Beauty And Chaos: A Tale Of The Dragon Prince And His Fae Prize

Too Close

Elaria wished for something. Anything to occupy her thoughts and keep all this grief away. Her sadness had sipped all the way into her bones and the dawn of a new day only added to the misery she had come to know.

Alone in a strange land and locked up in a strange room, the days were long, the nights longer. And as comfortable as this bed was, she was curled up against the cold stone wall, sobbing.

She longed for Autaria. Not the comfortable life of a princess that she had lived in the Fae kingdom, no. Her heart longed for the simple things of her homeland. The energy of Fae magic that filled the Autarian air each day. The sweet melodies of the birds that perched on her window early in the morning. Her maid's chuckle when she forced Elaria to leave the comfort of her bed.

Elaria longed for a chance to wake up one morning, leave her bed, walk down the silent hallways and into the palace gardens where she would be treated to her father's smile. She wished for one more embrace from her mother, one more kiss, one more morning filled with her people's laughter.

She sniffled while she pulled her legs up to her chin. She missed home. Missed her parents more than anything and knowing she would never return to it was soul shattering. And without a proper burial for her parents, it was getting increasingly difficult for Elaria to find a moment of peace, no matter how fleeting.

The undignified manner in which her own father had been sent to the afterlife teared at her soul. She did not know much about magic as she was yet to begin her training when disaster struck on her home, but she knew enough to know that her father and mother would never find rest for their souls. Without the Fae's call to return the magic the king and queen possessed back to the earth, their souls would never find any rest.

The mere thought brought a fresh stream of tears to her eyes. She was dying inside, painfully slow.

Her captors had let her be, except for a few alternating soldiers that brought her a tray of food that she did not bother to eat.

Because, how could she? When a simple breath of air reminded her of the bitter truth. She still lived while her people were no more. How could she even think of filling herself up with the delicacies of her enemy? Wouldn't that be betraying the very men who had fallen by her enemy's sword and his dragon's fire?

And as if to tempt her some more, the door to her room opened. Elaria was greeted by a tray of more food before the person carrying it came into view. It was the same soldier that took the morning shift.

While he made his way to the only table in the room, Elaria attempted to wipe away the traces of her sorrow. She may have been completely broken, but pity was one emotion she did not wish to inspire in her enemies.

"His highness will surely have my head!" The man lamented, causing Elaria to look up at him.

The soldier's face had paled after his eyes landed on the tray laden with food delivered the night before. "Why do you insist on refusing to eat? I most certainly will not be spared by the prince."

Elaria knew that to be true. But even if she did not wish for anyone to lose their lives for her sake, she couldn't help it. There was no way in hell she was going to touch whatever was on those trays. Satisfying her hunger was not something she was willing to do.

"Please--"

The door burst open cutting off the soldier's plea and forcing Elaria to look at whoever violently stepped into the room. A pair of blazing eyes were set on her, clearly seeking to burn holes through her. The dragon prince's anger came off in waves as he marched towards her bed and it took Elaria a second to realize that whatever had angered the him had everything to do with her.

Determined to stand her ground in his presence despite the threats he had previously issued, Elaria pushed her grief aside and put up the bravest face she could master, given the circumstances. Her feet found the cold floor as quickly as she could before the prince unleashed his anger. The light gown she was wearing that happened to be the only piece of clothing her captors had provided her, fell to the floor. For a princess, this kind of dressing was shameful, but she decided to wear her shame with grace.

"Your highness." Visibly afraid, the soldier bowed before the dragon prince but that turned out to be a wasted greeting. The prince did not even spare the soldier a glance.

"Out!" The prince growled instead, while his eyes pinned Elaria on her spot.

The soldier did not need to be told twice. He scurried out of the room, forgetting to even place the tray he had walked in with down.

"My men tell me you have not been eating."

Elaria stood up straighter despite the trembling in her legs and the evidence of her tears that must have been clear for the prince to see. "Why do you care?" She hissed, causing more flares of anger to flash in the imposing figure. That satisfied her and boosted her confidence to stand up to the dragon prince. His clenched fists at his sides almost made Elaria grin. She must have hit a nerve.

"Because you are mine and you don't get to die without my permission."

Elaria gasped. She hadn't expected the prince to come so close to her, let alone snake his muscled arm around her waist and draw her flash to himself. There was nothing romantic in his gesture. If anything, his eyes still held a hint of death in them and yet Elaria reacted in a way that completely caught her off guard.

Her heart raced. More than it had when she'd been hurled on his dragon's back and the beast took to the skies.

This was something different. Something that a prisoner should not have to feel for her captor. Not for the person responsible for all her misery. But he was too close. The closest any man had been to her, making her sinfully aware of his masculine nature.

Her legs trembled and she was sure only the prince's deathly grip kept her from tumbling to the stone floor.

There was no escape. Left with no choice, she willed herself to look up at him. A smirk greeted her and it served to get her head functioning again.

"I belong to no one. I may not have my freedom but I most certainly do not belong to you."

His smirk disappeared at her statement and was replaced by more anger in those eyes. She was tempted to grin again but her sudden loss of balance had her squealing as she fell back on the bed.

The beast had let go of her and by how swiftly she fell, Elaria realized he had hurled her onto the soft piece of furniture without a care in the world.

Curses bubbled up in her throat, but before she could unleash any, her eyes widened.

"W-What are you doing?"

The prince had stepped back and was now tugging at the strings that held his cloak.

"Was he stripping?"

He wore an indecipherable expression and one look at him sent Elaria panicking. Without a second thought she crawled up to the stone wall again in a sorry attempt to get away from the dragon prince.

"Please..." With eyes closed and her hands desperately clutching her gown, she prayed. "Not today, not now."

Something heavy dropped to the floor and she flinched, imagining it to be the prince's belt that held his armor.

"Please…" she prayed again when the sound of his boots drew close to the bed once more.

"Put this on."

"W-What?" Surprised, relieved, Elaria opened her eyes and found the prince holding out a gown. With his cloak discarded, she realized his bulky appearance had been because of her gown that he had somehow tucked under it.

The gown he offered was beautiful. Fit for a princess and yet she couldn't.

"No." She mumbled. Elaria could not bring herself to cover up with those dragon prints that covered the entire gown, no matter how they appealed to her eyes. She would not betray her people like this. She refused to betray herself.

"No? I thought I was clear when I said don't tempt me." The prince thundered, making all the little courage Elaria possessed since he had been in the room fly right out of the window.

"I...I c-can't." She hoped he could understand her predicament.

"Can't or won't?"

A blade appeared before her eyes and before she could blink, the sharpest pain shot up her arm making her scream.

"Do not tempt me. If you seek the comfort of Hades so badly you will definitely go to him, but under my terms...my very painful terms."

Elaria was sweating. The whisper of his threat made the cut his blade had made on her skin a thousand times more painful. She wished to be strong, but the pain and the sight of her own blood made her reach for the gown. God knew she was not meant for this. As much as Elaria wished to stand up to the beast, torture was one thing she would never be able to endure.

"Do you mind?" She croaked out, her hands trembling as she held onto the gown.

"Yes."

Tears filled her eyes. Elaria had never felt so insulted in her life and she had never hated anyone as much as she did the arrogant prince. And never had she missed her father's protection than now.

With her back turned to the prince,she swallowed hard, her pride going down with it.

She pulled the gown she was wearing over her head and discarded it on the bed. She couldn't reach and pull the new gown over her fast enough. Her wedding night should have been the first time a man laid their eyes on her naked body, but that expectation, like her kingdom, had shattered the day Autaria burnt to the ground.

She hesitantly turned around once she was done. The prince still stood on his spot, an indecipherable expression written on his face. She was grateful for that. Rubbing her humiliation in her face with words, or a knowing look would have been too cruel, even for a beast like him.

"Come with me." He turned to leave, not giving her a chance to protest. Not that she would have. She had fought enough for one day. Her humiliation had destroyed any mask she could have thought of putting up in the prince's presence.

Elaria followed silently, her head bowed lower than the lowest slave that had walked her palace halls. She only made sure to keep her eyes on the prince's boots, turning whenever he turned and stopping whenever he did.

After a number of turns that she did not bother to count, the boots stopped and so did she.

"Take a seat."

Elaria looked up. Food... A feast lay before her eyes. Everything that her hungry and tired body would gladly indulge in if she would let it.

The room the feast had been prepared in overlooked a garden and it instantly brought a sense of familiarity and sadness.

A typical morning in her father's palace garden would have looked like this except on a slightly larger scale and with more people wearing happy faces. Around here, only a handful of soldiers stood by like statues.

She sat down before another command was spat her way, making sure to avoid the prince's stare too.

A soldier stepped up to her side and poured her tea while another filled her plate. The food smelled amazing but for the longest time she only stared at it. Until a loud clanging of a sword hitting the table startled her.

Elaria dared not to look up knowing she was getting another warning. Instead, with shaky hands, reached for the cutlery.

She willed herself to eat but the biggest lump lodged itself in her throat and she couldn't breathe. Memories of her family's meal times suddenly flowed no matter how much she tried to suppress them.

"M...May I be excused, your highness?"

"No, you will eat!"

"Please…" Her hands trembled and she tried to hold on tight to the cutlery to keep it from dropping.

"M-May I have a moment then." She looked up at him, her tears flowing freely. Shame, pain, defeat and every bitter emotion assaulted her shattered soul, making her shamelessly beg the dragon prince to excuse her. "I just need a moment to pull myself together. I promise I...I will be back."

Thankfully, the prince hesitantly waved her away and she stood up in haste before he changed his mind.

Pathetic, that's how she felt as she walked away. Pathetic, broken and lonely.

She covered her face when she encountered a guard but still kept walking towards anywhere that was away from the prince.

Elaria found herself in the garden. Unconsciously, she had walked through the open door leading to it. The warm Sun rays kissed her skin and bathed her soul with warmth. And instead of bringing smiles to her weary soul, it bathed her with more memories she wished to forget. Memories that burst open the damn that held her tears.

She slumped to the grassy floor and cried her eyes out, her grief melting with every tear she shed shamelessly. She needed this.

A feeling of someone watching lingered on her back, but she did not bother to turn around. She instead tried to pull what was left of her together. Only when she felt a bit better did she decide to turn around and walk back in.

She readied herself to face the prince one more time but when she finally walked back inside, he was gone.