prompt forty: a moment in time

rate: T for teens and Up

Forty out of one hundred.

Honestly, i wasn't going to make this more than two parts but y'all twisted my arm and i sort of did this to myself… *sigh*

"The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place." —Barbara De Angelis

x

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To put it simply, Lucy was not doing great. To put it in a complicated context, she was freaking the hell out and wanting to throw herself over the goddamn balcony and hope the death was quick and instant.

She already had a buttload of stuff to do considering she was a queen of a goddamn kingdom and only twenty one years old. Her coronation was the youngest to date in the Celestial Kingdom but it was long overdue since the late king and queen passed eight years prior. She barely had any time to do anything for herself (her advisor reminds her that if she had a king then the work would be split) but she absolutely knew for sure that she did not have time for a love life.

She never really had time for anything and having to find time for a man to court her in between sounded like hell in itself.

The council were appointed judges who help guide her and also dictate around the kingdom laws and regulations. They withhold the standard for all celestial citizens as well as keep future generations in check when it comes to the royal family. While she was the stamp for approval on everything, things that concerned her and the royal family were more of their responsibility where they rule by majority vote. And sometimes they liked to twist her arm and while she was enraged to find out that they were planning on overthrowing her if she couldn't deliver a promised heir, she knew it was for the sake of the kingdom. Without an heir, there would be no more royal bloodline for the Heartfillia's.

She was the last standing Heartfillia after generations and generations of royalty and if she couldn't produce an heir now, she would be ending the blood line and potentially put her kingdom in danger.

It's been over two weeks since the prisoner had been captured and left down in her dungeon. She had her knights and people tending to him and ensuring he is kept alive and recovering but she had yet to go back and see him.

It mainly had to do with the fact that her advisor put such a wild thought into her head and now she didn't know if she could face the man knowing that her kingdom wanted her to reproduce with him.

It honestly was a fool proof plan considering they both were about to go extinct (that is to say there wasn't a dragon nest somewhere kept away from the rest of the world) and producing an heir should sound like a very good idea. Beneficial to both races and parties. Easy way out. And he was her prisoner for goodness sakes, she could do whatever she wanted with him and as long as he was on celestial land, she was his queen and it was her word over his.

But how could she so casually suggest the idea to some stranger she had captured that they needed to have sex to protect the future generations and help her keep her title as queen?

It sounded too selfish and there really was no way around this.

A dragon would be a perfect strong mate but with such little information about them and surrounding their own mating rituals, she didn't know how to approach such a topic. Who is to say he would agree and the moment they were alone he wouldn't rip her apart? Kidnap her? Kill her? Or what if he already has a mate? What if he can't mate? There's no record of humans ever being with dragons unless it involved a blood bath so how can they be so sure they could do it?

There were too many thoughts and too many risks that went into all this and while Lucy spent the last two weeks slowly losing her mind and getting constantly reminded how there is a capable, strong, young healthy dragon down in her dungeon, she could only think about how problematic this all was.

The dragon had yet to speak beside bare his teeth and growl. The most emotion he showed apparently was when he was being fed but he refused to do anything.

But she wasn't going to force him to speak or do anything. She wasn't the type of queen to enflict pain and torture someone for information. He would eventually speak when he wanted to and if that wasn't now then it would have to be later.

Luckily, having his scent and tracks covered was easy enough. She knew that dragons were notorious for their sense of smell, sight, and hearing. She didn't need someone sniffing through his path and attacking her kingdom, whether that was another dragon or not.

Lucy let out a groan as she rolled around in her bed, the darkness surrounding her with the moon high in the sky. It has been very hard to sleep in the past couple days since her mind was plagued with such issues.

She wanted to go and talk to the dragon but at the same time she didn't want to go and talk to him. The smothering heat was enough for her to want to stay away but the persistent urge she had tugging in her gut was worrying. Maybe it was from the many whispers in her ear urging her of this issue or maybe that her future literally may be in the hands of this creature but she felt like she was in between a rock and a hard place.

What would her mother do? Her mother always told her to follow her heart and do what she thought was right.

But the problem was, she didn't know if this was right. She was too busy thinking about the dragon's feeling and position in this that she didn't know if it would be right.

Feeling the soft sprinkles of star dust gather, Lucy lazily looked over to see one of her favorite celestial spirits sitting at her bed. Trembling and offering her a smile, he held his shaky hand up in the air as a greeting.

"Pun punn."

"I know, Plue, you do not have to remind me." The queen sighed as she turned on her side and looked at the white doggy spirit that oddly looked more like a snowman than anything. "I just do not really know what to do… I feel stuck."

"Pun."

"You really think so?"

With a head shake and his arm lifting higher, the spirit gave the queen a mighty jump. "Pun!"

Throwing her comforter off, the queen rose to her feet. "You are right. I should get up and act." She gave her spirit a stern nod and a look of determination. "Please do not let word to reach Loke or Virgo's ear about what I may or may not be doing. Make sure nobody finds out."

The spirit nodded at his master, body trembling like a frightened chihuahua while the queen tossed on her robe. She hesitantly looked at her slippers to wonder if she should wear them but the risk of someone hearing her would definitely alarm anyone.

Especially when she's about to approach a dragon that was chained up in her dungeon.

Making sure nobody was around and quickly sneaking down the large halls of her castle, Lucy avoided the night shift guards and crept around in the darkness to hide herself. She didn't realize how hard it was as she kept hiding behind pillars and poking her head around to look around cautiously.

Her heart raced inside of her chest and she had a bunch of unwanted doubts swimming inside of her head but she had made a decision and she had to get this thing over with. If he said no then there was her answer. She wasn't going to force herself on him nor would she demand him of giving her anything.

Stopping by the door of the kitchen, Lucy hesitated and wondered to herself if she should bring something as a peace offering. Her knights did say that he responded very well to food and if she were to offer him some food, would he be more inclined to speak?

Sneaking into the kitchen, Lucy grabbed a basket from the pantry before she opened the large fridge doors to look in. There were plenty of food, condiments, beverages, and all sorts of things crammed in there. She didn't even know where to start but just decided to grab a little bit of everything since she didn't know what his preferences were or if he was allergic to anything. Bundles of fresh fruit, meat, bread, and cheese were thrown into the basket and tucking a small dagger into the sleeves of it, Lucy swung the heavy thing over her shoulders before returning back to her mission. She paused on the way out before turning back to rummage through the fridge and collect some juice, shoving them into her heavy basket.

Her head swung left and right to look for guards and when the coast was clear, she slowly closed the door shut before scurrying off to the doors down to the dungeon.

She could feel the heat seeping out of the cracks from the door and cursed herself for not bringing a hair tie with her. Thankfully she was only in her thin nightgown with a silk robe on top so she was sure to not be too stuffy like last time.

Wooden stakes that hung on the wall with flames dancing around. She reached up to grab one to help her way down while her bare feet came in contact with the warming stone.

Maybe not wearing shoes was a bad idea but at least the heat wasn't unbearable for her to be walking around. The closer she got, the hotter it got. She started to feel sticky with her sweat, body sleek from the humidity as sweat drops rolled down her forehead and neck. She was sure she would be drenched by the time she returned to her chambers.

She tried her best to not let the fear of the dragon shake her, thick gulps and shaky sighs leaving her mouth.

By the time she had come to the cell where the dragon was held, she was dripping sweat and her face was flushed with the heat.

He knew she was there before she could announce herself, dark golden eyes staring right at her from the pits of darkness.

"H—hi," Her voice was small and wobbly before she cleared her throat. "Hello. It-the, Queen Lucy." She did a small curtsy at him, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She had no idea why she was so flustered with his piercing gaze pinning right at her. She wanted to slap herself on the forehead for this one.

The silence was eerie and luckily she could see his eyes in the darkness so at least she wasn't talking to an empty space or a sleeping body.

She bit down on her bottom lip as she fumbled with the keys to unlock the cell doors. The waves of heat that were coming through was making her drenched but she pushed through as she entered. The walls felt as if there was steam rolling off of them and being in an enclosed space with the dragon felt like she was sitting in his throne smack dab in the center of a volcano.

She came over to place the torch up against the wall, close enough they can have some light but far enough that he wouldn't be able to manipulate it if he truly could. Those magic cuffs were still on his wrist and they dangled above him as he sat up against the wall.

"I apologize for not being a good host. I have not been able to come see you. Are you enjoying your stay?"

The way his eyebrow raised at her as if he was asking her 'do I look like I'm enjoying my stay?' had her looking away in embarrassment.

"R—right! Prisoner and all that…" she cleared her throat, fiddling with the sleeves of her robe as she stood in front of him.

Normally she was good at this kind of stuff. She met with all sorts of people and she was the goddamn queen of an entire kingdom but she resorted to stuttering and speaking like a child. What must he think of her?

She didn't even know why she was trying to forge such small talk or entertain this man. He was a dragon—a literal beast born from lava and creatures that soar in the sky.

She shuffled in the cell and found purchase on the dirty floor, not minding all the dirt or muck. She tucked her legs beside her and set down the basket, his eyes slowly following the movements before pinning on the basket.

"Oh, these are just some things I found in the kitchen. I thought you may like them." She focused her attention on the basket, not wanting to stare too hard. She opened up the basket and pulled the bottle of juice out before setting them down beside her, wiping at the sweat that rolled down between her eyebrows. She pulled out some bread and held it out in front of her, looking at him warily as his eyes gleamed at the sight. "Would you… like some?"

The sound of her voice ripped his attention away from the bread before he scowled, baring his teeth at her again. The heat seemed to jump with his current state and her eyes widened at his aggression.

"It's not poison or anything!" She said quickly, wondering why he was being so defensive. He didn't utter a word or move, eyes narrowing at her figure. "Promise! See?" She ripped a piece off before popping it into her mouth, chewing with a small nervous smile on her lips.

He stopped baring his teeth at her but stared at her oddly, eyes darting down at the loaf before back at her face.

"I have other things if plain bread is not up to your standards," she returned her attention back to the basket, pulling out meat and cheese. "Would you like a sandwich instead?" She turned back to look at him and he was blinking dumbly at her.

Taking his silence as an answer, Lucy just decided to work on making a sandwich for him to keep herself occupied. The heat lingered but it had went down slightly making her feel relieved at the feel.

She didn't say a word as she put the meal together, slices of cheese layered with a bunch of meat before being sandwiched in between the bread. She held up her creation and offered a smile, "Ta-da! A sandwich!" She beamed proudly.

He didn't return anything back and her smile slipped slightly, her shoulder slumping in defeat.

"I… I am unsure if you speak or understand me clearly. I came to an understanding that you do understand me to a degree but.. unsure what your native tongue is or if you speak at all… do dragons speak?" She was talking to herself more than he was as she continued on her ramble. "Regardless of if you speak or not, I am not going to force you to if you truly do not want to."

This seemed to surprise him as his eyebrows raised and she looked down at the space between them, finger nervously fiddling with the edge of her robe.

"I worry you not, I shall not be laying a finger on you nor will my people. As long as you are in celestial territory, you shall be protected. I promise you that much," she turned to look up at him again and he was staring at her with an unreadable expression. She merely bit down on her bottom lip before she held the sandwich up to him. "So… would you like some?"

He eyed the meal suspiciously making her sigh and bring back the sandwich to her lips to take a small bite. "See? Not poisonous. You can eat it, too. I brought it for you."

Realizing that he can't reach out and take it from her, Lucy let out a small sigh before she moved the basket over and scooted closer to him. The clang of his metal chains hitting against the wall sounded and she could see him tense. She stopped her movement and stayed still for a minute, watching and calculating.

"I know it may be difficult to trust someone who had imprisoned you and chained you to a wall but I really do not mean to harm or scare you."

At her words, he scoffed, turning his head away to glare at the wall.

"Are you not hungry? Am I being too pushy?" She asked herself the last question, lowering her arms to bring them to her lap.

At the sound of the metal chains clanking again, she looked up to see he had turned back to look at her, his posture straightening as much as it could before he was comfortably laying back. He nudged his head at the sandwich in her lap and she looked down before beaming, scooting closer that she could feed him.

He still eyed her warily but he opened his mouth for her to push the sandwich into his mouth. Sharp canines punctured the soft loaf as he took a bite and she pulled it away slightly to watch him chew, strong jaws moving up and down with his action. He held his mouth open when he finished swallowing, asking for more which had her smiling.

She fed him the sandwich in silence, watching him chew and swallow with ease. She tried not to watch him too much as she was afraid he may not want someone to stare at him as if he was some kind of zoo animal.

He seemed to relax further as he ate and when he finished his meal, she scooted back to grab at the jar of juice.

"Would you like some of this, too? It's orange juice."

He nodded and she turned to the other side to peek into her basket but she was in such a hurry she forgot one of the most important things.

The frown on her face must have confused him before he looked at her with an eyebrow raised and she shook her head. "I forgot to bring glasses down. Would you be okay drinking from the jar?"

He nodded and she came back over to hold the jar with two hands, slowly bringing it to his lips for him. She tilted the bottle as the liquid slid down the opening and she swallowed hard as she watched him drink, his throat bobbing with the motion.

That was when she was really able to take him in. His wide shoulders connecting towards equally large arms that hung above him. His chiseled chest down to his abs were a sight she was used to considering a lot of her knights practice without shirts on but being this close to a man who was bare from the waist up made her flustered. Especially when she was in a dark enclosed cell with him with only her nightgown on.

The voice of her advisor tinkered in her mind and she blamed the blush on her cheeks on the heat, slowly lowering the jar from his lips when he had gulped down nearly half of it.

"Would you like some more?"

He shook his head and she nodded before scooting back and capping the jar. She sat back with her knees tucked underneath her and she looked back at him, curiosity getting to the best of her.

She didn't have any knowledge on dragons changing to human form but this man was clearly human. He had two legs, two arms, no tail, no wings, but he did have the eyes and sharp teeth to show for his heritage. She wondered how big he could turn, if he could, and what color he may even transform into. Maybe pink considering his hair was pink?

Thinking about seeing a large pink dragon that breathes fire and turns into a man like him had her giggling.

He raised a questioning brow at her again and she was wiping at the sweat that rolled down her forehead once more before speaking.

"My apologies, I was not laughing at you. I was just wondering to myself what color dragon you would be if you could transform." She giggled again, pressing her fingers against her lips. "Would you be pink since your hair is?"

The way he growled at her had her giggling again, turning her head away in amusement.

"I was not even aware dragons could change into humans but I was not aware dragons were still around till you showed up so I believe there is that," she mused to herself. "It's just amazing to think that you could change into something that big."

The silence that followed wasn't as uncomfortable now but something she was used to. She felt like she was just talking to herself the majority of the time but that was nothing new. She was always talking to herself or to the air, this wasn't much different even though there was someone right in front of her.

Rummaging through the basket once more, Lucy pulled out an apple and held it out in front of her. "Would you like some?" She asked as he nodded. "At least you respond to food." She laughed lightly, reaching into her basket to collect the small dagger she tucked away in there.

The loud sounds of his metal chains clanking again caught her attention and the heat rose once more. She turned her head to see him try and scoot away from her, baring his teeth and growling at her in a warning.

She blinked stupidly at him before looking down at the dagger in her hand. "Oh!" She gasped, setting down the dagger on the ground where his eyes followed it. "This is to cut the fruit! I swear to you that I only brought this with the intention of cutting fruit."

He stopped growling and baring his teeth but he still eyed her warily and she let out a small sigh of relief.

She slowly reached for the dagger and she was aware he was watching her every move. She made sure to keep her eyes down on her task, grabbing at the large red apple before bringing the dagger to the skin with her other hand.

She began to peel at the skin, swirling it around in circles to start producing spiral shavings of the skin.

"My mama used to cut apples for me." She spoke softly as her eyes stayed on the fruit. "She was a lot better at this than I am but she used to be able to cut through the entire thing without breaking the spiral." She had a small smile to her lips while remembering her late mother. "It used to be my favorite thing to watch. She had tried to teach me but I was still young and did not have the patience to slice through the apple."

The heat was starting to sizzle down some more and she was grateful for it considering she was drenched with sweat. Once she had peeled the apple, she started to slice it into smaller pieces and popped one into her mouth, chewing on the refreshing juicy flesh. She cut another piece and dropped the dagger back down to hold it out to him and he eagerly opened his mouth for her to pop it in.

She smiled at him as he chewed and returned back to her apple.

"Do you have any family or friends?" She asked and was greeted by silence making her laugh slightly. "I do not know what I was thinking you would answer."

And so she continued her task of switching from stuffing one in her mouth and stuffing them into his. He seemed to enjoy the sweet treat as he chewed, his mouth flying open for more when he was done. It had her giggling and once they had finished off the apple, she tucked the dagger back into the basket to not frighten him.

She had noticed the heat had dropped a lot since she had first come here. While her body was still damp with her sweat, she had stopped feeling as if she was in suffocating heat. This made her smile as she grabbed at everything she brought to pack away.

"I should head back before it gets too late." She said, tucking the jar of juice into the basket before looking back up at him. "I thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you and… feed you." Her cheeks flushed slightly and she didn't know if he was able to see it or understand it but his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "I am unsure when I will be able to come see you again but I assure you I will."

He didn't say anything but stare at her, his gaze almost curious. His eyes watched her every movement as she stood with the basket tucked on her arm. She brushed whatever dirt she had on her skirt away before standing up straight, offering a soft smile at the dragon who tilted his head up to look at her.

"It was nice to be acquainted with you, sir dragon. Till we meet again," she did a small curtsy before grabbing the torch on the wall and leaving the cell.

The entire time she could feel his eyes on her but it didn't scare her nor did it make her uncomfortable. For some reason… It felt warm.

For the past month, Lucy had been sneaking out of her room to talk and feed her dragon. Well, more like talk to him while he listened or didn't. He didn't really say anything but the occasional growls, grunts, and head nods. It was enough for her since she knew if he wanted something or didn't like something.

He was still hesitant of her but the more she saw him and spent time with him, the more he relaxed. She swore one night he smiled and she wondered if it was the shadows playing tricks on her but she chose not to think so deeply into it. The heat had been growing more and more bearable but it still made her sticky with sweat whenever she returned to her chambers.

She had yet to even talk to him about the situation her advisor had advised her to do and only because she didn't think it would be smart to throw that at him. And besides, she didn't know the man so for her to ask him to jump in bed with her and help produce an heir sounded a bit too far fetched.

Instead, she took her time trying to make a friend out of him. Even though he was quiet and an odd man.

She found out that he liked meat more than anything else but he would eat anything she would bring. It made sense considering he was a dragon but he still ate fruits and pastries. She would always take a small bite first to show him it wasn't poisonous and then feed him as he would eagerly take whatever she gave.

It made her wonder if he wasn't being fed enough as he would so greedily drink and eat everything.

Every night she would come down and speak with him about her day. How tiring and annoying it was to go through all the paperwork. How exhausting it is to meet with her citizens to hear out their requests and try to help them in their lives.

Some nights she would speak about her parents, fond memories of them raising her and showing her the ways of life. How she became who she was today and all the time she had back then when she didn't have the responsibilities of a queen.

"Some days… I wish to be born into a family that did not have many responsibilities besides keeping a roof over our head and food on the table." She spoke as she laid against the blanket she was brought down with her, her golden hair sprawled all over. "I wondered if life would be easier or harder… without the pressure of having to take care of an entire kingdom."

She had never said those words out loud before. She felt like she was being selfish when she thought this way considering she was born as a princess. She had been spoon-fed through a diamond encrusted spoon her entire life and for her to wish to be born into a normal poor family made her sound ungrateful.

But she was immensely grateful for the life she was given. Even through all the hardships and difficulties, she still loved who she was. Helping citizens, dressing in gorgeous clothes, having the freedom of roaming freely and having nearly all the riches in the world… but she had always felt like something was missing. She just didn't know what.

"I know how I must sound but sometimes… I wish for a life that does not have so many rules and expectations. Sometimes I wish…" she trailed off, finding it hard to find the right words for it. "Sometimes I wish I could be living a free life full of adventure and fun."

The sad smile she gave him had his eyes widened and she could only sigh before switching to another topic.

Some nights she would speak about the stars or the history of the kingdom. The tales her mother used to read to her before bed and the very constellations that protected their kingdom.

He always stayed quiet and listened to her but he wasn't a man of many words so it helped her get out a lot from her system.

And one particular day, when Lucy had found herself angry and flustered about her current situation once more, she had done something she hadn't done before.

She went down to the dungeon during the day and sought out her mute friend who had listened to her complain and whine for nearly a month and a half. She didn't even think about the topic of the conversation being something he shouldn't know about but she did not see clearly through her rage.

The council were bold to summon her presence and rain down on her about her lack of heir and prospects. They had warned her about the consequences of her actions and it pushed her off the edge to storm out of the room and down the warm cobblestone steps.

The knights all greeted her as she entered and she was quick to snap at them to take their leave.

"B—but your majesty, the dragon—"

"Are you asking your queen to repeat herself?" She uncharacteristically raised her voice at the knights who stiffened at her tone. "Leave at once!"

They all scurried to leave the queen at once, metal clanking as their armor pushed through the stairs. She didn't wait for them to leave as she went right over to his cell, unlocking the metal doors before walking right in as if it was her own home. Which, it sort of was since this was her castle.

The dragon seemed confused at what was happening but nonetheless amused, his eyebrow curled up as he watched her pace back and forth in his cell. She was muttering all sorts of things under her breath, her heels clicking furiously against the stone floor.

"Honestly, the nerve of those councilmen!" She spoke up, anger seeping out from her words. "Have they forgotten that I am their queen? How dare they speak to me that way and threaten my title!"

She heard a low growl come from him but the heat didn't waver so she didn't care to poke into it, her short legs carrying her back and forth from the cell.

"And all this because of a goddamn heir! And a king! Who needs a king?! I am fully capable of running a kingdom without a king!" She scoffed angrily, the skirt of her dress whipping around with her steps. "I understand the part about an heir, it is a big concern for the future of Celestial but I cannot just magically produce a child from thin air!" She shirked, face red from anger and embarrassment. "Things like this take time and time is what I do not have!"

She let out a frustrated growl and went over to kick at the wall. She worried her shoes may have scuffed but it was quickly replaced by her earlier feelings of frustration.

"And the worst part of it all is that I need to find a man with strong magical abilities to reproduce!" She was ranting and missed the way his eyebrows shot up. "I do not know how much you know about royals but if one is unable to find a mate that does not have equal or more power to their counterpart then the woman is at risk during and after childbirth. That is how my mother…" she tailed off, the same painful feelings from the memories of her weakening mother coming back in large waves.

She didn't know if the tears that pricked her eyes were from the pain of her loss or from her anger but she refused to let them fall as she continued her pacing.

"Those idiots do not know anything! A king and heir my ass!" She snapped into the air, growling into the air. "And for them to try and suggest mating with a dragon of all sorts… how ridiculous! When are they going to realize how ridiculous and stupid that is?! Mate with the first and only dragon we have set our eyes on in over four hundred years and not to mention said so dragon is my prisoner!"

She could just rip her hair out of her scalp and scream bloody murder at how angry she was.

"What the hell do they know about dragons and mating?! For all I know, dragons could have some weird ritual that they partake in and what if they are too strong that I break in half?! Not to mention the heat! What if my skin melts off? What if I burst into flames?!"

Her imagination was growing wild with images of everything going wrong spilling into her head.

"And who is to say that this dragon would agree to such terms?! They just think I can just go and force someone to produce an heir for me! How inconsiderate and selfish of them all! Just for an heir?! Who is to say it will work?! There is no record of a dragon and a human! There has to be a reason behind it! It's mind boggling and seemingly impossible! Dragons are huge! Can you imagine being split in half by a dragon's penis?! That is just—!"

Her rant was cut off short when she heard laughter and her entire body froze, her eyes widening. She snapped her head over to where her dragon prisoner sat and she was in shock to see he was actually laughing.

This so-called mute of a man who only responded with grunts, growls, and head nods was laughing and she had no idea what to think of it.

Her jaw became slack and she stared at him, wondering if she was seeing or hearing right. Maybe it was the heat that was getting to her or her anger clouding her mind.

Watching how his laughing ceased, his lips curved into a smirk and his eyes were on hers making her face grow crimson.

Holy Mavis, she swallowed thickly, eyes as wide as dinner plates. I did not mean to tell him all that. He probably thinks I am a lunatic.

Gaping at him like a goldfish out of water, she had a hard time forming words. She wasn't sure if she still heard correctly as he was just sitting there staring at her again but he was most definitely smirking at her and it was just growing bigger the longer she stood there gawking.

"Queen Lucy," his voice was deep and sounded almost like a purr. It made her shiver and she gasped, taking a step back where her back pressed against the metal bars. "I was not aware you were needing assistance in producing an heir."

She was back to gaping like an idiot, her mouth opening to close as she tried to process what was going on.

He was speaking! Speaking! And right at her!

The way his dark eyes bore right at hers with the soft gold glinting beneath the black, she found herself swallowing thickly and holding her breath.

"It sounds to me that your councilmen are correct," he rumbled and she felt her knees shaking and heart pounding. "Dragons are excellent creatures to mate with," she watched with wide eyes as his tongue ran across his teeth, poking at the sharp canines as his lips curved into a devious grin. "And not to mention attentive and protective."

Her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She knew it would.

"If the offer is on the table… I would be happy to accept your invitation to this feast."

Yep. She was right.

Queen Lucy was royally fucked.

X

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tbc