Bastileborn - Dragon Fire Pt. 03

"Oh... I didn't know Astrum still liked me like that. I assumed he was plenty happy with you and Kythe."

"He is, but you never forget your first love, and you were obviously his. How long have you known him?"

"About three years now, but we weren't friends until recently. I was a slave, and he was a sentry that patrolled the slave yard. I thought he was very handsome, but I knew we could never be together. Then Gavin came along and stole my heart," she admitted with a smile.

"How long have you known Gavin?"

"A few months, at least," she said with a shrug.

"Oooh, I see," Neam said with her lips pursed.

"What?"

"Well... you've known Astrum for years, and then Gavin comes along and steals you right out from under his nose. I can understand why his heart is broken about it."

Thistle stared at Neam in thought for a moment. Then she looked across the clearing to where Astrum and Kythe were drinking with Plinkon and Leto. She caught Astrum staring at her before he quickly looked away.

"You see what I mean?" Neam asked. "You wouldn't believe how often I see him watching you. Then I turn around and hear you admit to fucking your human two whole times. Why are you hesitating with your affection for Gavin? Are you in love with Astrum too?"

"No... It's not like that," she mumbled with a gulp.

"Thistle, you have two beautiful males wanting you. You should be fucking both of them. Maybe you like females more. Is that why you're hesitating? You should know, Astrum is incredibly good in bed," she said with a wicked smile.

"Okay! Thank you for the dance, Neam. I need to go find Gavin," she said and attempted to stand, but Neam grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Don't escape yet. I have one more test," she said as she grabbed Thistle's face and pulled their lips together.

Thistle made a startled noise in her throat as Neam held her neck and kissed her quite passionately. She was about to push the dark elf away, but Neam reached up and caressed Thistle's ears between her fingers, sending an incredible shudder up her spine. She groaned from the titillating sensation. Neam chuckled at her reaction before she slipped her tongue into Thistle's mouth.

"Thistle?" Gavin announced in a startled voice, causing her to quickly push Neam away.

She looked up to see Gavin and Ragos staring at them. Gavin had a rather dumbstruck look on his face. Ragos was wearing a goofy grin.

"Gavin! Uh... this isn't what it looks like," Thistle stammered as she glanced across the clearing to see Astrum. He was also staring at her with wide eyes.

"Whatever it is, we would love to join," Ragos said as he pushed Gavin down on the log next to Thistle. Then he quickly sat down next to Neam, wearing a mischievous grin.

Neam returned Ragos's grin before she took the candy cup from his hand and drained the wine.

"Mmm, I love a woman that can drink... I also love a woman with fangs," he whispered.

"I can expertly handle many things, even with my fangs," Neam whispered as she licked her lips.

Ragos raised an intrigued eyebrow at her. Thistle put her hand over her eyes.

"What's wrong, Thistle?" Gavin chuckled as he gently ran his hand down her back over her soft hair.

"Just feeling really out of place," she whispered as she peeked at him through her fingers.

"You shouldn't. Unless you mean like a needle in a haystack, but really, you're more like a diamond among stones," he said as he pulled her hand away from her beautiful face. Then he offered her his wine.

"Thanks," she whispered as she took it and gulped it down.

"What's bothering you?" he asked.

"Her men," Neam interrupted. "They're failing to satisfy her, obviously."

Gavin's mouth dropped open at that accusation. Thistle burst out laughing at his reaction.

"Really? How on earth would you know that?" he asked.

"I can sense things like that," Neam chuckled.

"What are you referring to?" Ragos interrupted. "What royal dirt am I missing out on?"

"Let me explain," Neam began. "Gavin and Astrum are both in love with Thistle. Thistle claims she's in love with Gavin, but she still blushes when she sees Astrum watching her. I personally think she is in love with both of them, and she likes women. Common elf behavior."

"Oooh, that is really good dirt," Ragos said with a huge grin. "Here's my advice on the matter, Thistle," he said as he reached over and touched her shoulder. "Fuck both of them to see which one you like best. You're also welcome to fuck me. I'm an excellent third option. I must warn you, though. Dragon cock is addictive, so it's probably an unfair comparison," he said with a devilish grin.

The mortified looks that came over Thistle's and Gavin's faces after that had Neam and Ragos bent with laughter.

"Humans are such prudes! How are you not horny all the time? It has to be terribly distracting," Neam laughed as she slapped Thistle's leg.

Astrum and Kythe were extremely curious about the laughter, so they wandered over to refresh everyone's wine.

"Planning a private party without us?" Kythe asked as he sat down on the ground in front of Neam.

"Not yet, but we're getting there," she said as she winked at Thistle.

"Oh boy, I feared it was something like that," Astrum sighed as he sat on the ground in front of Thistle.

"I'm glad you're both here now," Neam continued. "We need your opinions on a few things."

"Wait," Ragos interrupted, "before you continue, I need some names. I hate waking up in bed with strangers," he said as he looked between the dark elves.

"Allow me," Astrum began. "This is Neam and Kythe, two personal friends of mine."

"Lovely to meet you both. Please continue, Neam," Ragos said as he looked at her expectantly.

"Okay, we were discussing Thistle's dilemma of being in love with Astrum and Gavin. They are also in love with her. It's causing a lot of tension that they refuse to address. Thistle complicates things even more by being half-elf and half-human. Humans are rather prudish about matters of the heart and loins, but this situation has gotten ridiculous."

Astrum sighed and gulped down the rest of his wine before he began eating his candy cup. Gavin was chuckling as Thistle sat very silent with her hand over her eyes.

"Also," Ragos began, "my advice was for all of them to fuck each other. Then they should all fuck me. After that, they can decide who they want."

"Wait a minute, Ragos," Gavin interrupted. "Why did you just add Astrum and me to the list of people who are supposed to fuck you?"

"Did I? Well, I meant to say it earlier," he said with a shrug. "By the way, Gavin, I still sense my brother's magic about you. It's super weak now. Is your hand not rotting off? Let me see it," he ordered as he climbed across Neam's and Thistle's laps. He reclined on their legs so he could get closer to Gavin. Everyone was chuckling at him. Ragos picked up Gavin's hand and examined his dragon cradle for a moment. "Huh, the curse is gone!"

"Yeah, it disappeared after Thistle shot you with the gold arrow."

"Well damn, that's neat. You should get rid of the cradle then. Having dragon magic constantly running through your system can influence humans in strange ways."

"Really? I feel fine," Gavin said with a shrug.

"You wouldn't know because you're the one being influenced. Sidian's magic mellows you out and heals you constantly. It will take away your edge in battle and make you sleep easier. Thistle, have you noticed such a change in Gavin?" Ragos asked as he rolled over on his back so he could look up at Thistle from her lap.

"Um, yeah, actually. You have been overly mellow lately. You're usually the one eager to kiss me, but recently, I've been the one starting the kissing," she mumbled in embarrassment.

"Ah-ha!" Ragos announced. "Just as I thought. Sidian's magic has been fucking with your head. Thus it's taking away your desire to fuck Thistle. I solved the mystery!" he said triumphantly.

Thistle put her hand over her eyes again as a very confused look came over Gavin's face.

"That can't be it!" he protested. "I feel plenty attracted to Thistle."

"Gavin, Gavin, Gavin..." Ragos sighed as he picked up his hand and looked at the gem cradle. "I haven't seen you blush once tonight, and we've been talking about some pretty wild things. Sidian's magic is definitely fucking with your head. Let me fix it," he mumbled as he summoned red fire in his hand and engulfed Gavin's hand as well.

"What are you doing? That burns!" he protested.

"Hold still, I'm fixing you," Ragos mumbled as he infused his magic into the gems. "There! That should help. Neat! They're bright purple now," he chuckled.

"Let me see," Gavin grumbled as he snatched his hand away from Ragos. "Wow, that is neat, but they hurt now."

"You'll get used to it. This is a great view, by the way," Ragos sighed as he put his hands behind his head and smiled up at Thistle.

"Why did you do this exactly?" Gavin asked in annoyance. "You just said dragon magic fucks with humans then you turn around and give me more magic!"

"Just proving my point. If it starts to bother you, remove it," he said with a shrug. "In the meantime. Enjoy it."

"Great... now I'll probably become a raging drunk."

"It doesn't work that way. Drinking is part of my personality, not my magic."

"Then what will it do to me?"

"It will give you an intuitive edge, sharpen your mind in battle, help in competitive sports, and help in lovemaking," he said with a grin as he winked at Thistle. "It's a bit of a curse for me, to be honest. I drink a lot to cool the constant drive I feel to be the best at everything. Especially since Sidian always makes me look like an amateur."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're the best drunk fighter I've ever seen," Astrum declared as he looked at Ragos. Their faces were close since he was still lying in Thistle's lap.

"Thanks, Astrum. That means a lot to me. By the way, I love your hair," he said as he reached over and ran his fingers through it. "I wish I could get mine to flow like that. I would grow it out long and play with it all the time."

"Well, you're welcome to play with mine if you want," he said with a shrug.

"I knew I liked you," Ragos said with a huge grin. He climbed out of the girls' laps and sat down behind Astrum so he could braid his hair.

"Seriously, Ragos? Dragons enjoy playing with hair?" Neam asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, it's very relaxing. I learned to enjoy it while courting a mermaid. She had the most incredible bright green hair. She loved for me to play with it, even when we fucked," he admitted.

Later that night, Sidian flew over the Blue Delph Forest with Lacia cradled in his arms. He planned to locate Ragos before he flew to Talfane to help Gavin. Then he planned to return to the Living Mountain. He had no choice but to confront Faddon. He didn't want to live the rest of his life with Lacia locked in a timeless sleep. It would slowly drive him mad.

He halted when he spotted the large fire lanterns glowing under the dense forest canopy. When he heard Cypress's Flute Hymn, he had to investigate. He ducked into the trees and spotted Ragos. He was sitting on the ground among familiar faces. Ragos was finishing a rather elaborate braid in Astrum's hair when Sidian landed in front of them, startling the drunk group of revelers.

"Sidian!" Thistle cried as she jumped up to greet him. She froze when she saw Lacia lying lifeless in his arms.

"Lacia!" Gavin gasped as he rushed over to check on his cousin.

"She's not dead. She's under a spell," Sidian said tiredly.

Ragos climbed to his feet and stepped over next to Gavin. He stared at Lacia's beautiful face with his heart pounding.

"Who did this to her? I'll rip their fucking throat out!" he growled as he looked at Sidian's broken expression.

"My guess is Faddon. I'm going home to confront him about it. I was going to Talfane first, but I see Gavin has been cured of his rot. Did Thistle use the arrow?"

"Yeah, she shot Ragos with it," Gavin said as he glanced at the red dragon.

Sidian growled under his breath as he slowly turned to look at his brother.

"Why the FUCK did she have to shoot you with it?" he demanded.

"Um, I sorta almost burned down the dark elf city while attacking the convoy, so she shot me. It hurt a lot, but I survived," he said as he rubbed his chest.

"Unbelievable, I don't have the energy for this," Sidian sighed, shaking his head at him. "Well, at least it wasn't a total waste. I see the delphians are allies now. That must have been the arrow's purpose," he noted as he looked among the dark elves that had been slowly creeping closer.

Suddenly, they began stepping aside to clear the way for Queen Sayda. Plinkon was behind her. He gasped in delight to see Sidian again, but his expression fell when he saw who he was holding.

"By the gods, another beautiful dragon," Queen Sayda announced as she approached Sidian to admire his wings.

"Two more, actually," he said as he politely bowed to the queen.

"What darkness has befallen this precious creature?" she asked as she held her hand over the gold rose like she was sensing its magic.

"A timeless sleep. It's also slowly driving me mad," he said as he searched the queen's large elegant eyes.

"I see. This is more dangerous than it appears. Please, you and your friends come to my tent," she ordered before she turned and led the way out of the clearing.

Thistle walked into the tent behind Ragos and looked around in wonder. Strange glowing stones were scattered all over the tent. Glowing trinkets and glass bottles full of colorful liquids were stacked on shelves and in baskets. It looked like the stars had come to rest in the queen's tent.

There were cots lined up around the tent's walls, and one tall stone table stood in the center. Queen Sayda directed Sidian to place Lacia on the table. Everyone else sat on stools and cots around her. Thistle sat between Plinkon and Gavin to watch the queen as she moved about the room, collecting an arrangement of beautiful glowing stones. She began placing them on the table around Lacia.

"What is all this stuff, Plinkon?" Thistle whispered.

"It's magic medicine. Queen Sayda is a powerful shaman. Those gems she's carrying are some of the rarest and densest stones known to the mortal realm. They're infused with ancient dragon magic. This is the legendary treasure of the Blue Delph Forest. The delphians have been protecting it for thousands of years," he whispered.

Sidian stood close to Lacia, watching the dark elf queen as she examined her glowing gems. He could sense the power of his ancestors in the room. It was strangely comforting.

"Hmm, this should tell me more," Sayda whispered as she carried a flickering white stone over to Lacia. She held it a few inches over her face before she began moving it down her body.

"What is that?" Sidian asked.

"Relax, my dear dragon. I'm simply learning more about the curse," she whispered as she watched the gem.

The flickering light in the stone would change in shape and intensity when it moved over different parts of her body, but it mostly stayed solid at the center of the stone. When Sayda held it over the gold rose, the light grew brighter and resonated. The queen sighed as she moved it down the rest of Lacia's body.

"How very strange," she whispered, shaking her head. "It's like her soul is somewhere else entirely. The rose is channeling it there. See how the flicker is mostly constant? It's like her essence has been forced out of her body to keep her asleep," she said as she moved the stone over her abdomen. Suddenly, the light in the stone flashed and began swirling. Sayda quickly moved the stone away at that point.

"What does that mean?" Sidian demanded as he met her eyes.

"It's nothing to be concerned about, Sidian."

"Bullshit! What does it mean?" he growled as blue fire flashed in his eyes.

"Brother! Calm down. You're not in great shape right now," Ragos gasped as he jumped up and touched Sidian's shoulder.

"Tell me what it means," he growled as he held the queen in his fiery gaze.

She glanced at Ragos, and he nodded nervously, prompting her to comply.

"Very well... she is with child. The stone is reacting to its spirit," she said as she raised the stone over her abdomen again, sending the white light swirling in a smooth circle.

The fire left Sidian's eyes as he staggered backward. He fell to his knees, staring at the stone like it had struck him dumb.

"Holy fuck! I'm an uncle!" Ragos announced with a huge smile. "Whoa there, brother. You look a bit green," he whispered as he knelt in front of Sidian and shook him a little, trying to bring him out of his daze.

"This... that's impossible," Sidian stammered as he looked between Ragos and Sayda. "Lacia and I are royal dragons. We need a blessing to conceive. We never received a blessing from the Living Mountain. She can't be with child."

"My dear naive dragon, Lacia is also half-human. She doesn't need a dragon blessing to bear a child," Sayda said with a smile.

Sidian nodded, took a deep breath, and stood up. He wobbled a little, prompting Ragos to grab his shoulder again.

"Dude, don't pass out in front of our friends. You're embarrassing me," he grumbled.

Sidian composed himself and leaned on the stone table. He stared at Lacia's beautiful face in wonder. He was trembling as he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Even halfway between death, you keep giving me more life," he whispered as tears came pouring from his eyes and dripped on Lacia's cheeks, making her cry with him. "I promise I will save you both," he whispered before he raised up and looked at the dark elf queen. "Thank you, Queen Sayda. Is the child safe while Lacia is like this?"

"I believe so. Give me a moment," she said as she retrieved a glowing green gem and brought it over to Lacia. The green light pulsed steadily, causing the queen to smile. "The heartbeat is strong. The child is not in distress."

"Good," he breathed in relief. "I'm going to sit down now," he whispered as he staggered over to his friends and sat down on a stool.

Thistle burst into tears as she wrapped her arms around Sidian's neck. Plinkon, Gavin, and Astrum patted him on the back and congratulated him, assuring him everything would be all right. It felt comforting for a moment, but Sidian knew their future was up in the air and falling fast. He had to return to the Living Mountain and face Faddon, even if it meant the king planned to kill him. The honor and protection of his kinsmen would keep them safe for a short time, but the king would ultimately decide his fate.

"Sidian," Ragos began as he knelt in front of his brother and took his hand. "I know you don't think much of me, but I will stay with you until we get this sorted out. I want to help protect you, Lacia, and my little niece or nephew. I'll even stay sober until the egg arrives if I have to," he said with his hand over his heart.

"Thanks, brother... but I don't think humans lay eggs," he said with his brow furrowed.

"Oh, well, whatever happens, I'll try to be there for you. I promise."

Sidian smiled and nodded as he squeezed his brother's hand. He hated to admit how much it comforted him to have Ragos with him at that moment.

"Well, sober up while you can, Ragos. I'll be leaving for the Living Mountain in a few hours. I have no idea what to expect when we get there. Before we go, I need to tell everyone what happened in the Midlands. Most of it is good news, at least."

Thistle, Astrum, Plinkon, and Gavin were shocked to tears as Sidian recounted the events that led to Wesley murdering his father. It was tragic that it happened the way it did, but they agreed they were happy to have Wesley as the new king of the elves. They were also tremendously grateful to hear of Brimsly's death. The central war was officially over before it could engulf the north.