Adept Paws 6: Lasting Ties
#8 of Adept Paws
King Alaster is in love with the dragon Amethyst, and she with him, but fate cares not for privilege or position.
Adept Paws 6: Lasting Ties
by Tempe O'Kun
Alaster watched the sun set over his kingdom, shadows collecting on the streets of the city and in the corners of his mind, retracing memories of those final days with his lover, his dragon in wolf's clothing...
* * * * *
Atop the Citadel, the morning breeze curled around the canine lord, swirling his cloak back from his shoulders. Normally, the chill would have bothered him, but his paw in Amethyst's filled him with a warmth not to be denied.
Servants had scrubbed the aviary from top to bottom. The great falcons proved valuable mounts, but they were not the cleanest of animals. Even now, as his knights stood at attention, their birds preened and squawked, though their riders keep them in formation. Standing in two rows, spaced widely, they made for an impressive sight. A fine rain drizzled over them, but it only served to make their armor shine a little more. Unlike in the land of their impending guests, practicality trumped polish in the Windswept Kingdom.
Amethyst pointed. "There."
Alaster squinted. The few nobles who had braved the chill morning air chattered eagerly behind him. He could make out a faint shape, but from this distance it could have easily been one of his knights rather than their guests.
He glanced back to the Amethyst Mage, but she gazed impassively at the approaching guests. Her paw tightened a little on his, however. He wagged, glad that his cloak covered the childish gesture.
Great wings clapped, scattering a fine mist of drizzle and making the great falcons shift anxiously. Sharp claws clattered to the stone surface. There sat the Champion Queen of Ahsya astride a shining silver dragon.
Alaster gestured. "Friend of yours?"
The mage squeezed his paw in hers once more, then released it. "Ardor was apprenticed to the queen years ago, as little more than a hatchling."
"She's not so little now." He blinked as a little rain hit his eyes. "It's a she, right?"
Amethyst crossed her arms under her beasts and replied evenly: "Yes."
"Quite the fad to have a dragon in court these days." He leaned in, whispering against her rain-damp ear. "Mine is bigger. And pretty too."
Amethyst rolled her eyes, dangerously close to a smile.
The Champion Queen dismounted. Alaster nodded to the captain of his knights, who with a single shout summoned forth a clamor as the knights pressed a fist to their chests and bowed. A few of the great falcons bowed too, but more out of curiosity at what their riders were looking at than out of any actual respect. Alaster chuckled nonetheless.
The silver dragon strode forward, beside her queen. When they reach about two paces away, the dragon bowed formally to Alaster. From this close, he saw she was at least the size of a war pony. "King Alaster Raynalt, it is my honor to present Her Majesty Queen Ryssia, Hero of the White Sword, Champion of Ahsya, Holder of--"
The queen laughed. "That's quite enough, Ar. He knows who I am." She inclined her head, black muzzle dipping in respect.
His mage bowing, Alaster dipped his muzzle in return. "Very true, Majesty Ryssia. Though I can hardly blame your escort, Ardor, for living up to her name."
The silver dragon, looking a little abashed, straightened from her bow and stood anxiously as the drizzle ran down her saddle and barding.
Queen Ryssia smiled and straightened her famous sword. A maned wolf, Ryssia had been born to a family seasonal laborers, but her valor had earned her the crown of Ahsya. Lean and fit, she resembled a tall fox, her red fur accented by an embroidered mantle and glistening breastplate. The sword at her hip shimmered with power. In the several years since he'd seen her last, Alaster's memories had made the sword out to be bigger and gaudier than it really was. That was how famous swords were, wasn't it? But in reality the blade was no longer than his forearm and the hilt was unadorned, though both had the color of the purest lily.
"Well, Majesty Alaster..." The queen turned to look out at the landscape, then to the rows of knights and their avian mounts. "I think you'd better invite me in before the weather turns sour and soaks your fine birds."
"Right you are, Majesty Ryssia." He nodded again to his captain and gestured for the queen to join him as he led them down the stairs and out of the damp. They walked side by side, Amethyst in step with the silver dragon behind them. Both were dragons, he reminded himself. He fought back his canine wish to turn back and slobber a most undignified lick across his mage's face. What would the queen make of that?
Though many miles and opinions separated their two nations, the land of Ahsya and his own kingdom had come to see each other as kin in recent years. Founded as heir states to the fallen continent, they shared a common heritage, a heritage of honor and bravery that served both well. While he dealt with lion raids, her kingdom bordered the Land of the Dead. He did not envy her. Lions could be frightened off, sometimes even reasoned with. The dead afforded her neither luxury.
Having exchanged pleasantries with the damp nobles, Alaster showed them to their guest rooms. He returned with Amethyst to the sitting room and settled onto a sofa near the fireplace, bidding the servants bring them some warm cider. Alone for a moment, he stole another kiss from his mage, delicately, against the wet fur of her cheek. She lowered her ears shyly, but permitted him to arrange her tail along his so they touched between them. Resting a pillow over both tails was an old trick, but old with good reason: the casual observer would never know how much they wiggled and wagged against each other.
The queen returned, wearing a silken dress, but still with the White Sword upon her hip. Her loyal dragon followed close behind. The servants poured everyone mugs of cider, except the dragon, who was given a soup tureen of it instead. Watching the young dragon lift it to her lips in one claw, Alaster silently hoped that adolescent dragons were less prone to dropping fine china than adolescent mammals.
He dismissed the servants and smiled politely at his guests, breathing in the crisp aroma of the cider. Far too hot to drink. "If there is anything you need..."
Queen Ryssia shifted her sword aside with practiced ease as she sat near the crackling fireplace. "What I need is just what I'm getting: the chance to talk without sounding like a tail-kissing weasel."
Alaster wagged against his court mage. "How is your husband? I haven't seen him since I last visited Ahsya."
"He is well, though he has more patience for courtly matters than I. Give me steel beasts to fight any day over courtly intrigue."
He toasted her with his mug. "It's probably safer."
"Hmm. Not that I am opposed to a few of the pleasures of my station." Queen Ryssia took a savoring sip of her cider, burned her tongue, then blew across the surface. A quick glance confirmed Amethyst had drained her own cup. Dragons.
"Of course." Alaster felt the court mage coil her tail around his and bit back a bark of surprise. Though he knew she was a dragon inside, some things took some getting used to. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, the cider fought me on its way down. I take it you didn't just drop in to gripe about palace life with me, charming as I am."
The Champion Queen growled a laugh. "Charming as you are, no. The isle is returning."
"The isle?" He knew what isle; to the queen, there was no other isle. "You planning to get your squire a sword of her own?"
The maned wolf queen grinned. "Were it only that simple."
"A worthy quest, in any event. You honor us with your visit." He gave a theatrical nod. His father had taught him a good ruler must provide the proper nuances for a given audience. For Ryssia, that meant honesty with a touch of wry.
"I decided to make it part of the journey this time. Ar has never seen your lands." She swept a graceful black paw at the dragon. Ardor listened in attentive silence, observing her queen's actions.
"Ah yes. Still throwing people off the trail by changing the route? Nobody's found your little paradise?"
Her mane pricked in offense. "It's not mine."
"Neither is the air in your lungs, but you're nonetheless attached to it." He lifted an ear to show he was teasing.
"Point taken." She smoothed out her mane.
Movement caught Alaster's eye. He turned to see the silver dragon watching, wide-eyed, as Amethyst wove a spell between her fingers. In a moment, she finished and let it drop from her paw. The spell drifted, slow as a spiderweb, to the floor. Once there, it colored the stone tiles bright orange like a splatter of paint. Both he and the queen chuckled as the young dragon gasped in astonishment, wings snapping out and bumping the sofa.
The Amethyst Mage's muzzle flickered, almost smiling. "If that little trick impresses you, little one, your studies have been entirely too practical."
"Little one?" Ardor struggled to regain her composure, though her tail writhed excitedly. For a instant, Alaster saw the flash of teeth and thought she might take issue with his mage addressing her so informally, but then she smiled and picked the spell up gingerly. As it dangled from her claws, he could see that only one side of the spell cast things orange, the other nothing more than threads of smoke. "Can you teach me how to do this?"
"I can teach you much better tricks than that." Amethyst glanced impassively at the visiting queen. "With your lady's permission, of course."
Ardor looked up from draping the spell over the cider tureen, hope in her steel-blue eyes. Her claw bumped the side of the delicate bowl. Alaster held his breath as the antique serving dish teetered back and forth, though it never took the final tumble he feared it would.
"Oh, very well." The queen sat back and crossed her ankles, a little of her rough accent showing through. "Learning spells for something other than mending flesh and shoving folk's souls back in might loosen her up a bit."
Bouncing to her feet as he never thought possible for a creature her size, Ardor stood at eye level with the white wolf.
Amethyst's stony expression cracked a smile. Alaster felt a pang of regret that he could never father her children. If this youngling could get her to smile right through her guise, it must be more than an idle wish on her part.
Hours passed before the young dragon grew too tired to learn more. As they bid goodnight to the guests, the court mage promised to show her more spells tomorrow, to the queen's amusement. The servants who spent a hour trying to scrub out all the 'paint' in the sitting room were less amused.
* * * * *
Days and nights later, Amethyst was in his arms as they tumbled into bed. Growling with laughter, he nibbled at the fur of her collarbone.
She yapped in surprise. "You're certainly frisky tonight, milord."
"I'm just glad to have a little time alone with you when we aren't asleep."
She batted him on the chest. "Oh really. Queen Ryssia, Ruler of all Ahsya, honored you with a royal visit and all you could think about was a tremble 'twixt tangled sheets?"
"With you around, yes!" He licked along her cheek, streaking the fur into a cowlick. She always smelled like chamomile and he was coming to associate the scent with very good things.
They rolled across the wide bed, its new timbers adding a tinge of pine to the air. Their nude bodies pressed together. He kissed her hard, tail wagging rapidly behind him. His paw reached down between them, sliding down her stomach down between her legs. Her wetness soaked into the fur of his fingers. She moaned and writhed as his fingertips wiggled into her passage.
She stopped kissing him, gripping his should tightly. "Oh, Alaster... I can't take anymore. Put it in."
He smirked and stole one more kiss. "I would never argue with a lady."
* * * * *
After their lovemaking, they gasped for air together, dragon in disguise and dog in dragon. Around his panting, he managed to whisper: "Change..."
Her ears shot up and her eyebrows rose. She looked to him. "What?"
"Change... please."
"But right now?" She wiggled, blushing crimson under pristine fur. "We're still... tied."
"You're right..." His panting continued. "Give me one moment..." Without any presence of modesty, he reached up and fondled her breasts. "There, now I'm ready!"
"You cad!" She barked with laughter.
He silenced her protests with a kiss. When he opened his eyes again, the last tendrils of her guise were evaporating. He curled a paw under her powerful chin, basking in the glow of her scales. "My pretty dragon."
Running a tender claw down his flank, she gave him a level look. "My pretty doggy."
They giggled together in a manner most scandalous, his knot still buried deep inside her.
"So why the sudden change?"
"I need a reason to look upon the dragon who shares my bed, who brightens my day like the morning sun?"
A rumble of laughter shivered through her body under him. "Flatterer."
"Actually, I had an idea."
"Oh dear."
"Rare, I know. Abide me a moment." At her natural size, she felt a little looser around him, but every bit as warm. Just as he'd hoped. Shifting himself up and back for leverage, he pulled. In a whirl of unfamiliar sensation, his knot began to slide out of her. Finally, after a long moment of tension, it popped free.
"Okay, you satisfied your little-- EEEEE-hee-hee-heeee!"
The dragon writhed and wiggled as he entered her again. He worked his knot in and out of her passage, marveling at the feel of her moving along the sides of his canine bulge.
He licked the smooth, jeweled scales of her neck. They tasted as fresh as rain, with the tang of lightning lingering on her from the magic stealing all other scents for a moment.
Labia stretching around his knot, she pounded her heels against the bed, clattering it against the wall. Her tail lashed out, knocking over the nightstand before curling along his arched back. "Alaster! Sun and stars! Alaster!!"
His knot popped in and out of her vagina, his arousal roaring back to life. He shuddered over her. "Oh Amey..."
"Ahh-ahh-aaaAAAAAHHH!!" The violet dragon's claws seized his hips, slamming them to hers. Her passage clutched him in desperate passion, squeezing all sides of his knot.
"Uugh!" His tail dropped. Balls twitching, he feel the rush of his ejaculation rushing through his length and spurting into her warm, writhing depths.
The canine lord collapsed atop her, drowsing into sweet idleness deep in the chamomile scent of her through the fading tingle of magic in the room. He watched the few final threads of her guise wave in the air, here and there settling on his brindled fur, coloring it in lines of pristine white.
All four of her legs curled around him, tail coiling around his, heart slowing under his ear. As her chin settled against his neck, he fell asleep to her whispers of his name.
* * * * *
"Ah, Amethyst! Come in, come in." He ushered out the last of his courtiers, two foxes puffed up with so much silk they looked like matched pillows. He closed the door and gestured for her to follow him back down the hall, where they could not be overheard. His tail set itself to an ecstatic wag. "I've just had the most brilliant idea..."
"Alaster-"
"No, no, hear me out." He smiled, taking her smooth paws. "If youngling dragons are entrusted to certain noble maned wolves, perhaps us fostering a hatchling or two isn't out of the question. It's a delicate topic, no doubt, but-"
Despite her stoic demeanor, tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "Alaster..."
His ears went down. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"I've heard the call, Alaster. The Dragon Queen..." She twisted his ring on her finger. "I have to go."
The finality in her voice shot though him like a crossbow bolt. "Go? Go where? Wherever it is, I'll come with you."
"You can't." She tugged his ring off her finger and placed it in his paws.
"No, Amey, take it with you. It doesn't belong here without you... just like I don't."
Tearful, she shook her head. "I can't wear it as a dragon."
"Is that what this is about? I love you just as much as a dragon. More!"
"No, it's not that! I know you do." Her grip tightened, almost painful. "It's just it won't fit."
"Well, if that's all it is, I'll have it resized." His vision blurred with tears, washing the world out like a watercolor painting. "It'll double as a bracelet when you're a wolf again."
"There isn't time, Alaster. Even as I delay to talk to you, my heart is being drawn away, to where I've been ordered to go."
None of this made any sense to him, so he latched onto the one thing that did: the ring wouldn't fit. He spotted the long, slender chain that operated the hinged windows. They opened in the summer to cool the court. He dashed over to one, wrapped it around his paw, and pulled down with all his weight. It gave, though not before cutting his palm. The heavy window swung open. A chill breeze swirled in from the mountains.
"Here." He brought the snapped chain over to her, running the ring down to the middle of it.
She took it as if it were the most precious thing on earth. Her paws wrapped around him. "I swear I'll come back if I can. I swear!"
He nodded against her shoulder, robbed of his words by the abruptness of fate.
Amethyst clutched him dear and close, paws running along his back as if memorizing the feel of him. For a instant, Alaster hoped she'd change her mind somehow, but part of him knew this was far out of either of their hands. The hug ended, though his paw trailed down her arm, holding on with frantic hope. Leading him, she walked to the open window, standing upon the ledge. Their eyes met. "Let go of my paw, Alaster."
He did, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, all royal decorum forgotten.
Her paw curled under his chin, raising it. They shared a final kiss as the strands of magic unwove, unaffected by the wind culling the heat from their fur. Great purple wings spread from her back, coloring the sun's light like a stained glass window. Her claws gripped the stone frame of the window once, and she was gone.
Alaster watched as she dove for speed, his heart falling with her. His paws gripped the window ledge, feeling the indentations of her mighty claws. A hundred feet down, she swooped level, soaring over the city below. His city. Only he didn't feel much like a king anymore.
He wept.
Magic ceased the next day.
Comments appreciated.
-Tempo