Curse Of The Dragon

The Ritual

“King…please... It’s time to start the ritual.” My heart literally dropped.

It’s him. I could tell. Of course, only he would dare to catch my wrist in front of everyone.

I should have asked Aila what this ritual is about. I recalled how that old woman was talking to Shia about this ritual. Somehow this ritual had the trick to make Shia forget about Hama.

With my head low, I walked to him. It wasn’t much difficult because he was guiding me. We sat on a throne made of stone. His arm was touching mine and I wonder why my body was shivering. For a second, I wanted to remove my veil a little to look at him but before I could even try I heard. “You smell so different.”

What! His voice? He doesn’t seem like some old king like I kind of imagined.

It is my moment to talk with him. “You didn’t like it?” I knew I can’t tell him that it is my shampoo.

My heart was beating waiting for his answer.

“I will show you later.” I don’t know why but it felt like he was flirting with a tinge of promising night. “Shia, show me your hand,” It was the same voice that told us to have a seat a few moments ago. A very feminine but mature voice.

I got my hand out. I couldn’t see what they were trying to offer me but I jolted with a gasp. What kind of ritual it was! I was wincing still having my hand out. The cut was long over my palm but not much deep. The moment I felt my blood dripping off my palm he held my hand. His fingers nestled between mine. I turn my head to him. I knew he knows there is something wrong with my hand. My heart literally dropped when he left my hand.

“Dogan, you must hold her hand all the time.” That feminine voice followed. I could tell he was shocked. And, he wanted answers but without causing any scene he held my hand again. This time I noticed that his hand had the same cut too.

 Were these people nuts? I can get my wound infected. It was not hygienic. I don’t know why I felt my head going light.

“Your hand?...” He asked making me inhale.

“Can we talk about it later? Please,…” I requested while I couldn’t help the way my head was swaying.

“I am not feeling good,” I managed to try my hardest to keep my eyes open.

“Try to stay balanced. We will finish soon.” And, I don’t know why it happened. It was the same as how Tiara made me see the future. The hallucination was as clear as that one. I found myself in a cave. And, walking for some time I heard a kid crying.

“Are you fine?” I heard Dogan’s voice and shook my head in no. My hand was burning. I could already feel it swelling when someone came to bind our hand together with a cloth piece. A tear escaped my eye realizing how I have ended up in these illiterate and wild people. Who runs a wedding like this? My hand was burning in his hold.

“It will end soon. Don’t worry it will heal.” Of course, I know it will heal but what scared me most was the absence of any antiseptic here. What if I got an infection?

“My king…they are going to serve food. Ask your bride if she wants to eat…or we can simply let you be,” It was the same voice and before Dogan could ask me anything I heard the same man who came to take me from my tent.

“We have your queen full. She had been eating all day.” Even the fact other people were asking such questions was weird. I wonder why they were worried about this thing.

“I thank you for keeping my queen full.”

Are you for real? I shouted in my brain and turned my head to Dogan.

First, I haven’t eaten anything because the anxiety that I was going to travel this time was horrible enough. Second, even if they feed me why is he making it a big deal?

For some time I didn’t hear any of them but then I heard my chief say. “Shia, take your king to the camp we have prepared for him.”

What! I don’t know where it is.

For the start, I got out of my seat. I felt him following me. I could feel his hand dripping with blood too. And, then I recall what I should be doing in situations like these. Getting my left hand to my head I tried to pass out but as I predicted Mr Dragon was there for me.

“She must have gotten weak from the ritual.” The woman spoke while I heard him say. “What else we can expect from a Saka’s woman.” And, I took his comment personal. Letting my all weight on him I wonder if he will say the same thing but the moment he picked me in his arms I felt my whole body shake. His body was so well built and strong. Alone his built can give him the permission to call other weak. Of course, he is called a creature for a reason.

I gulped holding both hands under my chin. I wonder where he was taking me. We walked for a few seconds and I found ourselves getting into a tent.

“Let me see her for a minute.” I heard that same feminine voice and somehow it comforted me that we aren’t alone. Dogan got out to God knows where while that woman started.

“Come here,” I removed my veil a little to see a bed that was far better than one I had in my camp. It had a clean sheet and the room was more lighted than mine too.

I noticed a woman around fifty or sixty guiding me to sit on the edge of the bed. I sat and she removed my veil from the side to look at me.

I wonder if she would notice the difference but got relax when she said, “Saka’s people surely know how to make their woman even prettier.” I held my head low. I could tell from the way she was sitting with me that she was someone important.

“I hope you remember me from our last meet up. I am Dogan’s grandmother.” I offered her a smile and this time looked up.

“You are so beautiful. I know that Saka’s woman has the power to bewitch anyone. Make sure that he blesses you tonight. We have a huge war coming. And, though I would love for my king to live…wars are cruel.” I don’t know why but her talk encouraged me. It makes me recall how I wasn’t here to marry the last dragon but to give him an heir. So, the God of dragons doesn’t curse me. And, if I recall correctly he went on this war for a very long time. And, I too will only increase my chances of living here longer if he doesn’t knock me sooner. So, the longer I will take to birth a dragon, the longer my stay will be here.

With all of this, I wonder if I can go back to Tom after this curse is removed. What if I go back and it is the day of my wedding again. And, this time with no curse around I finally says my I do. I groaned feeling a huge knot in my stomach. I wonder what was wrong.

“What happened?” She asked and seeing my hand on my belly she whispered quite awkwardly.

“It happens whenever you…think about another man…don’t worry it can take some time but…you will get used to being…his only.” What did she just say?

“It hurts…” I groaned while she tapped my shoulder saying,

“It can lessen if you adore him…” I don’t know why but I was embarrassed. But the fact that she still remained calm knowing how I was thinking about another man was cool. But then, I got the hint. She had experienced the same thing too.

His grandmother had already left leaving me seated and I took long huffs of air to remove this tension. How I was supposed to think about him when I haven’t seen him?

I tried to open this headband and was still figuring out when I heard him coming in.

My breathing was stuck the moment I felt him walking toward me. I got my hands down waiting for him to say something. His scent was so strong and had our whole camp drowned in his aura. Realizing that I was about to figure out how he looked was doing something to my heart. And, I don’t ask for him to look handsome or something I only wanted him to look like a human at least.

I closed my eyes the moment he pulled my veil down. He was feverish. I could tell just with him standing so close to me. “Stand up,” He ordered and my body followed. And, this made me wonder if the ritual really had some spell.

With my head low, I opened my eyes. He had a robe on. My whole being got jerked the moment he held my shoulders. His hands had some kind of metal on.

“Shia…this is your name right?” His mouth was so close to my forehead. I gulped and couldn’t reply but then nodded my head. And, there it was a pang of pain that I held back with much difficulty.

This is when I realized that I can’t even lie to him. “Why your fingers are so different?” Of course, I was expecting this question but now I didn’t have any strength to lie to him.

“From where I belong, thin and slender fingers are preferred. And, there are even procedures to keep them in shape.” I didn’t feel any pain. Because it was the truth.

He came even closer. I knew he was convinced by my reply. My breathing got ragged when he held my chin and lift my face up. I find his body as hot as lava. I could have burned if he had any more heat. I slowly opened my eyes to see a trim beard first but then I looked at him to only have my breath hitched. His beautiful face looked rough and gruff. He looked like a warrior and was at least seven feet. His broad shoulders and wide chest was enough to make me disappear. I wonder if I had ever seen a built like his.

“You are beautiful,…” His thumb came to caress my mouth. Getting a compliment from him actually felt like an accomplishment.

“…I hope you are intelligent enough to never cause me trouble and able enough to give me healthy heirs.” God! He is so direct. But then, he didn’t have to approach me. I was already his bride. I looked at how his eyes turned to a colour of gold and narrowed my eyes in confusion.

He leaned down to kiss my mouth and I shivered at his hot breaths on my face. I had sweat all over my body. He came to hold me in his arms. It was as if I was hugged by the sun. His very large hands were roaming on my back. And, then it happened. Our mouths were touching and I groaned in his mouth when he got his hold tighter. I was getting weak in my knees when he pulled away to look into my eyes.

“I will be leaving for war in three days. When I return I want you to show me, my son.” I blinked at how dominant he sounds. I wonder why he was so obvious about having a son but his heated gaze made me look down. His mouth was so barbaric. He makes sentences without giving a thought. But I wonder why I was drooling over the person I just met and taking the liberty to find myself so relaxed in his hold. I was going to blame that ritual even though I could tell his features were alone enough to do the deed. His eyes got narrowed and it makes me wonder if my face was being too obvious.

My chest heaved when he held my shoulders and removed my gown from my shoulders. My gown fell not finding the support from my shoulders leaving me only in my headband and that wrapped cloth underneath.

I gasped when his hand came to rest on my nape. He directed my mouth to him and I felt his hot tongue invading my mouth. With my breath hitched I held his gown from the front while I found his hand working on getting the knot loose on my cloth. He pulled away to trace his mouth to my neck and turned me around to only nibble the skin over my neck. I placed my head over his chest and felt his hand pulling a layer off of me. That wrapping around me was losing and I writhed against his body when he held my breasts in his right hand. Pulling the wrapping down, he freed my breasts and realizing how I am going to show it all to the person I just met I wrapped my breasts with my left arm. But he was handsome. In fact, if I had met this person in my time I would totally date him given he approaches me first.

He turned me around slowly. I could tell he was looking at my body without lifting my eyes. I closed my eyes the moment he got down to pick me up in his very strong arms. My whole body was damp in the heat his body was emitting already. But this is what I was here for. I was here to offer him the body that thousands have wished to have in my time. Now finding, this very aura, that this strong and well-built man could possess I knew losing it to him was not going to be something I will regret.