The Dragon Tamer

[Chapter 1]

The day was growing late. Sre still wandered through the woods outside the town she'd grown up in. She wasn't too sure what she was doing out here, but it was better than wandering the streets. She'd done that when she was 7 years old, she had no intentions of doing it again. Her employer had rather foricibly thrown her out of the Dancing Pig Tavern where she'd been working for him since she was about 11. He had made his desire to take her to his bed very clear. In return, she had made her distain for the ass just as clear. Now, she had nothing but the clothes she wore to call her own.

The summer berries were just getting ripe. Sre stopped near a small stream, picking a handful of half ripe berries to quell the rumblings in her stomach. Grimacing at the tart flavor, she knelt over to scoop some water into her mouth.

A swift black shadow blotted out the sky for just a second, the deafening sound of wingbeats making her dive down under the bushes in reflex. She looked up in time to see a giant black dragon wing over her and disappear low over the trees. Just a short distance away, she heard loud honking, barking, and roars, along with human shouts as the dragon landed. Curiousity gripped Sre and she couldn't resist the thought of taking a peek. Hopping over the creek, she climbed up the bank and a little deeper into the woods where the sounds grew louder and louder.

Squirming inbetween some bushes, Sre peered out at a large clearing. Ringed in a semi circle were about a dozen dragons. On the other side of the clearing, where Sre was squatting, were the same number of small tents. In the furthest corner there was a slightly larger tent. Sre's breath caught in her throat for a moment at the massive black beast that sat near the tent. It was perhaps the biggest dragon she'd ever imagined, bigger by far than any of the others in the clearing. However, by it's shiny black horns and massive impressive crown that the horns curved around and the various other spikes and spines on the dragon's massive, broad head, she could tell it was a male, which was a very rare sight. Among the others, all the females were a far bit larger than the males, but the black one was easily two of the largest females that she could see. And yet he was not tied down like the others.

The ground vibrated under Sre's feet. She held back a gasp in surprise as a dragon was led right past her. The soldier walked past her without noticing she was there, a chain in his hands. The chain was attached to a bridle around the head of an odd looking dragoness. Lanky, long, more snake like than the others, she lacked a crown, though had tall, swirling ivory horns. Rusty red in color, her sides had some purple branding. While the soldier had not noticed sre, the dragoness turned its head, looking straight down at Sre with a snort.

Her heart skipped a beat, thinking the dragon would give away her position as it lowered its head to peer more closely at the human it could smell but not see. The soldier tried to tug at his dragon, but the massive animal ignored his hint. Sre heard him ask the dragon what it was looking at, all the while hoping the dragon would lose interest and move on. As if the dragon had heard her thoughts, its head snapped forward and it started away, startling its rider. He quickly led her across the field toward the giant black brute, covered in scars and obviously well trained. While the other males honked and pulled at their leads, the black one sat quietly, watching the female with an intensity that easily cowed her. She put up no fight when he started a mating ritual.

Soldiers stood nearby, chatting while the dragons did their thing. Sre, however, was none too interested in the process of dragon reproduction. With a sigh, she decided to head off. There was no telling what would happen should the soldiers find her spying on them. They might feed her to the dragons. She had heard stories of such things happening. Whether it was true or not, she didn't know, but she figured it was best not to find out.

As she slowly withdrew from the bushes, she let out a short cry as she tripped over something. She landed on her rump, looking at a pair of knee high black leather boots. She threw her head back to look up at a man who blocked the sun. The cruel spikes on his broad shoulders, the horned helm, and the golden trimmed cloak caused her heart to skip a beat. It was the commander! With a whimper, she turned quickly, trying to gain her feet to flee. It just had to be her luck that the commander would find her.

Before she could take a step, she heard the creak and hiss of his black dragonscale armor, felt his black leather gloved hand grip her hair, jerking her up and back against the commander's body. With a sob in pain, Sre instinctively reached up and grabbed his strong wrist. He pulled her head back to be able to look at her better. He was very tall, she noticed as he held her against his chest.

"Spying on my troops, are you, wench? Perhaps you've an appointment with one of my men?" His accent was that of the Eastern Plains people, deep and intoxicating, even through the helm.

Letting out a whimper of fear, Sre tried to squirm, but he jerked her hair back harder, those black eyes that stared at her through the slit in the helm were cold and hard and unrelenting. With a shiver, Sre stuttered, "N-No, sir! I-I was just hungry, s-sir. I-I was g-going to..."

"Steal from my camp? Than it is better that I found you rather any of my men." With his other hand, he tilted his head, pulling the helm off. His face was thin, hard, and angular, his lips thin, straight black hair hanging to just the tip of his ears which arched up into small points. Those eeire black eyes of his had a strange light to them as they flicked, looking down her body.

She didn't need to read minds to know what was on his. It wasn't even a matter that he was by far stronger than her. He was military and a commander of a talon. She was just some peasant, homeless and pennyless. He didn't need his strength against her. By his very social stature he could take what he wanted, when he wanted, in any way he wanted. The military was the law of the land, she had no right to refuse him and he knew it very well.

"I-I was just looking at the dragons, s-sir! I swear it! P-Please, I...."

His lips cut her off. His intensity caused her knees to buckle under her, but his grip on her did not relent, holding her up to the onslaught of his lips. He had a punishing kind of lust, but with just enough tenderness that she realized she couldn't tell if she was enjoying it or not.

In the near distance, they could hear the dragons finally mating. It was noisy business, the female roaring and screeching, the male grunting and growling. At the start of the sounds, the commander withdrew from his kiss, looking out over to the camp as if in some concern. It would be his dragon mating with the female. Sre could tell the black brute was his by his custom black armor, made from the smaller scales of his dragon. They hissed together as he moved, the soft leather they were fused to probably both warm and comfortable.

He looked back down at Sre with a nonchalant expression. She whimpered again, still clinging to his wrist to try and prevent any further pain. She jerked slightly when she felt the touch of the soft black leather gloved hand touch her face gently, slowly moving down her slender neck, hovering over her pounding pulse. He opened his mouth to speak but another voice interrupted him.

"Hey, Commander Roscrow! Your dragon's had his fun. Where are you?" A soldier pushed through the bushes.

The commander's deep voice rose to call back. "I'll deal with him soon enough." Then he lowered into a growl when the soldier still moved toward them. "Leave me to my privacy. I'm sure you have duties to attend to."

The soldier stopped a moment before turning to head back into camp. "Yessir." His voice had the hint of a knowing sarcasm.

Now the commander looked back at Sre. She had turned her blue eyes away from his intense black ones, thinking it was best if she submitted to him. He obviously had no intention of letting her go; she just hoped that whatever it was he was going to do to her would not be painful. Speculations of all methods of possible torture flooded her mind at that thought, suddenly making tears spring to her eyes, though she fought hard to keep them from falling. Last thing she needed was to act like a sobbing little homeless street wench.

With a small sigh, the commander suddenly released her hair. Instead, he grasped her shoulders, holding her firmly before him. Sre lowered her head in submission, and despite her efforts, a tear rolled down her cheek. "Well, you know my name. It is only fair I learn yours." His accented voice was gentle, low, soothing.

"S-Sre, s-sir," she whimpered, sniffling. In a surprising act of tenderness, the commander gently wiped away her tear which caused her to glance up at him.

"Have men hurt you before, dear Sre?" he asked kindly. When she shook her head, he raised an eyebrow. He released her shoulder to stroke her long amber hair.

An ancient instinct of survival, something so deep and unignorable, spurred her next action. Her foot flew up, knocking the commander across the knee with enough force to cause him to grunt and topple over. Stunned for just a moment, Sre wasted no time in fleeing. She ran with all her endurance, which granted wasn't much. She'd gone only a short way but she was already out of breath, and she had to stop and lean against a tree. Gasping, her heart pounding, she nearly missed the sound of Roscrow right behind her. Adrenaline gave her a second wind and she took off again, thinking briefly that this is how a doe feels when she is being hunted. As she thought about it, she lost her footing on a root and stumbled to the ground. A brief pain shot through her ankle, stunning her for a moment.

Before she could stand and continue her flight, that same iron hand gripped her hair, jerking her head back, eliciting a cry of pain from Sre as Roscrow dragged her over to a patch of moss. "I was going to be gentle, but you just got me pretty damn mad. Now if you just behave yourself for the rest of the time, I just might leave you some clothing to put back on by the end of this, bitch!" He snarled as he threw her onto the moss. She tried to crawl away, but he fell to his knees and put his arm around her waist, wrenching her back against him. She felt his gender stab against her bottom. She turned to claw at him in desperation, but was met with his short sword against her throat as he leaned forward, his body poised over hers.

She scuttled back in fear, her eyes wide, but when she felt her back bump into a tree, she gave a low sob. Roscrow stood and came toward her, his sword shining in the thin stream of light that filtered down from the setting sun. Tears sprang to her eyes and she cringed against the tree, squeezing her eyes shut, expecting any moment to feel the cold metal slicing her throat. She heard him kneel down in front of her, felt his hot breath against her ear, making her shudder. "Now what did I say about behaving, wench?" She couldn't move as his sword slid slowly down the middle of her chest, slicing through her blouse expertly, leaving no mark on her skin even though she could feel the tip of the blade, a warning for her to stay still.

Roscrow used his blade to move the thin cloth to the side, looking at her body. Sre gave a sob. She tried to turn to get on her feet, but Roscrow's hand reached behind her head and took hold of her hair, jerking her head back yet again, laying his sword against her throat, its touch light but deadly.

"P-Please don't kill me!" Sre blurted out in a trembling voice, her only thought on getting out of this alive.

Roscrow drew closer to her until she could feel the heat of him, even through his armor. "Then behave yourself." His whisper in her ear had as much of a blade to it as his sword. She felt his hand on her, his touch burning against her cold damp skin, her sweat chilled on her in the cooling air. Shivering, she could do nothing as his hand, which had released her hair, reached into her skirt and explored her, touching her intimately. The tiniest sound came out of her throat, and she thought she saw a hint of a smile on his stern face. A moment later, she felt his fingers slip into her and she struggled, giving a low cry of pain.

Before he could say anything, she aimed her foot at his jaw, though he jerked back in time for it to only glance off the side of his face. Stunned for just a second, he gave a growl that froze Sre in mid escape. Now he was really mad. She was on her knees, trying to get to her feet, but the power of his anger made her stop and cringe. She was about to cover her head to prevent him from pulling her hair again, but Roscrow instead grabbed both her wrists, having dropped his sword, and twisted her arms behind her back. He shoved her forward and laid her wrists between her shoulder blades. She cried out in pain, but he pushed her harder against the scratchy moss, and she knew he was in the perfect position to break both her arms. Either she quit struggling or she would wish she were dead.

She lay under him, trembling and sobbing, but finally subdued. She could feel him moving as he removed his groin guard. She closed her eyes, expecting... she didn't really know, but she figured it was going to be painful. He pulled her skirt down, exposing her pale, round rump. His fingers gently moved away the folds of skin that hid the small organ that she had never paid much attention to til now. His touch was that of an expert, someone who knew exactly what he was doing. His fingers were callused from years of holding sword and shield, as well as reigns of dragons and horses, but he knew how to use that roughness to his advantage.

It really didn't take long for a warm tingling sensation to slowly make its way up into Sre's belly, causing her to squirm. She didn't know why his touch felt good, wondered if it was some kind of trick. A small moan left her before she could stop it and she heard Roscrow make a sound of humor. It was a cold humor, one without any care for her, and it scared her.

She suddenly bucked, trying to dislodge him while his guard was down, but he was ready the moment she had tensed. "Damn it, girl. Don't you know when to quit?" he growled. He pushed down on her wrists hard, making her feel more like her back would snap, not her arms. She then felt the head of his member press against her. He was angry and he wasn't going to waste anymore time doing what he wanted to do.

"Please, sir," Sre pleaded between sobs. "I-I wasn't going to steal, I was just looking at the dragons. Please, oh please, sir, don't do this. Please...!"

Sre's words were cut short as she felt his length press into her. She cried out in a bit of pain, squirming uncomfortably. He pressed her harder, warning her to stay still. His movements were slow, purposeful. She could feel him tremble as he just barely contained himself from ramming into her. Ever so gently, he pressed through the barrier of her innocence, making her whimper in defeat. She wriggled under him, her arms hurting in the position he forced them in. But he didn't seem to notice as he moved faster and harder, eventually taking her as he chose.

She heard him gurgle in pleasure, felt the cold metal of his leg armor strike her ass again and again as his pace quickened. He moved with a tilt to his powerful thrusts, and soon Sre began to feel an odd warm feeling creep into her belly, slowly spreading through her. She realized that his free hand was gently rubbing her clit in time with his thrusts. The bud was soon throbbing and aching for his touch, but he teased her when he felt her move, trying to get him to touch her more. She still tried to resist his gentle persuasion but the primal sounds erupted from her throat. She moaned and panted, straining to feel more. The moss rubbed against her nipples, making them tingle and rise. She could hear him give a small chuckle when she whimpered unintelligibly her desire.

Sre began to feel a pleasant ache in her belly and she didn't understand the feeling. It continued to grow and fill her consciousness until her body was wracked with convulsions, pleasure so intense she felt like she would surely explode. She cried out, whimpering and moaning, unable to express herself in words. She continued to quiver, even as Roscrow slowed to allow the spasms to pass. When he quickened, she felt him tremble as if he were holding himself back, his breathing labored. His powerful thrusts pushed him deeply into her, leaving her breathless and panting heavily.

Yet again she felt her body begin to tingle and tighten. As he moved just perfectly, she felt her belly swell with the pleasure until she was sure it was going to burst any second. But then Roscrow stopped. Trembling, so near to bliss she wanted to cry, Sre squirmed, grinding her hips, confused. She tried to talk, but could barely get out a few whimpers. She felt the vibration of his laughter as he bent over her. He suddenly released her wrists and pulled her up against him, resuming his movements slowly at first, agonizyingly slow. His hands traveled up Sre's thin body, taking advantage of her position. His rough, strong fingers expertly manipulated her hardened nipples, making her cry out in unexplainable pleasure. She tried desperately to get him to go faster, but he continued to move slow, purposeful. Just when she thought she'd go crazy with the nearness of Heaven, he grinned behind her and rammed her just right, tweaking her nipples at the same time. She very nearly screamed as she felt her body consumed by the pleasure, completely and utterly lost in the intensity of the orgasm. She couldn't stop herself from begging for more, trembling under him.

Sre felt him chuckle more than heard him this time. He bent over her, his hot breath against her ear making her shudder along the full length of her spine. "Be careful what you wish for." Sre sobbed with the pleasure as he quickened, his muscles straining. He gripped her hips, pulling her back into his thrusts, sheathing himself entirely within her. It took little time at all before Sre felt the sea of bliss close in over her head again, but this time, she heard Roscrow groan deeply, his body quivering against her. They were both panting, their skin shining with perspiration. Slowly, Roscrow slipped out of Sre, causing her to shiver with memory. With a grunt he sat back against a tree trunk, replacing his groin guard before reaching out to Sre, trying to pull her to his lean, hard body.

For a moment, caution forced its way into Sre's mind, and she tried to resist Roscrow's gentle hands, drawing away from him, thinking of how she had just been so used. He rasied a brow at her. "I'd hate for you to catch a cold." His voice was very low, husky, rumbling, almost with a hint of caring. With a little shiver, Sre finally gave in. She leaned against him, her head resting comfortably against his chest, the scales of his armor warm. She sighed and closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat, knowing that what she did was dangerous. He didn't care about her. He had only done everything for his own pleasure more than for hers. But she couldn't help feeling safe in his arms, even if for a few moments. One arm held her close to his warmth as the night chill descended upon them, the other hand stroked her hair soothingly. She barely remembered him pulling his cloak over them as she drifted off to sleep along with the sun.

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It was only a matter of short time that the sun would shine down on Sre's naked body. She opened her eyes, realizing where she was. She sat up, looking around. There was no sign of the commander. He had slipped away in the night, leaving her to her fate. With a heavy feeling of dejection, she searched for her clothing. Her raggy skirt was still intact. Picking up her blouse, she headed over to the small creek to clean herself up. Putting her clothes back on, holding her blouse together, she figured the only thing she had left was to return to the Dancing Pig Tavern and pray Jeboc was in a forgiving and gracious mood.

She went the back way, coming around the barn to head up the back door. With a sigh, she knocked. Sure enough, the pot belly pig of a man himself opened the door, glaring down at her. "Well, well, what've we here? Tangled hair and torn clothes? And ye come crawling back to me! Ha!"

"Please, Jeboc..." Sre started, but the cruel grin that crept over his ugly face made her shiver.

"Ye know, ye stormed outta here without ever paying me back fer my generousity! Ye've wracked up quite the bill staying here fer free these last 9 years." His grin only got bigger at her incredulous expression. "Don't suppose ye've got the kind of money to pay me back, do ya?"

Bile rose in Sre's throat as the realization of his words struck her. Before she could answer, he chuckled in a manner that caused all the hairs along her neck to stand on end, her skin crawling with disgust and fear. "I didn't think ye did. And I'm sure ye know what that means." His thick, meaty hand grabbed her slender throat before she could pull away. He dragged her into the tavern as he stepped back. The back door led into his bedroom, and he turned, throwing Sre at his bed. "Ye're my slave now!"



[Chapter 2]


The next 10 months were the closest to hell on earth Sre believed there ever could be. In order to "repay her debt," as Jeboc put it, he would sell her company to whoever had the money to pay. He kept her always busy, barely letting her sleep, feeding her only when he thought she deserved it. To add insult to injury, not only did he use her for his own twisted pleasures, but his two nieces who helped him run his tavern would often torment her, blaming her for anything they broke or stole. The only kindness either had shown her was about a week after Jeboc had sprung her slavery on her, Malissa, the older, had inserted an anticonception device into her to save her the trouble of having a child, particularly one from Jeboc. It had only taken a single day for Jeboc to take Sre to a metalsmith and have a collar made for her. He made sure it was fused, thus it could not be removed but by another metalsmith or a special laser.

Now, leaning against the bar, Sre idly ran her fingers over it, not paying attention to the noise going on around her. A dragon talon had landed early that morning. Jeboc had kicked Sre wake, shoving her hurriedly into the tavern from the barn where she slept so she had not even gotten so much as a glance at the beasts.

All week the business had been slow, but now the tavern was full with the soldiers. They had all been on the front lines for long months and now they had some leisure time. The cousins, Malissa and Jerassa, showed their gratitude of the soldiers' bravery and sacrifice in every way imaginable. The noise in the tavern was almost deafening.

With a sigh, Sre tried to stay out of sight. She had no doubt Jeboc would try to get as much money out of the soldiers by offering her as he could. The longer she could avoid it, the more grateful she was. "Sre! Ye lazy bitch, get yer ass out to the well and bring some water 'fore I belt ye!" Sre jumped and lowered her head, hurrying away from Jeboc, just barely avoiding his belt which he swung at her.

As she headed out the back, three of the soldiers were coming in from there as it was where the dragons were tied down. She lowered her head, hoping to brush past them, but that just wasn't her luck. One of the soldier's put a firm hand on her shoulder, pushing her back out into the tavern, cornering her against the wall. "What's the hurry, there? Why don't ya stay 'while?"

Shivering, keeping her head down, Sre spoke quietly. "My-my master told me to fetch water. Please, I have to go, sirs."

They chuckled as their hands started to wander on her. "Oh, I think the water can wait a bit...."

"Derkal, Tafis, Kurt, I'm sure you all have far more important things to do." The stern, clear voice behind them made the three quickly turn and salute a tall, lean older man. "For example, you three should get some sleep for pulling night shift." The soldiers looked at each other with distain in their eyes, but they saluted again, yessirring before heading upstairs to the bedrooms. The older looking soldier looked down at Sre. "I'm quite certain you have more important things to do than stand there."

Sre glanced up at the soldier with a look of gratitude before scurrying off. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it, sighing sadly. How her life had gone downhill. She headed for the well slowly, not looking about. She dropped the bucket into the well and brought it back up, struggling. She didn't have a lot of strength or energy due to lack of nourishment, but she would rather struggle and ache than get a beating. She'd placed the bucket on the ground when she heard the War dragons that were being housed behind the barn. They grunted and groaned, their scales hissing and clicking, wing leather creaking.

A powerful instinct took hold of Sre, which she figured was just an intense curiousity. Glancing about the yard, seeing no one, she figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look at them. The dragons gave her a sense of calm and inspiration. Sneaking around the barn, she saw them all tied down, several eyeing each other suspiciously, others dozing on their backs in the sun, still others staring at nothing. A dark blue male slept but a few feet from her. His great breaths filled the air like a blacksmith's bellows. He lay on his back, soaking up the warm rays of the early summer sun. Slowly, Sre reached out carefully, wanting to know what they felt like.

She had gotten only inches from the snoozing dragon's head when its eye, golden and piercing, opened and constricted, looking straight at her. She suppressed a scream and backed away as the dragon rolled to its feet with a roar, going for her. Sre squeezed her eyes shut, figuring it was the end. Not that it really mattered if it was. She figured anything after death had to be better than this hell, so she didn't even bother trying to dodge the beast.

A strong hand grabbed her arm and jerked her out of the way. The dragon gave a pitiful sound and reared back as a man's voice began commanding it in a spidery language. It backed off and bumped into another dragon, who snarled and turned to snap at it. The blue male yelped and hunkered down, showing weakness. Immediately the whole talon was up in roars and they were all attempting to kill each other. The chains that held them to trees were snapped, and some of the trees themselves shattered. The noise was deafening as one large female pounced on the blue male. With a mighty roar, a huge black beast lumbered into the brawl, grabbing the female by the back of the neck and tossing her like she was toy. She went crashing through the trees, her cries of surprise turning to pain as her wings were torn by her thrashing to gain her feet.

Sre, stunned by the power and brutality of the creatures, backed away before turning to run back into the tavern before anyone noticed that she had been the one to start the viscious brawl. Her only thought was not have Jeboc find out about this. Soldiers were running toward the battling beasts, even though the giant black dragon had already cowed all the others into noisy submission.

She had just reached the door when the same gauntletted hand that had saved her took a hold of her wrist and spun her around, slamming her against the wall of the tavern, slightly knocking the air out of her. She looked up in surprise and fear.

"Do you realize how much trouble you just caused, wench?" The voice was so familiar and so was his face. Tears swelled in Sre's eyes and she looked down at her bare feet. Jeboc gave her barely enough clothes to cover herself with and certainly no shoes. Roscrow's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He gave an angry growl, moving as if he meant to strike her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Sre cried, cringing, squeezing her eyes shut, holding up her hands to deflect the blow she expected. Jeboc would certainly give her a concussion for this. She trembled as she felt his hard body against her shift in obvious irritation. "I... I just... I thought...." She really didn't know what to say. Nothing seemed like it would be a good enough excuse to save her.

Roscrow moved, making a sound that stopped all her thoughts about saving herself. She realized that he held the tag attached to her collar and, risking a quick peek, saw him staring intently at it. Only then did any emotion flicker in his cold black eyes. He looked up at her and sneered. "Let me guess. You were a runaway when I met you and then you were caught and your master stuck a collar on you?"

Sre gave a small sob, her arms going limp at her sides. How could he think such a thing? Hadn't it been he himself who had taken her innocence? Well, better that it was him, not Jeboc. She stuttered in fear, "I-I wasn't. J-Je" she lowered her voice should her master hear her speak his name, "Jeboc said I-I owed him a lot of money and I couldn't pay it. I wasn't a... a slave...." She hated that word.

Suddenly, the door flew open next to them and Jeboc stepped out, his large belly making it out the threshold first before they could see his ugly face. He looked with worry at the dragons who had been making quite the racket as they were shocked into submission by the humans. He then turned and noticed Roscrow standing near him. Roscrow towered over him, his powerful, lean body hidden by the dragonscale armor. His broad shoulders were made broader by the spiked shoulder armor. His black metal gauntlets went up his strong arms and ended in spikes at his elbows. Those black eyes of his could pierce the soul. Jeboc was immediately cowed.

"Uh, g-g'day to ye, s-sir. I-" he had to pause to gulp the lump out of his throat- "I hope the dragons aren't to rowdy. I-I would hate fer 'em to... crash into my barn and hurt themselves!" He peered around, making a show of vigilance when really he just wanted to look away from the commander.

"My dragon, Granger, has the talon under control. My soldiers can easily put them back in their places. You've no need to fear about your barn." He stood straight and tall, his figure so demanding and powerful that Jeboc found himself more afraid of the man than of his dragons. The large sword at his hip certainly didn't make him any less intimidating.

Taking a moment to get himself together, Jeboc looked about the courtyard, noticing the bucket of water still sitting next to the well. "I don't mean to bother ye with my petty problems, good sir, but have ye seen my slave about?" His eyes turned back to the commander in time to see Sre step out from behind him, her head bowed. His eyes narrowed, but she didn't need to see that to know she was in trouble. "Ye had something to do with those dragons, didn't ye, Sre?" The anger in his voice made her tremble, letting out a small involentary whimper.

"Quite on the contrary." Roscrow's voice broke the tension between them. "She alerted me to the fact that Tins had been harassing one of my smaller males until it looked like a fight might break out." He looked down at Sre who was too shocked to say anything. She heard his voice take on a sardonic tone. "You could say she saved your barn."

Taken by complete surprise, Sre could say nothing. Jeboc gave a sneer and waved his hand toward the inside of the tavern. "For that, perhaps I'll feed ye tonight. Now get that water into the kitchen now 'fore I change my mind!" Sre quickly fetched the heavy bucket and struggled back into the kitchen with it. She glanced up at Roscrow as she passed him, still confused about why he would lie for her. He only lifted his right brow slightly before turning at the sound of his name as a soldier came up to him to report about the situation with the dragons. The only part of the conversation she heard was "...no idea what set them off, sir...."

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While Sre was grateful for the coolness that the night brought, it was hardly any quieter. The soldiers drank, ate, and sang, entertaining locals with greatly exaggerated tales of their own prowess. Through out the day, Sre had seen Malissa and Jerassa coming out of the cellar, straightening themselves up as one or two of the more handsome soldiers followed after them. Sneering in disgust while their backs were turned, Sre would go back to whatever it was she was doing, mostly making food and cleaning dishes. She was thankful to be in the back so as to avoid anymore harassment from the soldiers.

Around midnight, when most of the soldiers had either gone to bed or were passed out at their tables, Jeboc waved her into his lviing area. "Here. Eat and then get yer ass into the barn. And stay away from those dragons!" His glare sent a shiver down her spine. With a quietly muttered "yessir," she sat down and dug into the little bit of food he allowed her. It was little more than stale bread, almost bad cheese, and water, but to Sre it was good.

Once she was done, she slowly, stiffly stood and put away the dishes before heading out to the barn where she slept in the stall next to the door. Sinking into her bed of old hay and a few raggy blankets, she was soon in a hazy doze, hearing the horses whinny quietly, still nervous about the dragons so near them. She could hear the dragons breathing, snorting at each other, letting out little clicks and weird low howls. In her sleep, Sre could swear they were talking to her.

The barn was suddenly gone, all around her standing dragons. They stared down at her, huge, dignified, all of them glowing like they were divine.

Power.

It was a whisper on the wind, a sound so slight, she almost missed it. Looking around, Sre could see a long tendril of pure light moving toward her. It snaked around her, around the cirlce of dragons, weaving in and out of their legs. It drew closer and closer to her, moving as a serpent. She felt no fear of this thing, no fear of the dragons around her. Instead she held out her hand, the snake of light slithering along her arm, feeling a pleasant warmth from it.

Crest.

It whispered again as it drew itself around her, wrapping around her throat. It suddenly tightened, strangling her, jerking her awake. Her eyes fluttered open as she gasped for air, looking up at three dark faces. The smell of alcohol assaulted her nose, making her want to gag. It was the three dragonriders that had harassed her earlier in the day. They were very obviously drunk. Sre knew drunk men. She knew they often did things they would not normally when sober. These were soldiers, trained all their lives to kill. She had no doubt they would and could hurt her severely if she resisted.

"Ye gave us the slip earlier, gurl, but not t'is time!" The one whose strong, calloused hand held her throat slurred his words in his drunkenness. Squirming, Sre gasped for air. Her struggles only rewarded her with his hand tightening further. She went limp when she heard a sword hiss out of its scabbard.

"Dat's right, gurl, we won't be long!" The one that stood with the sword grinned, the other two chuckling. She felt them push her rag of a dress up over her thighs, their rough hands moving over her pale skin. She let out a whimper when she felt fingers pressing into her. The resulting sharp slap immediately quieted her. Closing her eyes, Sre tried to retreat into her mind, thinking of the dragons in her dream, the warm serpent of light.

The dragons outside began hissing, growling, their tails thrashing. There was loud wing flapping, grunts and snarls, the dragons eyeing each other in hostility. The sound of their aggression only grew louder the longer the soldiers stayed in the barn with Sre.

"At attention!"

The voice was so forceful, even the dragons outside went suddenly silent. Jerking away, the soldiers turned, nearly toppling over in their stupor. They could just barely stand upright, though their trouser snakes managed it far better than their legs. They saluted as best they could, trying to stutter an apology and excuse, but that deep, accented voice cut them off as effectively as if their throats had been slit.

"You three are suppose to be on night guard. Instead, my slumber is disturbed by the dragons getting rowdy! I certainly don't know what you three were doing to each other, but I'd suggest getting your pants on, sobering up, and getting out there where you belong before rumors start spreading!"

With all the gracefulness of fish on land, the three attempted to salute, pull up their trousers, and leave all at the same time. As they passed, one falling over and scrambling back to his feet, commander Roscrow made note of each to punish in the morning.

Once they had left the barn, Roscrow turned his attention to the stall they had been in. Sre huddled in the corner, none too sure of whether she'd been rescued or not. Slowly, Roscrow came toward her, standing over her. He reached out a hand. Hesitantly, Sre reached up and took it, letting him gently draw her to her feet. She avoided his eeirely glowing gaze, quickly pulling the loose strap of her dress back onto her shoulder to prevent it from falling off her.

She felt the soothing warmth of his hand touch the side of her face where the soldier had struck her. "Did they harm you?" His voice was a low rumble, calming.

For just a second she let herself believe he cared. "I-I'll be ok, sir."

Gently, he ran the back of his finger over her cheek, causing her to look up at him. His eyes reflected the weak light. She could tell he wasn't all the way human, which wasn't all that uncommon. This world was a human colony, having been so for the last thousand generations, but it was not shut off from the other worlds. Trade ships came and went, all manner of aliens arriving and departing. He glanced about, a look of distain on his face.

He then stood back, taking Sre's hand and bowing down to place his lips on the back of her hand with infinite tenderness. He stood back up, letting her hand fall away carefully. "It is late. I leave you to your sleep. My men will not bother you. Sleep well." With that, he bowed sweepingly before turning and leaving her standing there in the dark, dumbfounded. Once he'd closed the door behind him, exhaustion swept over her. She sank back into her bed, feeling a strange sense of calm, his promise leaving her feeling just a little safer.

As she fell back to sleep, she hoped she'd have her dream again, as she had had all her life. Constantly, dreams of dragons that would come to her, speak to her, protect her. Always, a little black bundle of fire, a piece of coal that would grow and grow, sprouting wings and horns, fire engulfing it, eyes burning themselves into her. But the rest of her night was quiet and dreamless.

****************************************


"Sre!" The angry voice of her master jerked her from blissful sleep. "If I come in there and find you still sleeping, I swear I'll belt you til you beg me to feed you to these dragons!"

Realizing she was suppose to be awake at least an hour ago, Sre struggled to untangle herself from her blanket. Just as the door creaked open, Sre managed to stagger to her feet as Jeboc came in. He pointed toward the tavern. "Get yer ass in there and start cookin! Ye gotta earn yer keep if ye ever want to be free again!"

Rushing past him, Sre just barely avoided a kick Jeboc aimed at her rump. She ran into the kitchen, getting herself cleaned up and started cooking. The last thing she wanted was to make Jeboc any angrier. Not to mention fed soldiers tended to be more mellow, which would also make her life a lot easier.

As she stirred some outmeal, she heard Malissa and her sister come in, giggling amongst each other. "Oh, I'm sure you can persuade him! The tall, dark, and silent types always play hard to get, but then they fall the hardest."

Malissa gave a bit of a shiver. "Yeah, but that stare he gives me, as if I don't even exist. Never met a man like that. But I'm sure between us we can break that ice cube!" They both giggled again.

Sre gave the quietest snort, thinking it was hidden by all the various other noises going on. But Malissa turned to her. Sre didn't need to turn to know that the woman was glaring at her. "And what do you have to say about it, eh, slave? I bet the commander notices you even less, being at the bottom of the food chain, and lacking in any womanly features. A man of his stature can chose from much better bred women."

Sre kept her mouth shut on that. She cracked an egg, watching the yolk sizzle on the skillet. Sneering with a malicious laugh, Malissa and her sister turned and swept out of the kitchen. Sre heard them talking some more about the commander and their plan to get him to submit to their will.

Shaking her head, Sre had to smile. Leave it to the two to try and seduce anyone that caught their fancy. She was glad that they had finally found someone who frustrated them, though. It wasn't like those two were of any better breeding than she. And Sre figured it wasn't about breeding, or even about social stature for the commander. Someone with his rank could chose from almost anyone, and she figured he had a set of qualities he looked for that was different from most other men. No wonder he looked right past those two sluts.

Using a ladle, Sre poured out a bowl of steaming oatmeal. As she turned, she struck an immovable body. The ceramic bowl shattered on the ground, having slipped from her stunned fingers. The contents sloshed all over the floor, causing Sre's heart to leap into her throat. "I-I'm sorry!" she whimpered, quickly grabbing a rag to start cleaning off the commander's knee high black leather boots. They were perfectly polished, not a scoff on them. Now, though, they were covered in the sticky oatmeal.

Roscrow was about to say something when Malissa popped her head around the corner. "What'd you do this time, slave?" She suddenly went quiet when she realized who it was that stood in the kitchen. Roscrow hardly gave any indication that he acknowledged Malissa's presence, just continued to watch Sre with great interest. Malissa looked down at her ample bossom, making sure her corset was straightened and her blouse showed enough cleavage to just be one degree from totally lude. She then stepped into the kitchen behind Roscrow, a sly, seductive hint to her voice. "I'm so sorry for her clumsiness, sir. She's just a slave, lacking in any kind of grace, you see...."

Her voice died in her throat. Those black eyes of his flicked to her, but only for a moment, as if to discover what the source of the unpleasant noise was before turning back to what it was he found his greatest desire in. Thinking of another strategy, Malissa tried to reach for another rag. "Here, I'll you show how to really clean some boots...."

"I think she can handle it." Sre shivered. The cold steel of his voice bit into her very soul. "She dropped it, she can clean it. Your assisstance is not desired." Glancing up, she saw that his words were in no way directed at her. Instead, Malissa stood there, her face pale and eyes wide. She barely managed to stammer something unintelligible before quickly retreating out of the kitchen. When the commander turned his eyes back to Sre, she was surprised to see a warmth in there. "Those two are very irritating." The tiniest smile crossed Sre's face at his tone. She quickly looked down so that he didn't see. "I did not mean to startle you. I'd only wanted to make sure no one bothered you last night. I'd given my men orders not to harass the locals, but I guess they are just too eager to drown their sorrows in spirits and sex."

"SRE!"

A quiet groan left Sre. Of course Malissa would run off to tattle on her. She couldn't stand that the commander would give his attention to the slave girl. So she ran straight to Uncle Jeboc, who stormed into the kitchen, face red with anger and embarressment. He glared at Sre, who had finished cleaning the commander's boots and was trying to pick up the pieces of the bowl, scrubbing the floor hurriedly. "I'm very sorry, sir. I promise she'll be punished fer...."

"I certainly don't think so." The sword he wore at his hip was dull and chipped compared to the blade of his tone. "It was my fault. I should not have startled her. As it were, I was coming in here to... seek her company."

Malissa flashed a glare at Sre. Sre could almost read her mind. What did a half starved, beaten slave girl have that she didn't? Honestly, Sre had no idea. She kept cleaning, waiting for a kick from Jeboc, though it wouldn't come while the commander was there. He never beat her when there was company. Besides, he was looking about as browbeaten as she was at that moment.

"W-well, good sir, her company does come with a price...." Sre looked up to see why Jeboc had gone quiet. She noticed that Roscrow had a smile on his face. It was the most dreadful thing she'd ever seen. How a smile could promise death, she didn't know, but his most certainly did. Jeboc was so pale that he looked like he might faint from fear.

With a small motion to Sre, indicating for her to stand, Roscrow mockingly tipped his head. "Your government thanks you for your sacrifice in times of war." It was as if he was finding a great amusement in the look on their faces, his voice so sardonic and trained. In times of war, no one could ask for payment from a soldier. If they felt like paying out of generousity, they would, otherwise the peasant folk were just out of luck. In times of peace, the rules were different, but now Jeboc was only keeping his head on due to Roscrow's mercy.

Without another word, the commander turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen, Sre close behind. Whatever he had planned for her would most certainly be better than what Jeboc would have done to her with Malissa hissing in his ear. He stopped only once to obilige a cheer that went up from his soldiers in his honor as they had been relating a tale of his bravery in battle to some newcomers to the tavern. After a slight bow, he continued his way up the stairs to the room he had taken residence in. It was the furthest room with windows that over looked the dragons resting in the clearing behind the barn.

Roscrow opened the door, standing aside to motion for Sre to enter first. She went in, eyes flicking about in an old instinct that had saved her on many occassions. She had learned that vigilance was her friend. The sensation of Roscrow's eyes on her made her stop in the middle of the room. She jumped a bit when she heard the door latch and lock behind her. She could feel the heat of his body behind her, radiating out of his armor. He gently brushed past her, his voice much more calm and informal than she had heard it before. "It really is unfortunate that such asses are allowed among our populace. I would have liked an excuse to put him in his place." He proceeded to remove his sword belt as he spoke, carelessly tossing it over the back of a chair. Sre had no dout he wore it more for show than protection. "It confuses me that some people don't get it when you obviously don't like them."

Sre said nothing, shyly watching him from where she stood. He continued removing his armor, pulling the dragonscale armor over his head. It made an odd hissing sound that caused the hairs on Sre's neck to stand on end. It was the sound a dragon made in warning, right when it would attack. Instinct told her that, not knowledge. He laid the shirt of scales over the back of the chair. Under it he wore a thin, stretchy fabric that was designed to keep him dry and avoid chafing. He then pulled his elbow length leather gloves off, tossing them on the chair as well. Sre was surprised to see his powerful forearms covered in scars. He noticed her eyes looking at them almost immediately. "Baby dragons," he said as he rubbed his forearms, "Adorable bundles of death. When they get playful, they give no thought to the fact that we don't have scales like them."

Curiousity gripped Sre. She knew next to nothing about dragons, and yet she was drawn to them with an overwhelming instinct. The thought of baby dragons spark her interest the most. Cautiously, she cleared her throat, speaking very quietly. "How...?" She stopped when Roscrow looked at her. She averted her eyes. Jeboc never allowed her to speak out of turn.

"My dear, with me you can speak freely. 'How' what?" His voice was warm, that accent intoxicating. She could have sat and listened to him speak all day.

"How... big are they? The baby dragons?" Her voice remained hushed.

The smile that spread onto his face was nothing like what he had given Jeboc. It was soothing, made her feel safe. It left Sre wondering how he could be so frigid one moment, then so warm the next. It had to have something to do with his heritage. She had to force down a smile imagining steam rising off him from his sudden emotional change.

Raising his hands, he indicated their size. "Not that big. Like one of those small retrieving dogs the hunters have. Maybe 25 kilos. They tend to impress on the first thing they see. A lot of times, it's their mother. Trying to keep a mother dragon away from her hatchlings when she can hear them calling for her in the egg is nearly impossible. But we get paired to our dragons very soon after birth, almost before they even get all the egg fluid off. We train until we're about 15 years before getting our dragons. Since they don't live past 200 years, we need to be a bit older than they are. But once we have our dragons, we are paired for life."

"So... you've had your dragon since he was a baby?" Sre felt a bit of jealousy. If she had such a beast at her command, Jeboc would be sorry!

"Granger was the largest of his brood. He was so big that the Masters thought to keep him unpaired for breeding purposes only. But he ended up chosing me. 3 others and myself stood before the 5 eggs. I remember his mother, a magnificent white beast, so incredible, scales that shone like the white moon on a still lake. She had the most piercing blue eyes, like she knew more than any of the other dragons. It was said she belonged to a Tamer. But Granger was the first to hatch. He turned his head and looked straight at me. He paid no heed to his mother, to any others in the room. He came right at me from his egg, glared up at me, challenged my very existance with those penetrating eyes of his. I just stared back at him. I don't know how long we stood that way, but when he finally blinked, all the others had hatched. He then sat by my side and wouldn't leave it. When the Masters came to take him, not even commanding in the Ancient Tongue could make him leave me."

Sre watched him, smiling. He was so lost in the memory, absently staring out the window at his magnificent beast. The brute lay in the clearing, wings fanning the air to stay cool as the heat rose steadily. His eyes were slits, always vigilant, always keeping an eye over his talon. Of course Roscrow needed no weapons. His dragon could take on all comers, his size and weight nearly twice that of any the others in the talon.

She suddenly became aware that Roscrow had turned his attention back to her. She'd been staring out the window as well, admiring all the dragons that loitered about. A playful grin split the commander's face as Sre looked down. "I bet you'd like to touch one. You were trying to yesterday."

Remembering how angry he'd been about that, Sre attempted to mutter an apology, but Roscrow waved his hand as if batting it away. He stood, walking over to the window and swinging it open. All it took was a short, sharp whistle. Sre could feel the ground under her feet shake as the massive beast trotted over since he was not tied like the others. The brute had no trouble peering into the second story window. The dragon gave a mumble of greeting to his rider while Roscrow gave him a pat on the thick, bony eye ridge. He then indicated for Sre to approach. Stunned, she walked over slowly, not quite sure about what was happening. Snatching Sre's wrist gently, Roscrow held her hand out to Granger's cheek scales.

The animal was warm and oddly fuzzy, like they had a covering of peach fuzz. She ran her hand over his brow, peering into his massive, all knowing copper eye. As she looked into his eye, she felt like she was spiraling down into that depth, felt like this was right, it was the most natural thing in the world, like she'd petted a million dragons, stared into all their eyes and saw deeper into them than even their riders ever could. With each bellowing breath, she could feel herself filling with life, with an instinct to command, to lead, to draw all the dragons of the world to herself.

"Wonderful, aren't they?"

Sre suddenly snapped out of her trance. She shyly snatched her hand away. With just a brief gesture, Granger let out a groan and strode back to his spot, stopping to peer around as if searching for someone. Indeed, one of the dragons was missing, but no one had noticed the snapped chain, the two guards on duty sitting by the barn playing dice.

As Roscrow closed the window, he glanced at Sre. "They have that velvet on their scales to help keep them warm high up in the atmosphere. It's not much use against the Spindles spitting their fire, but that's what the hard belly scales are for. The Scouter dragons are even furrier, with small tufts of actual fur growing around their scales as well as the fuzz."

He turned to look down on her. She felt smaller than usual under his steady gaze. He took a step toward Sre, making her back away half a step. She stopped herself from going back any further, having been beaten into accepting her "duty," as Jeboc called it. She felt Roscrow's large hand cup the side of her face, his flesh radiating a soothing warmth, unlike the heat of the druken rages of her master. He slowly lifted her face to his, his lips touching hers with a tenderness that left her feeling like she was sinking into him. His hand rested comfortably on her hip, drawing her against his hard body.

The commander suddenly pulled away from the kiss, leaving Sre breathing hard, her whole body tingling. He walked past her, though he turned his head to speak to her. "I would appreciate it if you'd join me for my morning shower. I never can scrub my back very well." His voice was full of mischievious humor, though the commander side of him left a hint of an order to his voice, making Sre feel like she had no choice in the matter.

As she followed him toward the shower room, she watched him shyly, marveling at the olive tone of his skin, the lean muscles that he exposed as he pulled the tight black shirt off. His body was covered in scars making it obvious he'd been in several scuffles. He was not afraid to wield his blade, and certainly not afraid to run that blade through another person, or to have it run through him.

"Why don't you start the water rather than stand there and stare at me?" Sre jumped, not realizing that he had stopped. He raised a brow at her, a good natured smirk on his face. He moved his head to indicate for her to go ahead. She scurried away into the room, figuring he had need of relieving himself as the toilet and shower were seperate.

While the colonists of this world had originally abandoned all modern comforts, a few had made a comeback with all the aliens that came and went, electricity and plumbing being two. For that, Sre was thankful. It wasn't often she got a hot shower, usually having to suffice with a bucket of cold water and a cloth in the barn, but when was she was able to acquire one she was thankful. She turned the water on, testing the drizzle that came down from the thousands of little holes in the ceiling of the shower. The last time she had been in this shower, Malissa and Jerassa had gotten the bright idea to use her for their own twisted entertainment. It sent a shudder through her, thinking of how those two had ordered her to do some disgraceful things to both them and herself in front of them.

So lost in her thoughts, Sre didn't notice Roscrow until he spun her around, pressing her up against the wall, trapping her with his body. She gasped as the cold wall touched her skin. Roscrow used that to kiss her, his tongue invading her mouth with a gentle domination that left Sre breathless and weak. His hands cupped her head, holding her helpless to his passion. She could feel he was hard and ready, his naked body pressed against her. Slowly, his hands caressed down along her neck, making her let out a soft moan, and further still until he gently slipped the straps that held up her dress over her shoulders and down her arms.

A shiver ran through Sre, a remnant memory of their time together when they had first met in the back of her mind that she had tried to hold on to to remember pleasure. But it hadn't taken much for Jeboc to knock such memories from her head. Tensing up, Sre suddenly drew away, gasping for air.

Looking down at her, Roscrow raised his brow quizzically. Sre hung her head in submission, attempting to mutter an apology for her action. Instead, she gave a squeal as Roscrow stepped back under the steaming drizzle, pulling her after him. He chuckled as she panicked, reaching out to stablize herself. He held her protectively, gently stroking her wet hair. With a deep breath, she felt herself relax against him for a moment.

She felt Roscrow's hand gently cup her chin, drawing her face up to him. He touched his lips to hers briefly, his other hand wandering down her body. His expert fingers probbed her intimately, making her let out a sigh against his lips. Pressing her against the wall, he placed a hand above her head to stablize himself as he bent over her, his mouth leaving hers, slowly moving along her jaw and around her ear before heading further down along her neck. All the while, his other hand probbed her, finding the small bud of pleasure that had been so ignored.

As Sre moaned quietly to his touch, the commander suddenly leaned forward, slipping his hands around her thighs and lifting her up, planting her back firmly against the wall. She gasped, feeling completely helpless and yet aroused by it, which confused her. She had to wrap her arms around his neck to feel more stable but he didn't seem to mind at all as he kissed her again, deep and passionately, leaving her gasping for air and squirming in his hands.

When he at last lowered her onto his hard length, she let out a loud moan. He pierced her, driving deeply into her recesses, using his immense strength to bring her up again before letting her drop back down the full length of his shaft. Without warning, Sre's body tightened, a dark wave of acute pleasure ripping through her. She gripped Roscrow with all four limbs, shivering with her sudden climax. She wanted to scream out, but instead she bit down on her lip, swallowing the primal sounds that attempted to escape, letting out only a choked little moan. Jeboc often threatened a severe beating if he ever heard her while with a "customer."

Roscrow slowed, chortling at her. "Someone's a little enthusiastic." He sounded almost sympathatic.

Gasping for air, Sre felt a little ashamed of herself. She thought to apologize, but Roscrow's lips wouldn't allow that. He continued his powerful motion, causing wave after wave of intense sensations tingling through every part of her being. His body pressed tightly against hers, leaving her no room, no where to go but to submit to his driving desire. She panted and moaned, small sobs of pleasure leaving her lips which he hungrily absorbed into his own mouth, even his tongue invading her.

At last, he drew away from the kiss, whispering in her ear as he felt her body tensing again. "Scream for me, wench. No one will hear you in here." The vibration of his voice, heavy with his own lust, reverberated through her whole body. Unable to hold back any longer, Sre allowed the sounds that built up in her escape, feeling her whole body shiver and gyrate on its own with her next climax. The sounds she made drove him on, his body moving to let out his own release.

Mumbling incohorently, Sre laid her forehead against his shoulder, feeling him pulse within her. She again felt his body vibrate with a chuckle, his voice hot against her ear. "Be careful what you wish for." Stars exploded behind Sre's tightly closed eyes, instinctual sounds tearing from her throat. Without meaning, her nails dug into Roscrow's flesh, causing him to give a deep groan of his own.

The steam that rose off them was not from the heat of the water. That had gone cool a while ago. The commander lay his forehead against Sre's, both of them panting. Sre could feel the warmth of him inside her and it made her squirm. Slowly, Roscrow let her down to her feet, holding her steady when she wobbled. They both stood quietly, attempting to clear their wits.

"Gee, all I wanted was for you to scrub my back and here you went and distracted me!" Roscrow snickered, grinning down at Sre. She gave out a shy giggle. In the past 10 months, she hadn't had a whole lot to laugh at. She continued to lean her head against his chest as the cool water washed over them gently. She ran her hand over his smooth chest, totally hairless. Her fingers felt a scar, and she peered up at it, tracing it gently. It was a stab wound, directly where a human heart would be located.

Roscrow laid his large hand over hers. "A lot of people don't realize I'm a quarter Q'Ra. My heart is on the other side and a bit lower. It has saved me a few times."

Sre smiled up at him. "So that's why you're so tall."

He laughed. "Not as tall as my father. The human blood has rather stunted my growth. But it gave me the glowing eyes, the strength to rival 3 men, and a lacking of hair. I can't even grow a beard." He scratched at his chin, mocking himself.

With that, they cleaned up, Roscrow stepping out of the shower to allow Sre a bit of privacy, as if he knew it'd been a month since her last true shower. She scrubbed at her skin with an almost angry fervor, trying to get off any lingering sense of her master and any other man who had touched her without her wanting.

At last, as the water finally began to run cold, she turned it off and peeked around the curtain, wondering why Roscrow had been so quiet. A towel was suddenly dropped over her head. She giggled as he ruffled her hair dry with the towel. He then pulled it from her head and wrapped it around her body, sweeping her off her feet. Squealing with laughter, Sre offered minimal resistance. He smiled at her, a most endearing boyish grin. He then dropped her onto the bed. She let out a small shriek, almost drowned by his deep amusement.

A knock at the door startled them both. Roscrow's head tilted sideways, an irritated glint in his eyes. But he turned and headed for the door. Sre drew the towel around herself a little tighter, praying it wasn't her master. Roscrow swung the door open, letting his broad shoulders relax when he saw it was his friend and lieutenant.

"Sorry to interupt, sir, but I thought I should let you know your dragon, in his infinite vigilance, has discovered Fire Flower had broken her restraints and fled into the woods. I have several of the men out looking now. I was going to get Beaut saddled up to scout for her."

Roscrow let out a thoughtful grumble. "She's probably laying her eggs. If you find her, be careful, Kelvin. Even the Ancient Tongue will have little effect on her if she's so desperate to protect her brood that she would break her bonds and slip away." Kelvin saluted to leave when Roscrow stopped him to add, "Do tell those two sluts that I'd like my breakfast in my room."

Kelvin grinned good naturedly. "You'd prefer their company?" His voice mocked his commander, indication of the deep friendship they had.

Grunting with ill temper of thinking of them, Roscrow growled. "I'd prefer them to that pig of a barkeep."

Kelvin's voice hushed so Sre could almost not hear him. "Beaut doesn't like him either. She's pretty hungry...."

Roscrow glared at his lieutenant. "You don't dare."

Kelvin shrugged, walking away from the conversation, but the barely contained smirk on his face told Roscrow he was only trying to pull strings. Shaking his head, Roscrow closed the door, turning back to Sre.

"Guess Fire Flower is laying her eggs. It's very late for a War dragon but a bit early for a Spindle." He strode over to the bed. She watched him as he sat on the edge of the bed, haunched over with his elbows on his knees. She drew a bit closer to him.

A dark marking on his neck caught her attention. "Um... what's that on your neck?" For a moment she cursed herself for being too bold, but Roscrow turned to look at her quizzically.

Touching the back of his neck, he smiled. "Oh, you mean my family crest." He turned to show it to her better. It was a tattoo in dark red ink that almost blended with his darker colored skin. Within a circle, a stylized War dragon sat proudly on its haunches, in one paw holding a sword, the other resting on a long shield. The shield had an eye on it. The dragon's mouth hung open, exposing its viscious teeth. "It's the crest of the alt Szizander family line. Legend has it we were the guardians, the sworn and sacred army of the original Dragon Tamers. Throughout our history, we pledged our unwavering loyalty to our lords, the Tamers. We would fight beside them in battle, give our lives for them. And then the Tamers began to die out. Soon, the uld Morthar family was wiped out. My mother gave her life for the last of them. But it was to no avail. He and his family simply vanished. His dragon, Granger's mother, was found poisoned. I wasn't old enough to pledge my life at the time, so I never even met him."

Sre gently touched his crest, tracing it. "I have one like it." Roscrow turned to look at her in surprise. Turning so her back was to him, she let the towel slide off. At the very lowest of her back was a black tattoo unlike any Roscrow had seen. Unlike most crests, it wasn't a simple cirlce that created the border. Instead, it was a dozen small dragons, each holding the tail of the one before it in its mouth. Within the circle of dragons, there was a single solid black dragon, wings spread in flight, tail whipping, uncontained by the border. In one outstretched paw was a deadly spear gun, the weapons used against dragons in battle. In the other was a shield. But what really made the crest strange was the black flame that spewed from the dragon's open maw. It ran up her spine a short way. Around the inside of the border were markings, an ancient and mostly dead language.

Roscrow reached out and traced the crest with his finger, making Sre shiver. She looked back at him. "Do you know it?"

"No." He continued to stare at it. "I hadn't seen it the last time."

"You weren't exactly paying attention." Sre tried to lighten his mood.

Glancing up at her, Roscrow offered a meek smile. "You've had this all your life?"

Nodding, Sre turned to look at him. "I often wonder about it. I don't know what the words mean."

"It's in the Ancient Tongue. It means 'Protect, Conquer, and Remain Pure.' Never seen anything like it. I don't know what family it's from. It may not even be from our side. Who knows, you might be a refugee from the Sadgos'Lak nation." He then reached out and caressed her cheek. "Which doesn't bother me. We get refugees all the time."

She thought about it. "I suppose. I don't remember a lot. I just know my father made a big deal of never dealing with the army. But he was always drunk. He finally died when I was 7. I don't even know my last name. It was like he made a point of never letting me find out. I don't remember my mother. He said she died not long after I was born. Some nights, he was so drunk he'd start screaming and swinging at imaginary things. I would hide in the closet or under the bed. But when he was sober, he would tell me that I had to stay hidden, I couldn't ever show anyone my crest. But that seems kind of mute now. I mean, you don't even know it."

A knock at the door interrupted Roscrow's train of thought. He stood again, heading for the door. Sre quickly covered herself with the blankets on the bed. When he opened the door, She could tell by how his muscles tensed that he was not pleased by what he saw.

"Oh, why hello, Commander, sir. I hope we aren't interrupting anything?" Sre gave an inward groan, Malissa's voice carrying into the room easily enough.

Roscrow took a step back, pointing to the table in the room. "Please put the food there." His voice was hard and sharp, his irritation made evident.

Malissa and Jerassa quickly entered, both glaring at Sre as they put the platters of food on the table. Jerassa then turned to Roscrow, her eyes hungrily following the lines of his powerful muscles to where they vanished under the towel he still wore wrapped around his waist. "You know, sir," she said in a hushed, seductive tone, "there's so much more we can offer you...."

Roscrow's black eyes narrowed. It stopped both women in their tracks. He pointed toward the door. "If you two do not leave, I shall have my soldiers remove you. They are not known for their courtesy or tenderness." Then, as a sardonic sidenote, he added, "And I hear the dragons are hungry."

In fear, they both rushed out the door, all but tripping over each other. Roscrow slammed the door behind them, a deep laugh breaking the tension. "Hopefully that will be the end of their irking me!"

Returning to the bed, Roscrow dragged the table over to them with hardly any effort. He poured a glass of juice for both of them. He offered Sre a sweet roll. Despite the fact that she knew she wasn't suppose to, she took the food with gratefulness. It had been a very long time since she'd had a good meal.

An uproar of the dragons made Roscrow curse. He stood and peered out the window. "Oh good, they found Fire Flower. She's not happy about us moving her eggs." He shrugged and came back to sit beside Sre.

"Aren't you going to go make sure no one gets hurt?" Again she hoped she wasn't too bold. But he just shrugged.

"They can handle it. Besides, I'm not much of a commander if I don't eat. And I don't benefit from breathing down the necks of my men. I trust them to be careful." He continued to eat.

"Is... is Granger the father?" Sre looked up at Roscrow with curiousity.

The commander smiled. "One of many broods he's sired. I often tell him he's a lucky bastard." Roscrow chuckled to himself.

"When will the eggs hatch?" Sre nibbled on another sweet roll, more interested in the dragons than the food.

"I'm not sure. For Spindles, they keep their eggs inside their bodies for almost a year, then the eggs hatch in a couple of days fully formed, minitures of their adult selves. But War Dragons only carry the eggs around for 2 months, then lay them and keep them safe for nearly 6 months. When they hatch, they are able to hunt small prey that their mothers bring to the nest alive, like bingku and razja, but not able to fly or really fend for themselves. So the eggs could hatch in a few days, or a few months. No one knows. When cross breeding, there's so many variables. I've heard of other cross breeding attempts, but most have ended in dead hatchlings or severe deformations." Then Roscrow stood, taking a bite of an apple. "One thing always remains the same, though: when they hatch, all baby dragons are starving."

He started to pull his clothing on, readying himself to go down and check on all the commotion. "You stay here. I'll be back in a little while. Duty calls." He leaned over and gave Sre a passionate kiss, long and deep, a promise for what he had planned for the evening. It left her squirming, wishing he didn't have to leave.

Once he was out the door, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She hadn't gotten much sleep during the night. Maybe if she just took a nap while he was gone, she'd be rested enough for whatever he intended for them to do in the evening.

[Chapter 3]

Roscrow had watched his men move the eggs one by one back to the tavern. They placed them with infinite care into a large, padded basket. With much effort, Fire Flower's rider was able to keep her calm enough that they could move all the eggs. She continued to hiss and fret.

After a quick inspection of the eggs, all of which were a shiny platnium color, Roscrow came over to Granger. The brute lowered his head, accepting his rider's touch with a mutter of greeting. Roscrow scrached his dragon right under his eyelid where the thick scales turned to skin. Granger's eye closed, a small drop of spittle forming at the corner of his mouth as he purred in pleasure.

"Four eggs with this batch, eh, buddy? You keep going like this and soon half the army will made up of your offspring." Roscrow smiled when Granger murmured to him. War dragons were known to be the most vocal with hundreds of unique sounds. Many times, Roscrow could almost swear he heard Granger talk.

"Living the high life, sir?" Roscrow turned to look up at Kelvin atop his gorgeous dragon, a massive female he had named Beaut. She well deserved the name, her scales the most uniquely irridacent with constantly shifting colors of blue, green, purple, and the occasional pink if the light hit her just right. Her immense gleaming ivory horns curved gracefully around her spiked crown, giving her a regal appearance. There were times that Roscrow felt a bit jealous, but it never lasted long enough to make a full thought in his head.

As the magnificent creature strode over to the commander, she mumbed to Granger. He offered a grunt of greeting, accepting an affectionate nuzzle from the female that was his sister. Out of the whole talon, she was the only one who nearly rivaled him in size. As Roscrow came over to take her reins, Kelvin spoke a word in the Ancient Tongue. Without hesitation, Beaut raised her leg, gently lowering her rider to the ground.

"Ah, you know me, my old friend. I just can't stand the brutality one man can inflict upon another for no damn reason!" He jerked sharply at a strap of Beaut's saddle. The dragon turned her large head to look at him with curiousity. Normally he was a lot calmer. She let out a soothing trill sound that a mother dragon uses to calm her offspring. Having mothered seven broods, she knew all the tricks of the trade. Without meaning to, Roscrow smiled up at Beaut. Her eyes narrowed in satisfaction, considering her job done.

Kelvin chuckled at his dragon. "I'm with you on that one, commander. I would be careful, though, sir. It's not your place to go around saving damsels in distress." Kelvin heaved the heavy saddle off his dragon, handing it off to one of the other soldiers to put it in the barn. Shaking herself, Beaut hunkered down next to Kelvin, stuffing her handlike paws under her chest and curling her thick short tail around her haunches, looking for all the world like a giant, scaly, content cat. While Kelvin wasn't watching, she lowered her head, affectionately mouthing the top of her rider's head. Kelvin immediately started batting at her, but it was too late to save his hair. She looked off into the distance, the most amused and pleased look on her face.



"I swear! One of these days I'll break you of that habit, you damn lizard!" Kelvin swore at his dragon, trying to smooth his hair down.

Roscrow laughed heartily. "She's been doing that to you for the last 32 years, I highly doubt you'll ever break her of it."

Growling, Kelvin couldn't help but grin. "I suppose so."

Roscrow then let out a sigh as they headed over to look at the eggs. "There's just... something about her."

"Oh?" Kelvin peered closely at his friend. "You sure it's not just a knightly desire?"

Roscrow grunted in humor. "No, not even that.

"You know, she has a dragon rider's crest. I've never seen it before. I wonder what family she's from."

"She doesn't know?" Kelvin asked incredulously.

"She says her father would never let her learn her last name. Said he told her it was important that no one see her family crest. It makes me wonder if perhaps he was a traitor to his nation and fled." Roscrow shrugged. "But whatever the reason, her father's burden is not her own. Not in my eyes." He let out a heavy breath. "I just think it's sick that slavery is an acceptable means for reimbursement for finacial debt. whatever happened to the old days my father always speaks of?"

"Those days have died. Ever since the Tamers went into decline and the Dragon Masters began digging their greedy talons into the land and its people." Kelvin gave Roscrow a fond slap on the back. "Don't you think four eggs is kind of odd for a War dragon?" Kelvin changed the subject abruptly.

Roscrow shrugged. "Who knows? Being a halfling, it may be natural. Might want to scout the area, see if you missed one, but I doubt it." He turned away, walking over to the street the tavern was on. The town was tiny, only a few dirt streets and about two dozen houses with a small market. The west side of the town had several acres of farms but nothing too big. He watched as a few of his soldiers headed off into the woods to go hunting, just about the only entertainment here, not to mention the dragons needed feeding.

"I never will understand why the Generals sent us here to wait for further instructions." Kelvin peered around as the townfolk went about the their business.

"Something about staying low profile. Since we're so close to the border to Mardarow they think the Sadgos'Lak Scouters won't risk any further conflicts by crossing their border. For now, Mardarow refuses to get involved, but they won't hesitate to shoot down a Scouter from their neighbors." He gave a sigh. "Get Fire Flower and Blask saddled up. We have to send her back to the Academy. Even if one egg is missing, I doubt they'll care much. All other breeding attempts have failed with others like her. Tell Jander and Mok to get their things. Mok will be very happy to see his family again." There was a twinge of sorrow and longing in the commander's voice.

Kelvin drew closer to him. "I've known you since I was 10 years old, when I slipped into the nest chamber without anyone knowing and Beaut hatched right in front of me. Already I'm starting to look like an old man. You, you've hardly changed since you were 16. That Q'Ra blood of yours will keep you young for many more years than the rest of us. You've got plenty of time to make a family of your own, sir."

Roscrow had to smile at his friend. Patting his shoulder, he turned back to the tavern, heading for the door. Kelvin's chuckle made him stop and turn to glare at his lieutenant.

"All too eager to go back to your bed warmer, eh, commander?"

Grumbling, Roscrow turned away to hide his amusement at Kelvin's mocking tone. He headed up the stairs, though he made a point to glance around, hoping for another chance to put Jeboc in his place. However, the pig was nowhere to be seen, obviously keeping himself well hidden.

Slipping into the room quietly, he found Sre fast asleep on the bed. He pulled off his armor and clothing with barely a sound, slipping into the bed beside her. Sliding silently under the sheets, he smiled down at her sleeping form. She lay on her side, her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow, her legs pulled up as close to her chest as she could get.

With curiousity, Roscrow pulled the sheets away from her naked body, peering a little more closely at her crest. It seemed almost familiar, like he had seen it once so many many years ago. It frustrated him that he couldn't place it.

Sre let out a soft moan, her body shifting slightly in slumber. Roscrow leaned over and feathered his lips along her shoulder. She gave another soft moan, her body unfurling. She sleepily opened her eyes and looked up at the commander. He smiled mischieviously. "There'll be plenty of time for slumber later, my dear...."

********************************************************************


The days went by all too quickly. Before they knew it, a week had passed. The days were hot, the evenings warm. Each day, Roscrow forced himself to leave his room, much less the bed. In order to avoid the sisters and the barkeep, Roscrow brought the food up to his room for Sre. With him, she had already gained some weight.

Her fascination with the dragons fueled most of their conversations, history being the subject of most others. Sre was a quick study, soaking up the information as fast as it could leave his mouth. She was also well versed in ways of pleasuring a man, much to Roscrow's enjoyment.

Laying in bed on his back, Roscrow held Sre close. The warm morning sun shone in on them, pleasant on their naked skin. His hand moved along Sre's smooth skin, feeling her stir awake. He never made her wake up at any particular time, knowing that once he was gone, she would be sleep deprived yet again. Thoughts of his leaving plagued him, knowing what would happen to Sre once he did. But Kelvin's words were true. In this time of war, he had no ability nor any right to free her. He could pay her debt, but where would that leave her? She'd have nothing, be left on her own yet again. For now, no matter how much it hurt him to think of it, here was the best place for her.

"Good morning," Sre spoke softly, smiling at him.

"Ah, all mornings are good with you." Roscrow gave her a gentle squeeze.

A shadow blocked the sun in their window. The dragons honked and roared, snarling and making an aweful ruckus. Startled, Roscrow hurried out of bed, tossing on his clothing as fast as he could. He pulled his boots on just as he opened the door, glancing back at Sre to make sure she stayed before bounding down the stairs.

Reaching the bottom, he could feel his heart sink into his feet. Only one dragon had wings larger than Granger's. The Scouter dragon was a mottled brown color, its belly and underwing a creme. Its body was designed for flight and nothing else. Small, sharp head, very small horns, short neck, a huge, streamlined body, very short legs. Its body was no bigger than a horse, but its wings rivaled any of the War dragons in his talon.

As it folded those immense wings, its short tail lashed, the wing membrane reaching nearly to the tip. It shook its body with a nervous snort as its rider dismounted. Instinctively, it peered around, making sure it wasn't about to be attacked by a War dragon. For eons the War dragons had hunted the Scouters, and even through all the selective breeding, they had yet to remove the instinctual hatred the two species had for each other.

The rider stepped into the tavern. All the soldiers had gone silent. The messenger removed his oxygen mask and thick helm. He looked battle hardened, carrying a sense about him that a veteran soldier would even though he was obviously very young. Those who recieved Scouters were trained very different from those who recieved a War dragon.

"Commander Roscrow?" The young man called out, his green eyes peering around at the soldiers.

"Here." Roscrow stepped forward.

The messenger stood at attention, saluting him. "Sergeant Jerred mac Brian, 6th Scouter brigad. Orders, sir, from the Masters." He pulled out a scrollcase from his belt, offering it out to the commander. Slowly, reluctantly, Roscrow reached out, taking the dreaded scrollcase from the messenger. He popped the seal and pulled out the parchment. Unrolling it with agony, he took a deep breath before reading it.

He abruptly rolled the scroll back up and shoved it back into the case. With pursed lips, he handed the case back to the messenger. "Thank you, sir. You are dismissed." Saluting him again, the young man turned, pulling on his helm and mask. Mounting his dragon, they left in a flurry of dust and small cyclones.

Roscrow stood in the middle of the room, all his men's eyes on him. He knew they held their breathes. They wanted to go home. They'd been fighting for 2 years. Some had not seen their families in 11 months. Turning, Roscrow looked upon his men. "We go to aide our sister nation, Nutherlund." He could feel the anger and disappointment in the air; it stifled him. "We leave in the morn. Ready your dragons and sleep well tonight."

Turning away, Roscrow returned upstairs as everyone stood to get ready to leave. He stopped at the door to his room, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Opening the door, he found her sitting on the bed, reading his battle diary. He had allowed her to read it, and she did when he was drawn away from her by his duties. She looked up at him as he came in. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know. With a sigh, she turned back to the book, but now without interest.

Roscrow sat on the bed, his hand reaching out to cradle Sre's face. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. She had hoped, prayed even, that the war would be over before he had to leave. But she knew such wishes could not be fulfilled. In the absence of the Tamers, the nations had fallen into quarrel, the larger ones trying to absorb the smaller ones around them. Already they were down to only a dozen from the 23 at the high point of the Tamers' time.

"You have to go." Sre could feel a tear run down her cheek. Tenderly, Roscrow wiped it away with his thumb.

"I've survived the war this long, love, I'm certain I can survive the rest." He smiled at her, trying to reassure her. But when she looked away, he drew her against him. "There's nothing I can do about your situation right now, my dear. But when this war is over, I promise I'll come back for you. You have my word. I'll come back, take you to the Academy, and we'll find out about your crest. Imagine if you're from a lost family of Dragon Masters. You can always come back and turn that pig into your own slave!" He smiled at her, trying to cheer her up.

She smiled, clinging to him, breathing in his scent. "When do you have to leave?"

"Not until tomorrow morning." Again he thought to cheer her up. "I wonder what we can do between now and then?"

Squirming, Sre giggled. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure you can think up something."

"It really doesn't take a lot of thought to get it up...." It took no more than a few heartbeats for the clothing to come off. Pushing her to the bed with his lips, he moved over her, his hands caressing all of her, every part of her body, memorizing it.

His lips moved from hers, his teeth nipping at her flesh, his kiss feathering all of her. Every sound she made urged him on, urged him lower, down to her feet where he kissed her arches with great tenderness, slowly continuing back up, following the line of her legs, further up still to the apex where her legs met. Her hands gripped the sheets, her back arching when she felt the heat of his tongue. The sensation was the most exquisite thing she'd ever felt, leaving her breathless.

Even when he was at last done, his mouth moving over the rest of her body, each touch like a sliver of Heaven, she could barely talk, panting and moaning just as he had intended. When he swept into her, time seemed to cease, no sorrowful goodbyes soon to come, no painful, hidden past, only each perfect moment that was gone as soon as the next came to take its place.

By the time the rusty moon spilt its bloody rays through the curtains, the two had exhausted themselves, tangled in each others arms. Rarely did Roscrow allow himself into such a deep state of oblivion, but somehow he felt it was right. Like all the Universe had aligned itself to this moment.

In the darkness of his oblivion, a serpent slithered around him, orange eyes burning themselves into his very soul. He was unable to move as the serpent twisted around him until it had ensnared him, left him breathless.

Guardian's vow.

He could hear the hiss, not in his mind, but in his soul. The serpent grew longer, more dragonlike, those orange eyes piercing him with more effect than any sword. In the darkness he saw a light behind the serpent, it grew as it came toward him, a person who shined, a person on a dragon holding high a speargun, the purest white light he had ever seen.

Vow to this. Your life to this.

The serpent twisted around him tighter, its head coming to block his view of the light, the hissing growing louder as it opened its mouth, lunging at him.

Guardian!

His eyes snapped open. He panted for a moment, not sure what he had just dreamed. He looked down at Sre, her arms still wrapped tightly around him. He smiled, kissing her forehead. He wished he could stay, but the sun demanded his attention.

Slipping from the bed, he got his clothes and armor on, packing his few belongings into his satchel. As he sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots, he heard Sre stir behind him. She turned to him, looking up at him drowsily. When he turned to her, she did not meet his gaze. Slowly, he bent down, his hand cupping the back of her neck, drawing her to his lips. In his kiss, there was no need for words. In the tender lock of her lips, he sealed his vow, a promise that gave him reason to survive the war that he was headed back into.

Leaving the room, Roscrow slowly made his way down the stairs, every step leaving a feeling of dread in his heart, like he knew when he would return here again, she would not be here. As he followed his men out the door, he caught a glimpse of Jeboc trying to slip away up the stairs without the soldiers noticing. Only Kelvin turned to see Roscrow bound back into the tavern, saw his commander slam the barkeeper against the wall, his sword flashing in the morning light. He turned away, not caring to imagine the words his friend had for the pig.

Sre watched from the window as Roscrow called his men to attention. Behind him stood Granger, the black beast saddled and ready. Turning, placing on his great horned helm, the commander mounted his dragon with his soldiers. Granger opened his wings with muted creaks and rustles, fanning the air with mighty beats that threw the dust all around himself. In a show of their immense strength, Granger leapt at the sky, rising with great speed. One by one, all the dragons followed suit. They circled the town as they gained altitude until they were lost into the low layer of clouds that had started forming.

Sighing, Sre slipped out of the bed, deciding it was about time she faced her master. As she slipped her dress back on, the door swung open. As if she had summoned him with some dark and twisted magic, Jeboc came into the room with murder in his eyes.

*****************************************************************


When night at last came, Sre stumbled to her old bed of hay in the barn. Collapsing, she curled up in agony. It was as if Jeboc had tried to pack a full week's worth of beatings into one day. She couldn't help the choking sobs that tore from her.

A rustle and a hiss made Sre look up, panic gripping her thinking that Jeboc wasn't done with her. Instead, a gorgeously deadly animal looked down at her with bright green eyes. It was a drakon, a mammalian dragon. The creature was the size of a very large draft horse, covered in a thick layer of bright blue fur. The rustle came from its thickly feathered wings. She figured it must have shown up at some point during the day, possibly with the kind old man that shown up not long after the talon had left.

Slowly, the vaguely canine like beast lowered its head, looking at her. "I never will understand homon need ta do bad t'ings ta each odder." The creature had an extremely thick accent.

Sniffling, Sre sat up with great effort. She found it difficult to breathe. The drakon sat dack on its haunches, reaching out a paw in invitation. Sre felt drawn to the female. Its fur was soft and warm, luxuriously plush. Her thick black mane smelled of the forest. Patting her on the back, the drakon let out a soft purr, soothing Sre. She could hear it speak, words she couldn't understand. An unnatural warmth spread through her body. She could feel all her wounds mend. Her pain melted away.

When the warmth ceased, it left her feeling calm. She looked up at the drakon. Its eyes were kind. Being a blue, it had no sense of malice, very much unlike the reds of its species. "My dear homon, I've a gift fer ya."

It stood, trotting over to a corner stall. Sre followed it, peering into the stall. She gasped. The thin rays of the white moon struck a dark platnuim eggshell. The egg was slightly shorter than Sre, oval and fat. "They left it? Is it dead?"

"I 'ould not drag it all t'is way if it be dead, homon. Very alive. Must take care of da boy. My partner will not take wif us." The drakon nodded to the egg she had leaned up against the corner. "I've enough young of my own. No need fer more."

"I... I can't take care of it! What if my master finds out?" Sre felt a spike of fear.

"Ya hide egg. Homons be clever. Ya da best of dem. T'is I know. Come, we sleep. In morn, I leave." The drakon turned to head back to the stall Sre slept in.

Staring at the egg, Sre couldn't help but think of getting rid of it, leaving the egg to the wilds. She couldn't very well keep such a thing hidden forever, certainly not until Roscrow got back! Though as she stared, she felt drawn to the egg, drawn with an inconceivable attraction. She found herself resting her hand on the shell, feeling the life growing inside, innocent to the world outside the thick barrier of its universe.

"Will not hatch faster ta stare."

With a start Sre snapped from her trance. Knowing there was nothing she could do about it tonight, she quickly covered the thing with hay. She would figure out how better to hide it later. Finished, she went to the drakon. It crossed its almost hands before it, raising a wing. Curling up beside the creature, it used its feathered wing as a blanket for her. Curling her long thick tail around Sre, the drakon laid her head on her paws, knowing the serpent in her dreams, bowing in respect to the orange eyes that invaded her slumber.

*******************************************************************


"SRE!"

Waking with a start, Sre realized she was still under the warm wing of the drakon. Stirring, the creature opened its eyes and looked up at Jeboc. He stepped back in a fear he could not hide from the sensitive nose of the drakon.

"Uh, good morn, sir. I don't suppose ye've seen my slave?" He didn't directly meet the steady piercing gaze of the drakon.

Heaving herself into a standing position, long and thin spines rose out of the fur along her tail. She let out a hiss as she pounced before Jeboc, nearly causing him to fall. He slammed his back against the door of the opposite stall. "Touch, and dead ya will be 'fore da fortnight be gone," she growled, her voice eeirely inhuman. She grabbed Jeboc's chin with those paws that resembled hands almost perfectly. Her fingers were long enough to reach his cheeks, which she squeezed, piercing him with that steady stare. "Touch, and dere be no mercy, no fergive. Dragon not fergive. Never fergive...."

"Talosa! Leave the poor man alone! Where are your manners?" The voice of an older man made the drakon back away from Jeboc. Turning, not looking back, the drakon strode toward her partner. After letting the old man onto her back, she strode off down the street, heading out of town.

For the day, the drakon's words had seemed to shake Jeboc. He kept his temper. However, it didn't take long for him to revert back to his usual self. The only thing that gave Sre any comfort was the egg that she checked every night, watching it change from the dark platnuim to a chocolate brown. She didn't know if this was natural, Roscrow had never told her the eggs would change color, but every time she placed her hand against the shell she could inexplictably feel the life within grow more and more restless. Its universe was shrinking fast. It kicked and squirmed in the fluid that kept it suspended. She didn't know how she knew that the tiny dragon felt her presence, she figured it was just a fanciful thought.

As the weeks passed, the two moons peered down at the world below them, watching silently as Sre dragged herself to her bed. Slumping down, she did not bother with checking the egg. Jeboc had sold her services to a very drunk man earlier in the evening. She wanted nothing more than to scrub the feeling of violation from her flesh, but she knew it would do no good. Maybe she'd find some solace in her sleep.

Maybe something like a dragon of the purest white, eyes of a blazing blue. It bore itself with such majesty Sre could not help to weep, its grand ivory horns curving up and around a most regal crown. Looking down at Sre, it drew her to its body. Like a whisper loud enough to echo in her soul, she heard its pristine feminine voice. "My dearest, Sre. Do not fear the coming days. Your father had the foresight to take you away, but not the courage to face his destiny. He lost sight of his courage in his desperation to save you. Forgive him of this. His love for you was absolute. When my children come for you, they will know you and you will know them as you have always known."

The angelic dragon scraped her claws against the ground as she stood. Slowly, she walked away, the pristine light she emitted turning to darkness. Each of her steps sounded louder and louder the further away she walked. "Do not fear...."

Startled awake, it took a moment for Sre to realize the scraping sound was very much real. Sitting up, her heart pounded as she realized the sound came from the egg. The lessons Roscrow had taught her about dragons rang in her ears. She needed to get food for the hatchling.

Leaping to her feet, Sre ran for the cellar doors. She cursed when she found them locked. Thinking, Sre peered into the window, noticing that Jerassa was slumped over the bar, fast asleep. What better way to get back at the bitch than making it seem like she'd slept through a robbery? Silently slipping in, Sre snuck past Jeboc's room into the kitchen. A chunk of pig leg sat on the block, forgotten by the sisters. Sre was certain that Malissa was busy with some patron upstairs. She rarely went to bed alone.

Running back to the barn, Sre stopped before the stall, noticing that the egg had fallen over. It rolled back and forth, the tiny hatchling inside scraping and squealing. With a mighty thrust, the hatchling managed to crack the shell. Sre jumped back as a small flood of egg fluid dumped a squirming black mass at her feet. Wiggling, the hatchling struggled to gain its feet. Reaching down, Sre grabbed the slippery little thing and dragged it to a dry spot on the floor, helping it gain traction.

Sitting up unsteadily, the tiny hatchling peered up at Sre with massive copper eyes. As soon as their gazes locked, Sre could feel a connection deeper and more profound than any she'd ever known. In those innocent eyes, she saw something in herself.

Realizing that the hatchling was shivering, Sre took a horse blanket off a stall door, gently drying the hatchling off. She noticed the tiny black knobs that would one day grow into enormous horns. "So you are a boy. The drakon somehow knew. Well, little boy, I bet you're hungry." He squealed in response. Dropping the pig leg, she smiled as the dragon fell upon it, his teeth already strong enough to crack the bone. He consumed all of it, licking his lips, looking around as if it could find more.

"I'm sorry, little one. That's all I can give you. And I need to go to bed. I'm afraid if I sleep in too late, my master will come in here and find you." She turned and headed back to her bed. When she sat down, pulling her blankets around her, she was surprised to see the hatchling stumbling after her. It let out a loud "Ah-Ah!" before falling over on its unsteady legs. She giggled at the little boy. With great determination, he rose back to his paws and stumbled over her, collapsing onto her legs.

She was about to chide the dragon, but his eyes, much too big for his small head, made her stop. Sighing, she lay down without another word, feeling the hatchling curl up against her, his tiny body producing an unusual amount of heat. Her slumber that night was empty of anymore dreams.

[Chapter 4]

A sharp slap brought Sre back to her dismal reality. She looked up into the ugly red face of her master. Twisted in rage, Jeboc glowered down at her. "Sometimes I think ye enjoy yer beatings, wench!" He started to pull his belt out, readying to beat her.

Sre raised her hands, cringing in fear. "I'm sorry! Please, master, I won't... AH!" She let out a cry of pain when the belt left a stinging welt on her shoulder.

Jeboc pulled the belt back to strike her again... but there was no belt. Surprised, Jeboc turned. He had only a heartbeat to contemplate his miserable life, not even able to scream when he saw the hatred in piercing copper eyes, perfectly white teeth flashing in the morning sun.

Sre couldn't move, her eyes wide in disbelief. The tiny growls of the baby dragon continued even though Jeboc moved no more, his little tail whipping about in rage. He stared at Jeboc's wide, unblinking eyes, his little growls quieting as he realized that the thing was dead. He didn't know what it was he had killed, all he knew was that his mother had been scared. He knew only that he had to protect.

Finally, Sre snapped out of her trance. She had to get out of here. She had to run away, get away from this place. She didn't care to know what would happen to herself or the baby dragon if they were discovered like this. They had to escape together. Now that the baby was born, there was no way she was leaving him alone.

"C'mon, baby," Sre whispered loudly. The hatchling looked up at her in confusion. But he didn't hesitate to chase after his mother as she vanished around the corner, running for the woods. He bounded after her, his legs short and stubby, making him trip a few times. He finally caught up to Sre, letting out a piercing cry of "Ah-Ah!"

Whipping around, Sre clamped his muzzle shut. "Please! Be quiet! Wait until we're gone from here!" The urgency in her voice made him fall silent. As she pressed further into the woods, the hatchling heard the voice of another one like his mother. Curious, he took a step toward the new voice, seeing another human female. But this one he could sense was scared of him. She screamed, backing away. Cocking his head, he let out another "Ah-Ah!" and turned to follow his mother into the woods.

Together, they ran as fast as Sre could. After just a short distance, she had to stop to catch her breath. Yet again, the baby dragon let out a piercing, "Ah-Ah!" before tucking his head under her hand. Smiling, Sre suddenly found that funny. She giggled between her pants. "That is so cute. C'mon, baby, let's keep going."

Grumbling, the baby dragon followed after her. They walked through the woods, stopping only when Sre's feet were too full of splinters for her to continue. Stopping abruptly, she didn't notice the baby dragon had been nearly touching her leg with his nose. When she stopped, he continued, his thick skull protecting him from the impact with her calf. She toppled over with a shriek, the dragon suddenly panicked and trying desperately to get out from under her.

After half a moment of scrambling and flailing about, they managed to untangle themselves from one another. Sre had to guffaw at the whole ordeal, and the massively wide stupifid eyes of the dragon at hearing her laughter which threw her into a deeper fit of giggles. She reached out, petting the hatchling. Somehow, that calmed him down. He cocked is head in curiousity at her, his maw opening and closing, little squeals and sounds emerging, as if he was trying to mimick her. Again Sre laughed, petting him. "You are the cutest little thing I've ever seen."

Sitting down, Sre looked at her feet. They were torn up running on the sharp needles and forest debris. She carefully pulled out the splinters. But she knew they had to continue. Despite her pain, she stood, continuing their journey. As they walked, her last dream seemed so distant. And yet it had been so profound. The words rang in her ears. She thought back to what Roscrow had told her the crest on her back said. "Protect, Conquer, and Remain Pure." Here she was, conquering her fear to protect the little baby dragon. As for the last part, she didn't understand.

Night began to fall. Too dark for her to see, Sre stopped, plopping down next to a large gnarled tree. She let out a sigh. Who was she kidding? She didn't know how to build a fire. She didn't know how to hunt. Both she and the dragon were hungry. He leapt after the glowing bugs that twinkled in the evening air, flapping his tiny wings as hard as he could, his jaws clicking together. His wings were nothing but stubs at the moment. Eventually they would grow to three times his length.

As the night sounds began to prick at Sre and the cold air made her shiver, she curled up into the roots of the tree, watching the hatchling chase and pounce the bugs. She had expected to be a slave until the war was over, and then maybe Roscrow would keep his promise and come back for her, pay her debt to Jeboc and sweep her away on his massive dragon. Instead, fate had intervined into her fantasy and thrust this tiny, helpless creature into her care. In return for her kindness, the baby dragon had done what she had wished for Roscrow to do. In one unbelievable moment, she had been set free.

Her hand slipped up to her collar. Well, not totally free. Should anyone see that collar, they would know her to be a slave. And if her previous master was dead, she was up for grabs by anyone who so fancied to enslave her again. Now that she was free, she would never go back to that life. No matter what, she would rather die than be a slave ever again.

Startled, she felt the hatchling prodding her with his soft equine nose. She looked up at him. Her arms wrapped around his short neck, holding him close much to his surprise. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry I brought you out here. I wish I was better, I wish I was stronger. I can't feed you. I can't even feed myself!"

Feeling her despair, the hatchling trilled soothingly. He offered her cheek a gentle lick. Looking at him, she forced a smile, but it didn't fool him. He let out a shrill honk, flapping his stub wings, his eyes so much like his father's, penetrating and fiercely protective, so full of an indescribible love and trust.

With a powerful bounding leap, the hatchling tore from Sre's grasp and scrabled over the roots of the tree, sprinting after a quick little shadow. Sre gasped, curling closer to the root when she heard the dragon let out a high pitched squeal, heard his tiny little gorwls, another animal obviously giving him grief out there in the dark bushes. The sounds of struggle came to an abrupt end at a loud crack. Shivering, Sre barely breathed. What if it was a larger predator? Ancient human instincts pricked every hair along her neck.

She shrieked in surprise when a mangled body was dropped in front of her. The baby dragon peered down at her, his muzzle covered in blood. "Ah-Ah!" he cried, hopping down off the root. He sat before his kill with immense pride. He looked up at his mother, waiting for her approval. The slow smile of relief crept over her face. She took the hatchling's face into her hands, touching her forehead to his. "How could I have ever doubted? You are the most amazing thing to ever happen in my life." She kissed his nose.

Although eating raw meat was not something she enjoyed, it was better than nothing. At least it would give her energy to continue their journey in the morning. And when that mroning came, they were already back to the walking, moving further and further from the town Sre had grown up in. She didn't care where they went, as long as it was away from there. And anywhere she went, the hatchling followed suit, bounding after her, chasing bugs and various other forest life.

The days seemed to blur together, their travels taking them through the thick forest. They came to a river, which Sre didn't mind wading through. Though it was cold, it helped soothe her aching feet. She used a smooth river stone to scrub at her skin, getting all the dirt off. She cleaned her raggy dress, the only clothing she had. One of the straps had torn, so she had to tie them together.

Past the river, they continued along, the days becoming weeks. The hatchling was growing at an alarming speed. Already, he was at her hip, his wings almost as long as his arms. His neck had lengthened, thinner and longer than a normal War dragon. His crest was starting to grow in, the spines that lined the crest poking out, their sharp points offering his skull protection. Unlike his father, a row of thin spikes began to protrude along his neck, making it impossible to pet him. The double fangs of the War dragon became more and more pronounced every time she saw him yawn. His face elongated, not staying the short thick jaw of the War. His copper eyes sat only slightly further apart, offering him a greater range of sight. The purple stripes along his back became more vivd, reminding Sre of the brandings of his mother. His paws changed, looking more and more like hands. His scales hardened, clicking together, never growing that layer of fuzz as she remembered the other War dragons had. But it seemed he didn't need that extra warmth. The older he got, the more heat he seemed to produce.

Sre didn't understand the extra heat, but was thankful for it as the nights grew colder and colder. Winter would set upon them soon enough. They had traveled for nearly a month, and still nothing as far as a town or shelter. They found themselves on a long, calm stretch of soft sand, the ocean waves lapping up the beach in steady pulses.

Sre laughed as she watched the hatchling bark at the waves, then gallope away in fear as they moved up the beach. To show him the water was harmless, Sre went down to where the waves could lap gently at her feet. The hatchling gave a panicked "Ah-Ah!" when he saw the water engulf her feet. But when it pulled away, her feet were still there. Curiously, the hatchling moved toward her. She just smiled and continued walking through the surf, giggling as he realized it was the most amazing thing ever! He went galloping through the water, chasing the sprays he threw up. He chased the seaweed, the birds that screamed at him, and even the foam as the water drew away.

When evening began to fall, Sre headed back in the woods. With the sounds of ocean far away, she flopped to the ground. Exhausted with his day of play, the baby also collapsed. Sre started gathering some leaves together to make a bed when the world exploded into flame. Leaping back with a scream, Sre realized that the baby dragon had sneezed. A number of leaves had caught fire. Thinking fast, Sre gathered them up and added more, along with some twigs. She soon enough had a decent little fire burning steadily. She swept away any other leaves to assure it didn't spread.

Grinning to herself, she turned to look at her baby dragon. He had a finger stuck knuckle deep in a nostril, trying to rid himself of whatever it was that was annoying his sensitive sinuses. Guffawing, Sre couldn't help but leaning over and kissing her dragon on the head. He peered up her in surprise, not sure what had earned him her approval. "It's like you're my hero! How lucky can I be to have a fire breathing dragon?" She giggled as she sat by the warm fire.

The baby curled up beside her, trilling softly in contentment. Despite her aching feet, her lack of clothing, the heavy collar around her neck, and her rumbling tummy, she couldn't remember a time she was happier than right now, looking down on the baby dragon. She was his whole world, his everything. And she was quickly finding that she felt the same way about him.
Laying beside him, she found that her slumber was peaceful, even the fiery little black coal that sat at her feet offered her a sense of calm. Before, she had never understood the meaning of this dream. But now, she knew the coal for what it was. She reached down and held it against her bossom, cradling it as it grew and changed and its copper eyes pierced her, staring more deeply into her than anything ever had. A pure, shining string floated between them, the string connecting her heart to the flaming black beast.

A sharp prod brought her out of her dream suddenly. She squirmed, not quite awake. Opening her eyes, all hint of sleep left her in an instant. She looked around her in panic. Three men stood around her, their garb making them hunters. They grinned at the look on her face.

"Well, well, what've we here? A run away!" The tallest one by her feet used the end of his long bow to push her torn dress up her thighs. She sat up, trying to keep herself covered, which made him chuckle.

"I wonder how much of a reward we can get for her?" The youngest of them rubbed his hands together, thinking of money.

"I really don't care to drag her into town. I'd much rather just enjoy her right out here." The tall one squatted down, reaching out to pull a strap of her dress off her shoulder. She cringed from his hand, backing away, only to bump into the hunter with the blonde hair. He reached down and took and handful of her hair, jerking her head back.

"Please, please leave me alone!" She whimpered when the blonde haired one jerked her head back further, leaving her open and helpless to the exploring hands of the tall one. With a desperate cry, determined never to be used again, Sre kicked out, thrashing madly.

The tall one struggled with her, trying to hold onto her as she thrashed. He pulled out a knife, holding it against her throat. "Hold still, bitch! The more you struggle the worse it'll be!"

She felt tears in her eyes as his hands touched her, violating her. In one last attempt to escape, she let out a shriek, her legs trying to kick the man off her. He was about to curse her when it seemed like the whole world had caught fire. The deafening sound muted the terrified cries.

Before Sre's eyes, the baby dragon lunged through the fire of his own making, the flames licking up around him, catching on the dried seaweed that hung on him. His fangs flashed, sinking into the throat of the first hunter. The other two screamed, turning to flee. The baby dragon let out a crackling roar, his voice still too high pitched and young.

The seaweed burned harmlessly on his thick hard scales, drifting to the ground. Looking around them, Sre knew they had to get away as the fire spread, the black smoke causing her to cough. She waved to the hatchling, motioning for him to follow her for her throat was already too hoarse to talk. Together they ran into the woods, moving as fast as they could. Luckily, they were able to run upwind, watching the fire spread too fast for anyone downwind to escape.

Making their way up a ridge, Sre liked to pretend she could hear the other two hunters scream as they were consumed by her dragon's fire. Kneeling down, Sre held her dragon's head in her hands, touching her forehead to his. She felt tears of joy and relief in her eyes as she rocked back and forth. "You are my hero. My little fiery hero. My Hero."

She kissed his head before continuing on over the hill into a new expanse of forest.

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In the morning, they came across a small stream. Her skin crawling from the day before, Sre pulled off her dress and used a smooth stone to scrub her skin, trying to remove the sensation of the hunters' touch from her flesh. Downstream, Hero swiped at the bugs that skimmed the surface of the calmer pools, growling in frustration that he couldn't seem to catch a single one.

With a final, angry snort, Hero opened his mouth and spewed a cloud of fire over the surface of the water. With a cry, Sre reached out and fearlessly clamped his mouth shut. "Hero! Just because you can breathe fire doesn't mean you gotta burn everything you don't like!" She made her dragon look in her eyes. "You gotta learn how to use it wisely. If you go around burning everything, there won't be anything left to play with." She patted his head when he let out a whimper, thinking he had somehow upsetted his mother. She went back to cleaning herself off.

"Been a long time since I've seen a naked woman." Sre jumped, her head whipping around at the sound of very frail voice. An elderly man stood at the top of the stream bank looking down at her. He was so old that he leaned heavily on his thick walking staff. His grey eyes were nearly lost beneath his wrinkles. He wore a very simple brown robe.

Hero suddenly snarled, bounding up the bank. Before Sre could say anything, she heard the old man speak a word, something timeless and magical. With a groan, Hero collapsed to the ground, but he continued to snarl, his eyes promising death to the old man.

Slowly, the old man hobbled down the bank toward Sre. Desperately, Sre gathered up her dress, holding it against her naked body. "Come, come, child, I have seen more than enough naked women in my time." The old man waved his hand to Sre, motioning her closer. As she hesitantly approached, the old man shrugged his robe off, gently laying it around Sre's shoulders. "Come along, child. No sense in you catching your death out here. Your friend can come, too, if he behaves." He turned Sre up toward the bank, hobbling along beside her. He had to pause to tuck his long tunic through the belt of his trousers. "Oh my, so rude of me. So rude. I'm normally much better dressed in the presence of a Lady of the Crest. Do forgive an old man."

Sre smiled shyly, not sure what the old man was talking about. He turned to Hero, waving his hand with a word in that language he had used to keep him on the ground. Like a spring Hero leapt to his paws, snarling. Sre cast him a glare. This man was so old he was hardly a threat, even Sre could have broken him in half if she needed to. Slowly, Hero calmed down, feeling the disapproval of his mother. With a grumble, he followed, staying close to Sre's side.

"Such a lovely little one, you have there, m'lady. Lovely indeed. Very fitting for one such as yourself." The old man rambled on, leading her gently through the woods.

"Do... do you know about dragons?" Sre asked him hesitantly.

"Oh, yes! Oh, I had a beauty, myself, I did! She was my angel of death, my whole world. We flew the skies for years, we did. Until the Masters cast us out, they did." He sounded a bit bitter about that. "Ah, here we are. Come, come, child, come inside by the fire. Sit here, let me make you some tea to warm you up. Do forgive the mess, I have not had any visitors in a long while." The old man got busy clanging and bumping around as he got to making a kettle of tea.

"Why... why did they cast you out, sir?" Sre hoped he wouldn't be angry by her asking, but it seemed odd to her for the army to cast out anyone.

"Crazy, they said! Said I was crazy! Yes, yes, said I'd gone mad. But I knew, I knew, I always knew. I told them, the Masters. They said I was crazy, told me to stay quiet! But no, I wouldn't! So they took my Angel from me. Took her and cast me out. Said they would keep her safe, but she killed herself. Strangled herself on her own chains." He paused a moment, his eyes distant.

Sre sat quietly. Obviously the pain of his dragon's loss was still strong. Even now Sre couldn't imagine losing Hero. She couldn't think of anything more horrible. It wasn't like losing a pet, or even a loved one or family member. It was like losing a piece of one's soul. Hero looked up at her, feeling her sadness. He tucked his head under her hand with softly muttered, "Ah-Ah."

That seemed to break the old man from his trance. He let out a chuckle. "Must have gotten him very young, very young indeed. They don't say that to people. My Angel said that, though. She would call me that."

The kettle began to whistle. Hero's scales clicked in alarm at the sound. Sre patted his head to calm him. "It's alright, Hero. It won't hurt you."

"Hero, eh? Good name. Excellent name! I'm certain it will define his life." The old man babbled as he poured the steaming water into two cups, dipping a small metal ball with pungent herbs into the water, leaving the concoction to seep. He was about to sit in the chair on the oppsoite side of the small table when he suddenly stood back up. "Oh, forgive, m'lady, my manners have slipped! I forgot the most important thing!" Holding tightly to his staff, the old man bowed. "Jermin vlad Plostadin, at your service, m'lady."

"Um, Sre, sir. You-you were saying you knew something? And they called you crazy. Why would they call you crazy?" Something told Sre she had to know.

"Oh, the assassinations! Yes, yes, Masters said I was crazy to think Tamers would kill Tamers. Thought I was nuts! Crazy, crazy, crazy...." He mumbled, seemingly lost in thought suddenly.

"Tamers killing Tamers, sir?"

"Hmm? Oh yes! Greed drives the human heart in these days. Evil lives in the heart of the Masters. But this you know. You know, it's why you're out here. You and Hero, to get away from the killers, hiding amongst them!" Jermin suddenly started to cough.

"What do you mean? I don't know anything about this. I don't even know my last name.... Sir? Sir? Are you alright?"

Sre had never seen a seizure before. Hero leapt back, his eyes wide. Going to the old man's side, Sre tried to help, tried to hold his head steady to stop him from hitting it on the floor. After a few terrifying moments, the old man's thrashing ceased. His eyes stared straight up, rapidly glassing over. "Morthar." The word carried itself on his last breath.

Shaking, Sre backed away from his dead body. She thought of leaving this place. She didn't want to be where someone had died before her eyes. But looking around, she had to admit that this was probably the best place she could be. Winter was closing in fast and she needed shelter. Somehow, the longer she stood there thinking about it, the more plausible it seemed to her.

With as much respect and care as she could manage, Sre dragged the old man's body out into the woods. He wasn't very heavy. He had probably been dying for a very long time, being skin and bone as he was. Finding a shovel, Sre dug a shallow grave. She laid him in with care, folding his arms. After a brief prayer for his blessings to live in his house, she buried him, and headed back to the house.

Hero had already decided that the house was his. She found him curled up on the bed. Sighing, Sre left him and went about the morbid chore of going through the old man's belongings. There wasn't much. She hoped to find something about what he had said, why he had called her a Lady of the Crest. But his sparse belongings were very simple, only for survival.

Slowly, the sun began to set. Sre had finally cleaned the house up to how she wanted it, sweeping the floor and using her old dress as a rag to dust all the empty shelves. There was a small shed on the side of the house where wood was kept. There wasn't much, only a few dozen logs left. Tossing a couple of logs in the fireplace, Sre found some jerky and filled her belly, offering some to Hero. Curling up with her dragon on the small bed, Sre fell into dreamless sleep.

[Chapter 5]

The winter was chilly, filled with rain. The days were dreary, the sky always overcast. Night came fast. The only food Sre was able to find were the tubers that Jermin had had growing in a small cleared patch beside the house. Hero was loathe to go outside, but on the days when it didn't rain, he'd go run outside and disappear into the woods. A few hours later, he'd come back with a rabbit or some other small animal. There wouldn't be much meat left after Hero was done, but at least Sre would be able to make a broth, chopping up the tubers and making a meager soup.

After a month of this, the weather offered a short break. Going down to the stream, which had swelled with all the rain, Sre took the bedding down and washed them, along with some of the clothing she had started using. Hero had run off to find something to hunt. Sre didn't mind. She worried sometimes, afraid someone would find him and try to hurt him, but then she'd remember how fierce he could be, even hours after hatching.

So lost in thought, Sre didn't notice someone approach until a long shadow fell over her. Gasping, she looked up, dropping the shirt she'd been holding. On the other side of the stream, a giant black lizard looked down at her, its piercing yellow eyes staring at her in curiousity. The lizard beast stood on its powerful hind legs, a belt around its waist with many pouches, and a long wide strip of cloth tucked into it that offered only the most modest covering. The head sported two backward curving horns and many small spikes along the jaw. In a strong hand the lizard man held a long bow.

Sre had never seen one like it. She knew there were all kinds of aliens on the world, but she'd seen only a few, and none so different. The lizard man started down the bank toward her, its thick tail swaying to help it stay balanced. Sre turned to run. She'd rather get a head start than wait and see if it was friendly. But the lizard man's thick voice made her stop.

"You are new. Isss Jermin dead?"

Slowly, Sre turned to look up at the lizard that was easily taller than even Roscrow. It bent its long neck to look down at her. Various bits of ornamental chains and jewels hung from its horns and spikes. Across its chest was what looked like a tattoo of four claw marks. The scales of its body were more pliable than those of a dragon's, more like a serpent.

"Y-yes. He... he died. He let me in his house, and then he just... died." Realizing how bad that sounded, she added in a panic, "I swear I didn't do it!"

The lizard man flicked his wrist, showing he didn't care. "He wasss old. It would have happened without you." His thick voice hissed. Though he spoke her language well enough, it was obvious it was difficult for him. "Name?"

Shyly, Sre told him. He peered at her curiously. "Ssslave," he hissed, pointing to her collar.

Her hand wrapped around it, fear pounding in her chest. What if this beast tried to enslave her? He walked over to her, his clawed feet easily finding traction on the slippery rocks of the stream, the water not quite reaching his long ankles. He stared down at her with those unnerving eyes, making her too scared to even try to run.

"My people do not like ssslavery." He sniffed the air over her. "You are hungry." Sre looked at him in surprise, wondering if he could smell that. As if reading her thought, he added, "Your ssstomach makesss loud noisssesss." He strode past her, heading the way of the small cabin. Quickly gathering the clothing and bedding that she had cleaned, she hurried after him.

Just as she caught up to him, she saw Hero leap out of a bush. He snarled at the lizard man. The alien, however, did not seem at all surprised. Those eyes of his stared down at Hero. Slowly, the dragon quieted his snarls. With a whimper, he sat down in front of the alien, looking at his mother with a quizzical expression. "Your dragon?"

"Yes. That's Hero." Nodding, the lizard man continued to the cabin. Sre and Hero followed him, cautiously looking into the cabin as the alien had to bend over to move about inside.

"Um... can-can I ask your name, sir?" Sre watched as he rifled through the drawers beside the bed.

"Humansss call me Black. Sssarlykien name too complexss." He finally found what he was looking for. It was a necklace made of teeth and bones. Sre had not bothered to touch it. Black carefully wrapped it around his throat, tying it. "Jermin leave thisss for me, sssaid it would presssent for human Yule. He dead now. I'll take. Will alwaysss remember. Crazy human. But good, kind. Alwaysss niccce." Then the Sarlykien peered at her. "You come in? Thisss your home now."

Cautiously, Sre came in. She sat in the chair, looking at the Sarlykien that had to kneel in the middle of the room. "Have you lived out here for long?" she asked nervously.

"Many yearsss. I come here to hunt. Out here to be alone. I sssee Jermin when I want to talk. Sssometimesss I sssee other huntersss. But not asss niccce. You know how to hunt?" His yellow eyes studied her.

"No. I've never hunted before."

For the next few hours, Sre explained how she had come to be here and how she had come upon Hero, who just curled up next to the fire. After listening silently, Black tilted his head at her.

"Tomorrow, we hunt. I teach you everything. Hunt and make you clothesss. Go fish and learn to fight. You know thessse thingsss. I come back in the morning. You sssleep now, little human." He nodded to her, making his way out. Without another word, he vanished into the rain that had started to fall lazily.

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Spring was in the air. Sre could smell it. It was still chilly but not so bad. At least not with her thick clothing and the luxurious cloak Black had taught her to make. He had shown her how to hunt, how to fish, how to skin, and how to sew. He had given her a stick and let her take a few free swings at him. Sre very quickly learned that Sarlykien didn't laugh. Their heads would rock side to side. So great had been his amusement at her attempts to harm him, he'd nearly made himself dizzy.

But she had learned and fast. He said she had a talent unlike any he had seen in other humans. She had a keen instinct. He picked up on it and trained her to use it, trained her to pay attention to it. It had been grueling, but it had all paid off.

Leaving the cabin, Sre smiled when Hero pounced at her from behind a tree. He had grown too big for the cabin over the winter. He could easily look down on her. He could almost look Black in the eyes. He respected the Sarlykien. And Black respected him. Even Hero had learned much. He understood more and more of what was said to him, learned to obey commands. As he was still small enough, he had come on their hunts, stalking along with them. Unfortunately, he often would leap out too soon, forgetting that he was suppose to be hunting, thinking only to chase his prey around to play with it.

As the spring came, Black took Sre to the town that was a full day's walk from the cabin. He told her to keep her cloak tight around her throat. He did not like the thought of slavery any more than she did. He said it brought the worse out of humans. Sre couldn't help but agree with him.

They spent the night near the outskirts of town before heading in in the morning. Black strode with great dignity into town. People greeted him, asking him how the game count was out in the woods, asking if he had heard any interesting stories. He only stopped when a small crowd of children swarmed him. Much to Sre's surprise, the Sarlykien had a tender spot for children. Over one shoulder he carried a load of furs, while on the other he carried a little girl who squealed with delight, the other children asking for rides.

When they reached the tavern, Black gently placed the little girl down. He patted her head when she pouted before ducking into the building. Sre hesitated. She had lived too long in a tavern. But the Groggy Dragon Tavern didn't feel like the one she was used to. It was open and airy, and the sound of merriment and lilting song drifted out, along with a waft of something wonderfully spicy. Finally, Sre entered after Black.

The Sarlykien was already at the bar, looking down at the tavern owner. He was short little man, shorter than Sre. She realized that he was a Balsothian, a race of dwarves. He boasted a thick beard, but a bald head, showing his age. He looked through the furs, a smile on his face.

"Very nice, very nice, I'll take them all. Here you go, my dear friend." The dwarf leaned over, offering Black a small pouch of coins. Then he noticed Sre. "Why, who do we have here? Black, I didn't know you had an affinity for humans!"

"Thisss isss a friend, nothing more. Sssre, thisss be Derikel. He isss a friend. He paysss bessst for the fursss." Black introduced them.

"Only from you, my friend. Here, why don't you remove that heavy cloak...?"

Sre stepped away from the little man. "No."

It was all she needed to say. Derikel held up his hands, backing away. "No problem, no problem. How about you take a seat and I'll bring you both a meal? On the house. Think of it as a show of goodwill and friendship!" Derikel had them sit at the bar, turning to call into the kitchen. Not soon after, he brought out a plate of food that Sre couldn't help but gulp down the extra saliva. Derikel smiled kindly at her. "Eat up! Looks like you need it, my dear."

After they had eaten, Sre cleaning her plate, Black thanked Derikel, leading Sre out of the tavern. He took her toward the market. This town was much bigger and more lively than the sleepy little town Sre had grown up in. There was much bustling and running about, jesters in the street, musicians, magicians, and other interesting characters. Dogs barked and children ran about underfoot. Sre stayed close to Black, not wanting to get lost.

At last they came to the market street. Black stopped, turning to Sre. He took her hand and placed the bag of coins into it. "Thisss I give to you. Ssspend wisssely. The humansss here are very friendly. Do not be afraid. I come back later, when sssun ssstartsss going down." With that, he headed off further into town.

A little nervous, Sre slowly made her way through the market. She peered at all the various things, useful and shiny, food and cloth and equipment. She didn't really know what she needed. A cloth vendor caught her eye. She went over, looking through the types of cloth, wondering what kinds of clothes she could make.

"I think the blue cloth would go with your eyes." Sre looked up at the voice. A handsome young man leaned against the hutch of the bread saler next to the cloth vender. His warm brown eyes looked her up and down. He reached out a hand. "I'm Jasper Dukasen. May I know the name of the pretty lady?"

Shocked for a few heartbeats, Sre shyly offered her hand in return. "Um, Sre." How silly that sounded. She had to curse herself.

"Lovely name." Jasper took her hand and bent down to kiss the back of it. Sre's other hand slipped up to the thick clasp of her cloak, making sure it hid her collar even though the hood had fallen back. Jasper stood back up. "I still think the blue would accent your eyes. Or maybe this, it would go well with your hair."

"Jasper! Get over here and help your old father! I'm not as strong as I used to be." Jasper's eyes rolled back into his head.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Please excuse me." He went into the small bakery that was attached to the hutch and stand.

With a smile, Sre decided to get the fabric that Jasper had mentioned. She then quickly lost herself into the crowd before he could return.

By the time the day was over, Sre was tired. It had been a long time since she'd been around so many people and so much noise. Finding her way to the edge of town before the fields, she stood near a ceramic shop, peering in at the pretty plates and cups and sculptures.

"Fancy finding you here." Sre turned to find Jasper standing by the street that led out of town toward a large house in the middle of a field of green wheat. He held several large bags in his hands. He smiled at her when she turned her eyes away shyly. "You'd slipped away before we could get to know each other better." He came over to Sre. Noticing that she didn't know what to say, he leaned forward, putting the bags on the ground. He reached in, pulled out a sweet roll. "I was going to offer you one before my father called me in to help."

"Are you sure? Won't your father be mad?" Sre peered up at him, not wanting to take something that would get him in trouble.

"Nah. At the end of the day, whatever we can't sell we bring home for the chickens and cows. I think it's better if it goes to you, though." He smiled again.

Hesitantly, Sre took the roll from him. She took a small bite, surprised by how good it was. "Did you make this?"

"I make most of the bread. My father is getting old and can't do as much anymore."

"Sssre." Black's hiss startled them both. The Sarlykien melted out of the darkness into the light given off by the street lamp overhead. He peered down at Jasper with his penetrating gaze. The young man was taken aback.

"While, I, uh, I guess I'll see you around, Sre. Safe travels." He offered a bow before picking up his bags and heading off toward his house.

Black snorted after Jasper. Sre glared at him. "He was being nice!"

"Hardly. He was interested in mating. He would not be so afraid of me otherwise. Now come, let's leave." Together, they headed into the woods. Sre turned to look back at the house in the middle of the field. Maybe Black was right, but she couldn't help to smile. Maybe she'd come into town again sooner rather than later.

-the end-