I'm pretty happy with this chapter. I wrote it in maybe in two hours. And I think it makes sense, and I think it's going in the direction I want it to.
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Lucy walked back to her room, not flanked by soldiers, servants, or nobles. She took her time to examine the artistic paintings and sculptures that lined the hallways of the castle. There were many from hundreds of years ago, and you could see the technological advancement and technique change from piece to piece. It was a good distraction from what had just happened, but she couldn't completely forget it.
Lucy trailed the fingers on her left hand over the back of her right hand. Most of the magic that had seeped onto the Dragon's skin had come from there. Where she touched tingled slightly and she brought her hand up so she could see.
Imprinted on the back of her right hand, hardly even there, was a mess of pale white squiggly lines. Lucy squinted closer to get a better look. Some lines were more faded than the others, but some she could see very clearly. There were several lines that seemed to splay out from a center symbol, but she couldn't tell what it was.
Lucy gasped and snapped her hand back down to her side, heart pounding. No way. Could it be . . ?
Lucy steadied her breathing and continued on, forcing herself to look at the paintings and sculptures in the corridor.
At one part of the hallway right beside a spare bedroom sat the sculpture of a man. Well, Lucy thought it was a man. He had the most hideous beard and mustache imaginable. It was gnarled and ratty, protruding almost straight off of his face. His name was Caillou Angus von Remmington XIV. It was a wonder why anyone would want fourteen Caillou Angus von Remmingtons, but there could be worse names.
Apparently he was a nobleman around the time of the Great Wave, an ocean attack from a Water Dragon. Lucy thought the whole history surrounding the event was ridiculous. The only Dragon attack before that one was eighteen years prior. There hadn't even been any fishing or sailing ships created at that point.
So why would a Dragon attack, for no apparent reason, so violently? Lucy had always assumed that there was something hushed about the Great Wave.
She walked by the unusual statue and to her room. It was on the opposite end of the building, but the silent unaccompanied walk was relieving . . . even though it gave her more time to replay in her mind what had just happened.
Lucy pushed her bedroom door open. Her bedroom looked just as it always had, except she had closed the balcony doors that morning and they were now partly open. She pushed the glass fully to the side and stepped out.
The balcony was her own little personal space: no one else could see onto it from above or below. On her right was solid wall that created part of the castle, and on her left were several angled windows that revealed the massive library she owned. There was hardly ever anyone in there, and it wasn't like anyone could see her looking in anyway. The library extended two floors, and if someone were to look up through the windows they would see part of the sky and part of the castle. But they wouldn't see her.
Lucy sat down on the blankets that had been placed on the ground for the Dragon. She could clearly feel the hard stone of the balcony through the fabric. It radiated cold air on her skin.
Lucy stood once more and grabbed the chain that had been attached to the side of the castle wall. She yanked hard on it, but didn't manage to do anything. She noticed the symbols and words on the side of it. She didn't need a second glance to know that these were magic-canceling chains.
A breeze that wasn't so summery blew through the air and chilled her. Lucy stepped back into her room and closed the doors to the balcony to keep the wind out.
She made her way to the bed and collapsed on top of it. A hand rung one of the bells beside her bed, and only moments later Levy came bursting in.
"Lu-chan! What happened? Are they going through with the plan?" Nothing needed to be said. Lucy curled into a ball on her bed and stared at the wall. There was nothing she could do about it. "Oh, Lu-chan . . ." Levy trailed off and stepped up to her friend. Her hands made quick work of the hairpins and bodice of the dress. Lucy stood and allowed Levy to take off the top layer of the dress, leaving her in several layers of shapeless white cloth. As soon as it was off she curled back up on her bed. "Get some sleep, okay Lu-chan?" Lucy nodded and closed her eyes.
Levy walked to the door and opened it. On an impulse she turned back.
"I think . . . I think the two of you will get along. I think it's going to be okay." Lucy nodded once more and pulled the blanket up over her head.
"Thank you Levy."
And she was gone.
When she awoke, it was to the noise of a fist knocking on her door. Lucy threw the covers off of her body and sidled out of bed. The door was unlocked from when Levy had left earlier, so Lucy sat down in a very uncomfortable chair and called them in.
Her father, the Captain, one rune mage, and the Dragon (who was still caged), entered her room. The Dragon was clothed in a black and orange trimmed vest and loose fitting white pants. A black waistcoat was belted around him. His wounds had been cleaned, but only the worse looking ones had been wrapped. The gaping hole in his wing had been washed, but nothing had been done to help it heal. It had simply stopped bleeding. Nothing else was required.
Her father walked right past her and opened the balcony doors. It was only then that Lucy noticed the storm that was going on. It was poring rain outside and she could see the trees whipping back and forth with the wind. She hoped the stable boys had not gone swimming.
"I have decided that runes will not be put in place." It was all her father said. The size of the cage was adjusted to allow it through the doorway. The boy grimaced, but did not cry out like he had before. He was still unconscious. The cage was floated to the balcony and then dissolved. The two royals watched as his right ankle was strapped into the chain and locked. It was still raining heavily, but the small overhang kept him somewhat dry. The boy shivered and curled up in his sleep.
Lucy wondered how dry the blankets he was laying on were.
The rune mage, who had the key, held it out to the King. It looked like a skeleton key and was tied to a silver chain.
"Your majesty." The mage bowed as he handed it off. He took it and turned to his daughter.
"In the morning I will send this guard to come and unfasten the Dragon from his chain." Lucy looked to the doorway to find a guard stationed outside. "He will stay here overnight to ensure that nothing happens to you. Your door will remain unlocked so he can get in if needed. In time, if the Dragon proves he is capable and obedient, I will give you the key. However, that does not mean he will ever be allowed to spend the night unchained. Am I clear?" Lucy nodded, but kept her eyes on the Dragon. He continued on.
"Do you feel safe with this arrangement?" She nodded. "And you understand how to control him?" Lucy repeated the Captain's explanation of the spell and her father nodded. He gestured to the Captain and the mage. The Captain bowed and took his leave. The King stepped out of the room and waited for the mage to follow.
But the mage, the same blue-eyed one who had performed the spell and covered for her, came forward to the princess. He dropped to his knees and grasped one of her hands with both of his, just like the Captain had done earlier on.
"I hope you will find this present suitable, Princess." He kissed her hand and curled her fingers into her palm.
"Thank you." Lucy whispered and smiled at him. He smiled back, nodded, and left.
The door was shut quietly behind them. Lucy listened to their footsteps fade away. She let out a shuddering breath and stood up, listening.
She heard nothing.
A key. He gave me a copy of the key. He could get KILLED for doing this for me.
Lucy opened her palm and stared at the item. It was an exact replica of the one he had handed to her father.
The Dragon. Lucy treaded swiftly through the balcony doors and dropped to her knees beside the huddled Dragon. His eyes were still closed.
Her fingers, shaking, fumbled the key into the lock and swiveled it. With a pop, the lock opened. She pulled the shackle off of his leg and leaned over him to drag him back into the room and met eyes, dark and angry.
A gasp was all she could emit when her eyes met his. They were a dark green in color, slanted in his anger. There was no longer any boyish look on his face. In fact, Lucy wasn't sure if she could even call him a boy anymore.
His gaze was sharp and calculated. His canine teeth, which were bared at her, had an animalistic point to them. His jaw and cheekbones were defined – clearly puberty had worked in his favor.
The pink hair on his head flopped over his eyes and he swished his head to get them out of the way. His eyes never left Lucy. Lucy leaned away from him and into the rain, suddenly afraid of this gaze. He moved with her.
He rolled onto his feet, crouched, and his forearms came forward to rest on his knees. The once seemingly small wings that had been crumpled up in the cage of runes extended out at least fifteen feet to either side.
And then he stopped. And the angry look on his face sort of just . . . left. He stared at her, face totally blank, and then looked down at himself.
He noticed the sawed off talons on his hands and feet first. His hands came together and he fingered the each claw on his hands. No expression crossed his face.
Then he looked at his arms and the gashes and cuts there. He only briefly glanced at them then moved on to the clothes he was wearing. His hands groped at the shirt and pants and sent them a disgusted look. He wiggled around uncomfortably, but settled down anyway with his legs crossed. He poked at the belt for a moment and drew a long scratch across the buckle with his talon.
Clearly he had never been forced to wear clothes before.
He reached up to touch his hair then his horns and seemed pleased to find that they were still in tact. It was only at that moment that Lucy realized nothing had been done to his horns, not even file them like the talons.
And so he moved on to his wings. And that was where the horrified look appeared. He grabbed at his left wing, the one with the gaping hole in it and stared. His mouth had fallen open in shock, his eyes wide not with anger, but with terror. His hand trailed around the hole. The boy (man, Lucy corrected herself) jumped to his feet and ran farther out onto the balcony in the poring rain. He threw the vest to the ground where it landed in a puddle and immediately sucked in the water.
His wings spread out, and again Lucy had to admire the sheer size and power he had. In a flash the left wing came down, and Lucy could see the air go straight through the wing.
He did it again.
And again.
And again.
And got nothing at all. His right wing came down, and this time he propelled himself up and to the left. Then he tried both.
And was sent completely off balance.
Lucy let out a sob and that was when she realized she was crying. The Dragon turned to face her. His own sorrow was more than apparent. He dropped to his knees and lay his wings down on the brick of the castle balcony. His head lifted to the rain and he stared off at nothing.
Lucy could see rivers of water run down his face. She knew it wasn't all rain.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry . . ." She trailed off, cupping her hand over her mouth, and looked away from him.
The rain continued to come down. She stood, refusing to look at him. If he wanted to leave right then and there, jump off the balcony and run for the woods, she would not stop him. How could she expect him to stay, to be even somewhat content with his life, after she had seen that anger, that horror and sorrow that he had just expressed.
Lucy grabbed the blankets and dragged them through the balcony doors. She would let them dry inside.
Her dress was covered in a thin layer of dirt (although the palace servants to keep the area clean for her) and was soaked through from when she tried to lean away from him and ended up in the rain.
"I'm sorry." She muttered again, "I'm sorry."
Lucy collapsed to the ground and leaned back against the wall, holding her knees to her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks and were absorbed by the dress. Her shoulders began to shake, and sobs rose out of her throat.
He'll never be who he once was . . .
It felt like years had gone by before she felt something warm touch her knee. Lucy jerked her head up and came eye to eye with the Dragon. He still looked unbelievably sad. His other hand came forward and rested against her other knee. Lucy knew this would be considered highly inappropriate between two unmarried people, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
"I'm sorry." She said once more, hoping he understood. His brows knit together.
Lucy looked away from him and closed her eyes as more tears forced their way out of her eyes. She bit her lip to avoid sobbing so openly in front of him.
She could feel him lean forward as well as the gentle nudge he gave the top of her head with his forehead. She didn't move.
"You shouldn't be nice to me. They took you from your home and gave you to me like you were a present, like you aren't a living thing. And now you're stuck here, but I couldn't let you go to the laboratory, I couldn't, I couldn't . . ." she rambled. The Dragon nudged her again, most insistent this time. He shifted his body so his knees were on either side of her feet and her knees were pressed up against his bare chest.
Lucy shook her head.
"Go, go, you won't be safe here, they hate you just like they hate me . . ." The sobs came stronger now. The Dragon's hands moved from her knees to wrap tightly around her shoulders. It forced her head up and onto his right shoulder. Lucy opened her eyes to see his wings coming forward to wrap around her as well.
He was dry. And warm.
Lucy, distressed, brought her hand up to his bicep. She held onto him tightly and cried.
Outside the rain fell. But inside, two people found comfort.