Chapter 11: Dresses
Thank you all for your support and reviews! Really, really, really long chapter for all of you guys, with feels, squeals, and people falling head over heels! So enjoy darlings!
Special thanks to: Teddy bear 007, Guest, DONOVAN94, adeplhe 24,AliceEverette, MononokeShojo, PlaidPajamas31, xxyangxx2006, MusicOfMyMind, AkatsukiShizu3, The Dragon Queen, and RadCatz for reviewing!
"Papa?"
"Hm?"
"Why does no one else see you?"
Raelynne felt the strong arms tighten their hold on her, locking her in an inescapable embrace. From those limbs, and the broad chest she leaned her small frame against, she felt loved. Burying her nose into his cotton wove shirt, she took a deep breath, adoring the scent of both hot metal and blossoms that came from him. Raelynne was content to be like this forever, her tiny body enveloped by her father's as he held her by the river, the late evening sun casting shadows all about them as if to cage them from its light.
"Because I do not wish them to." He gave in reply finally, the baritone of her father's voice reverberating through Raelynne's bones.
"Not even mother?"
"I'm afraid it is she that does not wish to see me, dear little one." There was a sadness in her father's tone as he answered her, and she could not understand what he meant.
"But she loves you. She says she does."
"I know daughter."
"But–"
"Look."
Raelynne watched as her father pointed with one of his long, elegant fingers towards the river before them, a rush of autumn leaves falling to meet its gentle flow. Before they could touch its waters, her father lifted his hand, and the leaves rose with it, soaring back up into the air in graceful circles. Raelynne smiled at her father's favorite trick, watching the red and yellow leaves turn and shine against the light like pieces stained glass.
"They dance for you Raelynne, only for you." He told her softly, and she believed his words to be true. She could never bring herself to doubt anything he told her, even his promise to stay by her side for all her life…
Raelynne's eyes opened slowly, the crackle of the fire waking her from her deep sleep. The echo of her sigh told her she was quite along, and nothing was as it seemed to her dreaming mind. She was by no river and there were no protective arms around her. The high lofting shelves of the library towered over her, and the only warmth came from the furs draped over her. She was utterly alone.
Closing her tired eyes, Raelynne craved to forget where she was just a little bit longer. Her waking reality was easily deluded by her wishful lethargy, pretending that she could continue her blissful dream.
Was it blissful? She could hardly remember now what it had even been about. Her family possibly. She often dreamed of them, having more sleepy fantasies than actual memories to hold onto when it came to them, in particular her father. She found it strange that she had so much love for someone she barely knew, but perhaps she loved the idea of him than she actually loved the man. After all, he died while she was still quite young. Having no proof to refute this, she felt the last enjoyment of her dream leave her, but still she refused to move from her new bed for fear of losing the warmth of the fur that was so tightly wrapped around her.
In comparison, the cold of the library was nothing to the constant chill of the treasure room she had previously been living in with the dragon. In keeping the fire constant and with all the reclining, pillowed divans she could ever need, Raelynne found comfort in her new cage. The dragon had surprised her by complying with her request to make the library her abode, she having argued that, to her spine, cushions made for better sleeps than a bed coins, and this way he wouldn't have to fetch her or carry her along every time they visited this place. She would be right there, where he wanted her, with closer access to the kitchen and bathing room Raelynne made constant use of through a smaller hall way adjacent to the one the dragon used to access the library.
Raelynne had been quite proud of the way she made her request, making it sound like she merely wished to escape the vault instead of the dragon, pretending to want a new space rather than space from him. Her desire for privacy had been on her mind for quite some time, she having always been a solitary creature, though only now did she have any faith in it being granted. He seemed content to agree, though if he was persuaded by her reasoning or over the pleasing fact of having his horde for his sole enjoyment once again, she did not bother to ask. In addition, the dragon found that this was a room which he could lock her in by merely shutting the doors, they being far too heavy and imposing for her to move, and there being no other exit from this place seemed to ease Smaug's decision, him still being quite suspicious of her. There was no reason for him to, for she knew that if she ever tired to run, he would track and trap her as easily as a rabbit, and then possibly skin her as one. She did not protest to this, instead found it comforting that she would always have the new warning of rusty, creaking hinges to alert her to the dragon's approaching.
Now, in the days since being granted her new accommodations, Raelynne had taken to what the dragon tauntingly referred to as 'nesting'. She cleaned and dusted what she could of the first floor and even shelved some of small piles of books to create more space. Two divans pushed together side by side made her new bed, filled with what throw pillows still had enough stuffing to be considered comfortable. Her music instruments even found a new place with her here, laid out on a mahogany table for better access. It saddened her how long it had been since she had tuned and tended to her precious instruments, and often now while reading out loud to the dragon, she would take a rag and polish them, which he did not seem to mind in the least. He actually didn't seem to mind much these past few days actually, he spending only a few hours in the library with her now before going back to his gold, leaving her alone while he counted his treasures fervently again and again as he had not in some time. It made her curious to think that if the dragon did not enjoy leaving his horde for such an extended time, why he bothered with the library at all, but again, she was not one to question the dragon's motives. At least, not yet. For now she enjoyed the solitude offered her, reading books that delighted her, practicing her music as she had not been able to before, and scheming all the while for what would need to happen next.
Raelynne was debating whether she should continue to lie in her comforts of fur and cushion or perhaps make her way to the kitchen to eat, when the dragon's arrival was announced by his heavy, thudding steps. Followed quickly by the creaking wood of the massive doors as he pushed them aside easily with his snout, Raelynne knew her day was to begin whether she wanted it to or not.
"Wake, songbird." He called out to her, fitting his massive body into the room as far as it would allow him too.
"Mmh." Was all she could manage as an answer, the thought of leaving her bed now very distasteful to her what with the dragon's present. But slowly she obeyed, though her eyes remained sleepily hooded in the after effects of her dreaming. Leaving her bed of comforts was hard for her sluggish body to manage, she barely able to stand herself onto the rug when Smaug spoke again, his tone curt and short on tolerance for her lethargy.
"You will read from the Beasts Almanac today, then you will finish the tablets from yesterday." The dragon commanded, already settling himself down, crossing his forelimbs before him so as to rest his head on top of them. Raelynne, still in a half-sleep, could not stop herself from uttering her reply to his curt orders, though her tone was far more playful than his.
"Good morning to you as well, my most awful master, though I can see that in your mood, wishing you such would be considered a contradiction of terms."
As she grabbed an apple from a nearby bowl of fruit that rested on a table, Raelynne heard an exasperated growl come from the dragon. She did not worry over this reaction, it often being the dragon's response to nearly everything she said. In spite of this, she had found her instinct to speak her mind to more beneficial to her cause, so long as she catered her words to please and not insult. Still, she made to obey. Going over the pile of books that the dragon had her lay out quite some time ago, she searched for what he requested.
After a moment however, she became confused.
"It is not here, master."
The dragon, head reclined but eyes trained on her, curled his lips in smug satisfaction.
"I never said it was."
Raelynne curbed her annoyance at the dragon's haughtiness. Since she had broken the silence between them, the dragon seemed all too willing to take every advantage to tease or taunt her. If he was any other being, she would have returned his words barb for barb. Her tongue would lash and she would take liberty to tell the dragon exactly what she thought of him. But of course, she wanted to live to see the morning again, and so kept her offenses tamed.
"Then where–" She began patiently, only to be interrupted by the dragon suddenly moving. He pointed to one of the higher floors of the library with the end of his nose, gaze directed to the third floor in particular. Immediately, Raelynne became apprehensive.
"Up there?" She asked, continuing to look at the third floor in concern at the evidence of rot and rust on both stairs and railings alike that proliferated all throughout the library. She had not dared venture up them since coming because of that reason, and the dragon had not before asked her to, all the materials he needed on the first floor.
"Afraid, dear songbird?" Smirked the dragon, detecting her uneasiness.
"Caution's heed is only mistaken as fear by those who are reckless." She quipped, unable to take this tease quietly.
"And the policy of being too cautious is the greatest recklessness of all. Now go." Rebutted the dragon, and Raelynne found herself smiling, somewhat amused by his negation of her words. That was often his way of reply to her small protests or questions of late, a simple spinning of her words to suit his own will. The dragon would try and bend a diamond to suit him if his mood ever called for it.
Turning, Raelynne made towards the wide set stairs that lead to the upper, halved floors or the library. She stopped at its base, examining it briefly as she gathered up the trail of her dress to be better able to climb it. The once white dress was little more than lacy tatters now, Raelynne having neither opportunity or confidence to ask for another. Thinking perhaps she could venture to ask later, she made to ascend the stairs.
She explored the grimy maze of shelves for some time in silence, trying her best not to breathe in the years of neglect and cobwebs. If her dress was not akin to a dust rag beforehand it was now, clusters of dust catching on the fraying ends of it. She tried not to think on such, though her high regard for cleanliness was wishing that circumstances were different. Her fingers ran methodically along the leather backs of the books lined up around her, though she could not see anything like what the dragon had asked for. She began to get annoyed at the lack of light, having to squint in some areas just to catch the gold lettering of the titles. But even more tedious, Raelynne became slightly bored.
Knowing only one remedy for such in this mountain, she spoke.
"At the sound of me, men may dream or stamp their feet, at the sound of me, women may laugh or sometimes weep."
She did not need to see the dragon in order to know that the dragon was glaring at her. Even so, Raelynne found while yes, dragons liked riddles, it was more truthful to say dragons, at least hers, could not resist the fascination of riddling talk and of taking time trying to reply to it. It was the most clear sign of a weakness as she had been presented as of yet, besides the obvious obsession of gold and jewels. That being the case, she never had to wait long for his guess.
"Music."
Again, Raelynne found herself grinning somewhat.
"You've heard that one before, master."
"No, dear songbird, your riddles merely lack ingenuity to impress." Her smile grew wider at the dragon's obvious challenge of her talents.
"Then I shall try to be more ingenious for you."
"Of that, I certainly would be impressed by."
She never minded his last comment, for by the silent rules of their game, it was her turn to guess. The dragon never of course gave her a riddle, no, but there was never any need for him to. Raelynne had not yet given up on the first he had challenged her with, and so, took every chance to guess it. It drove her to impossible ends that she could not solve it, being a bit of a braggart when it comes to her ability with these sorts of puzzles, and so nearly every morning had a list of possibilities she should exhaust before the end of the day.
"Is it a river splitting itself in two? Or perhaps a river finding the ocean?"
Given only silence, Raelynne, by the railed edged of the third floor, turned. With his neck stretched up, she could perfectly see the dragon's expression, and by his smirking, she presumed that her guess to the riddle was incorrect. He took much amusement in her failure, which both irritated and inspired her to continue to guess, which she did as she continued to search for what Smaug wished.
Upon reflection, it was deemed now effortless to pretend ease in the dragon's presence for Raelynne. And for such she was either rewarded with a reply to her comments, be it an slight or a grow, or she was just ignored, which while annoying was harmless to her person. This was mostly attributed to her lack of dread of him, the possibilities of his cruelties already known to her, and since those had been shown to her the dragon had not really given her cause to worry for her wellbeing. Well, not as often as he had done so before. But then it was possible that here, Raelynne truly was at her ease. Of late she could not help but notice herself given to smiling more, though the gesture hardly reached her eyes it was more than she thought herself capable of managing with any truth of feeling behind it. It could be that the dragon, at times, entertained her as she did him. Though she preferred it otherwise, he was the only creature in some years she had any steady contact with for this long a period, the only acquaintance she had kept longer than what was necessary to earn her pay before moving on to her next destination. What was it now, about two months she had spent with her captor? Three? More? She had no real way of telling, having not seen the sun or season in some time.
Continuing her search, Raelynne began to grow frustrated at her inability to find the book the dragon wanted her to. She went up another floor, and was greeted by an even dimmer and dustier floor than before, cobwebs forming thin sheets over every surface. She sighed.
"I am not finding it master."
"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something."
To this, she felt no need to reply, knowing it would irritate the dragon. Besides, she hardly had the chance, as she felt something scurry past her feet hurriedly, making her start in surprise. She was not one to let rats scare her, but she had not expected any to be here since there was no evidence to them before. But such things as spiders, rats, and snakes never bothered her very much before, so Raelynne couldn't see why they would here. She knew how to handle them, and at times they were her most constant companions. But if there was a nest on this floor, Raelynne felt no desire to tarry longer than needed, and so set herself vigorously to finding the book the dragon wanted. Turning down a particularly dusty row of shelves, her effort was finally rewarded by her spotting a shiny red leather bound book.
Picking up the heavy thing, she confirmed her intuition that it was the almanac Smaug wanted, and about time too. About to venture to where the stairs were, Raelynne then felt something else at her feet, though by the ease with how it stumbled her to the floor, it was hardly a rat.
Annoyed now, Raelynne turned to kick away whatever had caused her to fall, only to become frozen in disgust. In her shock, she was vaguely aware of her having shrieked, but most of her attention was focused on what had entangled her legs.
Strewn across the floor with back leaning against a shelf, armored and still, was a corpse. A small one like a child, though that was hardly the case, as it had a fully formed beard. Its state was of complete desiccation, a mere skeleton with little to nothing of its former flesh, though the smell of rotting hung about it, a musk of rank decay. What she had happen to entangle herself upon was the robes of the corpse that had faded with it, bringing her in very close contact with the eyeless hollows of the grinning skull. All these details hardly mattered to Raelynne as she felt the unequivocal need not only get away from the sight as fast as possible, but to also run to the light. She needed it, she wanted to be where it was and this hideous thing wasn't.
Without her knowledge, Raelynne found herself by the railing that guarded against the drop off of the half floor she was on, panting as she depended on it to hold her weight for her.
"Gods!" She gasped only to then tightly press her lips for fear of being sick. Raelynne was by no means easily alarmed or repulsed, being of sterner stuff than most young woman of her comfortable background. And though certainly that was not her first corpse, it was undoubtedly the closest she had never wished to be to one. Looking up, she caught the eye of the dragon, who was watching her warily, though more curious than concerned.
"I…I found the book." Raelynne told him breathlessly, lifting up the book she had somehow managed to hold onto despite her astonishment.
"And something else I presume?"
"Yes." Was all she could tell him, the image and stench of the corpse still clinging to her thoughts. The dragon craned his head closer, obviously wanting more by way of an explanation, but seemed patient to wait till Raelynne could bring herself to speak further. She was quick to recover her composure however, thanks to her growing embarrassment for her reaction.
"I–" Raelynne began, but in that moment she was interrupted by the unpleasant sound of creaking metal and sudden loss of footing.
The railing she had so chosen to depend on had given way to the years of rust and rot, and collapsed towards the awaiting ground below, taking Raelynne with it. She closed her eyes, falling to an invisible floor. A floor that would most likely kill her if she continued to fall at this speed. The air pushed against her face, and in the brief moment of panic she was allowed before her body gave way completely to gravity, she passively thought of how much the rush of meeting the ground would hurt, only to conclude that she would have to wait another second to find out exactly.
But the pain never came. Raelynne knew she had hit the floor, her dizzied senses able to feel something warm and solid beneath her, and though falling could at times feel like an eternity she knew surely that gravity had completed her plunge. Upon further, terrified inspection, Raelynne felt the solid beneath her move, and in desperation she clung at it to try and keep it were it was, hands clenching at whatever they could grasp. She heard a soft growl in reply to this, and the sound so surprised her she opened her eyes in wide panic.
The first thing she spotted was a pair of horns. Following that was a pathway of scales that covered where she lay all the way down a graceful arch of a neck, an aroma of embers emanating from them as well as the soft heat she had felt. Blinking in continuous surprise as she then glanced at her hands, Raelynne discovered that what she grasped was the high-browed ridges of a terrible, red eye that was looking up at her, glaring.
Immediately Raelynne made to get off of her perch, which to her shock was the flat of the dragon's head of all things. Had she fallen or had he caught her? She had no reckoning, only the wish to get off as soon as possible, as if at any moment she would be burned by the full contact her body had with him.
"Hold still." Smaug commanded, and at the rumble of his voice that vibrated through her body Raelynne found herself being forced motionless by the odd sensation.
It was to her benefit, as she had finally noticed how high she still was what with the dragon's neck at full height, the ground looming far, far below. Though she highly disliked her current placement, she found herself shifting to better lie on the dragon's snout. As he began to lower his head in a gracefully slow movement, Raelynne's hands grasped tighter at the horned ridge high above his eye, which produced another growl from the dragon, though it sounded more consoling than threatening. Perhaps it was the multiple panics of seeing the corpse, of falling, and of discovering her savoir, but in her stupor Raelynne thought all of this to be quite kind of the dragon to handle her so gently. When three feet above the ground which had threatened her before, Raelynne found herself sliding off of the dragon's head easily. Brushing past the tip of his snout before her feet found the ground she felt the dragon take in a breath of air, as if to catch her scent. She was now closer to the dragon then she had ever been before, unable to take her hands away from the scales beneath them, almost captivated by the smoothness of them. Quickly, Raelynne snapped herself out of her stupor and backed away, casting her eyes down from the consuming sight of the dragon's gaze.
"T-thank you." She said in true gratitude, regardless of whether the dragon had purposely caught her or no. Most likely the latter, but he probably would have found offense if she had not. The mood of the dragon, which had been unreadable to Raelynne before, became all at once exasperated, and he lifted his head away from her as if she reeked.
"It is a wonder that one such as you has survived this long in this world. Trouble meets you at every opportunity."
"And I rise to its every occasion." She replied with a nervous laugh. Her heart was still hammering from her experience, but she was already finding herself better able to breath and wishing to sit down. It occurred to her to wonder what happened to the book she had gone through so much trouble to obtain, and glanced around for it. Her eyes though, picked up on something else.
"Oh, damn." She muttered to herself as she glanced down at herself.
"What is it now? Did you injure yourself?"
"No, but, the dress…"
To demonstrate, Raelynne lifted up what little remained of the dress on her person. The hemline had been ripped away up her thighs, leading up to the seam at her side to end at her waist. While not of the meek short, Raelynne clutched at the side of the dress to keep what little remained together to stave off the cold that was quickly creeping upon her. Glancing up to where she had fallen from, she saw the other half of her dress caught on the railing that had broken, and sighed in exasperation. She had no choice to ask for new attire now. Unfortunately for her situation, the dragon snarled out in aggravation.
"Your female modesty is of no concern of mine. Retrieve the book so we may finally start."
"Please Smaug. This dress is but a rag now. I must wear something to keep myself warm." Raelynne tried to plead, and at this the dragon's eyes trailed up and down her body, to access its state for himself. She shivered at the pressure of his gaze caressing her, knowing of her miserable state and feeling discomfited by his study of it.
"Then sit closer to the fire. You have wasted enough time and will begin now."
"But–"
"Now."
~:o0o:~
The dragon was not as cruel as make Raelynne keep the torn dress as her sole attire, for the very next day it was not Smaug that greeted Raelynne in the morning, but Alfrid. With malice and spite, he told her how he was to take her to a chamber, where, she would get to choose something a little less ragged, that being the dragon's command before they would then adjourn to reading as usual.
The news of this made Raelynne's disposition very content, despite the rat keeping her company as he led her down new halls she had not seen before, the both of them taking their own torches. This hallway was different from the others she had taken, clearly meant for a more regal company by the way each inch was decorated in either jeweled mosaics or inscribed gold, not to mention much wider. Noting the turns and twists their path took, Raelynne was intrigued when they came into an area that seemed all its own, like a small, alcove home within the palace. Together they stopped in front of a large set of bronze doors, its sides possessing delicate depictions of flowered vines, and it held the distinct impression of woman's chambers.
"Here we are." Announced Alfrid, grasping one of the handles.
When inside Raelynne found herself impressed with the architecture of the mountain's keep, eyes trailing over the many color and fixtures. Murals like the ones in the hall stood fixed along the curved walls, reflecting back a carousel of painted forests and animals with jeweled eyes. Heavy wooden furniture lay everywhere, from a swollen wardrobe to a large bed with fraying pillows strewn across it.
"What is this place?" She asked, running a hand over the low back of a vanity chair that was placed before a dressing table and its mirror.
"Some great dwarven lady's chambers or such. There'll be something here or perhaps nothing at all. Either way, the master does not want to see you wearing that filthy rag again."
Raelynne nodded, knowing that at least to be true.
"Very well. You can go now. I can find my way back." She gestured towards the door as she began the long task of lighting each of the many candles lying about to brighten the room. Alfrid however gave her a sneer.
"And give you the opportunity to escape again, I think not."
Without even looking his way, Raelynne returned his deride with her own venom. While she curbed her tongue for the dragon, with Alfrid she spared nothing.
"What with your brain being as thin as your hair, I highly doubt you will be of much use in regards to fashion. Best just run back to the dragon, rat, before he gets too hungry."
She was never in any mood to put up with Alfrid's remarks, and to him in the least she would contend with. By her favoritism with their 'master' she was always the one to win whatever disagreements they had, mostly because Alfrid would never do anything to ire Smaug, and that included not abiding her. By his resentful scowl, Raelynne saw that for this too he would concede, though she knew he would not take her exercise of freedom and temper on him for much longer. She almost looked forward to the moment he would snap and lash out at her, if just so she could lash back and repay his kidnapping of her, which she had hardly ever forgotten or forgave.
Once the slam of the chamber door had echoed, Raelynne found her posture become more relaxed in her new solitude. Setting the torch on a sconce nearby, she immediately began to remove what little of the dress remained on her frame. Once disrobed, she was left with only her chest bindings and tattered shift. While still able to suit her purposes, she made not to wash them later, but for now she set herself to the task of finding something appropriate to wear. Opening the wardrobe, she was greeted with a plume of billowed skirts and bodices. The exhibitionist in her was thrilled to see the many colors that greeted her in the designs and patterns, and she felt a gluttonous need to try them all. However, she knew she only be able to pick a few to carry back with her to the library, and so started with finding something simple.
She settled on a unsophisticated but charming short dress of light blue with off shoulder sleeves and a brown-gold bodice. Finding a pair of cloth boots, she tossed the items of her attire onto the bed before sitting herself at the vanity seat. In the dim light offered her, she examined the state of her attire, having not been before a mirror since last she bathed. It was as she anticipated, though perhaps not as terrible. Her skin looked paler, near sickly, but from her leave of the sun it was only to be expected and her hair, while kept from getting tangled due to her baths, was unruly and she longed to braid it.
But before she dressed herself, Raelynne wanted to explore the various powders, rogues, and hair pins lain on the dressing table, hoping to use some items, mainly the balms to treat her complexion to. Opening some, Raelynne discovered that though the containers were covered in dust, the cosmetics inside were full as if they had never been used. The hair pins were particularly extraordinary though, Raelynne's shrewd eyes spotting the emeralds that decorated one silver pin and the small ambers on another. She was rather curious about the amount of combs and brushes, it seeming rather excessive. One in particular caught her eye, it being simple compared to others and rather small with a small bear carved into it, obviously meant for a child.
A child. She was in a child's room.
Looking away from the worn item, she spotted other belongings that confirmed this realization. Wooden toys hid themselves in the corners of the spacious room, and on the bed she had just now noticed there lay a cloth ragdoll lovingly placed in the middle of it. The paintings on the walls, which had seemed rather infantile to Raelynne before, now made sense, and her grip on the comb became gentle, as if her sudden guilt would break it. This room had belonged what had been a child, and by the looks of the unused beauty products strewn on the vanity, a child that was beginning to change into a young woman, and now never would.
In her need to pay the strictest of attention to what would or would not be beneficial to her escape of this place, Raelynne willingly had forgotten what this place was other than her prison. It was, or had been, a kingdom. Erebor, the dwarven palace of the east, which for the past sixty years now had been ruled by the Red Dragon. The legend she so often referred to as her knowledge of Smaug told of how he drove the dwarves out, slaughtering them for their gold and precious stones. Her imaginings of such had been passive, interested only in that it contained the dragon's history. Even seeing the full horror of this place's past through the corpse she had seen yesterday, she had pushed away the experience after Smaug ordered Alfrid to remove it. Did he even bury it? Had it been an old or young dwarf, had he been killed in defending his home or did he hide away in the library from the dragon until he passed on alone? Her lack of compassion now confused her, and here alone she felt afraid of her ignorance beforehand, not thinking herself to be so callous. She knew of the dragon's cruelty, she experienced firsthand and knew him to be a monster, but to think she was the only one to suffer was idiocy. This whole place was suffering, it just a memory of its glory thanks to the dragon, its treasure stolen.
Was she that indifferent to the steel and blood that had been shed here? But that had been sixty years ago, and she had been focused on her own revenge, her own needs to escape. She was alive and she still had a chance to see the sun, was it then so terrible she did not think of those who owned the rooms she now plotted in? In her trying to justify her inattention Raelynne felt her shame only rise. She was not to blame for anything that had happened here, she merely wished to survive and be free, she had no reason for this remorse. If anything, it was her in this moment that had the most in common with the ghosts of this place. They would know of her plight better than any, for what chance had she to endure when they, with an army and a king, could not?
She had a right to focus only on herself, for if she truly accepted the horrors of this place and what had happened, she would be all to despondent to even foolishly hope and scheme as she did in her last resorts. As Raelynne understood it, to catch a predator, you could not remain the prey. You have to become an equal in every way, and to sympathize with those who had failed would not aid her in doing so. She needed to keep her indifference, to remain focused and unafraid, alert and hateful. Raelynne would need to match the dragon, in every way, perhaps even in his cruelness.
Despite her persuasions, Raelynne allowed her head to bow for a moment. She was not one for prayer, but she offered a thought of peace, her peace, when she would finally see her sovereignty to anyone for the sharing, whether dead or vengeful.
Setting down the child's comb, Raelynne picked up another, and began to work her hair into a long braid.
~:o0o:~
"I hope I have not kept you waiting for long master." Greeted Raelynne some hours later as she edged around the dragon's body, it nearly blocked all of the open entrance way for the library. Her tiptoeing was made more difficult by her new cloak, which fell about her ankles heavily. The thing was warm, lined with a soft grey fur, and it so perfectly suited to her comfort that Raelynne brought it along with some balms and a brush for her needs. As for the rest of the items she would need, and the several other dresses that had fit her, she would return to gather them up later.
The dragon merely grunted, at her greeting, him resting. In his waiting for her, he had lit the fire in its hearth, and Raelynne found herself quite warm in its' and the dragon's presence with her new cloak. Remembering the soft warmth of his scales underneath her hands from the day before, Raelynne looked away from him, not wanting to think anything about the dragon as gentle, not right after she had just refocused her loathing for the beast. She went over to their pile of books, unclasping the furred cover to reveal the delicate blue dress and colored bodice she had chosen earlier. Folding the cloak and setting it on the floor, Raelynne then spun herself, well aware the dragon was watching her.
"Do you like it?" She asked, forcing herself to put on more show and smiles to rid her insecurities that still murmured in her mind. Of course he did not answer, not even growled, but she knew that sometimes the dragon's silence was the closest thing to approval as she could get. She herself was rather pleased how the dress fitted, seeing as how it was meant for someone far smaller and stocky than her, and her only complaint was that the fitted points of the sleeves ended below her elbows rather than wrists. The bodice though clung to her frame perfectly after a little tightening, but its soft material allowed for much breathing room. So she sat herself down upon the thick rug, legs stretched out to her side as she reached for the nearest book.
"Now, do you wish me to continue from where we left off yesterday, or do you prefer that–"
"What are you wearing?" Interrupted the dragon, his lazy eye narrowly directed at her. By his tone, she wisely supposed that something in her attire did not please him, by his gaze she found out what in specific.
"Trousers, master." She replied simply. After she had first tried on her new dress, she had immediately discovered that, as to be expected since indeed it had been meant for a young dwarven girl, that it was short. Not embarrassingly so, but its meeting only with the middle of Raelynne's thighs did present some future complications, specifically if she was to perform for the dragon again anytime soon. Besides, she was a woman, not a girl, and so felt it only right to cover the lengths of her legs with something other than hosen.
"So, the Beasts' Almanac or–"
"Your habit for wearing men's apparel serves no purpose here, and only lessens what little femininity you possess."
Raelynne smiled, preparing to explain and perhaps defend herself, but was left silent by what the dragon said next.
"Remove them."
She was still, reclined on her side, blinking at the reposed dragon for a moment. For a strange second, she felt a warmth spread on her cheeks, and knew it to be a blush, however brief.
"Pardon?"
The dragon just looked at her, expecting her to obey, but this was not something Raelynne was going to just do without at least trying to convince the dragon otherwise.
"But the dress is too short without it!" She said with some indignity, standing herself up to show how its hem met her mid-hip.
"You argue against me?" Asked the dragon he lifted his brow in questioning, though his lips sneered in amusement for her crossness on this subject. Despite what the dragon believed, shyness was not the issue here for Raelynne, but merely that she was quite unused to anyone, least of all a dragon dictating her wardrobe. When she first arrived it made sense for her to change outfits since her own clothes were dirty and even a little blood stained. But this, it felt demeaning, like she was a little doll for him. She had not come to expect much of the dragon, and she knew that if she continued to argue it would not help her case in the least, but what little pride she had would not let this matter be settled so easily.
"No my lord, but, I would not be able to concentrate half so well if my dress slipped up every time I tried to move." She better argued with a calmer tone, but even to this the Smaug scoffed, his claws pawing at the carpet beneath his head in impatience.
"Then sit still. Your trivial modesty is no concern of mine."
"Then why is my state of dress?"
"You are my possession. You will be presented the way I want you to be. By arguing, you're wasting my time and yours." At this, the argument had come to a close as the dragon brought his tail over to where she stood to gently push her over with its sweeping motion. The action was lenient, but conveyed his exasperation by how it so easily knocked the breath and balance out of Raelynne, and she took it as her warning. She saw how little of a choice was left to her, and so, trying hardest to hide her scowl, she removed her boots to better slip of the breeches. She slipped them off with ease, allowing the hem of the dress to brush against the skin of her legs as she smoothed it down with her hands.
"Better master?" Raelynne asked as she looked back up at the dragon, but she caught him staring intently at her now bare legs, and felt another blush. Given her profession she had grown accustomed to others helping themselves to staring at her shamelessly, and in some cases she encouraged it in order to earn more by way of tips. But the studious intensity with which the dragon stared was far more disconcerting to her than any she had received before, reminding her of the alarming qualities his red eyes possessed and constantly effected her with. "What is it?"
He answered her question with a question of his own, his head lifting for better inspection as his countenance turned into one of disgust.
"What is that? On your leg?"
"Hm?" Raelynne looked down, starting from her toes and working her way up to inspect for anything strange. She expected a smudge of dirt was what offended him so greatly, but saw none. The only things of great distinction on her skin was the flecked spots that came with her natural paleness and perhaps one or two…ah, of course. That.
"Oh, that? It's nothing. Just a scar I got when I was young." She told the dragon, now greatly wishing he would avert his gaze from it as she brushed the spot with her hand, as if to wipe it away as a nuisance. It was a long, pale thin thing that reached from the middle of her thigh and crossed her knee, ending just below it. She wanted to sit herself down and begin reading, but at her evasive tone the dragon's scaled eyebrow rose in skepticism and knew she would be having to give him a further explanation.
"My sister and I were swimming in a river near our home and I slipped on the rocks when I tried to dive. Lucky for me it was only a shallow cut." Raelynne did not like having to mention her sister to the dragon, the memories containing her more sacred than others, but what she said was the truth. Though, it was not the origin of the scar that was the source of its embarrassment for Raelynne, but what followed after she had received it. There was no need to tell Smaug that however, and indeed he did not truly seem to be particularly interested in such.
"Lucky? Your skin is stained with a vulgar mark." He said with much disdain, reminding Raelynne of his inability to accept anything less than infallible. She wished he would drop the subject, as it was making her own stubborn temper less yielding to just hush and agree for the sake of pleasing the dragon. Hoping to make less of the situation, she shrugged her shoulders that the dress left bare.
"I have my music and a healthy enough body. I can live with a few scratches."
"Well, I cannot. I will not stand for something in my possession to be anything less than perfection." Said the dragon with such absolute resolution in his tone that it worried Raelynne. She cast him a look of confusion and caution, wanting to tread carefully as she disagreed with him, her irritation flaring mildly into her voice.
"A human cannot be perfect, least of all me." At this, the dragon snaked his head closer, and Raelynne surprised herself by not stepping back or cowering in the least when he came but a few feet in front of her. She did however flinch at the heat of his breath that washed over her as he spoke again, the gleam of his teeth filling her view.
"Do you doubt I can do such a thing?" Their eyes met, an array of colors, and the humor in the dragon's curled lips did not go unnoticed, "Speak true, songbird, remember I can smell lies…"
Raelynne could not help but think that in this instance, the truth would get her into more trouble than a lie would, even if the dragon would know. But she had gone too far now in her stubbornness to back down now. If she did that, the dragon would no doubt taunt her for being weak, and while she was willing to simper and smile to earn her means to survive, for this moment, it seemed more repulsive to her than ever before, and she would not back down.
"I doubt."
"Then allow me to show you how wrong you are yet again, pet." The dragon growled lowly.
With that, Smaug came even closer, nudging Raelynne off her feet with a shove of his muzzle. The action surprised her, but not so much as the gentleness with which he performed it did. She was becoming quite annoyed with his habit for pushing her over, and was about to protest, when she noticed his jaws open. She expected the harshness of teeth as she tightly closed her eyes, thinking how quickly it would all be over, realizing her mistake in arguing against the dragon. How well his anger had been hidden from her, to decide to eat her here and now. She took it all in a surprising calmness, for a part of her did wish for all this to just end, but a larger part of her wished to at least kick the dragon right in the snout before he sank his teeth into her. However, none of those things came to pass, and instead of a harsh bite, Raelynne felt a slick heat creep up her body.
"Ah!" She gasped in shock, opening her eyes to see the dragon's tongue snaked around her leg. It felt like wet sandpaper was caressing her that scratched and coarsely stroked without hurting her significantly. But so stunned and repellent was Raelynne that immediately she began to struggle, wanting nothing more than to crawl away from the invading sensation that made her shudder in aversion and confusion. Her squirms did nothing but make the dragon place a paw lightly across her body to cease her struggles without suffocating her, reducing her struggle to little more than helplessly pushing at his talons. In the humiliation and shock it all, Raelynne thought how alike this action was to a tomcat cleaning its kitten, but of course far more strange and wholly unwelcomed. When he did finally let her go, she scrambled away on her back and hands till she had space enough to breathe and tremor. She looked down to where his unwanted attentions had been administered, her right leg coated in wet. The whole action confused her greatly, but with another gasp of total surprise, she found to what purpose it had been committed.
The scar was gone.
"You believe your master now, my pretty one?"
Raelynne gazed up in alarm at the dragon that again came closer. His eyes were still trained on her leg, rid of all evidence of the defectiveness that had before aggravated him, and in his obvious pleasure he purred his next words.
"There. Perfect…"
Well, that ended a bit tensely there, didn't it? I wanted something a little funny and a little strange to end with, just to throw you all for a loop. But it also needed to be shown to Raelynne just how powerful and strange dragons really were, so yes, in my little world, they can heal even scars.
Some of you might have taken the time to notice that already Raelynne is shifting her views on the dragon here. She is calling him Smaug more and beast less, and even her dragon. I wouldn't say its affection, at least not for a bit longer, but it's a change none the less in her views on him, being that he is her pain in the neck.
I also liked showing Raelynne's more compassionate side when she finally starts to think on the dwarves who used to own the mountain before Smaug, even if no one got to see it but us. Her selfishness does give way at times, unlike Smaug's, and it's her capacity to do so that will help her in the end. Of course, she had to hide this softer side of herself and mask it with hate in order to continue her game of survival. Though, will her sympathy for the dwarves' loss carry over for when she finally meets those who had their kingdom stolen by her dragon? Will she help them take it back? Oh dear, did I just spoil something? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm cruel like that.
Well darlings, come join Smaug in the next chapter as he finds he can't get a certain songbird off his mind or his taste buds, and Raelynne and Alfrid finally have it out, fists and all! Wow, that sure sounds exciting! Be sure not to miss it and to review!
