The Dragon who became my Wife(Volume 1)

Part 5: The Dragon's Marriage

"Come over here with me a second, will you?" Henry said to Fresia, and quickly pulled her hand, bringing her outside. "What's wrong, honey?" Fresia asked, first with a concerned expression, but it quickly changed into a grin.

"What was that all about?!" Henry asks, half shouting. "You said you weren't gonna talk to my family about marriage?!" His face turns red. Never mind his family, now Arianne is thinking he is going to marry some stranger he met in the middle of the forest.

Fresia bursts into a laugh, so loud, the people walking around the village turned and looked at the two of them. "Why are you laughing?!" Henry furiously stomped his left foot, getting increasingly embarrassed by the second.

"Sorry, sorry." Fresia replied. she wiped a tear in her eyes from laughing a bit too much. "it's just so fun to tease you humans like this. It's just as mother told me when I was little." She giggled, then realized she's still holding the cup of tea she was drinking before.

"I need to return this." She turns to head inside, but Henry grabbed her arm, stopping her. His face was red from anger and shame. "you better clear up this misunderstanding." He said in a firm tone.

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do." Fresia replied callously, then pushed the front door open. "Sorry about that, everyone." She greets the people inside. "Henry needed to talk about something in private. It's all okay now." She explains, setting down the cup on the table.

She entered, and Henry followed suit. "Everyone, I need to clear some things up." She clears her throat. "Madam Merys, Mister Elan. little Elis and of course, my dear Arianne. I'm sorry, but  i was just fooling around when I said Henry proposed to me."

 Hearing her words, Henry noticed his parents' shoulders drop, his brother's face sour slightly, but Arianne still holding that piercing gaze towards Fresia and him."the truth is," Fresia continued, "I was running away from home, when Henry found me in the forest. I,I..." Fresia fell silent all of a sudden.

"Is something wrong dear?" Merys, Henry's mother asked, when she saw tears pooling up in Fresia's eyes. "I'm alright." Fresia replied. "it's just that, I, I ran away from home because my father was trying to get me into an arranged marriage." all of a sudden, tears flowed down her cheeks.

Henry was perplexed. Is she crying for real? But, she did say she was teasing me a few minutes ago? Is she just playing around with us? He couldn't tell right from wrong anymore. Fresia's actions was just too erratic. One moment she is smiling, and the next she told this sob story that could rival a theater performer.

"Oh dear, It's alright." Merys gave Fresia a hug. " It must be a shock to you. having to marry a man you don't even know." She held Fresia tightly in her arms. then Henry's father stood up from the chair.

"Is this true, Henry?" Elan asks. "Uh, yeah." Henry, taken by surprise, just nodded and answered. "In that case," his father spoke, "You can stay with us for a few days to calm down, Fresia. I'm sure your father must be worried about you."

 He turn to Henry, "If he still didn't come and look for you after a few days, Henry can accompany you to go see him. Then you can tell him how you really feel about the marriage." Henry froze at that suggestion. "i'm sure he'll understand if you tell him your true feelings."

"I," "That's a great idea!" Henry was about to talk when suddenly Arianne begins to speak. "I'm sure Henry will be able to convince him to hear you out." She said with a smile, and a steely gaze still fixed on Henry.

"Alright..." Henry relents. It seems there is no way for him to avoid it. "Come, Fresia." Merys said, holding Fresia's hands. "You must be tired. here, you can use Henry's bedroom for the time being. Go in and make yourself at home. I'll prepare lunch right away." she said, leading Fresia to a room not far from the living room.

"*sigh*" Henry shook his head. "I'll get going then. Mother needs some help back at home." Arianne suddenly interrupts, as she leaves through the front door. "Henry." Elan called his son. "Go help your brother set the table up. Henry nodded,and heads into the kitchen with his little brother.

"Say, Henry?" Elis said, as they were putting put the plates on the table. "Will you really marry Big Sister Fresia?" He grins. Henry choked, almost dropping a fork. "NO! of course not? Why would you think like that?" He hastily replied, as his face blushed red.

"Aww!" Elis cried out, " But she's so nice and pretty and cool. Did you know? she told me that she is a dragon. A DRAGON! How cool is that?" He enthusiastically said. "WHAT?!" Henry shouts. SHE TOLD HIM?! He shouts in his mind.

"You're joking. There's no way she is a dragon." Henry said, trying to fool his little brother, "She's just playing around with you." "It's true!" Elis replied, "Big Sis Fresia told me, she turned into a human just so she could be forever with you! That is so sweet, you know. You really should marry her, big bro!" Elis said, looking at Henry with big,begging eyes.

"That's enough." Henry dismisses him, "we need to finish this quick. I'm getting hungry." He hastily set the plates and cutlery.

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Lunch passes smoothly, with only occasional small talk between Fresia and Henry's family. He however distances himself from them, observing Fresia and her 'stories'. So far, at least his parents seems oblivious to the fact that the girl that they're chatting to is a 50-foot tall scaled beast disguised as an innocent girl.

He's also relieved that Elis didn't say anything Fresia told him to their parents. Henry however is still wary of Fresia. "Why did she proposed to me?" He asks himself. "It couldn't be just for fun, isn't it? Is union between a dragon and human even possible in the first place?"

He had heard tales of great wizards and warriors of legend having a relationship with dragon, with some stories going so far as to say they even had children together. but that is just it. they're all just tales. No one had ever seen a human and dragon in a relationship together, let alone a physical one.

"Henry?" He felt a hand touching him on his left shoulders. He turns around. It was Fresia. "How're you doing?" She asked. "Well, thanks to you, I almost had a heart attack." She giggled. "I'm sorry for acting like that before." Henry noticed her tone change.

"It wasn't all lies though." Fresia said, resting her arms on the railing, next to Henry. "Everything I told them. My father really did force me to marry someone I don't love." She looks to the horizon,towards the sun setting between the hills far away.

"A dragon?" Henry asks instinctively. She shook her head. "A human. You see, we dragons who live at the Northern Veil had a pact with the Dragonslayers." She stopped talking. "Do you know of them, Henry?"

"Who, The Slayers?" Henry asks. "I do. Some of them joined the Great Hunt in this town every year. They didn't come from  here though. Most of them lived far away, and only came here when it's time for the hunt."

"Oh." Fresia blurts. "Well, they let us live peacefully in the Veil, as long as every fifty year, we gave them one of our own as 'sacrifice'." Henry was shocked. "So?!" He asks. Fresia nods weakly, "Yep. I was chosen as this year's 'sacrifice'. It's nothing grim though. the chosen dragon is married to one of the dragonslayers' leaders and is made to live with them for the rest of their life."

"That's terrible!" Henry snapped out, shocking Fresia. "No one should be forced to live a life they don't want." Hearing her words, Fresia smiled. "Thanks." She replied, "Then, will you take me as your wife? for real this time." She turned and stared deep into Henry's eyes.

"I," Henry hesitated. On one hand, marrying a dragon is a 'cool' thing to do, as his little brother points out, but on the other, he's not sure if he have the qualities needed to shoulder the burdens and responsibility of being a married man. Especially considering who, or what, his wife is going to be.

"I'll think about it." He replied, spontaneously wrapping his fingers around her hands. "It's warm." He whispered. Fresia slowly leans her body towards him, until their shoulders touch. The stars begin to show up in the darkening sky. it was a warm and beautiful night, and it's just the two of them out there.