The dragon laid across the hoard of diamonds, sparkling gold coins, chests of jewels and jewellery. It snored heavily, with every breath it puffed the coins across the hills of gold that had been buried within the mountain. Dragons have no apparent use for the treasure, they cannot spend, wear or process it. More often than not, they don't do anything beyond brood over or sleep on their treasure. Nadri however had been enslaved by the long reigning King Merek to watch over and guard his treasures.
Nadri the Lonely One had been enslaved to this mountain after she had been stolen as an egg. She was raised in the mountain, the chains and collar around the dragon's neck had been enchanted from the moment that Nadri was able to fly around the fortress. Anyone who had ventured into the mountain will ill intentions had been met with a fiery death or dragged to the dungeons of the King's Keep.
Nadri's ear picked up the clings of the coins rolling around the mounds, her eye fluttering open to see someone creeping behind a chest of gold and weapons trying to silent as he could. Her eye watched as he cursed to himself, quietly lifting the lid of the chest as he continued unbeknownst to him that he was being watched. His grey dreadlocks had been pulled back and tied up with a piece of thick string, piercing blue eyes searching frantically through the box.
Nadri swished her tail out from underneath the coins and sparkling treasures, frightening the adventurer as he yelped when the tip of her tail wrapped around his leg tightly. She hoisted him up, the rest of her body uncovering from the gold and he struggled like a rag doll as he hung upside down. She brought him down to eye level, her teeth gleaming brightly as she snarled at him.
"You dare attempt to steal, joor?" A deep rumbling voice asked him as he tried to wiggle free as he hung upside down. His long sleeved, velvety jacket covered him to well above his knees and is barely tied with string at the bottom right side. The jacket has a deep, round neckline which reveals part of the noble shirt worn below it. "You do not look like a tafiir."
"P-Please, I wasn't stealing treasure." He pleaded and begged, still struggling as Nadri's tail held him tightly.
"Nokin." The dragon shook its head, watching the man struggle and panic. "Joorr do not come here to do anything else."
"I wasn't stealing! Put me down!" Nadri let out a ground-shaking laugh.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm here for you! I'm here to free you!" The man dropped from above, yelling out as he hit the hoard of treasure, hitting the gold with a thud. Nadri brought herself down, the man visibly gulping.
"Oh really now? Why would you do such a thing?" Nadri was under the impression the man was joking, causing a distraction to try and escape. She laid her tail over the top of him as he still laid on his back within the treasure, struggling to breathe as she weighed on him.
"I want to kill the King."
"You all need to leave, right now!" Nadri made a hard strike towards Emma, only for her to just about to duck out of the way before the blade caught her. Emma tried to kick her back but Nadri caught her ankle and pushed up, Emma landing on the cave floor with a grunt, the rocks sticking into her back uncomfortably. Nadri brought the point down to Emma's head, again Emma rolling out of the way with a lucky dodge.
"Are you crazy?!" Emma screeched at Nadri, scrambling away from Nadri as she moved quickly towards her.
"I can't stop it." Nadri spoke breathlessly, swinging the sword down to catch Emma again, only for Regina to collide with Nadri and shoving her down onto the ground. Nadri tumbled away with a roll before pulling herself up quick enough to grab the sword again and swish it around. "You must leave." She reiterated desperately.
"She can't control it can she?" Emma looked up to Regina.
"The raaviir is trying to find a way to free me from my bonds." Nadri spoke of the pirate, feeling the burn inside of her chest deepening the longer she didn't fight. Regina and Emma both looked up at her, bewildered. "He spoke of an Evil Queen with dark magic that can help." Nadri fought internally as she could but couldn't help but swing the sword, as Snow raised her bow and arrow, loading an arrow as Hercules shoved the weapon out of her hands and it hit the ground.
"It's not her." Hercules angrily spoke to Snow, the next to come into line of Nadri swinging the sword in his direction.
"Zu'u los krosis." Nadri apologised, bringing the blade up to Hercules, him catching the edge of the point and clutching it tightly. Blood seeped and dripped from his hand as the blade dug into his skin, ripping it open. "Herc, please." She cried to him, so desperately wanting them all to leave the cave.
"This isn't you. Fight back!" Hercules told her, clutching the sword and even beginning to breaking a sweat. She still had tremendous strength with the blade Hades had conjured, he must have enchanted it to only do what it needed to.
"What does Hook want us to do?" Regina questioned her, both of them bringing themselves up from the ground.
"Herc!" Nadri spat, Hercules pushing the hilt back into her, hitting her in the face and she fell back onto the cave floor. Her head hung low, blood now beginning to piss out of her nose as well as her mouth.
"Nadri, please. Don't let Hades control you."
"He can control my power and my bonds." Nadri brought the strength back together and flipped herself back up, going to grab the blade but Emma managed to kick her down, bringing her boot up into Nadri's face. Nadri spat down blood on the floor, wondering if she had cracked. Emma grabbed the sword, pulling it away from Nadri only for it to suddenly form into small dust particles. The sand ran through her hands as she looked back up at Nadri wildly. "I don't need weapons to fight." Nadri pulled herself back up and shouted, words of an ungodly form, and the four of them suddenly being shoved back through the air and landing into the cave wall, small crumbling stone pieces falling from the ceiling. "I need my power." She breathed out heavily, watching them all as they fell into the ground.
"For you to come back and kill us?" Regina yelled, struggling to get herself back up from the ground after the incredible blow to the boulder.
"Leave, she won't stop until she's ordered to." Hercules stood up first, bringing himself in front of the other women. "I know what she's talking about, I'll find you later." Nadri ran up to Hercules, jumping up and wrapping her legs around the man's neck, twisting her body to bring him down onto the ground. Nadri pinned him but the demigod was a lot stronger than the dragon, grabbing her body as she was still wrapped around him and slammed her body into the ground, smacking the back of her skull on to the ground for her to cry out.
Snow, Regina and Emma managed to slip away unscathed as Hercules straddled Nadri's body, grabbing her wrists and pinning her down to the ground with all the strength he could bring.
"Wake up Nadri!" He shouted down at her as she desperately wiggled. Hercules didn't want to hurt her any more than he already did, her face had a crimson shield from the blood that had come from her mouth and nose. Hercules could see from the small exposed skin that was littered with bruises, both old and new. "Nadri please, I don't want to hurt you."
"You have to!"
"No! I freed you in the first place. I caused this." She managed to get an arm free from Hercules' grip, reaching up to his face, clawing, scratching and desperately trying to rip the skin from his face as if she was a starved wolf desperate to maim its prey.
"Do something." She choked up, trying to kick at him from underneath. Nadri had to keep the fire going. She couldn't give in, she couldn't be a mindless slave again. Not again. "Please, do something." Tears began to stream down her face, her voice and actions were completely unmatched. Her voice was full of sadness and desperation while her actions were forceful, violent and full of rage.
"We'll free you, I promise." Hercules grunted as Nadri dug and scratched her nails down his arms as his hands moved to her throat, constricting her breath. "Forgive me." He pressed harder, Nadri's vision beginning to cloud and blood flow restricting. Her bright eyes began to roll back into her head and her hands relaxed, her body suddenly going limp underneath Hercules' hands.
Hades had day fuelled by torture and it only elated him further. It was like taking in a breath of fresh air, but the air being toxic and full of the screaming souls being whipped, beaten and confined by their worst fears. Leaving Nadri to deal with the group of the pirate's friends was a part of the plan, his nephew cared for the dragon and knew that it would pull apart his soul to try and bring himself to fight against her.
Guards stormed through the throne room doors, Hades waiting patiently in his throne with his feet up on the stool receiving a pedicure from a lowly soul that he pulled into his domain. Killian stood next to the fire place, a hand laying on the mantle as he battled with his mind over trying to pull apart Hades right now while he could. Killian's eyes looked up when the guards had brought Nadri in, her lifeless body being carried by one of the guards and he felt anxiety flush through him.
"My Lord." The guard carrying Nadri spoke, Hades simply glanced over his shoulder over at the woman who was being carried bridal style. Her head was limp, her arm hanging down by her side. She looked at peace, as if she was under a sleeping curse. Killian brought himself away from the fire place, unknowing what to think, feel or act at seeing Nadri with fresh blood splattered all over face. "You requested your pet back."
"She is no pet!" Killian roared and Hades put two fingers up to him to silence him. Killian had been desperately waiting for her to come back, wondering if she was still in this realm or gone. Hades refused to acknowledge Killian since he had come back and now Nadri has been brought to him like this. She was covered in rock dust, blood, a bruise circled her milky white neck.
"Leave. All of you." The guard brought the woman's body and laid her down on the rug, her hair sprawled out underneath her head. Killian limped and carefully lowered himself down to see her, gently lifting her up so he could cradle her in his lap. He moved the sticky, bloodied hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear and softly stroked her hair.
The woman tending to Hades pedicure scuttled off as he sat himself and waltzed over to the man holding Nadri's body in his arms.
"It seems-" Hades finally broke the powering silence. "She would rather be unconscious than fight for her soul." Hades peered over her as she slept. "I do prefer it when she's silent."
"Shut up!" He shouted out harshly towards Hades. "She didn't want to hurt them." Killian shook his head, not believing that Nadri would so easily be put down by his friends. He knew Nadri help powers stronger than that, if Hades had given her permission to fight then she would have always fought until she stopped breathing. "Can you hear me love?" He placed his only able hand on her face.
"If you don't mind, I will need to go and be sick." Hades quipped. "Let me know when Sleep Beauty is awake, I've got a lovely chore list for that lady." With an eruption of smoke and flames, Hades was gone.
Killian traced her cheek, bringing his hand down to the collar of her coat, pushing it aside as he could see the black bruises formed into large hand prints that had throttled her. They were too big for Regina or Emma, even David. He gently shook Nadri again, movement beginning underneath her closed lids.
"Nadri? Love?" He said again, quieter. Nadri's eyes sluggishly rolled open, barely able to focus on the pirate that was cradling her in his arms. Killian couldn't help but grin with relief, no matter how much it ached his face. She was okay, was here still. Nadri finally focused her bloodshot eyes on Killian, Killian still unknowingly tickling her skin.
"I…." She gulped, just about able to talk. "I found….them." Nadri breathed out heavily. "They….know….you're okay." Killian thanked his lucky stars that they knew he was okay, he just needed to make sure that they knew what the next moves were.
"Are they going to find a spell?"
"Regina…knows. I'm…sorry…Hades made me…fight. Herc had to…" She lifted her hand weakly, pointed towards her neck as she choked out a gasping wail. Tears fell from her eyes as she cried silently, pushing herself further into Killian's chest. As uncomfortable and painful as it was to feel her shaking with sobs against him, Killian wrapped his arms around Nadri tightly as he could and kissed her forehead.
"It's alright, darling." Killian shushed, he didn't want to let go of her and he wanted her to feel as safe as she could be within his arms. He didn't want her to suffer any more, he didn't want Hades to continue his reign of terror over her. Killian wanted to fight the Godly beast away every chance he got if it meant that Nadri could be free. He had to take her with him. He couldn't leave her alone anymore.