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The Dragon and Her Ward

A story of Vandrachian

By Nemmy

** ~~Introduction~~ **

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

Vandrachian (Gem of the Dragons) is a distant world, in a distant time. There are many sentient species though it is the dragons who have stayed in power and oversee the world and all its other inhabitants. Their strength, wisdom, and aerial prowess have guided them through the centuries, their society great and beautiful. The dragons of this world walk like beasts but reason with the deep knowledge afforded to them with their longevity and experience. Their great cities, which they call aeries, are often found carved within and around the faces of the most prominent mountains in the lands. For the most part they keep to themselves and out of the affairs of other species, choosing to live in peace and to nourish prosperity in trading between the races. Not all dragons share this sentiment, and there are bands which have been formed through the years whose purpose it is to show the other races their dominance, to keep them living in fear and even as slaves. They are few in number but always moving, making it all but impossible for the lords of the aeries to hunt them and bring them to justice.

The most populous species of Vandrachian, however, is the humans. They breed where ever and whenever possible until their numbers become nigh but impossible to maintain. When they work together, though, they are a clever bunch and are always inventing new means to improve their own lives and destroy the lives of others. Humans keep to the more temperate locales, living often in crude villages. The most powerful lords will build castles of stone and a whole city behind impenetrable walls. Fickle by nature, they are always thirsting for more, never satisfied. Alliances amongst humans rise as tall as their walls and crumble just as easily. Though there are times when a human lord becomes too powerful to be opposed and his enemies start to bore him. Eager to prove themselves with new prey they will always set their sights on dragons and their aeries though no human host has managed to ever take one.

Our story starts after one such human, Lord Coreth Halston, began amassing an army and siege engines to invade the nearest aery. The peasants were not blind to this and they knew from the old stories that only death would await them. A group of common folk, those who have the least but always seem to lose the most in war, slipped off in the cover of night to journey to the aery. The dragons heard their warning and the ruler of the aery V'lantos, Lord K'lotaar, sent a wing of his dragons to destroy all instruments of war. All humans who surrendered were spared, all who fought were dealt with mercilessly. The dragon fires raged for just a few days and Coreth quickly saw the folly of his ways and surrendered. A truce was made between K'lotaar and Coreth, however, the dragon did not trust the man to keep his word. So the dragon took all the male heirs of Coreth on as wards, vowing to treat them as valued guests of V'lantos as long as Coreth kept his peace. One heir would be released every five years, youngest first. Coreth had no choice but to accept the terms, not for the sake of his people, but because he was a coward and feared that the dragon would take his head off should he refuse. Coreth has kept true to his word, however, and peace has reigned in his castle since.

** ~~Devan's Tale~~ **

Part 1

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Devan Holston awoke to the sound of claws scraping along stone just as any other day. The dragon always came into his terrace at the same hour to leave him breakfast. A comely lad, Devan was 20 years of age, the youngest of Coreth Holston's sons, taken away from the home he had known at the age of 16. The years in the aery saw him hit a growth spurt and he now stood nearly 6.5 feet tall though with the thin air up in the aery he rarely found the energy to work out and grow into his frame. So that left the tall lad appearing rather lanky, but still handsome enough. A mess of dark brown curls nestled atop his head and his eyes were a deep shade of blue.

With a loud yawn, Devan sat up on the bad, stretching his arms high above his head. "Ahh good morning, L'ivos, I think you were off by a minute today."

The young dragon gave a snort at the attempted jape. "Right, Devan, like you could tell the time that closely." L'ivos was young enough to still be wingless though the bulges on his back made it apparent that he was due any day now to spread them. The dragons of Vandrachian came in a dizzying array of colors and markings. Like humans, no two dragons were ever exactly alike. The males tended to carry more bulk, more horns and spikes while the females tended to be more lithe and either plain scaled or decorated with frills.

L'ivos carried a satchel towards a table in the middle of the room. The dragons had done a good job furnishing the place in a manner that any human lord would be content to dwell within. The young male snapped the strings that bound the satchel and rolled out the food to present to Devan whose stomach was growling in approval. "So what have we got today, hmmm?"

"I have no idea, Devan. You humans eat such weird things. Tasty, but I couldn't begin to tell you what it was." It was commonplace that some humans would wish to live with the dragons, fascinated by the species and their society. Their more dextrous hands were of great use, and the scaled beings had quickly grown fond of the various concoctions the humans would whip up for their meals. It was also useful whenever visitors were in an aery as they often did not much appreciate the bloody haunch of an herbivore like a dragon would.

Devan stepped up to the table besides L'ivos and examined the contents. "Come on L'ivos, you should remember this at least," he said, pointing to a stack of round hotcakes with a knob of butter melting in the middle.

The dragon twisted his head to examine it closer with one eye, eventually giving his tail a casual flick which was like a human shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know, but maybe if you let me have one I'll remember" L'ivos replied hopefully, sitting down on his haunches. He was a dragon of simple birth, green scaled with brown scutes along his underside.

"Go ahead, they always serve me way too much anyways."

L'ivos thrummed in delight and took the top hotcake, holding it slanted for a moment to allow the butter to slide onto the remaining cakes before wolfing it down. "Ahh yes! Those are hotcakes!" he announced, looking rather pleased with himself.

Devan smiled, laughing softly at his enthusiasm. He had never known much of dragons so it was quite a shock when he first found himself living in V'lantos. As the time went on, though, he made many friends with the dragons who were around him most and he learned a lot of their quirks and behaviors. "If one were to watch us they would think you're the one being held here without his consent, L'ivos!"

His draconic friend lowered his ears though when he heard that. "Devan, that hurts when you say things like that. I know it must be terribly difficult to be away from home but I know you've grown close to many of us."

"I know, L'ivos, and I'm sorry. You have all been amazing to me, truly." Devan sighed, pushing bits of hotcake around on the plate. "I hope you understand that you all mean so much to me. It's just... I miss home, I miss my people... as unpalatable as they may be."

"Of course, Devan. If I had my wings I'd see about sneaking you out now and then at least to the markets at the base of the mountain."

Devan gave the dragon a firm pat on the shoulder. "Don't go getting yourself in trouble over me, the five years is almost up as it is, I can wait a bit more."

L'ivos nodded his head before giving his friend a fond nip on the side, a gesture of endearment amongst dragons, though it made Devan jump at the ticklish feel of those fangs being so gentle. "I'm going to miss you Devan. I will come visit when I get my wings and we can enjoy more hotcakes together."

"That sounds great, my friend."

Thrumming some more, L'ivos stood back up to all fours. "Great! I need to run for now though, before I get behind on deliveries."

"Send greetings to my brothers for me, L'ivos" Each brother was kept in a different part of the aery, never allowed to see one another.

"Of course Devan, wind to thine wings!"

Devan flapped his arms uselessly. "I gotta grow some first, but thanks." He laughed and waved to the dragon on his way out. He made short work of the remaining hotcakes, hungrier than he thought, regretting that he gave one of the tasty morsels away. When he was done, he discarded his sleeping linens and donned attire more suiting of a lord's son, a doublet bearing the arms of V'lantos along with matching woolen pants and leather boots. Devan mussed his hair up to try to get it into some semblance of order even though the winds within the aery would quickly ruin any efforts.

Full and satisfied with his appearance, Devan left his terrace, nodding a greeting to the guard sitting outside, a burly drake who never bothered him unless he tried to go out late at night. Devan worked as a hand for K'lotaar himself, the lord of V'lantos, performing whatever menial tasks that the mighty beast either couldn't be bothered with or those that his massive clawed paws couldn't hope to accomplish.

All the regular dragons in that particular section of the aery had grown accustomed to Devan's appearance and most gave him no notice anymore when he walked by. Devan, though, always admired the great beasts, the rainbow of scales was always a flurry of chaotic but, somehow, controlled activity. Most dragons wore simply their scales, being feral in form they felt no need to wear clothes. Those with higher ranks could be seen wearing brightly covered sashes over their chests or fancy guards covering their talons. High born females fancied medallions, pendants, necklaces... expensive goods, much like their human counterparts.

The aery itself was a marvel to behold. V'lantos was but one of several aeries built into a mountain in the Sky Talons range. The particular hall which Devan walked was wide enough to allow at least four full grown drakes to walk side by side. About halfway up the mountain, the rock had been carved into until the whole circumference at that point was flat and smooth. There was little protection here as dragons needed the open air to take to the wing and quickly travel to other points of the aery. The inner city was all connected by smaller, carved tunnels into the mountain but the main avenue was usually the quickest route.

Devan continued along his way until he came to the entrance of the lord's hall, a large, ornate door studded with gems and carvings. The guards outside rumbled a greeting to him and he waved back in the human manner. The door opened up into a massive chamber carved into the mountain, three times as tall as any human lord's hall, long and wide enough to host a hundred dragons.

K'lotaar was resting upon a raised dais at the end of the hall, listening intently to one of his advisers. When he saw Devan he shooed the other dragon away and called out a greeting. "Good day to you, Devan, my dear guest. Come forward, I have a special task for you today."

When he reached the center of the audience chamber, where others would come to plead cases to the lord, Devan knelt to one knee and bowed his head. "Yes, m'lord, how may I serve you?" K'lotaar shifted his bulk, looking right at Devan with his red eyes that always seemed to burn through whatever bore his gaze. He was a very intimidating dragon, strong, powerful, wise. It was no wonder he had become a lord. His scales were sheer black, his underbelly scutes coal gray. Two horns jutted from behind each side of his head and he had smaller spikes lining his jawbone. His back was covered with a double row of sharp spines from his forehead all the way to his tail, the scales around them ridged and tough and just as deadly looking. The tip of his tail was armed with a spade which had been sharpened to be just as brutal a weapon as his long claws, though they were all covered with gold talon guards.

The black dragon crossed his forelegs before speaking. "Devan, your five years is almost up, do you know that?" Devan nodded his head. "You have been a fine guest, it will be difficult to find someone to take your place when you leave. Of course, if you wish to stay with us, we will welcome you gladly, as well as give you freedom to go and do as you wish."

Devan stood back to his feet and regarded the big lord. "It is a kind offer, m'lord. But I have been away from my family and my people for too long." He spoke carefully, not wishing to upset K'lotaar. Lords were prickly, especially those with spines growing everywhere. "You have been more than good to me and I will think about my future after I settle back at home."

"Of course, Devan, you don't have to explain yourself." The dragon sighed, tapping a talon on the side of the dais. "If you said otherwise I would assume you're just trying to, how do you say it?.. Kiss my scaled ass?" He hissed in laughter, the hot breath blowing through Devan's curls. "Enough about that, though. For the rest of your stay, I need you to look after my daughter. She is... not feeling well and I don't want to risk an illness spreading amongst others. Since we don't have to worry about you catching anything you'll be able to see to her every need.

"T'ailea is ill, m'lord?"

"Yes, Devan, but it is not serious."

Devan breathed in relief. She was one of his closest friends amongst the dragons, of age to each other if you compared dragon years to human years. "You know I care for your daughter greatly, m'lord, I will give her every comfort she desires."

"I know you will, Devan, thank you. I can relax a bit knowing she will have you around."

K'lotaar waved a forepaw and a red scaled guard wearing a black sash came forward. "M'lord?"

"F'larth, take Devan to my daughter's terrace. See to it that no other dragon is near the door when he enters, including yourself."

F'larth raised a foreleg to his chest and dipped his snout. "At once, m'lord. Come, Devan."

Devan already knew the way to T'ailea's terrace but he stepped in line behind the red dragon, some protocol had to be followed after all. The human and dragon pair walked through the throngs of the scaled populace, crowds tripping over themselves to make way for one of the lord's guards. They passed stalls where dragons were selling game that they had caught. Hunting was easy for them but the higher born dragons found it belittling to get their own claws dirty catching prey and so younger drakes used the opportunity to make some extra coin here and there. Some even dedicated their time to learning how to smoothly and evenly roast the meats with their own flame as some dragons had grown fond of the way humans cooked their foods.

Devan knew they were close when the bustling dragons began to thin out to a few stragglers just taking a break away from everyone else. F'larth took a path that went away from the outer perimeter. It was an alcove carved further into the mountain, walls all around save for the path in and the roof which could be opened, allowing for a quick flight away. The status of a highborn resident was announced by meticulously carved archways depicting dragons in an eternal battle with each other, eyes made of gems that caught rays of light and sent them off in every direction. There were two other dragons guarding the hallway beyond the arches, wearing blue sashes over their chests. Devan had come to learn how the colors of a sash correlated to a dragon's rank, not unlike the various ornaments humans used on their own sets of armor. They parted ways for F'larth and Devan, their slitted eyes watching the human closely.

"Alright Devan, I must leave you here as we have been ordered not to pass closer to the door than we need to. Take good care of her."

"I will, F'larth, I don't want to see her suffering anymore than you do." Devan smiled and placed a hand on the dragon's shoulders, a common gesture amongst humans but F'larth wasn't quite sure what to do, so he just rumbled an acknowledgment and stepped back. Devan walked away from the guards and went his own way down the hallway. It was a dead end where T'ailea's terrace was so there was no way he or anyone else could slip by without notice. Not that he wanted to, his thoughts were full of concern for his friend. The door at the end of the hall was a large slab of marble decorated with carvings of dragons in various stages of flight. Devan found the lever nearby and gave it a pull, stepping back as a series of winches came to life and slowly heaved the heavy door up into the ceiling. Most doors to upper class residences were designed as such, any dragon could easily burn through a wooded door but the heavy marble would at least give some resistance.

Devan stepped into the terrace and spied T'ailea already looking curiously for who her visitor was. Her chambers were full of every comfort a dragon could imagine. Piles of huge, plush cushions were strewn all about for her to lounge upon. Directly under the roof was a smooth pedestal which would warm up from the sunlight, providing a very soothing spot to relax upon. Deeper into the terrace was a wide pool deep enough for a modest sized dragon to bathe in with water constantly being refreshed in the form of a small waterfall coming out from the wall. Devan hit another lever again after entering and the door closed shut beside him.

"Devan? It is good to see you!" T'ailea happily jumped up to all fours and strode across the room to nuzzle gently at her human friend though he still staggered back a bit from the force of it. Devan had been around dragons long enough to know what passed for beauty and T'ailea was a prime example. Standing on all fours, her chest was about a foot above Devan's head. Her dominant scale color was a soft blue, same as the sky on a perfect day, while her underbody was a creamy white. If she were flying it would be easy to mistake her for a cloud simply blowing by faster than the others. Her eyes were a darker shade of blue than her scales with the usual black slitted pupils of her kind. Two white horns curved elegantly from the back of her head and down her neck and back was a frill with webbing that went from shades of sky blue to sea green, which right now was extended in her show of excitement to see Devan. In fact, as Devan looked her over, T'ailea seemed anything but sick.

He reached up with his hands to hold the nuzzling snout, fondly hugging T'ailea as best he could. "I'm happy to see you too, T'ailea, you seem so much more vibrant than usual today." Devan scratched softly under her chin, earning a pleased thrumm from the dragon. "Are you doing alright, though?"

T'ailea sat back on her haunches, tilting her head with a casual flick of the long tail behind her. "Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?"

Devan found a cushion to sit back on. "Well, cause your father sent me to look after you today, he said you were ill and that he didn't want to risk exposing other dragons."

The dragon laughed, a musical mixture of thrumming and hissing. "Oh dear, is that what he said?" T'ailea grinned, showing off all her fangs but Devan knew it wasn't a menacing look in the slightest. "No Devan, I'm quite alright, I assure you."

By then, Devan was quite confused, not really sure what was going on. "Then why would he lie like that? It's not like I would turn down spending time with you."

"Well, there is a good reason, at least according to him." T'ailea shifted herself so she was laying on her belly, her head closer to a level with Devan's. "I've entered my first heat and my father has found no suitable partner for me, so here I must stay until it passes to make sure I don't tempt others or get tempted myself."

"I... see." Devan replied. "But I still don't understand why that means you have to be sheltered away from everyone else."

"Devan, you still have so much to learn about dragons," she chastised though her grin showed her tone was in jest. "Humans who don't know us think of us as little more than vicious animals acting on base instincts. You've been with us a long time now, you know that's not the case. However, when it comes to mating, I suppose you could say we act a lot more like feral creatures, letting ourselves be taken in by the lustful instinct to mate." T'ailea gave a twitch of her wings before continuing on. "You won't notice it, of course, but the pheromones my body is releasing now would be enough to drive any male dragon into forgetting his place and trying to mount me. And my body screams for that attention so I would probably let it happen." She laughed at that again while Devan shifted uncomfortably upon the cushion. "The lord's daughter must have a suitable partner, I cannot just mate with any male. But everyone my father introduces me to is so droll and full of themselves, I was never satisfied so now I must wait out my first heat. He asked you to help me cause he knows there are no dragons he can trust with his daughter in heat, not even his most loyal guardsmen."

Devan felts his cheeks flushing up while she talked so openly about how much her body was yearning for attention. "I.. T'ailea, I'm sorry, I know I can't help you there but if I can do anything for you, I am here for you. Your father asked that I take care of you however I can."

"Oh did he now?" She gave a slight smirk at him. "Don't worry about it Devan, it'll pass, it's something all females of our race have to go through." She slinked forward and softly nosed Devan at the middle of his chest, sighing softly. "Perhaps you could oil my scales for me? It feels like my lower left flank is a little dry."

"Of course, T'ailea." Devan rubbed his hands over the dragon's snout for a moment before getting up to find the bucket of the rose scented oil which she liked best. T'ailea, meanwhile, moved towards the rock shelf which had been absorbing the morning's sun and settled herself upon it, rumbling happily at the rush of heat against her belly. She left her left hindleg dangling over the edge, stretching it out fully for Devan to work with.

Devan stepped up upon the rock behind her, hands slick with oil, and begin to knead his hands against her flank, smearing the oil across her scales until they gleamed brightly. The dragon was enjoying this attention, growling, flexing her claws when his hands rubbed particularly sensitive scales upon her leg. "Lower, Devan... my thigh needs some too."

"O.. ok." He did as he was asked, blushing the whole time. Devan was no fool, he knew the kind of attention T'ailea wanted and was sad that he could probably never satisfy her like a male dragon could. Still, with all the time he had spent here, and with no human females to satisfy his own urges, he had taken to imagining what it would be like to have a sex with a dragoness. All his previous daydreams of doing such came rushing to his mind while his hands worked on the smooth rump in front of him. Clearly he was giving her some bit of pleasure and that made him excited, he could feel himself straining against his trousers.

"Devan..." He looked up to find T'ailea's neck curled around so she could watch what he was doing. "We are close, right?"

"Yes, T'ailea, you've been so kind to me here."

T'ailea smiled at him. "So if I asked you to scratch an itch, would you help me?"

"I... T'ailea, I... want to help... but your father..." Devan stuttered, suddenly very aware that the warmth he felt was from the loins of the dragon in front of him, not the rock he was kneeling upon.

"He's not here, Devan. It's just you and me, you know how busy he is... and everyone else is forbidden to come in here" T'ailea casually curled her tail to the opposite side, exposing herself to Devan. "I'm not asking for too much, am I Devan? And I can tell you would enjoy this too, I can taste your interest in the air.."

It was true, Devan could already feel his undergarments wet with his pre, even he could scent his own musk. He took his time to take in the view that T'ailea was offering to him, her genital slit was swollen in arousal, the pale scales of her underbelly parted neatly around it. From his short vantage point Devan had caught plenty glimpses of dragons' undertails but never had one looked quite like this, so warm, so wet, so inviting. He found his hands being drawn towards her slit, the oil on his hangs mingling with the wet juices dribbling from her sex. The heat was palpable around it and T'ailea gave a pleasured hiss when Devan finally ran a finger across the sensitive, pink lips.

"Yessssss Devan.... thank you..." T'ailea gasped when Devan moved his other hand over her sex, massaging her outer lips much like he had been rubbing the oil into her scales. The dragon's claws scrabbled against the rock, searching for purchase, gentle waves of pleasure coursing through her body from his touch. Devan pressed his palms up close and firm to her fleshy lips, spreading her further to reveal her vaginal opening. He moved some of his fingers to penetrate her, surprised at how much her walls clenched at him, so needful of any attention.

Unable to take much more of the straining pressure in his own pants, Devan unlaced his trousers with his other hand and kicked them away, and then removed his undergarments as well, letting his smooth member throb with desire out in the open. T'ailea seemed to like what she saw as she gave a lick of her chops, cooing to her human friend's attention. He smiled back at her, cheeks still a little red from embarrassment but he was quickly passing the point of caring. They were dear friends, what could be wrong with enjoying a bit of pleasure together?

Devan stretched his fingers as far as he could inside T'ailea's hungry body and started to quickly thrust them back and forth, his thumb keeping constant pressure on the mound of flesh at the apex of her slit. T'ailea groaned at that, her haunches gyrating against the hand. "You like that, don't you?" He asked with a grin, feeling a surge of confidence at how he succeeded in making such a beautiful creature squirm with pleasure.

"D.. don't ssssstop!" was all T'ailea hissed out in reply. Devan was certainly not about to, instead he picked up his pace, thrusting his fingers inside the dragon's sex in a flurry of quick motions. He was trying to get deeper, his knuckles kneading around T'ailea's vulva, adding to the clearly intense pleasure. "D.. Devan, I feel... so good... I.. Gods yesss!" She roared out in pure ecstasy as an orgasm rocked her large body, the muscles of her vagina squeezed around Devan's fingers, trying to milk them for seed they didn't have to offer. T'ailea's tail slapped the ground and her foreclaws left furrows in the smooth stone as Devan refused to stop, bunching four fingers together to penetrate her with and carry on her climax.

It took a while for T'ailea to settle down, her thrumms loud, her head resting upon the rock as she panted and caught her breath. Devan withdrew his fingers finally, coated thickly with the dragon's sweet, slick nectar. The floor all around her rump was a mess too. "Have I pleased my lady?" Devan asked with a grin.

T'ailea huffed, flicking her tail around to bump his back. "You have good hands, Devan, thank you." She sighed in a murr that echoed throughout her terrace. The dragon twisted her snout around partway, regarding Devan with a playful glint in her blue eye. "It looks like I've given you an itch of your own though... so take me, Devan, don't hold back on me..."

"With pleasure, m'lady." Devan could not wipe the grin off his face. Sex with a dragon, maybe it was taboo but how could he care at this point. They both wanted, no, needed it by then. Two reasoning beings, fond of each other, that's all that mattered. Aroused as he was, Devan quickly came to peace with his thoughts and shuffled forward, one hand grabbing T'ailea's rump as the other aimed his swollen flesh into her vulva. T'ailea hissed and Devan moaned as he quickly hilted himself within the dragon's wonderfully warm tunnel. Both hands help the firm blue rump and Devan eagerly began thrusting himself into T'ailea over and over and over again. She wrapped her tail loosely around his shoulders, urging Devan closer, to plunge into her as deep as he could. Devan's heavy balls slammed against her smooth scales with each thrust, every inch of his manhood was squeezed by her walls but T'ailea was so wet it was effortless to take her.

Human and dragon continued their act of love for some time. They may be completely different in form but lust has a way to bring even the most unusual pairs together. T'ailea's growls of passion shook the very mountain it seemed and it was because of this that the guards outside began to wonder just what was going inside that room. Devan continued to pound into T'ailea's hungry body, blissfully unaware of the growing shadow above the terrace. And just as Devan found himself passing the point of no return, a roar bellowed throughout the chamber. Devan came anyways, sighing in relief with his seed shooting into T'ailea's body but the dragoness had gone stiff, gasping.

"F... father..."

K'lotaar bellowed an angry roar again and Devan seemed to finally notice that they were being watched from above. The big black dragon was perched above the rooftop entrance of the terrace, his red eyes full of fury. "What is the meaning of this!" His bellow was more a burst of anger than a question and both Devan and T'ailea cowered before the lord. "My daughter... mating with a human... no, this cannot be, you will bring shame to us all! And Devan! You... you will never see your family again, you've betrayed me, after all we've done for you. Guards!"

"Father, no, Devan... he did what you asked, he took care of me." The door behind them began to slowly raise up and the two dragons guarding the hallway from earlier strode into the terrace.

"Silence, T'ailea! I will not have my daughter fucked like some animal in rut, especially not by a human! Guards, take this human away to the holding cells."

Devan had the sense to at least put his undergarments back on but he kept quiet, he knew there was nothing that would dissuade K'lotaar when he was angry. The guards paused though after entering the room, they were both obviously sniffing at the smells in the air, tasting the scent of T'ailea in heat. Both of them were rather enjoying it too, Devan noticed the tips of their members slipping out of their genital slits.

K'lotaar noticed it too and hissed in a most threatening tone, his wings flared for all to see how big he was, wisps of smoke seeping out the crevices between his lips. "You two get that human out of here or I'll take those cocks of yours and shove them down your throats!"

The two dragons hastened to obey then, snapped out of their reverie at the threatening words. They walked up behind Devan and rudely bumped him forward, forcing him to walk in front of them for fear of being trampled should he stagger or trip. Devan heard T'ailea making one more plea to her father but he knew there was nothing that even she could say, he would just have to pray that the angry lord would calm down.

Jostled along rather roughly, Devan was escorted down pathways that led deep into the interior of the mountain, walking through tunnels he had never seen before. The two guards growled, clearly upset at that teasing whiff of a female in heat which they could not have. Devan couldn't remember the last time he had seen dragons so fiercely instinctive since the days of the war.

Eventually they arrived at their destination, a dank room full of cells. One of the dragons roughly nosed Devan into one and quickly barred the door. "I don't know whether to envy you in mating with T'ailea or pity you as to what our lord will do to you." the same dragon quipped. They both shared a little laugh and turned tail, leaving him alone with his thoughts, his regrets, and nothing but a cold, hard floor of stone beneath him.