Δράκος, or A Story of Dragons

She snapped back to reality by a voice from the man in the middle, who she thought might be a ringleader. His voice was just as slimy as his looks.

"What have we here, mates? Looks like the princess gone and got herself lost in the clearing, with no one around to hear her. Naked too..." He snarled at this last part, moving towards her menacingly. She narrowed her eyes at him and growled, as if that would do much good.

"You better release me, or the King will have three new rats in the pit by mid-morning," she said haughtily, confident in her statement.

"Oh, I doubt that Your Highness, since it was the King who sent us to find you and bring you back to him. Probably won't notice if you're a little rough for wear, though..." Ringleader and his two cronies sniggered at this, and he reached for her breast, taking her nipple roughly between his fingers. She yelped and slapped him across the face, hard. He advanced quickly onto her and backhanded her, knocking her to the ground. When she opened her eyes, he hit her again, and this time she saw red and tasted blood, bile rising up in her throat. He grabbed her breasts again and forced her legs open, and she heard him rustling around with his pants. She realized what he was doing and tried again to escape, but that just got her another hit, and she felt like the ground was rushing up to meet her, even though she already lay on it. She felt something, painful, at her entrance, and just as she thought she was about to be taken, she heard a scream. And not coming from her.

There was a dark shadow over her body and the two cronies were laying behind her, both ripped in half, the upper body of one hanging from the dragon's jaws as he turned, staring at the Ringleader. The man sat still in shock before grabbing for his sword, but it was too late. Jumping quicker than any animal she had seen, the dragon took the man's body and positioned himself where she could not see what happened. She saw intestines spill to the ground and realized the man had been disemboweled, his screaming giving testament to that. She saw his penis and testicles fall to the ground next, then his eyes, then his tongue, and finally the dragon quartered him before dropping him completely, not giving the man the mercy of an instant death. He turned to face her and she scooted backwards quickly, suddenly terribly afraid. The dragon's eyes were a deep, swirling red, its black scales glittered with hot fire, and he moved over to her gracefully and picked her up into one of his talons, spreading his great black wings and taking flight. Her heart jumped as the ground dropped from the below them, and the dragon released a great roar and bellowed fire, lighting Ringleader's quartered body on fire. She passed out of consciousness at the sight.

*****

Layra awoke, feeling distant and groggy. The last 24 hours had taken a great toll on her mind, and she felt terrible, angry, sad, and grateful. She looked around the great room and saw it was designed grander than any castle she had seen, though it was carved out of a cave. There were great paintings on the walls of huge dragons, beautiful sculptures of smaller, more delicate dragons, and even a mural of incredible seashells and pearls of what resembled water serpents. The dragon must've taken her to his lair, she realized. She wondered throughout the room, finding different things to delight in, and then moved over to the door, curious as to how large this cave castle really was. As she went out into what seemed like a grand hallway, she heard a noise and saw a fluttering of clothing as she whirled around. The dragon stood before her, as large and imposing as ever, but his eyes were golden again. She moved towards him, slowly, and kneeled again, feeling fear and a great deal of gratitude.

"Dragon, you saved my life. Thank you. I can never repay this great favor you have paid me," she looked up at him, as the creature moved over to her, and lowered his head to run one long claw across her face. He slowly lowered his head until his tongue was even with her face, and licked her until the pain from the mauling subsided, and no bruises were left. He then rested his cheek against her head for a moment, before moving off.

"You are welcome, my little darling."

*****

Layra did not see the dragon again for a long time, though she did not leave the cave. What home did she have to go back to? Besides, she wasn't entirely sure what the dragon wanted with her anyways. She found her meals delivered to her by no one, but at a certain spot every day. She found many fine dresses in her wardrobe that fit her perfectly, and although she now had to dress herself, she enjoyed getting to pick her clothes. She had found a rather impressive "study" type of room in the cave, and she poured over books day after day, trying to learn as much about dragons as possible.

Always, she kept her hair in the golden braid, though for what reason now she didn't know, except perhaps the ease of it. She wondered if she would ever see that knight again. She began to find she truly missed the dragon, though they had little interaction, he was comforting and protecting. She began to wonder from room to room, and one day, when she happened upon a room she had not seen before, she went in. The furnishings in the room were all black and golden, and she saw a large bed in the middle. Not sure why the dragon even had bedrooms-she hadn't even considered why she had one here-she moved towards it, shocked to see someone there. She studied the man, she could tell it was a male, but wasn't close enough to really see. She finally gave up and moved even closer, recoiling quickly when his eyes opened.

A very familiar gold stared at her with cat-like slits, and the dark hair and lithe body couldn't be denied. It was the knight! He was here! Was the dragon his pet, or something? He stood up and walked over to her, grasping her wrists and shoving her down onto the bed before she could escape. He straddled her hips, keeping her effectively pinned, and smiled down at her, wolfishly.

"My my my, little Miss Princess. I see you have come looking for me," he purred.

She struggled against him, infuriated. "I have not come looking for you! I was brought here! I wouldn't look for you for all the kingdoms in the world," she spat.

His eyes swirled gold and he flipped her over quickly, onto her belly, grabbing her braid with his hand.

"Then why is your hair still braided? Do you not wonder what that great gift is that I promised you?" he murmured, running his hands up her legs and under her dress.

"I don't do it for you and I don't want any gifts you have for me!" she growled back at him, and then cried out as his hand swiftly slapped her bottom. "You pig, do not lay a hand on me!" she screamed.

He hit her again, harder this time. "I will continue to spank you as long as you continue to be insolent and not admit what you really want."

She did not answer, so he hit her again, and again, and again. After 5 spankings to her now red bottom, he left her on the bed, and came back with a servant's dress.

"Because you refuse to learn your lesson, you will wear this and see to all the chores in this place. You will do as you're told and you will mind. You will not be given anything to eat nor anywhere to sleep unless you ask, politely. You will call me Jareth, because that is my real name."

She refused to put the dress on, so he gave her ten more whippings, and she grudgingly did as she was told. For the rest of the day, Layra learned what it was like to be a scullery maid. She cooked under Jareth's direction, she scrubbed the floors, and she disposed of the waste. All the while, she wondered where the dragon was, and if he would come and help her. She hadn't seen him in so long, she didn't know if he'd left her for good.

At the end of the night, she was starving and exhausted. She had refused to ask for food and refused to ask for a bed, so she lay sleeping in the hallway outside of Jareth's room, like a common dog. Her belly ached and her body hurt, but exhausted as she was, she quickly found sleep. Her dreams were of dark and tempting illusions, and she yearned for what she did not understand.

*****

Jareth watched her while she slept, so temptingly close, but he forced himself to stay away, she would submit to him on her own free will. When she slept she looked so peaceful, but he knew what a little demon was in there. She would be so beautiful afterwards, the perfect example... She stirred, moving him from his thoughts, and he looked down at her from the chair where he sat, as her groggy eyes slowly registered where they were. He held up her dress and she sat up and took it grudgingly, but he noted with much less defiance than before. Without a word, she stood and began to go into the kitchen, but he stopped her.

"Layra, you have forgotten something." She turned to look back at him, her eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. "What have I forgotten?" she said, in a voice heady with exhaustion.

"You are supposed to dress me as well, remember?" Her eyebrows shot up and she looked as if she would refuse, but she nodded and waited for him to open the door to his room. He let her in and she went over to where his wardrobe was, no doubt unsure as to what he wanted to wear. She looked at him questioningly.

"I think a white linen shirt and dark pants will do for today," he said, watching her. As she walked over, she laid the clothing on his bed and looked at him. "Please remove your clothes, Jareth, so I may dress you." He shook his head and her eyes widened further when he leaned back for her to remove his night drawers. "You will remove these, and then dress me," he patiently instructed. He noticed the fury in her eyes right before she lunged for him, her small hands circling around his neck and attempting to strangle him. She took him down to the bed and tried to throttle him, her body atop his, but she quickly realized he wasn't even struggling.

He was just looking at her, his eyes swirling, but he did not look angry. Instead, his face held something else. Like there was something he wanted but couldn't have. Yet. He swatted her hands away deftly, and when she began to claw at his chest, he flipped her onto her back and pinned her down with one knee, his hands ripping her dress open and exposing her. She struggled all the harder, screaming and crying, but when at last she had exhausted herself, she lay still. He scooped her into his arms and held her there while she cried, feeling the bitterness and pride leaving her body as she wept. He looked down at her and she looked up at him as a child lost, and he was surprised by her next words.

"May I please have some food, Jareth?" He nodded and set her back down, bringing her a new dress and putting it on her with ease. She had already started to lose weight under the stress and lack of sustenance, and she could certainly use the meal. He still required her to dress him, which she did with no further argument, though she turned bright red when she lowered his undergarments, and he followed her into the kitchen, where she made breakfast under his instruction.

She took a plate for herself, but he took it away, instructing her to sit at the table. She looked outraged but too hungry to argue, and he fed the meal to her, forcing her to eat like a child, and also to recognize that this grace of food came from his allowance. After breakfast, she did her ordinary chores, and after lunch, where she again asked for food and was again fed as a child, Jareth took her into the library and had her read to him, about the history of dragons for some reason.

The book made her remember her hero in the glade, and she began to wonder if it had all been a dream, after all. She eyed Jareth as he took a turn reading, as she was having trouble with some of the words, and she noted again how much like the dragon he looked. But their manners were totally different, she decided. He was cold and unfeeling, a heartless wretch, while the dragon was comforting and safe. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, the single golden braid still intact. She wasn't sure why she'd kept it that way; Jareth had certainly not given her the gift for it. She moved to let it loose without really thinking, and in the flash of an eye, a hand was around her wrist. She looked into Jareth's eyes, only inches from her own blue, and felt afraid.

"Why are you letting your hair down, when I have not yet told you to?" His voice was dangerously low, and she felt the familiar rumbling as it shook her.

"You said you would give me a gift if I kept it that way, and I did, and you have not made good on your part. Why should I continue to uphold what you have asked?" She said, more carefully than her arguments in the past.

He nodded slowly, and released her wrist. "You are right, I have not. Not yet. Have some patience, and you will see the true gift that I will give you if you continue to submit yourself to me."

She made as if to continue to undo it, and then sighed, letting it fall back over her shoulder. It was easier to keep out of the way, anyhow, when it was braided. No point in letting it down. She couldn't bear the thought of any more whippings.

Jareth looked at the clock and nodded, "Yes, it is time for dinner. Go on ahead now, and make something."

Layra stood up and nodded, then went into the kitchen. She pondered there as she boiled the water, why was it that she had not yet tried to escape? Surely she couldn't, the cave was immense, but if she did make it out, someone would help her, wouldn't they? Or would she just end up in the same mess as before, when the dragon had saved her? She sighed to herself. Where was the dragon? Why had he abandoned her here? Sure, she was safer than she was in the glade, but this man that the dragon had left her with had turned her into a slave.

She heard something scuffle, and she peeked out of the kitchen, she thought she could hear someone in Jareth's bedroom, although he rarely went in there except to sleep. She crept across the corridor and over into the open room, and saw a long opening that she hadn't noticed before. Creeping across his room, she followed the tunnel, and was led to a pool. A clear, crystal blue pool that was filled with jewels of all kinds. She admired the stones for a moment, before turning to continue her exploration. She saw Jareth just ahead, who had somehow not seen her yet, and she hid behind a rock, watching carefully. He was stretching out, his muscles working against themselves, and she blushed as he dropped his robe. Layra moved to creep closer, when suddenly, there was a great burst of flame, and Jareth disappeared. In his place, though she couldn't believe it, was a huge, black dragon, with golden eyes.

She screamed, drawing attention to her hiding place, and the dragon, or Jareth, as the case suddenly was, whirled around, his snakelike head whizzing past the rocks and grabbing her before she could run. He dropped her to the ground and put one enormous paw over her, keeping her effectively pinned.

"What are you doing down here?!" He roared, the fire in his nostrils glowing red hot. She could feel the heat from where she was.

"I'm, I'm so sorry, I was curious, I heard something...I didn't...I wouldn't...it's you!!" She sputtered, unable to get out anything coherent. The dragon looked at her, the red slowly leaving his eyes, but he did not let her up.

"Yes, my little darling, it's me." She wriggled out from his claws as he looked away, but what she did next surprised him completely. She ran to his enormous head and threw her arms around him, not even encircling half. He purred into her touch, she could feel the vibrations from him.

"I've missed you so! Where have you been?" She said between sobs of relief, and he laughed as he pulled his head from her hands.

"What do you mean, where have I been?" She backed away from him quickly and he transformed back to his human form, wriggling some to get used to the constraint of a smaller body. "I've been beside you every day and every night, for your whole life. I've never left your side." She looked at him with complete distrust in her eyes.

"You're a dragon?!?! You're my dragon that saved me?! That's you?!" She growled and slapped him hard, across the face. Then, registering what she'd done, she took off across the tunnel, running back to the room. Jareth roared and gave chase, his eyes swirling to red. He easily caught her before his room and hoisted her over his shoulder, throwing her onto the bed. She squirmed and writhed, but he did not release her.

"You love me as a dragon and hate me as a man? Don't you think that's backward?" He asked, ripping her dress off of her once again, this seemed to be happening quite often lately.

"I hate you! I hate hate hate you! I want my dragon back, not you!!" She shook and struggled, crying and screaming.

"But Iamyour dragon, little darling. All dragons can transform, that's how we stay alive." He laid down beside her and let her cry into his shoulder. "I would've told you sooner, but I didn't see that it was really necessary. You must submit of your own free will, I will not force you for anything."

She looked up at him, carefully studying his features, and stopped struggling. She reached for him slowly, resting her face against his cheek, and felt the heat emanating, just like before. She stared into those golden cat-slit eyes and saw thousands of years in them, and the dark hair on his head the same fierce ebony as his scales. He sat patiently through her examination.

"Why did you save me and bring me here?" He knew that question was coming. He looked down into her pale blue eyes.

"I have visions. I knew one day the King would have a male heir and try to kill you. I've known since before you were born. I have followed you every day of your life to keep you from that end." He did not tell her the other half of that vision, she would find out soon enough.

She looked at him suspiciously. "You have watched me all these years?" He nodded. Layra's mind reeled with the implications of his words. A dragon, who was also a man, had watched her since the day she was born to make sure she would be safe. She suddenly felt so less alone, and very safe. She snuggled up against his side, much as she had against the dragon in the glade. Jareth closed his arms around her, and she looked up at him, just as she was drifting off.

"Jareth, may I sleep in a bed tonight?" She felt him nod, and within seconds, she was fast, fast asleep.

She woke in the night, stretching leisurely as she slowly came to. The bed in Jareth's room was perhaps the most comfortable one she'd ever slept on. She reached out for him and felt...nothing. He wasn't there. She looked around quickly, but even her adjusted eyes saw nothing in the room. She lay back on the bed, thinking about the fact that she was in a strange man's cave, who could transform into a dragon at will, and had been stalking her for her whole life. She looked around again, and saw the door to the cave tunnel was open. She wondered if he had gone back down there. Wanting to sit up and find out, but not overly anxious to do so, she laid back down. Very faintly, she heard a noise, and a rustling as a body crawled back into the bed. Jareth pulled her back into his arms, and she felt his naked form press against her, his length hard and stiff. She shivered, but the heat that radiated from his body quickly warmed her, and she fell back into a dreamless sleep, tucked away at his side.

Layra woke in a pleasant, hazy stupor, and then jolted with a start when she realized she was in Jareth's bed, asleep. He was wide awake and watching her, looking like a starved cat that saw a mouse. She backed up a little as he came towards her, and shuddered as he pinned her hands above her head, holding her wrists easily while his hand slid down her side, loving the feel of her bare skin and her perfect curves. She surprised him by reaching for him, surprised herself too, but it was only with Jareth that she felt completely safe. She let out a soft noise as his body covered hers completely, and he kissed her, deeply, passionately. She'd been kissed before, by suitors, but Jareth kissed her 'til she was breathless and panting. She jumped as his tongue slid against her lips; she hadn't ever noticed before that it was forked, just like his dragon form.