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Wisdom of the Dragon Queen

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by Vaeros

The dragoness sighed softly, sitting on a large, padded cushion before a table, which were both, thankfully, more than large enough for her size as a dragon. Her head dipped subtly, leafing through the book, though she tried not to let too many of her worries colour her actions. The library was a godsend, under the castle foundations, though she had thought that there would be catacombs down there. It was one more way in which the king had surprised her, though she should have realised that he was always going to surprise her. He was not, after all, the dragon that she had expected to find there, not even while knowing that she was the very best of the best, the only dragoness suitable in all the land and beyond for the role of Queen.

"Where now... Hm..."

She muttered to herself as she pored over the tomes, books strewn across the table before her. There was so much to go through that she could hardly be blamed for feeling stuck, not knowing what to look at next. Perhaps agriculture? The land seeded differently there from what she was used to. And, of course, there were the books on draconic pregnancy and raising hatchlings, something entirely new to her, sure that there was a clutch inside her, growing already. She didn't know how she knew, but maybe it was something that only a mother could know.

Truth be told...she was anxious. Vaeros' opinion of her was made up, as it always should have been, but the problem there was that she didn't know if she knew enough about the land, the politics, the intricacies of high dragon society. Rather than admit that to anyone around her, someone that might have been able to assist, she had taken herself down to the library, which she had only recently become aware of, delving into the books that may, in some small way, offer an answer to her situation.

Even if she didn't quite know what her situation was, bundling down her insecurities and shoving them into a deep, dark corner of her being where, perhaps, she didn't have to pay them as much mind anymore.

The dragoness sighed, seeking her answers, answers to questions that had not even formed yet. But she did not know that she was being watched.

Having searched out his dragoness under the belly of the castle, Vaeros strode into the library, his claws raised slightly so that they would not tap on the stones, towering bookshelves rising around them, the ceiling so high that the dragon king could have flown in there if he had wanted to. Yet he didn't have to, not that time, for the dragoness that he sought was at one of the large tables, actually not all that far from his usual reading nook. Of course, with his size and huge wings, it was not much of a nook but a corner that he had claimed as his own, kept exactly as he liked it, ideal for required reading and for his own pleasure too.

He inhaled slowly, nostrils puckering and flaring as, very carefully, he sifted through the scents in the air. Of course, his dragoness was there, but there was something else too, something deeper than even the aged must of the books, a scent that was tainted with concern. There was a lot to be told from a dragon's scent, after all, even though it was not the most common way of getting to know another in modern times, but it still conveyed useful information from a distance, the king's brow furrowing.

That wasn't right, not as he took in the stiff set of her rounded neck, how she hunched down a little closer to the books than seemed natural. Even her wings were pinned down tightly to her back, too tightly, as if she was trying to cradle herself, no longer relaxing them away from her body.

Something was wrong with his queen, even though he had not yet formally announced the dragoness to be his queen. And he was going to uncover exactly what the issue was.

"I did not expect to find you down here," he said smoothly, covering up his concern for her with a swing to his tail. "It seems that you have found my library and taken your liberties with the books. I expected nothing less from you, though there is a private wing of the library too, if you would like to delve deeper."

Her head shot up at his first word, expression shifting, melding into her canny wit, the ridge of scales above one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I did not realise that the queen was not supposed to partake in the king's private library," she teased, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Perhaps you should have an entirely new wing of the castle converted into a library, just for me?"

She smiled. That was a nice thought, actually, and she would rather have liked an entire wing for herself - probably not because she would have spent all that much time there, but because she enjoyed the status. There were certainly perks that came with being queen, the lanterns around both dragons numerous enough and flickering with dragon-fire, lighting up everything they needed to see of the library quite clearly. Being that both dragons could see perfectly well in the dark too, a little less so at dawn and dusk while the light was changing, they were there more for ambience than the need to see. She rather liked that, at least for herself.

The king raised his head a little and she swiftly drew and closed the book she was reading towards her with a decisive snap. In the quiet of the library, it was startlingly loud.

"What have you come for, my king?" She said as smoothly as she could, proud that there was not even a hint of a tremor in her voice. "I did not think it was time, not yet, for us to enjoy the pleasures of one another's bodies again...but perhaps you cannot get enough for a body as fine as mine."

Vaeros chuckled, settling in close to her, his tail sweeping out to brush hers. The dragoness purred softly, throat trembling with vibrations, though was quick to sweep the most concerning of tomes and scrolls off the table with her wing while twining her tail around Vaeros'. That, at least, would have to be enough distraction for him.

"As much as I would adore spending time with you," he said, "there is something amiss here. I will not have such unrest in the soul of the dragoness who has vied so strongly and convincingly to be my queen. So, what will it take for you to open your heart to me?"

She rolled her eyes. Oh, he wasn't getting anything out of her that easily - or at all! But her heart did funny things when he pressed in close to her like that without an ounce of sexual intent, skipping a beat, not feeling as if it was beating quite as steadily as before, though it was probably all in her head.

"Are you worried about me, my king?" She teased, though her heart still beat too quickly. "How your court would see you now! The strong and the mighty, concerned about the damsel. And yet I am no damsel and neither am I in distress, Vaeros."

His eyes studied her and she met his gaze, conscious, suddenly, of how close his head was to hers. Was he deliberately sitting as close to her as he was? It didn't seem like it could have at all been accidental...

But that was not for her to say.

"My queen," he breathed, his eyes softened, wrinkling ever so slightly at the smaller, lighter scales in the corners, eyes golden and trapping her in their riches. "Do not think that you can twist out of my grasp that easily. If you are here, with me, there must be open communication. I will not have it any other way."

That time, she did not roll her eyes, breath fluttering in her chest. Yet she would not give rise to the edge of panic, not there, not before her king.

"I do not know what you wish to hear from me, for there is nothing to say," she said, giving Vaeros a look that she hoped conveyed complete and utter boredom. "And yet you press... Why?"

"Because I know something is wrong and I will not leave until I hear it from your lips."

She struggled, truly, she did, but there was something so sincere and sweet in his eyes, something deeper than power, might, even lust. There was something there that she had not even seen before and that was what gave her pause, what made her think.

Maybe there was more to the king than she could even have understood for herself...

"I..." She hesitated, shook her head, and pressed on. "I am concerned about my ability to rule, not because I doubt my abilities, that much should already be clear, but as I am not as familiar with the politics of this kingdom as I was with my own lands. The crops grow different here, even the seasons are different... I must take in as much knowledge as I can on it if I am to rule alongside you as your queen, to be at the height of my abilities."

Vaeros' tail squeezed hers, comforting her without even having to say anything.

"And the other books?"

Gently, he nudged one on raising a clutch towards her with the tip of a claw. She winced.

"It is my first clutch," she said blandly, shutting down and closing in on herself, desperate to shove every one of those insecurities and worries back down where she never had to think about them again. "It is wise to be prepared."

"And I am confident that you are already more prepared than any dragoness in my kingdom and beyond ever has been," he said smoothly, brushing the book away from her, his side leaning against hers as he drew her in against the warmth of him. "You are already doing all that you can and I will have the laying dragonesses, those trained in such practises, speak with you, to ensure your comfort. We will not want for any assistance in raising a clutch of hatchlings, for we have all the aid we could ever need already here, within the bounds of this very castle. All is well."

She shook her head, nose dipping shamefully. Perhaps she had been foolish to think that she would not have anyone there with her while raising her hatchlings. She had only thought that the king would have been too busy with matters of the kingdom to assist. She hadn't considered that there would be a plethora of others there trained to care for youngsters and to teach them, for that would have to come too, once they were old enough.

He tilted her chin up with the tip of a wing, placing a surprisingly tender, sweet kiss on her lips. There was no tongue beyond the light flickering of it up against her lips in the draconic version of a kiss, startling her a little.

"There is nothing here that you need to worry about. There were times, especially when I was young in my rule, where I was unsure of my abilities too," Vaeros said, his expression growing contemplative, though she listened carefully. "There were nobles that required bringing into line, that sought to usurp my younger rule, though even battle... The training for fighting had to be brought into play. Instinct is one thing, but the skill with one's claws and fangs in the air especially, the skill to lead... It is a responsibility and an honour indeed to lead a kingdom, much less my battalions, though there was much to learn."

He paused, glancing at her. But the king continued, nonetheless.

"I was not as skilled then. But skill is gained, skill is learned, skill is practised. We are not supposed to be the best at everything simply because we were born a certain way. I was born to be strong, even if I did not get my start in that way. I had to learn the skills to be the best ruler, to be in command, to be in control without taking that control from the dragons of my kingdom. Everything comes in balance and you cannot have everything at once."

He chucked shortly, shaking his head, though there was nothing unpleasant in the look he gave her.

"I am sure that is hardly a concept that you enjoy the thought of..."

She opened her mouth as if to say something sharp, some kind of banter that did not address the matter at hand. But it was not right, not the right time, though her words served as a shield to her inner self.

If she was to spend the rest of her life with the king...perhaps it was time that she opened up herself a little. Not much, mind you, just a sliver, but more than she had done in the past. It was all the king was asking for her, Vaeros, her mate, but it felt as if he was asking her to take on a whole legion in battle, single-handedly.

"I..." She sighed. "I understand. You appear to have me understood, which is frustrating for me. Yet I know I am still the best to be queen, no one can match me. But, as you said, that does not mean that I automatically or instinctively know everything in the world. I am learning, I am studying."

"And I assure you that you will lead like the queen you are," he said with all due confidence. "You will lead and you will show it, day by day, every time you are called upon. For that is who you are, with or without me."

She shivered. To lead... That felt good. Very good, in fact, as if it was what she was meant to do all along, her breath rasping through her throat, breathing through her mouth as air swirled by her tongue. The dragoness stretched her neck out, though she was hardly working out the kinks as she cunningly eyed up Vaeros from the corner of her eye, even if the drake was surely aware that she was watching him.

"My king," she said softly, her tone wound through with desire, but a deeper one than had ever been present before, for him. "Are you asking me to lead with you...right now? Scandalous..."

Vaeros smirked, sitting back a little on his haunches, watching and waiting for what she would do.

"A queen must lead," the dragon said. "And you must show me exactly how you lead. What qualities you bring to your leadership, how you intend to be a leader to my, our, dragon-people."

It was easy for her to imagine what she might like to do, eyes falling to the slit within which his shaft was secluded away. It was there and she wanted it, drooled for it already, a dragoness' desire impossible to contain, in any way.

"My king..." She purred, more herself again now that her king had shown her the way. "You ask me to lead... Yet you are the one, in that case, that must follow..."

But Vaeros was expecting that, even if he was not a male who would be seen bottoming, even if he did end up on the bottom. The dragoness rose before him, all sensuality and a twisting undulation of her tail, the tip flicking back and forth, begging his eyes to follow the length of her tail all the way down, back to her rump. Yet he was curious to see, especially after their little heart-to-heart, what she wanted to do, waiting on his haunches with his head, ever so slightly, tilted to the left.

"Come, my queen..." He rumbled, though the dragoness kissing her way up his neck, starting at the base, was already bringing a shiver to his scales. "Mmm... It seems you have as much to teach me..."

In a way, she did, though she was grateful, as it was, for all that Vaeros had shared with her so far. He was her king and she didn't want to be without him, not in the slightest, not when he had revealed so much of himself to her already, though she had much to prove of herself. Leading as a queen was not something that she recalled too prominently, being more of a loner herself, though she had always known she was set apart in that way, that she was a leader rather than one to be led. She had ruled her lands, lands that would join with Vaeros' on their binding of two dragon souls, but there was more to it than that, especially as she bore the king lightly back onto the cushion with a clawed forepaw placed in the centre of his chest, right where the curve of his breastbone was.

"I will show you my leadership, my king," she purred, "in the best way I know how."

It was what he had meant, of course, though her nibbling up to his neck to the line of his jaw was a play on control that she would never fully take for herself. For Vaeros knew the position that he wanted to take, the one on top, even as she nipped at his scales, her long, flexible tongue seeking out every sensitive spot that the drake had to offer her. She lavished attention upon him, her tail snaking out around his hind ankle, though Vaeros could have broken free if he chose. He was merely interested to see what she had in mind.

And he was not disappointed, even if the dragoness did not have to do all that much at all to coax his cock out of hiding, encouraging it forth from the slit at the base of his belly. The fat, fleshy length, lightly ridged, emerged with a throb of pre-cum spilling from the tip as if it had been waiting for her invitation, as meaty as ever. Yet she wasn't about to waste her opportunity with oral beyond playing her tongue around him, enjoying the taste, sweeping the tip clean, if only to take her pleasure with him.

For that was not leading, not in the way that she wanted to show Vaeros that she was more than what he had seen before, moment by moment and growl by growl. The drake grunted, seemingly in surprise, as she took his cock deep into her maw, swallowing the entire length in one go. That time, whereas there was no need to rush, there was no need to hold back either, gulping down his cock, all the pre-cum spilling thickly and deliciously from the tip, moaning around him.

"Mmmph... Mmm..."

Vaeros groaned, letting her attention wash over him, but it was not to last, not as she slurped back up the length of his cock, her tongue caressing the ridges. Her tongue even lashed out and done, slipping into the entrance of his cock-slit, teasing around, playing with him in ways that, admittedly, Vaeros had never considered before.

But she had far more in store for him, rising back only to hop up onto him, a clawed foot pinning one of his hind legs down and to the side, her slit poised and ready. Her body ached, throbbing for him, but she knew exactly how to bear down to take him into her, her body swallowing up his cock into her vent as the king rumbled and groaned under her.

"Yesss..." The dragoness hissed as she took the cock of her king deep, one of his wings half-flung out against the table where she had been studying, her worries forgotten, at least for the moment, with his care and guidance. "This is how I lead, my king..."

His eyes simmered with lust for her.

"With passion," he growled. "With daring, with might. This is why you are my queen, my one and only queen."

Her heart surged, yet she had not claimed the moment as she wanted it, not yet, not quite yet, grinding up and down on his cock, riding him with the raw passion of a dragoness who needed to be bred and only bred. Yet she had most likely already quickened a clutch in her womb, so there was no need to breed - except for her to show the passion she held in her heart for the king.

Their time and their lives together, after all, by far transcended anything that she could have imagined on first coming to see him, on her first expectations of what being his queen would entail. It had become so much more than even she had imagined, riding his cock with passion, face to face and eye to eye, staring deeply into the pools that were said to be pathways to the soul. It was oddly a more intimate moment than even the rampant mating sessions that they had already shared and the dragoness let out a long, roiling growl as she claimed him, leading him straight to the throes of sexual pleasure.

"Leadership is a taking for oneself too," she breathed, chest shuddering as her breath hitched and caught, deep within her. "In balance... Always giving...and taking...keeping the balance..."

The ridges above his eyes raised in curiosity, though all became clear as she showed him just how she could arch her body, shoving her hips forward against his as she rode him. The dragoness growled, unable to help herself as greater and greater pleasure rolled through her, grinding his cock up against the most sensitive spots within her passage.

"Yessss..."

For where he would have pleasure from her, her form of leadership was to give them both pleasure, to keep all in equal measures, in balance. She might have enjoyed pushing the boundaries between them when it came to sexual play and acting the part of the brat, being put in her place, but to play that delight back and forth between them, to fuck all day long - that was the true pleasure of keeping all in balance. And it would be the same in the kingdom, albeit without the sexual element. The balance had to be in place for the crops, even in politics, the visiting dignitaries and nobles from foreign dragon lands and beyond.

And she could keep it in balance, hissing out her pleasure as she brought herself off on his cock deliberately for the first time, the first orgasm she took from Vaeros without him pounding her, but with her riding him, bringing herself to completion. A long moan rolled from her lips as if it had been waiting on its release, tongue tenaciously lashing out, sweeping down the side of her muzzle, whimpering, loving every moment. Her body pressed up against his ridges, teasing the most sensitive patch of nerves within her vent, the spot that felt the best, the spot that made her legs quake and her heart sing, but he stayed there for it all. For the drake was enraptured by his queen, spellbound by her power, her pride, everything that she did, even in the process of riding him.

Panting lightly, her eyelashes fluttered, and he growled, a hunger awoken in him, something that he had not felt in many years. Something, in fact, that he had not felt since he had taken his very first lover and, with the long lives of dragons, that had been an exceptionally long time ago indeed. His forepaws landed on her thighs, guiding her up and down as she fucked him, comfortable and close, closer than he had been to any dragoness in years, so many years. If his queen noticed that he was holding her thighs, the dragoness did not make any comment on it, grunting and groaning, letting lust claim her as she took her fill and more from him.

But his queen was different as she rode him, the fire in her eyes entirely her own, something that would never again be matched by any dragoness. For Vaeros' first lover and his queen were very different, but each powerful dragonesses in their own right, even if they drew him to them in the same way.

"A worthy queen knows her place," the dragoness growled as her orgasm simmered down, playing for his instead. "She is strong, she knows fear in the right places. For it is knowledge that makes her what she is, skill and training, the passion for her role that makes her who she is. The innate heart to be a queen is no learned - a dragoness, or a drake, must have the heart for it! A ruler is not born, but made from what lies at the core of their being."

Vaeros growled, leaning up against her, bearing his tail down into the stone floor to thrust up into his dragoness, for he was by no means helpless in his position there. With his eyes gleaming, he flung out his wings and, filled with pride for his queen, he blasted out an almighty roar as he reached his peak. Hot spurts of thick cum shot up into her pussy as if his body was trying to force them as deeply as possible, but it was merely the strength of his orgasm at work as he flooded her. He may have been technically on the bottom, however temporarily, but Vaeros could claim her just as well too, his jaws closing around his queen's throat as she purred and rumbled, submitting to him.

He spent himself inside her, his heavy balls aching and feeling as if there was a pressure there, a pressure that had to be released. Vaeros, after all, was far from done, even as his cream bubbled out thickly from the join of their bodies, her vent stretched wide around him, achingly tight, deviously so. She moaned and pressed harder against his teeth, adoring the bite of them, the sharpness cutting into her scales, though it toed that edge of pleasure and a tingle of pain, enough to add a little more flavour into an already exotic liaison.

And yet he had more to give, more to take, everything in balance, as she had said. Vaeros' eyes glinted, turning a darker shade still as he released her neck. Against him, his dragoness trembled deliciously. Oh, how he longed to taste her again, but there was something else that he would take from her first of all.

"My queen..." He rumbled, giving her pause, the tingling on her neck fading even from the imprint of his bite, his teeth having left light marks on her. "Your leadership will take you far in the world, further than even I could... But it is time that I led you!"

He moved too quickly for her, taking her breath away as the king already had so many times over. In a flash of his wings flaring out, his cock slid from her pussy, Vaeros roaring, powering over her, slamming her brutally, in the best of ways, into the ground. There was no cushion to soften her fall, knocking the air from her lungs, guts contracting, seeking breath. But she did not mind, not as she looked up adoringly at him, daring him to tame her, to treat her even more roughly than that, for she was not a dragoness who could be lightly taken and sweetly loved - not more than briefly, of course. For she would always rise against him sexually and force him to meet her halfway, forcing him to be more, challenging him exactly as Vaeros challenged her.

As long as there was love and sweetness too, the warm close of his tail tangled around hers, his wing protectively extended, shielding her from harm that she could fight off herself but didn't have to, the challenge would better them. They would always seek to better the other.

He pinned her there, muscles contracting, jaws parted in a long, roiling hiss. She squirmed and shoved back, almost getting him off, but the king redoubled his efforts, smirking as he barely allowed her to move.

"Are you saying you do not want my cock, my queen?"

She hissed, eyes alight, head snaking back and forth as she laid half on her side, neck curved up and back sensually to look at him. Turning so that she placed a little more pressure on the base of her tail, as if she was going to lie on her back, she lifted her upper leg, her right leg, offering the king her already soaked, dripping sex, the drools of cream flowed from her strained slit showing the fruit of his orgasm already.

"When I offer myself to you, my king?" She purred in turn, tongue lashing out against the side of her muzzle. "But perhaps you should put me in my place again, if you seek to lead even me..."

Vaeros didn't have to say a word to take her, roaring and pushing over her, on all fours and powerful, though he hunched his hindquarters down and around to spear his thick length of cock deeply up into her. He took her breath away as he always did, heaving and grunting and panting, and yet his tail curled around that invitingly raised leg to yank it up and to the side. In that way, he forced her leg out even more, refusing to allow her to hide herself from him again, his forepaw coming down on her left foreleg, splayed across the stone, while her right foreleg was already folded, softly and submissively over her own chest. It was as if her claws had to curl around her breastbone for some stability in the moment, pounding her viciously, his cock sinking deep with a lewd slurp of their combined fluids with every deep thrust.

Yet she revelled in it, his domination of her, for the dragoness would not have given herself up and over to just any drake. No, they had to earn her, had to claim her, had to prove themselves to her as much as she had had to prove herself to Vaeros, even if that had been as simple to her as breaking out of her eggshell. Yet there was no time for sweet words or anything more than ferocious snarls as he took her roughly and powerfully, every thrust sinking home as if his cock was made for her vent.

And it had to have been, she thought dimly, letting him overpower her, face close to hers, the eye contact intense, more so than it had been when they had been truly face to face, her forepaw on his chest for balance.

"A leader faces every challenge with their head held high," he growled. "Passionately, proudly. Say it."

"Ohhh..." She couldn't help herself, even as her king redoubled his efforts, slamming into her, pounding her deliciously sore body down into the stone. "Yes... To lead... Face challenges... Passion... Pride... Strength... Courage... Honour..."

His eyes gleamed.

"You have learned."

He would reward her for learning too, for understanding. Yet he had to be sure, even if it was a touch on control for him.

"Never hide from me," he breathed, not pausing in fucking her, not as she squirmed, close to the edge, under him. "And I shall not hide from you. My promise...to you, as my queen. Do you understand what I mean?"

She wanted to say "yes," wanted to tell him that she understood everything he laid before her, but the dragoness could not, not when it all felt so good, rutted to within an inch of being able to drag air into her lungs and adoring every moment. There was nowhere else that she would have rather been than under him, even if riding him had been an experience in itself, her heart surging, her mind now looking forward in eager anticipation to the clutch they would have, the kingdom she would lead.

With her king at her side, right there with her, before her, she could do everything and anything she set her mind to. She'd only needed to be reminded of her capabilities, a gentle, guiding nudge in the right direction.

As she moaned, her only answer, Vaeros smirked down at her.

"Good girl... Now... Cum for me!"

It was not the same as his orgasm, of course not, but she did it on cue anyway, screaming out his name as waves of claiming pleasure swamped her, threatening to drag her under. But Vaeros was there to hold her fast, grinding in harder and deeper, reaching his high only a few moments after her. For it was their right as king and queen to experience that together, to take everything that they yearned for in life and their kingdom together, their bond growing, deepening.

The king would not hide his past and his experiences from his queen, as aloof as he could have been, not as he lowered his head reverently to her, praising the dragoness as much as she praised him. Never again would there be a match like the two of them, never again two dragons that were as right for them as Vaeros and his dragoness. He groaned, watching her intently, relishing in the beauty of her coming apart in orgasm, all safe and fast in his claws and the cup of his wings, his body wanting to fold around her and protect her, even then.

He did not have to protect her, but that was part of what made the notion of doing so as enticing as it was. Her vent ached around him, tightening wonderfully, milking him of his load. The pleasure in mating with his dragoness, his queen, did not solely come from such raw delights, however, but the passion of their bodies coming together, not only for breeding. Not anymore. And the touch of domination would not be required, not as they experimented and learned, perhaps finding new highs in him taming her or even other things entirely for them both to experiment with. Who was to say?

The dragoness, however, was done. Collapsing to the ground, she heaved and panted, entirely spent by his powerful thrusts, even the light swelling of her lower abdomen as her king spent himself inside her. His cock remained deep, though Vaeros spread his wings over her, securing and protecting her from outside forces, nuzzling her neck, though he was loathe to remove his cock from her tight, wet vent.

"My queen..." He murmured, kissing her neck, his tongue easing out to lap over her dark scales, turning her lightly to face him. "You are my queen. You have already taken your place here, but I have chosen you. There is no challenge in this castle and beyond, in this kingdom and far, far beyond, that you cannot face. I assure you of this, otherwise I would not have chosen you more than anything else."

She warmed through, though still raised her head with a smirk, however weak and tired it was, exhaustion trembling through every line of her body.

"There was no one that could compare to me, regardless," she countered with overconfidence that made Vaeros practically bark a short snap of laughter. "But I accept your word, nonetheless. Thank you...Vaeros."

He crooned softly, his tail twining around hers, settling down beside her, on his side, one wing extended over her as he cradled her. His cock had to slip out as it lightly softened, a gush of white cream, her juices and his semen, drooling forth, but they could take their time there for as long as they wanted, the dragon fire lanterns dancing and flickering, adding ambience to their time there. Nuzzling into her neck, he groomed and preened her gently, nibbling and lapping softly around the edges of the scales that he could reach, even around the base of her horns.

"My queen... Our kingdom and beyond will never have seen such a fearsome protector, such a strong leader and such a powerful mother. You will bring so many of our clutches into the world and have everything you need."

She relaxed, allowing him to reassure her. For, with Vaeros, she could be herself, vulnerabilities and all. If he shared with her that side of himself, it was only right that she did the same, allowing him all sides of her, all parts of her, day in and day out.

The start of their lives together, as king and accepted queen, was only just beginning.