ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔡 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔰𝔬 close to such a beast.
But the King did not allow me to react. I could feel his strong hand squeeze my shoulder. The tight grip making his fingers dig under my aching shoulder blade. He pulled my neck back in an attempt to make me stand up straighter. It hurt. But I knew that I could not move.
"Here is the human," was what the king told the dragon before pushing me forward harshly.
His push made me stumbled over my feet. I knew I was falling as the airbrushed past my face and the ground came dangerously close to my face. I caught myself with my already bruised hands and keens, the hard stone ground peeling the skin off with a lingering sting. I expected to see a bloody mark there later.
With my hair dangling over my eyes and body bent over, I looked up to see the dragon's huge wide eye red eyes staring through me. The bright eye before blinded me, but I was frozen with fear. Unable to close my eyes as I swear I was becoming blind by the unmissable redness around me.
The eye blinked once again- slowly- oddly slow. The eye towered over me, five times bigger than I was. It huffed out of its nose as I tried to stand up. But most importantly- the eye reminded me of something.
Its eyes reminded me of the king's eyes that I was growing strangely in love with.
It blinked eerily slow-again- at my sweating face and sniffed me again. I shook with fear of what would happen to me. And what these dragons' intentions were. For the days I had been here- they still refused to tell me what their plan.
"The human is female. And doesn't seem to understand where her place is," the king hissed the last part out passive-aggressively as he stepped out to stand proudly beside me.
I feel like he was presenting me as if he was a hunter who was showing off his prey. Or like how I would show lords whatever bull I risked my life for.
"Kirishima found her at the mountain foot the day after you ordered the fire... And lucky for us- she knows that damn Deku."
I wished the king didn't mention that. Oh, in the future I would wonder if I had been killed right there. Maybe devastation would not have tortured the land I once ran through.
I lowered my head to the ground then, in humiliation that I had been captured by these foolish dragons. Especially this king. I thought he was on my side. And now I could hear him chuckle while he talked to the dragon. A dragon.
"Ha! But she won't tell the truth! Even after all of my threats- she still won't budge!"
I grimaced at the comment. He had been nice- well- as nice as he could be. Now, what was he? A ruthless king.
I had been tricked.
He did not care what happened to me.
At the end of the day, I was nothing more than his game.
"I was telling the truth! I have not seen or spoken to him since he left! I can't tell you anything about his training- even if I wanted to! You have to believe me!"
I hate begging. But that was just what I was doing.
The king was frustrated with me. I could feel the tension in the air. But I was mainly focused on the fact that I could smell a burning smell that came from below the cliff that I was on. It was not fire. It was just a blur of orange and red densely pressed together.
No. No. It was lava.
My breathing came out ragged and rough. The dragon huffed and lifted its massive head high above me and the king. A shadow fell over us as the dragon's teeth bared before me, showing me its yellow and sharp fangs that could easily break me into two pieces of meat.
But it did not kill me. Or hurt me. It used its wet nose to nudge my shaking body close to the king, pressing my body against his legs.
"What are you doing?" The king questioned the mighty dragon.
The dragon, of course, could not reply to the king. It backed its head away and growled.
"Yeah, I see her, you old dragon! The elders told me to come here for answers of what to do with her- so tell me what to do!" He yelled, his voice strained.
Why did I have to be captured? I feel like I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And because of this misunderstanding- everyone had become confused. And had left me with several questions.
"You know what... I can do this without you."
The king grabbed my arm, pulling me off the ground. and turned both of our backs to the dragon. I inhaled sharply. Deeply. I was apart of something bigger than myself. Now, I am no longer myself. Now I am an objectified prisoner of the dragons.
At that point, I had given up on the hope that I would escape.
I don't remember being dragged back through those burning hot hell tunnels. I felt like I was a shell of myself. I was empty inside. My soul was screaming to return to my old life.
"Don't you dare cry, human."
I moved my hand up to feel that the side of my face was wet. "Oh..."
I didn't even realize that I had allowed myself to cry. I felt as if the air had been stolen away from my aching lungs. Or the air refused to fill my lungs. Whichever one it was- My chest was in great pain.
"Human, please."
No. The King does not say please. He does not beg. He prefers when others beg him. I must be hearing things. I must.
I took in quick breathes, trying to collect as much as I can in my lungs.
What if I die here? And no one will look for me because no one cares about me.
"How many times do I have to say it! Stop!"
I couldn't stop. The reality hit me so suddenly. I just- I-
"Y/n!"
I let out a mumbled cry as I was yanked, and the king had his hands on my sides firmly. I sniffled and looked up at too the angry man staring down at me. His eyes brows were pointed down at me like daggers, and his mouth was curved into a frown.
A small cry escaped my quivering lips. This appeared to anger him, but his face softened as I could no longer hold back my cries. His upper lip twitched, and for a moment, he looks like he was in pain.
"Damn it, you idiot! Stop it! I don't like it!" He shouted before putting his hand over my mouth, covering my crying.
I smelt the dirt and grime from under his fingernails. It made me want to cover my nose, but instead, I just stopped breathing out of my nose. My last tear fell from my eye and the small drip of water-cooled my burning skin. It travels to the king's ash-ridden hand and collapsed on the side of one of his fingers.
The chilling contact made him flinch. The red eyes that had been staring into my weeping soul darted around my face, finally seeing my weak condition. His dark pupils gazed past my paling face from lack of oxygen.
I gasped for underneath his palm. My lips graced across his rough skin- which grossed me out-but soon- he removed his hand from my mouth.
My fear of being suffocated eased as air tickled the back of my throat. My image of him unblurred, and I could now see his calm, observant face.
His hands were now on both of my cheeks, holding my face. His fingers stroked my cheekbones, and it even tickled. His eyes were watching his own fingers move delicately along my skin.
"So soft...," I heard him whisper.
I blushed. No one had ever told me thought. I had never even thought of my skin as soft.
"Huh? Soft?" I questioned, thankful I now had the ability to speak.
I felt as if I had been humiliated. I had broken down in front of the man- cried my eyes out for no reason other than being overwhelmed- and now he was petting me?
How had I been so strong earlier but so weak now? I had held my ground so well. Now I was weak enough where I couldn't even react to him touching me.
At me saying that he jerked his hands, seeming embarrassed that he had touched me in a caring way.
"No! Why the hell would I ever say that to you, rat-brain!" He yelled as the tips of his ears turned pink, and the corners of his square face turned red.
I managed to smile. He is so handsome when he blushes.
I know I should not be looking at him like this. He kidnapped me- scared me- had his men interrogate me for days... But just sometimes- only sometimes- his crimson eyes looked glossed over with compassion and affection. And when his cheeks turn red with embarrassment that he dared to stare at his so-called prisoner for too long- I could just feel that feeling that I sometimes have that whispers in my ear to get closer to this king and let my lips grace his skin.
Then there is that bitter feeling.
That whisper turns into shouting- No, no, no, no, no.
I tell myself that I am delusional. I do not love this dragon man. I admit that I am nothing more than a lost lonely girl who has been tricked by a monster.
Crestfallen, I ignore that light tinted pink on his cheeks. I must listen to the bitter feeling. The bitter feeling has never let me down. If I want to survive- then I shall do as I have done before.
Love is not real. But death certainly is.
Now I see the true dragon king. His face was twisted up in his own thoughts of greed and gore- he was far too focused on what to next than to ever acknowledge the look of dismay in my e/c eyes.
"You are important to me human, and I don't know-how."
His words were not spoken in his normal confidant voice. Like moments ago, he sounded soft, and more like he was asking the ominous Gods and Saints for an answer.
I blushed. I could not help but feel "important" when he said that. I truly do not think I am anything more than a piece of meat in his eyes. But...
"What do you mean?"
He huffed, exhaling out of his nose. "I'll have to figure it out, dumbass," he replied sharply.
I smiled, sarcastically, and purged my lips proudly. I had so many questions for him. Questions about the events of the past few hours. But I remained silent.
"Well then. Figure it out faster."
A/N
I almost scrapped this chapter and started over, but I thought the ending was cute so I kept it in. Sorry it's short, but the next chapter has a lot in it <3
Also, happy COVID day