Thank you to those checking this out, honestly its just a fun buffer from the teo serious fics i have ongoing right now.

I wonder where our odd duo will go next.

Michonne didn't know what to expect when she ventured from her homeland on the off chance of escaping her unwanted marriage, to follow up on a vague myth on dragon's. In the back of her mind she knew it was all smoke and mirrors on what exactly her kind knew of these ancient beings, save from what they've observed of the ones that roamed in and around her fathers kingdom, but it had been a point of desperation and she'd gone with it. What she hadn't expected was that out of all the ones she'd sought help from, the quick to anger, aloof and lonely azure dragon with icy blue eyes, was to be the one to take her in—albeit begrudgingly. He'd put up one hell of an argument but Michonne's stubborn nature kicked in and she wasn't willing to let this equally headstrong mythical beast run her off.

She'd conjured up all these scenarios but as she sat in a small corner of the spacious cave, they were all rendered null to her reality. Her eyes followed the stomping, slinking creature who took up a spot far away from her on the other side of the cave and closed its beautiful gleaming eyes, that shone magnificently in the dimness, and went to sleep. It was like being doused with ice cold water. Somewhere further in the cave was the steady dripping of liquid, a slight whistle of wind flowing and the loud breaths of the dragon who was wholly indifferent to her. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, eyes using the light streaming in from outside to take in the contours of the rock interior. Michonne wasn't sure where to go from here, what exactly being willingly kidnapped entailed but there was the nagging problem of what she gave up for it.

He wanted her eyes. It was a strange, almost abrupt revelation and Michonne had an inkling that he'd expected her to refuse. But she'd come all that way and turning back just wasn't an option when what waited for her was a life of unhappiness and regret that neither one of her parents were sympathetic too. The stories her sisters told her of their marriage was enough to wither the idea completely. Being the youngest she'd felt the need to make up for it and it turned into a curious, self assured, and fiery spirit—so different from her sisters' gentle, studious, and easy going dispositions that it had taken the castle by storm.

Michonne blew out a breath. Could she do it? Give up her sight just for a stubborn stance on her life? It wouldn't be long before her father called on every guard to find her if he hadn't already, or the panic of her mother took its toll on the council and workers. It only took a moment for her to picture herself confined to another nation's castle, the subject of displeasing glances of a hard to please mother in law, the topic of rumors and wishes and jabs, and the unfamiliarity of it all with that underlining pressure of producing an heir; to provide her with an answer. Michonne couldn't do it, she couldn't give herself to a man who didn't want to appreciate her own strengths. Her mother and father worked well because they respected even better and if she was honest, she wanted that too but she knew it was like picking a needle from a haystack in finding not just a significant other but a partner.

Michonne glanced back over at the dragon who seemed to be content in the quiet but it made her stir. She stood and turned around in the place she'd call home for the time being. The ceiling was high and embedded with glittering crystals she hadn't noticed before and at closer inspection as some of the evening light spanned over the walls, they also jutted from there. But what caught most of her attention was the neatly lined divets in the wall behind her. It scaled from just above her head to midway up the rocky surface and resting in each were different kinds of large gemstones. She examined them from her vantage point and admired the beauty in each one. She's been gifted many pieces of jewelry but they all paled in comparison to shimmery, almost luminescent ones displayed here.

Rick peeled open one eye and stared at the human walking amongst his home, clearly intrigued with everything. She wasn't being particularly loud but for someone like Rick who felt even the minuscule vibrations within the earth; she was infuriatingly noisy.

"Do you mind?" He grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep"

The human jumped and spun towards him. Rick's deep voice echoed slightly in the cave and her eyes widened at his sudden attention. Damn those eyes, he thought, they somehow subdued his initial anger.

"Sorry, I was just fascinated by your collection" she pointed to his wall of gems and various crystalline rocks.

Rick openly stared at her now, who seemed uncomfortable under his gaze. "Which one do you like best?" He found himself asking.

The human seemed taken aback by his line of questioning and it stirred a bit of self satisfaction that he kept deviating from what she anticipated. He watched her back up to take it all in, unknowingly sparking his pride. It had taken quite a long time and a few millennia to find such authentic gems as the world shaped and shifted during his long life.

"This one" the Princess pointed to a very rich, blue stone sitting near the bottom row.

"Lapis Lazuli," Rick said. "A long time friend down south gave it to me after one of his travels" he supplied willingly.

The princess looked it over and then smiled at him. Rick narrowed his eyes. "I didn't know you dragon's knew the concept of friends; you guys are very territorial"

Rick huffed. "We aren't an uneducated species without social practice, much like your kind was long before you figured out speech" a rumble left his throat. "Which took a pathetic amount of time if I were to be honest. All animals are social creatures, some a little too much" he stared pointedly at her.

The princess hummed but she wasn't deterred. He was starting to realize that while there were moments of uncertainty that crossed her face, she didn't cower easily. He could appreciate it, it was new. "Which one is your favourite, Mr. Dragon?"

"Rick" he said and she tilted her head at him.

"What?"

"Enough with Mr this and Mr that, I'm not my father. Rick is just fine"

She put her hands on her hips and pondered something before she smiled. "Only if you call me Michonne"

Rick stared silently.

"Don't want to?" Her tone had a light lilt to it that he wasn't quite fond of at the moment.

Rick stayed quiet. He was coming the conclusion that he seemed to be losing his edge the longer she was in his presence. She seemed less tense as they faced off on either side of the cave and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Fine" he blew out a breath watching as her dress fluttered and her hair blew over her shoulder.

Her smile grew. "Okay, Rick. Which one is your favourite?" She gestures to his collection once more.

He didn't need to look at it. "The ones you will give me"

Her smile faltered. "My eyes?"

"Yes"

Michonne stared at the icy blue irises that bore into her but it didn't feel threatening, there was something soft about his gaze that she found interesting. While other dragon's were boastful and talkative or straight up blunt, he seemed careful and observant. He didn't give useless chatter and only spoke when he felt the need; for a dragon he was odd. Without context, Michonne burst out into the laughter, hugging her stomach to try and suppress it. Rick glared at her.

"Why do you laugh?"

"Is that why you want them? You think my eyes are gems or crystals?" Michonne looked amused, as though he was silly, which Rick didn't like.

"Of course I know they aren't. But they are rather magnificent and will look good on my display" he said.

"I don't want to be blind"

"And I didn't want a human in my home" he countered.

"I will offer you something else"

"What?" He decided to indulge her.

Michonne lifted her hand to the necklace that sat just below her collarbones, it was an elegant link of embedded purple gemstones. She then raised her hands and eyed the rings adorning her fingers on each hand. She carefully took everything off and let them rest in a pile in her hands. Michonne glanced up at the dragon and bravely made her way closer so that she was standing just before his snout. Those keen eyes had never left her. She held out her hand to show her offerings.

"I don't want meaningless jewelry," Rick growled.

"They harbour refined gems in them, real ones" Michonne appeased.

Rick looked at the jewelry and he could admit he saw the authenticity in them but, "they're small" he said.

"But they are gems no less"

"They're not as beautiful as your eyes," Rick continued to dismiss. Michonne froze for a moment by the unexpected compliment and let a shallow heat beneath her cheeks but she suppressed it. She was essentially bargaining for life.

"Please. Please take them, I'm sure they'd fit right into your collection" he insisted with unwavering earnestness.

Rick deliberated for a while, wanting what he was promised but seeing her aversion plain as day. In the end he could realize that a pair of extracted eyes would be grotesque in the grand scheme and he wouldn't call himself needlessly morbid. He acquiesced because at the end of the day he would get something in return for putting up with the likes of her frustratingly stubborn disposition, beautifully clear eyes and a silhouette of the utmost stunning.

"Fine" he said, "put it over there"

Michonne turned to where he nodded and saw an empty space among the rows. She walked over and stretched up to line her jewelry on it, thoroughly embarrassed at how minuscule they appeared next to the others but at least she would get to keep her eyes. Although Michonne was sure her gems were nowhere of the same quality as century old raw cuts and that made her reevaluate the dragon before her; he was definitely odd.

"Thank you," Michonne said when she turned back around.

Rick turned his head away, curling up so he wasn't facing her. Michonne couldn't help the small smile that escaped her because the other dragons hadn't lied. He may have strongly opposed her but in the end he helped her without needing much of anything in return.

"Whatever" she heard Rick's low rumble.