Nixiesocean: I'll level with you. I'm quite disappointed.

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Chapter 5: Beautiful Women

It scared me, to tell you the truth. Ade never gets mad. Well, once every ten or twelve years, he'll get mad enough for it to show. Last time he got mad – when we were six – , he wrecked our playroom, punched a manservant, ran down the hall, into the library pulled all the books off the shelves and stomped on them.

Yes. Coolheaded, book-loving Ade.

He was in that frenzy now. I felt the hot waves of anger barreling into my brain from him. It was all I could do not to act on his anger.

I found myself wondering what had made him so angry.

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My furious yell sent bird scattering. How dare they? HOW DARE THEY! Without thinking everything through, I jumped onto the horse. Not caring enough to be kind with the horse, I kicked it. Scared by it's master's rage, it bolted into the forest. I rode it hard, ducking every time an especially big branch came by. Soon enough, however, the leaves cut my face. They weren't razor-sharp, but on a frenzied horse, they came whipping at my face.

The horse was foaming at the mouth and was sweat soaked. I dismounted and tied the panting horse near a patch of grass. Still infuriated, I ran after the noises. I saw it all, making angrier than before.

Ceara was blushing furiously. My mind noted than Ceara never blushed. "I – I didn't know you liked me."

I silenced her with another, softer kiss. "I have for a while now." I brushed a lock of her silver hair out of her eyes. "I was afraid, too, I thought if I spoke up, that you'd be uncomfortable with me, and I didn't want that to happen."

"Never," She whispered. Somehow, she had crawled under my arm.

The thought of losing Ceara made me run faster.

"How long?" Her soft voice asked.

"Years." I replied. "I can't remember when it started." My fingers brushed a still-blushing cheek. Blushes made her fair face seem more natural and Goddess-blest beautiful.

"Promise you'll never leave." She said into my side. She seemed tired.

"Yes,"

I'll keep that promise, I thought to myself. I'll keep that damn promise if it'll kill me.

A huntsman's horn rang into the air, ruining the tender moment. I stood, unknowingly allowing the bandit his opportunity. A horse rider came out from the trees. Sweeping an arm down faster than I could react, he swept up Ceara. Before he disappeared into the woods, I saw her face – flush from the kiss but worried.

Never had I been so mad. Never had I gotten so angry. Never have I been in love.

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Lord Bamien was still there. "Let him figure it out on his own, Aram." He said. It took me a while to pull myself from Ade's anger. I realized what he spoke of. "Allow him this option."

"How – how did you know?" I asked. No one could tell the other twin's emotions.

"Your hands," He said. "They're clenched in anger. Behind your eyes, an eerie fire burns, one that cannot be defined."

I gasped. On my hands, red sores were spreading; one the happened when one clenched a horse's reins too hard. My feet felt like something was pounding them into a pulp and my head was almost overcome with Ade's anger.

Lord Bamien stood. "Do you want respite from it?" He asked. I shook my head. We'd never learn to be separate if I didn't learn how to block my twin from myself. "All right. I'll warn you though, that isn't the worst you'll experience."

I nodded. "I understand."

He smiled. "Nor the best." He bowed his head kindly and left the room. I looked at the tray of drinks – none had been touched.

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A hand lashed out and pulled me off my track. "Stop fighting," A female voice said. It wasn't Ceara so I fought. "Quit it!" I was dropped, rather roughly, on the ground. It was hard enough to jerk me out of my anger-rage.

A rather shapely woman stood there. She had blonde hair descending into a light red and brilliant – dazzling really – eyes. She wore a very low cut dress that went from light red to a deep shade of scarlet. She had bare feet. I had to keep myself from gaping. Until now, I had thought Ceara the most beautiful woman. This one overwhelmed me. When her rosy lips broke into a smile, I was utterly captured.

"I am Lovely." She said in a honey-liquid voice.

"And truly your name blesses you, though it does you an injustice." I murmured, standing. What? I can't help being enchanted by inhumanly beautiful women more than the next guy.

"You're too kind," She whispered. Slowly and seductively she moved closer towards me. "What is your name, furious fighter?"

I closed my eyes slowly. Already she was close enough for me to feel her breath. "Ade, beauteous lady."

Her breath was hot on my neck. "Ade, the prince of Furde?"

I was wholly under her control. "Yes."

She smiled. "What do you desire, young man of the palace?" Her request brought to mind a smiling face, one framed by silver hair. It broke her spell. I stepped back and tripped on her leg. "Such a pity," She murmured. "Most men wish for me." She clucked her tongue. Like lightning, (I was still recovering from her spell) she lashed out. Before I could react, I was tied up like a pig.

Goddess damn all beautiful women. Well, all except Ceara that is.

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My eyes narrowed. Already, I was tied to a stake. A man – Draconic on the inside – had tied me there, and Goddess I hated him. I sensed something unusual in this forest, but a red dragon? Never!

Someone came through the tree line. Slung on her back was a tied-up man. Smiling, I knew him! Ade! I called through my mind. The red dragon-gone-man had tied my mouth shut. Actually, he forced me into my dragon-shape and then tied me since I had been drugged on the way here.

I hated that man. I realized why I hated him so much.

Asnarinith! I yelled toward him. He turned, not really shocked I knew his name. You g'angah! You betrayer of Dragonkind! 'G'angah' doesn't really translate. It's, however, the worst insult to a Dragon. I suppose it's like calling the greatest hero in history a coward and a fake.

That got his attention. "You – a mere baby – dare to call me such?" He hissed in Draconic. "You dare to insult me like that?"

I dare it. I replied. G'angah! Fake! Honorless scumbag! No Dragon captures another! You are a g'angah through and through!

"I won't waste my breath arguing with such an inexperienced Dragonet." He dismissed me with a wave of his hand. Switching to Common, he said, "But a Human? I hear Humans squeal loudly when they are flayed." My eyes widened in horror. "Or, Drained?" He turned back to me. "Do you know what happens when a Human is Drained?"

You son of a wyvern! Wyverns are none too nice and the natural enemies of any Dragon. Nay! You daughter of a wyvern!

He narrowed his eyes. "Lovely," He waved a hand. The beautiful woman, who winked at Ade, came over. My eyes became slits. I hated that slut. I shocked myself with the horrible words I was coming up with for the both of them. Lovely pressed a finger behind my wings. It was a tender spot on any Dragon. Stars flashed in my vision. Blurrily, I saw Ade do a kick-flip. He knocked Asnarinith back. Staggered, Ade grabbed Asnarinith's sword.

Screaming, the dragon-gone-man threw up his hands. Ade was flung back. He hit a tree. Asnarinith began a sickly change. His face elongated, but didn't change. Ade recovered and charged, brandishing the sword. Trying to look innocent, I stretched my wings, hitting Lovely with a wing-claw. I began to scratch at the rope that bonded my jaws shut.

Ade struck Asanrinith in arm, wounding it badly. I kept my eyes on the fight. Fully changed (Asnarinith wasn't an especially impressively sized Dragon) he knocked my prince to the ground. Ade stood back up despite the hurts. He flung the sword at the Dragon's other wing. It struck true, lodging itself inside the wing. Injured and unwilling to continue as such, Asnarinith flew upwards, then straight at the ground. His less-injured wing reached out for Lovely, who grasped it. Pulling out steeply, he flung Lovely upwards.

She gently descended landing squarely on his back. They flew away. Asnarinith's blood covered the field of battle. The bandits had scattered when their master started changing.

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I was exhausted and ached all over. Fighting a dragon without proper equipment sometimes has that effect. I went over to the small silver dragon that was still biting at its bonds. "What are you?" I asked quietly stoking the silvery scales. It narrowed the blue eyes on its face.

What the hell do you think I am? It asked. I jumped backwards. I realized the words came from inside my mind rather than verbally. Sorry. I'm just really annoyed. Could you take this damn rope off my snout? I raised an eyebrow. Obviously, the dragon was young and bad tempered. Cautiously, I reached out my hand. Do you expect me to bite you?

"Yes." I replied. "What's your name?"

Ceara you dimwit. The dragon replied while rolling its eyes.

My eyes widened. "Ceara?" I confirmed.

Yes.

I smiled and stepped back. "You know, I rather like seeing you so helpless."

When I get this rope off you are so dead, Human

"Well, you know, I'm not the one that-" I was interrupted.

You were really angry, you know. I felt your anger and I'm not even related to you! She had pulled the rope off her snout and was working on the ones on her wings. "Besides, I'm just plain surprised you got so angry." It took me a while to get where the silky voice was coming from. I guess now that her snout was free; she didn't feel like speaking to my mind. I blushed. "He'll be back."

"I know." I said. I came back over and started on the other wing. "How long, you think?"

"A week at most. His pride's hurt, he'll want revenge." She replied mildly. The last rope fell away. She started morphing, in an elegant way, though. When she was finished, she didn't wear a thing. I blushed furiously. She leapt down from the podium where she had been tied.

My mind held a very uncomfortable picture. Half of me liked it, well, really less than half. My sensible side really took the front when such things happened. I felt those cool fingers on my chin, gently tugging it down. I turned, but kept my eyes closed.

"If you truly want to marry me, you'll have to get over that, you know." Huh? Me marry her? I was so confused. How'd she know that? Silently, she slipped my cloak off my back. I heard her swish it around and settle it around her body. Cautiously, I opened one eye. She was decent. "He thought it'd be a cute joke to force me into my dragon shape." She rolled her eyes. "Which, of course, ruined my clothes."

"You're okay, though?" I asked, placing my hands around hers.

Perfectly fine. Her mind replied through the close connection.

Relieved, I let her hands go. She was momentarily surprised. I threw my arms around her neck and pulled her face in close. "I was worried."

"So I felt." She said with a blush. Taking me by surprise, she turned her face and caught my lips. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around my neck. When we let go, she was blushing a deep shade of scarlet.

"Hey," I teased. "You don't need any rouge with that shade." I took her hand in mine and kissed her cheek. "You'll be happy to know I left the camp completely unguarded."

She rolled her eyes. "Silly city-boy. You'll just get to learn the hard way."

The hard way?

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