The Dragon Prince - Ladon

Chapter 2

-Rivanna-

In a way, I would have preferred it to be The Dragon King. The Dragon Prince had a certain reputation. His cruelty was said to know no limits. He was colder and scarier, they said, and now I was trapped beneath a tree, unable to get anywhere.

His skin had this deep golden color, as if he had spent all his time in the sun, and his hair was the color of very light sand. His yellow eyes were piercing and scary, and his body had to have been blessed by God or something.

He was rippled with muscles, and he had a few scars and a dark tattoo that swirled all the way up his arm and over his chest. It looked like quite the artwork and must have taken forever to make, not to mention painful.

Wait, what was I doing? Was I here to paint his portrait or get the f*ck out of here? I pushed and pulled, but I got nowhere. It just hurt like hell. This tree wasn’t moving, and the longer I waited, the less of a chance I knew my leg had of surviving.

The Dragon Prince, on the other hand, looked like he had all the time in the world. He even found a rock further away and leaned back on it while watching me. I tried not to look at him, and I wished he would just fly out of here or at least find some clothes to put on. I didn’t want to see something as disgusting as a dragon naked. It was simply enough to feel sick over.

“You know, I don’t think your leg is going to make it for much longer,” the prince said.

I just kept pulling and pushing. Even though it didn’t do anything, I refused to just lie around and wait for death.

“I don’t need your help!” I sneered at him.

I wasn’t even sure why he wanted to assist me. I could only assume he sought information from me.

“Who says I am still offering?” he asked me with a cruel smile on his lips.

I glanced at him, noting the way his yellow eyes seemed to darken.

“Why don’t you just leave me alone?” I yelled at him. “I am worth nothing to you!”

“I don’t believe that,” he said, pushing off the rock and striding over to me again.

He placed his hands on the tree trunk and then applied pressure once more. I screamed so loudly that a few birds took flight from the trees.

“Stop!”

“What was that?” he asked, easing the pressure slightly. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about you and your little human gang?”

“F*ck you!” I shouted, tears streaming from my eyes.

He shook his head, appearing disappointed in me, and then applied pressure to the tree again. I screamed and screamed, reinforcing the rumors about him. He was cruel. Even more so than his older brother.

“Stop! Please, God!” I yelled.

“There is no God here,” he said, releasing the pressure once more.

He then reached out and grabbed my jaw, holding my head in place to ensure I was looking at him. I glared at him, conveying through my eyes how much I despised him and that once I broke free, he would face the fate all dragons deserved.

“We are the only ones here, just you and me, Red,” he said. “And you’re going to tell me everything you know if you want that leg of yours to survive.”

“You’re a monster!”

“I know,” he acknowledged before finally releasing me. “Now, what is it going to be?”

He applied a little pressure to emphasize his point, and I attempted to take deep breaths to manage the pain, which I knew would only intensify because I wasn’t giving him anything.

“Well?”

“I would rather die!” I yelled.

He tsked at me and shook his head.

“Wrong answer.”

He leaned his weight on the trunk, and I screamed. I thought I was tougher than this. I genuinely believed I could endure anything, but no one prepares you for true torture at the hands of a monster.

“Wait! Stop!”

He quickly withdrew, a smug smile on his lips. Yes, he thought he had triumphed, but I wasn’t about to concede.

“What’s it going to be, Red?” he taunted.

“Get the tree off my leg, and I will talk. I promise,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow, then shook his head.

“That’s not how you and I play,” he informed me. “You give the information, and I will remove the tree.”

“Then how do I know you won’t just leave me here afterward?” I challenged.

“I guess you’ll have to trust me.”

“Trust a monster?”

His eyes seemed to darken, but he merely shrugged.

“I think I’ll take my chances then,” I retorted.

“Chances?” he asked, perplexed.

Just then, there was a loud whistle, signaling my men’s return. As one of the leaders of our organization, they couldn’t afford to abandon me. The prince looked back in confusion, and suddenly, something flew through the air. It resembled a small leather ball, but then an arrow flew through the air and punctured it, releasing acid-like powder onto the prince.

He screamed as the powder burned his face, stumbling away in agony. Meanwhile, my men emerged from the woods, working together to free me from under the tree. Two others helped me stand, and I witnessed the prince on his knees, hands shielding his face. Yet I could see his eyes through his fingers, blazing with fury. It sent a chill down my spine.

“Let’s go!” Tristan, my most trusted friend, urged.

He had my arm draped over his shoulder, pulling me along as I limped beside him. It was incredibly challenging to move quickly when I was in so much pain. The echoes of the prince’s cries still reached us, gradually transitioning into an inhuman roar, signaling his transformation into his other form.

“We need to hurry!” someone urged.

“Come on!”

We exerted our utmost effort, darting through the woods. Unfortunately, I was the one impeding our progress.

“Wait!” I exclaimed. “We need to take cover!”

“Why?”

“Now!” I insisted.

Tristan scanned the surroundings and located an underground cave, leading us all to seek refuge within. I was familiar with the prince’s tactics, and just as a shadow passed overhead, the forest erupted in flames. Had we not sought shelter, we would have been engulfed in the blaze.

We remained huddled in the cave, listening until the sound of the dragon’s departure echoed through the woods. He didn’t sound pleased, but at least we had evaded him.

“Here, set her down.”

Tristan assisted me as I settled onto the ground, while Kirr, a skilled fighter with some medical knowledge, examined my injured leg.

“That damned dragon,” Tristan muttered.

I winced as Kirr applied pressure to my leg to assess the damage.

“He was going to torture you.”

“I know,” I acknowledged, meeting Tristan’s gaze. “You reached me just in time.”

“We leave no man behind,” he affirmed.

We exchanged smiles. Our friendship had endured since childhood, and there was no one I trusted more than him.

“We need to get her back to camp, and quickly,” Kirr advised.

Tristan helped me rise to my feet as two others checked for any signs of danger. We all donned our masks again, now more for protection against the thick smoke. Returning amidst a forest fire would be challenging, but facing such things was nothing new for us. We always found a way to persevere.