The Dragon Prince's Beloved

3.

He was a prince.

A Dragon prince.

The handsome stranger who was responsible for my family’s death was the Dragon prince.

That would make him the second most powerful man in the realm. How in the world did I get captured by the Dragon prince?

I studied his face closer, trying to catch any indication of his noble blood. Although the woman who was practically fawning over him kept drawing his eyes, in those short moments where he did look up at me, his eyes answered the question I wouldn’t dare to ask.

Taking a mental note of what I’d just learned, I forced my legs to carry me away from him, trying to escape the awkwardness which was creeping into the atmosphere. I feared that I might have overstepped my boundaries with the way I spoke to him. The Dragon Prince was said to be the most dangerous man for thousands of miles; none was greater with a sword, or a battle-axe, a spear, a bow or even a lance. At the age of twelve, he could disarm nearly every guard in the palace, and he was said to rival the great Lord Caelum, Slayer of a Thousand Men.

If that was indeed the fabled Dragon Prince, then I must have been extremely lucky today. I made a mental note never to insult him again, or even look at him in a way that would broach an argument. If he wanted me to go to the servant’s quarters, then to the servant’s quarters I would go.

Besides, anywhere else would be better than spending another minute in his presence, with a slutty, half-naked seductress throwing herself at him.

The maids led me down the hallway, down a corridor to the right, and another to the left. We emerged in another large hallway, where they directed me towards a small door to the left this time.

Just how big was this castle?

It was quite impressive, truth be told. I had no problem admitting that to myself as we walked through the seemingly endless hallways. Nearly all of them were lined with countless paintings of ancient Kings and Powerful noblemen, Princes, Generals and a few of the Queens who’d grown larger than their names. I recognized a few of them; King Steffan III, Lord Dontos of Driline, Prince Hermes and Queen Europa were the most recognizable. Oh, I have been told stories about supernatural beings by my mother. She once had a book that had almost all the history of all the supernaturals. Excluding the witches, and the elves. So, despite me being a human, I still know somethings about the dragons.

A peculiar painting caught my eye, however, and I had to pause to study it. The maids were a few steps ahead of me, but I could always catch up to them if I hurried up.

It took roughly a few seconds for me to place who it was and realized who the silver eyes belonged to immediately. Clad in a lavish, embellished grey tunic, a white cloak, grey breeches and a similar trouser, he was almost unrecognizable. But the eyes remained the same. His face was softer, more innocent; he might have been a few years younger. I marvelled at the details of the painting, and how the artist managed to capture the color of his eyes just like they were in reality. The painting almost appeared lifelike, and even in-animated I felt like he was watching me, dark eyes peering deep into my soul. I drew my arms around me quietly.

I was so engrossed in the painting that I hadn’t noticed the maids waiting at the end of the hallway. They were whispering amongst themselves, occasionally snapping up their heads to glare at me before they resumed their mysterious discussion. By the looks of it, whatever they were talking about was certainly not something I would like to find out.

The black-haired maid suddenly pulled away from the group, approaching me with her head bowed. I instinctively drew back.

“He’s handsome, isn’t he?” she said, smiling up at the painting. “Trust me, you’ll learn to ignore it soon enough.”

Wisely, I kept my mouth shut.

“Why do you think he chose you?” she asked, c*****g her head to the side.

“I don’t know,” I replied truthfully. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”

“Hm,” she muttered quietly, pursing her lips. The other two had joined us now, although they refused to meet my gaze. “We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”

“What’s that supposed to...,”

Suddenly, the other two grabbed my arms while the black-haired maid smiled wickedly. I struggled to break free from their hold, but their grip was too strong for me. They dragged me down the hallway, ignoring my cry for help. I assumed that we were so deep into the castle that no one could hear us.

“What are you doing?” my voice echoed in the hallway as I struggled to free myself, but they just kept dragging me between them, eyes staring straight ahead.

The black-haired woman turned back then, forcing her hands on my mouth. The smile was gone from her face now. "You better keep it down and just follow us," she whispered in a low tone while the other two quickly scanned the area to make sure no one else was in sight.

"I thought you were given strict orders to get me washed and changed into new clothes," I said hotly, fighting so hard to free myself from the clutches of the two women holding me. How was it possible for them to be this strong?

"Just keep your mouth shut and keep walking. I reckon that you don't want anything to happen to that sweet mouth of yours, right?" She grinned once again, her hot breath fanning my face.

"Easy with her, Maria," one of the twins said as they continued to drag me through the hallway. "We don't want to scare her enough to want to damage the prince's property, you know."

Oh, so the witch's name was Maria? Finally, a name to put to the dull face.

Endless possibilities and ways of escape continuously floated in my head, each more futile than the last. Should I involve violence by biting the neck of the woman by my right and then backhand-slapping her twin sister? Or will it be better to use the helplessly dying technique and fainting in their arms?

I suspected that even if I did that, they’d just keep dragging me along.

"Don’t even think about doing any of that. Your silly tricks won't work on us," the one called Maria warned, the sound of her voice causing my stomach to churn with shock. How did she know what I was thinking? Was she a Dragon as well?

They dragged me into a dark hallway by the left, and before my eyes could adapt to the sudden darkness, they pushed me through a small iron door. I stumbled to my feet, grazing my knee against the cold stone as I fell. They remained in the light however, all three of them laughing at me.

I blinked, trying to register where I was. This was certainly not the servant’s quarters. Could it be?

Suddenly, a scaly and creepy claw emerged from the darkness, grabbing me before I could exclaim. It lifted me high in the air, before throwing me against the hard wall behind. My head collided with the stone, and I felt the back of my skull beginning to bleed as pain shot through every fibre of my being.

A low growl came from the darkness, and suddenly the room exploded with light as several candles on the wall began to light up by themselves.

The creature before me was huge, taller than anything I’d ever seen. He had two dirty looking sharp teeth at the edge of his mouth like a cannibal who probably fed on the flesh of millions before me. His scaly body overshadowed my little frame, and I shivered in horror when his hands reached for my throat and wrapped tightly around my neck. His grip was vice-like, as though he wanted to squeeze the life out of me. He played with his fingers around my neck, intentionally delaying his motives so he could draw out my pain as long as he could.

I closed my eyes as I felt the life being squeezed out of me. There was no escape, and he was surely going to devour me sooner or later. I accepted my fate, resigning myself to a cold and cruel death. I did not wish to witness the gush of my own blood when he eventually snapped my neck in half. I thought about my parents as the darkness approached. I thought about Alan, knowing I’d never see him again. I thought about my little village, of the different sounds and smells. Most of all, I heard laughter. Not just around me, but from within.

I started to laugh.

The sudden sound of metal clashing against metal forced my eyes open once again. I struggled to adjust to the light shining directly on my face, and a scarcely dressed woman sauntered into the room while the laughter continued to echo in my throat.

"Let her go." Her voice held a tinge of grace to it as she spoke in an authoritative voice. She walked calmly towards us, her long brown hair swaying from side to side. Her golden orbs were definitely blazing with something I couldn't possibly describe, and an evil smile tugged at the corners of her deep red lips. She was dressed in a red flowery fitted gown, loose at the front to show her large breasts. I struggled to debate whether the partially naked woman standing in front of me was the same slut I had seen earlier, trying to seduce the Dragon Prince.

How exactly did she get here so quickly?

Grudgingly, the monster released his grip on me. I collapsed to my knees once again, coughing and sputtering while my hands went to my neck. I gasped for air, not caring that it smelled like death and decay. I was just thankful to be able to breathe. The monster remained close, however, drooling as though he couldn’t wait to have a bite. The red woman reached up and patted him on his elbow.

I summoned enough courage to look up at the woman before me. She stepped closer also, engaged in the staring contest while maintaining her wicked smile.

"What a waste of beauty," she drawled as she circled me, her eyes sweeping over my body. "It could have been if I hadn't stepped in to interrupt the party." She folded her arms, the motion causing her chest to heave, showing off more of her ample cleavage as she stopped in front of me. "You must be wondering why you were brought here, right?"

My eyes twitched, and I wanted to say something nasty, but I knew that this wasn't the right time to say something stupid. Not when the monster still lingered close by. The woman laughed as my eyes darted to him, and at that moment, I realized that she was the same woman I had seen clinging to the prince before.

"I suppose so," I said, my voice faint.

"You address me with some respect, you useless piece of shit."

"Oh, and why should I?” My temper suddenly flared. “You think you’re better than I am? I believe both of us are women, worthy of so many things. Besides, I don't throw myself where I'm not wanted...,"

The resounding slap on my cheek stopped me from finishing what I had intended to say. My jaw ached from the pain, and I faintly realized that this was the first time anyone had dared to slap me.

"You do not speak to me that way. Teach her some manners, Jeremiah!"

My heart lurched with fear, and I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

"Please," I pleaded quickly as I held the woman's legs. There's no harm in being the victim if that can guarantee one's life, right? "I made a mistake. Forgive me, please."

"You shall use ‘My Lady’ when addressing her," Maria snapped, and a whack of a large cane landed on her back.

I howled in pain, and despite how much my eyes stung with tears, I refused to let them flow.

"I apologise for my mistake, My Lady. It was very bad of me to have spoken to you that way. Forgive me, for I am ignorant of such things." I ducked my head and tried to appear as respectful as possible to the woman before me.

"Lady Dimera," the monster -Jeremiah- growled, "let me finish her off."

"Tsk tsk tsk...," Lady Dimera smiled, raising her hand to stop him. "How pathetic. I had assumed you were strong; fearless. I guess I was wrong. You are as pathetic as every slave out there, or maybe worse." She tugged at my flimsy dress. It tore at the slightest touch, exposing my cold skin and the large birthmark on my collarbone. I was left in my drawers and the cup-sized satin bra which held my breasts.

"You don't look too bad for a slave. I love your skin, and the size of your breasts. You might just be the perfect thing I need to while away my time when my prince is not here," her fingers were trailing down my body. She tugged hard enough at the satin holding my breasts and exposed them.

I gasped in shock, and quickly covered my chest with my shaky hands, catching my locket before it fell. I quickly bent down. The tears I had been holding back suddenly started rolling down my cheeks.

"Now, listen to me, you worthless little b***h," Dimera tugged hard at my jaw, dragging up my face until I was looking directly at her. "If I see you anywhere near my prince, then I'll make your life a living hell. I'll make sure three men as big as Jeremiah r**e you, and then I'll rip your body to shreds and feed you to the dragons. You do not see, and you do not hear anything regarding the prince. Your job is to only serve him. Do I make myself clear?"

My throat was choked up, and I fought back the gurgle of cries trying to escape from my lips. All this for that leach called a prince? The man who had attacked my home and destroyed my family? He might not be the one who had killed my parents directly, but he was still the leader, wasn't he? He was the one who’d given the order, wasn’t he?

"Do I make myself clear?" Dimera shouted again, squeezing my jaw once again. How could a woman possibly posses such hard hands that inflict so much pain on a person?

I nodded my head vigorously, realizing that if I spoke, I was probably going to end up crying.

"Good. Get her out of my sight!"

The twins quickly walked up to where I was kneeling down and wrapped a large cloak around my body.

“Farewell for now, my sweet,” Jeremiah laughed loudly.

"Follow me out," Maria ordered them. I stood up carefully, my legs shaking from what had happened.

"You’re one of us now," Maria began as soon as we stepped outside the room. Her face was sympathetic, but I didn't need anyone's sympathy. All I wanted was to get back at the b***h, one way or another.

"Let's go to our chambers and get you cleaned up. A warm bath and some food will do. Don’t worry. You shall have all you need," Maria added.

As we walked together, I suddenly realized that the birthmark on my collarbone was glowing faintly.

What that meant, I had no idea!