Series: On Dragon's Wings||Title: Ring The Dinner Bell||Chapter: Disturbed
Romance: Mizael x Vector
Chapters: 4-10||Words: 1,586||Total: 6,390
Genre: Romance, Fantasy||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Diversity Challenge, YGO Zexal Aus, section I12, 10 chapters
Notes: This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.
Summary: Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?
"I could hardly believe it myself. It's just not like him. Prince Vector's always loved his father. At least, that's what I've always heard."
"I know, I know! But the king said that he found evidence of the treachery in the prince's own quarters, in his own hand, no less!"
"No one should accuse the king of lying. It has to be true. Why would he lie about it, anyway?"
"Well, he could - "
"No, he couldn't. The prince is gone now, no matter what. We need to worry about how the king will sire a new heir. The queen hasn't taken this well at all."
"Can you blame her? Her only child gone to that savage beast."
"I still think they should've called on a sorcerer or one of those adventuring bands to take care of the monster, if the army couldn't do it. Then we wouldn't be having this problem at all, and we would have all the treasure that it gathered."
"I wonder how much it is. I hear dragons can live for centuries and they just keep adding to their hoard the whole time."
"I'm sure it's impressive. Think of everything the prince carried up there with him. All decorating the dragon's cave now, of course and worthless to anyone who could put it to good use."
"Someone should go up there and see if there are any remains. They'll need to conduct funeral rites, won't they?"
"The king has something planned, or so my cousin said, and he works in the palace."
Mizael closed his eyes and did the mental twist that pulled his attention away from what he was hearing. It wasn't something he needed to do often, but when there were all kinds of conversations around him, and he needed to focus on some of them in particular, he also needed to pull away from them sooner or later.
No one here seemed to know the full story but he gathered from what he had picked up that the king intended, or had already begun, to spread a tale that Prince Vector planned some unspecified treachery against him, and so his 'sacrifice' to the dragon wasn't something for mourning, but rejoicing, that a threat had been removed from the people.
I look forward to seeing his expression when the prince returns with the dragon. Mizael had never been completely fond of humans to start with, but when they drew him into their politics and intrigue, he became even less so. It would be hatchling's play to swoop down onto the city and burn it to the ground, but that also would just encourage those humans who wanted to use him as their weapon. He didn't need anything of the sort.
Gathering his purchases close, he headed out of the square, intent on returning to Vector and passing on what he knew. He wasn't as schooled in human politics as the prince would be, and while he had his suspicions, someone who knew humans better would work this through.
He could still scent prey, as well as raw meat, as he passed through another square on his way to the gates. The meat didn't smell nearly as appetizing as it would have if he'd hunted it himself. There was another scent that caught his attention, though, and he shifted his steps somewhat to find out where it came from.
Apples? He eyed the vendor from a few paces away, wondering if it were worth the time. He wouldn't need to eat for another day or so, but he seemed to recall that humans ate more frequently, and he didn't think Vector had had a meal since arriving at the lair.
Two apples purchased and tucked into a small woven bag to carry, Mizael headed on out of the city with firm, decisive steps. He didn't want to get distracted by anything else, no matter what it might be.
He'd just passed the gates when someone heading in the other direction caught his eye. He would've passed without noticing, if they hadn't looked at him and frowned, some sort of odd glimmer in their own eyes.
The shapechanged dragon gave the robed man a firm look of his own. This human rang somewhat differently than most of the others did to him. He realized then that the scent of magic hovered over him.
A mage of some kind. A skilled one, if his age is anything to tell. And a wizard's sight could at least notice the use of other magic, even a dragon's magic.
Mizael did not let his steps falter at all, but continued on his way. The city had no laws against transformed dragons walking their streets, and he'd paid for all of his purchases fairly, if only to avoid accusations of theft that would've been more annoying than anything else.
He could feel the other's eyes on him still but did not look back. If someone wanted to trail him to his lair, they would learn why that was a very bad idea in short order. Their city was their city and he respected their laws on their ground. But his lair was his lair, and there his laws ruled.
And his law was that no one intruded upon his lair and the punishment for breaking that law was severe indeed.
The farther he moved away from the city, however, the less the feeling of being watched grew, until it faded away entirely. Mizael still did not relax. Humans, especially magical ones, could not always be trusted, and he did not forget that Vector suspected those who used magic for their arts for this whole 'tribute to the dragon' disaster.
So far as he could tell, there hadn't been any unwanted intrusions in the lair since he left it. That put him in a somewhat better mood. He always preferred returning home to find everything as he'd left it.
"You're back!" Vector looked genuinely happy to see him and Mizael could not deny a small spark of pleasure at the sight of the orange-haired human himself.
"Here." He tossed both the clothes and the bag of apples toward his unasked for guest. "There's no rush to change; we shouldn't go back there until tomorrow anyway."
Vector caught the packages and pulled the apples out, blinking at them. "Apples?"
"You need to eat." Mizael moved over to take a perch on his preferred pile of rocks. "I'll need to hunt later myself." Shapechanging took a great deal out of him, especially the longer that he was in the other shape. Given what they would have to do in the near future, he needed to make certain he was well stoked for the days to come.
Vector crunched into the apple, setting the clothes to one side. "Did you find out anything interesting?"
"Your father claims that you planned to betray him in some fashion. No one seemed to know the details on it, however. At least no one that I could hear."
Mizael wasn't the best study of human facial expression, but he thought that Vector looked more than a little startled at that. He got himself as comfortable as he could, trying to decide where he should go hunting. He didn't want it to be anywhere too close to the city. Staying out of their sight was the best idea he could think of at the moment.
"I would never!" Vector shook his head, hand with the apple dropping as he did. "Why would I even want to?"
"I don't know. But perhaps we can ask the mages that. I think one of them realized I was there." He told of the brief encounter, and once again Vector stared at him.
"Is it safe to stay here?"
Mizael shrugged. "I think it should be for you. I'm going to go out again tonight." At the strange look the prince sent him, Mizael shrugged once more. "I need to get something to eat. I don't think you'd be a suitable meal even if I wanted to eat you."
Vector frowned, as if not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not, but then shrugged and returned to eating his apple.
"It's the mages," he murmured after a few moments, staring at the apple core as if it held the answers he searched for. "It has to be. They're doing something to Father. Why else would he even think that I wanted to overthrow him?" He shook his head a little. "But I don't know why they'd want to get rid of me."
"I'll leave the lair shielded. There aren't many human mages who can break through a dragon's shield. So if they turn up while I'm gone, they can't try to explain it to you in person."
"But I -" Vector broke off and stared at the dragon as what Mizael meant sank into him. "Do you really think they'd come out here to kill me?"
"Why not?" Mizael leaped to his feet, having prepared the shield in the few minutes he'd rested there. "They did once before, even if they sent you along with treasure and guards. This would just be finishing the job to them."
Vector took a long, deep breath and nodded. Mizael moved closer to the lair entryway.
"I should be back by midnight. Dawn at the latest." And with that, he shifted to his true form, slipped out of the lair, stretched his wings, and took off into the skies.
To Be Continued