"You know not of who and what I am, I am the Dragon princess, and you are a lowly peasant, and you WILL respect me!" Shego boomed with her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
The man dressed in rags stood and wiped the blood from his lip gingerly with the back of his hand, and raised his head to look her square in the eyes, "I will not bow down to that which cannot fight."
Shego's lip raised in a snarl, but quickly shifted to a sadistic smile as she asked her next question, "With what do you fight, filth?"
"I fight with the earth." He replied with little to no emotion.
"Good, you're exactly what I need, some practice." She raised her voice, "since you have dishonored me, a member of the noble house, I challenge you to a duel, where you will have the chance to determine the validity of your foul words." The corner of her mouth raised in a half smile as murmurs began rising throughout the gathered crowd.
The man gave a smile full of disdain and nodded his head with a quiet grunt, "I accept your challenge. What prize shall await the victor?" He asked, with arrogance falling from his tone.
Shego closed her eyes and smiled fully, replying, "The victor shall have all the respect, honor, and valor they wish to command; no one dare raise a hand against them." She opened her eyes when she knew she'd trapped the fly in her complex web.
The man nodded, satisfied with her answer. "That is a prize worth dying for." He gingerly extended his hand to her, with a pained expression upon his face.
"And so you shall." She whispered to herself, as she extended her own hand and grasped his. She watched methodically as the man retracted his hand and walked away, pushing a path through the onlookers to his wife, who waited with her face marred by worry. When she was confident the man was well out of sight, Shego turned to her head of security and wiped her hand on his black and purple uniform with a distasteful expression on her face, as if the very plague were trying to take refuge in her skin. She began strutting away quickly as the man and his honor guard followed her at a brisk pace, a small smile played about on her lips as she thought of wiping the floor with the filth she had just encountered.
"Mistress!" Her guard captain whispered to her as he struggled to keep up with her tall stride, "Are you certain that that was a wise decision? Your instructor has told you countless times-"
"-Did you see the beautiful woman who stood in the crowd? She was magnificent…" Shego looked dreamily out into the distance ahead of her.
"Which woman, princess? There were many." He replied, rather puzzled."
"The one with flaming red hair, you dolt." Her lip rose in disdain, she found herself constantly surrounded by fools.
"Oh, that one, yes ma'am, I saw her. I never thought I'd be able to see her again, it feels like ages ago since that strange day…" He replied with a wistful smile. Shego stopped and stared directly into his eyes with a feral glare, he was completely dumbstruck as her pupils narrowed to black dagger-like blades.
"You will not lay so much as a finger on her, you impudent worm." She snarled, her fists clenching tightly and her teeth extending slightly, then she regained her composure and continued in a more pleasant tone, "Is that clear, captain Stoppable?"
He stared into her eyes for but a moment longer and he could hear her begin a reptilian growl in the base of her throat, then he looked away quickly, searching for anything to focus on, before finally replying, "Yes, my mistress."
She smiled and her eyes reverted back to their original form as she turned and continued walking, the woman with crimson hair flying through her mind; her smile broadened when she thought of the wonders she would be able to accomplish later that night.
Kimberly pulled her hood over her head as she stepped quickly out of the mead hall and onto the rhinestones of the uneven street laid out before her. She made sure that her crimson hair was tucked evenly behind her ears and towards the back of the hood that topped her black cloak. Kimberly could feel her heart beat faster as she swung her woven basket along beside her slowly, she couldn't stop thinking of the moment when she and her lover had first met. As she took careful, quick, steps along the dirt path leading out of town, her mind wandered back to the foggy morning when she was in the forest gathering berries and flowers and she happened to stumble across a pair sparring there. One of the warriors had short blond hair and nothing but a pair of black pants that were tied to him at the waist with a purple string; while the other warrior was a woman! She was a tall, muscular, woman with long ebony hair that flowed behind her as she leapt gracefully from tree to tree, doing flips and somersaults to avoid being struck with one of her opponent's daggers. She wore a tight green cloth that wrapped around her breasts and ended in a tight knot at the middle of her back, and a pair of black pants, leaving her toned abdomen, broad shoulders, and muscular arms open to view; however, the thing that surprised Kimberly the most was the way the woman's skin glistened. The particular way her skin shined in the dim morning sun was incredibly unique and was far different than that of a thin layer of sweat; it was something much, much more. Kimberly was awestruck; she couldn't move, couldn't think, she just wanted to see the woman's face, her woven basket fell from her fingers and she could only stare openmouthed up at the two who leapt through the trees, intrigued by the shining woman. The only thing she noticed was the way the black-haired woman looked her when she did a back flip in the attempt to avoid a dagger that was headed straight for her, but seeing as how she was out of the way, it was going to hit Kimberly. The woman's mouth opened in fear and she flipped in midair to throw herself against a tree, landing on her legs, and spring from it to jump into the path of the dagger; it struck her in the stomach as a spray of blood exploded from her body and she fell thirty feet to the ground.
Kimberly's eyes went wide with fear as she screamed without intending to, "NO!" She screamed as she dashed to the woman who had jumped in front of her to save her life, the life of a woman she didn't even know. Kimberly dropped to her knees in front of the woman who lay breathing rapidly on the ground, but before she could do anything to help, just as her hand extended to find the woman's hand; the man dropped down gracefully from the trees with a fresh dagger in his hand. His chest and arms were all muscle and at the moment they were flexed in anger and agitation, both of which were directed straight at her. He took a few step forward before looking down at his sparring companion and then back at Kimberly then shouted hysterically.
"YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT, I'LL KILL YOU!" He raised the knife above his head and twisted it as though he were going to throw it at her head, but before he could bring his arm down and out in front of him, a black shadow grabbed him and stopped him dead in his tracks. His face was a mask of confusion and rage, where Kimberly's was just confusion, but his rage immediately dissipated into fear and respect all in one. When the shadow stopped and eventually stood still, Kimberly could see that it was the woman standing at her full height with her long ebony hair swaying violently and gripping his right arm with hers, and blood dripping down the side of her hand. At first neither of the three knew who's blood it was, then the man's arm began to burn in white hot pain, and he knew it was his when he started howling in pain. When he dropped to the ground clutching at his arm, which was still gripped by the woman, she released it with a disgusted snarl and turned around to face the woman she had just saved.
Kimberly didn't know weather she should scream or faint, the woman standing before her was bleeding due to the protruding knife in her stomach, and not only that, but she had just fallen a great enough distance to kill a man! She wanted to both actions, but the only thing that stopped her was the calm look in the woman's glistening emerald eyes. "Fear not, my beauty. I am not harmed." She looked down at the blood that trailed down the entire front of her body, originating at the point where the knife punctured her skin. "You see?" The woman tapped her skin with a long black talon-like nail, it hit with a resonating click, like metal against metal. "I am a dragon. I am fine."
"Mistress!" The man hissed at her from his hunched position on the ground, clutching his bleeding hand and shooting wicked glares at Kimberly. The woman didn't even look at him, she merely put a hand up and growled softly in her throat. His head lowered slowly as he sulked, "Yes, Mistress."
The woman grabbed the hilt of the dagger and ripped it from her chest, dropping the soaked blade to the ground with a disturbing slosh. She stood tall as the padded flesh and scales healed themselves where the hole from the blade was, and she sighed as she closed her eyes and made her skin normal again. She extended her clean hand to Kimberly and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Kimberly was thrust back into the present when she struck her head on one of the many low branches of the tall oak tree where she and her lover met whenever they got the chance, being almost every night. She sighed and shook her head as she looped the basket full of food higher on her shoulder and began the treacherous climb up to their favorite spot.
The air was cold and the wind was picking up speed rapidly that night in the skies above the kingdom, but being what she was, Shego wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. She didn't think anything could bother her while she was up there, in the air, especially when she was thinking about her lover; when she thought of the woman she was so deeply in love with, she became quite confident that nothing would best her, weather now or in the future, as long as she had her lover. Shego enjoyed these nights the most, the cold nights of the winter, it made her and her beloved all the more desiring to one another, the need to cling to each other's warmth was overbearing and neither of them had a problem with giving in to it. As she flew faster and inevitably grew closer to her destination, she could hear her heart pumping rapidly in her ears, she could feel each individual scale shiver in pleasure when she thought of holding her beloved, kissing her, touching her…Her neck shivered and she flew even faster, in an even bigger hurry to get to the giant oak tree in the middle of the forest. She could already smell her beloved's perfume, the sweet smell of cherries was overwhelming and pushed her to fly even faster, until she found herself hovering carefully and quietly above the oak tree. Shego closed her eyes and began shrinking herself back to her human form as quickly as possible, she retracted her tail and recalled her scales to rest under her skin and wrap around her bones, until finally the only things were her giant ebony wings; she forced them into her back and dropped into the top layer of the tree, anxious to see her lover again. She quickly gave up on pacing when her love wasn't at their favorite branch in the first few minutes, and instead took to carving their names into the base of the tree with her long black talons. When she was finished she sat back to admire her work, the words she'd engraved read "Lady Kimberly and Shego Until the End of Time", she smiled contentedly at the words, for they made her happier, knowing that once she won the duel the next day, they would be written in stone.
Shego's head snapped suddenly in the direction of a snapping twig, her jaw automatically snapped shut as she quietly extended her claws and prepared to bare her teeth, when she stopped and smelled the air for the intruder's scent; she quickly retracted her claws and smiled at her foolishness. It was merely her beloved. It was Kimberly climbing up the tree to meet her. When she felt the other woman stepping out onto the branch she sat on, she whirled around and kissed Kimberly gently, fighting hard to keep her animal savagery and hunger under control. Her arms wrapped around Kimberly's waist as the redhead's wrapped around Shego's shoulders and neck, pulling her closer. Kimberly stroked Shego's hair as Shego let her hands make a map of the redhead's body, trying to memorize the way her legs felt, even if through the clothes. For a time neither of them wanted to let go, but they needed more air than what would hiss from their noses, so they reluctantly let each other sit back and gather air. Shego trailed her hand all the way down Kimberly's arm and grabbed her hand, kissing it lightly and staring into Kimberly's eyes with her emerald ones. "What have you brought, my love?" Shego inquired, her eyes hovering over the large basket her beloved had brought with her.
"I brought some apples, some wine, bread, and blankets because…well…" Kimberly's face grew red as she occupied herself with looking at the many knots in the tree's bark.
Shego chuckled lightly and laid her hand on the side of Kimberly's face and pushed lightly so that she could look into her eyes, saying in her most gentle of voices, the voice she reserved ONLY for Kimberly "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Well, I…I've never- y'know…Slept with a woman before, l-like that…" She tried to avert her eyes.
Shego's eyes widened and she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, she pushed through the catch in her throat and spoke to Kimberly again, "I am honored that you care for me enough to give me something so precious to you, something you can only give once, to one person. Kimberly…I had no idea, I'm sorry… If you need to wait…" Shego's hand dropped and she stood carefully up on the thick branch to stare blankly out at the night sky, thinking of jumping off and flying away as soon as Kimberly said that yes, she needed time.
"No! Shego!" She stood next to the other woman and gripped her shoulders firmly, "There is no one else I would ever give it to! I love you Shego, I love you so much." She put her finger up to her love's chin and turned her to look at her, once her face was close enough she stood on her toes and kissed the pale woman passionately. Kimberly felt tears fall onto both her cheeks, she was unsure weather they were hers or Shego's, but she didn't care; all she cared about was the fact that she was completely in love with Shego and that nothing would ever change that, she loved this woman to death. Kimberly ran her hand the length of Shego's arm and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to rest on her breast, and she could feel the other woman's breath stop for a moment before she continued kissing the redhead softly. Shego pulled her shirt off of her shoulders and paused before kissing Kimberly again, making sure that her scales were not out, then took her love into her arms and helped her lay the blankets out along the wide branch. Both women were thankful for the warmth the blankets were able to trap within them, because if they hadn't been packed snugly in Kimberly's basket, the redhead would have frozen for sure.
The night grew old as the morning grew young and the two women could do nothing more than hold each other gently as they felt the sun shine on their skin, bathing them in the radiance of love and passion; it revitalized them both, who were restless from their passionate lovemaking. Shego woke first, cradling Kimberly's face with her arm draped over her back and her breast and shoulder taking the place of a pillow for her beloved. She couldn't look away as she stared at Kimberly's flaming hair, she was mesmerized by the beauty of the moment, she wanted to stay there until the end of time, the only thing that would make her love the moment any more would be for her beloved to wake and watch the sunrise with her. However, she was perfectly content with letting the other woman burying her face in her pale lover's breast. Shego took a deep breath and gently blew fire from her mouth to warm the two of them, one benefit of morning in this particular forest was that fires didn't start easily, and Shego had expert control over each of her powers. Kimberly stirred when she felt the warmth of the fire lick against her skin, but continued to sleep peacefully when Shego extinguished the fire and kissed her lover's soft head. The pale woman trailed her finger over her lover's skin, starting at her soft thigh all the way to her shoulder, then slowly down to the base of her neck; savoring the feel of Kimberly's skin against her, she smiled and kissed her lover's head again. Shego reveled in the feelings the redhead stirred within her, she loved being in love; she loved being able to look at Kimberly and know what she was thinking, be able to kiss her and hold her close, she loved being able to tell her anything, and she loved that Kimberly could tell her everything. She loved that there were no secrets, she loved their love. She draped her leg over the side of the tree branch and breathed deeply, taking in Kimberly's scent, loving the way she felt and smelled, Shego felt herself grow warmer by the second.
Kimberly felt warmth and softness laying beneath her, almost every part of her on her front side was covered with something warm and soft and strong, she snuggled up against it with a smile and a slight moan. When she moved she felt something tighten around her back and whatever she was laying on started shaking beneath her! She began to panic, thrashing around violently but stopped when she opened her eyes and saw her lover's face staring down into hers, she smiled sheepishly as her face grew red and she sat up slightly. "G-good morning, my love." She nearly whispered.
"Good morning, Lady Kimberly. Did you sleep well?" Shego asked, brushing aside a stray strand of her lover's flaming hair.
"Well, as you may have noticed, my love, there wasn't much time to sleep, seeing as how….Well, I'm sure you remember…" She smiled and kissed her pale lover gently on her lips then sat back to stretch.
"I will never forget." Shego replied as she admired her lover's body, much to Kimberly's embarrassment.
"Neither will I, because it was so special, and magical." The two women smiled warmly and kissed each other with passion and fell against the tree trunk in each other's arms, their lips interlocked and their arms exploring each other.
Captain Ronald Stoppable was the type to get angry very easily, and he got angry incredibly quickly when it came to his charge: Princess Shego. That woman was the beautiful thorn in his side that he couldn't get comfortable with, and he couldn't pull out, all at the same time. He found himself standing at this gate, this old, rusted gate, in the cold, every single morning, because of instructions from the queen; he couldn't take a step away from his dirt rut until the Princess strolled through that gate with her usual confident smirk spread about her features. He shifted uneasily on his feet, foot to foot, in the little dirt hole he'd made in the past week and a half, standing there faithfully every single morning. To take his mind off of his anger and agitation, he closed his eyes and thought of the day before, the day when the peasant had dishonored Shego, he spat on her when she began having a conversation with one of the merchants who was selling damaged goods! All she was trying to do was show him the error of his ways, and teach him that nothing would be sold in her kingdom except items of exemplary craftsmanship and durability! And that fool had the gall to spit on her! Of all the impudent things! Ronald took a deep breath and thought ahead to the beautiful redhead who stood with the group gathered around Shego and her opposition, the man who spat on her. The woman blended with the group, but stood apart in her own way, her crimson hair poked out of her hood in certain places, making her appear as though she had fire leaking from the sides of her head; it was one of the things that made Ronald notice her so quickly. His eyes quickly passed over her face and he looked back at the rest of the dirty faces that seemed to engulf her, but they flew back to her when he saw her eyes, the pale emerald eyes that he remembered to be filled with tears.
Ronald thought back to that day, the day he threw a dagger into the air and he watched amazed as his mistress flipped out of the way, her ebony hair flowing out above her as she flew upside down; he had gotten a view of her pale back, only being split by the black band of cloth that protected her breasts. He couldn't look away, he didn't even see the woman, until he watched his mistress fall to the ground, then he saw and heard the redhead as she ran to Shego, his princess, the woman he was supposed to be protecting; instead he'd been the one to kill her. He stared wide-eyed as the woman fell beside her, he couldn't help but scream as he dropped to the ground with a new knife in hand. He didn't know what he was screaming, but he hoped it had something to do with the fact that he was about to kill the woman on the ground; all he felt was his hand tightening on the hilt of the dagger, his feet on the grass, and the heat in his face. He could feel the rage coursing through him, flowing rapidly through his veins, pumping the need to kill her through him more than he expected possible. His arm raised behind his head, then his master was up in a flash, gripping his wrist like a vice, her hair flowing behind her like a curtain, revealing the woman she was protecting, even now, with a knife in her chest. He was broken hearted, all he was trying to prove was that he would remain her faithful servant through it all, through thick and thin, that's all he wanted her to see! Ronald let the knife drop out of his hand and he fell almost lifelessly to his knees as his mistress turned away from him to look at the woman who caused her injury, so carelessly injured her. His head hung low on his shoulders as he heard their exchange without emotion, he knew by the way his mistress talked to the woman, that she was immediately in love; he had lost. Ronald had seen the same thing in Shego every time she fell in love: she would extend her hand, she would stand taller than usual, she would lighten her voice, and for some odd reason, her shirt was always off when she met a new woman. At first Ronald tried convincing himself that this redhead would simply be a conquest, that she would forget about her, maybe even grow to hate her for being the cause of an injury to the Princess, but as he listened to the two and felt the way Shego acted, he knew: That his Princess was in love yet again. He sat there as Shego cleaned herself with his black uniform, the one that was resting on a hook the tree branch made, she dropped it to the ground and ordered him off, to go back to the castle as she and the woman made their way back through the forest to the city; he barely heard her. The man was barely processing the fact that he was going to have to work double time, because the Queen wouldn't rest until her daughter was back in the palace, and the fact that he wouldn't see Shego very often, he wasn't sure if he loved her, but he was sure he loved being around her. He knew this redhead would be trouble, but he found himself awestruck by her beauty, he was curious as to what exactly she planned. Surely it was not coincidence that brought her out into this part of the woods…
Ronald shook himself, bringing his mind back to the present, and his little dirt rut in front of the rusty gate, in the cold. He sighed again, feeling most of his agitation being released, but fatigue began spreading through his chest and head after reliving that particular memory, just thinking that his Mistress- his Princess was dead, even if for a minute, was utter agony. His eyes slid shut and he forced his breathing to slow, listening to everything around him, feeling the earth beneath him pulsing, he felt the air and everything it touched; he stayed like that for what felt like hours, until he felt Shego walking back to the castle on the worn dirt path. Ronald stood tall with his hands folded behind his back, his chin up, and his chest out, but his mouth dropped all the way down, as far as it could go, when Shego stepped over the horizon, completely naked. He could see every toned muscle on her body, every curve, every inch of her soft skin, she looked beautiful, immortal even, with the sun almost glowing on her features. He felt his cheeks grow redder by the second, until she came a foot or two closer and he could see that it was merely her scales covering her body, giving the impression of nudity; it was something he had only recently learned, but the dragons of the royal family could change the color of their scales, and seeing as how Shego seemed to be in a good mood, her scales were as pale as her skin. The captain was immediately embarrassed and slouched his back in slight disappointment, the thought embarrassed him even more. Ronald scrambled to stand straight again with his feet in the correct rut, one specific shape for each foot, and with his breathing slow, expecting her to take special notice of him, all he received was, "Captain." As she nodded her head and strutted past with a lingering smile, her clothes draped over her right arm.
Princess Shego walked in through the front door and her smile slowly faded as her mother's servants swarmed around her, bathing her with wet sponges as she walked; she had grown so used to them tending to her every whim, that she didn't think of them anymore, she knew they were there, but they didn't matter. She felt her happiness fade slowly as the day went by, she fell into her normal routine and as usual, the only thing she could think of was Kimberly, until Captain Stoppable interrupted her afternoon training to tell her that her mother summoned her. The princess sighed and walked with the grace, balance, and caution she had been brought up to use; she was trained to make everything she did the perfect culmination of all her attributes, even when she walked. This meant that she could see, feel, and even smell, Stoppable staring hungrily at her ass through her silken green and black robe. The ghost of a smile played about on her lips and she decided to test a few new skills she'd learned through monitoring her mother very often and extremely carefully. She stopped walking and held her right hand open next to her shoulder; with her heightened senses, she could feel him stop abruptly and he let out a short gasp as he went for his sword. "That won't be necessary, Captain." She said, as she felt her smile grew.
"Are you certain, Mistress?" He asked, his head looking cautiously to his left and right, even above.
"Yes, quite certain." She let her hand lower to the front of her robe, untying the clasps and strings as she heard him putting his sword away. Shego lightly pushed the robe back over her shoulders so that it would fall and stop at her raised elbows, she was thankful that the rest of the hall was completely deserted, and that Stoppable didn't say a word.
"M-mistress?" He rasped, she could see and feel him drooling as though she were right in front of him.
The Princess flung her head to the side so that her curtain of black hair would hang over the front of her shoulder and give the light of the sun to her back, so that the Captain would be able to see it too. She breathed deeply as she made her soft skin transform into scales, she was careful in making sure that the scales stayed the color of her pale skin, and she was forced to concentrate even harder to ensure that they didn't glisten in the sunlight. Shego smiled mischievously as she inhaled deeply through her nose and pushed the air hard out through her mouth as the scales on her back detached from her body and shot straight at Ronald. Two of her razor-sharp scales stuck him in the leg, and one in his arm; Shego turned around to look at him, with her entire body covered in black glowing scales and her eyes were glowing emerald pools, she even had a tail swaying under her silk gown! She dropped the robe from her back and bent down to bring her face level with his as the fabric fell into a small circular pile on the floor.
"Silly Captain, I can walk to my mother's chamber on my own. But you can do one thing for me before you get that tended to," She bent and retrieved her robe, "take this to the wash, its far too dirty for me to wear now." She smiled as she set it over his right shoulder and turned around to walk, tail swaying, to her mother's palace chamber. She didn't even look back when she heard Captain Stoppable scream her name repeatedly, she didn't slow, didn't falter; she just kept walking, with her head held high and her tail behind her.
It took Shego mere minutes to reach her mother's large throne room, but before she could get there, she stopped by her room so that she could grab a green shirt and a pair of black slacks to wear, because she didn't want to feel awkward standing naked in front of her mother, even if she could use scales to cover herself. Shego went by a very strict moral code: If they saw her nude when she was a child, then they didn't need to see her now, they'd seen all they should of her. She took deliberately slow steps down the large hall to the large red doors that served as the barrier between her and her mother, she leaned against the thick blend of wood and metal to take a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for anything her mother would throw her way. She placed her hands on either side of the crack between the two doors, and let the image of Kimberly flash through her mind before pushing them apart, revealing an empty throne room, nothing in there except the large golden chair which her mother frequently delegated from. Shego sighed at wasting her time like this and turned to walk away, back to her room, but then she remembered that she had absolutely nothing better to do, and her mother wasn't sitting on her perch so… She turned back around and began her minuscule journey up the stairs to the golden throne. The cold air seemed to seep in through her clothes, hugging her body tightly, latching on to any heat she seemed to have on the surface of her skin. Shego took to the steps, two at a time, her curtain of ebony hair flowing behind her, weighing her down, but at the same time lightless as a feather. She was excited, happy even, that she would be able to sit in the throne after all these years waiting for the moment when her mother would be occupied and she could sit on it, just for a moment, to feel powerful; unfortunately the Princess was so happy she let her guard down and let her heightened senses revert back to those of a normal human being, she was essentially normal. She forgot to focus, and it nearly got her killed.
