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The Dragon Slayer

By: mseaking



I had left the King in his rooms telling him I knew I could help. I walked to the grate hall that was used for dinning feeling her presents. I knew she was close as I sat at the head of the big table. The maid had just set down my plate of food when the door by the hearth flew open. Knowing whom it was and expecting an attack I reached for my staff. I turned looking over my shoulder.

By the gods! She was beautiful! Her hair was flaming red and so long it touched her thighs with wisps blowing back as she walked. Her thin black gown bellowed out behind her as with the grace of a bird in flight she walked to the big fireplace and stopped. There were thousands of tiny yellow sparks in her hair as she turned and looked at me. Standing with her feet spread shoulder width apart I looked her up and down saw that her gown was so shear it was letting the light from the fire behind her highlight her legs. I could see the lighter color of her thighs as the material brushed against them and even make out the out line of her unkempt bush as she looked at me.

“Sir Knight. Are you the slayer?” she asked.

Still holding my staff to fend her off if need be. I nodded simply nodded “Yes.” To her.

She leaned to me slightly and I grew even tenser. I watched as she touched her thumb and four fingers together. An ark of blue flame ran between them as they touched.

“They tell me you have killed many dragons.”

Relaxing just slightly I picked up a drumstick.

“Must be lies.”

“I am Glenda ruler of the north land. The land of the Red Dragons” 

“I know who you are My Lady. She pointed at me and again the fire arced from her fingers as she moved. “I didn’t get your name Sir Knight.”

I let my eyes devourer her as I looked at her drinking her beauty like it was fine wine. She turned side ways to me letting a slit in her gown open to expose a bare foot. She moved again and her long leg came into view all the way up to her hip. “I am known as Slayer.” 

I could feel my self-slipping to her as if I was being pulled by something. Her skin was milky white in the dim light.

“What dragon has this fat King asked you to slay?” her eyes narrowed as she stepped to me making the little fire flick all through her hair.

I made no move to answer her as she stepped closer. My eyes were drawn to hers in a way I didn’t understand. God I loved them! So green! I was suddenly falling, twisting in the dark night. I had to reach it. I had to touch it. Knowing I would not be safe until I reached and touched my staff. There I had it in my hand and felt the power it carried rush through me!

It brought me back, back from where? Then I knew it was true as I came back from that dark place. It was the place she had taken all the other slayers before me. Taken them into a dark world, a world I hoped to never see.

There was a smile on her lips. She thought she had me, until I spoke. “Yours, the red one.”

I pulled my staff in front of me holding it under the table as she took two more steps. Her large breasts drew my eyes. Her pink nipples calling to me through the thin black cloth. I slowly stoked my wood knowing it would protect me from her dark magic. 

“Do you fear this dragon?”

“I fear nothing madam.”

“We will see Sir Knight. Many have come before you and none have gotten what it would take to control my beast.” She smiled. “Sweet dreams Sir.” The door blew open and she was gone as fast as she came. 

There was a sweet smell in the room that stayed with me as I made my way to my chambers. It had been a long day of travel and I fell onto the bed. A welcome sleep coming over me, and then I began dreaming. Dreaming of the red witch riding on the back of the dragon. Fire flickered in her hair as her naked body moved with the flying beast like they were one. I awoke covered with sweat to find the sun well up her smell still swirling in my head.

Wearing only my loincloth I walk out to the bathing pond dropping my cloak by the small lakes edge. I slipped into the cool water feeling her, knowing she was close. I turned onto my back to swim a few strokes and saw it. The Red Dragon was setting on a knoll that rose behind the lake.

There was a cracking pop behind me and I quickly turned to see her! She dropped her cloak with mine. Wearing only a thin white gauze scarf that was tied around her waist walked into the water with me. Small sparks popped around her and that turned into the blue flame popping and cracking from her flaming red bush and down into the water as she waded out to me.

“So your power really is strong Slayer.” She moved to with in a foot of me and stopped looking into my eyes. “You are the first to resist my sleeping spell.” She leaned into me kissing me. 

I bit her lip drawing blood as I pulled her to me. I knew the only way to stop the poison she had on them been with her own blood. I then held her in such a way she could not escape me. “Is that your Dragon?”

She tried to push away from me as I lifted her off of her feet. “Yesss!” she hissed.

With my free hand I pulled her wrap way and let it float on the water. I lifted her higher pushing her back so she had to wrap her legs around me to keep from falling. “Do you control it?”

“Yes!” she struggled to get out of my arms.

“Then I shall control you!” Thousands of small flames sparked in her hair as I moved so that my staff came from under my loincloth. I moved so that it was at her opening as I fondled her breasts pulling on her nipples. I began making blue flames come from her nipples and into my fingers, pulling her power from her, as they grew hard at my touch. 

“You see! My power is in my staff and it is much stronger than yours!” I let her slip down just enough to feel my wood pushing between her swollen nether lips and into opening woman hood.

Her struggling began to lessen as she began returning my kisses. She was growing week as her power was leaving her being pulled into me. The witch was trembling as I pushed up into her entering her in one long hard push. 

“Oh my lord! You are strong but I, I, oh yesss sir Knight! So big! Oh by the gods its so big!”

I began to walk out of the water with her impaled on my ten-inch pole fucking into her with each step. I stopped at the waters edge and began lifting her up and down over my acing man hood, my staff of life. I could feel her fire being pulled into me a she began to make small noises deep in her throat. She bit my shoulder drawing my blood in a mating ritual that was a thousand, thousand years old. She was mine as she began bouncing on me each time I thrust into her. I could feel it as she lost control, her burning woman hood milking me as she came on my long hard wooden staff of life.

“Oh Sir Slayer! Ho how you are, you are reaming me! I, I am so full! So full of you! So big! Og, oh I will never be able to, to want another! OH phAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Please fuck me! Fill me with it! AAAAAaaaaaaaaaa!” she was done! I had her now!

The Red Witch Glenda Ruler of the North was no more! From this day forth she would be known as Glenda Queen of the Slayer. Ruler of the Red and Black dragons! 

“GRAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa!” came from me as I began to cum deep in her belly, filling her with my seed.

Implanting her with the one thing that could keep her in my power, a child. 

A child that would grow up to rule all of the dragons as its mother had before!

The Dragon Slayer...



Introduction: Hi everyone, been a few months. Okay, this is a short novella, mostly erotic couplings and kind of a love story. No group in this story, and those that know my stories might see that as a departure.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it, I had a blast writing it over the last few days.

Disclaimer: No dragons were actually harmed in the writing of this work. ;)

Obligatory copyright:

Copyright 2015. This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book in posted format may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission.

*****

The Dragon Slayer and the princess...

Chapter 1

Sir Lance Spears was a giant of a man. He was six foot three, muscle toned, and only in his mid twenties. Some would go as far to say, that this mountain of a man was perhaps the greatest slayer of dragons ever seen. He'd been killing dragons and making a name for himself since he was a young lad of fourteen years old. When his father died he had taken his place, picked up his armor, sword, and shield.

By all measures, except maybe one or two, he was a good man. He did have a weakness however, to alcohol. He wasn't a drunk, and he didn't drink every day. In fact, he only drank heavily each time he kills a dragon. A response no doubt to still being alive, and full of adrenaline.

He groaned and raised his arm, placing his lower arm across his forehead and squinted his eyes. The light felt like a dagger strike between the eyes. He swore to himself he'd never drink again, but he already knew he would. It was what he did after slaying a dragon, always a rewarding enterprise, but quite often dangerous. He just couldn't help but celebrate each time he came through alive.

He heard a light female sigh beside him and squeezed his eyes shut even harder. That was his other weakness, women. He couldn't help it, not really. He had strong features, blond hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to entrance women wherever he went. He as a knight and a gentleman, and as such usually resisted the urge to despoil the women that seemed to throw themselves at him. Whenever they heard that on top of his looks, he was a famous dragon slayer, and of course, he was rich with a title.

A triple threat that had him dodging amorous women more than he would have liked.

But unfortunately he tended to lose his willpower to push away beautiful young maidens when he partook of the wicked brew. He also had the tendency to not remember the next day. He looked to his right and flinched... He didn't flinch because the woman was less than acceptable. No, in fact the woman beside him was very attractive, a vision of loveliness. What made him flinch is he had no idea who she was, or what her name was. He really needed to stop drinking.

The morning after was always so... awkward.

He slid out of bed and his nose wrinkled, he reeked of sex. There was no way to sneak out, not only did he need a bath, but his armor was stacked up against the wall. There was no way to put that on in less than ten minutes, and it would clang and bang enough in the process to wake the dead. He sighed and started filling the tub in the corner.

He was just slipping into the tub when the woman woke and slipped out of bed herself. She started to dress without a word, picked up her shoes and turned to him with a bright smile. So far so good he thought.

She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and an athletic body that drew his eyes. It had been a pleasure watching her dress. He was starting to really regret not remembering last night. To his surprise she said nothing and simply tiptoed over and kissed him passionately.

She whispered in his ear, "Thank you for last night, you were amazing. Just remember to pretend I'm a stranger when you go downstairs, if my father suspects he'll kill us both."

He watched in amazement as she turned and tiptoed to the door, opening it slightly before silently sliding into the hallway, and then closing the door without a whisper of sound. He stared at the door in amazement for another few minutes really wishing he'd remember last night. If that aggressively passionate kiss had been any indication, she'd probably been an incredible lover last night.

But nothing came to him...

Then he shrugged, at least he wasn't dealing with the need to reject a woman, or worse, her family. If he'd been sober, he probably wouldn't have done it at all. Not that he was a saint, but he had to be very careful, so many were just after his money or wanted to marry into a noble title.

He shook his head, dismissed those thoughts, and finished washing up before getting out of the tub, and started to dry off. He was kind of sensitive when he dried his middle, so they must have went at it all night. He shook his head again and started to pull on his padded clothes, then went for his armor.

The truth was, Lance was a master at the sword, had been trained at his father's knee since he could walk, but that wasn't why he was such a successful dragon slayer. Although it did help, the real secret to his victory was the armor he was putting on. He'd found out quite by accident the first time he took one of his father's dragon slaying contracts.

The armor was proof against fire, and most magic. Good thing too, or he'd have been a dragon's roast ten years ago. Granted, he still needed to fight a two ton lizard with claws as long as his sword, and with a bite the size of a wagon. Not to mention the tail... That's where his fighting skills made the difference. But without protection from fire and magic, he doubted he could get close enough to spit on a dragon, much less reach sword range.

He walked down to the common room of the inn with his armor on minus the helmet which hung off his belt. He also wore his long sword over his right shoulder and had his saddlebags over the left. The woman he'd slept with was clearing tables with a very happy smile on her face.

It was nice to know he'd done a good job, even if he didn't remember. When she saw him she grabbed some food from the back and a drink. It didn't take him long to chow down and head out to the stables.

He heard a whicker of welcome as he walked through the large stable doors. He smiled broadly and patted his horse on the neck.

"Morning Willow," he said in a light praising tone.

He knew Willow was a terrible name for a knight's warhorse, but he didn't care. He'd never met a mare as smart as her and she was two years old when he bought her from a horse fair. Best gold he'd ever spent. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her to respond to anything else.

She whickered back and stomped her foot, then pushed her head into him. She was obviously eager to get moving.

"Shh, we'll be out of her soon sweetie," he whispered, hoping no one heard him.

He had a reputation after all.

He grabbed his saddle and got it strapped on, flipped down the stirrups, and grabbed the tack. He headed out of town at a trot, an audible sigh of relief leaving his lips as he passed outside the village limit. He'd managed to escape once again. He turned around and looked back, absolutely no sign of a murderous innkeeper.

He felt a little guilty about that, he'd been brought up to respect a woman, and one day when he found the right one he'd do right by her. But that damned alcohol kept...

He shook his head and internally stomped on the thought, he knew it was his fault. He just couldn't help it. The dragon he'd tracked down and fought nearly killed him more times than he could count with claws, tail, and bite. He'd been high on adrenaline and life itself when he collected the bounty. He didn't drink all that often, but it was a foregone conclusion when the village cheered him, and other men and the innkeeper pushed free drink on him in celebration.

He was headed north out of the kingdom of Aerelon. He'd about taken out most of the feral dragons here, and he'd caught wind the kingdom to the north, Wendell, had a dragon problem. As far as he heard, it was a small kingdom, only six villages and one castle. In Aerelon that would just be one small duchy of many. Even his holdings as a baron included a keep and two villages.

From what the notice said, they were willing to pay a hundred gold coins to the person that took it down. That was really good, and the only reason he was taking a new contract this soon. He thought the king must be desperate, but it also meant he'd have rivals on the ground competing for that gold. He wasn't too worried though, most of them would probably get roasted, though there were one or two others he hoped wouldn't come around. A few of them were almost as good as he was.

He'd see in two days, he'd have to go through the valley and through the pass of the small northern mountain range. Then it was another eight or nine hours he figured to the castle. Willow skipped below him, throwing off his seat a little and he looked down at the back of her head with annoyance.

He said, "Fine girl, but don't come crying to me if you run out of energy, we're riding out the whole day."

He smiled when she snorted in derision at his warning and took off into a fast canter.

 

Chapter 2

Willow slowed down as the valley sides started to shrink in toward them, mountains rising up on either side. The trail through was broken just wide enough for wagons to pass side by side if they met in the pass, but in some places there were trees when it temporarily widened, there were also quite a few places for an ambush.

He wasn't that worried, not many bandits were stupid enough to attack a knight, even a lone one of the lesser orders, much less one with the crest of the dragon slayers on his shield. The cowards preferred the easy pickings of a lone wagon, or a lightly guarded small caravan, but it wouldn't pay to be caught off guard because of arrogance.

Still, there were no stupid thieves that day, and he felt Willow start to flag slightly under him. She was stubborn though, and had enough energy for another mile after they left the pass. He veered off the dirt road about twenty yards back into the bush. He took care of her first, removing the saddle and gear and brushing out her coat, put out feed and some water before building his rough camp.

It was only fair, he'd sat on his backside all day. Not that it was pleasant sitting all day in full steel armor on a moving horse, while fighting off a hangover from hell, but he wasn't one to complain or take it out on his innocent faithful steed.

He was just getting some food over his campfire when five men dressed in chainmail wearing the crest of Wendell headed his way off the road.

"Good day," he called out.

The front soldier came to a stop on his horse and scrutinized him and his camp with narrowed eyes.

"Good day stranger, we're patrolling the road in the king's name, what is your business here?"

He replied courteously, "I am Sir Lance Spears, Baron of Creekshire from the kingdom of Aerelon. I'm here in response to the dragon threat and reward for its death."

The soldier nodded his head, as if that fit with what he saw, and despite owing no loyalty to a foreign lord bowed his head respectfully toward Lance.

Lance asked, "The notice did not give much information, is there anything you can tell me about the dragon that endangers your kingdom?"

One of the other soldiers rode up, he looked like a boy.

"I saw the whole thing, I was there that day."

Lance muttered a few words under his breath so softly it wasn't audible to any, and barely to himself. A small glow surrounded the boy. Knights were by no means powerful sorcerers, he had barely any talent in that direction, but he did have a little. Knights normally didn't have the magical strength for fighting spells, or defensive ones, and Lance was no different than most in that way.

However, every knight was required to learn a few low powered spells, including the truth spell he'd just cast on the soldier. In the field a knight was also a judge of the king's justice, which was much more sure if he could determine who was lying. No one but him, and another with power, could see the golden glow surrounding the boy. He didn't really mistrust the lad, but he didn't know him either, and soldiers tended toward exaggeration when telling tales of battle.

Lance replied, "What did you see good soldier?"

The young man shuddered with remembrance and started his tale.

"It was almost a fortnight ago now. I was on patrol on the eastern border when a large group of mercenaries crossed in from Elaria. We counted carefully and there were twenty bowman and forty lancers. They had several empty wagons behind them and a few filled with supplies. They were heading for one of our villages, so four of the group headed back toward the castle at a gallop to muster a defensive force.

"The rest of us carefully shadowed the group, we had orders to split off another man to report if they changed direction. We followed them for hours, and started to get worried at the pace they'd set. We didn't think the soldiers could muster and make it to the town in time, but there were only four of us. We watched in despair as the invaders stopped short of the village and started preparing for an attack at dusk instead of waiting for dawn."

The boy shook his head as if to shake out the memory he was sharing.

"That's when it came. The dragon shrieked so loud it hurt my ears. The noise was pure evil my good knight, I'm unashamed to say I would have peed myself if I hadn't recently gone."

His captain cuffed the young shoulder on the back of his head lightly.

The young man shook his head, "Sorry sir, but it's true nonetheless. The sky was already a dark blue in the direction the dragon flew in from, and its scales seemed to be a dark black that refused to reflect even the small amount of light that night. At first I wasn't sure if I was seeing things or not, could have been my eyes playing tricks after that horrid roar, but then a large blast of fire came out of the inky blot, and the fierce black dragon became easy to see as it rained fire onto the mercenaries.

"It didn't take long for those sixty soldiers to die, mere minutes. Then the dragon landed and started to bolt one of the horses that still steamed from the fire. I'm ashamed to say, I just stood there and watched, to afraid to move, much less attack the evil beast. When it finished eating it raised its head and roared as if in victory. Then it grabbed two more horses in its fore claws, and jumped up into the sky."

The golden light hadn't blinked out even once. Yet, it was a strange tale.

Lance asked, "Anything else you remember, did it cast any spells or..."

The soldier shook his head, "Not that I noticed, but... Right before it took off I could swear its head swiveled in my direction and it looked right at me. It had creepy and unearthly glowing green eyes, it looked unnatural as if it were a creature straight from hell itself, and I could swear it saw me. Then, it was just gone, disappeared up into the sky and away in the night. I was shaking, felt like death walking over my grave. I'm sorry sir knight, I can't even tell you what direction it fled too, the sky was too dark by then to even see a silhouette, and no one has seen it since."

Lance narrowed his eyes, that didn't sound like normal dragon behavior.

"Why would it attack a group of mercenary soldiers, and leave a nice big juicy town alone? Not to mention it hasn't been seen since for almost fourteen days?"

The lead soldier cleared his throat, "Our sorcerer has a theory as to that. The mercenaries left a trail of death as they raided villages in Elaria, he believes the unholy beast followed this trail of death like a mouse will follow a trail of cheese. Perhaps it was hunting the raiders. Now that they're dead, it's only a matter of time before it needs to feed again and chooses a new target, and why would it move on now that it's here? But perhaps it would be better to hear it from him on the morrow when you arrive at the castle?"

Lance frowned, he supposed that was possible, and it was as good an explanation as any until he knew for sure. Still, it was damned odd behavior for a dragon. He also knew a guess when he heard one, a story made up to fit the facts rather than the other way around. Still, a dragon usually fed every five to seven days, and it had been close to a fortnight, two to three times the average time gap. He hoped he wasn't on a wild goose chase; maybe the dragon was long gone?

The soldiers took their leave then, citing the need to continue their patrol, and Lance sat down in front of the fire and ate his meal. He cast a quick ward that would simply wake him if anyone approached, it was the only ward he had the power to cast, and then he laid down by the fire and let sleep take him.

 

Chapter 3

The castle for this small kingdom was probably closer to a keep. Even his own keep as a baron of Aerelon was only a little smaller. Still, it was quite large and obviously kept in good repair. He could see no obvious weakness or degradation in the forty foot high walls surrounding it. The kingdoms nearby had all been at peace for over two decades, almost as long as he'd been alive, so there were only a few soldiers walking the walls.

More than enough to deal with bandits or a mercenary attack, but if the dragon showed up here they'd be in trouble. He rode through the open gate, the soldier stationed there asked no questions. His shield's crest was more than enough to guarantee his entry into the keep grounds, if not all the way to the throne room.

He dismounted and walked Willow over to the stables and started to unsaddle his horse. The stableman volunteered to take care of it, but he declined. No one but him took care of Willow. Not only did the horse deserve his thanks and gratitude, but the beast wouldn't allow others to touch her at all.

"Be careful when you feed this one," he warned on his way out after throwing his saddlebags over his shoulder.

The guards at the keep proper stopped him, after a short conversation he was lead through the main passageway that led to the throne room. He looked around and it was much like keeps anywhere, the core of the keep were the public rooms, guard posts, ball room, public dining hall, and of course the throne room. The wings to either side would host the private rooms, and no doubt be harder to get into.

He wasn't sure which wing was the royal and which the visitor yet, but he'd know shortly. He didn't know all that much about King Wendell either, just that he enjoyed a good relationship with his own sovereign king. At the throne room the guard stopped him.

"You can leave your sword and bags here sir knight, no weapons are allowed inside the throne room."

He removed the sword and shield from his back and handed over his saddle bags. The guard let him through and the seneschal got his information. When he walked in the seneschal announced him.

"Your majesty, I bring you Sir Lance Spears, Baron of Creekshire from the noble kingdom of Aerelon."

He approached the throne and bowed at the waist respectfully. He owed the man no allegiance, but did owe respect to an ally's monarch. There were seven people in the throne room besides himself, and his stomach twisted with distaste when he saw Sir Derig Melnott, Earl of swords. Sir Derig had a title in Aerelon, but the 'of swords' was the landless title for a knight. Derig was also the dragon slayer that he most loathed to see, but not because he feared losing the bounty. The knight was a snake in his opinion, oily and arrogant.

Sir Derig had never once shown outright disrespect, but talking to the man always left a bad taste in his mouth, the compliments were always two edged, or outright lies.




The Dragon Slayer...



King Art Wendell was a man in his fifties, he looked to be mostly in shape, saving for the small paunch he developed from fine foods and wines no doubt. The king had a welcoming smile on his face.

"Welcome to Wendell Sir Lance, your reputation precedes you."

He bowed his head a moment, "Thank you your majesty, I just hope I may be of some use in tracking and dispatching the dragon."

The king replied, "We will discuss that after dinner tonight in a more relaxed setting. The stiff cadence of court is hardly a place we can freely share ideas."

"Of course your majesty, I'm at your disposal."

The king declared, "Very well, two hours then sir knight, it will give you opportunity to wash off the road dust and prepare for dinner. You'll be escorted to a guest room shortly."

The king stood up ending the audience, most everyone followed him out save his fellow knight.

Sir Derig said slyly, "It's always a pleasure to see you Sir Lance, a shame you came out here for nothing."

Sir lance frowned, "Was that a challenge Sir Derig?" he asked in a low dangerous voice.

Sir Derig's eyes widened in faux innocence as if surprised by this conclusion, "Of course not my dear baron, I just meant it was likely the dragon has moved on. A few others arrived today, and promptly left when they heard the beast hadn't been seen in so long."

His eyes narrowed, "Then why are you still here?"

Sir Derig shrugged, a bit too nonchalantly, "There's still a chance, and I had no other commitments."

He didn't believe it for a second, and knew there must be another reason, but he knew he'd never get it out of him. He'd have to watch the snake carefully.

He nodded politely, and took his leave.

He picked up his stuff and waited patiently. A few moments later a young woman dressed as a maid approached and bowed. She was five foot eight, young and attractive, with blonde hair and bluish gray eyes, her outfit made her curvy and generous figure, stand out in all the right places.

"My lord, I'm here to escort you to your quarters."

He nodded his thanks, it would be good to get clean, "Lead on."

He followed the young maid through a checkpoint into the guest wing. They went about halfway down the hallway and turned into a staircase. His room was to the left and the third on the right from the top of the stairwell. She escorted him in.

Her smile as she turned to him was a bit flirty but still within the bounds of decorum. It was something he'd come to expect. She was no doubt required to follow all orders from the nobility, and just as clear in his case she'd be more than happy to help relieve any stress he may have regardless of orders.

She said softly, "I'm Cirillia my lord, and I'll be cleaning your rooms, seeing to your clothes and any other requests you may have. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you. Would you like me to draw you a bath?" she asked that last question with a touch of sultry innuendo.

Not so much that he'd be pressured to say yes, but enough to make it obvious she was more than willing to... serve.

He had to admit he was tempted, there would be no risk of bad repercussions either, or claims against him. It was practically in her job description. Plus, her very tight and curve hugging dress was having an effect on him.

"That would be fine Cirillia."

She smiled and bit her lip sexily, like he was doing her a favor. Maybe he was from her point of view, but difference in station or not, it certainly wasn't one way. He watched her move toward the bath as he started to remove his armor. She turned on the water that fed the large bathtub, and he could see the steam coming off of it. The sorcerer here must be talented if he had the magic to provide hot running water.

She left it running and came over to help him without a word, first his armor then his clothes were removed, and he smiled when he saw Cirillia's eyes go wide when she took in his package.

She asked a little breathily, "Would you like me to bathe you my lord?"

He lost track of his thoughts, and his body reacted as he couldn't help but stare at her heaving breasts with her nipples very much on display through the dress. There were little beads of sweat nestled in her partially revealed cleavage that were driving him crazy. The fabric of her dress seemed to be destined to rip, but held precariously.

He nodded wordlessly.

She blushed and smiled shyly when he simply stood there and watched as she shed her clothes. Her breasts were large and stood high without support, her stomach flat and the curve of her waist called for his hands. She was very attractive, it was in fact probably the reason she was hired after all, and he knew he was reacting, growing as his eyes feasted upon her young succulent nubile flesh. He judged she couldn't have been much older than nineteen or twenty.

She turned and walked toward the tub, and his eyes feasted on her heart shaped ass and he followed after. He slipped into the tub, and she slipped in right behind him, wrapping her long sexy toned legs around his torso she reached for the soap.

His manhood twitched when she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back into her warm and succulent breasts, her nipples were like hard pebbles against his back, and she started to wash his chest with light touches. He groaned softly, partly from the hot water on his sore riding muscles, partly from her amazing touch, the way her body was wrapped around him, but mostly from the soft kiss on the back of his neck.

Her kisses made its way up to his ear and she whispered sultrily, "What do you want my lord, I'm at your command. I'll do... absolutely anything you desire."

He wasn't sure who was turned on more, him or her, but that breathy sultry offer with an almost desperate need in her voice completely broke his will. He couldn't resist a woman for long, especially not a beautiful young woman naked in a bath. This wasn't just a young maid making herself available, she was throwing herself at him. He groaned as her hand washed his lower stomach, and lightly brushed his very hard and now aching pleasure.

Oral was out, he couldn't cast the spells for breathing under water. That would have to wait for another time.

His voice was a bit unsteady, and his authoritative tone was put in doubt by his obvious need.

"Slide around front."

Blemished authority or not, she slid her body around his, dragging her breasts and body along his until she was straddled his lap, her eyes were glazed with desire, her lips slightly parted. She kissed him hungrily and moaned half in shock and half in pleased surprise when she discovered his now full size. He knew he was larger than average, between eight and nine inches and with an impressive girth.

He started to explore her body, play with her breasts and tease her nipples. He couldn't go down on her, but that didn't mean he couldn't get her ready with some proper foreplay. He relished the wide look and gasping breath that escaped her slightly parted lips when his fingertips found her swollen and sensitive labia. It was his turn to gasp when she started to stroke him lightly with her soft hands, which were slick from the oils in the soap, as he continued to tease her core.

"Please," she begged breathily.

He smiled, he was so hard and dying to bury himself in her body, but he teased her first.

"Please what Cirillia?"

She moaned and gasped on his fingertips as he brought her body to a small but blissful orgasm. He felt her tremble on his fingers, and wished they were on the bed, he bet she tasted divine.

When she recovered enough she begged breathily, "Please fuck me, I want to feel this large cock pulsing within me, stretching me out, and..."

Her words cut off when he picked her up by the sexy curves of her waist and then pushed her down against his straining manhood. She guided him perfectly into her sex, her tight silken lips parting reluctantly for his thick invader. He groaned as her tight channel gripped, and then rippled around the tip of his pleasure, she was so tight. He wanted to bury himself deep until their bodies slapped together, but he knew he was bigger than most and didn't want to hurt her.

He bowed his head slightly and claimed her nipples, giving her temporary control of their coupling. He moaned into her succulent and nubile flesh as she slowly worked his entire length into her body. It was heaven, his throbbing sex was sheathed in pure silken tight hot bliss, and she started to squeeze and work him with her passage as she swiveled and thrust her hips in a pattern of decadent pleasure.

She put her head back, exposing her long slender neck and pushing her breasts into his hands.

She moaned softly, "I've never been so full before, I think I'm going to..."

He demanded, "Cum for me Cirillia, I want to see you come undone around me."

He didn't think he would last long under this blissfully sinful assault when she screamed out in pleasure and her body worked up and down his length in grasping and milking motions. He felt her silken pleasure rush around his manhood and into the bath water as her body took him to the edge. He could feel himself expand further in her and knew he couldn't hold back anymore, obviously she felt it too.

She said in breathy pleasure, "Do it my lord, I want to feel you fill me, fill my naughty pussy, please."

She rolled into another orgasm as he grunted in pleasure and lost control of his body. Pleasure fired in his brain as his body emptied into her hot tight sex. 

She kissed him softly, after they came down.

"Thank you my lord," she blushed after saying that, as if surprised she'd actually meant it.

He knew a lot of nobles weren't... well, all that noble. He could have been a lot more aggressive or even cruel, and she would have had to take it and ask for more. Not that he ever would, but maybe that's why she'd thanked him. 

He said with a trace of humor, "My pleasure Cirillia."

Then she started washing his body again and he just relaxed in the afterglow of completion, her hands felt nice on his body and he felt refreshed and relaxed when they finished their bath.

She held up a robe when he got out, and asked, "Anything else my lord?"

He smiled at her hopeful tone, "No, not right now anyway, but could you retrieve me when dinner is served."

She pulled on her dress and curtsied, "Of course my lord," and left him to his own devices.

Her voice had been respectful, but her eyes had been dancing with pleasure.

He'd need to be careful, he wasn't an arrogant nobleman and tried to treat everyone with respect, but he couldn't afford to become enamored of a castle servant either. He could be respectful, and gentle with her, but past that...

Still, he couldn't help but watch her ass sway when she'd left the room, that didn't mean they couldn't have fun together for his stay here...

 

Chapter 4

He dug a wrinkled suit out of his saddle bags. A quick spell took care of that, and now it looked freshly pressed and cleaned. He preferred his armor to the clothes of his title, but one didn't attend dinner with foreign kings in their full plate armor. He didn't really like politics, but he at least knew the game, and played it only as far as he had to.

That thought made him wonder again what that odious Derig was up to. No doubt he would be able to figure it out tonight over dinner. He decided he would stay here for a week at the most. If the dragon didn't show itself again in that time, then chances were it was gone no matter what anyone said. He also wanted to limit the time he could be pulled into some political scheme of Derig's, or even of the court here.

He shook his head, he doubted the latter would be an issue. The whole nobility of this kingdom was the king's family after all, it was a small place. He had a few minor appointees to run the town, but there were no other families of noble lineage. Normally he wouldn't care about Derig's machinations so much, but if one of his schemes gets out of hand here it could hurt relations.

He sighed, and admitted to himself it wasn't for entirely those noble reasons alone. It would also feel good if he could derail Derig, he really disliked the man. It wasn't too much later when Cirillia returned and escorted him to the private dining hall.

The king smiled and waved him over as if they were friends meeting at the tavern in town. Everyone else in the room seemed relaxed so he took it at face value and nodded in greeting as he took the indicated seat.

He was seated next to the Earl on his right, and on his left side was a young woman with reddish blonde hair.

The king made introductions, "You of course know Sir Derig. The young woman at your left is my daughter's lady's maid, Stephanie."

She turned to him and gave a shy smile of welcome and dipped her head. She had warm and friendly hazel eyes and an attractive cute face. Her hair was red, long, and curly. She was wearing a green gown that made it hard to determine much else, but from what he could tell she was willowy.

The king waved to the woman next to Stephanie, "And this is my daughter, Princess Lara."

He added meaningfully, "She's just recently turned eighteen and we are looking for a proper match for her, someone of the right birth and strong enough to protect her."

He leaned forward slightly and could see her blush at that last comment. She had jet black hair with hints of blue, and it was wavy and looked like... a silk waterfall of night. Her emerald green eyes showed intelligence behind them with a hint of steel, this was no weak retiring princess and his breath caught when those eyes seemed to challenge him.

But then she smiled and her eyes turned welcoming as she nodded her head. He supposed he couldn't blame her for the challenging stare, her father had said in political language that whoever managed to kill the dragon would be given courtship rights.

She was wearing a light blue dress which subtly showed her female enticements, she clearly had an athletic body and her breasts were pert and perfectly sized for her body. He guessed she was about a little over five and a half feet tall. Her face still had an innocent quality even at eighteen, all but her generous lips which gave the opposite impression of sexy.

All in all, there was a lot to admire in the young woman. He wasn't sure he was ready to settle down, but she impressed him enough to where he'd keep an open mind about the courting possibility. He turned back to the king for the next introduction, but studied the Earl out of the corner of his eyes. The Earl had also looked toward the princess and his visage was... avaricious.

It clicked in his mind rather easily then, the Earl was staying for the princess. If he could swing that the king would also give him land and he'd be in line for the throne of this kingdom. Not bad for someone at the bottom of a huge nobility, a landless title holder, and knight in his home kingdom.

The king started the next introduction, so he dismissed that and decided to think about it later. He'd either have to compete if he decided he wanted to pursue the princess, or otherwise sabotage him if he didn't. Perhaps he should just leave it alone, but the idea of the snake next to him gaining power and possibly a kingdom turned his stomach. He'd fought against dragons with the Earl around before, the man was an opportunist and coward, instead of helping and splitting the fee, Derig had used trickery and had almost gotten him killed. He couldn't prove it was done on purpose, but he was pretty sure it had been.

The king waved to his left to whom was obviously the queen, and she looked a lot like the princess, only older. He thought she looked in her mid thirties, and still extremely attractive with the same piercing green eyes and blue-black hair, which meant she'd still been a child herself when she'd born Lara.

"This is the jewel of my life, Queen Gwen."

She nodded to him politely and then gave her husband a bright smile, it was obviously more than a marriage of convenience and he could see they were still in love after over twenty five years together.

The king waved to his other side, "My son and heir, Prince Daniel."

He nodded to the young man who was about his age. Daniel had his mother's black hair, but his father's brown eyes, he was a striking young man and polite enough.

He couldn't help but notice the prince seemed to be evaluating both him and Derig rather closely, overprotective brother maybe? Or just naturally suspicious, he wasn't sure yet.

The king waved at the older man next to the prince, "And this is my advisor, sorcerer Menneth."

The old man had a white beard, white hair, and the lines on his face betrayed his age. But his eyes were hazel and still sharp with intelligence, and he gave off the impression of wisdom. 

The king led the conversation effortlessly during dinner, drawing everyone in at the table. It was apparent why he was king. The king's son was more reserved, and more closed off. He wondered if the young man would grow out of that, or he had the feeling things would change around here a lot when Daniel inherited.

After dinner was complete, the King got down to business and looked back and forth between Lance and the Derig.

The king stated, "I know the dragon hasn't been seen in two weeks, but Menneth has confirmed with his magic two of the beasts are actually in the kingdom's borders right now, although he can't pinpoint where they are. I can't in good conscious take the chance he's wrong and the dragons are gone."

Princess Lara cut in, "Father, I..."

The king interrupted, "I know what you think daughter, there is no need to rehash it here and now, you won't change my mind. We must protect our kingdom... Now, Menneth, could you let us all know the extent of your knowledge on this before we seek the advice of our dragon slayers?"

Menneth nodded and cleared his throat.

"I was able to cast a divination over a piece of the dragon's claw that chipped off when it tore apart a wagon. All I could learn from the divination was two things. The first was that it had been hunting the mercenaries specifically which is why it left the town alone. I can only guess it followed the trail of death the mercenaries were leaving in their wake, but it is only a guess.

"The second is that the dragon is still here, along with another. I believe the second dragon to be younger, perhaps its child."

Derig asked, "What makes you think that?"

He felt annoyed at that, since it was actually a good question.

The sorcerer smiled, "Well, the chipped claw should have only told me about its owner, which means the second dragon is related by blood to the one which attacked. Secondly, the dragon flew off with two horses, perhaps to feed its young. Unfortunately the king is correct that I can't tell you where they are, although there aren't too many places they could realistically be without being seen.

"Somewhere in the mountains to the south, or perhaps in the cliff sides to the west overlooking the ocean. I don't think it's likely they're hiding in the forest."

He nodded in agreement, "Dragon's like caves for a lair, and to set traps for the unwary dragon hunter. I'd like to know what they've been eating for the last two weeks though. Perhaps wild game?"

The king added, "There is not much to be done right now, I don't expect either of you to find this dragon without a trail or direction to search. I would like you both to stay here for up to a month, since unfortunately without an attack I see no way to find the damned beasts. We have patrols out, and soldiers at all the villages. If the dragon attacks, they have communication spells devised by Menneth to let us know where for optimum response. In the meantime, you are my guests and outside of the royal wing you have the run of the castle."




The Dragon Slayer...



The King watched both Lance and Derig intently until they agreed. Then the king rose and took his wife's hand and they left the room, apparently dinner was over.

Being here for a month waiting sounded like hell to Lance. But then, he could always put his energies into derailing Derig. He could also get to know the princess and decide if he wanted to throw his hat into that ring. He couldn't help but glance over as Lara and her ladies maid Stephanie walked out. Lara had a natural grace in her movements that drew his eyes like a fly to honey.

Yeah, based on looks alone it would be a foregone conclusion, the princess was very alluring, but before he'd even consider tying himself down he needed to make sure she was as intelligent as the spark in her eyes had indicated. He wanted, no needed a challenging partner. He'd had enough of the empty headed gold digging beauties that had thrown themselves at him over the years.

Not all women were like that of course, not even most of them. It just seemed that most of the high born women were that way, entitled, vain, and selfish. He shuddered. He wished he could find someone clever and beautiful like the waitress at that tavern, or even the sexy Cirillia, but who was also high enough in status he could get away with marrying. He really wasn't that picky, but he knew Duchess Katherine wouldn't approve his marriage to anyone of low station.

He knew that of course, because he had tried once when he fell for a young woman from his nearest village. His Barony fell inside Katherine's Duchy, and he was obliged to get her approval. Technically he could ask the king, but he knew that would be political folly, Duchess Katherine wasn't someone anyone crossed lightly, not if they wanted to live.

He was deep in thought when he got back to his room and walked in. He made it halfway across the room when a very amused voice broke into his thoughts.

"Shouldn't a dragon slayer be more observant of his surroundings," said a light tinkling voice.

He snapped his head in the voices direction and saw the princess with an amused smile on her face and twinkling green eyes. Her athletic form was more apparent now that he was seeing her standing, but he couldn't look away from her face. He found himself speechless, and barely noticed Stephanie next to and a little behind the princess with a bemused smile on her face.

He cleared his throat, "Princess? Is there something I can do for you?"

She nodded, "I wanted to talk to you about... dragons."

His eyes scrunched in confusion, he hadn't been expecting that. Then he nodded as if it suddenly made sense to him.

"Right, your father wouldn't let you speak at the table, I'd welcome any opinion you'd like to share, or a question? Although I'm not quite sure my bedroom is the proper place for it?"

She waved that off and said archly, "Stephanie is here to ensure my good behavior, although I think I might be able to control myself and keep our distance."

He shook his head, "I was concerned with the gossiping tongues of others if they find out you're in my bedchamber, no matter the truth of our meeting, not because I thought..."

He trailed off, clearly at a loss. Did she think he was that arrogant? They were strangers but he was still bothered by that for some reason.

Her eyes seemed to lose their edge, "My apologies, I'm afraid that I judged you based on your... peer," she said the last word with contempt.

Clearly she'd spoken to Derig, and just as clearly he wouldn't need to sabotage that situation at all, she was too smart to fall for his smarmy... He shook his head to clear his thoughts, it was also another point in her favor in his mind.

"Take a seat if you wish?"

She nodded and sat down on the couch, he felt at loose ends a moment, reluctant to join her there for the impropriety of it, then backed up a couple of feet and sat in the chair by the desk. She looked at him clearly amused by the effect she was having on him, he didn't think that was very fair, considering the way she was ambushing him in his guest room.

She smiled warmly this time, "So the dragons?"

He asked, "What about them? Do you have a theory?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes. But I have a question for you first; do you think dragons are evil?"

He shook his head, "No. I know some claim that, but I don't believe that. There are places dragons hunt and roam free down south, where no men live. I think they are for the most part, wild animals, some of which consider humans prey. Just that simple, like a lion hunts gazelle."

She took a deep breath which meant it took some effort to keep his eyes on her face. She wasn't overly gifted in that area, but she was perfectly proportioned, and they were definitely more than a handful, and his hands were quite large.

"I think the dragons have always been here, in my kingdom I mean. I think it would be... a mistake to attack them. I believe that they are fine if we just leave them alone, they aren't hunting humans to feed, so they must be going after game and the like. Do you suppose some dragons might be smart enough not to attack humans, to keep their distance in a type of... wary truce? I fear if they are attacked..."

"The truce would be broken," his eyes narrowed slightly as he finished the thought she'd left unsaid, "Still, that's a lot of assumptions. They attacked the mercenaries, who are human after all, and once a wild animal gets a taste for human, they usually need to be put down."

Her eyes narrowed, "But suppose, they could smell death. What if they attacked the mercenaries merely because of that smell, to remove them as a blight to the land. Remember, the dragon didn't eat one mercenary, only killed them, and then ate a horse and stole two others. No taste for human involved."

He frowned, "Are you suggesting they actually defended the village, the kingdom, and we should just leave them alone? I know dragons are intelligent and cunning, but that's..."

She shrugged, "I know I don't have any proof, just implications from what they did, or more specifically what it didn't do, but neither do you have proof. If they went wild and became human hunters why haven't they attacked since?"

He wasn't sure what to think. Some dragon slayers believed dragons were simply dumb brutes, he was pretty sure they were clever and intelligent, but self awareness? He didn't believe that, or at least, he couldn't know it. A dragon had never stopped and talked philosophy with him as they tried to kill each other after all. 

He nodded, "I have history, and my personal experience. I will say though, that this situation has a different feel to it and doesn't align quite right. I'd have sworn the dragons had moved on without an attack in a fortnight before Menneth told us they were still here. You think some dragons are smarter than others?"

She shrugged, "Without a doubt. Humans have genius, and we also have turnips. My father's kennels have dogs that pick up new tricks after a few minutes, and some that need intensive training. All people and animals have a range of intelligence, why would dragons be any different."

He was impressed by her argument. He was also quickly realizing if he wanted a smart woman, he'd have to earn it. This steely green eyed beauty wasn't going to swoon at his feet if he merely smiled at her. That thought brought him up short, he hadn't really considered it, did he want...

He shrugged and pulled his mind back on track, "They wouldn't be. I can't argue with your logic, it's the rest of it that's shaky. But if you are right, that means they won't attack right? So we won't be able to find them outside of dumb luck."

The princess sighed, "That's what I'm afraid of."

He asked, "Why does that scare you?"

She shrugged as if he were being dense, "If we find and attack them, will it make them our enemies? If they've been keeping out of sight for this long, and are really that smart, they could do a lot of damage to my kingdom before they're stopped... all because..."

She growled in angry frustration, which he admitted to himself, had kind of turned him on a little bit.

He asked curiously, "You seem pretty sure about that, is there something you haven't told me that makes you believe it?"

Her eyes widened slightly at that, as if she hadn't expected him to be that perceptive, but she shook her head, "Not outside the fact that there were no sightings of dragons picking over the burned out villages, or in the sky on the trail of the mercenaries. They were only seen at the attack. That tells me they are from here, or intelligent enough to be stealthy and hide from humans completely."

He was pretty sure there was more to it, something she knew but didn't share. Still, he wasn't going to confront her on it, he'd already done that a moment ago, even if gently, and she dodged albeit with important information. Plus he didn't want to push her away.

He shook his head, "If you're right, I hope we don't find them."

She smiled lightly and tilted her head, "What about the hundred gold."

He waved that away, "It's not why I do it. I do it to protect my people, all people I guess since I'm now in your kingdom."

He didn't bother to add what he did with the gold he earned at it, he didn't tell anyone about that.

At first he thought maybe she was reading her own wishes and emotions into her theory. Some people got strange ideas and didn't understand that dragons were dangerous, and actually believed dragon slayers were just evil people being cruel to animals. Yet, her story fit the facts he'd learned just as well as the one espoused by Menneth, even more than that, she'd added facts which contradict Menneth's theory and backed hers.

Even if he believed her, which he was leaning toward, there was no one he could tell that would believe it. The king already clearly rejected her theory, Menneth held the opposition, and Derig was... well Derig.

Still, it was hard to imagine living so close to dragons in peace, and they simply didn't know enough, there was more to it that he was missing. The kingdom just wasn't that big, if they hunted game they would have been seen before now by hunters or trappers at the very least, wouldn't they? Dragons could see better in the dark, but they were still diurnal hunters. Regardless, he was very impressed with the princess.

His next words just sort of slipped out with an obvious wistfulness, "Although I might regret it, if it meant I couldn't court you."

She actually blushed and stood up, obviously flustered by the honest admiration in his voice. It was the first time he'd seen her less than perfectly poised and in control, and it only endeared her to him even more. 

Maybe this month wouldn't be so bad after all. He just hoped the dragons didn't show up tomorrow...

She cleared her throat, "Thank you for speaking to me about it."

She turned and walked toward the wall, and looked back at him and winked as she twisted the sconce and a secret door swung open.

She added almost shyly, "I think I might regret that too Sir Lance, perhaps we'll speak again soon, maybe share a walk in the gardens?"

The princess and Stephanie slipped into the passage without waiting for an answer, and the door closed with a soft click. He stared at the panel in the wall for quite a while, lost in his thoughts of the princess that had just left. Eventually, he got up off the chair and stripped down and got into the bed. It had been a long day of riding, and a lot happened since he arrived this afternoon. Yet, it took a long time before his thoughts quieted enough for sleep to claim him.

 

Chapter 5

At first he thought he was dreaming. There was a very pleasant wet and warm sensation down below, and his body arched and thrust up while he was still half asleep. The gagging sound woke him up fully, but the amazing sensation didn't stop. He'd been blown before of course, but this felt like more of a wet hot tornado working his tip with a swirl of spit, suction, and a very dexterous tongue.

He looked down to see Cirillia looking up at him with bright eyes, and his girth looked larger than ever with her little tight mouth locked around it. Her miracle tongue swirling around his tip and licking the sensitive bottom of his length, as she sucked, pulled and twisted his cock. She was working his staff with both hands at the same time in perfect synchronicity, twisting in opposite directions lightly causing... very intense stimulation. 

He grunted and thrust up hard into her mouth, causing her to gag again. He'd never met a woman yet that could get him in her throat, so he was more than satisfied when she backed up a little and merely milked and sucked him dry, her intense eyes never leaving his.

Cirillia backed off the bed when she was sure she'd gotten it all, and curtseyed.

"My lord, breakfast is in an hour," she informed him in an almost normal voice, as if she hadn't just sucked him off.

He smiled lightly and asked in a calm even tone, "Is it normal for you to suck off a noble without his permission?"

He wasn't really mad of course, he wasn't insane after all, but he wanted to have a little fun with her.

She looked down as if ashamed, "I'm sorry my lord, no it isn't. I just..."

"You just what?" he asked harshly.

She whispered in broken sentences, "You have the biggest... I just had to... see if I could," she blushed a dark crimson.

He got up out of the bed and took her by the arm, "Well, there are consequences to not asking permission."

He brought her over to the bed and bent her over the edge, drawing a gasp from her lips.

He lifted her dress up to her waist, the sexy blonde maid didn't even have under things on, and she was wet and slightly puffy already. He caressed her ass softly, then brought his hand up and spanked her. Not too hard, but it drew a gasp. He caressed her now reddened cheek with his fingertips, drawing a moan of pleasure from her lips.

He spanked her again, harder this time, and she cried out in pleasure and pain. He could see her glistening labia, almost dripping now and he licked his lips before spanking her hard one more time. He knew she was close to orgasm, as her body trembled under his other hand. She must have really been enjoying sucking him off if she was in this state after three spanks. 

His patience with teasing her ran out when the smell of her arousal reached his nose, he couldn't wait anymore. He dropped to his knees, and licked her lightly up her slit, and then when he moved back down he flicked her clit with his tongue as he spanked her hard again.

Her scream of ecstasy was cut off as her body locked up and bucked in pleasure. He opened his mouth and sucked on her pussy hard, drinking in the sweet taste of her liquid silken pleasure. He made a moaning noise of approval at her taste, and then licked up her slit, across her taint, and teased her puckered hole with his tongue. All while sliding two fingers into her tight wet passage.

She pushed back against him, so he spanked her hard and told her to be still.

He went back to rimming her sweet little ass as he pumped his fingers in and out of her, once he found her g-spot it was easy to get her to orgasm in bliss again as he slid his tongue past her sphincter, rubbed her g-spot, and flicked her clit with a free finger. He didn't stop, bringing her through the orgasm and extending it the best he knew how.

When she came down she gasped, "My lord..."

He stood up, lined up his now very hard cock and plunged it in. She was more than ready and more than wet enough for him to slide into her very tight, but very slippery passage. He still buried himself slowly that first time, stretching her out in stages, but once he was in he started to ravage her pleasure fast and hard with every pump of his body.

Her moans, gasps, her desperate grasping of the sheets, and the way she called his name caused him to go faster, slap their bodies together harder, and she matched him, thrusting her hips back as best she could in that position. Her tight young ass shook enticingly every time their bodies met, and he plunged one of the fingers still wet with her arousal into her spittle covered puckered star.

Apparently Cirillia like that a lot, because she started bucking her whole body back against him, and she went into a beautiful orgasm underneath his plunging manhood and finger as he took both her holes. Her back arched, and her breathing stopped all together after a sharp gasp of pleasure, her body trembled under him, and around him as she milked and squeezed him.

He was undone by that erotic sight, and the sensations her body was causing his manhood. He slammed into her two more times, slow and hard, and continued pressing his body tightly against hers, pressing her hard into the bed, as if desperately trying to get deeper inside her despite being buried to the hilt, as he emptied his seed into her warm and wet grasping sex.

When he recovered, he pulled out and pulled her dress down. She was a bit unsteady on her feet so he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She looked up at him with a well fucked look, and her mouth was open as if she couldn't quite believe what he'd done. Typical nobles didn't service the maids with their mouths after all, much less lick their asshole with abandon.

He put a hand behind her head and kissed her softly. When she seemed steady he released her and looked her in the eyes.

He said sternly, "If you think to take liberties from my person without asking again, expect similar repercussions in the future."

She looked worried for a second, until she worked out what he'd said, and then she smiled shyly. 

He couldn't hold the stern look anymore anyway, the young lady was too sexy and adorable, he was fighting a smile at the corners of his mouth.

He added, "Oh and Cirillia, draw a bath will you. We need to hurry if I don't want to arrive at breakfast wearing your wonderful fragrance. Plus, I imagine you want to clean up too."

She bowed her head, "As you wish my lord," and took her dress completely off as she walked toward the tub and turned on the water.

He left Cirillia to clean up after the bath. He got dressed, made sure his hair was straight, and left for the dining hall. He stopped suddenly concerned when he heard Lara's unmistakable voice let out a yell of frustration. Then he heard loud voices arguing behind the door, he recognized the other as her mother.

Lara ground out, "Mom, I know but... he's a good man, every one of my senses and my mind agrees. I felt the way you said I would, exactly, and I want to pursue it."

He felt strangely jealous hearing that.

Gwen growled, "It's too dangerous, he's a dragon slayer for god sake. Daughter have you lost your mind?" the question underwent an impressive crescendo of sound and tone.

Mother like daughter apparently...

His heart skipped as he finally worked it out, they were talking about him. He felt dirty like he'd violated their trust somehow and moved away. Once he'd verified there was no danger, it had only been his jealousy that she'd met someone else that had kept him at the door for even that one reply. The argument faded away as his mind raced. 

Lara felt something for him? How was that possible, they'd barely met. Of course, he was already captivated with her as well and couldn't wait to learn more of her. That she'd be a handful and was stubborn on top of what he already knew about her, which was that she was intelligent and incomparably beautiful, only made it better.

The queen's concern about him being a dragon slayer was confusing at first, but he guessed because the survival rate of those who hunted dragons was so low. Now that he thought about it, a lot of his fellow dragon slayers were a little rough around the edges, adrenaline junkies, and possibly a little touched in the head. She didn't know him, so maybe she thought he was cut from the same cloth.




The Dragon Slayer...



He wondered if he was similarly afflicted, the crazy never know do they, but he didn't think so. He didn't go after dragons for the thrill of the hunt, or the kill. He went after dragons so more orphans wouldn't be made, and more parents wouldn't lose their children, or the whole town for that matter. That's why he fought, and the gold he earned, went to orphanages and other rebuilding projects.

He could relate after all, it'd been a dragon that made him an orphan.

He didn't think that was so big a deal, giving the money away wasn't a big sacrifice. He was a baron that received taxes from two towns, and kept half of that before sending the rest to Duchess Katherine. There was usually plenty left after he paid the soldiers and workers he needed in all the towns and his keep. No, he was generous he thought, but not selfless. He was still a very rich man after all.

So he kept it secret, he didn't want to be applauded for it.

He shook the heavy thoughts out of his head as he walked into the dining hall. Dinner time was when the joint meal at the king's table happened, and he didn't see anyone he knew from yesterday, so right now he just sat at one of the smaller tables. The servants brought out a selection of breakfast foods without him even asking, as well as apple cider.

The sausages were so good he didn't hear the woman walk up to him until she cleared her throat. That's twice in as many days a woman snuck up on him. He really did need to work on his situational awareness, even if he wasn't out in the field.

He looked up at the woman. She looked a year or two older than him, which was still young, maybe twenty six or seven. She was a decently attractive Brunette with large doe eyes, and she was wearing the same maid staff uniform Cirillia did.

When she had his attention she smiled slightly, which transformed her face from decently to very attractive. She handed him a note and murmured a 'my lord' under her breath before curtseying and walking away.

He opened the note, and it was from the princess asking him to meet with her in the gardens after he finished his breakfast. He wondered if that meant she was sneaking around to meet him, and if it was her mother, father, or both that she was going around. Not that it mattered, he wouldn't even consider not going, as he didn't want to court her parents after all, just her.

Of course, if he wanted to come close enough to touch at some point he would need the King's permission to court her. So it was a concern.

He did feel a little nervous, but he was confident enough despite that, thanks to his eavesdropping. It was just he'd dreamed of meeting a woman like her for years, the gentry normally don't turn out strong independent minded intelligent woman. What he was nervous about, was he wasn't sure now that he'd met one, if she'd see him as worthy of her. It wasn't something he'd ever considered before.

He finished breakfast and got directions from a passing servant and made his way to the gardens. It was a bigger place than he expected, but not that big. He found her in the third row of flowers and just stared for a moment. She had a light yellow dress on that covered much more than it showed, it was closed up all the way from her neck to calves, but the few places it subtly conformed to her body were... breathtaking.

He decided he better speak before he went past admiring into creepy, and smiled slightly at the thought. That's when he finally noticed Stephanie who was about ten feet further down sniffing at a rose, wearing a similar dress but in light pink.

"Good morning Princess Lara, Stephanie," he said in his relaxed tenor voice as he approached and stopped when he was about ten feet away.

She smiled up at him, "I was hoping Meredith would find you."

"Meredith? The maid?"

She nodded, "She has the same job as Cirillia, but on the royal side."

He said with a smile and admiring eyes, "If it isn't too forward, may I say you look beautiful this morning."

She tilted her head at him, "And what if it was, not... that it is. But isn't it already too late?"

He laughed, "I'm afraid so, and any apology I could offer at that point would have been entirely insincere. I may as well apologize for stating the sky is blue."

Stephanie giggled drawing both their glances, and the princess blushed.

She looked at him a little defiantly and said, "And if this rose has thorns?"

"Then I would value it even more. What good is beauty alone..." he cut off that sentence and asked, "Would you find it acceptable if I asked your father his leave to court you?"

She shook her head and stared at him, as if trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Shouldn't you be asking him first?"

He nodded his head, "Normally that would be the way of it. But if you hold no interest and your father says yes, even pushes me forward..."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "I don't need your help to fight my battles."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, because this was going to be even more fun than he thought.

"Of course not princess, but I would find myself churlish to be the cause of such a fight if you had no desire to know me better."

She thought about that for a moment, and he wondered if she would let him have it. Finally she smiled at him in a way that scrambled his mind. He was pretty sure he didn't start drooling though, which was a plus. It was an unfair move on her part and he was glad he didn't have his sword, he may have fell on it at that moment, had she but asked.

She said sweetly, "I'll withhold my answer for now sir knight, until you have permission from my father."

She whispered some words under her breath and he felt the magic spread out in a circle. He wasn't that strong with magic, but he was strong enough to feel her strength, and she was powerful.

He asked curiously, "What was that?"

She smiled and bit her lip nervously, "Privacy, I was just curious if you've thought about what we discussed last night."

He frowned, "A little yes. The idea is disturbing to me."

She tilted her head and looked into his eyes, "In what way?"

He blew out a breath, "Every dragon I've killed has attacked a town, gone feral and destroyed lives and families before I tracked it down. And then when I face it, it attacks me immediately with cunning savagery. I don't know... I don't think I could attack one who was innocent of that, who didn't attack me first."

She asked softly, "And why is that disturbing?"

He looked at her and shrugged, "What's the difference between attacking an innocent creature myself, or simply watching a lowlife like Derig kill it. I honestly don't see one, and what's disturbing is I'm not sure if I could stop it. Even Derig, whom I despise... I'd be hunted down for attacking a peer of my kingdom in defense of a dragon, the entire idea is... insane."

She blinked with a thoughtful look on her face, "You thought that through farther than I'd expected."

He shrugged, "Tactics, you have to know what you're going to do in every step of a hunt or fight, how to react when something goes sideways, or your dead. It's a simple progression of logic from your point of view last night. That's why I'm hoping either you're wrong, or if you're right that we don't find them. Maybe I'll just yell and charge in like a greenhorn and hope they run."

He wasn't quite sure why he trusted her this much. He'd known her for less than a day, had maybe a half hours worth of face to face conversation. Yet here he was admitting doubt and discussing plans of deliberately sabotaging her father's hunt. There'd be no excuse for that, he'd seen nobles have innocent commoners hanged for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which in his mind was infinitely worse than simply slaughtering an innocent animal.

Yet... he didn't want to let Lara down.

He asked, "Did you have any additional insights..."

He left it open, knowing she knew more but not quite what, was it strange that he still trusted her? She was confrontational, maybe that was why, because she didn't wheedle and practice the deceits of politics. He knew exactly where he stood, and that seemed to change from moment to moment making things very interesting. No, he'd never be bored if he could capture this one.

She shook her head, "But I think your chances are good if you get my father's permission."

That made him wonder, was the dragon issue that important to her that he'd just gained more of her regard for what he said? Could she be hiding where they were? That's impossible, how could she know? He didn't know what else she could be holding back, she wouldn't hold back proof, only something that would endanger them, and only until she fully trusted him.

But could he ever be trusted truly? He was a knight, a baron, and a dragon slayer. But his oaths only covered protecting the people by destroying dragons that had a taste for attacking humans.

He might be over thinking it, he supposed it could just be her switching conversation trails to avoid answering.

"I'll make that a high priority."

She blushed again, probably at the intense sincerity in his voice. She took a step toward him with a look of... a conflicting mélange on her face. Wonder, curiosity, confusion, even arousal... but stopped and stepped back in confusion when Stephanie cleared her throat. 

He couldn't be mad at the girl for it, she was doing her job, protecting the princess's reputation, and her innocence. No, he didn't blame Stephanie, and it was good to know he was having an effect on Lara as well.

Or perhaps virginity was more accurate than innocence. Her comparing Meredith to Cirillia earlier had a knowing tone about it that spoke to experience. She was a healthy eighteen after all, and there was also Stephanie at her side. The young woman was attractive, and helped bath and dress the princess every day. Only a stone could be immune to that and Lara was no stone, she had fire and passion a plenty.

He cut off that train of thought when he felt his body start to respond to his insightful or perhaps wishful thoughts. The last thing he needed was a tent in his pants right now.

She said softly, "I must go, or tongues will wag, especially with a privacy shield up around the three of us for so long. I look forward to our next encounter."

"As do I princess," he said with a smile.

 

Chapter 6

It took time to get a private audience with the king, but two hours later after his heels had sufficiently cooled, he was allowed into the king's august presence. Queen Gwen was also in the room looking at him suspiciously, which really wasn't helping him keep his calm.

The king was friendly, so he tried to focus on him.

"So what did you need to see me about?"

He cleared his throat, "Your majesty, I am here to request permission to court your daughter."

The smile left the king's face.

"I see, and why is that? You only met her a day ago."

He smiled, "I've spoken to her, from a respectful distance, in the gardens. I find her refreshing."

The king frowned, "You realize she is opinionated, quick to disagree, and never backs down?"

His smile got wider as he nodded, "Yes, your majesty."

The king laughed, "Very well. I think I had the same besotted face the moment I met my queen and she put me in my place. My daughter may be even more stubborn. You have my permission, hell, if you can talk her into marriage consider that blessed by me as well. Be warned though, I won't push her into anything, would be a fool's errand to even try, so good luck."

He tried to suppress his grin and failed, but the king just waved him out. When he turned to the door, he noticed that Gwen wasn't nearly so happy, in fact, she was glaring at him with deadly intensity. He felt uneasy about it when he left the king's rooms and walked toward his guest room. He knew if they got married, they'd be moving back to his barony, but still, the look of loathing on the queen's face had actually shaken him.

He knew it would be a minefield to win Lara's heart, but his future mother, or so he hoped, was a huge wrinkle he didn't see coming. Although he really should have, her and her daughter had been arguing over him this morning, he'd just forgotten about it until now, the princess seemed to have that effect on him. By the time he got back to his room though he decided she would be worth almost any price. Although for the most part with the king's permission, the decision was between him and the princess, he wasn't foolish enough to believe Gwen couldn't cause them major trouble.

He'd have to find a way to win the queen over too... but didn't even know where to start.

At lunchtime he enjoyed a meal and was pleased when Meredith stopped by the table with another note. This time the princess wanted to meet him by the stables for a ride in the king's forest, a few hundred acres of land behind the castle that was for the exclusive use of the king's family and their retainers.

Derig dropped into the seat across from him, wiping the smile off his face.

"Sir Derig," he grated out, "How nice to see you."

Derig frowned at him, "This isn't over, I don't know how you won over that frigid princess so fast but..."

He started laughing and raised an eyebrow, "Frigid? I'd have said fiery. Perhaps she just doesn't care for your company," he waved that away, "Besides, this isn't a competition to me, she's not a prize to be won."

Derig's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Just remember what I said Baron Spears, this isn't over."

He didn't deign to reply to the thinly veiled threat, and just started to finish off the rest of his meal. He honestly didn't care about the man's intentions, he wasn't sure of the princess for himself yet, but he knew the man in front of him had no chance. Besides, he didn't want even the slightest indication or rumor to start that they were competing over a woman, he was sure the princess would not be amused.

"Good day Sir Derig," he said glibly.

Derig turned red in the face at his brusque dismissal, as an Earl he'd no choice but to take it as an order. The oily knight stood and marched off.

By the time Lance was halfway to the stables, his good mood had returned. When he saw the princess, his mouth dropped open for a moment. She was saddling a horse, and it wasn't a side saddle. The breeches she had on were disturbingly tight, in a good way, and showed her shapely waist, hips, and her sexy ass.

She turned and smiled at him while he was still fifty feet away, he hadn't realized he'd been making so much noise.

He smiled, "Princess, you look... absolutely scandalizing, and perfect."

She grinned unrepentantly, "Why thank you Sir knight. What a high compliment..."

Her eyes widened a little when he didn't stop, but walked up to her until they were but a foot apart. He looked deeply into her eyes which were a bit flustered and he smiled wider. Courting couples were allowed closer contact, even touching... as long as the clothes stayed on.

"Princess, I have your father's permission, may I court you?"

She said a little breathlessly, "Please... I mean, yes, yes you may... Lance."

He couldn't help it, he reached out and brushed the soft skin of her cheek, and leaned in for a chaste kiss. She was absolutely mesmerizing to him, and the idea she felt the same way caused his libido to respond more strongly than ever before, but he was determined to do it right, one chaste kiss on those soft generous silken lips and he'd pull away.

Except, that isn't what happened. When their lips met her body was suddenly plastered against him shamelessly. Then she conformed her body to his and they fit together perfectly. He felt her supple toned body against his and heard a sigh of desire escape her from between her slightly parted lips. The kiss was anything but chaste. For a moment, he forgot he could be easily seen from anywhere around, all that existed were Lara's magical lips and the feel of her body against his.

Then he heard someone clear a throat, then louder. But that didn't make sense to him and he ignored it. Then he heard a soft voice that tinkled with mirth.

"Enough you two."

They broke apart and looked at Stephanie both sheepishly and guiltily, the young woman laughed at them. It was the first time he'd heard her voice, and it was as soft and cute as she was.

He cleared his throat, "I'll just... get my horse."

The princess laughed, "Good idea, perhaps being astride our horses will keep us out of trouble."

He muttered loudly enough to be heard, "I certainly hope not," and was rewarded by both their laughter.

They rode for most of the afternoon, swapping back and forth asking questions. He told her all about his holdings, and what he could provide for her. He also found himself opening up like he never had with anyone else, and spoke of his motivations and even his programs he supported with the gold rewards from the dragon slaying.

He learned quite a bit too. She did give him advice about her mother, to simply be himself and once the queen learned who he was, instead of just what, that it would turn out okay. He was willing to take the advice, but the implementation might be difficult. He didn't think the queen would stomach his presence, based on this morning's look, long enough to actually get to know him.

She added with a wink, "Besides Lance, if you weren't a dragon slayer, we would never have met. I find that prospect unappetizing."

She also told him about growing up here, and how much she and her father had butted heads over the years. It probably wasn't funny at the time, but the stories she told had them both laughing, they could even hear Stephanie's laughter as she followed them from a respectful distance.

He was, he decided by the end of the ride, quite a goner. To him, there was no other choice, he would earn her hand in marriage, or... he didn't know. He also reminded himself he could only use her name in private, in public it was princess, or Princess Lara. He'd gotten comfortable with their new... intimacy of sharing their common names over their long afternoon ride.

He also wondered how long he should wait before asking for her hand. It wouldn't do to be unseemly hasty, but he also didn't want her to get away. There was perhaps one more reason, he couldn't wait to get his fiery princess in his bed. He felt both guilty and excited by the prospect.

As soon as they rode back into the open field by the stables, the smile fell off his face and he looked around worriedly. The stables were a beehive of activity as soldiers waited their turn to get to their horse and mount up. Something was wrong. He rode up quickly and asked a soldier what was going on.

The soldier said, "Dragon was spotted taking a wild boar in the forest. The scouts saw which direction it went and were able to track it to a specific set of caves in the mountains. The king ordered fifty soldiers to accompany you and Sir Derig to track down and slay the beast."

I looked over at the princess expecting to see worry. She was... livid with anger, so much so he moved his horse back a step. She noticed the movement and her face softened when she looked at him.

"The dragon didn't attack humans," she said shortly.

He understood her whole argument from that. She didn't want him to kill the dragon, but... how could he accomplish that. He rode up close to her and took her hand, his eyes making a promise that he'd do his best to figure something out, no more. If the dragon attacked them, there'd be nothing he could do.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Be careful."

He could see the anger in her emerald eyes, but didn't understand its target. He'd have expected her to be worried, worried about him and possibly the dragon, the anger just didn't fit what he knew. He got the sense she wanted to say more, wanted to tell him what she'd been holding back. But she shook her head and rode off back into the woods, Stephanie following behind.




The Dragon Slayer...



What had she been angry about, or who? He watched her disappear into the trees and shook his head, she was obviously upset, and he wanted to chase after her, but he couldn't. He had a duty.

 

Chapter 7

He rode with the captain of the guards and Sir Berig in the van of the group. There were fifty soldiers following them, and he wished there weren't, even more though, he wished that Sir Berig wasn't here. The idea of finding a peaceful way out of this seemed ludicrous, but he trusted Lara... even if she didn't quite trust him yet.

They rode with purpose for over three hours, yet he was no closer to figuring anything out than at the start. The pieces as he knew them just didn't fit, and he was worried. He worried about the princess, the men behind him, and even the idiot at his side. On top of all that, he'd had to endure Sir Berig's constant boasts of how he would destroy the dragon himself, and win the princess away from him with his valor. 

It was completely absurd just how clueless the man riding at his side was, and he didn't even try to educate the man. They hated each other too much for that. They found the scout group exactly where they'd expected, at the foot of a mountain with multiple caves on the face of it. They stopped and dismounted. He, the captain, and Sir Berig joined the scouts.

The Captain barked, "Report sergeant!"

One of the men stepped forward, "Yes sir. We've been watching sir, and the dragon hasn't left the cave we saw it fly into but... there is more sir. About two hours ago a smaller dragon showed up sir, it looked exactly the same as the large one, same colored scales and eerie glowing green eyes sir, except it was about a third of the size."

Sir Berig grunted, "Which cave Sergeant?"

The sergeant cleared his throat, "Beg your pardon sir knight, but I wasn't done reporting."

The Captain waved him on. 

"Well, when the little one went in sir... it sounded like they fought. Loud roars, even some fire came out of the cave sir. Sir, I have a touch of the magic sir, and I felt some mighty strong magic as well sir."

Lance asked, "What do you think happened sergeant?"

The man shrugged, "No idea why they were fighting sir, it lasted a good fifteen minutes, followed by silence for the last two hours," he pointed at a cave almost at the top of the mountain, "That one up there sir, it will be a hell of a climb, there are no passable trails."

Sir Berig frowned, "I think your men should stay here, engage the dragon if we fail and it comes out. We should be able to handle it, either of us, alone."

He asked, "Against two dragons?"

Sir Berig snorted, "Maybe one of them killed the other."

He shook his head, "More likely the young one was throwing a tantrum."

Sir Berig looked at Lance like he'd lost his mind, "Like a teen and a parent?"

"Why not? The big one seems to be raising the small one right?"

Sir Berig laughed, "I think you've been hit in the head by one too many dragon claws Sir Lance, but I guess we'll find out."

The captain said crisply, "I'll take your advice Sir Berig, my men and I will stand ready if one escapes," then walked away and started to deploy his men.

He shrugged, "Let's get to it."

He muttered a spell under his breath and started climbing. Falling wasn't a concern, both he and Sir Berig had enough magic to ease the climb, and if they did fall, to cushion their landing. No, all the danger would be when they got to the top. Dragon claws weren't designed for delicate work, but they had magic to burn that could manipulate the environment. He wondered what kind of traps this one set to protect its lair.

He also wondered if he would hesitate and finally die. Hesitation wouldn't be a good thing, how did one even parley with a dragon? It'd never come up before. Plus with Sir Berig along, that would just make it all harder. Figures, he finally found the woman of his dreams, and was probably going to die from some fool stunt on her behalf.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She'd merely solidified his misgivings. These dragons hadn't yet attacked a human outside of a group of blood thirsty mercenaries, he wouldn't be doing this at all except for the king's insistence they must be killed. Even before he'd spoken to the princess, this whole mission had felt a little off.

As they got closer to the top he purged all the feelings from his mind, they would get him killed. He became the dragon slayer, the warrior he was. He'd do what he had to and just hope for the best, he wouldn't really have time to think once he got up there. He'd simply go with his gut.

He pulled himself over the lip of the cave and stood, a few seconds later Sir Berig joined him. It was infantile, but he couldn't help it.

"I win," he grinned.

Sir Berig growled, "Very funny, get your head right, because I certainly won't save your ass."

He shook his head, "Be careful Berig. If your insults get too obvious I'd have no choice but to challenge, I'd hate to have to duel you in a dragon cave."

Berig sneered and removed his arbalest from his back. The thing was magical, and the bolts it shot were impressive. Berig's armor wasn't fireproof, but if he hit a dragon in the head with that thing, he didn't need to be.

They both put on their helms and did one more armor check.

He got his own sword out and they started into the cave. When it started to get too dark, they both cast a small light spell and continued in. He didn't sense any magic, or see any physical traps... yet. They came to a fork and traded glances, without a word Berig went right and he went left. It wasn't lost on him that the way to the right was smaller, much less likely for a dragon to easily fit through, but not impossible.

He walked another thirty feet, studying the ground, walls, and ceiling of the large cave as the incline descended slightly down into the mountain. Ahead, he could feel the power of a ward, and approached cautiously. The ward was offensive in nature, but he trusted his armor and stepped forward to trip it.

The trap sprung, and his armor would have taken the heat of the fire, but it wasn't aimed at him. It was aimed at the roof of the tunnel behind him, which started to shake.

He cursed, "Shit," and ran forward as fast as he could.

He made it about twenty feet when the tunnel collapsed behind him. He'd avoided being crushed, but he was trapped now unless he could find another way out. He dare not call out, and he doubted Berig would help him anyway. He continued forward more cautiously, but didn't detect further traps. The large cave started to open up both wider and taller until he reached a large cavern that must have been the center of the mountain.

The light from his spell didn't reach the other side, but it reached far enough to make out the dragon. It was black as night, with glowing green eyes. He took another cautious step into the cavern, and the shifting light from the spell caused the black scales to gleam. He could also see it wasn't all black, there was blue in there too, which seemed to coruscate around the dragon's body as the light moved.

It was kind of beautiful... and reminded him of something but he couldn't nail down what.

He just stood there for a moment, with his sword up. Normally a dragon would simply pounce at that point, or bathe him in fire. Yet, they stood there staring at each other. 

"Umm, hello," he ventured brilliantly.

The dragon growled low in its throat and its head rose high causing him to flinch, damn but it was a big one, but the dragon still didn't attack. It felt so surreal to him standing there. He lowered his sword slightly and studied the dragon before him.

"So... what now?"

The dragon growled again, this time it sounded almost frustrated, like it wanted him to attack. He shook his head in amazement and looked up right into its eyes. He could see it in its piercing green eyes, the anger, contempt, and loathing. He stepped back from the ferocity of it, but didn't raise his sword. The look in the dragon's eyes struck a familiar chord inside him and he gasped as everything solidified in his mind.

All the different clues, everything that had happened added up to one thing. But it was insane, impossible. But even though they were glowing, he recognized the dragon's striking emerald green eyes that were filled with such loathing earlier this morning.

And the scales... he had noticed the way the light from the sun had reflected blue off of the princesses jet black hair as they rode, hair just like her mother's.

He thought this must be a test of sorts, of course, if he was wrong and it was a way to get him killed to keep him away from Lara, he was dead.

He sheathed his sword and dropped on one knee.

He cleared his throat, "Well your majesty, what now?"

The dragon narrowed its eyes, growled low, and looked to be readying to pounce.

 

Chapter 8

Then he heard a voice he knew well, that spoke to his heart, but it also sounded incredibly angry.

"Don't you dare do it mother. He has passed your stupid test. If you eat my mate I will find a way to destroy you."

He'd already figured out that if the queen was a dragon that could... shift into a human woman somehow. Then the second dragon would be Lara, the woman he'd fallen so hard and fast for, but it still came as a shock. He remembered all the times Lara showed her stubbornness, strength, and intelligence. There'd also been a... untamable wildness to her.

He didn't understand at the time, but when he'd stepped his horse back at the angry look on Lara's face, or when the queen's glare had shaken him, it's because his fight or flight response had kicked in. Damn, that would make his life really exciting, wouldn't it?

As far as how he felt about her being a dragoness... well, he was shocked of course. But he wasn't disgusted by the idea, actually, he found it turned him on a bit. After all, she was wild and unconquerable, and she was his by her choice. Mate she'd called him? He wished he could see her.

It explained everything of course, kind of. He still had questions, if he came out of this alive. But it was the queen who had destroyed the mercenaries, saving that town, protecting her kingdom. But by doing that, she had exposed herself and her own husband was having her hunted. But it made no sense, why didn't the king know? He had a feeling the answer to that was tied up in this... test of hers.

"Are you okay my love?"

The dragon in front of him hissed, but he heard Lara's laughter.

"I'm fine Lance, my mother wouldn't hurt me after all, I'm merely held by her spells. I'm sorry about this, she's overprotective of me and well, she wanted to make sure you could handle knowing, and that you weren't a man who would attack just any dragon simply because it exists. Her mate couldn't, handle it that is, she had to... remove the memories of it from his mind. She loves my father, but he can never know and that causes her pain."

He nodded and stood, and started walking toward the voice.

He said softly, "And she doesn't want you to live with the same pain that she does?"

He heard the cracking of bones behind him, then the queen's voice, "No... I didn't want that for her. Considering your choice of occupation being a dragon slayer, can you blame me? For what it's worth, you have a mother's blessing."

He finally reached Lara, and the spells surrounding her dissolved from his armor's touch, as he walked through them. He pulled off his helmet and claimed her smiling lips for a kiss. An unfortunately chaste kiss, considering he was in full plate armor.

He asked curiously, "So how does this dragon mate thing work?"

She smiled, her eyes sparkling, "It's simple, you're mine and I am yours. If you can handle what I am," she said sounding a little unsure.

He laughed, "That easy? So you'll marry me then my love?"

Her emerald eyes started to tear, and she said softly, "Yes my love, I will."

They were so lost in each other's eyes he was startled when Gwen spoke behind him.

"The king, my husband is a very good man. He was destined to be my mate, and I his. But... you do know the king had a previous queen, that Daniel is not my son?"

He turned in surprise, pulling Lara around with him, "No, what happened."

She shook her head and got tears in her eyes, "Like the dragons you've hunted, there was a feral red that attacked one of the villages, one the queen just happened to be visiting that day. He loves me, I know he does, but he hates dragons with a passion for that reason. I... am sorry I misjudged you."

He nodded, "Forgiven easily your majesty. Your daughter is very special, and worth more than every bit of trouble. Now, how do we get out of here, and what's the plan. You know that idiot Berig is bumbling around somewhere inside the mountain, and there are fifty soldiers outside."

She laughed and wiped her tears, "Idiot Berig, nice description of the odious man. Berig was caught in one of my traps. I'll tell you where and how to get him out and make it to the cave below the one you came in. Then Lara and I will sneak out the other side of the mountain, and I'll collapse all my traps at once. We'll wait for cover of night before flying back to the castle, no one will see us and we'll arrive hours before you do.

"The only problem is what do you tell everyone about the dragons? You can't claim to have killed us, we might need to... intervene again in the future. I wouldn't have been able to bear that town's destruction."

He shrugged, "I'll tell them we fought, leaving out the part about only with words, and that the dragons went farther into the mountain, and that there was a cave in. All true... but misleading. That will prick my conscience, but as we can't let anyone find out about you two, I don't see as I have any choice."

She shook her head, "You could tell the truth."

He snorted and waved that away, "And betray the woman I love and her mother? My conscience will survive the subterfuge, but I'd destroy myself doing the other."

The queen stepped forward and hugged him, and said in simply gratitude, "Thank you. I'd ask you to call me Gwen, but tongues would wag."

He was glad he was still in the armor; he might have enjoyed the hug a little too much if he hadn't been. After all, she looked a lot like her daughter.

He winked when she stepped back, "Of course your majesty."

He had a suspicious thought, "Wait, is Stephanie a red dragon? How many of you are there?"

Gwen smiled, "what makes you think that?"

"Well, your daughter rode off into the forest, and I assume changed and flew here, passing us on the way. But I can't figure out how she would have ditched her minder. And well, Stephanie does have that very bright red hair..."

Lara smacked his armor and looked up at him with sparkling eyes, "You're too smart for your own good, and there are more of us than you'd believe, but less than you fear."

He nodded and dropped it. He understood, they trusted him with her life and her mother's, because he was her mate. They wouldn't however hand the identities over for their entire race, and he didn't blame them for it.

He smiled, "Let's get to it."

 

Chapter 9

"Do you think they fled?" the king asked.

He shook his head, "It's hard to say your majesty. If the cave in happened before they went out some other way, they would probably be dead, but there is no way to know without digging up the whole mountain. It wouldn't hurt to keep the patrols going another month or so, and if there are no sightings..."

Menneth added, "I could try another divination your majesty, I'm sure it would have worked unless the dragons are dead or have fled the kingdom. It does seem rather likely given what we know."

He hid a smile. When they found out about Menneth's plan to cast the spell when he arrived a few hours earlier, the queen and Lara had snuck into his room and worn some of his armor, and the divination spell had failed to find them.

The king nodded, "I'd have liked to see proof of their demise, but it sounds like they won't be a problem anymore, unless something changes and they come back. I'll take your council Sir Lance, and keep up the patrols for a time. I hope you'll be staying for a while, just in case?"

He smiled, "Of course your majesty, but I have a more important reason than the dragons, I'm quite taken with the princess and hope it won't be long until certain plans are made."

The king smiled slyly, "Not too quickly sir knight, I assume if you can manage it, you'll be off for your Barony when that happens? Especially since Sir Berig has taken off, why is that anyway?"

He grinned, "I will be guided by you, but even so, I wouldn't abandon you until you felt comfortable that the dragons were no longer a danger to your kingdom. As far as Sir Berig, the trap he was in... let's just say he has no intention of ever even chancing across that dragon again."

He cringed a little inside, the king was a good man and he hated to mislead him, but he'd do anything to keep Lara safe. Stretching a few truths seemed paltry in comparison. Besides, the truth was his kingdom was safer with those two particular dragons, than without them. 

He and Lara hadn't spread the fact he'd already asked for her hand, and been accepted, simply because for most it would seem way to fast.

The king nodded, "I thank you for that, and as I said earlier, if you can win her heart and get her to agree, you have my blessing. Now, I think it's quite late enough and we've exhausted the possibilities in this discussion. I keep expecting to see false dawn peek into the windows."

He bowed, "Good night your majesty," took his leave, and made his way back to his room.

He woke at the sound of a click and looked toward the door. Nothing, so he looked toward the secret door, his mouth dropped open when the princess came into the room without her ever present shadow, Stephanie.

She was wearing a flowing night gown of light blue silk that clung to her body in ways that scrambled his mind. The material was also obviously partially translucent, but had so many layers he couldn't see anything the dress promised to show. If its intent was seduction, it was succeeding admirably.

"Lara," he said softly, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Her long black hair shimmered in the torchlight with hints of blue, so beautiful, and a constant reminder of the color of her scales in her other form. Her green eyes were bright, and sparkled with a hint of mischief.

She whispered back, "Lance," and the way she said his name sent shivers of desire down his spine. 

He was also aware he was naked under the covers as his cock stirred at the vision before him.

"Why..."

She tilted her head, "Am I here? Because I'm here to claim you as mine, my dragon demands it, she has waited too long already."

"Does that mean..."

She smiled and walked over to the bed, bending down over him, yet didn't touch him, "Yes, it means exactly what you hope it means. You know, I can smell your desire, though you're a gentleman to try and hide it. I love the way you look at me, the way you caress me with your eyes, it makes me... excited. Besides, I'm dying to find out if all the stories are true, I hope they are as this is my first time with a man."

He gaped up at her for a second, her eyes locked on his from so close. He felt dizzy from her scent and her beauty. He reached out and tentatively ran his hand along her sides down to her hips above the silky gown, then back up her side and cupped her cheek. His manhood was already at full staff.

He whispered, "Stories?"

She laughed a little sultrily, "Oh yes, stories. You don't think the maids talk? They're all terribly jealous of Cirillia, and plotting ways to arrange for you to give them a tumble. I think however they will be disappointed, you are mine after this night, do you agree? I'd hate to have to kill them," she finished fiercely, and he knew she meant it. More than that, it turned him on.