RPOV

We had dinner, and each of us bathed. I was beginning to wonder if he would make me go back to the town. There was only the one bed, and I didn't really need to stay here. But the thought of leaving was making me panic. And I realized it had little to do with the fact the cave was amazing and more to do with its occupant.

I was fidgeting with the last of my food, now that I realized I wouldn't be here much longer.

"You can take the bed. I have a few errands to run and will crash in the library."

My head shot upwards fast.

"You're not making me leave?"

He laughed.

"You want to go?"

I looked down at my hands.

"No, but we both know I can't stay here forever. I don't even feel the wounds on my back anymore. I should go back to Lissa. I have a responsibility to her."

He sighed deeply.

"I know, but wait a few days. I can teach you more techniques in the meanwhile, and that annoying boy has a chance to calm down. I'll take you back to the town myself at the end of the week."

I nodded eagerly. That gave me five days. Five days of living in this fantasy. I hoped that in five days I still wanted to get back to Lissa.

He didn't seem to want me to leave either, and I think the thought made him uncomfortable. We finished our meals in silence and at the earliest time that was not considered rude he stood up from the table and bid me good night.

I walked towards the bedroom and rid myself of my clothes. I crawled into bed and let the exhaustion overtake me as I nestled myself in the plush and soft furs.

The next morning I woke up rather early. I went in search of Dimitri but found no trace of him. I checked the library, but he wasn't there, and it didn't seem the chair was slept in at all. There were no furs or sheets or anything. He did say he had a few errands to run. I wondered what those were.

My mind was running away with possible places he could be. Dead at the bottom of the mountain, drunk in a tavern…drunk in a whorehouse. The last sent shivers down my spine. I mean, I assumed he had been with a woman before. I imagined women threw themselves at him left and right. Hell, I almost did.

I kept walking and entered the living space. The table was set with items for breakfast that hadn't been there last night. So either he did it before he went out last night, after I had gone to sleep, or he had done it this morning. I debated eating first, but I wanted to know if Dimitri was here and where he had slept.

Maybe he was bathing. I had a hard time not giggling. I would love to see a naked and wet Dimitri. I licked my lips as I was tiptoeing towards the domed lake. But when I got there, I didn't see a naked Dimitri.

Sure, the creature was naked. I doubt they made clothes that big. Also, I wondered why a Dragon would need clothes when they had scales.

The Dragon that had saved me was sleeping peacefully beside the lake, his head resting on his claws. I took a good look at him since I had only seen his eyes before I passed out last time.

His scales were a deep brown. His tail was long and wrapped around his body like a cat's tail would. But the tail wasn't fluffy; it had a lethal sharp tip. The tip of his tail was already bigger than my head. The Dragon was huge. I wondered if all Dragons were this big, or if he was considered big amongst Dragons.

I moved closer to him and touched one of his scales. The scale was hard and smooth at the same time. The scale almost felt like velvet, velvet wrapped around steel. His body was warm. I could feel the heat emanating from him, warming the space around him.

I was tracing the scales to his head. I was reaching over to touch his horns when he opened his eyes. He pulled back suddenly, obviously surprised I was there.

He just kept staring at me for the longest time, like he was waiting for something.

"Hi," I waved my hand to him, trying to make him feel comfortable. After all, I was the one that was feeling him up.

"Hello." He said hesitantly.

"What are you doing here, and where is Dimitri?"

He cocked his head to the side, still looking utterly confused.

"Shouldn't you be screaming and running the other way?"

"Why?"

"That is usually what humans do when they see me."

I laughed.

"That is just silly. Why would I fear you?"

And I realized that was what he was looking for. Fear. He had expected me to be afraid, and was waiting for me to scream my head off. Except, it never came.

"So where is Dimitri?"

"He is running some errands this morning. I sometimes crash here when I am around. The cave is big enough."

I looked around and noticed that even if he was a large Dragon, he still fit comfortably in the cave.

"So how do you know Dimitri? Why did you take me to him?"

He narrowed his eyes at me as I climbed on the rock next to him, so we were more face-to-face.

"He and I go way back. He is the only human I can tolerate, barely. I knew you would be safe with him."

He seemed to find something funny as I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Still not running?"

"Nope," I said popping the P.

"I could crush you with my talon."

"I could stab you in the eye with a fork."

He laughed.

"Fine. Have it your way. Don't be afraid of the giant monster sitting next to you that could swallow you in one go."

"I won't. So why did you save me if you are such a scary monster?"

His eyes widened, and he seemed to be deliberating his answer.

"I don't like Royals like that boy, messing with people. You didn't deserve that."

"Oh."

I kind of hoped he had saved me for me and not because Jesse was being an ass. But I suppose, saved was saved.

"So why… are you not running for the hills? My teeth are literally bigger than your head. Tends to put people off."

He seemed almost insulted I wasn't afraid of him. I understood it. He was an impressive Dragon; I would imagine even Dragons fearing him.

"Other than the fact that you saved me and cared enough to make sure I was taken care of by someone you trusted? I just never feared Dragons. I have always had a guardian Dragon watching over me. I had half expected you to be him when you landed on the stage, but your coloring is different."

He now looked thoroughly confused.

"You have a Dragon watching over you?"

I nodded.

"A black one. I think he is smaller than you, but I was eight when I last saw him, and he seemed pretty big to me at the time, so I am not sure. Are you big compared to other Dragons?"

"I am, but I am more interested in this black Dragon, and if he was watching over you, then why didn't he save you when that boy was having you lashed to death."

A low growl emanated from his chest, and I saw the scales on his chest light up. Like the fire underneath was burning. Also, his reaction told me he might have more reason to save me than just messing with Jesse.

I waved my hand at his question.

"He doesn't watch over me constantly; I am sure he has Dragon things to do. But I have always felt this presence ever since I was little.

My mother put me in Alberta's care when I was four. Alberta assigned me early on to Lissa because we were the same age and we quickly became the best of friends. Lissa didn't realize I was meant to do things for her instead of with her until she was eight. She never realized she was the princess and I the servant. Alberta saw the potential in me and started to train me. She always said I reminded her of my mother. Apparently, my mother has a similar job for a high-ranking lady somewhere else. She had placed me specifically in Alberta's care so that I could follow in her footsteps. But I had always felt abandoned and alone. Most people just stayed away from me. People always looked at me differently, and I don't know why. But I ran away a lot when I was a kid. I would never abandon Lissa, but sometimes I just needed to get away from everybody staring at me and avoiding me. I got in trouble a lot. But whenever I would go out, I felt someone watching over me.

It wasn't until I fell down a cliff and a black Dragon caught me and put me back on solid ground I realized my protector was a Dragon. It was the only time I ever saw him. But I knew that whenever I felt that someone was watching me, I knew the black Dragon was protecting me from the shadows."

The Dragon looked pensive.

"So you believe I wouldn't hurt you because another Dragon is keeping you safe. We aren't all that nice you know."

"No, I believe you wouldn't hurt me because you took the trouble to save me. I just don't fear Dragons on sight because I know they're not all monsters. I tend to judge people on character… and you, Dragon, have passed that test. What is your name?"

He seemed a little alarmed by my question. Maybe it was a rude question to ask a Dragon. He seemed to take a long time to answer.

"You can call me Dimka, the honorable. My full name is too hard for you to pronounce."

A sly smile made its way across my lips.

"Isn't that a little cocky, calling yourself honorable?"

He smiled a little and showed his teeth. He seemed to realize this might be frightening to me and quickly closed his mouth. Oh yeah, a real threat to me you are.

"I didn't give myself that name. When we are hatched, we are named based on our color. I was Dimka the brown. Other Dragons gave me my earned name based on my actions."

I smiled widely.

"So I suppose I was right about you then."

"Yes, Roza, you were right."

I cocked my head in confusion.

"Why do you call me Roza?"

"It is your name in our ancient tongue."

I liked the sound of that. The way the R rolled off of his tongue and resonated in his throat.

He cleared his throat after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"I have to go; I have some breakfast to hunt."

I got up a little panicked, realizing I didn't want him to go.

"Will you be back?"

He smiled, this time unconcerned by the number of teeth he showed.

"I'll be around Roza."

He spread his wings, and I was in awe of the massive wingspan. He took off in the direction of the waterfall and flew out of the cave. I simply stared at him. How could a giant creature like that move as if he weighed nothing? The grace he possessed flying made me wonder why other Dragons hadn't called him Dimka the Graceful.

I headed back into the living area and started eating breakfast. I assumed Dimitri would be joining me at some point and we would be training again, and I didn't want to train on an empty stomach.

About half an hour after I finished my breakfast Dimitri walked into the living area.

"Hey Comrade, where have you been?"

He raised his eyebrow at the nickname. I don't think he was enjoying that one very much.

"Around. You done eating?"

I nodded.

"Good, then let's start training. We have a full day of exercises to do."

"Don't you need to eat?"

"I already ate," he replied.

He must have been up early, or he must have stayed out late. But he seemed well rested, so I was assuming he hadn't spent the night drunk in a whorehouse.

We made the descent to the forest and the clearing and started where we left off yesterday. He demonstrated the technique one more time and let me practice on him, but it wasn't working.

"Pull my arm further out, until I lose my balance point."

I tried again and again, until the last time I saw him bend over a little and stand on his tippy toes.

"That's it, that is where I need to be. Now do the rest."

I swung his arm back, pivoted and turned, but it all failed when I wanted to throw him on the ground.

"You're almost there. Come on let's do some other techniques, and we will come back to that one."

We practiced, kicked and punched all morning. By the time we headed back upstairs for lunch, I was black and blue all over. I groaned the entire way up. He just chuckled, but I saw him rubbing his arm a few times, where I been able to connect a punch. Good.

We were chatting and actually laughing when I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw a gorgeous girl setting the table for lunch. She was slim and pretty and a few inches taller than me. Her long brown hair was laced with streaks of sun-kissed blonde, and her skin was tanned from sun exposure. She turned around and was positively radiating happiness when she saw Dimitri. She didn't even register me, she just launched herself into his arms, and he seemed more than happy to catch her. He spun her around and was laughing the whole time. I felt a pang of jealousy. Is this with whom he spent the night last night?

"Viktoria!"

Her response was muffled, but I saw Dimitri look up in alarm before whispering something to her. She nodded. He put her down and turned her towards me.

"Viktoria, this is Rose. Rose this is Viktoria, my sister."

Sister. This was his sister.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you."

I said holding out my hand for her. She took it and shook it enthusiastically.

"Thank you for treating my wounds."

She looked confused for a moment when Dimitri clarified.

"Actually, that was my older sister Karolina. This is my baby sister Viktoria."

How many sisters did he have?

"Watch out who you are calling a baby. I am one hundred and sixty… uh sixteen years old. I am not a baby."

I saw Dimitri roll his eyes at his sister. This is what I imagined having a sibling would look like. I didn't know if I was jealous of their relationship or was glad I was an only child. Well, I assumed I was an only child. I had no idea who my father was. He might have illegitimate kids running around everywhere.

"Are you here to join us for lunch, Viktoria?"

She nodded.

"Also Dimk… Dimitri thought I might be able to help you with some techniques. I have trained to take down large opponents and use my feminine wiles to take them down."

She had a huge smirk on her face, and her hands were proudly placed on her hips as she held her chest up high. I saw Dimitri roll his eyes again and poke her in the side, making her deflate. She glared at him like only a sister could, but he just chuckled.

"I thought Viktoria could show you some techniques that will utilize your strength and speed to advantage."

"Thank you, that was very considerate."

We settled in for lunch and some easy conversation. I liked Viktoria; she was bubbly and fun. Dimitri didn't seem to be any of those things, and I wondered what his other sisters were like. Yeah, I learned he had one more. Viktoria did look like him though, and I wondered how I could have thought she was anything other than his sister.

"So how did you and my brother meet?" she was asking me with a mouthful, much to Dimitri's dismay.

"I was in a bit of a bind, and your brother helped me out."

I giggled at my own joke. Yeah, I had been literally bound to two posts holding me up to receive the lashes.

"There is this Royal prick back home, that wanted something from me I wasn't willing to give, so I kicked him in the nuts. He wasn't too pleased, and now he pretty much wants me dead. I have to go back to the town, I have responsibilities, but your brother is helping prepare me so I know how to better defend myself."

Her eyes darted from me back to her brother and back to me.

"Why do you have to go back? I mean if he wants you dead?"

"I have a friend that needs me. I am sure she has already straightened out some of the particulars with him, so I am not too worried, but better safe than sorry."

She nodded and stood up with determination.

"I'll help any way I can. So let's go, we don't have a lot of time, and you need to learn how to fight."

I shook my head at her enthusiasm and shared a look with Dimitri. He just sighed deeply. Despite Viktoria only being a year younger than me, she seemed particularly young. The way she acted, it was clear she was the baby in the family. I wondered what it felt like to actually be a child for a change. I don't remember the last time I was able to act my age.