Treasure Ch. 03

"Oh, dearest, don't tempt me to prove you wrong." Catherine felt gravity shift as he turned to the side and she screamed, her eyes snapping open.

"They're OPEN!" she cried, staring straight ahead in horror. His laugh was teasing, and he straightened out.

"You have the loveliest scream," he said, his tone content, and Catherine bit her lip worriedly for a moment before deciding to take it as a compliment. "Isn't it beautiful? Quiet, serene, and still."

"Not very quiet, really," Catherine shouted back as wind roared past her ears, but looked around nonetheless. It was very stoic. At this point, the clouds above them seemed incredibly large, almost close enough to touch. She raised her head slightly, relaxing a little. "It is beautiful."

"Sometimes I wish I could stay up here," Adeon sighed wistfully. "Away from all the nonsense below us, where things don't need to make sense."

"I wouldn't object to living in a cloud," agreed Catherine, watching as the kingdom below them passed them slowly. It filled her with a nostalgic sort of sadness, and again her heart wrenched as she thought of her father. A shiver ran through her veins---half from sadness, half from the frigid chill in the air. "Although it is rather cold up here."

"Apologies," he said sincerely, and Catherine inhaled sharply and clung to him as hard as she could as he began sloping gently downwards. The ground rose up to meet them gradually, and a jolt ran through her veins. "Don't worry," he teased gently as she firmly shut her eyes. "I would never let you fall."

"Please don't talk about that," Catherine protested, and a rumble of amusement sounded in his throat. His wings gave a few hasty beats, and a light thump as he landed dislodged Catherine from his back and sent her falling to the ground. She opened her eyes wide and dug her fingers into the dirt, taking several deep breaths. In front of her, Adeon turned his reptilian head to regard her curiously, his thin, scaly lips curling in amusement. "That was quite possibly the single most terrifying thing I've ever experienced," she finally gasped out, her breath shaky.

"Only possibly?" he inquired, and she glared at him.

"Either closely second to or immediately followed by a certain time in my life in which I was certain I was about to be devoured by a hungry dragon," she quipped. He strode towards her leisurely, lowering himself to lay on his stomach in front of her, his massive head level with hers and only inches away. He exhaled, warm breath from his nostrils rushing across her skin.

"What a pleasure," he droned silkily, "to know that I have contributed so much terror and excitement to your life." She stared at him quizzically, not entirely sure if he was jesting or being serious. She wasn't used to interacting with Adeon's dragon body, but she rose into a cross-legged sitting position, hesitantly reaching towards his scaly face with her hands. His eyelids lowered lazily as her fingertips brushed against him, and he leaned into her touch as she stroked the ridge of his nose.

"It was very exciting," she agreed slowly, reaching further back to caress the skin behind his jaw. "And terrifying. But mostly exciting." A contented noise, much like a combination of a sigh and a purr, escaped his lips at her touch. He lowered his head, resting it heavily in her lap, and she continued to cover him in feather-soft touches and long, gentle strokes. She paused, then pressed her lips against the ridge of his nose. He closed his eyes in relaxation, letting out another low, satisfied sound.

"Lovely, sweet, gentle girl," he murmured drowsily, and Catherine felt her face grow hot as she stroked the soft, scaly skin of his neck. The scales were sleek and cool under her touch, and she dragged her fingernails across them experimentally, eliciting another blissful noise from the dragon's throat.

"I didn't know that dragons purred," she laughed, scratching alongside the ridges of his spine with her nails.

"I would whinny like a horse to keep your hands on me," he sighed, and Catherine laughed.

"As much as I'd love to hear a dragon imitate farm animals, I don't think that will be necessary," she replied, smiling broadly. She raised her head and looked around her, a flutter of happiness making her stomach quiver in her belly. The outskirts of the kingdom were a vision in the autumn, and although the grass was turning a dull gold color, the trees were riots of red and scarlet and fierce yellow. Adeon stood out like a beacon against the fiery landscape with his acid-green scales.They were in a clearing surrounded by trees that was several, several miles away from the city, far away from civilization, and Catherine gazed wistfully at the city walls she could see from between the branches, distant and inviting.

"You miss it," the dragon said softly, and she looked down to see his large green eyes open, watching her carefully. She nodded slowly. "If I could, I would let you return for a short while. But if the king found that I had shown you mercy, he would surely try to use you against me. Or, worse still, I fear that you would never return to me," he added, a note of pain in his voice. Catherine bit her lip and swallowed the pang of sadness that was building up in her chest, the realization that she may never return to the city. She would die in the captivity of a dragon, and no matter how gentle and loving he was towards her, the thought was terrifying. She closed her eyes desperately, trying to quash the panic that was eating away at her like acid.

"I understand," she whispered, burying her face in his neck and taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. A rumbling noise echoed in his throat.

"This is the very reason I doubted it would be wise to venture outside," he said worriedly, and she distracted him by wrapping her arms around his long neck.

"Don't be silly. It's fine. I needed some air, truly I did," she assured him. "This is lovely." Her voice cracked slightly, but if he noticed that, he didn't react. She opened her eyes and looked around, and something caught her eye. She suddenly sat up and tapped him on the skull to get his attention. "Look! Apples!" she exclaimed, hoping that the happiness spread to her voice and pointing at the cluster of trees, filled to the brim with golden, juicy orbs the size of her fist. "Let me go pick some," she pleaded, and the dragon's eyes met hers anxiously.

"Very well," he said after a pause. "If it would please you." He raised his head from her lap and she stood, kissing his nose again.

"Thank you, Adeon," she said sincerely, and he bowed his head in a single nod, rising to his feet and watching her as she dashed off towards the trees. She scrambled up one deftly, her slippers scraping across the bark as she climbed, and she pulled herself up on top of a particularly high branch, hiking her skirt up to straddle it with her thighs. Adeon wandered nearer, leaning up against the trunk. His head was nearly level to hers, despite the height of the tree.

She plucked three apples from the boughs above her, twisting the stems until they gave way and letting them fall from her hands and onto the ground below with gentle thuds. She took one in her hands that was deep golden color with red spots and rubbed it with her sleeve until it shone, taking a large bite out of it with a snap and brushing the juice that ran down her cheek away with her thumb. Letting out a noise of contentment, she met the eyes of Adeon, who was leaning his chin against the branch she was on, watching her quietly. She offered him a bite of the apple, and he shook his head, a laugh rumbling in his throat.

"Dragons don't eat apples, my dear," he told her, his eyes sparkling wickedly. "They eat delicious little virgins." She laughed, placing the apple between her teeth as she plucked a few more apples off the adjacent branches and let them fall onto the ground.

"I wish we had pots and sugar and dough," she said once she had taken another bite out of her apple. "And some butter, and an oven. My mother used to bake the best apple pies, and she taught me the recipe. We would make them during the harvest."

"Used to?" Adeon asked curiously. Catherine shrugged her shoulders, tossing another pair of apples to the ground and taking a large, final bite out of her apple. The core followed the rest of the apples, landing with a tiny thud.

"She died a couple years ago. I was their only child. Dad became a little odd after she left us---I know she was the world to him. He would lock himself in his room a lot, didn't like to talk to anyone, really. Our servants had to barge in there to get him to eat anything." She was surprised at herself, talking so candidly about a subject that she had kept very close to herself for so long. But then again, it was a dragon she was talking to, not a nosy villager or a concerned relative. What was he going to do? Judge her, spread a nasty rumor about her family? It felt liberating, she thought, to finally speak to someone without worrying about what they'd say about her. "He finally came around after a long time; I think my nurse gave him a piece of her mind about a daughter needing a proper father, and that she wouldn't see me raised by only servants. I started making him the pies she made every harvest, though, and that seemed to make him very happy." Adeon's face seemed to droop in sadness, if giant lizards could look sad, anyway.

"And how do you think he took your disappearance?" he asked softly. Catherine looked at the ground, away from him, her legs swinging idly as they spoke.

"He didn't come to the procession where I was led up the mountain to say goodbye, so chances are he didn't take it very well," she said quietly. "But then again, he did think I was about to die." He was silent for a while, and she glanced back down at him. There was a morose air about his features, and he let out a sigh.

"I would apologize, but I feel like it wouldn't really..."

"Matter?" interrupted Catherine, and to her surprise, her voice became a vicious snap. "No, it probably wouldn't." He shrunk away from her with a start, as if she had threatened him with something large and lethal, his eyes narrowing. She closed her eyes, raising one hand to knot her fingers in her hair. "I'm so sorry, that was rude," she whispered shakily, trying to contain her emotions, which were rising and falling with increasing turbulence in her chest. "Can we...talk about something else?"

"How you must hate me," he murmured, those green eyes bright with pensiveness and sadness. She swung one leg over the branch she was sitting on so that she was facing him, and he slowly moved his head closer to her, nudging her foot with his nose. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, leaning down to touch the ridge of his nose with her hand.

"I don't hate you," she said sincerely.

"Why not? You certainly have every right to."

"You've been terribly kind to me, Adeon. I couldn't possibly think that way about you," she replied. "Besides, before she died, my mother told me that hating people was a waste of living. She said that even though bad souls do exist, the majority of people are simply misunderstood. She thought it was the greatest virtue to be as kind and as understanding of others as you could, and to help them conquer their problems so that they could find themselves. I thought that was very wise of her, so when she died, I took her advice and promised never to hate a single soul. I'll admit that it can be hard sometimes," she added wryly, flashing him a smile and thinking of Sir Henry, and how she occasionally fantasized about tying him to a boulder and rolling him off the side of the mountain. "But it's a good philosophy to have, I think."

"Your mother is as much a saint in the heavens as she was on the earth," Adeon commented.

"She most certainly is," she agreed, scratching the scales of his nose. He watched her calmly, leaning into her touch.

"And what do you think I need to conquer, then?" he inquired. "To find myself?" She put her other hand on the bridge of his snout and leaned in closer so their eyes were almost level, her chin resting on the top of his nose.

"I think you're very lonely," she answered quietly. He closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath, and when he opened them, they were burning with complexities and unspoken things.

"Not anymore," he whispered. A tremor of giddiness and terror swept up her spine. She knew in that moment that he would never let her go. And yet, there was a part of her that was...happy that he needed her like this, that reveled in the fact that she was wanted by him.

For the first time, Catherine was beginning to realize that she did not know what she wanted. And it scared her senseless.

"Adeon, I..." she began, but a loud noise sounded in the golden leaves somewhere behind them. Quick as a jackrabbit, Adeon's head snapped towards the direction of the sound, and his claws rose to encircle her waist protectively, ready to snatch her up.

"WHO'S IN MY APPLES?" roared a man's voice, and a rumbling growl escaped Adeon's throat. "OI! I HEAR YOU OUT THERE! SHOW YER FACES BEFORE I CUT YOU DOWN WITH MY AXE!"

"We need to leave," she hissed, and he glanced at her briefly from the corner of her eye before turning back to the source of the sound. He was crouched to spring, and Catherine tugged at one of his claws hurriedly. "Adeon..."

"The nice man wants to see my face," he breathed, his thin lips curling to reveal his sharp, sharp teeth. "Let's show it to him."

"No," she whispered, trying to think. She didn't owe the kingdom any favors, but she wasn't keen on watching an innocent farmer get butchered by an angry dragon. "What if he sees me?" she blurted out suddenly. "What if someone's with him who runs and tells the king?" Adeon's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on her waist, lifting her against his chest and spreading his wings. Catherine closed her eyes tightly as he rocketed off the ground with a heavy stroke of his wings. A shriek of terror sounded from the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he cradled her against his scaly chest.

They landed several minutes later, Catherine's eyes still closed. She heard his claws scrape against the rock of the cave, the sound echoing faintly for a few moments, and felt the thud of his impact on the ground. She exhaled shakily, feeling her way down from his claws and onto the ground, where she sat quivering for a few moments. Her eyes were still firmly shut, but she heard the familiar shifting of scales and the rustle of fabric, and knew that he had changed into a man again. A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Adeon watching her with concern. He was back in his clothes, looking so beautiful and out of place in the dingy cave.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, and she nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just...it's so terrifying being up that high." He grinned beatifically, and she hesitantly smiled back.

"You'll get used to it, I promise," he assured her gently. "You may, may, even grow to like it."

"I very much doubt that."

"Don't pretend it wasn't exciting," he laughed, kneeling down in front of her and giving her a long, full kiss on the lips. "Oh no," he exclaimed softly, a sad look crossing over his face as he examined her. "You dropped all of your apples."

"It's alright."

"But they made you so happy."

"I can find new apples, really, I can," she assured him, smiling despite herself at his concern. "I have heard that this world possesses many apples. And they weren't mine to take anyway."

"I shall bring you bushels of them," he announced magnificently, grinning as he gathered her into his arms. She giggled and pushed him away playfully, but he held her fast, a hint of laughter creeping into his voice. "And every night, you'll sleep like a goddess of the harvest upon your bounty of apples," he slurred against her neck, and she burst out laughing.

"I don't need that many apples," she protested, trying to pull her neck away, but he pushed her down onto her back and knelt over her, pinning her arms above her head and straddling her hips. He raised his head and gazed at her, his eyes half-lidded and content, his lips parted in a calm smile. She bit her lip, her eyes growing wide. Butterflies were tickling her stomach, and a delicious shiver ran up her spine.

"Too much of a good thing," he whispered, leaning in close, "is a wonderful thing, indeed." He brushed his lips against hers and released one of her hands to stroke her hair, and Catherine closed her eyes languidly. She felt him let go of her other hand and sit up, and when she glanced up at him, he had begun to run his hands up her waist.

"What are you doing?" she murmured softly, and he smiled gently.

"Admiring you." His hands trailed up to her chest, then to her neck, covering her in soft fingertips and gentle caresses. Her lips parted and she exhaled shakily. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her hard. She let out a soft noise around his lips and smiled shyly up at him after he pulled away.

"You know," she said softly, "I think I would like you to tell me a story." The stones of the floor of the cave were hard against her back, but his body was warm and taut on top of hers, and it felt so close and right that she barely noticed her discomfort. He cocked his head to the side, the motion made far more reptilian by those wild, slitted green eyes.

"Would you?" he mused. "I'd have to find a book for you. I'm certain I have something somewhere..." He stood up and took a step towards the treasure cave, but Catherine sat up and grabbed his hand.

"What about one of your stories?" she asked curiously. He arched an eyebrow and looked back down at her in surprise. She flushed.

"My stories?" She idly combed her hair back from her face with her fingers, shrugging and looking down at the ground in embarrassment.

"Well, you have been around for well over two centuries." He blinked at her, easing himself back onto the ground in front of her. "That's several human lifetimes. I assumed you'd have some interesting stories to tell. Much more interesting than something someone made up in their head."

"You think so?" he inquired. "I'm afraid most of the stories I have to tell aren't well-suited for a lady. They're packed full with carnage and slow deaths and a slew of other inappropriate things, which I fear may cause your stomach to turn," he added in mock concern, bringing his face a little closer to hers so she could see the points of his sharp white teeth glinting out from under his grinning lips. She scowled at him, her eyes narrowing.

"If my stomach didn't turn while I was clinging to you for dear life several hundred feet in the air, I believe a few tales about days long past will be relatively easy for it to accept," she replied evenly, and he laughed. In a single fluid movement, he eased into a sitting position, propped up against the wall of the cave. He motioned towards his lap and she lowered herself into it obediently, leaning into his chest as his arms entwined themselves around her waist.

"You make a convincing argument," he sighed. "Very well. So, tell me..." He leaned over her shoulder and brought his mouth very close to her ear. "...what do you want to know?" he finished, speaking in a soft, lazy drone that played across her nerves like the bow of a violin across its strings. She tried to ignore the way her heart beat just a fraction faster, and instead looked around the cave frantically for inspiration. Suddenly, she recalled glimpsing the silver crown inside the pile of gold coins.

"I think I'd like to hear the story of King Stephan," she said quietly, folding her hands across her lap.