"This is so unfair. I did not ask for any of this to happen to me."
The pain in Cadance' voice tore at some of the guards that were on patrol for the prince to return. At least she was able to go outside and see how things are in the Kingdom of Dragons. The market was extremely large and bright, the vendors screaming at one another in their draconic language, something she could not understand. She could almost understand from their body language how trading was going with the dragons.
Cadance followed the path towards what she believed to be a large park for families, so it says on the many signs that point in different directions, written in Dragon and Equestrian. Again, the path was long and stretched wide, warm and soft beneath her hooves. Annoyance swept through her. She wouldn't have to walk amongst the dragons if they would give her a little space to stretch her wings.
This is a load of cow manure. I'm an alicorn, and I should be flying, not walking great distances.
The pain of being a personal guest/hostage to the king took her breath as she connected fully with reality. She had thought herself free and ready to go home—after all, she did deal with enough trouble for one day—but there was no real way to convince herself otherwise the majority of her predicament. As far as things are going for Cadance, she was going to spend quite a bit of time with this scaly brutes.
She allowed that thought to burn mildly in her mind in an effort to accumulate some sanity before another dragon accidently nudges her with a swish of their tail. She was totally exhausted. She had so much sleep but could not find the energy to remain emotionally collected and mentally stern. Sure, she endured so much in the last week—what with being a hostage and having a half-blooded creature save her—but it had seriously depleted her emotional and mental energy.
Still, the thought of Dragomir having the same amount of pressure put unto him was not so bad; at least he has to deal with the alicorn as much she has to with him, which in turn made it somewhat better. Cadance would have to be careful with him and not take her situation as far as Erion wants it to go, but she could not be so close to losing her mind and not trying to for the worst by making a break for the sandstorm. She would have to assess something like, but for now, it was adventure for the pink princess.
When I get out of here I am going to tell Aunt Tia everything.
The entire time she'd walked through the market she pondered some way of keeping Dragomir as far away from her as possible, albeit rather harshly. Her beautiful purple eyes had grown ice-cold as she thought about the Draconic-Human, who just so happened to be very close right now.
"In debt to me for saving his flank, pfft, whatever!" she said for all to hear, but what did it matter? She did not care right now, not in the slightest—Or does she? "I don't care about honor or tradition. I just want to go home and see my family. I want to see Twilight. I want to see Shining Armor and his marefriend, Fleur!"
Each thought made her more furious. How could the Dragon King think of keeping her here until she accepts Dragomir' service for such a small act of kindness? It did not seem right for Dragomir' own father to make out as a slave for the alicorn, a servant that must serve his years to a princess that is still in training.
I'm not going to have some weird freak follow me everywhere just because his dad mad him. My friends will think I'm some kind of monster or a loser that has a weird pet.
She did not wait for the crowd of dragons in front of her to cross roads. She entered a large area that is fenced off with deadly runes through the wonderful use of teleporting. Of course that tired her out, seeing as how she can barely teleport across long distances. The gates she walked through were steel and imbued with special incantations to prevent any tampering from thieves or attackers. Both gates closed off and hummed powerful magic after connecting, signaling the teenager that she was now under the same protection these dragons enter while playing at the park. No new motives had pierced the alicorn's mind, but the ones she had made some progress. She was very clueless of the area but knew what to do.
Inside this park were many grown dragons herding around the corners to watch the little ones play in the sand dunes or the grass that was enchanted to grow and never die. There were purified ponds for the hatchlings to swim in, trees to climb and scratch for cleaning their claws. Mounds were filled with common gems for them to dig up and take home, such as it is always is when their favorite playmate pays a visit.
Cadance found she was getting many quizzical stares from the adults as the hatchlings hurried along to see their big friend setting up a game in the sand dunes. At first she became stiff, walking like a marionette with somepony jerking the strings to her legs. Anger flowed out with movement and she found she could easily have made herself a bad target if she did something wrong. But who could blame for this? It was not normal to the teenager to have so many dragons in one area. After the burning sensation of so many stares, the prickly sensation throughout her fur was more annoying and troublesome than what she could manage. Cadance picked up the pace to see what is happening, but in defense to her state, she was not ready to test running when her hooves are bandaged.
This is so freaky and weird. How does Aunt Tia deal with diplomats when they arrive?
Cadance stopped at the edge of the playground and tried to relax, but deep inside, she coiled, ready and more than willing to make a mad-dash back to the castle for her own safety. She might be an alicorn, but there was no way she could handle herself against one dragon. She doesn't know what they can do or what they could do if she crossed one.
The Princess of Love slowed her breathing as the hatchlings ran over the mound that is meters in front of. They laughed and screamed playfully as the one entertaining and watching over them gave chase. Wasn't he too old to be having fun in a playground for hatchlings? They surrounded their friend in a flash when he leapt over the mound and growled lovingly, puffs of fire smoldering across their scales, something Cadance failed to realize is a dragon's way of showing care for the little ones.
None of the hatchlings could talk, but he did not care. Their actions said enough.
Cadance tilted her head at her fellow teenager, confusion written on her face. "What the hay is he doing with those dragons?"
It was with that question she drew the attention of an elderly dragon sitting next to her. She just failed to see that her space was not as open as she thought it was. Said dragon was indeed ancient and wise, perhaps wiser than Erion himself, but he kept to his own business throughout the day. He was larger than most of his own kind, red from head to toe, and endowed with a golden spine that has not been touched by age.
"He is playing with them," the red-scaled beast breathed his words, accompanied with slight curiosity of the alicorn showing her presence. "This is what Dragomir does every Thursday for us dragons. He plays with them so that the adults can spend the day with their mate or friends. The dragons you see are actually common folk watching for their own amusement."
Cadance did not take her eyes off Dragomir, her ears folding back when the hatchlings started nipping at his skin. Not that mattered anyway, for he was not as weak as she sees him to be.
"So he is...Foalsitting?" she asked, receiving a slow nod from the dragon.
"Yes, but we call it Hatchsitting in our country," a sense of leisure passed between Cadance and the dragon. "But tell me, pony princess, what are you doing here when you should be in the castle? Dragons are not your interest, nor is the prince."
Cadance, taking that as an insult, snorted at the dragon and looked away. "I'm going to be stuck here for a little while, so I thought about exploring this kingdom. Besides, I was bored and wanting to get away from the castle."
The dragon merely smiled at her for the excuse, knowing darn well her real intention to visit the park is not to end boredom. He chuckled and proceeded to lie on his stomach, knowing how uncomfortable it is to sit in the sand. His response to her only made things more awkward.
Cadance and her new—also very unwanted—companion watched Dragomir roll around in the sand and allow the hatchlings to dog-pile him for the time being, his growls loud yet very soft in the stillness of everyone paying attention. During all of this, a soft blush burned across her cheeks and her heart skipped a couple of beats without warning. Her eyes softened at Dragomir acting so kind and gentle with the little ones, never raising his broken voice or a hand to stop their playing.
Cadance wanted to deny the blush, but it was inevitable. She had been drawn to stallions that have a gentle way with foals and a loving nature that is nigh impossible to corrupt. She knew this guy was a predator—a beast that will kill for others—and that anything he learned was from living with beasts that fight and horde for a living. He was somewhat compared to a monster. Still, somewhere within her conscience, there was a new perspective of him.
She could barely look away at the athletic boy. Had she stared at Dragomir any longer, her blush would grow hotter until everyone could see it. He seems to be having a lot of fun with those baby dragons.
"Oh, we got a runner," another dragon said across the playground, pointing at a black-scaled hatchling running for a gate that was left open.
Dragomir heard this and gently pushed the other hatchlings off of him, disappointing some when he stopped their nipping. He gave a sharp huff and sprinted towards the hatchling, startling the princess with his incredible speed. Though the teenage Halfling was severely wounded and weak, he couldn't imagine, any more than he could now, what would happen if the little adventurer made it into the market road.
After getting between the curious hatchling and the road, he gently descended and bit on the scruff of his neck. His nip bunched the tough skin, anchoring under the scales, his first fatherly, controlling move, his first action as a true caretaker for the little ones. He waited a moment for the hatchling to finish his little tantrum of kicking and screaming, giving the boy a chance to calm down.
Cadance was shocked by this. Her mind stopped as the prince sighed in disappointment of the little dragon continuing his fit. Her brain threatened to short out. Her experience as a foalsitter nearly burst in her chest. Every muscle hardened as blood rushed hotly to her head. Her calm demeanor was now hot and aggressive, an unforeseen circumstance she wanted to allow. She felt angry and appalled, not just his response to the baby, but the method he used.
She rose to her hooves and rushed to the Halfling with ill intention, drawing air into her lungs. The dragons looked down, glaring at the alicorn with enormous eyes, their nature as a dominant species rising to stop her, but not before she confronted the boy.
"Put him down!" Cadance demanded.
Dragomir and the other hatchlings tilted their heads at her. None of them understood why she was suddenly so angry with him. Confusedly, he set the infant to his claws and nudged him away with a push of his hand. He looked as calm and as familiar as ever—the same caring prince—but, to Cadance, there was something very wrong with him, something she believed to be lack of proper care for babies.
"What the hay is wrong with you!?" Before Dragomir could use body language to express what he feels, she jabbed his bandaged chest with her hoof. "You don't carry a baby by the back of their neck. You have fangs and could seriously hurt one of those dragons like that. How would you like it if someone lifted you up by the back of your neck with their teeth!?"
Slowly, carefully, he withdrew himself, took a few steps back to gain distance from the aggressive teenager. He was stunned, a little unsure of Cadance being as friendly as he thought, his breathing just a bit ragged from the pain of her jabs, his fellow dragons were totally infuriated. He leaned away, this time slow.
"Is this how you treat all babies when you are sitting for their parents? Because if it is, then there must be something really wrong with you."
The dragons circled around the two teenagers and watched very closely as their prince was assaulted with words. Never was there a fool with such ignorance about dragons and their culture. Until today. "Don't you ever put your fangs on a baby dragon ever again. Are we clear on that!?"
Dragomir found her choice of words very insulting. He found himself disliking yet admiring the pony all the more. He knew she was completely oblivious to what he was doing for the dragon, knowing her kind never have the chance to fully study dragons, but she was also making a fool of herself, degrading him.
Cadance closed her eyes and breathed deeply, collecting her mind a little at a time to try to keep sanity within her grasp. Until the most unlikely of voices reached her ears.
"Dragmir, you are in so much trouble!" That voice was unlike anything she heard in her entire life, but there was no mistaking who it was that screamed furiously just now. Her words sent chills down the boy's spine as he watched every dragon in the park disperse with the little ones, leaving him to deal with the most terrifyingly influential female in the entire universe. "If I find out that you snuck out of the castle, so help me, there will be no tomorrow for you. Now get your ass back at this caste in the next two minutes or there will be hell to pay!"
A bubble of nervous laughter welled up in Dragomir. Still, he would rather fight with his father than the woman who was planning to hunt him down.
"Was that your. . ." Cadance broke off in a muffle. Her muzzle was firmly grasped by the boy, and she was thrown against his chest with the wind gusting through her mane in an instant. Now she was scared and confused, again. What the. . .How in the hay am I— She looked down, realizing her hooves were not touching the ground. Dragomir was carrying her, and he was sprinting towards the castle for his and Cadance' sake.
"Run, young prince!" a nearby dragon screamed. "Run as if your life depends on it!"
"It does, you idiot!" another stated.
