Chapter Text
Let`s start from listerning.
And watch a short video, as a cover:
Sorrow has a human heart
From my god it will depart
I’d sail before a thousand moons
Never finding where to go
Two hundred twenty-two days of light
Will be desired by a night
A moment for the poet’s play
Until there’s nothing left to say
Nightwish, Sleeping sun
He came for his soul, to claim his life to be exact, when the first snow fell. The Dragon watched how he approached standing out against the ground covered with the thinnest white veil as if mockingly. Others tried to get closer by cunning, in the dead of night, came in entire armies, taking catapults and other deadly devices with them — the Dragon only laughed at them. The watch room in his Tower overlooked all directions of the world. There he could lay comfortably with his gigantic black scaly body watching all those attempts doomed to failure. The bewitched eyes, sparkling with smoky topaz, easily distinguished even from here the tiniest details: the knight was young, his amour even though meticulously maintained, had clearly known better times. Dark Gods, he didn’t even have a horse, and his steps were heavy, leaving clear, lonely footprints in the shallow snow. He even managed to lose his helmet somewhere not to mention a horse. The madman approached with his face uncovered, and his red hear was just unbearable in this black and white realm.
There was no point in fussing — just waiting till this mistake of a warrior would reach the forged gates, behind which the black stones of the Tower rose. He would just have time to casually descend the spiral staircase, designed for his immense size, to face the enemy. Although, what enemy? The Dragon's usually gloomy mood even lifted a little. After all, this red-haired paladin was counting on something wasn’t he? Did he have any plan? So it would be interesting to play with him. Let him be not an Enemy. Let him be the Player. Let’s see where this game with no rules except his own would lead.
Boredom was the Dragon’s main enemy throughout his thousand-year life. He was bored to death: all those people who came to claim his head or his treasure… Long time ago he had fun listening to their screams and moans. A jail and a torture room remained in the Tower's dungeon room from those times. But this quickly became boring. Then for some time he looked for the most beautiful girls, promising them a generous reward, but with a different purpose… but even such entertainment lasted only for a short while — everything was sickeningly similar no matter how hardened courtesans and innocent maidens tried to entertain him. Oh, trey did their best — no one wanted to die in pain in dragon fire or be ripped apart by teeth and claws of his dragon self… though this was how everything usually ended with if girls tried to deceive him or rob him.
He had long lost interest in people and for the last hundred years he had simply and unpretentiously killed those who dared to challenge him. And there were practically no such fools left, the silence reigned in the Tower… when he got bored rom dozing on the roof or in the watch room blown by all the winds, crushing against his shiny skin, as if caressing, he went to his treasury in the basement. This part of the Tower was the main reason for the pilgrimage to his immodest abode of all these hordes of seekers of profit and adventure. But hardly one or two daredevils managed to steal anything from it in his entire long life. Usually he would simply devour them feeding his dark magic or leave to fertilize a small garden behind the Tower. The trees were black and twisted there, and the grass cut human skin, but he liked this gloomy aesthetic.
And now this strange creature was coming in his direction without looking where they were going… surely to perish. Look, he was already knocking on the gate and would shout something pompous any minute now… something come out, you filthy monster! Fight tooth and nail… and so on and so forth.
But the Knight kept banging on wrought iron doors, monotonously and persistently. The Dragon felt his tail jerk in irritation. Though he hardly remembered that something could annoy him. Somewhat surprised by this expression of feelings covered with centuries of dust, he sped up ever so slightly, his scaly side rustling against the stones …
The Knight’s combat skills were admirable, and if he ought against a human he could possibly win. The young man turned out to be strong and agile. And he definitely could injure him a couple of times. If only a mere sword could damage his skin, enchanted to be as strong as diamond. But it was no more than tickling, and the Dragon did not even try to dodge, playing like a cat with a mouse, until he received, although insignificant, but unpleasant stab that damaged the more delicate skin of the wide black wings. At that moment he literally became furious: what does this ant allow himself! Stopping his game at once he caught the human with his powerful paw, squeezing across his chest so that he couldn't breathe, and brought him to his muzzle expecting to see the familiar horror and expectation of the end on the human’s face…
The Knight wasn’t scared. His eyes were filled with rage, pain and some kind of naive resentment… as if he really believed that he would be able to defeat him. And the basis for this belief was something like “because my cause is just” and other such nonsense. The Dragon had met lots of such high-minded idealists in his lifetime, and they always deeply outraged him. Though for some reason this man seemed amusing. Now when he was in his power he thought against stopping this game — he would be able to kill him any time, let’s see how it would turn out. Perhaps the presence of a human in the Tower would brighten up a few days of his viscous eternity. The Dragon turned with his entire body and, holding the knight who had almost fainted, hobbled on three legs towards the entrance to the Tower. …
***
The chambers, which could be conditionally called human, were located exactly in the middle of the Tower and were intended for the time when the Dragon turned into a human-like form. Sometimes it was easier being in that form. Especially when he wanted to take a good look at his new puppet. Dragon form didn’t let him speak coherently, and there always was a risk to break a human. He did want to break him after he had dared to injure him, nut made up his mind to do it slowly and with pleasure… Although it was worth admitting, it had been a long time since anyone had hurt his emotions like that. Maybe he would think of letting him live…
When the knight finally went limp in his paw, never saying a word, the Dragon lowered him on the floor in his chambers and took a good look at him, pulling all the armour off and leaving only a threadbare but relatively clean shirt and pants. That’s enough for him — it was chilly in the chambers but the Dragon had no reason to make it comfortable just yet. He should ask… yeah! This thought sparked excitement. He could turn the young man in a puppet with a simple spell but that was dull.
Meanwhile the young man regained consciousness and having seen the Dragon towering over him in the form of a young human about twenty years old whose head was crowned with a small black crown, decorated with black opals and tourmalines tried to hit him in his jaw without saying anything, kicking him in his torso with an agile move and turning away at the same time… This time the fight lasted quite a long time. Despite strength and reflexes far beyond human capabilities the Dragon barely managed to keep up with the Knight who managed to make a fool of him every now and then and looked around the interior of the chambers with the obvious intention of finding something which could harm the owner of the chambers. Finally he managed to press him against a massive table; however the man wasn’t going to give up although he almost hissed from the pain in his arm twisted to the point of breaking. Even now he turned his neck and watched with the same hatred and lack of hesitation.
This silent resistance only inflamed the excitement even more. It occurred to the Dragon that he knew an excellent way to shake this doomed calm. People like him give much importance to their pride, for some reason associating it with physical love… This thought ran through his body with a pleasant arousal.
Well he hadn’t pleased himself with such entertainment for quite some time.
Why not?
The Dragon pressed him with his entire body pushing his knee between his legs and grabbing his arms easily. He forced him to bend over the table even more, pressing his hands to the wooden tabletop with one arm and taking his pants off with the other arm. He jerked, glaring as if he couldn’t believe that this could be happening… “It can, it can” the Dragon smirked to himself. Judging by how all the emotions were quickly giving way to the expression of panic, the Knight understood what was about to happen to him, and this scared him to no end. All the better.
“Don’t struggle, it would hurt,” he hissed in the reddened ear. The Knight’s moves became fiercer, but were like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings against the dragon power. — I understand that it is pointless to give you advice. You are not in the mood to listen to me. But I have to say: the more you struggle the harder I rip your arse. So if you don’t want to suffer in vain, calm down and relax. You've earned every part of this yourself.
The body beneath him was gasping, his face was turning even redder, the young man seemed to pass pot any minute, a thin stream of blood was running from his bitten lip… and he hadn't really done anything yet. It couldn’t be…
“Where has so much innocence come from? Are you a virgin?” his voice sounded puzzled.
The Knight remained silent and turned away as much as possible. Oh, really? Indeed… strange. The man didn’t seem to be in his teens. Well. Maybe he should take it easy on him. As the dragon watched all these reactions, the initial irritation gave way to some kind of amusement. He twisted his lips in a smile in spite of himself. What a bird flew to his Tower…
He stuck his tongue out, letting a trickle of viscous saliva fall on the arse that quivered again, and began to slowly push his finger with a sharp claw inside. He was aware of that he was causing pain — the claw was making scratches, and if he didn't stop clenching… he wouldn’t. It became clear soon enough. The
Dragon decided that he had already allowed the boy too much. … His large cock was covered in soft scales that were now glistening wetly. While he was messing around with the boy, he suddenly felt an unusual arousal, accompanied by impatience.
The cockhead squeezed through with difficulty, and the young man arched, biting his lip again to keep from letting out a shameful howl… The Dragon lowered himself down, pressing him to the table, stroking him soothingly.
“Hush, hush… it's not that scary. This won’t kill you for sure…” He felt the urge to lick the trickle of blood from his bitten lip that was running down his chin, and then he sucked it into his mouth, licking it… the wound instantly healed. The dragon, of course, knew about this ability of his — to heal wounds instantly. And now he used it quite consciously, not allowing the knight to inflict new ones on himself, kissing his tortured lips.
He moved slowly enjoying overcoming resistance until it weakened. Apparently, the man was simply exhausted and was only breathing heavily, pressed against the creaking table. Even his strained arms relaxed as if he had completely lost his will. He closed his eyes, and in the corner that the Dragon could see, a transparent drop appeared and fell. He… cried?
Whatever… I had got dark outside long ago… As the body beneath him began to tremble and got goosebumps, the Dragon took a moment to light the fire with a wave of his hand. He was in no hurry, his movements were smooth, sometimes he paused, just listening to the breathing, inhaling the smell… finally he felt satiated, with a hoarse roar fucking in the soft, reddened passage for the last time, filling it with white-green, grassy-smelling sperm… When he pulled away, expecting at least some kind of reaction, he realized that his partner couldn't stand it any longer and fell unconscious. Holy shit… he somehow hoped that he would be able to take care of himself. When he looked at what his arse was like, it became clear that tomorrow he would be sick. Scratches and abrasions were swallowing with blood. It ran down the inner surface of his thigh along with streaks of sperm… He had to wipe him with a wet cloth not to stain the floors. After thinking for a moment, the Dragon kneeled and licked widely, and then liked inside with his long, nimble tongue, healing the wounds.
He liked today's events and didn't rule out wanting to repeat them… the young man should be at least relatively healthy for that… Leaving him in the chambers occupied by the Dragon himself seemed strange. There was another room nearby where there was nothing more than a straw-stuffed mattress in a corner. It would suit him well. It even had a glass window — the winter wind is of no use for a weak human body.
He brought the unconscious Knight there, lowered on the mattress and covered with a blanket. The young man needed rest and he would have time to think what other interesting things they could do …
He barely had time. Black wings flapped when he heard the sound of broken glass with his sensitive hearing in the next room and flew out the window, breaking the masonry and changing form on the go… and caught the body falling onto the snow-covered cobblestones mere meters from the ground. What a smart one!
The Knight was standing in front of the livid Dragon watching him with his eyes burning with righteous anger. Only then the Dragon realised that the Knight hadn’t uttered a word since he had come here.
“Are you dump? I’m asking you!” the direct look of cognac eyes met with the steel gaze. “I you remain silent you will end up in the torture room. I can make you speak, you know.
“We have nothing to talk about,” his voice sounded muffled and cracked. “You are a monster and have to die.”
“So you are able to speak. I had the suspicion… Now explain yourself. What exactly was my crime against you? Usually I don’t ask and simply kill idiots like you. But I’m bored and willing to spend some of my time to hear you out.
“Better kill me. After what you’ve done to me…” He clenched his teeth until they made a screeching sound.
“That was a fair pay. You came here and tried to kill me. I just took what I wanted from you. Consider us even.
“Kill me. I’ve understood already that I wouldn’t be able to do anything to you. I have nothing to live for.”
“I don’t want to,” smiled the Dragon. And he seized the thought that he really didn’t want to. “Better tell me your story. You bound to have a Reason. People like you always have a Reason. With a capital letter no less.”
“… don’t pretend you don’t know. You burned my house… and a half of the town to make it worse. My mother is missing… possibly died. Everyone is afraid of you, but I couldn't just let you live, knowing... knowing that you would continue to drown your hands in the blood of innocent people.
The Dragon frowned slightly, trying to remember when he had managed to burn a town, and most importantly, why. He did venture out of his Tower several days ago and did fly above a town but nothing more… Aha!
It seemed that people managed to do everything themselves as usual without his interference. But he had another stain on his already crystal-black reputation that appeared even without imagination. How vulgar… he smiled enjoying how his smile made the Knight’s jaws clench harder and his cheekbones in rare spots of freckles become even more sharpened.
“What else have I done? Robbed orphans? Corrupted maidens? Has the cattle also died because of me?” he mocked blatantly watching the face in front of him turn purple. “Don’t blush that hard, I got used to that.”
“You mean to say I'm lying?” the Knight the knight seemed to be barely restraining himself from striking again. Even though he understood that the result would be the same.
“I want to say that one day people would use their heads not only to eat in them. But that day is not today… Someone hates you dearly, lad. And he decided to both shift the guilt from themselves and get rid of you. It has never occurred to you that people lie, has it? Or only dragons? Why would I need that?”
“Isn’t it enough for you that you’ve ruined my life, tarnished my… honour?.. you probably also want to confuse my mind,” finally the voice, even though sounding angry, showed at least some kind of thought process.
“There, there. As if there’s anything to confuse. I’m terribly nice today. You ask me to kill you, however I won’t do it and won’t let you do it either,” He remembered the rapid flight out of the window. He is clever after all. “If you entertain me properly I’d think of letting you go. I'll even reward you. I see you struggle with money.”
The Dragon knew exactly what he was doing. He compared the knight to a whore and basically cornered him. And he almost rubbed his hands when he heard:
“I need neither your money nor your leniency, monster. I won’t serve you. Do whatever you want.”
“Careful with your words human. You have just agreed to let me do whatever I want with you.”
“As if you needed my permission.”
“You’re right I don’t need it. Still I’m pleased to know that you agree.”
“The deuce a bit!” it would never be getting old. Catching himself on this thought, the Dragon was surprised again. What the devil. Of course it would. And merely in a couple of days…
At first he tried to settle the prisoner in the next room, having closed the broken window with thick wooden shutters. But this muttonhead tried to gnaw his veins… and the Dragon had to immobilize him again simply by tying him to a chair, while he was licking hastily those disgusting wounds. After that he decided to keep him close. And things turned out to be even funnier because the staunch knight tried to kill either him or himself at every opportunity. The bitten tongue was the last straw. He was almost successful — blood barely showing in the corner of the lips and an unusual pallor betrayed him.
He had to practically kiss the Knight’s bleeding mouth, pushing in his hot pulsating tongue, and to push him away at the last moment when the madman threw up blood staining clothes and floors… the Dragon was so livid that didn’t use magic, instead he forced the Knight to clean everything up. Since then he ordered the Knight to open his mouth from time to time to show that he was well. If the Knight didn’t cooperate, he used force.
The habit of “looking into his mouth” formed pretty quickly. Remembering that people need food, the Dragon took care of that as well. The pet started to demand too much care. Days passed on but he reassured himself that he would soon get bored. Soon… At some point the mage found himself sitting on the table with his short robe thrown back. The red haired knight sat at the table. A freshly conjured plate of sliced fatty poultry steamed deliciously and a couple of goblets with ruby-red wine stood between them. The Dragon picked up slices of white meat with his hands and put them into the mouth of the young man who obediently opened it and waited patiently for him to chew. And then, having made sure that the food was swallowed, he served the next slice. With such feeding method he could be sure that the prisoner wouldn’t try to starve himself by hiding and throwing away food given to him.
Tough today he was eating with appetite and the Dragon was so pleased to see it that ate a couple of slices himself. He tried to remember whether he had ever eaten with someone. And he failed. Now they did everything “together”.
Wrapped up in a heavy wolf hide not to catch a cold the Knight sat by his wing on the watch floor, while the Dragon watched the falling snow that had already covered all the paths to the Tower. How much time had passed since this human had come to the gates? A month? Two?
Sometimes it seemed that he always was here. By this feeling that changed slowly from the subconscious expectation of danger to the sound of living breathing nearby. They hardly ever spoke to each other and the Dragon didn’t touch him more than necessary. As if they had made an agreement without saying it aloud. The knight didn’t try to do anything and the Dragon didn't try to force him to do anything.
Time in the Tower seemed to slow down again to almost normal by dragon standards. The silence enveloping them, the white clouds of steam settling on the black scales…
“You really didn’t burn my town, did you?” a soft question suddenly broke the silence. The Dragon couldn't answer now, and he was too lazy to transform, so he just shook his head. “But you… killed people. Many people.”
It was hard to argue with that. He nodded.
“And you would kill more?”
This was even more difficult to answer. He would have shrugged if it were possible. Though this body didn’t allow such movements. And the Dragon nodded. Over the centuries of history he no longer hoped that he would one day be left alone.
The silence lasted or a while, but didn’t seem tense until the next words were spoken.
“You… would let me go one day?” Now he seemed to ask a question he really wanted to know the answer to. “I should… try to find her. My mother. I was nothing because of rage when I returned and was told that my house had gone and no one knew where she was. She’s the only person that matters to me. I have no one else.”
It warmed the Dragons soul for a moment that he spoke about himself for the first time. The Dragon caught himself on the thought that he still didn’t know his name. Neither the Knight asked his name. Not being interested in anything beyond the “here and now” had until now been part of their strange agreement. But the question left a sore feeling, like an old wound.
Would he let him go? One day… he didn’t want to think of it. The Dragon was not used to deceiving himself and usually did not bother to lie to others. He was strong enough to say the truth. But now it was difficult to say this very truth. Mostly because he didn’t know himself. He didn’t know when this “one day” would come, or if it would come at all.
The Knight seemed to notice his staggering thoughts and took them for an answer, smiling sadly.
“I got it,” he struggled getting up. The Dragon raised his head, stretching his long neck, ready to follow, but the young man waved him of. “Don’t worry. I won’t try to die or run away I promise. You made it clear that it’s impossible. I just want to be left alone.”