FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hello, Readers! Wow. What to say. Just 1 week ago today, I uploaded a story called "The Dragon In The Dungeon." It took less then a week for my simple and hopefully touching story of a mysterious male dragon held captive and the human woman assigned to guard him to earn over 80 favs, and 60 5-Star votes! More touching to me on a personal level, it also receieved over 45 comments, and I did my best to reply to each and every one.

I don't know what else to say but thank you, thank you, and thank you again for your truly humbling support and appreciation of my little tale. I'm heartened to see there truly is a market here on SoFurry for a tale that places the story and characters first and foremost, and allows the sexual escapades to come as an natural extension of the story itself.

I'm honestly a little in shock over all the incredible support and enthusiasm for the first part of this tale. It is so immensely rewarding to feel truly proud of something I've created, and have it recieved so warmly among my peers. So once more, thank YOU, the reader, for taking the time to read such a lengthy story.

For those new to the tale, while you're perfectly welcome to jump straight into the second part, it's really a story best enjoyed from the beginning. Thanks to the easy folder System on the left, just click "The Dragon In The Dungeon" to see how it all began. Or, if you're just looking to skip to the Dragon-On-Human lovin', then just search for the phrase "Time passed in silence," and read from there. As before, if you skip ahead and enjoy it, then I urge you to go back and read the story from the beginning. The continued character developments will make the sexual scenes far more emotionally satisfying, I promise.

( Special thanks to WarBoyTwo for his very valuable assistance with proofreading! )

Now, without further ado, I present to you the second installment..."The Dragon In The Dungeon: Never Alone".

---

It was dark in the dungeon when the sun went down, and Valyrym sat alone. Though the old dragon's night vision was good enough for him to navigate his prison home without abutting his snout against stone when he had to, it mattered little. After all, he could practically walk the place by memory now. And on clear nights when the moon was full, silvery light shone through the air vents just as sunlight did during the day. Though as fortune would have it, there was no moon the night after he first met Alia.

A bitter, irritating irony, he thought to himself. When she was gone, Valyrym walked the expansive confines of his prison to help dry his body. He watched what he could of the sunset, orange and red light that shone like dancing fire upon the stone floor, and gradually faded to the purple hue of an old bruise. Like all things, even that faint light eventually died, and left the dragon's home bathed only in darkness.

Just to test himself, Valyrym walked about with his eyes closed. He found he had no trouble at all walking straight to one of his favorite ledges. No real surprise given that he'd long since lost count of the years he'd spent buried beneath the castle. Somewhere, in some far, secret corner of the place, he kept a tally. Each winter, when the first snow came, he scratched another sigil into the stone to mark the passage of the seasons. It had been ages now since he'd actually dared count all the symbols he'd cut into the stone. Certainly, there were more marks there than years Alia had been alive.

Alia. He did not hate her. Strange.

There were few humans he could say that for, and long as he'd imprisoned he was sure she was the only one still drawing breath. Though the passage of the years would eventually ravage even a dragon, they took their toll far faster on humankind. Any that he had known before his entombment were either long dead or far too aged to even recall the dragon they might once have called friend. He wondered, briefly, how many other humans had thought of him that way. Then he simply banished the thought.

Alia was hardly his friend. She was his warden, his jailor. True enough, she had treated him with kindness and he was grateful for it. But he was not her friend, he was burden for her to bare. Even if a burden she bore willingly, she was still wrapped in the machinations that kept him from his freedom. Still, he mused that it would not hurt to have a warden like her for a time. He would have no hesitation to let her bathe him in such a way once again, nor to return the pleasures she brought.

But a friendly jailor was a jailor nonetheless. He wondered just how respectful she'd be if he ever tried to escape this place while she was here. If she was the only one with a weapon and a chance to stop him, would she strike him down? Surely she would. It was after all, the reason she was here. The thought made him chuckle, and he shook his head. As if he could escape this place. Not even a dragon could batter down walls of solid stone as thick and sturdy as those that bound him here. He had tried in the youth of his captivity. At the time he'd thought perhaps the section they had walled up after his arrival might be some weak point, some proverbial chink in the prison's armor. As it turned out, it was not. The only thing he'd gotten for his efforts was a broken horn and an nearly cracked skull.

Valyrym had long ago given up practical hope of escape. Though it would be untrue to he say he had given up all hope of it. Deep in his heart, Valyrym nurtured some small hope of one day flying free again, of tasting rain and feeling the sun upon his spread wings. When he occasionally allowed himself to think about it, Valyr supposed it was that hope that kept him alive. That and the simple fact that all living creatures preferred life to death. Even if there was a time he had no expectation of survival, he'd certainly had no expectation of spending the latter years of his life slowly withering away in some moldering hole beneath the earth either.

At least it was a large hole. He had room to run and ways to keep his body strong. The ceiling was high enough that he could climb to the tallest ledges and leap from them with his wings spread. He had little room to truly fly, but gliding from one end of the dungeon to the other along with a few wing beats kept the dragon's wings from atrophying too badly. Not that he truly expected to ever have a chance to fly from this cursed place.

When Alia had been gone for a while, Valyrym climbed to one of the ledges he often leapt and glided from. Gliding was not his intention tonight though. The old dragon simply wished to stare out an air vent. The night was black, with no sign of the moon whatsoever. Though his view was restricted to a rectangular box crossed with several iron bars, Valyrym could still see a few stars gleaming in the otherwise impenetrable blanket of night. He thought he could make out part of one of his favorite constellations. Dragons held their own set of star forms, but it was impossible to be sure he was looking at one thanks to the roof of some building jutting rather rudely across his view. Valyrym hissed at it as though the roof had only just materialized and hadn't actually been there as long as his imprisonment.

"Damn you, Roof!" He cursed at it as though it were some living thing taking amusement from obscuring his view of the stars. "Begone, and let me see the skies!" He grumbled under his breath a moment, and then gestured at the roof beyond the air vent with the claw that tipped a wing. "When I escape from here some day, you shall be the first I shall burn down."

That made him smile, ludicrous as it was. As if he could burn down much of anything these days, even if he did somehow make his way out of this place. Perhaps fortune would smile upon him, and a massive earthquake would strike unexpectedly and level the entire castle. It could shake down the walls of his prison and miraculously leave the dragon unharmed. To be sure, no such earthquake had ever struck the capital of Illandra, but there was a first time for everything.

Valyrym flared his wings, and leapt from the upper ledge. His wings caught the stuffy air immediately, and for a few moments Valyr simply glided. He closed his eyes, relishing the feel of air tickling and teasing the sensitive membranes of his wings. He almost allowed himself to remember what it felt like to truly fly. What it felt like to be free. But such memories were only pleasant until he remembered he would never again know such feelings, and then they just made him angry. Or sorrowful. Often both.

So Valyr folded his wings and dropped to the floor. He trotted to a stop, and turned to make his way towards one of the far chambers of his home. The dragon was planning to simply go to bed. He felt he would sleep well tonight; for the first time in quite a while he'd had an...enjoyable day. Something tickled at him though, teased at the back of his mind. He had all night to sleep, and he doubted Alia would show up at the crack of dawn with breakfast, anyway.

Instead of sleeping, Valyrym decided to add something new to his collection of carved stone. The old dragon walked to one of his favorite walls. Over the many years he'd slowly worked his way down the wall, carving into it with his claws. His intention was to carve the entire wall someday, though he was far from finished. The dragon settled down upon his haunches at the end of his progress, where the stone was not yet marked with swirling lines and shapes. Dark as it was, it was hard to make out what he'd already carved and exactly where he'd left off. Somewhere in his home, the dragon had a lantern or two some fool guard had left behind and not dared return for. But they were awkward things, with finite oil to burn. It mattered little, Valyrym knew the lines by heart. For a moment, he thought of Alia. Then he unsheathed his claws, pressed his paw to the wall, and began to carve.

---

Alia knew sleep would be fitful. After her encounter with the dragon she wandered back to the castle proper in a half daze. Along the way her contingent of guards came to greet her, and ensure that she had made it back from bathing the dragon totally unharmed. One of them asked if the dragon had actually cooperated; the idea seemed totally foreign to the men. Alia struggled to keep control of the laughter that threatened to bubble over and conquer her with a fit of sudden giggles as she simply replied that the dragon had been "quite cooperative."

After that Alia got herself a little dinner, and ate alone in the servants dining room. It was later than she'd realized and most of the other servants had already eaten and retired for the night. Others had gone on attend their night shift duties.. Most of the other servants often had steady jobs. They performed the same tasks every day, every week, every month. Only Alia and a few others among her people had wheel-spoke jobs. It was a simple term that she and a few of the others had made up for themselves. They were like the spokes of a wheel that their masters kept spinning, and each time the wheel came to a stop they found themselves facing a new job. Still, Alia had never publicly complained because it was better to have any employment at the castle than none at all.

After a simple meal comprised of leftover mutton, a few slices of hard cheese and some crusty bread, Alia decided to retire to her own quarters. She may as well have been sleepwalking for all the attention she paid to her surroundings. At one point she even bumped into one of the castle's residents, and had to bow and apologize profusely for the insult. Yet no sooner had he finally let her pass than she was lost in her thoughts again.

So deeply was she walking the roads of her mind that she inadvertently went to the wrong room. For many years she'd slept in the same small, cramped room night after night. Long enough now that the room that once seemed minuscule had eventually transitioned into cozy. A small bed that nonetheless took up so much of the room that the wooden door very nearly abutted it every time she went inside. A tiny closet with room for a few outfits, and a pair of boots or two. A small set of shelves, now almost emptied, and the room was very nearly full with scarcely any room to spare for its resident.

Alia had a new room now, and only after she'd twisted sideways to squeeze herself between the shelves and her bed did she remember that. This would only be her third night in the new room, and it was still taking some getting used to. Since she was already here, she fetched a few more of her things. She tossed a blue dress over her arm, the only piece of pretty clothing she'd bought for herself with her meager earnings. She picked up an old set of boots, as well as the well worn breeches and long sleeved tunic she'd worn while working jobs with animals and in the stables.

As she turned to leave, she realized to her horror she'd almost left behind her heirloom. Thank the Gods no one had taken it already. It was a simple thing really, but it would hold some value to anyone unscrupulous enough to steal and hawk it. It was a silver chain that held a circular blue stone pendant. As far as Alia knew it was real silver, and real sapphire, and though it would be worth more than she made in quite some time, Alia would never sell it. It was a gift from her mother, one of the few things of value she'd brought with her from their old homes.

Alia treasured it. She quickly plucked the pendant up from the shelf and put it around her neck. As she made her way back towards her new room, she kept her hand around that sapphire, gently running her fingers back and forth over its smooth cut surface. Alia still missed her mother. It was years now since she'd been gone, but Alia missed having her there to comfort her. She could always talk to her mother. Alia smiled, wondering just how much she'd have told her about the dragon.

"Yes, mother," she muttered under her breath, imagining the conversation. "A real live dragon! Well, he hasn't eaten me obviously, or I'd not be here to tell you this! Oh? Well, imagine this, I even gave him a bath! Enjoy it? Yes, as far as I could tell, he enjoyed it..."

Alia would have had to end the conversation there. There were a few things she just couldn't tell her mother. Then again, could she tell anyone at all that she'd just pleasured a dragon? Let alone that they'd taken pleasure in turn. Much as Alia would have liked to tell herself the dragon forced his tongue upon her, she knew it was not true. Somehow, she knew if she'd spoken the phrase the dragon gave her, he would have pulled his muzzle back and stopped immediately. Alia simply couldn't bring herself to speak that phrase.

Alia felt her face heating again. Her ears were going to turn permanently scarlet at this rate. Thinking back on what had happened with the dragon felt almost embarrassing now. She felt a little like some fool woman caught fondling an animal. Only no one had caught her, and Valyrym was certainly no animal. He was a thinking, feeling, speaking creature as intelligent as she herself. That made it different, didn't it?

Then what did that make it? Valyrym was a prisoner, and she was his jailor. Had she...taken advantage of her charge? Certainly not. He'd initiated the encounter, hadn't he? Though, it was her idea to bathe him, and she had started touching him first. Gods above, why couldn't she just think of things as simply as the dragon seemed to. How had he put it? They both enjoyed themselves, so why worry about it?

It sounded so simple. So delightfully simple.

By the time she made it back to her new quarters she had not exactly sorted things out, but she had decided to try and go with the flow, as the saying went. Dwelling on one particular part of the encounter would only make her job harder, and that in turn would make Valyrym's life harder. From what Alia could tell, Valyrym's life didn't need to be any harder than it already was.

There were peeks of sorrow and loneliness in those golden eyes she could scarcely begin to fathom. And as well as the dragon seemed to hide his pain she could hardly imagine the depths of the dark oceans beyond his golden gaze. He was a fascinating creature. She wondered, for a moment, if they would be friends. Were they friends now? Alia laughed at herself, shaking her head. She sounded like a little girl who'd just met a new neighbor, hoping perhaps they'd be playmates some day. Perhaps in the morning she'd ask Valyrym if he wanted to play dollies with her.

Actually, maybe she would ask him that. It would probably make him laugh. And if it didn't, the look of shocked disgust on his face would at least make Alia laugh.

Alia's new room was rather close to the entrance to Valyrym's dungeon, which was in turn close to the quarters of some of the castle's guard regiment. In all honesty Alia wasn't sure if she'd been given the same room every handler of the dragon had previous occupied or if they each had kept separate quarters. It made her a little nervous to be near some of the guards but she had to admit, it made it far easier to summon her cadre and get things done.

Alia was still growing accustomed to the idea of bossing people around. Though, after the ease with which she'd been able to put together a small group of engineers and workers to assemble the dragon's tub she was certainly starting to enjoy it. When she'd first been told of her new job she had no idea it would also include an elevation in her status throughout the castle. Never before had she had even a single servant or employee of her own. Truthfully she had little desire to have anyone permanently serving her. As soon as the workers had finished with the dragon's tub she'd sent them back to their regular jobs with her considerable thanks.

Compared to her old home, her new quarters were so nice it was difficult to accept they were really hers. She kept expecting to find some royal brat waiting in her room when she arrived, ready to spring out and proclaim, "it was all a clever prank, now get back to your work and your tiny room you silly little servant girl."

The room seemed immense. The four poster bed itself was nearly as large as the room in which she used to live. Rather than some ragged old patchwork quilt that was nearly too frayed to be warm, her new bedspread was thick and soft. It was a beautiful sky blue shade with golden threading around the edges, and silver thread woven into fanciful designs across it. The canopy above the bed shared the same coloration and design, as did the soft goose down pillows that accompanied it.

Across from the bed there was a small but lovely hearth. The fireplace was wrapped in a semicircle of granite bricks, each a slightly different shape and size than the rest. Several bronze fire pokers appropriately sculpted to resemble dragon claws lay on a rack alongside the flat stone bottom of the fireplace. Alia had never lived in a room with its own hearth before. Though she already knew it was going to be lovely when the weather turned and the air grew cold. She just hoped her personal chimney didn't channel smoke right outside some other poor servant's window.

The walls of the room were paneled in rich dark mahogany wood cut with a latticework design. Along one side of the room shelves were actually built right into the paneling A comfortable looking desk assembled from the same beautiful mahogany occupied one corner of the room, while another corner was filled with bookshelves. The room was carpeted in a lovely beige shade, the carpet thick and soft and with no sign of unsightly stains or blemishes.

When she finally arrived home Alia scarcely had the energy left to remove her boots and the rest of her clothing. Though Alia did own a nightdress she could not be bothered to put it on. After all no longer need she worry that about someone waking her in the middle of the night to demand she go clean up after some lazy royal. So Alia stripped completely nude, too worn out to do little more than drape her clothing over the wooden back of a cushioned chair.

Alia flopped into bed, crawled beneath the covers, and was almost immediately asleep. Slumber proved to be fitful early on. Stretches of slumber were interpreted as she woke, and found her head filled once more with confusion. She was still very uncertain about what she'd done with the dragon. Even if they were suddenly friends now, what did it say about her that she'd given and taken sexual pleasure from a friend on the very first day she'd met him?

Alia sighed, and rolled over onto her side. It was an uncomfortable thought. She nestled her head against the plush pillows and tried to go back to sleep. When sleep did finally claim her, she found her dreams laden with strange, unsettling images. Each time she awoke again she could remember only fragments of details. Trying to recall her dreams was like snatching at cobwebs; though she knew they'd been there when she grabbed them there was little evidence of their existence save sticky, lingering residue and uncertainty.

After waking Alia lay in bed thinking about Valyrym. She did not exactly regret her actions, and it was clear the dragon held no regret, either. She almost wondered if the beast had in fact been using her for his own pleasures. Still, it had not been his idea to let her bathe him. It was Alia's idea in the first place and in fact she'd been quite insistent upon it. If the dragon eventually saw an opportunity to use her insistence to bring himself pleasure for the first time in ages she could hardly blame him. By the time she finally fell asleep back to sleep Alia realized that it was not the dragon who truly confounded her. It was herself.

---

Alia awoke the next morning feeling better, and a much more at peace with the whole situation. She had finally gotten more than a couple hours of sleep in a row, and it seemed to have helped her mood. Also helping her mood was the fact she was going to see Valyrym again. Uncertainty aside Alia would not dispute the fact with herself that she was fascinated by the dragon. Nor would she deny it that she could not wait to see him again. No sooner had she realized she'd get to see Valyrym again than she began to smile.

She rose from her bed, and spent a few moments wandering her room in the nude. Sunlight was streaming in through the window now. The room felt a bit stuffy, so she unlocked the windows and pushed them open a little bit. Thankfully she was not on the ground floor, and her window did not face a heavily populated part of the castle or courtyard, so there was no one around to see her naked form. She'd almost forgotten she was naked in fact until the cool morning air washed across her bare skin. The sudden hardening of her nipples reminded her of the dragon, and his tongue.

Blushing, she turned away from the window to swiftly find herself some clean clothes. She had a few clean under-things to wear and had pulled some on in short order, than dug out her only other pair of breeches. Somehow, it did not feel right to act as a dragon's jailor while wearing a dress. Both pairs of breeches she'd bought to act as part of her new uniform were black, it seemed a formal enough color. In the end she decided to simply wear the same green blouse as before. It was clean enough, and frankly she had little else that felt reasonable. She'd have to make a trip into town to purchase more appropriate clothing so she'd have more clean things to wear without having to wash them so often.

Speaking of clean, it occurred to Alia that in her daze the night before, she'd not yet bathed herself. After dressing, she made that her first order of the day. It was not long before she was enjoying a hot bath with plenty of floral scented soap. The new quarters and title brought with them a new bathing chamber. It was nothing fancy, but it did have a lovely little copper tub and someone to heat and fetch hot water for her. More importantly, it was away from prying eyes. Previously she'd shared a bathing chamber with other servants, and getting it to herself was more of an occasional treat than an actual privilege of privacy.

Alia kept her bath short, and was soon dried and dressed once more. Then it was off to fetch breakfast, both for herself, and for the dragon. Alia ate a meal of sausage and fried eggs, idly wondering if Valyrym would enjoy sausage and eggs. Might he also enjoy toast with butter and jam? Perhaps a treat of fresh fruit and strong cheese, or even a slice of cake. She smiled to herself, silly beast would probably get frosting all over his nose.

"Alia?"

A voice roused her from her thoughts as she stuffed her face. She glanced up from the tin plate she'd been eating off of in the servants dining area, then smiled as she saw the rather handsome face of Thomas. She used to work with him now and then, he was one of her...well, she supposed he was a friend. A dark haired lad about her age, with a good build and fairly broad shoulders. Alia liked that he managed to look strong without looking too strong. Some of the guards now serving her were so immense and muscular it looked as though they'd grown up tossing horses around for sport. Still, good luck trying to toss Valyrym around, she thought.

"Alia?" Thomas asked again as Alia simply stared at him with a silly smile on her lips.

"Oh!" She laughed a little, and then waved to him as if she'd just spotted him. "Sorry! I was off in my own little world."

"Yes, I noticed," Thomas said with a laugh of his own before he gestured towards her plate. "You were muttering under your breath to your sausages. Something about cake frosting."

Alia reddened. Gods, she'd been doing that a lot lately. She offered the man a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"It's alright, I've hardly a monopoly on your attention. I just wanted to say hello while I saw you." He ran a calloused worker's hand back through his black hair. "Wasn't sure you'd be coming around here any more."

"Why wouldn't I?" Alia blinked, confused.

"Thought the dragon might have ate you," Thomas said, grinning wickedly.

"Oh, very funny," Alia huffed. "You're lucky I haven't gotten any extra food to throw at your face."

"You'd miss." He stuck his tongue out at her. "You always do!"

"You're a brat," Alia said, giggling. She stuck a bit of egg into her mouth, chewed it thoughtfully, and then said, "I wasn't sure anyone even knew about that."

"Word travels fast," Thomas said, folding his arms. "So do rumors though, when someone suddenly vanishes."

Alia knit her brow, and stared at her food a moment. She nudged a bite of sausage back and forth with her knife a few times. She hadn't even had a chance to tell anyone about her new position. "Sorry I haven't come to talk to you or anyone else yet. I've just been so damn busy since the moment they gave me the news. Seems you've figured it out on your own, though."

"Mhm," Thomas said with a little laugh. "Kaylen spotted you leading a whole group of guards around the other day, so we started asking around. Seems like you're pretty important all of a sudden."

"Hardly," Alia said, allowing herself a little smile. She hoped her old friends wouldn't start thinking she was looking down on them or anything just because she'd attained an elevated position. "I'm not sure having some dragon threaten to eat you really qualifies as important. I think the guards are just there to make sure if I get eaten, he doesn't try and eat anyone else, too."

"It threatened to eat you?" Thomas' eyes went wide, clearly missing the joke.

"Not on my first day," Alia said, smiling more than she really wanted to. "So, I suppose today I'd better watch out."

Thomas's face slowly grew pale, and Alia burst out laughing. "It's a joke, Thomas! Oh, and the dragon's a he, not an it."

Thomas gave a relieved sigh, and reached out to ruffle her raven-hued hair. "Must be funnier if you're there. Though, I doubt whether the dragon's a male or a female or neither really makes that much difference."

"You'd be surprised," Alia giggled, squirming away from his grasp and swatting at his hand.

"I would?"

Only then did Alia realize what she'd actually said. She quickly covered for herself best she could. "Well, yes. Since the dragon's male, should he try and eat me I know just where to aim my boot."

"Oooooh," Thomas groaned in sympathy, but laughed as well. "Good point! I should think that'd be enough to floor even a dragon. Though, I'd wager a dragon would rise with ten times the fury of a man afterwards." He folded his arms again, smirking down at her. "Speaking of which, I hear you kneed Lord Asterbury in the groin last week."

Alia giggled to herself, wiping up egg yoke with a piece of bread. "I most certainly did! Left him on the floor red-faced, and groaning too. Noble or not, no one gets to put their hands under my shirt without my permission." She ate the bread, then licked her lips clean. "Though, I can't help but think that's how I got this new...position."

"You mean you think the royals don't really like Lord Asterbury either?"

"No! I mean, as a punishment."

Thomas shrugged. "Seems like a reward to me. New clothes, more money, better living arrangements I'd wager. Oh, and you get to boss people around. Though..." He paused, grinning. "You might be murdered any day by an evil monster. So maybe you're right. Maybe all the benefits are like a last meal to a condemned man. They're treating you nicely cause they knew sooner or later he's going to kill you."

"Oh, very funny," Alia rose up to carry her plate to the sink. "I'll have you know I've got him eating out..." She hesitated a moment when she realized just how close that came to being entirely too accurate. "...of my hand."

"Watch he doesn't bite it off then."

"Valyrym wouldn't do that."

"Valy-what?" Thomas blinked, and then grinned in a way that revealed a few too many of his teeth. "Ooh, a first name basis with the dragon. Didn't think those things had names."

"Apparently they do." Alia quickly scrubbed her plate clean, glancing back at him. Perhaps it was becoming a little too clear that she'd already gotten to know the dragon better than anyone expected. Perhaps she should deflect suspicion away from the act that had helped her get to know him. Or, was she simply too fixated on it? Likely no one would even imagine what they'd actually done during the bath. "All I had to do to learn it was ask him. He's actually quite well spoken. I imagine if people actually took the time to talk to him now and then they might learn a lot more about him."

"Sounds like you're starting to get to like the damn thing." Thomas grunted. Alia said nothing, she wasn't entire sure how best to reply, so Thomas went on. "Just...be careful, alright Alia? He's down there for a reason, after all."

Alia pursed her lips, and gave a little sigh. Her dish was clean, but she hadn't moved from the sink. Thomas walked up behind her, and gently pressed a hand to her back, rubbing a little. "You're probably right. If dragons have names, then I'm sure they're smart enough not to bite the hand that feeds them, as the saying goes. Or bite it off, in this case. But that doesn't mean he won't try and manipulate the one who owns that hand."

Alia glanced over her shoulder at him, and for a moment, their gazes met. Her green eyes searched Thomas' gray ones, and she smiled at him. "Thank you, Thomas."

"You're welcome," he said softly. "But...what are you thanking me for?"

"Being there for me, I suppose...and your concern." Alia turned and brushed her hand over his a moment. "But I'll be alright."

"I know you will," Thomas said with a little smile. "But I also know once in a while you can trust a little too easily. Just remember. He's here for a reason. And he's a dragon. The whole damn world knows they're monsters. Who knows how many people he's killed." He paused, then waggled his finger. "After all, there's a reason people make a good living as dragonslayers."

Alia grit her teeth a little, gently pulling away from Thomas. "People make a good living as assassins, as well. But that doesn't mean their victims deserve to die."

"Point taken, Alia, point taken."

Alia gave him a little smile. "I need to go. I have to get his breakfast prepared."

Thomas nodded, watching her as she swiftly made her way out of the servant's dining area. "Just be careful, Alia."

---

Alia knew now that Valyrym wasn't going to hurt her. At least not without a damn good reason. So when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she left her cadre of guards outside the intricately carved doors that marked the entrance to the dragon's prison. Alia still made sure to thank the heavily armored men for their continued service and protection. After all she did not want them to mistake her lack of fear for lack of gratitude.

For Valyrym's breakfast she'd brought him another goat, as well as a platter covered in assorted mutton organ meats. Last time she fed him she noticed the dragon had eaten nearly all the goat's entrails save for the lower portions of its digestive tract. This morning the butcher had been in process of cutting apart a freshly slaughtered ram, and while the meat was already spoken for, she laid claim to all the organs she thought the dragon might enjoy. She carried them herself upon the platter, and had one of the servant boys carry the sack with the goat in it just inside the prison chamber before she sent him away.

Alia turned to watch the young man run back through the large doors. She saw him cast a wary glance at the image of the dragon in chains carved into the dark wood, and Alia couldn't help but smile and shake her head. Valyrym wasn't that big. Though the flames that wreathed him were in interesting touch. He had said something about burning down the city if he escaped, after all. She supposed that meant dragons really could breath fire. Perhaps she'd have to ask him to demonstrate.

Alia turned away from the doors and squinted, trying to spot Valyrym while her eyes adjusted to the darkness of his home. She saw no sign of him, and so she called out. "Valyrym? Val? ...Dragon? I've brought breakfast."

There was no reply, and indeed the chamber seemed empty. For a second or so, her heart froze in her chest, trickles of ice water ran down her spine. Had he escaped? Gods, they'd have her head on a pike if she somehow lost the dragon on her second day on the job. She half expected to look through an air vent and see flames shooting from the city beyond. Soon, though, common sense took over, and she remembered there was at least one more chamber she'd not yet seen.

Alia set the platter down on the stone floor next to the sack with the recently dispatched goat, and began to walk deeper into the dragon's prison. Once more she marveled at just how big the place was. Alia wondered if Val would know what the chamber had been used for prior to his imprisonment. Alia made her way towards the tub they'd spent so much time in together the day before.

The stoves had all gone cold, the fires and coals long since extinguished. Still, it wouldn't be that hard a task to get them started again if the dragon wanted another hot bath. Alia allowed herself another smile, thinking that the next time she suggested Valyr needed to be bathed, he'd probably not be so resistant to the idea. She walked a circle around the oval shaped tub, examining the walls. Given how quickly they'd been constructed she was glad to see how sturdy it turned out to be. She'd recruited the right engineers, it seemed.

Alia smiled, resting a hand atop the tub's wall. Gods, what a day. She peered down into the cool water that had refilled the basin, contemplating. It was still hard to believe just what had happened. Gods, but she'd enjoyed herself though. Part her already wanted to do that again. Alia smiled to herself a little, thinking she knew exactly which part that was. Though she'd been a little unsure earlier, she was feeling better about it now. She knew if she had a chance to do it again, she'd take it. Alia shook her head, and her dark tresses swayed as she chuckled to herself. She lifted her hand from the wooden tub wall and turned away. Now was not the time to start fantasizing about some smarmy dragon and his tongue.

Rather, now was the time to feed that smarmy dragon.

Alia made her way towards the opening she'd glimpsed before. It was at the far side of the dragon's prison, all the way across from his newly constructed tub and his source of drinking water. Between the two corners there was a lot of open space, and a lot of tall, elegant columns.

Several rows of stone pillars ran nearly the length of the chamber. Alia walked to one, and craned her neck back. The towering length of rock was at least several stories tall, and scooped, vertical grooves circled it ran all the way from the ground to the ceiling. There the top of the pillar expanded out to join the series of elegant archways that spanned the entire ceiling. There was no way they'd carved such elegant stonework for a prison. Alia was sure this place must have once been some sort of cathedral, or other important place for Illandra long before the current castle had taken on its current form. The stone was cool and smooth to the touch.

As Alia made her way from one pillar to another, she realized some of them looked different. At first she thought perhaps they had been designed by differing architects. Yet she soon realized they looked different because Valyrym had carved strange designs deeply into the stone of some pillars while others went untouched. Alia thought at first the lines she'd seen scratched into stone here and there were probably little more than Val getting angry and lashing at the stone with his claws. Perhaps the dragon was just like a cat who enjoyed shredding things his owners held dear.

Yet the more Alia inspected the carvings all around that pillar, the more she realized they were all quite deliberate. The dragon had been carving this pillar in a way she could only describe as artistic. The lines he'd cut were all different, it seemed, but very much to a purpose. There were swooping arches, long straight lines, tiny little lines and holes, and everything in between. There were even scratch marks all clustered together like some kind of artistic shading. Come to think of it, there seemed to be a lot of that. Just as there seemed to be more to the lines than simple random scratches. Yet if it was supposed to be anything other than an abstract design, Alia couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Perhaps she was looking at it too closely. Like staring at one small portion of a scenic, lakeside landscape painted on canvas, and wondering what they blue smear might possibly indicate. Maybe she should look at it the way a dragon would look at it. Then again, how would a dragon look at it? Well, he was larger than her, and his head was higher than hers even when he was sitting down. And what seemed like a long set of lines to her might be a simple, quick down stroke of the dragon's claws. Maybe she'd be better off viewing it from further back.

Alia stepped back, and scanned the entire column from top to bottom. It still looked like a jumble of lines and swoops and dots, but she kept backing away until suddenly it all clicked into her mind. There was nothing random about it at all. Each and every line the dragon carved into the stone was completely deliberate, placed exactly where the dragon wanted it. Each line, curve, dot, and scratch was part of a greater image that could only truly be understood when viewed as a whole. While the image itself was nothing shocking, it held a quiet, beautiful simplicity. It had a nearly calming effect on Alia.

Valyrym had carved a waterfall into the pillar.

Alia could not imagine how long it must have taken, or how patient the dragon must have been. If he'd carved just one line in the wrong place, or lashed out at it in anger and scratched all across the surface of the stone there would be no going back. And yet it looked perfect. When she saw the image as whole, the entire waterfall was perfectly clear.

It was a river, pouring over a cliff, cascading into an eruption of swirling water, mist and foam. She could see it as clearly as a painting. Though the only medium was gray stone, and the dragon was limited to the lines he could cut into it with his claws, the image was unmistakable. At the top of it, water ran over a series of rocky ledges before it cascaded down along the pillar. The dragon had even incorporated the column's fluting to maximize the appearance of flowing water.

The innumerable swirls and curves at the base which had confused her earlier were now a tumultuous boiling caldron. The many dots clustered together were the constantly renewed cloud of spray rising from that roiling basin. Alia stepped back even further, noticing she'd been standing on part of the carving, as well. Val had carved more lines into the floor beneath her feet. These lines gracefully curved back and forth, water that flowed outwards from the pool at the base of the falls.

Alia pressed a hand to her mouth as she stared at the image of a waterfall frozen in time. In the background, the burbling water trickling over ledges helped to add to the illusion of the scene. In a way, it was like a woodcarving, simple lines stacked atop each other until at last they formed a greater image. Simplistic in a way, yet beautiful and moving nonetheless.

It was tranquil, really. It was hard for Alia to look at it without imagining Valyrym settled upon his haunches in front of it, ever so patiently carving one line at a time. Pouring loving care into each little detail to make it perfect. She also couldn't help but imagine the dragon pacing his prison in a foul mood, eventually coming to sit down in front of "his waterfall" and staring at it until the tranquility projected by such an image began to calm him.

Alia finally pulled her eyes away from the waterfall, and glanced around the rest of the room. Gazing about, it was clear this was not the only pillar the dragon had carved so deeply. There were dozens of them covered in lines and artwork, and though Alia could not tell without getting closer to each individual pillar, she already knew each would hold a completely different image. How long had that taken? For the dragon to be properly patient with each and every line, it had to represent years of work. Maybe decades.

Far beyond the pillars, there was a long wall that looked even more deeply and elaborately carved. Even from a distance she could see the wall was still unfinished. From one end to the other, it formed almost a time line of the dragon's life buried beneath the castle. It was easy to see where he'd stopped carving most recently. For a moment, Alia thought about going to that place, to see what he'd carved last time. Then she decided against it. It seemed almost too personal, too private a thing to intrude on.

Alia gazed around once more, newly in awe of Valyrym and the place in which he was held captive. For a moment, she felt strangely guilty. As though it was her fault the dragon had been confined here for so many years. Perhaps it was just because like so many others, she'd always known in the back of her mind that Illandra held a dragon deep beneath its castle walls, and she'd never really cared. Now, though, she was starting to feel terrible about that. While she and everyone else went blissfully on about their lives, here was a creature trapped and lonely.

A creature who was ever so slowly transforming his dismal prison into a place of quiet beauty.

"What are you, Val?" She murmured to himself. She could almost imagine him saying something like, I'm a dragon you silly girl.

Alia supposed even a murderer could make things of beauty. Now, more than ever, she wanted to get to know this dragon. She wanted to know why he was here, and if he truly deserved it. Alia wasn't sure what to make of the fact that even the dragon himself didn't seem to know if he had earned his fate. That might have meant that whatever his crimes were, he truly regretted them. Or it might have meant he didn't think he'd committed any crimes at all, and a lifetime in this dismal place had slowly convinced him otherwise.

If it were Alia stuck down here, she thought she might well have gone insane by now.

Alia took a slow, deep breath. On wobbling legs she skirted the length of the chamber, averting her eyes from what were easily at a dozen more such carved pillars. If she stopped to admire each and every piece of stonework art the dragon had created she'd never find him. In truth she was a little surprised he'd not found her already. That probably meant he was hiding somewhere, ready to spring out and startle the living hell out of her as soon as she turned a corner.

Alia smiled at that, muttering to herself. "Do that, and you're going to get such a kick, Val."

Val. She was already calling him Val. Perhaps she shouldn't. Despite the intimacy of what they'd done, she scarcely knew the dragon. Yet the more the hours passed, the more she wished unravel the layers of bramble round the dragon's heart and lay bare the mysteries beneath. He seemed so fascinating, so enigmatic. Perhaps that was just his way. Maybe there was less to it than he let on, maybe he simply liked to project an aura of mystery in order to better manipulate people. Still, there seemed to be so much more to it than that.

Alia walked to the far corner where the opening to another chamber was. Along the walls near the corner were old, wooden shelves and bookcases marked with mildew. They looked ready to fall apart at any moment. Just at the corner a large archway spanning an opening in the stone large enough for a dragon to pass through. The archway itself was sharp, elegant, and shared a fluted motif with the pillars Valyrym had not yet set claw upon.

Alia passed beneath the archway and found herself in a smaller chamber than the one she had just passed through. It was immediately apparently that this was a much more private, personal chamber for the dragon, and for a moment she regretted coming in. She felt as though she'd been invited to someone's home only to waltz straight into a private bedroom when the host wasn't around. Though, in this case the host was definitely around.

Valyrym was curled at the back of the chamber, fast asleep.

Alia was surprised to see the dragon was not sleeping upon bare stone. Not that she'd expected some pile of gold or the mythical dragon's hoard. But neither had she expected to see the dragon curled atop what appeared to be a pile of blankets, bedspreads, pillows, animal hides, and furs. Where the hell had he gotten those? They looked rather well used; he must have had them for quite some time. Then again, she supposed even prisoners usually got at least a cot or blanket. But didn't dragons just sleep on the dirt or rock when they were out in the wild?

Hah! As if she knew anything about dragons aside from the fact that they were apparently horny old beasts.

Beyond the fact the dragon seemed to have himself a pile of donated or stolen bedclothes, Alia was just as surprised by everything else in the chamber. It was a far smaller area than the main section of his prison, and though it seemed rather expansive compared to her own quarters, to the dragon it might have made a rather cozy sleeping chamber. There were large, well constructed bookshelves lining several walls filled with books of all types. Other shelves had more items. Alia saw at least two different lanterns with just a cursory glance. There were boxes and crates here and there, as well. Where the hell had the shelves come from? For that matter, how had Valyrym gotten any of this stuff? Perhaps someone else used this room before they dragged the dragon down here.

Alia had the suddenly amusing yet morbid mental image of the dragon spending his first day alone in his prison, only to find some hapless servant living in the antechamber. Alia imagined that Valyrym would be quick to help himself to a new sleeping chamber and a free meal. Alia started laughing at that, though she trailed off when she remembered that not long ago she'd been a hapless servant, too. At least he didn't seem to want to eat her. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. That made her laugh even harder.

Her laughter roused the dragon, and Valyrym began to stir. He began to uncurl, rustled his wings and slowly lifted his wedge shaped head from atop the frayed lilac pillow on which it had been resting. His golden eyes opened to bleary slits and he cast his gaze around until it alighted upon Alia. She smiled and gave him a little wave. She stepped over towards him and made her way onto the pile of blankets and things. The dragon stared at her in groggy confusion a moment, and then gave a very sudden, uncharacteristic yelp.

"AAAAH!"

Alia cringed, and then glanced down at her feet. For a moment she wondered if she'd just stepped on the poor dragon's tail or something. "Are you alright?"

Valyrym pushed himself to his feet in a hurry. He stumbled a little, foggy headed and off balance. When he caught himself, he flared out his gray edged wings and looked around his chamber as if in a panic. "What...what time is it? What are you doing in here?"

"Breakfast time," Alia replied with a little laugh. "You're acting odd. I'm sorry if I'm intruding, I didn't realize I was walking into your bedroom until I was already here. Then again, I hadn't realized you had a bedroom."

Still smiling, she reached out to pat the dragon on his pebbly scaled snout. He still seemed confused, she thought he'd probably need a minute to return to his senses. Gods knew she certainly did when she was unexpected awoken in the morning. Val shifted, uncertain, and flared his wings out a bit more. Alia grinned at him.

"Nice morning stretch, eh?"

"Something like that," the dragon muttered. Then he glanced around his chambers with an odd nervousness. "Well then, lead me to my food, will you?"

"Yes, alright," Alia laughed. "Grumpy already I see."

"M'always grumpy," the dragon said, licking his nose. "Go on then, let's go."

It occurred to Alia then that he hadn't folded up his wings yet, and no sooner had she moved away from the bed than he'd quickly followed her. He shifted himself a little bit so that he covered up some of the bookshelves she'd been inspecting a moment earlier, where the lamps and things were. Realization dawned on Alia and she turned back towards him. She waved a hand at the belongings Valyrym was awkwardly trying to hide with his wings as he attempted to hurry her back out of his personal chamber.

"You're not supposed to have any of this, are you."

The dragon gave a low, frustrated growl. He was caught, and they both knew it. Slowly, he pulled his wings back against his body, and shook his head. "No. I am not."

Alia put her hands on her hips, gazing around the room. Bookshelves, books, lanterns, a jar filled with what she assumed was lamp oil, another jar filled with some sort of reddish gold liquid that looked suspiciously like rum, a strange bit of jewelry here and there, more books, a barrel of some sort. From the looks of it there might have even been an entrance to another smaller chamber hidden beyond some of the book cases. Alia clucked her tongue, and then smirked at the dragon, who looked uncharacteristically worried.

"Quite the little hoard you're assembling."

"It is hardly a hoard," Val said, his eyes on the floor beneath his paws.

"You look like a child who's mother just found him playing a toy she'd forbidden him to have."

"Feel a bit like that, actually."

Alia rubbed her chin in thought, and decided the dragon was worried and embarrassed enough for one morning. "Come along," she said, rubbing his nose a moment before she turned and made her way back into the primary chamber. "It's halfway to noon. You must be starved. I'm surprised you weren't already awake to be honest."

Valyrym slowly padded after her, glancing back at his sleeping chamber. "What are you going to do about-"

Alia cut him off. "About the fact you have personal possessions? I'm certainly not going to take them away from you, if that's what you're worried about."

"Are you not, then?" The dragon sounded far more concerned than he liked.

Alia smirked back at him over her shoulder. "You're not as good at hiding your emotions first thing in the morning, are you."

The dragon just snorted. "At least I'm not wearing the same shirt I wore yesterday."

Alia started to laugh. "That's more like it."

The dragon tossed his head, still feeling out of sorts. "Surprising me in my sleeping chamber has made it far harder for me to greet you sarcastically and act like an arrogant ass about what we did yesterday."

Alia stiffened, but only for a moment. Putting it that way actually had more effect on her than she imagined the dragon had intended. But the feeling passed soon enough. "I'm sure you'll find a way to manage."

Alia walked back towards the stairs where she'd left his food. Valyrym made one quick detour to empty his bladder, and then followed her. Alia swiftly upended the sack with the goat inside and dumped it upon the floor so that the could have his meal. The dragon eased himself down upon his belly with a little sigh, and then turned his attention to the platter with the assorted organ meats both whole and chopped upon it. He sniffed at the delicacies, and then gave a little throaty purr.

"What is this?"

"Treats," Alia giggled. "At least I hope you'll consider them treats."

"Treats?" The dragon pulled his head back, baring a few fangs as his neck curled into an S. "I am not some circus animal to be given a treat upon good behavior."

"Are you not, then?" Alia did her best to imitate his voice. She reached down to pick up the platter. "I'll take it back in that case."

The dragon gently set a paw atop the platter until Alia eased it back to the floor. "However, I will not pass up extra food. What manner of prey was this?" He sniffed at the platter a few times. "Sheep, if my nose still serves me correctly."

"It does."

"Good. I like sheep. Used to steal them from farms now and then."

Alia leaned up against the stone wall nearby, grinning. "I can't imagine there's a dragon alive who hasn't done that now and then." She assumed the dragon probably knew what each and every organ was, but she pointed them out just in case. "That's the heart, those are the kidneys. There's the lungs over there, oh, and that's chopped liver and I believe chopped spleen."

The dragon licked his muzzle, nearly drooling. He glanced up at Alia, a little smirk spreading across his snout. "For future reference, I prefer whole spleen."

"And for your future reference, I prefer it when you shut the hell up." Alia started laughing. It seemed he remembered their previous conversations as fondly as she did. "You know what, Valyrym? You find a way to surprise me every day."

The dragon was gulping down the sheep's heart. "You surprise me by getting my name right." He next stuck a claw into a single kidney, and plucked it off the platter. Then he gestured at her with it like a plump diner waving around a bit of meat on his fork. "Though, this is only the second day you have known me. I'm sure I'll cease being interesting before long."

"I'm starting to doubt that," Alia said softly, casting her emerald gaze towards the carved pillars in the distance. "You do..." She hesitated, almost unsure she should bring it up. "You do beautiful art, Valyrym."

Valyrym went still for a moment. A little trickle of sheep's blood ran down his muzzle and dripped to the stone floor beneath him. After a few beats of his massive heart, the dragon finished his mouthful of food, and licked his muzzle clean. "Thank you." He flicked his gray tipped tail, clattering the arched spines against the stone as he peered back towards one of the pillars. "It keeps me sane, at any rate."

Alia could not help but wonder how literally the dragon meant that. The dragon stared at his own art for a little while, and Alia came forward to stroke the scales of his neck. Valyrym gently arched his neck, pushing just a little into her touch. Soon, he went back to his food, but while he feasted upon first mutton entrails and then goat flesh, Alia continued to pet him. She stroked his neck, rubbed his shoulder, and when he lifted his head, she rubbed his sensitive ears.

By the end of his meal, she had Valyrym purring again. For such a rumbling noise, the dragon's purr seemed a nearly ephemeral thing. It came and went as if of its own accord. It rose and fell, often appearing in an instant and vanishing just as fast. Alia thought to tease the dragon about it, but she was afraid if she did so she might never get to hear him make that lovely, tumbling-stone sound again.

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?" Alia asked him though she really had no need. The platter she'd carried the organs on was cleaner than when she'd first fetched after the dragon had licked all the blood and juices from it.

Valyrym shrugged his wings. "I've had better."

"You scaly ass."

"I have a scaly ass."

Alia giggled, shaking her head. "I know, you seem quite fond of putting it in my face."

"Only because you seem quite fond of staring." The dragon licked at his muzzle a few times. "Shall I present it for your enjoyment now?"

"Perhaps a little later," Alia said with a smirk. She opened up the burlap bag and held it out to the dragon. "Do me a favor? Put the goat's bones in this so it's easier for me to carry them out of here?"

"Isn't that your job?"

"I'd rather not get blood all over my blouse," Alia said with a little smile. "As you were so kind to point out, this is the only shirt I have right now that's appropriate for my current position. I've got to go out later today and buy a few more."

The dragon took the sack from her, and fiddled with it a little, trying to get it open wide enough to fit the skeleton in. "I appreciate your efforts to impress with your garments," he said as he tried to cram the skeleton into the bag. It didn't immediately fit, and so he simply shoved it in harder. Bones snapped, and the bag tore. Soon a bloodied goat hoof was sticking out of the bottom of the bag, and as the skeleton settled some of the associated bones followed suit, sliding out of the hole like some white bloodied worm emerging from the earth. "But you could just as well just strut around here naked for all I care about what you humans cover yourselves with."

"Nice try," Alia said, hesitantly taking the bag back. A little blood dripped from the dead goat's exposed hoof, and Alia held the gruesome cargo at arms length. Note to self, she thought. Buy more burlap sacks. "You'd enjoy it far too much if I went around naked. I think one dragon erection a day is all I can handle."

"Oh?" Valyr asked cheerfully, lifting his horned head and grinning wickedly. "You'll handle my erection once a day? I shall quote you on that."

"Don't press your luck," Alia said, heading through the doorway to deposit the goat carcass on the other side.

The dragon did just that. "I look forward to your handling of my erection today, then."

That was such a ludicrous thing to say, especially coming from a dragon, that Alia simply couldn't help but burst out laughing. She walked back towards him as he did what he could to lick his muzzle and paws clean following his meal. To the dragon's surprise, she walked up alongside him and hugged his neck against her breast. She didn't say anything, she simply hugged him. Alia stroked the broad scales of his neck a few times before she pulled away.

"You're such a messy eater, you know. At least you got most of the blood off this time."

"Did I?" The dragon hung his head a moment. His ears drooped, and his spiny frills all sagged down in mock disappointment. "I was hoping you'd have to give me another bath."

"I'm sure you were," Alia said, patting his neck.

The dragon was quiet for a moment. "Were you not?"

That was a good question, and Alia idly stroked the black scales of his neck as she mulled it over. The previous night, Alia had been rather torn. One part of her wanted to go heat the water right now and jump right back in the tub with the dragon. Another part of her was deeply embarrassed by that same desire. Still another part of her felt she should be more like the dragon and simply take things as the enjoyable experiences they were and thinking nothing more of it.

The dragon could tell she was unsure. He cocked his wedge shaped head to the side, and then tilted it all the way over to the other side and said "If you should decide it's too against your moral values to pleasure a dragon, I should hope you'd at least bathe me again in the regular sense."

Alia turned back towards him and gently rubbed the soft area of his gray-tinted nose. Truth was, Alia was increasingly sure she'd be alright with sharing pleasure with the dragon again. Though, no need to let him know just yet. "I can certainly do that."

"Good," the dragon said, grinning. "Loathe as I am to admit it, that was perhaps the most relaxed I have ever been since I set foot in this gloomy place."

That made Alia smile as well. "I'm glad to hear it."

And then the dragon had to go and spoil the moment. "But if you shan't like to pleasure me again, at least teach me how to operate the stoves. I should think hot water would make masturbation far more enjoyable."

Valyrym's dirty remark caught Alia so off guard there was nothing she could do but laugh, and laugh. Though he might have meant it to irk her, it instead seemed just about the funniest thing she could imagine. Alia suddenly had the clear mental image of Valyrym attempting to mount one of the hot water pipes. She imagined him thrusting into one of the water outlets, only to get himself stuck inside. What an embarrassment that would be. The more she thought about it, the more she laughed and soon, an entire conversation was playing out in her head.

Hello, guards? Yes, I need your help again. Well, you see the dragon's gone and got his penis stuck in one of the hot water pipes, so we're going to have to dissemble it to get him out of there. What do you mean you don't want to help? It's not like you've never seen a dragon's penis before. Oh, you haven't? Just me then. Right.

Alia ended up laughing so hard she had to sit down on the ground before just to avoid toppling over. She put one hand against the stone floor and leaned onto it, clutching her aching ribs with the other hand. By now Valyrym was starting to laugh too, even though he hadn't thought it had been that funny a line.

"You'd! You'd get it..." Alia tried to explain what she was laughing through tears of mirth. "Stuck! In the pipe!"

Valyrym pulled his head back and lashed his tail spines indignantly. "I wasn't going to stick it in the pipe!"

Somehow, Valyrym arguing about exactly how he'd masturbate with hot water only made the whole thing even funnier to Alia. She finally gave up trying to do anything more than simply rolling on the floor, clutching her aching ribs. The dragon's protests only caused Alia to imagine the wide-eyed, shocked look upon the dragon's face when he was suddenly caught with his penis in the pipe.

By the time Alia had stopped laughing and sat up again, she'd dirtied and wrinkled up her green blouse quite a bit. Wiping tears from her eyes, she smiled up at the dragon who was still a little bit confused just why she thought that was so funny. At least her stuttering attempt at an explanation had given him a slightly better idea.

Slowly, Alia rose to her feet. "Oh, Valyrym, I needed that."

"I'm glad you're so able to amuse yourself." The dragon snorted, trying to stop himself from smiling along with her.

"Oh, but it was you who amused me, my dear Dragon."

"Was trying to amuse myself, actually, but if I..."

Valyrym's words were cut off when for the second time that morning, Alia gave the dragon a hug. This time wrapped both arms around him and pulled his head directly against her chest. She stroked the back of his spined neck a little bit till any further protests he might have had were soothed away. For a few moments, the dragon simply enjoyed her warmth, and the comfort of her touch. Though while he had the chance made a point to nuzzle himself against her shirt and face to smear her with a hint of dried goat's blood.

"There," he smirked. "Now you need a bath as well."

Alia glanced down at herself, wiping at her shirt. "You're terrible. I'm starting to think you're just down here for being such a scaly old bastard. Though considering I just picked myself up off the floor after that fit of the giggles, you've hardly done more than I've already done to myself.."

The dragon drummed claws against the floor. "That was not so much a fit of giggles as it was a seizure of laughter. I still do not quite know what you found so funny."

Alia shrugged, and lay her head atop the dragons head. For a moment, she simply stroked him between his horns. Though he wanted to fight it, Valyrym instead found himself nuzzling against her hand a little. "Sometimes people just need to laugh, Dragon. Thank you, though. I'm feeling a lot better now than I was before."

"You regretted our actions, then?" Val turned his head to regard her with a single eye without pulling away from her hand.

Alia scratched at his scales a little harder, shaking her head. "Not exactly. I certainly enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself a lot to be totally honest. Though, I did spend a good part of the night laying awake, trying to sort through my thoughts." She paused a little, scratching around the dragon's horns. When She supposed she'd kept the dragon in suspense long enough. "I think I'm over that now, though. We both enjoyed ourselves, and that's that."

"Good. I am glad to hear it. And not just because it means I may get another such bath." Valyrym tilted his head back to give her hand a slow, tender lick. "I am loathe to say this, but you have a kind heart. You deserve not pain over something as simple as mutual pleasure. If it makes you feel any better..."

The dragon trailed off a little bit, and Alia tried to fill in the blanks for him. "You were left confused, too?"

"I was going to say I was also up late." There was more to it that that, though, and Alia could see it flicker in his eyes. Only for a moment, like the rest of his emotions save perhaps lust the dragon kept his uncertainties carefully hidden away. They shone only briefly in his eyes, flickering across the golden eyes like little shooting stars of pain and fear. When they flared to life they were brilliant and bright yet gone in an instant. "So, what do you plan to do with your day, now that you have fed your prisoner?"

Alia was willing to let the dragon change the subject. The last thing she wanted to do now was start pushing him for more than he was ready to give her. She had the feeling he was the sort of creature who would react to that pressure by shutting down completely. Try and get him to open his heart to her too swiftly and instead he'd close it off forever.

"I've quite few things to do, actually," she said. Alia patted his head and then pulled back from him a little. "Mountains of paperwork for one. You'd be shocked how many papers there are to read and sign simply for taking charge of a dragon."

"I don't suppose they have a "Discharge Immediately" stamp handy, do they?"

"I haven't seen one," Alia giggled. "But I'll be sure to look. As I mentioned earlier, I've also got to go shopping for more clothing when I have a chance, now that I've a bit of money to spend. Some errands to run for the warden's office, royals to inform of your condition, farmers and meat suppliers to meet with. If I get a chance I'm also thinking about trying to clean out that office a little bit."

"What office?" The dragon cocked his head.

"There's an office, just beyond the doorway." Alia went to the carved doors, opened them up, and then pointed to the smaller doors with the chipped blue paint just down the hall. "You see? I think that used to be used as an office for your previous Handlers. Though, from the looks of things it's been quite some time since anyone actually occupied it."

"Ah," the dragon snorted, peering down the hall without rising from the floor. "That old place. Yes, they used to always have someone in there. Been...a few years, at least. The last handler was not too bad, he never really had me beaten or anything. Though that may have been because he was the sort who didn't want anything to do with me aside from the bare minimum."

Alia pursed her lips. She didn't like the sound of a handler like that, even if the dragon sounded as if he hadn't minded. "I certainly don't plan to do the bare minimum."

"Yes, I've already noticed that." Val let a smug grin slide across his muzzle. "You're more of a hands-on type Warden."

Alia giggled, blushing madly at the same time. "I'd wager I'm the only warden that's ever gotten that hands-on with you"

"You are," the dragon said, nodding. "And given the way most of them have looked, thank the gods for that." That only made Alia laugh even harder, though it didn't do anything to ease her blush. Especially when the dragon made a point to look her over, and say "You though, Handler. You can handle me any time you want."

Alia was still giggling, and she swatted him upon the nose. It was just a playful swat though, and Val only gave a soft yelp. "You're horrible. I'd never have guessed a dragon could be so playful and so openly lecherous with a human woman."

The dragon flared his spines a bit, waving a paw. "There was a time I'd not have believed a human woman would reply to such advances in such a playful manner of her own."

"It sounds as though I'm not the first."

The dragon's jaw tightened a moment. He flicked his tongue over his nose and glanced away. "You are not."

Alia kept her thoughts to herself. She just rubbed the dragon's neck. "Well. I should go see to my tasks. I'll be back a little later, alright? If you want, you can stick your head through the door and keep me company while I start working on cleaning up that office."

Valyrym smiled to himself. "I would like that."

"As would I," Alia said. Unlike the dragon she did not attempt to hide her smile. She playfully bowed. "I shall bid you farewell for now."

"Very well, Warden." The dragon slowly eased himself to his feet, and then playfully butted his head against her.

Alia had to fight to avoid stumbling. The dragon had barely pushed against her and he still almost knocked her over. He began to turn, and this time she remembered his tail. When he tried to smack her with it, she swiftly ducked it, then darted up behind him and playfully swatted the back of the dragon's testicles. Valyrym gave a very sharp yelp, flaring his spines. She'd startled him more than caused him pain, but the message was there. The orbs jostled a little, and Valyr reached back to cup them in his paw

"Oooooooh," he groaned, making entirely too big a deal of it.

"Oh hush, you big baby. I barely touched them."

The dragon set his paw back down, walked slightly downrange of further retaliation, and then flicked his tail spines towards her feet. "I thought perhaps if I made you feel guilty, you'd wish to soothe them for me."

"Be a good boy while I'm gone..." Alia said, "And perhaps I shall."

---

Though Alia would have enjoyed spending much more time with the dragon, she found she would have to wait. She ended up busier than she would have liked, and it seemed for each task she completed she was given two new ones. She began to feel as though the reason no one else had wanted this job was not the dragon himself, but rather all the busy work that came with caring for him. She made every attempt she could to see Valyrym as often as possible, yet over the next few days found herself restricted mostly to the time she could spare for each meal.

Over the following days, Alia found herself frequently walking the streets of Illandra to complete those various new tasks. As it turned out, the castle butcher did not appreciate having to relegate a large portion of his daily meat supply to some old dragon. It seemed the dragon's previous Wardens had contracts with various butchers throughout the city in order to supply the dragon's meals. Given that the last contract was nullified upon the death of the previous handler, negotiating a new contract became one of her first tasks.

As Alia wandered the streets, she found her thoughts turning more and more to Valyrym. Each day, those thoughts seemed just a little more pleasant. Though seeing him for only a short time each day did not give them too much time to get to know each better, it still seemed to strengthen their bond. On one occasion, Alia even caught the dragon smiling to himself when he saw her walking into his prison.

Alia decided that if she could not spend as much time with the beast as she wished, she could at least bring him little treasures from her trips into town. On the first day, she stopped by a food vendor's stall selling lovely lamb dumplings. She bought a few dozen, bundled them up into her old pack, and brought them down to the dragon with his next meal. At first he seemed dubious, asking why humans felt the need to incase something as delicious as lamb in any sort of crust. His doubts melted away upon the first bite and it was all he could do to keep himself from devouring the bag she'd brought them in, as well.

The next day, Alia purchased an adorable little stuffed dragon. The heat of summer was settling in, and with its warm breezes came the annual festival celebrating Valyrym's capture. Given how she had come to know him, the festival seemed spectacularly morbid. Alia pledged to herself to spend the day keeping Val company. Still, with the advent of the festival came the many shops and venders hawking related goods, most of which were marketed towards children. Alia found it an odd irony that shops would sell a child a fragile framework dragon for the express purpose of celebrating its demise, yet also sell them a stuffed toy dragon they'd no doubt cherish.

Alia searched several shops and stalls for a stuffed dragon that closely resembled Valyrym. It proved a challenge as most of the toys were dyed green, or red. Finally, though, she found one dyed a nice black color. It even had little horns, though the toy's horns were curled forward like some demonic ram. The shocked, horrified look on the dragon's face when she presented him the stuffed toy was bested only by the look of disgust when she told him she'd named the little thing "Val Junior."

"Why on earth should I want a tiny, plush facsimile when I already have my superior, full sized self?" Valyrym growled and snapped his jaws if to ward off the tiny thing when she first presented it to him.

"Aww, you're going to hurt Val Junior's feelings," Alia giggled, rubbing the soft toy against his nose. "Now you'll never be alone with Val Junior around!"

"You and Val Jun-" He caught himself. He wouldn't use its name. "You and that thing can both kiss my stones!"

Valyrym stalked off after that, and Alia only smirked. She waited for the perfect moment, and then hurled the stuffed toy at the dragon's rump. It caught the old dragon directly in the testicles, and Valyrym gave a startled, awkward yelp. Soft as it was it didn't really hurt the dragon, though he did flop onto his haunches. He groaned a little, and swatted the toy, sending it flying across the room.

However, just the very next morning she spotted a little, ram's horn decorated head peeking out from beneath one of the blankets that made up Val's bed. The sight warmed her greatly, though when she pointed it out to Valyrym, he did his best to brush it off. He simply informed her that it was soft, and soft things made up his bed. Then he promptly tossed a blanket over Val Junior and stomped out of his sleeping chamber.

Finally, after days so filled with menial tasks they seemed like years, Alia had an entire afternoon and evening to herself. She intended to spend it with Valyrym. First, though, she was going to finally take the time to buy herself some new clothing. After that she'd get the dragon another treat, too. This time she wanted to bring him cake. She'd had the idea in her head ever since she'd first imagined him getting the frosting all over his nose.

With plenty of time to spare, Alia took her time and enjoyed her walk through Illandra. Alia'd exchanged her dirty green blouse and black breeches for a pale blue sundress, touched here and there by darker blue spirals like indigo blossoms scattered across the fabric. It was a fairly loose, comfortable dress in a single piece, with straps that went across her shoulders and a slightly low cut. Just enough to show off a bit of cleavage, as Alia was not afraid to let a man's eyes wander if it meant saving a coin or two. The dress's skirt came down to near her ankles, and she wore a simple pair of sandals made from braided cloth. She wore a long knife, belted around her hips. It might look a little odd over the top of a dress, but Alia simply didn't care. She'd done her black hair up in a few matching blue ribbons, and the pony tail swung to and fro behind her back as she walked as if it was feeling as carefree as she currently was.

Though the city was far older even than Valyrym, Alia was often surprised by how well maintained it was. The main streets always seemed freshly cobbled and the multi-story stone buildings had their facades swiftly repaired any time they began to crumble. Even the wooden walkways that spanned the upper levels of some of the buildings were attended to several times a year. Each time Alia visited the city a new set of colorful banners seemed strung above the roads.

She supposed it helped that the royals were willing to pump plenty of coin back into the city to keep it in top shape. No one enjoyed paying taxes, but the knowledge that the coin actually funded the city's constant upkeep helped soften the yearly blow. Then again, Alia wondered if those in the countryside felt the same way about it, as it was far less likely they saw much of that money returned to fix their own vales and hamlets.

Alia paused in front of a shop she know she'd not be allowed in, peering through the windows anyway. She imagined the many smaller realms Illandra had bullied and annexed over the years felt differently about the heavy taxes as well. After all they'd been imposed by force rather than citizenship. While Illandra was hardly the largest country in the world, they did possess a very capable military often used to milk all the wealth from their neighbors that they could.

And if those neighbors should rebel, or should they live upon a land filled with resources but lack the proper means to defend themselves? Alia sighed, and ran a hand over the black hair she'd tied behind her head. At least most of Illandra's neighbors still had a homeland of their own. Alia turned away from the shop, and pushed such unpleasantness aside. Today was a day to enjoy herself, not linger on the past of a people she barely knew.

While Alia knew there were plenty of shops who would not want her inside, she also knew there was at least one that would welcome her. She knew the perfect place to buy new clothing, and restore her good mood. Along the way she enjoyed the way the air was filled with so many delightful scents. The smells ranged from roasting meats and exotic fruits near the market stalls, to ale and wine spilling out from a lively tavern. The calls of hawkers and the laughter of friends provided a busy but pleasant soundtrack to her little journey.

Alia had no trouble finding the funny looking little shop she'd always enjoyed visiting. While many of the buildings around it were tall and built of stone, the old tailor's shop was set inside a small wooden house. Murals on either side depicted groups of friends in fine clothing. Alia had always liked it because the building's colorful people looked so friendly compared to the cold stone all around it.

Alia was pleased to find the shopkeeper not only remembered her but wrapped her up in a big hug as soon as she entered. He was an older man and what had once been heavy muscle was now simply a heavy belly. He had less hair than the last time she'd seen him and what was left was a few shades grayer. Alia had always liked the old man and was heartened to see he remained in good health and as jovial as ever. From the moment she'd first met him he'd never once looked down on her for what she was. That was not something she could say of many people.

Yet she already knew she could say that of Valyrym.

Alia told the old shopkeeper about the dragon as she browsed his wares. By the time she'd picked out a few new garments and a lovely black and gray bag that reminded her of Valyrym, the old man knew nearly everything she did about the dragon. She left out only the details of the sexual encounter, yet she somehow felt he'd not judge her even for that. The old tailor seemed quite impressed and by the time she'd made her way out of his shop he had taken to calling her the Dragon Tamer.

Finally it was time to buy the dragon's cake. She knew it was a foolish thought, but she could not help imagining herself sharing slices of cake over tea with the dragon. He'd probably laugh to no end if she ever divulged such an idea, but that didn't keep her from enjoying it. Alia knew the perfect bakery to visit. It was always inexpensive, always delicious and while not as friendly as the shop she'd just visited, the bakers were nonetheless happy to sell to anyone with coin. Alia had already spent more time in town than she'd intended. After quickly stopping for another dozen lamb dumplings to share with Val, she headed through an alleyway to take a short cut to the bakery. After growing up in one of the more squalid districts of Illandra, Alia knew the alleyways as well as any road.

In the way of children Alia had no understanding of poverty growing up. In the same way she'd had no idea just how hard her mother had worked, or how deeply she had to swallow her pride just to ensure Alia remained fed. Though Alia had not been born in this land, she'd grown up in it. Her mother had not, and things had been ever harder on her mother than they were on Alia. To this day, Alia could not imagine the pain of being forced to struggle for work in the very city that had forced you from your home. Alia dearly wished her mother was still alive, she could not help but think she'd have enjoyed meeting Valyrym.

Though, even more than that, she'd have loved to see that Alia somehow beat the odds and had begun to ascend above poverty. She had her own large room, she had more money to spend than ever, and unless the royals suddenly realized they'd made a grave mistake and given the job to the wrong person, a very interesting and oddly fulfilling career just beginning. Alia could almost hear her mother's voice.

Alia, my Love, she'd say. The dread sky has finally begun to lift.

The dread sky. It was an old saying from home, as far as Alia knew. She'd only ever heard her mother use it, and a few other people from their old homeland. She'd always imagined it referring to heavy storms rolling in, or some great ominous omen hidden in the sunset. She'd certainly heard her mother use it a few times referring to such things. Alia rather liked it, it had a poetic sound to it. She wasn't sure it made any sense, but she liked it nonetheless.

Alia cut from one increasingly grimy alley to another. Soon she had left the wealthier districts, and the buildings on either side of the narrow alleyways were no longer constructed from stone. Merely wood now, some of them older and in worse shape than others. Moss and mildew fought for dominance along walls and under the edges of sagging rooftops. Muddy puddles lined the alleyway here and there along with the smells of moldering garbage and urine. It had been long enough now Alia had almost forgotten how unpleasant some parts of the city could be. If anything, the neighborhood the old bakery was in seemed to have gotten even worse.

Glancing down a side alley, Alia saw a few huddled figures whispering in the shadows. Her belly tightened a little, and she picked up her pace. Her heart picked up its pace, as well. Alia knew well enough how to take care of herself. She was good with her knee, as Lord Asterbury could attend. She was also skilled with her hands, and with a blade. After all, growing up on the streets had a way of teaching a girl to defend herself. Later in life she'd also had a few more formal lessons. Yet being able to defend herself did not mean she wanted to be forced to do so. Alia was happy when they figures seemed to have no intention of following her. Soon, she could smell the lovely scents of fresh baked breads, meat pies, tarts, and sweet cakes and was thankful that the aromas were beginning to overpower the more putrid scents from the alleyway.

As she rounded the corner to the side street the bakery sat upon, she happened to glance down an intersecting alleyway that ran behind it. There she saw three hooded, grimy figures apparently examining the back door. From the looks of things, they were probably planning to break in. Alia had no way of knowing if they were so bold as to do so while the bakers were in there or if they meant to come back later, but she'd be damned if she'd let them rob the place.

Without taking time to properly consider her actions, she strode down the alleyway, calling out. "Hey! What do you think you're doing! Get away from there."

The three figures immediately straightened up. They glanced towards her and yelled something out in a strange language. A fourth figure suddenly emerged from where he'd been poking around the trash dumpster outside the bakery, and together three of them took off running.

"Get back here," Alia said, a little growl in her voice.

Alia moved down the alley. As the figures ran, Alia realized they were not men. Given the fact that they seemed to have tails, and fur upon their hands, it was clear they were not even human. They were Urd'thin. While humans were the primary race capable of thought and speech to dwell in Illandra, there were a few others as well. Elsewhere in the world, they were tribes of barbarians that somewhat resembled creatures such as foxes, wolves and coyotes, though Alia had scarcely set eyes upon such beings.

The Urd'thin, though, she had seen before. A race of thieves and trouble makers, and a dangerous race at that. They were never wanted in the city, and they were never welcome. Yet, just like rodents, try as Illandra might to eliminate or drive out the lingering populations of the small, wicked little humanoids, they lingered in perpetuity. Always finding some hiding place to wait until it seemed safe to creep back out into the city again.

Urd'thin were fairly short, rarely attaining five feet in height, and to call them lean on average would probably be overstating their general build. Alia found them to be somewhat dog-like in appearance, with a dark fur and a somewhat canine-ish snout filled with sharp teeth. They had large ears, and some of them seemed to have tiny little horns, as well. They often walked with a somewhat stooped posture, and even their legs seemed to hold the shape and structure of the hind leg of an animal.

In Alia's experience, they were usually nasty little things who'd never in their life heard of a bath. She'd only dealt with them a handful of times, really, and they seemed a unpredictable sort. Just as quick to flee as they were to strike out. Case in point, while three of the Urd'thin she'd startled sprinted down the alleyway, the fourth stood his ground and gave a threatening growl.

Alia took another step towards him. She was taller than the creature, and fairly certain she could handle one little beastie if she had to. She waved her hand. "Go on, shoo! And don't come back here. You've no right to steal other people's hard earned gains!"

Down the alleyway, the Urd'thin who'd been snooping about the dumpster dropped something. He skidded to a sudden halt, chattering to his kin, and ran back towards it. As he scooped it up off the ground, Alia realized it was little more than moldy bread. In his other hand he clutched a half eaten meat pie to his chest as though it were a treasure he'd been seeking all his life. He snatched the fallen bread and darted off after the others.

"You're only hungry," Alia muttered. Now she was torn. She was glad she'd stopped them from robbing the place, but, if they were so hungry as to be stealing from a dumpster she felt a little sorry for them. Really, though, they should just buy...she caught herself when she realized how foolish that sounded. Where were they going to get money, and who was going to sell to them, anyway?

Her moment of hesitation was all the Urd'thin in front of her needed to draw a knife with a grimy yet sharp blade. He advanced upon the woman, waving it at her in a furred hand. "You give money now!"

His broken mastery of the common tongue did little to help Alia's hesitation. Yet the knife told her she'd better spend more time worrying about her own well being than that of some little thief-beast. Without taking off her pack, Alia twined her fingers round the hilt of her own blade, and eased it about an inch from its sheath. The smaller creature's dark eyes flicked to it, uncertain.

"Put that knife away," Alia said, keeping her voice steady. She was thankful the Urd'thin could not see into her chest. The near-painful pounding of her heart would give away the fact that fear was gripping her in a cold vice. She'd never had to kill anything that could speak before, and she didn't want to start now. Though if this creature tried to stab her, she would not hesitate to take his life. "You don't want me to hurt you, do you?"

The creature clacked his sharp teeth, and gave an almost feline sounding hiss. He wore a ragged, dirty leather jerkin, and a small pair of ill fitting pants with more than a few holes in which dark brown fur poked through. His tail looked matted and unkempt, waving nervously behind him. Mismatching boots barely covered his oddly shaped feet. Alia realized they were probably just stolen, they probably hurt his feet because they weren't designed for anything but men.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Alia phrased it as a question as an idea clicked in her mind. Perhaps food could tempt him to sheath his blade.

The creature blinked, waved his knife, and took a step towards her, growling. "You...you give money. Now!"

She settled her knife back in its sheath, and folded her arms across her chest, just beneath her breasts. "No. I've no money for you, but if you put away that knife I'll give you something to eat."

The creature hesitated, and then hissed again as if he did not believe her. This time when he stepped towards her Alia reacted and lashed out in an instant. It was a dangerous idea but she didn't want to have to kill the thing. Though she'd learned the move a long time ago, and tried to practice it now and then, she'd never actually had to disarm anyone. Until now. Faster than the Urd'thin could react, she snatched his wrist in her grasp. There was a nerve there, at least among men, and she could only hope the same held true of other creatures who walked upon two legs. She twisted the creature's wrist around swiftly and sharply, digging her fingers into the pressure point.

The Urd'thin yowled in surprise and pain, and before he realized what was happening she had twisted the knife cleanly out of his grasp and left his wrist aching madly. Though before Alia had time to rejoice that her plan had in fact worked without either of them getting cut, she realized the Urd'thin was already drawing a second knife from his belt. Damn, the little bastards were fast. Time for the infamous Plan B.

Before the Urd'thin had completely drawn the blade, Alia slammed her sandaled foot between the creature's legs with all the strength she could muster. For a moment she found herself hoping that Urd'thin actually kept their testicles in the same place as men. It was immediately clear that they did. The creature's dark eyes popped out of their sockets and his short little muzzle flew open, tongue protruding. With an anguished yowl, he dropped to his knees in an instant, clutching his groin.

"URRRRRAAAAAAHHHH!" The furred creature half groaned, half yowled his pain. "Tek Natta, Tek naaaatta!"

As the little beast flopped over onto his side, writhing, Alia could only imagine that must have meant, my balls, my baaaalls! Alia dropped down just as quickly as the Urd'thin had, planting one knee against his chest to pin him to his back. She pulled his hood back and exposed the dirty, matted brown fur of his head and face. He flattened large ears back against his skull in pain, gasping. Little horns sprouted just between his ears.

When he saw his own blade still clutched in Alia's hand, eyes already wet with pain shone ever brighter in fear. The creature's eyes were very dark, almost like those of a horse, with just a hint of an iris. He slowly pulled a hand away from his crotch to hold trembling fingers up in front of his face as if to offer surrender. Perhaps he thought she was going to cut his throat now.

"Please," the creature whined, voice rough with fear and pain. "No kill!"

For just a moment, Alia had felt a sense of smug accomplishment. Not only had she just fended off a mugger, but she'd successfully disarmed and captured a vicious little Urd'thin. Now, all she had to do was turn him in to the proper authorities, where they'd...they...well, they'd probably hang him. There wasn't much tolerance for Urd'thin throughout the city, and there might even have been a standing bounty on those who made themselves into a danger to the city's residence.

Her smugness quickly turned to pity as the creature trembled under her, begging for his life as he lay awash in pain and fear. And she couldn't forgot that the others had just been scrounging for scraps in a dumpster. Yes, this one had tried to rob her, but for all she knew he might have been covering for his friends escape, too. Or, just made a bad decision, thinking he could get a few easy coins. She wasn't going to take his life for that, and she wasn't going to turn him over to the authorities, either, not if they'd just put him to death.

Alia leaned forward, still kneeling on his chest so he couldn't get up. "I'm not going to kill you."

"No kill?" This time it was a question, not an plea.

"No kill," she said back. "You're just...hungry." Her voice softened a little bit. "I was hungry once, too. I know what that's like." She tossed his blade away, out of reach. "If I give you some food, will you promise not to break into anything else, and not to try and rob anyone?"

"Food?" The urd'thin lifted his canine-ish head away from the ground, confusion swirling in his eyes as he blinked away tears of pain.

"Yes, food," Alia said. She wasn't sure just how much the creature understood, and she hoped she was doing the right thing just letting him go. If he ended up harming someone because she didn't have the guts to finish him off or turn him over to those who would, she'd never forgive herself. But it was worth a try anyway. "Promise me you'll never try and rob someone again, and I'll even try to bring you more food the next time I'm in town, if I see you in the area. You understand?"

"Yes," the creature replied, hesitant. "...Promise?"

"Say it all, then."

"Promise not rob, if give food."

"Good." It seemed the creature was a little smarter than his command her language might indicate. "If I find out you've been robbing people, I'll come after you myself, and finish what I started." She rose up, and then gave the creature's groin a firm pat for emphasis. "With these."

"Urrrg!" The creature groaned, curling again as she got off of him. With any luck he'd be just as afraid of what might happen to his parts as he would be fearful for his own life. She just wanted to keep him from trying this again.

Alia stood, and quickly pulled her pack around. She opened it up, unwrapped some of the lamb dumplings, and set a few of them down the ground nearby. The urd'thin's eyes lit up when he spotted them. He rolled over onto all fours, whining a little in lingering pain, and began to crawl towards the food. Alia put the rest of them away and repositioned her black and gray pack against her back.

"Remember." She held a finger up as if scolding a child. "No Robbing! I know life is hard..." She stepped back so the creature could get to the food, and watched as he picked one up. His furred fingers were tipped with tiny, dull claws. He sniffed at the dumpling and then quickly began devouring the thing. "But life is hard for everyone. Making it harder by stealing from others is no way to make your own life better."

The urd'thin glanced up at her as if trying to understand what she meant. Then he quickly snatched up the other dumplings, and held them possessively to his chest as he scurried away. It made Alia laugh, he seemed to think she was going to take them away from him. It was almost sad, really. Still, as Alia made her way out of the alley she could not help smiling. She felt as though she'd done a good deed, done something kind for a creature no on else would have given a second thought. She'd have to tell Valyrym about it. No doubt he'd tease her and call her a softie, but given his own situation she imagined he might secretly approve.

After leaving the alleyway Alia finally made it into the bakery. They were nearly closed for the day, but she was happy to find they did have a chocolate cake not yet sold. She paid for it, tipped well, and warned them to ensure their locks were in good condition as she'd seen some shadowy figures about. She decided against mentioning the urd'thin specifically. She was afraid if she did the guards would be called out to exterminate them. But it was only right she at least warn the bakery someone might be thinking about breaking in.

With her cake in tow and a pack full of new clothing, Alia returned to the castle. She found herself smiling nearly the entire way. Alia decided she'd like to show off her dress for Val. So once she got to the castle she headed straight for the stairs to Valyrym's cell. She greeted some of the guards when she fetched a lantern to light the way with, but told them that she wouldn't need their assistance at the moment. She did tell them she might be back for some help getting dinner later, as she doubted even sizable dumplings and chocolate cake would be enough to fill a dragon's belly.

As she descended the stairs Alia held the lantern in one hand, and the cake in the other. She hadn't put it in her pack for fear of it getting smashed during her travels. Late as it was getting, Alia knew she sto;; wouldn't have time to get started on cleaning that office. That was alright, there was always next time. Besides, she had not only treats for Valyrym but tales to tell him as well. Not that she knew if the dragon would be the least bit interested in the details of her encounter with the urd'thin. Still, the idea of sitting in his bed chamber, spinning a tale of her minor heroics for the dragon over slices of chocolate cake had her smiling and humming to herself all the way down.

And then she saw the blood.

It was splattered everywhere at the end of the hallway, just before Valyrym's doors.

The cake crashed to the ground in an instant. Alia would have dropped the lantern as well if she hadn't been frantically thrusting it around the doorway trying to see just how much blood had been spilled. Orange light glistened against still-wet crimson stains upon the stone floor. Here and there, a few splatters of blood marked the walls near the intricately carved doors as well. There was no one else down there as far as she could tell, but a trail of fat, splattered droplets ran back into Valyrym's chamber.

Now Alia's heart was truly racing. Even when the urd'thin pulled the knife her heart had not pounded this hard. Oh, Gods, what happened? Had someone hurt Valyrym? Had he killed someone? Had they killed him? That thought was the most terrifying of all. Alia instantly cursed herself, why hadn't she stayed with him? Why hadn't she been here to protect him? This time, she didn't even try convince herself she only wanted to protect the dragon because it was her job. The dragon was her friend.

"Valyrym!" She screamed, calling out to him as she ran into his lair. "Valyrym!"

Alia swiftly drew her knife with her free hand when the dragon did not reply. She half expected to find a group of guards in the place, beating the poor dragon half to death. Truthfully, she had no idea what she would do if she found them doing such a thing. While she might be well trained enough to take down an Urd'thin she knew she'd never stand a chance against an entire group of armored and highly trained guards. But she couldn't just let them beat Valyrym, no matter what he might have done to anger them. The way Alia increasingly saw it, this was Val's home. Yes, he was a prisoner, and he may have once done terrible things. But just as she felt a jailor had no right to go into an inmates cell and beat him for no reason, so too did she feel the guards here had no right to waltz into the dragon's home and torture him.

"Valyrym!" Alia called out again. She waved the lantern around, seeking out splotches of crimson. She spotted a few more a short ways off, and began to follow the trail. There was too much of it for a man to have shed and that worried her more. The trail of glistening scarlet ran between several of the pillars Valyrym had carved, and eventually under the archway that lead to his sleeping chamber.

Alia did not even realize she'd ran nearly the entire way across his prison until she came to a stop beneath the arch, breathless. She was almost afraid of what she might find within his chamber. What if they'd cut his throat, and he'd only just managed to make his way to the closest thing he had left to a home before he collapsed and expired?

"Oh, Gods," she whispered to herself. "Please let him be alright." She held the lantern up a little higher, but could not bring herself to follow its light with her gaze. "Valyrym?"

There was a muffled reply from inside, and Alia couldn't quite make it out. Still, it was clearly Valyrym's voice, and that allowed at least a sliver of relief to build inside her. She was thankful for that. She felt as though the fear was a chocking black fume filling her lungs. It was hard to breath, she could almost feel a physical pressure on her ribs. If any more fear filled her she might burst in a toxic black cloud.

Alia rounded the corner, and found Valyrym seated on his haunches atop his bedding. He was hunched over, and had a blood soaked animal fur pressed to the end of his snout, obscuring half his face. From the looks of it, someone had done a number on him. A few more thin gashes lined his neck, with another on his shoulder. Blood still trickled down black scales. Clearly his nose was injured worst as it was the only one he was actively tending.

Valyrym looked up at her, and it was immediately clear he had hoped she wouldn't see him like this. Gone was the wall that protected his pain. It shone through his eyes like golden beacons of sorrow and regret. Valyrym knew his emotional armor had been momentarily stripped from him so the dragon simply turned his head away to ensure Alia could not meet his gaze.

"Valyr," Alia said, her voice a trembling whisper. She could feel her throat clenching, tears welled in her eyes as her heart sank. For the moment, there was no sense of haughtiness, no regal grace, no biting remark nor quick, confident wit. There was only an old creature in pain, and his suffering was not confined to his visible wounds. "Valyr," Alia said again, fighting tears as she moved to the dragon. "Who did this to you?"

"No one," the dragon murmured through the animal purr pressed to his snout. "Leave it be, Alia."

"No," Alia said, forcing strength into her voice. "Who did this?"

Valyrym flattened his ears back against his head. His spiny frills sagged down as though they too were in pain. "What does it matter?"

"It matters," Alia said, sniffling a little.

The dragon gave a heavy sigh. He pulled the blood soaked fur from his muzzle a moment, then pressed it back to his face again. "Some fool noble. Trying to impress his woman."

Alia grit her teeth. She wanted to ask him, how could he let someone do this to him? But the answer was clear enough. What choice did he have? What was he to do, strike a noble dead and likely seal his own death warrant as well? Or maybe he'd tried to do just that, and the guards attacked him, drove him back. She wasn't sure, exactly, and the details scarcely mattered now.

Somehow, Alia doubted the physical pain was what hurt him most. She could only imagine how far the dragon must have fallen over his long life. Once, he'd probably been a creature to be feared by humankind. Dragons seemed to be immensely proud creatures. She could hardly imagine it must feel to have gone from being feared to being feared to being locked in some dismal chamber. To have gone from ruling the skies, to being some fool noble's target of malicious abuse. A once powerful creature who now lived only so his conquerors could take further pleasure in his misery.

All those scars. They marked his body everywhere. How many of them had he gained since he'd been here? How many times had they beaten their prisoner simply for existing. What crime could he possibly have committed to be locked into a lifetime of loneliness broken only by torment?

"No more," Alia said, as much to herself as the dragon.

"Hrmm?" Val made a questioning noise that didn't actually require him to reply.

Alia took his muzzle in her hands then, his pebbly scales sticky with drying blood. There was sudden strength in her she'd never imagined. Alia forced him to meet her gaze. All the pain the dragon tried so hard to keep hidden was laid bare before her. An ocean of golden regret, and loss. There was anger there too, a fury likely directed as much at himself as everyone else. She stared into Valyrym's anguished gaze, and she spoke as though speaking to his soul itself.

"No. More." Alia held his muzzle tightly when he tried to pull way, refusing to let him turn his eyes away without risking injury to her. "No more. No more do they do this to you. Never again do they beat you. Never! If they want to hurt you, they can damn well let you out of this wretched place and have it out with you in a fair battle. As long as I draw breath, Val, no one will hurt you like this again."

"Alia-" The dragon began.

Alia would not let him finish. "No one."

The dragon did not reply. When she relaxed her grip, he slowly turned his head away. Alia had no need to peer into his eyes to know he was trying to wall himself back up inside. She wasn't going to stop him, this had to be harder on the dragon than she could contemplate. It was clear enough now he was not the beast he once was, and the feeling of helplessness that revelation brought to him was more painful than the scars he bore outwardly.

The dragon pulled the bloodied hide away from his nose long enough to try and lick the excess blood away from his snout. Alia moved forward to examine that wound before he could cover it back up. Once more she took his jaws in her hands, pulling his head gently to the side. The dragon's nose lay open, split with a deep gash that ran just between his nostrils. The wound was slightly ragged looking and angry. Even now it continued to ooze blood that ran across her fingers in crimson ribbons.

"This needs stitches, Valyr."

"I will be fine."

"I'm going to stitch it up for you. I won't take no for an answer." She tried to give him a little smile, cupping his scaled cheek in her hand. Maybe she could make him smile, too. "I'll grab you by the balls again if I have to."

Val couldn't help himself. "I think that might be a requirement." Then the dragon took a deep breath. He held it for a time, then sighed and without meeting her gaze asked, "Why are you so kind to me?"

Alia stroked the soft, pebbly black scales of the dragon's cheek for a few moments. Then she ran her hand down the broader scales of his neck, careful not to wander near any of the new gashes that had been added to his collection of scars. "Because you deserve to be treated better."

"Are you so certain?"

"Yes!" Alia blurted out. Then she hesitated, and gave a little sigh of her own. "I mean, as certain as I can be. Until you're willing to open up to me, and..."

"I hardly think providing me hot water and pleasuring me qualify you to know the deepest secrets of my heart." The tiniest hint of a smirk tugged at the dragon's lips. "But I will tell Val Junior when you're not around."

Alia smiled a little. Though she dragon's tone was bitter, and she imagined he meant the part about his deepest secrets, it was still nice to see a little bit of the old Val returning. "I'm sure that Val Junior would agree with me when I say, whatever you may have done, Val, you don't deserve this. I would not see even a murder tortured during his incarceration."

The dragon slowly probed at his injured nose with a few fingers, wincing. "That is good to know."

Alia found herself chuckling softly. She suspected the dragon might be trying to offer some hint even as his sarcastic edge gradually returned. Alia reached out and gently pulled his paw away from his snout. "Don't do that. Your feet are filthy. I'll clean that for you." The dragon grumbled under his breath, and Alia stroked his cheek again. "I know, Valyr. You don't like feeling helpless. And you probably don't trust me any more than any other warden."

The dragon slowly twisted his head around to lay his soft, pebbly scaled chin in her palm. "I am starting to. But there are things I simply do not wish to discuss."

Alia cupped his chin, and stroked his bloodied muzzle with her free hand. "I can't blame you for that. Nor for being slow to trust me after all that's happened to you. Admittedly, I myself have a habit of trusting too easily from time to time."

Alia went on when the dragon merely nuzzled at her hands without reply. "Even Thomas said as much." Alia rubbed the dragon's muzzle a little more, then leaned forward to stroke his neck. Maybe it was only fair if she wanted him to open up, she do the same. "Thomas...well, he's a friend of mine. And I know he's right, I do tend to trust too swiftly once in awhile. It's hard not to, though. Live a life where you're so often pushed around, so frequently looked down upon, and the moment you encounter someone you connect with, or someone who treats you like an equal..."

Alia licked her lips, then it was her turn to glance away. Her black pony tail in blue ribbons swayed slightly. "It's hard not to trust them." Then she brightened a little, moving her hand to stroke the dragon's ear. For only a second, he gave the briefest of purrs, and Alia said, "But I promise you, you can trust me, Val. Now. I'm going to get some supplies to stitch up your nose. You won't enjoy it, but when I'm done..." She flicked her emerald gaze towards the dragon's sheathed maleness, and smirked. "If you'd like, I'll do something to help brighten your evening."

Val lifted his paw, and ever so gently stroked her arm. "You already have, Alia."

---

Swift as she could, Alia made her way back into the castle. She dashed back through the massive chamber now stained with blood. The sight of the splattered chocolate cake on the floor made her heart ache. Only that afternoon, she'd thought to buy that for him and share it with him over simple tales from their lives. Now that thought seemed so innocent, and naïve. While she was out buying cake and handing dumplings to Urd'thin, Valyrym was being beaten.

Never again. She said that not just for Valyrym's benefit but because she truly meant it. Be it guard, noble, or the damn royals themselves. No one would hurt Valyrym without getting through her first. And if they somehow got to him while she wasn't around, they'd have to deal with her later. When the time came, she was going to break that noble's nose. She'd like to do worse to him, but she imagined she'd have trouble getting away even with striking a noble. With any luck, it was one of those nobles that the royals themselves had little care for. Maybe she'd get to hit him twice that way.

Alia took the stairs two at a time, stretching the limit of her legs and tearing her dress a little in the process. It didn't matter. She could always buy a new dress. Passing through the two iron gates, a horrible realization hit her. She'd never locked the gates since the first time she met the dragon. It seemed a foolish thing to do, it wasn't as if Valyrym could fit up the staircase. Yet now she realized the gates were not there to keep the dragon in, they were there to keep others out. By leaving them open, she'd allowed this to happen to him.

Alia bit her lip till she tasted blood. She pushed the guilt aside. Now was not the time to wallow in self pity, not when she had a dragon still bleeding who needed her help. She burst through the door at the top of the stairs, startling the guard assigned to watch over it. He jumped to his feet, snatching his spear up from where it leaned against the nearby wall. A slightly worn tapestry covered the wall behind the desk serving as the guard station for the dragon's stairwell.

"Ma'am!" The burly, armored man said as he shot to his feet. "Is everything well?"

"No!" Alia spat, pausing for only a moment. "It's damn well not! Some damn fool noble's sliced Valyr's face open." Alia raced past the guard, then spun on her heel. "You! I need your help, actually."

To his credit, the guard looked genuinely concerned. Though thanks to the helmet that covered half of his face, Alia couldn't be certain. "What can I do, Ma'am?"

"I was going to the infirmary, but I'm sending you instead so I can make another stop." Alia waved towards the small hallway that lead to several guard's quarters as well as a common room for them. "Is there another guard who can take your place here?"

"Yes, Ma'am, but I don't think anyone else is going to-"

Alia cut him off. "Fetch him, and post him here before you go. From this moment on, no one, and I mean absolutely no one is to take that stairway without my explicit permission."

"But Ma'am..."

"No one!" Alias shouted, balling her hands up in fists. In the back of her mind, she hoped she came across as authoritative, rather than hysterical.

"But the nobles..."

"Answer to the royals!" Alia once more cut him off. The nobles had the money, but the royals had the power. Wasn't that the way the old Illandran saying went? "As do you, Guard. And if I read the fine print in those documents I signed correctly? So do I. Merely because the nobles think they are better than you and I does not make it so. If we answer directly to the royal line, the nobles can get stuffed!" So could the royals as far as she was concerned. "So if anyone short of the Queen herself attempts to go down those stairs, you will bar their entry."

Alia was glad to see a little smile crept across the guard's face. "Yes, Ma'am."

"And if it is the Queen I expect you to come and ask me permission." The guard laughed at that, and Alia was glad for it. Making friends with the guards or at least earning their respect would make life easier for her, and for Valyrym. "Now, fetch another guard to hold your position for a moment. Then go to the infirmary and bring back everything needed for washing and suturing wounds. Meet me here again as soon as you can."

Alia left the guard to his tasks, and rushed back to the servant's quarters. It was not a short trip from one end of the castle to another, and Alia's lungs were burning long before she'd finished the journey. Thomas spotted her, and she felt guilty for having to brush him off. Though not before she'd filled his arms with the clothing and things she'd bought that day. She needed the space in her new pack, and she knew she could trust Thomas with her new belongings in the meantime.

Alia went to the storage closet the servants shared, knowing they kept certain herbs and healing remedies there that the people of Illandra were not familiar with or did not trust. Alia trusted them though and had grown up learning their uses from her mother any time she was sick, or injured. She filled her pack about halfway with supplies, and then rushed all the way back to join the guard once more. By now her belly was tight from exertion, and her legs ached madly. Yet she knew she'd have plenty of time to rest while she closed up poor Valyr's nose.

The guard had procured plenty of bandages, as well as large needles for suturing wounds shut, and the strongest sinew based threads he could find, hoping they were appropriate for a dragon. He'd also fetched cloth for cleaning and a flask of potent spirits for cleansing wounds. When he spotted her, he started down the stairs, only for Alia to call him back. Alia thanked him profusely, but told him she didn't want anyone else down there right now while Valyrym was hurt. The guard seemed to understand, and packed everything he'd brought into Alia's pack. Alia thanked him once more, and rushed back down the stairs as swiftly as if she was trying to race her lamplight to see who could reach the dragon first.

Alia found Valyrym in much the same condition as she'd left him. He had replaced the blood soaked fur with one considerably less blood stained, though that was gradually changing that each time he pressed it to his snout. He looked up at Alia, and snorted as if irritated by her delay.

"About time you returned," he muttered. "Thought you had to go weave the damn bandages yourself."

Alia walked over to him, smiling. It seemed clear he was trying just a little too hard to act his usual sarcastic self, but she wasn't going to let him know. Alia crouched down to spread out one of his likely-smuggled blankets on the ground. Then she carefully pulled everything out of her pack, and spread out all her supplies. She laid out bandages, then several large, curved needles, and several strands of sinew thread. Finally she pulled out her own little gray stone mortar and pestle, and a variety of herbs.

"I need some water, too," Alia murmured.

"Take your time," the dragon said.

Swiftly, Alia went to the dragon's water supply and filled up a little wooden bowl she'd brought. She returned to him, and quickly began to grind herbs together with the mortar and pestle. Now and then she poured a little water into it to create a thick, sludgy green paste. She set it aside to let it thicken, and then took one of the cleaning cloths, then the little flask of spirits. She soaked the cloth with the spirits, and stood up.

Valyrym's eyes went wide. "Don't you dare."

"Don't be a baby, Valyrym."

"You put that hand anywhere near my face, and I shall bite it off." The dragon gave a low threatening growl.

"Would you rather your nose fester and swell so badly you can't see past your own snout?" Alia knew this was going to hurt like hell, and she hated having to put the dragon in even more pain. But she also knew the alternatives could be far worse.

"I suppose those are my only alternatives?" The dragon cocked his head, letting a small smile twist across his muzzle. "Can I at least get a cruder option?"

That made Alia laugh. "If you'd like, I could always kick you in the testicles and then wash your wounds while you're down."

Valyrym laughed a little as well, slowly lowering the cloth. "That's more like the Alia I've come to-AAAAAAH!"

Alia took him by surprise to get it over and done with. No sooner had the dragon lowered his guard than she sprang on him, and pressed the spirit soaked cloth to his nose. The pain was hot and instantaneous, filling his whole nose with liquid fire. Valyrym cried out against the cloth pressed to his snout, his eyes squeezed shut. The dragon's long tail curled and twisted in pain, and he balled up his fore paws, pounding one of them against the blankets a few times. Tears forced their way past his eyelids to wash little streaks through the dried blood upon his black and gray scales.

Alia winced, rubbing the wound quickly and forcefully. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She repeated herself a few more times after that, though she thought this the best way. "I know it's horrible, my mother always did the same to me when I was hurt! Better to get it cleaned completely and swiftly than to have to keep doing it again."

Alia finally pulled the cloth away to inspect the wound. It ran deep but it looked as though she'd cleaned it as completely as she could. Valyrym quickly went to grab his nose but Alia snatched at his paw and gently pulled it back away. "You can't touch it, Val. I know you use your paws as hands, but you still walk on them. If you get it dirty I'm going to have to clean it again."

Valyrym gave a long, low whine, and slowly moved from a seated position to one in which he was sprawled out upon his belly, his head resting on a faded lilac toned pillow, golden tassels barely clinging to its corners. "I know, Lovely Dragon, I know," Alia stroked his neck, cooing to him. "I'm going to put something in it now that should help the pain before I sew it shut."

Val flicked his eyes a little, glancing at her as she knelt along side his head. Had she really just called him Lovely Dragon? Then he closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh. Not long ago, he couldn't smell anything but his own blood. Now, he couldn't even smell that thanks to the astringent spirits she'd just assaulted his nostrils with.

Valyrym took a few long, deep breaths. Of all the wardens he'd had over his many years in this wretched place, none had been like Alia. Some had treated him with a measure of kindness, some even helped him add to his little collection. Yet none had ever truly cared about him. None had shown the concern that Alia did. Certainly none had ever tended any of the many wounds he'd received under their supposed care. Few humans had ever seemed to truly care about him before now, save for...

"Are you ready?" Alia asked, gently rousing him from his reverie.

"Go ahead then, you old bag. Do your worst."

"Old bag?" That seemed such a strange thing to say, it made Alia laugh. "I call you a Lovely Dragon, and you call me an Old Bag?"

"Do you prefer young bag?"

"I prefer no bag," Alia giggled. This hardly made sense, and she found herself wondering if the pain and the alcohol fumes had knocked the dragon for a bit of a loop.

"You seemed to prefer my bag, the other night." Valyrym chuckled lewdly to himself.

"Dirty old beast," Alia said, rubbing his shoulder. "Now hold still while I apply this, or I'm going to have to grab you by that bag."

Valyrym growled playfully, lashing his tail. "If I were not so old and sore and tired, I would be wriggling all over the place right now. So you shall have to imagine I am not holding still, and treat me as such."

"We'll get there soon enough," Alia promised. Then she leaned forward, and began to apply the pasty green salve to the dragon's wounded nose. It stung at first, though not near as badly as the spirits had. He hissed and grit his teeth, but as Alia promised, the pain began to fade before long. It did not vanish completely, but whatever she was putting in his nose certainly took the edge of it off.

"How's that?" Alia asked when she'd finished smearing the stuff in.

"Better, actually."

"Good!" Alia smiled. "I'll leave it in long enough to numb your nose best I can, then I'll rinse it and stitch you up. Let me get your other wounds, too."

One by one, Alia tended the dragon's wounds. With gentle, loving care, she cleansed each injury he had, and then did what she could to ease his pain with the herbal salve. It was an old remedy, carried from her people's former homelands to the lands of their conquers, and it had always served Alia well. It helped to ease pain, and to fight infection as well. It smelled a bit bitter, though the dragon was not likely to mind so long as it helped him feel hurt a little less.

When each wound was clean, and the pain eased, Alia stitched them up. She'd learned the basic skills of a healer from her mother who had always had an apt hand for it. Alia had a few scars on her own body that would have been far worse had her mother not cared for them so well, and stitched them closed. She'd never had a reason to use those skills on another before, and now she was more thankful than ever for the many things her mother had taught her that she'd once taken for granted.

The wound on the dragon's nose took longest to stitch back together. It was an ugly wound, and not a clean cut. Alia wondered just what sort of implement had caused it, but she imagined she'd made Valyrym talk enough about the assault for one day. Each time she pushed the needle through his torn flesh the dragon flinched slightly. He flicked his ears, he hissed through his teeth, or flared his spines. Alia hoped it wasn't hurting him too much more than it already was.

When everything was stitched, she began to bandage his wounds best she could. Though the worst of the bleeding had stopped she knew they were going to seep for a while anyway. She could hardly wrap a bandage around his nose without either wrapping inside his mouth or bandaging his jaw shut, so she had to improvise. With her knife, she cut a section of bandage to fit roughly between the dragon's nostrils, and then set to work getting it to hold against his face. She coated the edges of it in a sticky resinous sap and then did her best to affix it to his pebbly scales. So long as he did not scratch at it, it would stay put for at least a little while. She cut more bandages to fit over the top of his other wounds, and affixed those to him the same way.

When she was finally done, she rose up and stepped back to admire her work. The dragon was now covered with a multitude of misshapen off-white patches from his shoulders up to his head. It looked a little funny, but it did the trick, and would keep the dragon's wounds clean a day or two while they healed. She imagined she'd probably have to change the bandages at least once, but that shouldn't be near as hard on him as everything she'd just done.

Alia looked him over a moment longer, and then started giggling. "You look like a patchwork quilt."

Valyr lifted his head to glare at her, flaring his spines. "And you look like a woman who's about to have something valuable bitten off."

Alia only laughed harder. She turned around, searching for something she thought she'd seen earlier. Soon she spotted a glass bottle filled with a golden liquid. She walked over and plucked it from one of the dragon's shelves, opened it and took a whiff. "This is rum!"

"You were hoping for whiskey?"

Alia brought the bottle back over to the dragon and sat down near his head. "Open your mouth."

"I've precious little of that, you know."

"Then I'll get you more. Besides, can you think of a better reason to drink it than now? Let's celebrate, Val."

The dragon lifted his head a little more, sniffing at her. He licked his nose, felt the rough bandage there, and hissed. "I don't feel much like celebrating."

"Well, I do," Alia said softly. "Besides, it will help your pain."

The dragon huffed, and rustled his wings a little. "And what is it you're celebrating?"

Alia looked down into the bottle, swirling the liquid inside. "Friendship," Alia said with a little smile. "Our friendship, actually. You said I'd brightened your evening. Well, you've brightened my life."

Alia went to take a swig from the bottle to toast her own words, and the dragon snatched it from her. "Hey!" She called out, thinking for a moment he might angry she was drinking his rum.

"By custom, Dragons get first drink in a toast, especially one to friendship," Valyr said with a smirk. He tipped the bottle back to his muzzle, and poured some of the liquor into his mouth. Gulping it down, he gasped a bit, then handed her the bottle. "Forgot how good that is. Go on then, seal the toast."

Alia smirked right back at him. "There is no such custom, is there."

"No," the dragon grinned. "I just wanted a gulp before you got your spittle all over it."

Alia laughed and then took a swig from the bottle. The rum was harsh, hot, and not particular good. She made a face. "Blegh! That's horrid rum. I shall have to bring you something good next time." She took another drink, then scrunched up her face. "Yuck."

"If it's that bad, stop hogging it." The dragon scrunched his bandaged snout, flicking one dark frilled ear back and perking the other. "You're not an alcoholic are you?"

Alia handed the bottle back to the dragon to finish off. "Not yet. Spend too much time listening to you and I might become one."

As the dragon emptied the bottle and set it aside, Alia gathered up all her supplies. She stuffed them most of them back into her pack, and then returned to the dragon with a small jar. For a moment, she sat on her knees alongside him, gently stroking his folded wing. He purred a little, and soon she was gently nudging him. "Roll over a little."

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to lean against you, and if memory serves me your belly is softer than your sides."

The dragon did as she asked. He slowly rolled over until he was laying against one side of his body, sprawled out atop his blankets, pillows and furs like a greatly oversized but nonetheless content cat. Alia leaned her back to his belly. Just as she was starting to get comfortable, Valyrym shifted a little bit, and Alia found herself sitting against his lower chest. He lifted a paw, and gently wrapped her in his fore leg. Alia smiled, and began to stroke the broad scutes along the front of the dragon's leg.

"I am beginning to think you are the best thing that has happened to me since I was first dragged here, Alia." The dragon's voice was soft, almost frightened.

Alia's heart managed the rare feat of soaring and sinking at the same time. She stroked the softer scales along the underside of Valyrym's front leg. "Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?"

Alia could not see Valyrym's eyes, but the pain shone through his voice just as clearly. "Because bad things happen to the best parts of my life."

"Do you..." She rubbed his paw a little, and began to trace a few fingers back and forth across one of the dragon's own larger fingers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not yet," Valyrym said, then relented with a sigh. "Though it is quite clear you wish to hear more."

"I do." Alia smiled at him, twisting a little to gently rub at the larger plates across the dragon's chest. She lay her head down there, and could hear the soft, steady thump of the dragon's massive heart. "But I understand, Val. When you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen."

"Thank you, Alia," Valyrym said softly. "For caring."

Alia merely smiled. For a time, she contented herself with the sound of the dragon's heartbeat. It was steady, powerful and soothing. It thudded away inside his chest sounding like a hammer beating against a pillow. She stroked his foreleg as she listened to the sound, relishing the way his grasp seemed so protective around her. It was an almost loving gesture, and Alia appreciated it more than she could put into words.

Time passed in silence that was comforting, rather than awkward. Valyrym lay his head down against the pillow, and simply cradled Alia to his large body. Neither of them spoke, and neither of them needed to. There was no denying it now. Neither woman nor dragon could tell themselves they did not care for the other. Neither would they try. Alia was not yet sure how deeply she actually cared for the dragon, but she suspected the depths of her feelings would continue to grow with each hour she spent at Valyrym's side.

Alia turned herself to lean her side against the dragon's body so that she could rub his belly. She stroked the scales there for a little while, up and down and in small circles. Come to think of it, she hadn't really gotten to properly scrub the dragon's belly in the bath, as she'd gotten distracted by something else down there. She liked his belly scales though. They were a bit softer than those along his sides but not so soft as to afford him little protection. They were warm, and like those around the barrel of his chest, seemed to flex just slightly while the dragon breathed.

Alia moved her hands further down the dragon's belly, opening and closing her fingers to slide their tips back and forth against his scales. From her vantage, she could see the top of the dragon's sheath peeking out from where his black scaled thighs pressed together, one hind leg laying partly atop the other. As she moved to stroke his scales a little lower, she couldn't help but notice the hint of red peeking from the black flesh.

"You're teasing me," the dragon murmured.

"I know," Alia said with a smile.

Alia twisted a little more. She leaned over the dragon's arm to stroke his scales as far down as she could without leaving his comforting grasp. Then she slowly worked her fingers all the way back up his belly, and stretched in a different direction. This time she caressed the area just beneath his wing. It had seemed a ticklish place when she'd washed it, and now she found the scales there were quite fine as well. Stroking them made the dragon murmur, and a quick glance told Alia he was peeking just a bit more from his sheath.

"Is this an erogenous zone for a dragon? Just under the wings?"

"It can be," the dragon admitted, lifting his wing just a little to invite her touch. "You're quite the curious thing."

"It's nice to know how to please someone you care for." Alia glanced up at him in time to catch the dragon watching her. This time he was quick to glance away, but Alia saw something sparkling in his eyes, and for once it was certainly not pain. That look sent warmth blossoming through Alia's heart, and it quickly spread through the rest of her body.

Still, that didn't mean she wasn't going to tease the dragon while had a chance. "Of course, if dragons find it wrong to share pleasure between friends, I can always stop."

The dragon grunted, curling his head around to watch her as she gently dragged her nails over the small scales just beneath his wing. The sensation made him shiver, each scale on his body clicking against its neighbors. "Dragons think no such thing."

Alia dragged her nails down his side, and stroked her fingertips back up towards the dragon's wings. Then she began to playfully wriggle free of his grasp. She rubbed her body against his belly and his arm, pushing at it as if unable to free herself. Slowly, the dragon pulled his fore leg away from her, dragging his paw pad against her breasts. It was Alia's turn to shudder, nipples hardening beneath the cloth. When freed from his grasp, Alia moved a little further along the dragon's belly, and was soon kneeling next to him once more.

Giving the dragon the most innocent smile she could, she began to trace her fingers in ever expanding circles against the lower part of his belly. Each circle she drew against his scales was just slightly closer to the top of the dragon's sheath than the last, and ever so slowly she inched herself closer to it. By the time she lay a hand atop the outside of his hind leg, the pointed tip of the dragon's scarlet maleness and the entire spear-like flare just beyond it had protruded from the dark flesh that normally encased his member.

With a single finger Alia circled the dragon's pointed tip. He shivered in delight and sucked in a breath as more of his draconic penis slid free. Alia rubbed the scutes along the front of his hind leg, and then gently pushed at it. Valyrym pulled his hind leg back as silently instructed. Now the old dragon's sheath and testicles were completely exposed, laying just in front of Alia.

Smiling, Alia ran her hand down the length of the dragon's sheath. Without the soap, and the water, she could see how truly soft the sensitive skin really was. It felt like very well worked leather, soft and supple and yet still fittingly draconic in texture. With the way Valyrym was laying on his side, the old dragon's testicles were resting against the fine, gray splashed scales of his inner thigh. Alia let her hand wander from his sheath to the dragon's balls, gently exploring the plump black ovoids. The loose sac tightened just a little, and Valyrym trembled in pleasure, his breath shuddering.

"You...you don't have to do this, Alia."

"I know that, Val," Alia replied with musical laugh. "I assure you, this is something I want to do for you very much."

"You've gotten over your uncertainties, then?" The dragon sounded as curious as he was relieved.

Alia made sure to catch the dragon's gaze before she replied. "Completely."

"I am...warmed to hear it."

Alia rose to her feet, and turned to face the dragon. This time, there was no hesitation to remove her clothing right in front of him. Rather, she relished the feel of the dragon's eyes taking in her body as she removed her dress. Alia undressed slowly, letting Valyrym soak in her body one inch at a time. She removed her cloth sandals, kicking them aside, then stood barefoot upon the soft pale blanket spread out alongside the dragon's body. Then she slowly eased down her dress, one shoulder strap at a time. With the straps free, she gradually tugged it down, revealing the slopes of her cleavage before the entirety of her breasts were exposed.

Though the dragon had seen her naked already, he was paying far more attention to her body this time. As she let a single breast come uncovered, Valyrym's golden eyes were soon affixed it, lingering on the dainty bud that covered the soft, plump mound. With the light from the air vents dimming, the nearby lantern cast a golden hue across Alia's bared skin. For a moment, she teased both the dragon and herself, cupping and then caressing her left breast. She moaned softly and bit her lip. Valyrym licked his muzzle, and a glance between his hind legs told Alia this was certainly exciting the dragon more than it had the first time.

Slowly, Alia let her dress fall away from her other breast. She paused there to fondle that one as well and moan for Valyr. Even her own hands felt wonderful against her bare breasts. The soft skin of her palms felt heavenly as they glided across her own nipples, the little pink buds quickly perking up beneath the attentions. Her breath caught when she gently pinched one of her nipples, and then gave a second, shuddering moan.

Alia would have never believed a dragon to be a creature susceptible to a lover's teasing, yet Valyr clearly was. As she touched herself, the old dragon whimpered in delighted longing, and his mating tool needed no physical prodding to continue its erection. Each time Alia stole a glance at it, there was more of it enjoy it, and it was quickly attaining the slightly arched form of full draconic arousal she remembered from the lovely bath they'd shared.

"I half expect you to start touching yourself any moment," Alia said, grinning as she slide her dress down past her belly.

"I should think I'd rather you touch it," Valyrym said, beginning to purr. "Besides, you'd tease me if I stroked myself."

"Yes, I would, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy watching you do it."

"I'll keep that in mind." Valyrm licked his muzzle again as Alia finally pulled her dress down past the swell of her hips, across the curves of her rump, and let the blue fabric pool around her feet. His eyes fixed between her thighs, and he found himself holding his breath as she slipped her fingers into the only garment she had left, her pale blue underwear. "You always tease me so."

"You say that as if I've done this before," Alia grinned, wiggling her hips just a little to tease her scaled lover.

"You teased me before, in the tub."

"Not like this," she said, easing her underwear down a fraction.

"You're a wicked thing," Valyrym purred, giving into the urge to touch himself. He touched only a little, reaching down with a paw to caress the ridges of his cock with a few finger pads. His red tool twitched lightly, desiring further attention.

Alia watched him the entire time, nibbling on her lip. With the hand inside her underwear, she gently teased her own clit, circling it a few times. It was strangely erotic to see a dragon touch himself in such a way, and she could already feel the heat and moisture building between her thighs.

"Come," Valyrym said, his voice softer than before. "I long to taste you."

"It seems that is not all you long for," Alia replied, trying to imitate his purring sound as she guided her underskirt down, revealing the gently mounded area just above the opening of her sex, and the swollen folds that surrounded that opening along with the dark hair she kept trimmed short. She stepped out of her garment, and now stood completely naked before the dragon. "Which do you long for first?"

"You," Valyrym replied without hesitation. "I wish to give you pleasure, Alia."

Alia had been planning it the other way around, but she wasn't going to complain. She slowly sauntered towards the dragon, a sway in her hips even a beast like him could appreciate. She stood just in front of his head, and took his muzzle in her hands. Valyrym snaked his head forward to nuzzle at her belly. Alia moaned at the feel of his warm, pebbly scales sliding across her bare skin. He flicked his tongue across her navel, purring to her.

Alia ran a hand back along his muzzle, and the dragon slowly lifted his head. Valyrym began to tease Alia with his tongue. He had no intentions of getting straight to the finish this time. Instead, the dragon began to nuzzle and lick every inch of her body from her belly, up to her beasts. His tongue slid over her like a hot velvet cloth, and she idly wondered if that was how her wash cloth had felt to him the night before.

As the dragon's tongue ran across her skin, her heartbeat quickened. Her face was flushed now, more with lust and emotion than with any sort of embarrassment. Alia felt beyond embarrassment now with her dragon. Her friend. Her lover. As he worked his tongue up, she slipped her hands back to caress his ears, moaning again when Valyrym rolled his tongue all the way up between her breasts, leaving a glistening line. The sides of his muzzle parted her breasts and the texture of his scales against them was incredibly exciting.

Valyrym turned his head towards her right beast, and began to nuzzle it. Alia almost cried out at the way his scales felt sliding against her nipple. It was incredible, almost too intense and yet amazing at the same time. The dragon nuzzled her breast a few times, till the little bud that tipped it was hard as could be. Then he snaked his tongue out once more, and this time swirled his tongue in a lazy circle all around her nipple.

Now Alia couldn't stop herself from crying out. "Aaaah!" She pressed her breast against the dragon's snout, her grip tightening on the sides of his head. Rubbing it with his scales had caused her nipple to grow almost too sensitive, so that the feel of his tongue was both intense yet also soothing. He swirled it again, surrounding her sensitive flesh with wet heat in a rolling cascade of pleasure.

As he licked her breast, Valyr eased himself up a little bit. He reached around behind her to cup half her rump in a paw. He squeezed a naked cheek, his claw tips just barely prickling at her flesh. Not enough to break the skin or hurt, just to add a rather tantalizing threat she'd seemed to respond to before. Alia found herself contorting just a little, torn between pressing her breast against his muzzle, and her rump against his paw. She tried her best to do both, bending forward a bit.

"Oh, Valyr," she moaned, running both her hands over his head. "That feels sooo good!"

"I know," the dragon murmured, reversing course to roll his tongue around the other way as he began to knead her buttocks.

It was such an arrogant thing to say, and yet Alia found herself smiling. The fact the dragon was comfortable enough again to act like his usual cocky self made her feel good. There was something more to it, though. She rather doubted female dragons had breasts Yet Valyr seemed to know tricks to ensure he'd give Alia's breasts the most stimulation without any sort of guidance. He certainly knew how to pleasure her between her thighs, but she'd simply assumed that female dragons were not all that different from human woman in that regard. Now, though, she found herself wondering. A few days earlier, he said she was not the first human woman to respond so playfully to his lewd teasing. Then, just a little while ago he said bad things happened to the best parts of his life. Perhaps she was not the first human woman to have earned his affection, or his friendship.

Yet it was a question best answered another time. He was already uncomfortable talking about his past, if she wanted him to trust her she couldn't keep trying to push him. When he was ready, he would tell her more. For now, there was pleasure to be shared. Alia smiled. Pleasure to be shared. It sounded so much like something a dragon would say. Perhaps he was rubbing off on her. She'd have to return the favor, and rub him off too. After he'd had his own fun with her that was.

Valyr set his paw down, only to lift up the other front paw and cup the other half of her bottom. As he squeezed and kneaded her flesh, he turned his muzzle's attention to her other breast. Once more he began to nuzzle it, sliding his pebbly scales all over the delicate skin and the sensitive button that tipped the pert mound. This time he interspersed his tongue as well, sliding it all around the outside of her breast. Gradually the dragon worked his tongue inwards towards her nipple. Then he returned to nuzzling her till the feel of his scales drove her to cry out despite her best intentions not to.

Only when she seemed torn between pushing his snout away and begging him for more did he begin to swirl his tongue around her nipple. By then Alia's knees were trembling, at some point she was going to have to lay down. Valyr continued to knead her with his paw for a while, then pulled it away. He pulled his head back for only a moment, just to lick at his fingers right in front of her. He slid his long, pink tongue over the pads of his fingers, and then pressed them between her thighs.

Alia held her breath as the dragon began to stroke the cleft of her flesh. His paw pads ruffled the fine hair, and his saliva slicked finger gently ran up and down between her folds. Alia pressed herself against his paws, and the dragon rewarded her by slowly pushing a single digit inside her sex, one slow inch at a time. A single dragon's finger was at thick as several of her own, at least, and the feeling of slowly being penetrated, and spread, made her moans grow even louder.

"Oooooh, Dragon!" Alia called out before realizing she hadn't even used his name.

Valyrym didn't mind at all. Alia pressed against his paw, and soon Valyr returned his muzzle to her right breast. He nuzzled her a few times till her breathing grew ragged, and then once more he began to roll his tongue all around her nipple. This time, as he swirled his tongue round that little pink blossom, he began to pump his finger. Slowly gliding it in and out of her hot, wet entrance.

Alia grit her teeth, and gently worked her hips back, starting a simple rhythm with the dragon's finger. He eased it in and out in time with the swirls of his tongue, and as Alia's breathing picked up, so too did the dragon's motions. After what seemed like long minutes of slowly growing bliss, the dragon ever so delicately touched his teeth to her breast. He was very careful yet the implication was there, and Alia was shocked to find it a thrilling suggestion. She'd let aggressive men bite her now and then, and she herself had bitten them in return. Yet there was something far more thrilling about feeling the teeth of a dragon in such a place. Holding her there, Valyr sucked upon her nipple.

As the dragon sucked that nipple, he shifted his paw a little bit, retracting his finger from inside her to please her in another way. The dragon's finger glided up her folds to where they seemed to nearly vanish beneath her mound, to where the tiny little hood of flesh tried to hide her clit. But hide it could not, and the dragon's paw pad, slick with Alia's own juices, soon caressed the hot button in tiny circles. Alia's legs shook, that had her pleasure growing much faster. Fast enough that she realized Valyrym could have her creaming his paw if he really wanted to.

"Valyr," she breathed, swallowing hard. "I'm...gonna have to sit down or something..."

The dragon did not reply. He merely kept up his ministrations, working his tongue all around that captive nipple even as he suckled upon it. He swirled his finger in the same way, working Alia's clit gently. He paid careful attention, not wanting to over stimulate it to the point of discomfort, and when she seemed almost to have had too much, he simply let his digit fall away to pump deep inside her again. Val let her nipple go free only to hold the other captive in his teeth and suckle upon that, instead. Soon he brought his finger back to her pleasure center, and ever so gently rolled and caressed the little swollen bead of bliss. Now and then a little dribble of her liquid arousal ran down her thigh, or across his finger.

Alia pressed herself against him, her pleasure growing almost too sharply as the dragon returned to that spot. "Val! You're...gonna make me...!"

This time he didn't stop. If anything, Valyrym rubbed her clit harder, wanting her to reach orgasm. He felt her trembling, felt her tense, and then felt her peak begin to roll through her. Alia cried out, her hips bucking against the dragon's paw, her sex contracting as if milking a phantom member. She threw her head back and forth, eyes squeezed shut, her pony tail flung about. A flow of hot, liquid female satisfaction ran across the dragon's paw as he rolled his finger round her clit, and sucked hard on her nipple until at last her pleasure began to fade. Her legs shook throughout her orgasm, but she managed to remain standing.

No sooner had she began to catch her breath, then the dragon gently began to push her down, nudging her with paw and muzzle. She laughed a little, swatting at him. "What are you doing?"

"I have yet to properly taste you." The dragon smirked up at her as he lowered his head. "But I can not wedge my snout between your thighs so easily with this." He licked at the edge of his bandaged nose. "So lay back, and spread your legs. It will make it easier for me."

"But I already-"

"And you are female," the dragon said with a little chuckle. "Which means you are lucky enough to be able to have another one. Now. Are you going to lay back or must I hold you down?"

"Fun as a feigned struggle might be," Alia said playfully, scratching under his chin. "I wouldn't want to risk your bandages coming off."

Alia fetched a blanket from around the side of the dragon's body. A pale cream color, it had felt quite comfortable as she'd knelt upon it before while dealing with Val's injuries. It seemed a good fit to lay upon now, though she might well have to wash it for the dragon later. Come to think of it, she imagined everything in here could use a good scrub even before Val had used some of them to quash his bleeding. Alia spread the blanket out, then carefully lay down before her dragon lover. Trying to get comfortable on her back, she stole the same old lilac pillow Val'd been using and put it under her head.

"Hey!" The dragon said, snapping his jaws. "That's my pillow."

"It was your pillow," Alia corrected him. "If I were you, I'd not wish to do anything that might prevent me from getting my own orgasm."

"Luckily for you, that's not your concern," the dragon replied, grinning.

Valyrym sprawled out once more on his belly, with his head soon resting between Alia's legs. The dragon began to nuzzle and lick her right thigh the same way he had her breasts. Though they were not as sensitive, the effect was much the same. The sensation of pebbly scales followed by hot, wet velvet was a delightful contrast. Each time the dragon repeated it a little further up her thigh, Alia shivered a little more and moaned a little louder. For long moments he worked his head up towards the place where her thighs nearly came together, moving little more than an inch at a time. When he'd finally nuzzled and licked his way all the way to her sex, he gave her outer lips a few long, tantalizing licks, and then began to work his way back down her thigh.

When he reached her knee, he started back up again. This time the dragon only used his tongue. He lapped at her inner thigh, the wet heat of his tongue gradually growing nearer and nearer her most private place. Finally, when he'd reached the woman's sex, he used his paws to gently spread her out, further exposing the glistening pinkness within. Holding her folds splayed, the dragon began to lick her.

By then, Alia had so much stimulation she nearly wanted to scream, but it still felt so good! She couldn't help herself. She began to play with one of her breasts again, cupping and caressing it, tweaking her nipple. With the other hand, she slipped it down between her thighs, and began to play with her clit even as the dragon continued to taste her deeper, and deeper.

Valyrym slide his tongue as far into her as he could, and began to roam her inner most crevices. He twisted it deep inside her, the hot muscle seemed to hit her almost everywhere at once. Alia half wondered if the dragon could manage to get his tongue all the way into her womb. Come to think of it, could the dragon fit his mating tool inside her? Certainly not all of it, but if he could fit that tongue so deeply inside her, surely he could fit some of his cock, too. Alia realized that was something she'd like very much to try in the future, though considering the potential safety issues she'd have to consult with the dragon first.

For now though she was perfectly content with the waves of bliss the dragon's tongue was sending through her. He moved his paws down her thighs, gently kneading them towards her knees and back up again. Now and then he even dragged the very tips of his claws across her soft flesh. Never enough to draw blood, just enough to leave little red lines marking her legs. Alia found the little hint of pain actually made the pleasure even more intense.

She lifted her hips to press her sex against the dragon's tongue, and lifted her head to watch him work. Even with the white bandage pressed between his nostrils, seeing the dragon's muzzle wedged between her thighs was an incredible sight. It was deeply erotic on some primal level that Alia hadn't even realized existed within her until she'd first met this dragon. There would be no more guilt, or regret, that much she knew. She might not go bragging to everyone that she'd taken the dragon as her lover, but she knew in her heart now she was overjoyed to have him as such.

The dragon pulled his tongue back, and Alia moved her own hand to let him take over the caress of her clit. He replaced her fingers with his tongue, and at the same time, returned one of his fingers to deep inside her. Soon, the dragon began to pump that finger in and out, dragging her nether-lips back and forth a little with each motion. He worked his tongue in time, rolling it in slow circles around her clit that ever so gradually picked up speed.

Alia's breathing was picking up as well as the dragon guided her towards her second orgasm. He was certainly taking his time about it, as if he sought to do exactly the opposite of their last encounter. The thought of getting the dragon off as quickly as she could this time made Alia smile, though she had no real intention of it.

For a time, the dragon alternated his finger, and his tongue. One would tease and play with her clit, rolling around it and caressing it The other would thrust deep inside her, swirl within, or pump slowly back and forth, in and out. Whichever combination the dragon chose, it brought ever-growing waves of warm ecstasy washing through the young woman. Alia began to work her hips each time the dragon penetrated her, grinding herself back against whichever part of him was buried within her womanhood. She soon returned to working her own breasts as well, and her moans became constant.

To Valyrym, the moans were music. They were a song he had not heard in many years. A song of pleasure that only truly mattered when it was sung by someone he cared about. The dragon would not deny to himself that he'd already come to care for Alia. When she treated him with such kindness despite what he was, how could he not care for her? Valyrym was far too old and had felt far too much pain to fall in love easily, and indeed he would not say that he loved this girl. But he certainly considered her a friend now. Perhaps subconsciously the dragon was even beginning to consider her a little more than that. As she had treated him with such kindness, so too did he treat her. He pleasured her before as a favor returned, and had brought her to orgasm swiftly for his own smug amusement. Now, there was nothing smug about this. This was no returned favor. This was pleasure he wanted her to feel simply because he wanted to make her happy.

The more she moaned, the happier it made the dragon. Sometimes she moaned his name, other times she simply called him dragon. Yet each time it made him smile inwardly to hear such noises of delight. As her moans grew louder and more frequent, the dragon turned his tongue's attention once more to the girl's clit. He nuzzled her folds a little, gave her cleft a long, slow click, and then began to lap over and over at the button of her utmost pleasure, wanting to hear her cry out once again in ultimate delight.

Alia was getting ready to do just that. The dragon managed to keep her right on the edge for a little while, but once he brought his tongue back to her clit again, that was nearly all she could handle. Valyrym began to endlessly swirl his tongue around the woman's clit. The movements of the dragon's wet muscle brought an unending flow of wonderful sensation that quickly built to an unstoppable flood. Her back began to arch, her hips began to buck against his muzzle. Her voice trembled as she called out his name again, her thighs tightening around his snout.

"Oh! Valyrym! Oooooh!" Alia put her hands at her sides, and snatched at the blanket in as she came again, harder than before. "Aaaaah! Gods, Val, I'm cuuuummming!"

That was just what the dragon wanted to hear. This time his efforts were rewarded with a harder spurt of sweet liquid happiness that splattered against his tongue and the inside of his muzzle as he rolled the wet muscle against her again and again. Her sex spasmed, squeezing his still pumping finger tightly. He kept stroking in and out of her, dragging those outer lips around while never ceasing the attentions of his tongue until finally Alia lay limp, spent, and panting.

"Oh, Gods Val," she managed to moan between panted breaths.

Valyrym slowly pulled his head back, his neck curling into an S. "I shall take that to mean you enjoyed yourself immensely."

Alia laughed, staring up at the stone ceiling high above them. It was mostly shrouded in darkness. With the lantern nearby, and the rest of the room dark, it almost felt like the two of them existed in their own little world. A tiny world, to be sure, but a happy one. A warm place where they could lay together, and no one would ever hurt Val again. It was a world Alia promised herself she would provide him.

Alia lifted her head slowly. "Can you roll onto your back without scraping off your bandages?"

The dragon twisted his head to look at himself best he could. It was a little hard to inspect the upper portions of his own neck. "I think so, yes."

"Alright. Roll over, then. That should make it easier to pleasure you without you having to hold your hind leg up the whole time."

"You know, if you'd rather just sleep, that's alright. I'm perfectly capable of stroking myself to release, you know."

Alia wasn't sure if the dragon had actually just suggested she stay the night here with him. But she find herself smiling as if he had. "If you don't want pleasure, Val, just say so."

"What?" The dragon blinked.

"If you don't want pleasure, you've just got to say, I do not wish pleasure, and I'll leave you be." Alia sat up, folding her arms under her naked breasts and smirked.

"Oh very funny!" The dragon snatched up a nearby pillow and half heartedly threw it at her. Alia laughed and ducked it. The dragon snorted. "I've been half rubbing myself against the furs while I licked you, I'm certainly ready for my own release."

As if just to illustrate, the dragon did just as she asked. Very carefully, he rolled over onto his back. It was a bit of an awkward process for the dragon as he had to be mindful of his wings. Once settled onto his back, he spread the wings at his sides to keep them out of the way. Then he arched his back a little, raising his hips to thrust his still prominent erection into the air like a red flag of battle.

"Ah, yes," Alia said. "So you are still ready."

Rather than walk around the dragon's wings, Alia simply crawled over his body. She moved up to his shoulders where they lay against the various bedclothes and furred hides, and clambered up onto his chest. Then, mindful to stick her rump in his face, she crawled down the dragon's underbelly until she reached his erection. Smiling at it like an old friend, she reached out with a hand and gently squeezed his spear-flared tip.

Valyrym groaned happily, and Alia giggled. "Well, hello there Mister Dragon Penis. Nice to see you again."

"Did you just call my cock Mister Dragon Penis?" Valyrym lifted his head to glare at her as if insulted on behalf of his own penis.

"If you've a problem with my love making techniques," Alia, grinning back at the dragon over her naked body. "You're more than welcome to lodge a complaint with the Warden's Office."

"I shall inform them that you've gone daft if you continue to talk to my erection." Val lay his head back down, but could not hide his own fang-filled grin.

"And then you'd miss me when they hauled me away to toss me into the asylum," Alia said with a little giggle. She slipped her hand beneath the dragon's erection, propping it up as she leaned forward to kiss its tip.

"Yes," Valyrym said beneath his breath, shivering in pleasure. "I would."

Alia waggled her hips at him, and then gestured with a hand towards the ground, drawing Val's eyes away from the sight of her pink slit nestled beneath her rump. "Can you reach that little jar down there?"

Valyrym glanced about until he spotted it, and picked it up. He held it to Alia, then pulled it back when she reached for it, narrowing his eyes. "What is it?"

"You'll enjoy it, I promise."

The dragon slowly offered her the jar, curling a little to do so, and Alia took it from him. She rubbed his hand on the process and then turned back to face his erection again. She splayed her legs out to settle upon the dragon's underbelly, and opened the jar. She set it upon him, and gave the beast a warning glance over her shoulder. "Don't squirm or you'll spill this stuff all over."

Valyrym grumbled a little, craning his long neck to see what she was doing. She dipped one hand into the jar and it came out glistening. Then she rubbed her hands together a few times. The dragon tried to sniff out some detail of the jar's contents, but his nostrils were still filled with the astringent scent of alcohol and herbs. As Alia worked her hands together, her pony tail hung over the side of her body. Though the light was dim, the dragon had a better look at her bare back than he had before. He spotted a few scars there he hadn't noticed previously. They were fairly well faded now, yet still rather obvious.

Valyrym knew scars like that, he had plenty of them himself. She'd been beaten before, maybe even whipped, it was hard to tell. Somehow, whoever did that to her...Valyrym did not think they had succeeded in breaking her spirit. Whatever she'd done to earn herself such mistreatment, she'd done it again just to spite her abuser. That made the dragon smile.

Then Alia's touch made the dragon gasp. She pressed her oil-slathered hands against the very tip of his cock, and squeezed him. Then she leaned forward, and ran her hands all the way down his length, over his flare and eventually across his ridges. Whatever the stuff was, it felt slick, and left his skin feeling unusually warm. Smiling to herself, Alia slowly stroked the dragon back up to his tip, pleased with the way his tool jumped slightly, begging for more attention.

"Mm, I think someone's going to shoot quickly tonight, Val."

"It's not my fault you kept me waiting so long," the dragon murmured, though his words were quickly cut off by another groan Alia rubbed fresh oil back down his length.

Alia laughed as she leaned forward. Her breasts pressed against the dragon's cock as she reached for his balls. Soon, she was rubbing that strange, slick oil into the dragon's scrotum. Valyrym whimpered happily and shifted beneath her, erection pressing more firmly against her body. Alia glanced back at him. "I said hold still!"

"Hard...to!"

"Oh hush," Alia said, taking just one of the dragon's testicles into her hand. She rubbed the plump black egg with the other hand "You're like some youngling who's never been touched by a female before."

"Forgive me if my decades in solitude have left me a little extra sensitive!"

Alia took the other ball into her grasp next, gently caressing it with oil-slicked fingers as if polishing a precious jewel. Come to think of it, she was. "Didn't seem to be a problem last time."

"Last time I had not been erect and pressed against furs all night long!" Valyrym clutched at the furs a little bit, gods he was hard.

"If you're going to act so ungrateful perhaps I won't let you do that again." Alia smirked back at him, waggling her hips a second time.

"That would be such a shame," Valyrym said, his voice shaking and rising in pitch as Alia dragged her hands back up over his ridges. "You sing such a beautiful song in the throes of ecstasy."

"That's lovely to know," Alia replied, circling her fingers round the tip of his shaft and relishing the way it made him whimper and whine. "Unlike you. I seem to recall you just sort of roared, and went UURRRGGG!"

"I did not go URRG," The dragon grumbled in protest.

"No, that's right, you didn't damn well say anything!" Alia leaned forward again, grasping one of the dragon's testicles in a firm grip that almost had him whimpering for a different reason. "You just shot your load in my face without any sort of warning." Valyr gave a playful whimper, a soft plea for mercy, and Alia relaxed her grip. She patted the egg. "For future reference," she said, her smirk returning. "Girls prefer to know when a man is about to cum if they've got him in their mouth."

"And for your future reference, since your eyes apparently fail you, I am not a man." Valyrym licked his bandaged nose. "However, I will attempt to...warn you."

Alia laughed, and picked up her jar. She carefully made her way down the dragon's body on three limbs. She crawled over the dragon's erection and made every attempt to ensure she brushed and pressed against it whenever possible. Valyr loved the way her flesh felt against it, so smooth and soft, so unlike the scales that covered a female dragon in most places. Not that he didn't enjoy having his tool nuzzled and then licked the same way he'd done for her, but a human's skin held an entirely different sort of silken texture the dragon found highly erotic.

Especially so when Alia settled herself directly against the dragon's maleness. Alia actually sat down against it so that the dragon's erection was pressed between the soft, warm flesh of her naked rump and the finer scales of his belly. She shifted, gently grinding the sensitive flesh between the two of them, dueling textures assaulting it all at once. Then she rolled her hips a little bit, stroking his ridges and the portion of his shaft above them with her own body. She felt so hot against him it was almost more than he could take. He could even feel the extra heat of her sexual folds as she moved a little bit, pressing her crotch against him.

"Oh Gods, Alia!" He shifted a little bit, tail coiling in pleasure. "You are a devious thing!"

"I have my moments," she giggled. She scooped more oil from the jar, and then closed it up so she could toss it back to the ground. "Do you like the way I feel against it?"

"Oh, yes," the dragon breathed, closing his eyes and laying his head back. "It's incredible."

"Good," Alia said warmly. "If you're still curious, this is just some warming oil I brought down. We usually use it for rubbing into sore muscles and things, but I'd be lying if I said I never tried rubbing it on a man before. Or myself. It never gets too hot, even on sensitive skin, it just sort of makes you feel..."

"Warm," the dragon finished for her. "Very warm."

"Mhm! With no hot water this time I thought to keep your privates warm in other ways. Now, I trust you've no objections to me playing with your balls a while?"

"None," the dragon murmured, now nearly as relaxed as he'd been back in the tub. Certainly just as aroused. "But I might seed myself if you keep squirming against my cock like that."

"I shall be quite disappointed if you don't," Alia giggled. "Though I hope not too soon. I should like to turn round and watch the look upon your face when you do, I think."

"I'll try and fore warn you, then."

Alia slid forward, and in the process slid her rump all the way back towards the tapered tip of the dragon's cock. The movement send a wave of warm pleasure rolling through Valrym, and he did not hide his delighted groan. By now, the oils that she'd rubbed into his shaft had gotten onto her own skin, making her thighs and groin feel lovely and warm as well. As if she didn't already feel good enough. Then she slid her rump back towards his balls, repeating the process a few times and stroking him completely that way.

Alia leaned forward again, once more pressing the soft curves of her buttocks to the spear-flare behind the dragon's tip. He could just about feel the folds of her sex parting against the top of his shaft. Alia leaned down until her face was just inches from the Valyrym's testicles. Alia liked the old dragon's balls. They each held such a lovely oval shape and were outlined nicely against the loose black sac that contained them. Laying on his back and warmed by the oils, the dragon's balls were practically resting against his tail.

Alia reached for the left one. Though the two glands were ostensibly twins, Alia noticed that much like many men, the dragon's left ball was a little bit larger and dangled just a little bit lower than its comrade in flesh. She gently hoisted it up away from the other, stretching the black sac a bit until the fleshy egg was pressed out against it. She admired it a moment. It was almost funny in a way. Before meeting Valyrym she'd certainly never imagined herself some day contemplating the testicles of a dragon.

"It's quite fat, isn't it," Alia giggled. "Your left one."

"Nrrrrhhhmmm," was the only thing Valyrym could say in in reply. No sooner had he tried to come up with some snappy retort than she'd begun tonguing his ball.

As Alia began to lick the dragon's left ball, she reached for the right one. If the dragon could pleasure her in several ways at the same time, why couldn't she do the same for him? So Alia held that left testicle in one hand, rolling her tongue across the slick, smooth flesh that bound it. With her other hand, she began to caress the right orb, massaging the dragon's testicle as if hoping to coax as much seed from it as possible in his upcoming release.

Even as she explored the dragon's balls, she began to move her hips and body again. She began to grind herself slowly but steadily against the dragon's cock, dragging her soft flesh against his own sensitive skin. The dragon felt amazingly hard beneath her, she could even feel the echo of his heartbeat gently pulsing through his erection. As she worked herself along him, gliding her body against his oil-slicked shaft, she noticed the dragon's breathing was matching her efforts. When she rubbed her rump towards his tip, he breathed in, and when she rolled herself back down towards his balls, the dragon exhaled.

"Are you trying to keep from spilling?" She asked, pausing for only a moment.

"Not quite yet," Valyrym said. "Just enjoying."

Alia laughed, and went back to stroking him slowly with her body. 'If you feel the need to cum, Val, go ahead and do it. I'm not planning to tease you and make you wait or anything. I just want to make you happy."

Valrym was glad she couldn't see him smile. It would have embarrassed him. It seemed strange to the dragon to think that they'd both come to the same conclusion that night. They both just wanted to make the other happy. He opened his mouth to reply, and then decided better of it. She'd already made him happy.

Alia began to work herself a little harder against the dragon's cock. Between the nearly encompassing softness and warmth of her buttocks and thighs, and the warming oils she'd coated his length with, the dragon felt encased in heat. Pre was now dribbling almost steadily from his pointed tip, forming a slick little pool of clear fluid on his belly scales. Each time Alia worked rolled her hips back towards his spear-point, another little spurt of draconic precum joined the rest of it, and soon it was starting to run down the side of his body.

Alia took one of his balls between her hands, and gently rolled it back and forth. Valyr shuddered and groaned again, his horned head lolling back and forth. Alia smiled, glad to see the dragon enjoyed having his balls massaged. They were fun to play with. If he let her, perhaps she'd have to toy with them more often when they were alone together.

Another odd thought came to her as she played with him and felt his hardness flex beneath her. She wondered just how fast she could make the dragon cum, just for a laugh. Perhaps when next she had little time to spend with him, she'd get him aroused and then simply stimulate him as intensely and quickly as possible just to bring the old dragon to swift ejaculation. Yes, that would surprise him.

Valyrm was getting close, now. Every time Alia moved, shifted, or turned slightly, she was pressing her warm body against his cock, and his cock against his belly scales. And each time she worked her hips against him she sent another wave of pleasure rolling through the old dragon's length and into his body. Soon those waves were starting to overlap each other, each wave cresting a little harder than the last. As Alia leaned forward to kiss his balls, she pressed her rump against the bottom of his flare, and inadvertently ground his tip against his scales.

"Alia," the dragon gasped. "I'm...I'm there!"

Alia could feel his large maleness tensing beneath her, and the rest of his body soon followed suit. Alia quickly turned herself around, releasing his already tightening balls to hang free for the moment. She quickly set herself back down, and this time right against his ridges. Such pressure and heat against those extra-sensitive areas of raised flesh was more than the dragon could take at that moment, and they both knew it.

Alia reached forward to grasp the dragon's tip and the flare beyond it in both hands, and began to swiftly, slickly beat him off. The oil she'd already applied ensured the friction she gave was entirely pleasant despite the sudden intensify of it. As she smoothly, ceaselessly stroked the last few inches of the dragon's cock, Alia ground herself against the base of it just as frantically. The warm, soft flesh of her rump, thighs and folds all pressed against those highly sensitive penile ridges. She rolled her hips constantly, back and forth, back and forth in an attempt to mimic the frantic, orgasmic thrusting she imagined a male dragon might make during ecstasy of ejaculation.

"AAAAAAAHH!" The dragon screamed as sheer hot bliss exploded through him, unable to help but cry out again. "AAAAARRRHHHH!!"

Valyrym made a few of the those swift, short thrusts Alia was trying to emulate, stroking himself against her body even as she squeezed and pumped his flare. His cock jumped between the two of them, bucking Alia just a little. The dragon's first spurt splattered against his upper belly, but his second, much stronger eruption came in a torrent that marked the dragon's neck. The third was the same, adding more white spatter to the black scales of his throat, painting him in globs of white heat.

Valyr writhed the whole time, the pleasures wringing noises from him he'd never heard himself make before. His body contorted in new ways, too. His front paws were balled up into fists clutching at the furs and blankets, and his wings beat against the smuggled bedclothes. Both hind feet ended up thrust into the air on either side of Alia, the dragon's toes curling cutely. His tail first twisted into several coils and then straightened out completely. It twitched a few times, flagging with the pulse of his release, causing his tail spines to thump and clatter against the floor.

When his rapturous torrents had finally succumbed to blissful dribbles, the dragon began to calm. In the back ground, he heard Alia laughing. In the initial throes of his afterglow, the dragon couldn't help laughing along with her, though he had no idea what was so funny. Alia continued to stroke him until he began to writhe and whimper from the stimulation to his now overly sensitive tool. She ceased her ministrations but did not yet get off of the dragon's maleness.

"My spirits, Val." Alia said, still giggling. She leaned forward till her breasts tickled the still dribbling tip of his meat. "You sure seemed to enjoy that one. You came even harder than you did in the tub."

The dragon was struggling to catch his breath, his horned head lolled back against the floor. "I noticed! I've not...cum that hard in ages, actually."

"Glad to oblige then, you old beast."

"Hmmph," the dragon snorted. "What were you laughing about, anyway?"

"Your face!" Alia started giggling all over again. "You should have seen it. Your ears got all flat back against your head, but all your spines stuck up at the same time. Your eyes looked as though they were about to cross but then you squeezed them shut so tightly I couldn't tell. Then all you bared all your fangs just cause your snout was so scrunched up. It was quite cute, actually."

"Dragons are not cute," Valyrym grumbled.

"You are too cute," Alia assured him, grinned. She lay a hand against his flare as his tool slowly began to retreat. "Especially when you're orgasming."

"Very funny," the dragon murmured, though he was far too satisfied now to really argue.

Alia lay against him till his tool had almost fully sheathed itself again. She almost didn't want it to, she was enjoying the intimacy and heat of it pressed between her thighs. Yes, she thought. She definitely wondered how much of that she could take. She was not so foolish enough to think she could take it all, but if she could fit part of it in her mouth she could certainly fit some of it into her sex, too. They'd have to be careful, though. Those thrusts Val made at the end could be dangerous if he got a little too enthusiastic. Perhaps it would be best if she took him from the top, the way she'd straddled him during their current encounter. She decided that was something to think about for next time.

Next time. It made her smile to realize there would be a next time. Any lingering doubt she'd had about their first encounter was long since gone. And really, why shouldn't it be? Valyrym may not be human, but he was very bit as much a thinking, feeling creature as she was. And he sure as hell needed a friend. Much as she knew he'd hate to admit it, the dragon needed someone to watch out for him. To protect him. Alia was more than happy to be that person.

Alia finally climbed off of his belly. She had the dragon lift one of his wings so she could fetch one of the old animal furs from beneath it. Despite his protests about dirtying his furs, she used the hide to clean the dragon's seed from his body. She'd already decided to do what she could to wash all his old bedding, might as well make use of it in the meantime.

"It's not like this is the first time your seed has ever stained any of your bedding, Val."

"How would you know?" The dragon turned his head to watch her wipe him down. He was purring to himself in satisfaction. Alia was starting to love that rumbling, stones tumbling in a barrel sound.

"As long as you've been here, I sincerely doubt you haven't felt the urge to thrust into something soft, and wrapped yourself in one of those blankets at least once."

Valyr hissed, but did not reply. He was in far too good a mood to argue. Besides, she was right, and they both knew it. He murmured and purred for her as she cleaned him. Alia was sure to wipe him down everywhere so that his underbelly scales shone a little bit when she was finished. Then she went to his head, and gently hugged him against her naked form. She stroked his throat a little, and they shared a few moments of silence, and comfort.

Finally, Alia rose. "I should get going Val. It's late. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Val nodded, murmuring to himself. Alia went to her clothes, but before she could put them back on, Valyrym rolled to his side. "Alia...wait."

Alia turned back towards him, and Valyrym opened one of his gray edged wings and gently curled it around her, guiding her back towards his face. When she saw hesitation in his eyes, she stroked his wing as if encouraging him to say whatever he wished, and reached out to cup the dragon's pebbly gray scaled chin.

"Yes, Valyrym?"

"I..." He glanced down a moment, then idly reached up to brush his paw over the bandage on his nose. Alia pulled his paw away from it, and the dragon gave a little sigh. "Alia, I don't want to be...I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Then you won't be," Alia replied without hesitation.

He'd never have to be alone again. At least, not as long as she drew breath and he wished her company. In the back of her mind, she wondered if one of Val's worries was growing to care for someone he might inevitably outlive. It was a painful thought, and not one she wished to dwell on. Let him care for her while she was there, and her for him.

Alia wrapped her arms around the dragon's head, and hugged him to her breast. She stroked his neck, and then slowly eased down along his form until she was laying against his chest. Val reached for a clean, warm blanket and draped it across Alia's body as she snuggled up to his scales. The dragon snaked his head forward, and blew out the lantern. Darkness wrapped them up together, and Alia lay her head against Valyrym's chest. The dragon curled his front leg around Alia, and set his head down upon the lilac pillow. They did not speak. They did not have to.

Content just to be with him, Alia listened to the dragon's heartbeat until it lulled her to sleep.

---

And that, for now, is where it ends. Once again, if you're stuck with me this far and you've enjoyed what you've read, please leave a comment and let me know. They make my day!