly. That could make her an easy target for natural predators. She hid under a pile of broken stone bricks and thought about her issue. Something in her mind told her that the night was too bright for her to go out hunting and she had to hide. Shoots! She had been unlucky but that couldn’t stop her. Then, she noticed a few clothes on the ground; her clothes. “Oh Gosh…it means I’ll be naked when I turn back into a human. Well, I can summon something that can cover me when the time comes…” She told herself then looked for the next rock to hide under. It was the best she could do to remain safe; moving from one hiding spot to the other as she ran down the mountain.