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Hello again, Readers, and welcome to the third installment of The Dragon In The Dungeon. The success of this series continues to blow me away, and humble me greatly. So thank you very much for continuing to read it, and continuing to ask me for more!

Thanks to you, the original submission now has over 120 Favs, and 85 5-star votes! It seems people really do enjoy longer, more in-depth stories with an emphasis on character development and plot.

For those new to the tale, you're really best starting with that original installment. Each ensuing installment begins just where the last one left off, in the style of a novel.

For those who've enjoyed the story from the beginning, and anyone looking to skip ahead, I proudly present the Third Installment of The Dragon In The Dungeon, The Dread Sky.

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Alia slept more soundly than she had in ages. The steady thump of the dragon's heartbeat was like an everlasting lullaby, and his foreleg around her was as warm and comforting as the blanket he'd draped her in. As Alia slumbered she dreamt of a dragon in flight. By the time she finally awoke she could not recall if she was flying atop Valyrym's back, or if in the strange way of dreams it was Alia herself who'd been a soaring dragon. Yet when she finally blinked awake, the memory and the sensation of flying was still with her.

It felt like freedom.

Freedom beyond anything she'd ever known before. Freedom beyond that which a servant would ever truly know. Freedom beyond the glares and displeased gazes of those who did not like seeing the influx of outsiders into Illandra. Freedom from walls, freedom from hatred and freedom from the very shackles of the earth itself. It was a strange sort of feeling, and in an odd way she found herself longing to return to it. If only Val was not bound in his stone prison, he could show her what flight truly felt like.

Though Alia knew it would not happen, the thought made her smile all the same.

The dragon was still asleep. Alia did not wish to wake Valyrym and had no desire to leave his comforting embrace anyway. There was a little bit of purple-hued light beginning to shine into the room from the air vents above. The sun had not yet risen but as a purplish aura spread from the horizon and settled across the land, so too did it gradually enter the cell. The lavender predawn light trickled through the air vents like illuminating waters dribbling through cracks in the rock.

Alia found she'd curled up a little more tightly against Valyrym while they slumbered together. The dragon had shifted a little as well. He'd pulled his front leg more snugly around Alia as if to keep her safe even in sleep. Valyr had also moved his wedge shaped head from the lilac toned pillow and curled his long neck around until he was facing her. Alia wondered if the dragon had woken and watched her sleep. She found it an odd thing to ponder, and yet it too made her smile.

As if just to turn the tables, for a few minutes she simply watched Valyrym sleep. It was amazing how peaceful even a dragon could look in slumber. Whatever he might have done to find himself entombed here, he hardly seemed capable of it while he slept. With his eyes closed and his body slightly curled around her atop the bedding, he looked the picture of tranquility. The dragon did not move at all save for the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of his scaled body and the occasional twitch of a single ear.

As Valyrym slept, Alia stroked the arm he cradled her with. She traced her fingers back and forth across one of the plate-like scutes that covered the front side of his leg. Laying there with Valyrym, it was hard to imagine that somewhere out the world, men were making good coin by tracking down dragons and taking their lives. She knew well enough that many dragons deserved it. Still, while she'd hardly spared a thought towards the way the lives of dragons might end before she met Valyrym, now it seemed...a pity to have to strike them down. That made her consider a moment whether Valyrym yet drew breath due to mercy, or cruelty. When he was captured, did they let him live because it seemed wrong to take the life of a creature no longer capable of defending himself? Or did they merely want to make him suffer longer? Perhaps it was simply the same avarice shown by Illandra towards her own people. They simply thought a living dragon would be a better gain for the city itself than a dead one.

Whatever the case, she was glad for it.

Or was she? That brought another thought to Alia's mind. Yes, bringing Valyrym here alive had brought them together, and knowing him for scarcely less than a week had already brightened her life considerably. And yet, at what cost to Valyrym himself? Yes, he himself admitted that she'd made his life better too. But she imagined she brightened his life the way a single candle brightened a dismal room. Yes, the flame shone more brightly than nothing at all but the room remained wrapped in darkness nonetheless. Surely, her simple friendship was not worth the entirety of the dragon's freedom.

Alia sighed to herself, and lay her head back against his scaled chest. At least she could make his life better in her own way. There was no sense dwelling on what the dragon had lost. Alia imagined Valyrym himself had already spent many years doing just that. He seemed quite resigned to his fate now, perhaps even accepting of it. The least she could do was make that fate a little more enjoyable without bringing up silly questions about whether or not she was worth it to him.

Which in turn brought up other questions that ran rampant through Alia's mind. What if she did have a chance to free him? Would she take it? She had no idea what he'd done in the first place. Then again, did it actually matter what he'd done? It seemed to her he had served more than enough time and suffered more than enough torture to be appropriately punished for just about any crime she could think of. He certainly seemed to repent over what he'd done, too.

If it were only as simple as opening a cell door and letting him walk free, Alia found herself thinking she might do just that. Of course she'd probably be tossed in the castle's more traditional dungeon for letting their most notorious prisoner walk free without so much as a royal pardon, but it would almost be worth it. A strange thing to consider, really. Would she exchange her freedom for his own? Alia was starting to think she would.

She pushed such matters aside while Valyrym slept, and simply enjoyed her time spent with him in silence. Alia stroked his front leg for a while and when he finally began to stir, she smiled at him. Valyr's eyes slowly opened to groggy golden slits. He murmured to himself, and Alia lifted her hand from his encircling leg to playfully wave at him.

"Good morning, Sleepy Dragon," she said with a little giggle.

Valyrym murmured something incomprehensible, and slowly lifted his head. He peered up towards the air vents, squinting. "Morning? ...Are you sure?"

"Close enough," Alia said with a smile. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Valyrym murmured again. Alia was starting to get the idea mornings were hardly his best moments. He looked around till he spotted his pillow, then dragged it towards himself to lay his head back down upon it, his neck curled once more. He pulled Alia tighter against him, cuddling her and the blanket she was wrapped in. Before he could stop himself, the old dragon was purring. He was happy simply to have another warm body against his own.

"Someone's feeling cuddly," Alia said, stroking his chest as she lay against him.

Valyrym snorted. "Don't ruin it."

"Oh, I forgot. Dragons would never admit they like to cuddle." She smirked a little.

"We don't." Valyrym glared at her and promptly closed his eyes.

"What do you call this then, hmm?" Alia put her arm over the dragon's, and tugged it up against her body a little more.

"That's called keeping you warm." A ghost of a smirk tugged at the corners of the dragon's mouth.

"Well, that's kind of you," Alia giggled a little bit. "After all, I am naked under this blanket."

The dragon's grin grew a little wider as he rested his head on the lilac pillow. "I do seem to recall something about that. Though I wasn't sure if you'd put clothes on again during the night."

"No, I'm still naked," Alia said, as casually as she could. "Care to have a look?"

"You're teasing me again," Valyrym said, opening a single eye to a tiny slit.

"Not yet I'm not," Alia smiled. Then she turned towards the dragon's face, and slowly opened the blanket to reveal her naked form. "Now I'm teasing you."

"You," the dragon muttered, opening both eyes and fixing them upon her. "Are terrible. It isn't nice to give old dragons erections first thing in the morning."

"Oh?" Alia giggled, leaning back a little bit. The chilly air caused her nipples to harden. "Is the sight of a naked woman all it takes to give an old dragon an erection? I shouldn't have thought another species would be so arousing to you."

"You'd be surprised," the dragon muttered, his golden eyes roaming over her body. A beautiful body, really. Human or otherwise, he found her strikingly beautiful. She held lovely, alluring curves that reminded him in some ways of a slinky female dragon's haunches and hind end. Her skin was soft, supple, he liked that. It made him want to lay with her and simply stroke her skin with a paw. As he admired her naked body, eyes roaming down to the ever-so-inviting folds of flesh tucked neatly between her thighs, Valyrym felt himself stirring in his sheath. Soon he felt cool air around exposed flesh as he began to peek free. "But at the moment? Yes. That does seem to be all it takes, at least to get it started. Like I said, you're teasing me."

Alia found herself laughing. "It's fun to tease you, Dragon."

"At least for one of us." He snorted, lifting his head from the pillow. "So much for going back to sleep."

"No one said you couldn't go back to sleep." Alia stretched her arms up over her head, her breasts pressed out into the air as she arched her back, and yawned.

"No, but your teasing has certainly awakened me more completely." The dragon found himself sharing her yawn. His pink tongue curled in his black and gray muzzle. "To say nothing of shifting my desires from returning to slumber to...other things."

Alia giggled a little bit as she slowly shifted and began to get up. The dragon pulled his paw away from her to let rise to her feet, and she stroked his shoulder. "I'm not sure we have time for other things. But perhaps later?"

"Well you did say you'd handle my erection at least once a day."

Alia smirked, turning towards him with her hands on her bare hips. Valyr found his eyes settling between her thighs a moment as she spoke. "I believe I said, only once a day. If I handle it now you'd have nothing to look forward to this evening."

"That does little to quell the desires your teasing has birthed, however."

Alia just laughed at that. "You are so bad, Dragon."

This time Valyrym's huff sounded genuinely dejected. "You were the one who decided to tease me soon as I'd awoken."

Alia smiled at him, and moved to his head. Valyrym lifted it and Alia hugged it against her body. "I suppose you're right. Perhaps I should help you tend it before I leave for the moment."

"I think you'd better." The dragon snorted, and nuzzled against her breasts, grinning.

"Now, now," Alia said, biting her lip to keep from moaning softly. "We certainly don't have time for that. They'll be wondering where I am soon, if they've not started already. And I'm not sure I like your attitude, Dragon. After all I am the warden, and I decide what I'd better do and not do."

Valyrym grumbled and pulled his head away from her, but when she turned away he playfully swatted her on the rump. This time he was very careful not to do so to forcefully, but it still took her by surprise. She jumped and yelped, then laughed as she rubbed her naked posterior. A red paw print soon emerged against her soft skin. Alia whirled around and glared at him, though it was clear to both of them that she was also doing all she could not to burst out laughing. It stung smartly, but the pain was swift to fade and she knew he'd been careful that time.

"What on earth was that for?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

"For teasing me, and not doing anything about it." Valyrym yawned once more and began to push himself up. "Besides, I think I should like to play at being Warden, sometime. Consider that a practice punishment for being a naughty thing."

The dragon rose into a cat-like stretch, leaving his chest against the ground as he pushed his hindquarters up into the air, stretching his back legs as far as they'd go. He straightened his tail out behind himself. Alia giggled as she watched him stretch, glancing under his belly. With his hind end propped so high up into the air, and the dragon warm and relaxed from recent slumber, the old black dragon's testicles dangled between his rear legs like overripe fruit. Ahead of them, a few inches of tapered red flesh were already peeking from his sheath thanks to her teasing.

"You really like to show off your apples, don't you dragon," Alia said, giggling again.

"No more so than you enjoy looking at them." The dragon flared his spines a little, a smug expression. Finishing his stretch, he pushed himself the rest of the way to his feet and stood. He shook himself, rustling his gray-edged wings a bit.

"If you're going to keep up that attitude, you're not going to get any sex at all today!" Alia went to pick her undergarments, but made a point to bend over just as the dragon looked at her.

The sight of her usually hidden folds so delightfully exposed beneath her pert, rounded rear had the old dragon slipping further from his sheath and hardening up. He groaned a little in frustrated desire, then growled. "I had no idea getting...comfortable...around me would cause you to become such an unrepentant tease."

"Hmm?" Alia glanced back at the dragon as if she had no idea what she was doing. Her eyes flicked to the dragon's member, quickly rising from his sheath and engorging itself, the spear-shape soon flaring out behind its pointed tip. In truth, she had no idea she'd start teasing the dragon this way, either. Yet she found she was coming to greatly enjoy being so playfully sexual with the dragon. She'd always rather enjoyed teasing men she cared for, and now that she had begun to care for the dragon in much the same fashion, she found she enjoyed seeing him grow excited for her.

"And just what do you think you're looking at?" She wiggled her rump at him, then finally burst out laughing when the dragon gave a rather pitiful sounding whimper. "Oh, you poor thing."

Alia rose and walked to stand alongside the dragon. She put her hand on his side, smiling at him. Gently, she stroked the broad scales that covered the dragon's ribs, peering at the arched slab of red flesh now jutting out under his belly. Then she slipped her hand beneath him, and ever so delicately traced her fingertips down the dragon's length, then over his testicles. Valyrym whimpered happily. When Alia ran her fingers back up the dragon's shaft, a shuddering sigh escaped him. He hung his head, closing his eyes for a few moments.

"I suppose it would be a shame to let such a thing go to waste."

"Yes," Valyrym murmured. "It would."

"After all, a dragon as old as you doesn't get these often."

Valyrym's head shot back up and he glared at her. "If that's the way you're going to be, I shall attend it myself!"

"Oh, by all means!" Alia smiled and made a point to step back from him, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "I should like to see that myself, actually. So go on Dragon. Attend it."

Valyrym turned his head to glare at her, flaring up his spines. Damn, he just had to go and say that, didn't he. Now the only way he could win this little battle of wills was to do just as he'd said, and even then it would be a hollow victory. He debated it a little bit and snapped his jaws in frustration. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you Girl."

"Yes, Dragon," Alia's smirk grew along with the reddening flush of her cheeks. "I would."

Valyrym snarled under his breath. He lifted a front paw, and slowly reached back to encircle himself with his fingers. His own paw pads hardly felt as nice as Alia's touch, yet they were very pleasant in a very familiar way. He squeezed his ridges and groaned, and then slowly began to stroke himself. He tried to keep his self-pleasuring as slow and casual as he could. Yet he found it difficult, as he was rarely one to tease himself for extended periods of time. To say nothing of the fact that he found it a little extra erotic to stroke himself as Alia watched.

Alia was just starting to enjoy the sight of the dragon's black and gray scaled paw sliding back and forth along his red flesh when a voice echoed through the prison and into Val's sleeping chamber. "Allliiiiaaaa!"

Alia froze, and Val's head jerked up. Gazes both green and gold instantly shot to the chamber opening. "Damn!" Alia cursed under her breath. "They must have wondered why I never returned last night!"

Valyrym flopped back onto his haunches, growling his frustration. "They should simply assume you were tending a wounded dragon! Which..." He smirked. "You were. In more ways than one."

"This isn't the time for that, Val," Alia whispered, scrambling for her dress. "They can't...I mean...I'm not sure what will happen if they know."

"I should like to think they will simply assume that you are my Warden, and I am yours to do with as you see fit." The dragon licked his bandaged nose. "But I suppose that is to much to ask for from the average human."

Alia yanked her underwear on, and then fumbled with her dress. She donned it as quickly as she could, adjusting the straps. Then she shoved her feet into her cloth sandals. She started for the sleeping chamber door when she heard the guards call out for her again. Val circled a front leg around her midsection to stop her. Before she could ask him what he was doing, he had already licked his paw pad a few times, and then used it to smooth down her rather frizzled hair best he could. At some point in the night the blue ribbons holding her pony tail had come loose, and the dragon did what he could to help her look a bit more presentable.

Alia turned and stroked his cheek. "Thank you. I'm going to go try and stop them before they find this place. When I call for you, be sure and come out into view. And look hurt."

The dragon snorted, flaring his wings in irritation. "I do not think that will be a problem." He turned his head to indicate all the bandages along his neck, and then stretched the hind leg upon which he limped.

Alia felt her stomach twist. She hadn't meant it like that. She took his head in her hands, and gently kissed him just above the bandage on his nose. "I'm sorry, Val. You know what I mean."

"Yes," he replied before giving her cheek tiny lick and pulling his head back. "I shall do my best."

"Good," Alia said. The dragon settled onto his haunches, his still prominent erection jutting up along his underbelly. Alia scooped down and picked up a blanket, then threw it over the dragon's mating tool. The fabric settled around it like a perverse tent pole. "And for goodness sake, put that thing away!"

"Shall I just store it the closet, then?"

"Just get rid of it," Alia said, shaking her head, doing her best not to laugh. Then another thought occurred to her. "And not like that, either! I know what you're thinking and they'll hear you."

"Perhaps that would teach them to intrude too deeply into my personal chambers."

Alia did what she could to wipe the grin off her face as she quickly strode out of the sleeping chamber. She spotted torchlight in the distance, a group of three fully armored guards were slowly making their way into the dragon's prison chamber. They had stopped to peer at one of his carvings, and Alia quickened her pace. No need to let them get too close to Val's sleeping chamber. If they grew curious, they might take a look inside, and Alia knew it would not be as easy to be lenient about all his belongings if too many of the guards knew about them.

"Hello!" Alia called out as she neared the men.

"Alia!" The lead guard jogged towards her. Somewhat to her relief, Alia realized it was the same guard from the night before who had helped her gather supplies. No wonder he noticed she'd never returned. "Ma'am!" He came to a halt just in front of her, and offered a quick salute by clapping his fist to his chest. That was new, Alia thought before he went on. "Are you alright?"

"Alright?" Alia blinked, confused.

"You...you never came back last night." The guard jerked his thumb towards one of the others. "He took over for me in the middle of the night, but he said you'd never come up this morning. I was worried, I thought maybe...well..."

"The dragon would not hurt me," Alia said as firmly as she could. This time she was careful not to use his name. It seemed a bad time to appear too familiar with the creature. "Though, I do thank you for your concern." She smiled, and put her hand on the guard's armored shoulder a moment. "And for your help last night. The dragon's wounds were quite extensive, and by the time I'd finally finished suturing them all shut, it was already quite late. I gave him some herbal remedies that helped him to sleep, and I decided to stay the night down here to ensure that none of his wounds began to bleed again."

The lead guard glanced back at the other two. One of them shrugged. Alia wasn't sure if they bought it or not, but so far she had no reason to believe they hadn't. After all it was not far from the truth. She hoped the orange light cast across her face by the torch flames was enough to conceal the blush she felt burning across her cheeks and ears. To add credence to her tale, she began to walk about the dungeon a little, pointing out the long trail of blood leading from the door way towards the sleeping chamber. In the process, she made sure to lead the men away from the sleeping chamber, and back towards the carved pillar they'd been observing, nearer the exit.

"As you can see," Alia said, pausing to point to a large, dark stain. In the time since she'd last walked this way, the crimson pool had dried to a rusty reddish patch of sticky residue. "The dragon lost a lot of blood. As I am quite literally the only one in charge of his care, I thought it prudent I ensure he made it through the night without the need of further medical attention."

"A wise decision," the lead guard agreed. Alia's heart leapt so high it nearly exploded through her skull. Thank the Gods this guard was around today. "Though, next time..."

"I'll return and tell you if I don't plan to retire to my own quarters," Alia finished for him.

The guard smiled under his helmet. "Thank you, Ma'am If I may ask..." He turned a moment to glance towards the sleeping chamber. "How...how is the old beast?"

Alia hesitated. Was that genuine concern she heard in the man's voice? It certainly sounded like it, but she couldn't be sure. Part of her feared the guard didn't actually believe her, and simply wanted to see the extent of the dragon's injuries for himself. Still, it certainly sounded as though he cared at least a little. And he'd been very helpful last night.

"He's doing a little better," Alia said with a smile, touching the guards arm. "He's only just woken, but I'll see if I can get him to say hello. You can see how badly that bastard injured him."

"Oh, that's not necessary," the guard replied, a little nervousness creeping into his voice.

Oh yes it was, Alia thought. She knew there was a chance the guard was just calling her bluff, and she was ready for that. She just hoped Valyrym was ready, too. She cleared her throat, then called out to him. "Dragon! Dragon! If you're feeling up to it, come out here and we'll get you some breakfast. The guards were worried about how badly hurt you were!"

The guards shifted a little, armor rattling. At the far end of the place, Valyrym poked his wedge shaped head out, peering towards the touch light. Slowly, the dragon began to shuffle towards them. "There he is," Alia said with a pleasant smile. Yet to herself she thought, please don't be hard, please don't be hard.

To hide their own nervousness, two of the guards busied themselves by admiring one of the dragon's carvings. This one depicted a serene little village. The simple houses and buildings all had sloped roofs, with little buckets and gutters and pipes about as though they were always prepared for rain. Behind the village a series of rocky hills rose up like the scaly back of some great, coiled serpent.

"He likes to carve, as you can see," Alia gestured to the pillar with a smile. "He's quite a talent for it."

Then Alia turned her attention back to Valyrym. As the dragon drew nearer them Alia was astonished by what she saw. Suddenly he was not the creature she had come to know. Instead he the beast who had first greeted her, and threatened to eat her on her second day. Alia was no longer sure if it was all an act, or if he had simply opened up that much around her. But she was glad to see it, it would help strengthen their story. He gave a low growl, and there was menace in his eyes as they flickered in the torchlight. As he reached them, he snorted at the nearest guard.

"Is this my breakfast?" Valyrym asked, slowly looking the guard up and down.

"Certainly not," Alia chided him, falling into a similar role. Then, just to surprise him and to show these men that she was in fact in charge of the dragon now, she reached out and snatched Valyrym's ear. He yowled in surprise, and anger flashed in his eyes, but Alia held him tightly. "Behave yourself. These men were concerned for your well being, and I shall not stand for you threatening them."

"If they were truly concerned, they would have come to see why I was squealing in pain." Valyrym glared at them. "Release my ear. I shall behave."

"You'd better," Alia said, letting him go.

The dragon instantly tossed his head, flaring up all his spines. He licked at his nose, then grumbled. "This damn bandage itches. I wish it removed!"

"You cannot have it removed, Dragon, nor the sutures beneath it until your nose has healed." Alia reached out to gently pat his neck. "Be good, and I shall bring you treats."

Two of the guards glanced at each other, quite impressed by just how well this women had tamed the dragon. As far as they knew, none of the other wardens lately had even touched the creature, much less gotten him to behave. As they marveled about that, the lead guard who had helped gather supplies came forward, his armor rattling a little.

"I will take the blame for your injuries, Dragon." His words startled both the dragon, and Alia. "You are right, I should have come investigate what that noble was doing. But in truth, the stairway is long and winding, and any screams you may have made went...unheard." He glanced down at his boots a moment, and Alia began to feel as though his concern was truly genuine. "I apologize, Dragon. For what it is worth, your handler has given me strict instructions that no one is to be allowed down here without her permission."

Valyrym pulled his head back, his neck curling into an S. A smirk spread over his gray-tinged muzzle. "Has she then."

"Yes, Dragon." The guard confirmed it, nodding. "She has. And I have passed it on to the others."

Valyrym turned his gaze towards Alia, giving her a grin that was as smug as it was appreciative. Alia smiled back at him. As much for Valyrym's benefit as to show the guards just how well she had him eating out of her hand, she reached out and scratched under his chin. Valyr would not allow himself to purr in front of the guards, but he did tilt his head back a little to allow Alia to scratch along his jaw and down his throat.

"Show them your wounds, Valyrym," Alia said gently.

The dragon narrowed his golden eyes and raised his neck spines a little in irritation. "I do not recall offering my name, so I'll thank you not to offer it again on my behalf."

Alia paused, she hadn't realized the dragon might not want others to know his name. But he'd told her as soon as she'd asked, hadn't he? Then again, she hoped to think she'd earned at least a modicum of his trust by the time he'd given her his name. That was something she knew these guards had not done. So she stroked the dragon's muzzle to sooth him, and guards or no guards, she whispered into his ear.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Then she waved to the men. "Now, show them your wounds please, Dragon."

Val nodded, accepting her apology. It wouldn't do the two of them any good to raise a fuss about it now. Still, the dragon did not like the idea of showing off his injuries like some wounded trophy captive, even if that was essentially what he was. For a moment longer he hesitated. Then he forced himself to remember that this was Alia asking. This was not some conquering army dragging a gravely wounded dragon behind their horses in chains. Back then, they'd only been eager to show off how badly they had hurt the great "monster". Yet this was different. Valyrym knew Alia only wanted the guards to understand what had been done to him.

Slowly, Valyrym lowered his head so they could look at the big bandage across his nose, and turned his large body to the side. As he did so, Alia saw something drift behind his eyes. Painful memories, and with a shudder she realized he'd been made to display his wounds before. A mark of bloody pride carved by his conquerors. She instantly wished she'd not asked him to do so, but knew it was too late now. Alia did what she could to comfort him by circling an arm around his neck to support his head and slowly stroked his scales.

"It's alright," she murmured. "No one else is going to hurt you. I only want them to see so how badly you were hurt when no one was here to keep you safe."

Alia blamed herself for that. She should have been here, and she should have kept those gates locked. She was a little surprised Valyrym did not protest her soft comforts. Given that the guards were right there, she hoped her words were taken to be comforting, not humiliating. As Alia held his head with one hand, she used the other to trace a single finger around the edges of the bandage between his nostrils. Val winced a little, it was still a very tender area.

"You see?" Alia drew an invisible line in the air with her finger. "That damn noble split his whole nose open from here, to here. It was a very ugly wound and hard to stop from bleeding. And while you might not realize it, a dragon's nose is highly sensitive." Well, well, look at her, she thought. Talking like some scholar highly versed in draconic anatomy. "Which made it an especially agonizing wound."

"It still is," Val muttered, his nose throbbing with each beat of his heart. Whatever painful specters had been dancing behind the dragon's eyes a moment earlier were already gone. In their place was that bitter sarcasm that Alia was increasing familiar with. "So watch where you're prodding me, Warden."

Alia laughed a little, and rubbed his neck gently where he didn't have any wounds. "Sorry." Then she glanced to the guards. "I had to stitch his whole nose back together, to say nothing of all the stitches I put in him elsewhere." She gestured along his neck, and to his shoulder. "So you can see what I thought it best to watch him overnight."

"I can," the lead guard said in agreement. Then he chuckled a bit. "I knew they'd picked you for a reason. Word was you got any task done they set you upon and that you knew how to make things happen when you had to."

Pride swelled in Alia's chest. They said that about her? By they, she assumed he meant the royals, or at least whoever they employed to assign people to odd jobs. She could not help but grin ear to ear for a few moments. Then she tried to wipe the grin from her face rather unsuccessfully.

"Yes, well I do my best with the tasks I'm given," she finally said, rubbing Val between his horns. "And a dragon is certainly the tallest order I'd ever received. Though I find if you treat him with respect, he's willing to do the same."

Valyrym snapped his jaws as suddenly and loudly as he could. Everyone jumped save for Alia who looked as though she hadn't even noticed. "I am right here, you know," the dragon said, dragging a few talons across the floor. "Simply because I do not blush the way you do does not mean I do not feel embarrassment at being discussed as though I am some puzzle to be solved."

Alia laughed at his comment, and the guards nervously followed suit. Valyrym lifted his head a little to glare at them. "You should be ashamed to be bested in bravery by a girl with half your experience and none of your armor."

"I...uh..."

The two reserve guards stumbled over their words and Valyrym merely smirked at them. He licked his nose, tasting the bandage. It made his tongue feel scratchy, and with a huff, he turned his attention to the guard who seemed to be the leader of this little band of idiots. "Did you mean what you said? About taking the blame?"

"Yes," the guard replied without hesitation. He tensed, as though he expected the dragon to strike him and send him hurtling across the room. "It was my fault for allowing him to descend the stairs without supervision. I assumed his own bodyguards would prevent him from doing anything rash." Then the guard paused, furrowing his brow beneath his helmet. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Though I did question that noble this morning, Lord Armadine. According to him, you antagonized him and eventually forced him and his guards to defend themselves. Unless you can offer me a more believable story, I'm afraid I have to believe what the noble tells me."

Valyrym gave a frustrated growl. The dragon flared his wings a little, causing another guard to grasp the hilt of his sword. Valyrym bared his fangs, and when Alia put her hand on his neck, he pulled away, stepping back from them.

"Just when I was starting to like you, Guard." Valyrym gave a frustrated grow, flaring his wings. "He told you that I antagonized him?" Alia put a hand on the dragon's neck, but he pulled back from her, turning away. The dragon took a few breaths, then hissed and suddenly whirled towards the group. Anger flashed in his eyes. He drove the spines of his tail into the nearest, un-carved pillar with a loud crack. Chips of stone shattered and flew in all directions before skidding across the floor. "And you believe him?"

Behind Alia, two of the guards drew their blades and moved to protect the woman. Much as she appreciated their attempts at chivalry she knew well enough if anyone needed protecting it would be the guards. Somehow she didn't think Val would be willing to go through her to get to them if he suddenly wished to take his growing anger out upon someone. To his credit, the guard who seemed to share some sympathy with Alia and the dragon had not drawn his weapon.

"Given that his version of events is the only I've yet heard, I'm afraid I have no choice." The guard gestured with a hand. "So...if you've something to say..."

"To say?" Valyrym hissed at him. "Ah, shall I tell you the tale of the day I was tortured, then? Only the most recent time, of course, I'm afraid I've lost track of how many times something like this has happened."

"Valyrym," Alia said gently. She was beginning to think the guard was just trying to goad the dragon into telling an uncomfortable truth. "They just want to hear your side of the story."

"My side?" The dragon glared at the guards again. "That would be something new, wouldn't it."

Valyrym stalked back towards the group, looking every bit like a lion ready to pounce its prey. "Very well, guard." The dragon paused his advance to wave a paw towards one of the ledges he often lay upon to peer out the air vents. "I was laying there, simply enjoying the scent of a fresh breeze that happened to blow in." He snapped his jaws, flaring his spines. Alia moved to stand between Val and the guards, chivalry be damned. "And this arrogant noble walked right into the only home you allow me to have, and began to hurl all manner of vile insults at me."

Valyrym advanced until he stood just in front of Alia. Two of the guards backed away, raising their swords. Alia lifted her hand, and put it to Valyrym's neck to steady him. She knew he hadn't really wanted to tell this story, but the guard was practically dragging it out of him. Alia herself wished to strike the man when he suggested Valyrym forced the Noble's guards to defend him. Still, she suspected this guard did not believe the noble and wished to get the dragon to tell the story himself, even if it took angering the beast with false accusations to do so. If that was his gambit, she had to respect him for it. Though, she also had to fear for his sanity if his strategy involved purposefully bringing a dragon to anger.

Valyrym snarled, and flared his wings to their full impressive extent. "I wished to strike him down then and there! But I am no fool. I have been in this place, this...wretched hole..." The last two words dripped from Valyrym's tongue like venom. "Since longer than any of you have been alive. I know well enough that slaying anyone of even meager importance would be cause to have chained and beaten every day, if not simply starved to death."

For a moment, sorrow began to replace the anger in the dragon's voice. Alia saw it shining in his eyes, cold and painful. Then his anger returned, flaring hot and fiery in his gaze and voice alike. He gestured with a front paw, and then stomped at the ground like a furious bull. He began to pace, limping back and forth in front of them. Alia couldn't tell if he was playing up his limp or if it was simply hurting him more than it unusually did.

"Valyrym," Alia said, reaching out to brush her fingers across his scales as he passed. The two guards with drawn steel stood almost frozen, and the third remained next to Alia, folding his arms and listening to the dragon. "You don't have to go on."

"I think I do, Alia," Valyrym snapped, glaring at the guards as if considering whether which would tear through their armor faster, his teeth or his claws. "Since I couldn't kill him, I decided to terrify the little worm. I leapt from my ledge and chased him and his stench all the way out of my prison."

The dragon's voice fell, and his gaze did the same. For long moments Valyrym simply stared at his paws. He began to scratch nervous marks into the floor. The lead guard turned towards his subordinates, and gestured towards their swords. Hesitantly they sheathed their blades while Valyrym sought the proper words. Finally, he simply forced himself to spit it out.

"It was a trap, and like a blundering hatchling I ran right into it." Valyrym's anger seemed to be fading, replaced with a slowly creeping sense of humiliation. "The moment I stuck my head through the door I was attacked from both sides. Even before I had a chance to separate my attackers from their arms, the noble himself split my nose open with a whip." Valyrym licked his nose, it still throbbed. "All while his woman watched and laughed."

Alia cringed. She wanted to go and hug Val but when she took a step towards him, he gestured with his paw for her to be still. She realized he was struggling to keep himself together, now. If she went to him to comfort him now he might break down, and the last thing he wanted was to break down in front of the guards the way his armor had crumbled in front of her the other night. So she held her ground, even as she felt herself ready to burst into tears at any moment. Her throat clenched, and her eyes burned. How could anyone be so cruel? Whatever Val had done before, he wasn't hurting anyone now. No one had a right to hurt him like that. No one.

"The pain was blinding, more intense than I'd felt in ages" Val finally went on, turning his head to peer at his heavily scarred hind leg. "But the laughter was worse. As I retreated I heard that horrible woman's laughter following me and soon they'd all joined in. The whole thing was a game to them." With a sigh, the dragon eased himself down on the floor, anger completely replaced by sorrow and shame. "They'd set their trap, the foolish, pathetic old beast had blundered into it, and they'd made him bleed." Val lay his head down, and his last words were slightly muffled, but Alia heard them all too clear. "The humiliation of it all cut me deeper than the whip ever could."

Alia wiped a tear from her eye, and then another. She sniffed, and did what she could to keep from crying. "Valyrym..."

Valyrym lifted his head and glanced to her a moment, his pained expression seemed to say Not yet, Alia. He dragged his talons across the floor. Then the dragon fixed his gaze on the lead guard. "So if you suggest again that I somehow antagonized them into doing this to me..." He licked at the bandage as if gesturing with his tongue. "I shall pick you up, armor and all, and hurl you as hard as I can into that pillar just as I did the man who tried to drive his spear into my only unscarred thigh."

"And I would deserve it," the guard replied without a moment's hesitation. "I'm sorry, Dragon. I hate to have made you relive it, but I knew no other way to ensure you told the truth. It's easier for me to tell if someone's being honest when their emotions shine through."

Valyrym slowly lifted his head, glaring at the moment. Slowly, his expression softened to one of frustrated confusion. Had he just been had, and by a human at that? It was very rare for one of the guards to try and mentally out maneuver him, and even more rarely that one of them succeeded. He stared at the guard for quite a while, but slowly his anger abated, and his spines began to settle back down. Without actually replying, he dropped his head back down to the ground, and began to carve a little circle into the floor. Valyrym suddenly seemed quite intent on ignoring everyone else.

The guards shifted, and Alia adjusted her dress. She cleared her throat, trying to act as official as she could even as her heart ached for poor Valyrym. He did not deserve this. Even if he'd done something truly reprehensible, perhaps it would have been more fair to him if he'd simply been slain for it. Surely that'd have been better than lingering as the object of scorn and abuse, punished simply because he was there.

When she had collected herself a little bit, she tried to speak. "We should...erm...see about your breakfast, Dragon."

"I am not hungry," the dragon muttered.

"A little later then," the lead guard offered. "If it helps, Dragon, I am sorry that-"

"It does not help!" Valyrym snapped, cutting him off. He flared one wing, stretched it to its full extent, and then curled it to cover as much of himself as he could. "I should like to be alone, in fact."

"As you wish, Dragon," the guard said, gesturing to the exit. "After you, Ma'am."

Alia started towards the door, trying to keep her emotions to herself. Valyrym did not look at them, but he did call out. "On second thought, I would rather my handler stay. I think my outburst has caused my nose to bleed again."

"Of course," the lead guard said. "Do you need any more bandages or anything?"

"I think we've enough leftover, thank you. I'll be up when he's hungry to see about his meal." Alia quickly gave the guards a little bow and escorted them out.

When the guards were gone, she shut the doors, and turned to Valyrym. She wanted to throw herself around the beast's neck in a big hug but she honestly wasn't sure he'd let her right now. He had not moved from his spot on the floor, but as she approached him he slowly retracted his wing away from his face. She quickly crouched down to take his muzzle in her hands, inspecting his wound. Aside from a little minor seepage, the bandage upon the dragons nose looked clean.

"You're not bleeding," she murmured, then it clicked. "You sneaky thing!"

Valyrym gave a growling chuckle. "I could hardly tell them I wished you to stay and comfort me for a while, could I."

Alia started to laugh, only to realize there hadn't been any sarcasm in the dragon's voice. She stroked his neck as she leaned down to kiss his bandaged nose, careful to avoid the injured area. Then she rose back up. "Come on, you old beast. Let's go back to your sleeping chamber. You'll feel better there, and I'll stay as long as you like."

The dragon grunted as he slowly pushed himself up to his feet. He shook himself, rattling his neck spines a little bit. "I'm sure you have more important things to do then sit around with some moping old dragon, so I shall not keep you long."

Alia just chuckled and began to walk alongside the dragon as he made his way back towards his bedchamber. "However you wish it, Val."

The dragon glanced back at her. Alia saw something in his eyes she'd not yet noticed before. She'd seen plenty of fear, pain, and anger. She'd seen walls of armor there like layers of iron and stone. Yet now she saw something else. Hope. She couldn't be sure just what it was the dragon was hoping for as he gazed back at her. He seemed to be searching her for something, his eyes flickering back and forth. Alia put her hand upon his side, and after only a moment he turned his eyes away again.

Valyrym made a detour to get a drink. When they reached the water trickling down near the tub, the dragon lowered his head and drank deeply. He seemed to half slurp it, half lap it up, and it was an amusing thing for Alia to watch. She knew well enough how dexterous his tongue was but this was the first time she'd really seen him use it in its naturally intended fashion. She giggled to herself a little.

Val glanced up at her as if he knew just what she was thinking. "Never had a warden with such a dirty mind before."

"I've not heard you complain about it yet."

"Nor will you," the dragon murmured. He twisted one frilled ear back and smirked a little. "Merely an observation, Warden."

Alia idly stroked his side as the dragon drank deeply. She wasn't sure she liked him calling her Warden any more, even if it was still an accurate title. Alia supposed it was no different from her calling him Dragon, which she still found herself doing often enough. Then again, she seemed to recall he'd told her it was an appropriate name. Yet the more she knew him, the more she cared for the dragon, the less she felt like his jailor. Alia found it a little ironic that one of the terms she'd heard used for other wardens was "caretaker" and yet she was likely the first one to truly come to care for her charge. Then again, she'd also heard the term "handler" and she rather doubted anyone else had handled him quite the way she had.

When the dragon had quenched his thirst, he lifted his head away from the water. He wiped his muzzle with his tongue, licking up what spare droplets he could. Then Alia went around in front of him and dabbed at the gray edges of his jaw line with her blue dress to wipe up the lingering beads of water that the dragon had missed. Valyrym snorted a little but did not resist, nor did he make a snide comment about her mothering him as Alia half expected him to.

Together they walked back to Valyrym's sleeping chamber. Along the way Alia could not help but notice the dragon was still limping more heavily than usual. It seemed it had not been entirely for show. As they passed beneath the elegantly pointed archway that marked the entrance to Val's private quarters, Alia gently placed her hand upon the broad scales of the dragon's hind leg. She did not touch the scar but the area of her interest was clear.

"Does it still hurt?"

The dragon grunted, glancing back at the scar. He stretching his hind leg out behind himself a little bit, trying to work some stiffness out of the scarred muscles. "It does. It always will. Some days are worse than others. Usually it does not bother me much, but it seems to have decided to act up today. Helped with my little performance though, so I suppose it is not all bad."

Alia gently stroked the dragon's outstretched leg a few times until he pulled it back. "I'm sorry that guard made you so angry. I know you didn't want to talk about what actually happened."

Valyrym muttered under his breath, and limped over to his pile of bedding. Standing in the center of the pile, the dragon turned in a circle a few times like an oversized dog. He paused now and then to rearrange a fur or spread out a blanket or position a pillow in a more comfortable fashion. When everything was to his liking, he simply flopped down atop it with a great sigh.

"I do not wish to talk about a great many things." He shook his horned head, idly scratching at his ribs with a hind paw, his wings shaking. "And yet I seem to find myself doing so more and more around you, Alia."

Alia smiled as she settled down between the dragon's front legs to lay against his chest. She was not sure Valyrym meant that as a compliment, but she'd take it as one anyway. When he wrapped one of his forelegs around her belly and held her gently to his body, she took that as a compliment, too. She was quiet for a little while, and began to rub the scales and plate-like scutes along the dragon's front leg. Now and then she let her fingers roam all the way down to the dragon's paw, and across a digit before she worked back up his leg again.

"I'm still sorry you got so angry, though." She turned her head to smile up at him, reaching up to stroke his muzzle. "That's a terrible way to start a day."

"Especially after being denied a far more satisfactory beginning to the morning." Val smirked, and nuzzled at her hand. "Nonetheless, I should not have gotten so...upset." The dragon took a deep breath, his scaled body expanding till his scales seemed nearly separated from each other. When his lungs began to ache, he slowly exhaled. "I simply could not stand his accusation that I had somehow caused my own beating."

Valyrym pulled his head away from her hands to glare up at one of his air vents as though it were some malicious eye glaring right back at him. "While I hardly expect the guards to care for me, would it harm them to show even the slightest bit of concern for their prisoner's health?" He snapped his jaws, imagining sinking his teeth into the guards. "It is not as if I'm still some freshly arrived monster to be broken and shown his place!" He gestured towards the main chamber. "I've been carving that stone out there since before any of those idiots were even born, and yet they're just the same as those who came before. If they're not openly hostile to me they're nonetheless perfectly content to let someone beat me. Then when I lash out someone for it, they act as though I've committed some grave offence!"

Alia remained quiet. This was probably the longest she'd ever heard Val talk and it both delighted and upset her. Part of her was joyful that the dragon was beginning to truly trust her enough to open around her. Yet another part of her was aching for him because it took something so painful and upsetting for the dragon to get him to speak so freely. The dragon had gone into a lull, and Alia decided to try and interject a little.

"For what it's worth, Val," Alia said, then paused. If the dragon didn't want her to go on, she wouldn't. But he made no attempt to cut her off or ask her to hold her tongue, so she pressed forward. "I think the guard who made you angry is different. When I went up there last night, he seemed genuinely concerned when he found out what happened to you. He fetched a lot of the supplies I used to sew up your injuries. Hell, he was ready to come downstairs and help me tend your wounds."

That gave the dragon pause, and despite his lingering anger and desire to sulk a while, he found himself chuckling. "I am glad you denied him, then. I should certainly not have wanted him to be the one rubbing oil onto my maleness with his buttocks."

That mental image sent Alia into one of her increasingly infamous giggling fits. She laughed so hard she ended up doubled over Valyrym's front leg as he held her to his breast. The dragon soon found himself laughing with her despite his best intentions to remain as grumpy as possible for as long as possible. He was glad he'd invited her back here. Alia...seemed to have a way of simply making him feel better.

"That is not fair," Valyrym finally said when his own growling laughter began to abate.

Alia was still giggling though, doubled over the dragon's arm, her messy raven hair hanging about her reddened face. She liked the sound of the dragon's laugh. It was deep and rumbling like his purr, with a strangely appealing growling quality about it as well. She lifted her head when her giggles began to fade. "What's not fair? You think it's unfair we didn't ask him if he wanted to stroke you with his rump, too?"

"Errggkk." Valryrm made a growling, gurgling sound of extreme distaste. "Gods, no." He licked his nose, and perked his ears a little, spines slightly rising. "I am referring to the fact that I asked you here to comfort me while I sulked about my mistreatment. Instead, I find myself infected by your laughter and feeling significantly better already."

"In that case, I don't see the problem." Alai finally straightened up, and reached for the dragon's head. He curled his neck a little to bring his head down to her level, and she hugged it tightly against her body. "I'm glad to be of service, Val."

The dragon murmured happily. Valyrym returned the hug with the leg he'd already coiled about her body. "Did that guard truly seem concerned?" Valyrym asked, his head still pressed to Alia's body.

"Yes," Alia replied softly. She released his head so the dragon could lift it before he got a cramp in his neck. Once again she began to stroke the scutes on the front of his leg. "He did. I've seen that guard a few times now. He usually gets the evening shift. In fact, he's not usually here in the morning." Alia tapped her fingers against the dragon's leg. "He must have stopped by again because he wanted to see how you were doing. Then when he heard I'd not returned he decided to head down on his own."

"Perhaps he's just hoping to bed you," the dragon smirked.

"Perhaps he's hoping to bed *you*," Alia shot right back at him.

The dragon scrunched up his muzzle. "Reminds me of a horrible dream I once had."

Alia giggled again, still drumming her fingers against scales. "I really do think he was concerned for you, Val. I mean, obviously he's not your friend or anything, but as guard, and as a jailor, I think he's a good man. He even seemed glad to be given the order to bar the nobles and everyone else from ever bothering you again."

The dragon snorted, flaring his spines up again. "If he is truly so concerned, he could have shown some of that concern by not antagonizing me about the source of my injuries."

Alia scowled, her expression darkening. "I agree. Though...I think at the moment, that was the only way to be sure. I think he already believed the nobleman was lying when he said he was defending himself. I just...Well, Val, you can't expect them to blindly trust you. No more so than they could expect you to trust them. I think he just had to get you to tell the story in your own words, and the only way to do that was to make you angry enough to spit it all back at him like an accusation."

The dragon sneered a little, baring some of his sharp fangs. He rolled over a little onto his side, dragging Alia with him until she was sprawled out against his chest and upper front leg. Valyrym lay his head against one of his pillows, the blue one this time. Alia shifted herself to lay with her chest against his own. Alia folded her arms against the dragon's body, then lay her chin upon them. The dragon's slow breathing gently lifted the upper half of her body and then eased it back down.

Finally Val grumbled under his breath, growling. "I had considered as much. Though, I had only considered it afterwards when I realized I may have been outwitted by a halfwit. I did not like what that says about me."

"Oh, don't sulk, Lovely Dragon," Alia said with a smile. "You're every bit as much of a halfwit as he is."

"Oh shut up, you Old Bag," the dragon replied.

Alia just giggled, shaking her head. Her hair tickled the dragon's scales. "No one likes a sulking dragon."

"I get the impression you could leave out the part about sulking, and still be accurate." Valyrym lifted his head from the tattered blue pillow to glance back at Alia. "Present company excluded."

"Of course." Alia smiled. Then she lifted her own head, gazing about till she spotted the familiar rams-horned head of their stuffed companion. "I dunno though, people seem to love Val Junior and he's a dragon."

Valyrym chuckled. "Yes, Val Junior's just a shining beacon of cotton-filled charisma."

"Aww, you called him Val Junior." Alia beamed, her green eyes shining. "How cute!"

"Keep it up, and I shall separate Val Junior's body from his head."

"You do, and I'll buy two more Val Juniors to replace him."

Valyrym hissed through his sharp teeth, raising his spiny frills. "You mean there are more of those things?"

"Oh yes!" Alia left out the fact they were always made for the festival celebrating Val's capture. "Plenty more."

Valyrym lashed his spined tail at the stuffed dragon. Val Junior was sent flying across the room where he bounced off a wall, and rolled across the ground a few paces. Eventually he bumped up against one of the dragon's wooden bookcases and came to a stop. "Damn things are breeding like humans!"

Alia tried to summon an expression of mock horror and outrage over the little stuffed dragon's mistreatment, but Valyrym's statement had her laughing instead. "We don't breed that swiftly!"

"The hell you don't," Valyrym muttered. "I swear, when I was free, every village I knew of had new little humans every month."

"It takes nine months, Val," Alia giggled. Still, that was intriguing. Val lived near enough human villages to know when they had babies?

"Not when you all conceive them at different times." The dragon thumped his tail against the pile of blankets. "And just how early do you start breeding, anyway? I swear you're all mounting each other before our hatchlings have even learned to speak!"

"Depends on the person," Alia replied. "Physically, though, we're able to conceive by the time we're teenagers."

"I thought as much," the dragon muttered. "It's like you're designed just to breed as swiftly as possible. Dragon's don't even reach sexual maturity for several decades."

"So after a few decades, you're...an adolescent, then? Sexually mature enough to be capable of mating, but not completely an adult?"

The dragon turned his head to fix her with a single baleful eye. "I am aware of the meaning of the word adolescent, Alia." He snorted, shaking his head. Humans were always underestimating dragons. "And yes, that is correct."

Alia couldn't help but giggle again. She found it strangely adorable the way Valyrym seemed to take offense at random things. She playfully shoved at his arm as if trying to escape. He grunted, and she pushed a little harder. The dragon didn't release his grip, so she tried to lift his arm up. This time he let her move it just enough to duck down and slip out of his grasp.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Someone's got to rescue poor Val Junior from that filthy floor." Alia stuck her tongue out at the dragon, then walked across the room to the bookshelves. She bent down and picked up the stuffed dragon, and set about dusting off his fuzzy, black form. "Poor, poor Val Junior. He wants a hug, Val!"

"He can hug my scaly ass," came the dragon's half muffled reply. Then remembering what happened the last time he'd made a comment like that, he quickly tucked his tail between his hind legs. Just as he was preparing to make a smug comment to Alia that she didn't have anything left to throw the toy it, it came sailing through the air and struck Valyrym directly between the eyes. The dragon yelped, rubbed his head, and glowered at Alia. "...You've got good aim, I'll give you that."

Alia grinned, and spun back towards the bookshelves, flourishing her blue dress. She began to peruse a few of the books there, most of them were old and beyond well worn. Some were wrapped in leather, others were hardbound. They appeared in seemingly random order, one looked to be a fictional tale of heroics, while right next to it sat a book that appeared to be a discourse on some far away city's economic policies. The titles of many of the books had worn from the spines, or lingered only in tattered gold lettering that scarcely hinted at legibility.

"Why do you have so many books, anyway?" Alia selected one at random. A book with a faded green cover and spine, she paged through it carefully. The pages seemed crisp and delicate, and she didn't want to ruin it. A tale of some fool's ocean adventure, from the looks of it.

"To read them," Valyrym said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Alia blinked. She'd never imagined a dragon capable of reading, unless perhaps they had their own written language. And she'd seen little evidence of that. "I rather doubt that, Val," she said, giggling.

Val slowly lifted his head. He stared at her a moment, and tilted his head to the side like a quizzical canine. "What is there to doubt?"

Alia put the book back, and selected another. "Your ability to comprehend the written word."

Valyrym gave a challenging snarl, and pushed himself upright. He twisted around, and settled upon his haunches, curling his tail about his paws. Curling his neck into an S-shape, he glared down at the young woman. "I can read any book on that shelf." He glanced about. "Why, just this morning I was reading a passage in this one!" He reached out and plucked a book from where it rested on the floor. He waved it at her a little, smirking. "It's terribly dry, but concentrating on it did cause my erection to dissipate in as swift a manner as possible."

Alia laughed, that did make for an amusing image. Some old dragon sitting about with a erection, reading a book to try and get rid of it. Something like a human jumping into a cold tub, she supposed. Still, she wasn't sure if Valyrym was telling the truth or just trying to pull a grand prank.

"Prove it," Alia said, folding her arms.

"Very well," Valyrym said, opening the book.

"Not that one." Alia walked over and took it from him, and set it down.

"And why not?"

"Because you might be trying to trick me." She waved her hand at the book. "For all I know, you might have had someone read this particular book to you until you memorized it. I should get to choose the tome."

"Very well, my dear," Valyrym said. A smirk began to spread across his pebbly scaled snout, and Alia began to realize he might be telling the truth after all. "Choose your weapon, as it were, and see if you can best me."

Alia pursed her lips, and turned took the bookshelves again. She scanned each book quickly, looking for one she hoped would be especially difficult to read. Perhaps if she could find one even she would struggle with, or something that wouldn't appeal to a dragon. Even if he could stumble over a few words, she'd rather challenge him with something he wasn't likely to have bothered with before.

"Ah!" she explained, selecting a book from the shelf. She turned back towards him, grinning smugly herself. The book was bound in red, its cover well worn. Images of roses were embossed upon both sides of the cover. Though it seemed well used, she could not imagine the dragon had given it much thought. The title was simply "Of Poetry." She handed the book to Valyrym, and as he gazed at it blankly, she smiled. "That one. Read from it."

The dragon grumbled under his breath. "You would select this one, wouldn't you."

Alia's grin nearly spilt her head in half. Her emerald eyes shone defiantly as she folded her arms beneath her breasts. "Yes, Dragon. I would. If you'd rather just admit you cannot read it, that's just fine."

"One moment," Valyrym muttered in a way that made him sound like an impatient scholar. As he began to carefully page through the book, Alia couldn't help but imagine that with a pair of dragon-sized spectacles upon his snout he'd look every bit the part of some scaly old librarian. A librarian who would simply devour anyone who might speak too noisily among the tomes.

"Well? Go on," Alia said, giggling.

"A moment," Valyr said, a little more irritably. "I am looking for something."

Alia tapped her sandaled foot as if growing ever more impatient with the dragon's stalling tactics. "Give up yet?"

Valyrym finally paused when he found the page he'd been looking for. He made a strange noise, a soft of half-growled, half-purred sound of exultation. "Ahem," he said as deliberately as possible. Then he paused.

Alia smiled. "Yes?" Then her smile quickly faded when Valyrym began to read aloud from the book.

"Upon the wing, suspended 'neath the moon,

The Earth below a flood of silver light cast by mercurial eye.

Time seems ended, and all sound naught but silence.

Air is a blessing, upon wings caressing.

Exultation high above, the silver ocean endless."

When the dragon stopped reading, Alia stared at him dumbfounded. She snatched the book from his paws, and quickly scanned the page. The words were all there, just as he'd read them aloud. She glanced up at him again, and quickly paged through the book as he smirked down at her.

"It is a poem about flying beneath the full moon, if the meaning were perhaps beyond you." He snorted.

"...You really can read? You can, can't you!" For some reason, that made Alia feel happy. She tossed her arms around the dragon's neck, surprising him with a hug that trapped the book of poetry between their forms.

Valyrym lifted a paw to press it against her back and return the hug, chuckling. "Yes, I can read."

"I had no idea dragons can read!"

"I should think most of them cannot." Smiling, he pulled back from her a little. "Mind the way you handle that book, it is of value to me."

"Oh!" Alia realized she was handling one of Val's rarer personal treasures, and cradled it ever so gently. "Knowing what that poem was about, it's strangely beautiful. Do you know who wrote it?"

Valyrym stretched his wings out, smirking, smug as could be. "I did."

Alia whirled around. "You can write, too?"

"I certainly can. Though it is a challenging process." Valyrym lifted a paw and opened it as if to show her his fingers. "Despite having learned to appreciate the usefulness of human tools at a younger age, my paws are hardly suited for the manner of tiny little writing quills you use. Instead I have trained myself to dip my claw tips in ink, and use those to scratch down your..." He smirked. "Squiggly little sigils."

Alia giggled a bit. "I think they call those letters, Val. But that sounds terribly difficult. Don't you ever just cut through the parchment or tear the pages?"

"Often. I find it is rather like my carvings. I must only do it when I have the patience. I must be exceedingly gentle, and exceedingly accurate." The dragon unsheathed a single claw and slowly traced it through the air as if to illustrate.

Alia cupped the dragon's cheek in her hand. "I told you that you'd keep surprising me. So, just who taught you to read and write, anyway?"

A wistful smile spread over the dragon's muzzle. For a moment, the clouds behind his eyes parted to reveal golden sunshine. "Amaleen taught me." Then the dragon winced, his scales crinkling. It was a name he had not spoken aloud in ages.

Alia realized she'd caught the dragon off guard with her question. That wasn't something he wanted to say, or a name he wanted her to know. Still..."Amaleen? She was the human girl you mentioned the other day?"

Valyrym rumbled in nostalgic thought. "Yes, Alia, she was."

"Did you..."

"I should like my breakfast now," the dragon cut her off, lashing his tail. Then, as if to placate her, he said, "If you expect me to talk about Amaleen, you'll have to bring me more rum." Valyrym licked his nose, and smirked. "A lot more rum. And perhaps some of that chocolate cake you so thoughtfully deposited all over the floor."

Alia smiled, and nodded. That possibility was already more than she'd expected from the dragon. She hugged his snout, and placed a kiss upon his nose, just near the bandage. She rubbed his chin, and then let him go. As he pulled his head back she trailed her fingers over his cheek.

"I would never have guessed you for a poet," Alia said with a smile.

"Hardly a poet, though I have scribbled a few verses here and there," the dragon said, then chuckled to himself. "Originally at Amaleen's coaxing." Then he couldn't help a playful grin. "You should hear the one entitled Burn, Burn, Burn."

"I'm beginning to think you dragons are obsessed with burning things down," Alia replied with a giggle. "Perhaps you'll have to demonstrate that legendary fire breath some day."

Valyrym made a displeased sound, his spines drooping. "I could give it a try. Though I fear I've little capability of fire left."

"Oh?" Alia glanced back at him over her shoulder as walked back to the bookcase to return his book of poetry to its place on the shelf. "Fire breathing is more a young dragon's game, is it?"

"Something like that," Valyrym said, flicking his tail against the floor and dragging the spines against the stone.

As Alia replaced the book she peered behind the bookcase. Previously she thought she'd spotted the opening to another chamber beyond those book cases, and now she could see she was right. Though it was a much smaller opening crowned by a much smaller arch than the one that marked the entrance to the dragon's sleeping chamber. She tried peering inside it, but it was dark, and the bookcases obscured most of the view.

"What's back there, Val?"

The dragon flexed his wings in a shrug. "I'm not sure. The opening is too small for me to fit through. I think it connects to another part of..." He waved his paw in the air. "Whatever this place was before they stuck me here. Many years ago, there were actually a few Urd'thin who dwelled somewhere back there. Which I suppose means it must connect to somewhere else in the city. Probably through some kind of filthy sewer."

"Urd'thin?" Alia tried to move the book case a little to get a better view. "Really?"

"Yes, a dozen of them or so. Not the cleanest or nicest of creatures, but they had their uses."

Alia turned back towards the dragon, gesturing at some of his belongings. "Is that how you got all this stuff? You had Urd'thin smuggle it in for you?"

"That is one of the ways." The dragon tilted his head back to point his snout at an air vent. "Other things I had smuggled in through the vents, or had certain guards assist me."

"I thought you hated the guards?"

"I do. But that does not mean I am not willing to make use of them when possible. There was a time when the scales, and claws of a dragon were quite valuable. Well worth their while to exchange me a few simple goods. And for the right man who fancies himself a scholar of magic, a bit of dragon's blood, or a tooth I've..." He winced. "Lost...can be worth quite a few books."

Alia slowly looked him over. "There's magic in your blood?"

Valryrym laughed and shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. I said they fancied themselves scholars of magic. I did know say they knew very much about it. I imagine that is why they stopped trading with me eventually. As for the Urd'thin, I'm sure they died off or were driven from the city."

Alia giggled and began to make her way out of the dragon's chamber. He'd been waiting long enough for his breakfast. But as they walked, she kept up the conversation. "There's still plenty of Urd'thin in the city, though perhaps the guard force bricked up their way into that underground area." Then she blinked. "Oh! That reminds me. I was almost mugged yesterday!"

"You were?" For a moment, real, unfiltered concern made its way into the dragon's voice.

"Yes, by an Urd'thin! That's what reminded me."

"Oh," the said, making a dismissive hissing sound.

"What!" Alia glared at him. "It was frightening!"

"Yes, I'm sure he was primed to bite you right on the ankle!"

"He had a knife!"

"And I'm sure he very nearly gave you a right good scratching with it, to."

Alia would have kept arguing if she wasn't laughing so hard. It seemed sometimes there was just no winning with the dragon. Not that she'd have it any other way. Valyrym settled himself near the doorway when they reached the exit to his prison, and gave Alia a playful shove with a paw. "Go on then, you can tell me all about this miniature mugger and his toy knife another time."

Alia ascended the stairs, leaving Valyrym to await his breakfast. There was a patch of rusty red dried blood nearby. He stretched out a front leg and unsheathed his claws, tracing little sigils in the sticky, off-colored mess. They were old symbols, yet still familiar to him and he could have carved them into the stone by heart if he wished.

While he traced lines in his own dried blood, he founds his thoughts drawn to Amaleen, and Alia. They were so much alike it was almost eerie. He supposed it shouldn't have surprised him to find himself drawn to Alia. After all she possessed many of the same qualities he'd once valued in the other woman. He'd simply never expected to meet another human like her, let alone while spending the latter years of his life trapped in some Illandran prison.

Whatever the case, he was thankful to have Alia. What was it she told him? That he'd brightened her life? While he scarcely saw how some old dragon trapped in a dungeon could brighten the life of a free spirited woman like her, he had to admit to himself, she had done the same for him. Jailor or not, she was his friend now. The only friend he'd had in ages. Valyrym was coming to care for her, and that frightened him.

Bad things happened to those he cared for.

If Amaleen's fate befell Alia as well, he could never forgive himself. Hell, he still hadn't forgiven himself for Amaleen. The dragon shook his head. This was a different situation. Aside from the fact that they were both dark haired human women, the scenarios really could not have been more different. Yet, he could not help the quietly growing fear that gnawed at his belly.

For a time, albeit a short time, he considered pushing Alia away from him for her own protection. Yet, the dragon did not think he had it in himself to do that. If only he'd done it before, when he had the chance. If he'd driven Amaleen from his life...well, he supposed she'd be gone now, anyway. The years would have taken her from him sooner or later, but things would have turned out so differently. He might not be stuck in this hole, for one. Yet, would it really have been worth it?

Valyrym sighed. It mattered little now. What was done, was done. The twists and turns of his life could not be reversed. His deeds could not be undone. All he could do now was live with them and hope he'd learned something from them. As he waited for Alia, he pondered the lessons he might have learned if he weren't such a stubborn old beast. For one, he might better learn to appreciate what he had while he had it. After all, he never knew when something good would be taken from him. For another, he knew he would rather spend a brief portion of his life with someone he cared for deeply than the entirety of his many long years with no one at all.

That made the old dragon smile.

By the time Alia returned with a burlap sack tossed over her back, Valyrym's spirits had brightened. When he saw that the only guard who accompanied her was the one who seemed to have a measure of honor to him, Valyrym decided to leave caution with the earth. It was an old dragon saying. Where the humans might toss caution to the winds, the dragons left it behind as the ascended. Valyrym could hardly ascend to the skies anymore, but he did swiftly rise to his feet, stride to Alia, and boldly nuzzle his cheek against her own. It was a gesture that not even the most meat-headed of guards could mistake for anything but affection.

Alia started to laugh, and half heartedly pushed his snout away. "Alright, Dragon, I know you're hungry but you needn't act as though you're going to make me the main course."

Valyrym merely lashed his tail, and whispered in a way he was sure the guard could not hear. "No, but perhaps you can offer me dessert later." While the guard still had his back turned, the dragon looked her in such a way as to make it clear he was not referring to cake.

That made Alia blush so hard she was grateful to have the flickering orange torchlight there to cover up the crimson stain upon her cheeks. Still, she could not help flashing the dragon a grin. She'd enjoy that very much, and they both knew it. But she didn't wish to give even a friendly guard too many ideas, so she simply tossed the burlap bag down against the stone floor. As Alia crouched down to open it, she noticed Val had been drawing in his own blood. She also noticed he was quick to wipe the lines away with a sweep of his tail.

"I've brought you some game fowl today, dragon, and a sheep." Alia began to toss a variety of freshly plucked birds at the dragon's feet. "I wasn't sure how hungry you'd be, so I thought you could pick and choose what you wanted now, and eat the rest as snacks between meals. There's some pheasant, some quail, several ducks, oh, and a partridge I think."

The dragon licked his muzzle to keep from drooling. Valyrym plucked up the nearest fowl, and glaring at the armored guard, he popped the whole thing into his mouth and crunched it up as loudly as he could. The man winced a little bit, staring back at the dragon. Valyrym waved a paw towards the bag that the man had with him.

"Well?" The dragon said, as impatiently as he could. "Are you going to tell me what you've brought me, or am I supposed to just admire my reflection in your armor all morning? Nice of you to polish it, by the way. I do appreciate it when you oafs make an effort to impress me."

The guard looked down at his armor, then back up to the dragon. "I didn't polish it..."

Valyrym snorted, settling onto his haunches and curling his tail. "You know, for a man with the foresight to find a way to get me to explain my injuries, however unpleasant that may have been for me, you do not seem quick to grasp the concept of sarcasm. Open your damn bag already."

"Oh!" The man blinked behind his helmet, and then laughed. "Right, right...sorry. Well, as Warden Alia here said, we also brought sheep. So...that's what's in my bag." He crouched down to open it up. "Sheep, I mean."

"I did not think you meant you had Warden Alia in your bag." When the guard was busy dragging the sheep carcass from the bag, Valyrym stuck his tongue out at Alia. Or rather, he let his tongue hang from his muzzle for a moment, doing his best to emulate the gesture she sometimes made to him. "However amusing such a concept is."

The guard seemed to have a little trouble extricating the sheep from inside the burlap sack. Finally, Valyrym simply reached out and grasped the carcass by the head. He unsheathed his claws deep into the flesh, and simply instructed the man to hold tight to the bag. When he did so, the dragon smoothly pulled the sheep carcass back out of it.

With all his breakfast on display, the dragon eased himself down onto his belly. He took a few large, particularly gruesome bites from the sheep, and once he had plenty of blood smeared on his muzzle, he turned his attention to the guard. "So, Guard. I am curious."

The guard had moved back to give the dragon room to eat as Alia gathered up the bags and deposited them outside the doorway. "Curious? About what, dragon?"

"Your name," Valyrym said with a snort. "After all, someone has already given you mine." When Alia returned, the dragon cast her an irked glare. "Which I do not expect to happen again."

Alia patted his neck. "I already apologized, Valyrym.

The dragon snapped his teeth. "And yet there it is again!"

"He already knows it now, though..."

"Yes, I suppose he does." Valyrym waved a paw. "I simply find it harder to be mysterious and enigmatic when someone knows my name before I know theirs. So, Guard. What is your name?"

The guard straightened himself up. Without being asked, he reached up and removed his helmet, revealing short cropped red hair, and a stout face that probably would have been handsome were it not for a nose that had clearly been broken on at least three different occasions. "My name is Enric, Sir. ...Er...Dragon."

That made Valyrym chuckle a little. "I can honestly say you are the first human to ever call me Sir. At least since I've been here." He waved his paw towards Alia. "The Warden may call me Valyrym. You may call me Dragon. Consider that to mean I have taken to trusting you slightly more than the other guards. Which is to say, slightly more than not at all. Despite your irritatingly successful attempts to drive me into an angry, humiliating explanation, I find you to be unusually honest and respectful of me."

"Thank you, Dragon," Enric said with a little chuckle, tucking his helmet under a meaty arm.

Valyrym only grunted in reply. He took his time with the remainder of his meal, and indeed he was not quite so hungry as to finish it all. When he was nearly finished, Alia told him that she had tasks to intend to, and couldn't stay much longer. Valyrym understood, of course, and told her if she had to go immediately he'd make sure that Enric cleaned up his breakfast mess.

That made Alia laugh as much as it made Enric blanch. Alia had spent enough time cleaning up bloody carcasses, and so was glad to take the dragon up on his offer. She rubbed Valyrym's muzzle, and bid him farewell for the moment, then quickly took to the stairs. Best he could, Enric cleaned up the dragon's mess, leaving behind the few fowl carcasses he hadn't yet devoured so that he might have them to snack up later.

Just as Enric was preparing to leave, Valyrym stopped him. "Before you go, Enric," the dragon said with a sneering grin. "Show me how to operate this tub."

Enric turned towards the dragon, then walked around him to peer back at the distant tub and its array of pipes and stoves. "Alright, I think I can figure it out. Just don't expect me to climb in there with you and bathe you like the warden did."

Valyrym narrowed his eyes. Perhaps the soldier knew sarcasm after all. "my dear Enric, I assure you we do not know each other well enough for that." He turned away, flicking his tail spines dangerously close to the man's head, just to make him duck. "So just show me how to heat the damn water and begone with you."

---

Alia went to fetch her things from Thomas. She'd almost forgotten she'd given him all her new clothes in her rush to secure supplies to deal with Valyrym's wounds. After a brief search, she found him busy scrubbing the floor of a long hallway. The young man was on his hands and knees, with a soapy wash bucket nearby and a roughly textured sponge in his hand. She walked up behind him as he was scrubbing away at one of several stubborn looking red stains splattered across the floor. Alia found herself smiling at the way his rump was pressed against his dark breeches. The sleeves of his gray tunic were rolled up and muscles in his fore arms rippled as he scrubbed the floor. Part of her still missed the way things had been between them for a little while.

Alia watched him scrub for a moment. Even if she and Val hadn't become friends scrubbing floors was one thing she wasn't going to miss. Still, there were worse jobs that they could have given him for day. After watching him struggle with the crimson stain on the floorboards between long, colorful rugs, she finally walked up alongside him. When Thomas glanced up she tussled his dark hair and giggled at the way he tried to wriggle free.

"Hey, cut it out," Thomas said with a laugh. "Can't you see some of us still have to work for a living?"

"Oh, very funny, Thomas!" Alia smirked down at him, then decided to pitch in. She fetched another sponge from the bucket and soon joined him on her hands and knees on the other side of the stain. Her blue dress was dirty enough now kneeling on the floor wasn't going to make it any worse. As she began to scrub at the stain she glanced up at Thomas, scrunching her face. "This isn't blood, is it?"

"No," Thomas replied, dipping his sponge in the bucket then wringing it out. "It's red wine. Some idiot threw a fit, and a bottle as well."

"A noble?"

"Probably," Thomas said, chuckling. He watched her scrub a moment, then smiled and went back to working at his own section of the stain. "Thanks."

"No problem! I came to fetch my clothes and things from you, but I'm more than happy to help out while I have a chance."

"I put all your stuff in my room, and I locked the door to make sure no one's taking it while I'm not around." Thomas watched her scrub a moment. "I'll take you over there when I get this finished."

"That'd be great," Alia looked up and smiled at him. Her green eyes met his gray ones. Their gazes lingered for a moment, but Alia looked away before things had a chance to become too awkward. "Thank you for watching that stuff for me, too. I'm sorry I was in such a hurry last night."

"Don't trouble yourself," Thomas said, smiling. He dunked his sponge again, glad the damn wine stain was finally beginning to lift. "So how's he doing?"

"Hmm?" Alia glanced up at him again.

"The dragon," Thomas said, and shook his head, trying not to laugh too much. "Gods, Alia, it's like your mind's just gone elsewhere lately."

"Oh," Alia murmured, sheepishly. She reached over to rinse her own sponge then went back to scrubbing. Already her knees were starting to ache. Only a few weeks since the last time she'd had this same task and she'd nearly forgotten how unpleasant it could be. "Sorry about that. Just a lot of things on my mind, I guess."

"Like the dragon."

Alia nodded, her still frizzy black hair swaying. "Yeah, like the dragon."

"So?"

"Hmm?"

Thomas sat back his heels, knees against the floor, laughing. "The dragon! How is he? You were so worried last night I half expected to find out the old thing had died in the night."

Alia pursed her lips. Thank the Gods it wasn't that bad. "No, it wasn't quite that terrible. I was just in a panic, I suppose. I'd been out all day running errands and when I got back down to the bottom of the stairs, there was blood everywhere. I found the dragon off huddled in a corner, doing what he could to stop the bleeding, but he wasn't having much effect."

"I guess I'd be worried about my job security at a time like that, too."

Alia shot him a dark glare. "That's not what I was worried about, Thomas. I was worried about Valyrym." Oops. There she went using his name without permission again. Granted, she'd already told Thomas the dragon's name days ago before she realized Val didn't want her spreading it around. "He was pretty badly hurt, and in a lot of pain."

"What happened to him, anyway?" Thomas plopped his sponge in the water. He flicked his fingers and sent miniscule droplets spraying at Alia's face.

She turned away, giggling a little. "Cut it out, you brat. And if you really want to know, some sadistic noble cut his nose open."

Thomas grit his teeth. "Really?"

"Yes, really. It was Lord Armadine, according to Enric. Bastard split the poor creature's nose wide open with a whip."

That made Thomas cringe. It was hard not to pity even a dragon for at least a moment if that was what happened. "What did he do to-"

"Nothing!" Alia swiftly cut him off. "The noble did it just to try and impress some girl. No doubt because he's nothing else suitably impressive to a woman."

That made Thomas laugh. After a moment, he shook his head. "I can't say I'd want to be with the sort of woman who'd find abusing something impressive."

"I'm glad you agree with me on that, then."

Thomas folded his arms as he regarded Alia. "Every time I talk you, Alia, I think you've taken that thing's side a little more."

Alia stilled, her grip tightening around her sponge. "He is not a thing, Thomas, and I am not taking anyone's side."

"He's a prisoner, Alia, and a monster at that."

"He's not a monster!" Alia spat rising to her feet. She gestured at Thomas with the sponge, clutching it in a white-knuckled hand. Anger flashed in her eyes, and reddened her cheeks. "Do you want to know the truth of it, Thomas? There's no monster in that dungeon. Perhaps there was once. Perhaps decades ago that's exactly what he was, I have no way of knowing and I'll not pretend as I do. But what I do know, Thomas, is that there's no monster in that dungeon anymore. The only thing that's down there now is something sad and lonely and full of pain he covers with sarcasm and spite. And if anyone else would just take the time to talk to him, they'd know that too."

Thomas didn't reply. He plucked his sponge from the bucket and rather sullenly returned to scrubbing. "I worry about you sometimes, Alia. You've known the dragon for what, a week? And you already seem to trust him so much. Do you even know what he did to get himself put in there?"

"Do you?" Alia shot right back at him.

"Killed people, I should imagine."

Alia sighed. It was like talking to a damn mule, only the mule was less stubborn. Still, she couldn't blame Thomas for his skepticism. After all she herself had been damn near ready to heave on her first trip into the dungeon. Back then she'd had no way to imagine the dragon as anything other than some great malicious monster either. She'd simply told herself it was only right to treat even a prisoner with respect, and forced herself to try and do just that. Now that she knew Valyrym, it seemed almost laughable the way she'd tried to build herself up into something braver than she truly was. Still, look what it had lead to.

"Whatever he's done, Thomas," Alia said, trying to calm herself. She slowly knelt back down, and returned to helping Thomas with the wine stain. Alia was no fool. She knew in the back of her mind Valyrym probably had killed people. She also knew it affected him deeply. "It fills him with regret."

"Are you sure he doesn't just regret getting caught and imprisoned for it?" Thomas flashed her a worried look.

"Yes, Thomas," Alia replied in resignation. "You know, you sound just like all the Illandrans who dislike us just because of who we are. Because our parents came from a different part of the world than they did. They look down at us, they think we're less than they are, they won't give us jobs, and they won't give us the benefit of the doubt. And now you sound just like they do! Just because Valyrym's a dragon you simply assume that whatever crimes he may have committed were done purely out of malice and wickedness. It's just like the Illandran's looking down at anyone from Aran'alia."

"Alia Silverrain," Thomas said with a huff, folding his arms. He glaring at her for a moment. He rarely used her full name unless he was angry with her. "Do you think just because you're named after our homeland, you can lecture me about such things?"

Alia sighed, setting the sponge on the floor. No, she hadn't meant it like that, and she hadn't meant to remind him of the origin of her name, either. Alia's mother had named her after their ancestral homeland, Aran'alia. Given that name was nearly forgotten even among some of their people, it was a link Alia cherished. It was also a link easily enough overlooked so as not to give the Illandrans anything else to harass her about. Thomas' family, on the other hand, had purposefully chosen a simple name in the hopes of helping him blend in. It hadn't worked, and over time the differences and origin of their names had become a bit of a sore spot for Thomas.

Alia tucked some of her hair behind an ear, then leaned forward and gently touched Thomas on the arm. "I don't mean it that, way, Thomas."

Thomas sighed a bit, and stared at the stain he was scrubbing. "I know, Alia. It's just...Illandrans looking down at us is different than worrying about a dragon."

"How is it different, Thomas? And don't you dare say because he's a dragon."

Thomas gave her a hard look. "Alright, then it's different because he's a criminal. We should get the benefit of the doubt because we've not done anything wrong. But he's down there for a reason."

"Yes, he is," Alia said. She dunked her sponge once more and resumed scrubbing. "But people can change, Thomas. Everyone should have a chance to be forgiven. Even a dragon."

Thomas didn't reply. Instead, he just busied himself in his task as if trying to ignore the ideas Alia was presenting him. Alia scowled as she scrubbed with him. Thomas just wasn't going to understand unless he...Of course! Alia beamed as a brilliant idea came to her. At least, she thought it was brilliant, though she had a sneaking suspicion Valyrym would not share her enthusiasm.

"Say, Thomas," Alia began, softening her tone. "I've got an office downstairs I could really use some help cleaning. If I can get you freed from your other duties for an hour or two sometime, do you think you could help out?"

Thomas, seemingly glad to change the subject, gave her a smile. "Sure, Alia."

"Great!" Alia smiled back at him. "Maybe even today, if I can get some time."

Thomas just chuckled. "Yeah, that would be fine."

"Good," Alia said. Though she had little intention of putting Thomas to work. She just needed a way to get him to agree to get him close to the dragon's prison. Then, as casually as she could, she added, "Then you can meet Valyrym while you're down there."

"W-what?" Thomas froze, then slowly lifted his head to stare at her with wide, fearful gray eyes.

"Oh, don't be a baby, Thomas," Alia said. A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "I promise he won't eat you."

"I don't...I don't really think..."

Alia was ready for that. "What a pity! Kaylen can't wait to meet him."

"Really?"

No, not really. But Alia wasn't going to tell him that just yet. "Of course, she's been asking me to meet the dragon ever since I started taking care of him. Though, if you're not as brave as Kaylen, I understand."

"I'm twice as brave as she is!"

"Good! Then you can both meet the dragon."

"Oh, very well," Thomas muttered forlornly as if expecting it to be the last meeting with anyone he ever had.

Alia kept her head down so Thomas couldn't see her beaming. She knew bringing Kaylen up would do the trick. The two of them had been engaged in a friendly rivalry at least since they were children, always trying to outdo each other in just about any possible way. Alia knew Kaylen would be more keen to meet the dragon than Thomas was, anyway.

Where Thomas was a bit reserved, even in private, Kaylen was just the opposite. If Valyrym thought Alia was bold, he'd think Kaylen was positively outlandish. And he'd be right, Alia thought with a smile. Knowing Kaylen was like knowing two totally different people. Around the castle's other residents she was quiet, reserved, and polite as could be. Much like Alia and Thomas, Kaylen would accept any task she was given without complaint and complete it to the absolute best of her abilities, which helped ensured she would not lose her position at the castle. Yet when she was alone with her friends? She was joyful, energetic, bawdy, and full of infectious energy. And whenever she was around Thomas, she was doubly so. So much so that Alia often found herself acting a bit motherly around them, guiding them just enough to keep their affectionate rivalry from ever turning spiteful.

Alia had no expectations that the two of them would take to the dragon the way she had. Nor did she expect the dragon would come to enjoy their company as he had hers even before their friendship had deepened. Still, she felt it would do Valyrym a world of good to have a more people start to realize he was so much more than just a monster locked away beneath the castle. And if they did somehow befriend him it would be all the better for everyone involved. Perhaps he could even befriend Enric. It certainly would not hurt the dragon to have a guard or two who's company he actually enjoyed. Let alone to have a guard who actually desired to protect him for reasons beyond simple personal honor.

That settled it then. She'd introduce both Thomas and Kaylen to the dragon. The only question left was, how angry would Valyrym be when she brought visitors? Perhaps she had better ask him ahead of time, just be sure.

---

Valyrym had to admit, the tub was relaxing. It had taken a little bit of work for Enric to get it all going for him, but soon enough plenty of lovely hot water was flowing into the tub. Valyrym made the guard show him each and every step so that he could learn to operate the thing when Alia wasn't around.

It did not seem too hard to operate the tub. The sluice gates were opened and closed simply enough, and so long as he did not put too much force into their operations he wasn't going to break anything. Though he noticed that when he walked near the stoves he had to be careful with both his wings and his tail. He nearly knocked one pipe off the first stove when he stretched his wings and then almost toppled the second stove over completely with his tail as he turned round. For the dragon, the hardest part seemed to be the transfer of all the coals as the shovels used were hardly made for dragon paws.

Still, Valyr thought he'd get the hang of it eventually. He prowled round the tub as it filled, trying and failing to intimidate Enric with well placed swipes of his spined tail. Damn guard seemed more worried about the strength of the iron bands and metal fasteners that bound the wooden slats of the tub together than he did about the large dragon constantly glaring at him. By the time Valyrym finally told the man he'd served his purpose he was secretly wondering if Alia had begun to tell everyone about the dragon's little tests of character.

When the tub was full, Valyrym carefully closed off the gates and routed the water around the basin to keep it from getting overfull. Then he carefully stepped over the tub walls, thinking to himself how hilariously unpleasant it would be should he ever have a hind paw slip on some soap and cause him to drop down and bang his stones on the tub wall. Balls, if Alia were around to see that he'd never live it down. Thankfully, he didn't slip and soon he was settled down in the hot water.

Valyrym did not bother with any of the soaps Alia had left behind. Though the dragon had enjoyed his first bath immensely, he still wasn't sure about all that flowery smelling nonsense. As far as he was concerned the bath and Alia's touch would have been every bit as satisfying without the soap there to make him smell funny. Still, if smelling like flowers and fruit made it more likely Alia would scrub him down the same way again he'd dump the whole damn basket of soap into the waters himself.

Valyrym rested his wedge shaped head on the wall of the tub, and closed his eyes. For a time, he simply enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by liquid heat. The dragon's scarred leg and recent wounds had been throbbing all day, but the hot water began to gradually ease the pain. Valyrym sighed in contentment, relaxing more deeply by the moment. Relaxation seemed a rare thing for him these days. Before Alia had arrived he was often pacing, anxious or angry. His carving helped him relax but even that could only be undertaken when he had the patience for it. Now though, he found himself feeling a little better even when she wasn't around.

And laying in the tub, he felt more relaxed than ever. Relaxed enough that he began to doze off for a little while. Images of half realized dreams rolled through his head. Shades of memories and imagination joined in twisted dance, playing out before his mind's eye. He was on a vast, emerald field, the grass shining with morning dew. Then Amaleen was there, in a white dress with a blue flower. She danced in circles as it began to rain, each droplet shaded with strange silvery light. Then in the next instant, there was another dragon, a hatchling, his black scales speckled here and there with blue. The youthful dragon squealed with glee as Amaleen spun round and round, clutching him in her arms. When Amaleen came to a stop, Alia was there as well, in the green blouse and black breeches she wore the first time he saw her. The rain did not seem to have touched her. Amaleen passed Alia the hatchling, and Alia began to dance and spin as well.

"Valyrym?" Alia's voice roused Val from his half formed dream.

The dragon blinked a few times, trying to remember what he'd been dreaming about. Alia gently touched his face, stroked his cheek, and he lifted his head from the wall of the tub. The water around him was still hot, and lightly steaming in the cool dungeon air. He'd not dozed off for long. An image came to him from the dream, and he smiled.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Alia smiled at him. Her raven hair was still a bit damp from her own bath but neatly brushed, and her dirtied blue dress had been replaced by a crisp blue blouse with slightly ruffled sleeves, and slate gray breeches with black threading. One of several more formal outfits she now had to choose from thanks to her tailor friend.

Valyrym licked his nose. He was just beginning to say "no" when an immense yawn split his maw wide. The dragon pinned his ears back and flared his spines as his pink tongue curled inside his black and gray muzzle. Then he licked his muzzle a few more times, and tilted his head back when Alia began to scratch his chin.

"I'll take that cute little dragon yawn as a yes, then," Alia said with a giggle.

Valyrym huffed a little, swishing his half-curled tail beneath the surface. A wave of hot water crashed over the tub walls. "Was only dozing a bit. Thought you had things to do?"

"And I thought you didn't want to learn how to operate the tub?" Alia stepped back and put her hands on her hips, grinning. "Isn't that what you told me?" She lowered her voice to the deepest, most growling register she could find. "I do not wish to know how to use the tub, Alia! It's your damnable contraption, not mine."

Valyrym lay his head back down against the tub wall. "I do not recall saying that." He licked his nose as indignantly as he could, shifting his weight beneath the water. "I will admit, however, it soothes my leg nicely. Though, if it makes you feel any better, I made Enric operate the tub for me." Valyrym left out the part about learning to do it himself for the time being, and closed his eyes "So, did you wake me for a reason? I think I was having a nice dream."

"Oh? What sort of dream?"

"The sort in which you climb into this tub and stroke me off in return for waking me," the dragon said, opening one eye to peer at her with a sly grin.

"Thank you, but I've already had my bath for the day," Alia laughed. "To say nothing of having clean clothes on. Besides, you're right, I do have things to do. Though..." Alia paused, murmuring to herself as if giving it serious thought. "That might put you in a better mood."

Valyrym lifted his head. "Why should I have to be in a better mood?"

Alia put her hands on her hips. "Would you like me to simply tell you and leave, or would you rather I tell you while I stroke you off?"

The dragon pushed himself up until he was standing on all fours in the tub. Hot water sluiced down his body, and curled his neck around to glare at Alia. "What manner of game are you playing at?"

Alia merely shrugged. "I do feel a bit badly for the way the day started. Or rather, the way it didn't start. And I'm not sure how much time I'll have to spare tonight. I don't think stay the night again..."

Valyrym grunted and shook his head. "That's alright. We should wait a few days on that anyway. No sense getting anyone too suspicious. Now! I do not like this game in which you are playing. Tell me what you speak of."

Alia opened her mouth to reply, and the dragon cut her off with a throaty purr. "And then stroke me off."

Alia reached out and rubbed his wet throat. "You wicked thing. Very well." She took a deep breath, hoping he'd not be too angry. "I have invited Thomas and Kaylen to come and meet you sometime in the near future."

Valyrym slowly pulled his head back, a growl rising in his throat. He narrowed his golden eyes a little bit, lifting some of his spines. "Have you then."

"Yes, Val," Alia said, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. "I want them to start to come to know you. They're my friends, and so are you."

"So you assume we will all be friends together, then." The dragon waved his paw in the air. "Shall we all go pick berries next, and weave tiaras from daisies to place upon each other's heads?"

"It had crossed my mind that you'd like smashing in a white daisy tiara, yes." Alia folded her arms beneath her breasts.

Valyrym glared at her, fighting to keep the smirk he felt tugging at his snout from spreading. Finally, he could not help it and he found himself grinning at that image, just as Alia did. "Try as I might, Alia, I find it harder and harder to become angry with you."

Alia unfolded her arms, and reached out to stroke the dragon's neck. He slowly lowered his head, and soon, she'd hugged him against her chest, heedless of the wet splotches it left on her blue blouse. "That's a good thing, right? Val, I'm not inviting them to spite you or irritate you. I'm inviting them because I want them to understand you a little bit. I'm not asking you to trust them. But do you really think it would be such a bad thing for my other friends to know I'm not in danger when I'm down here with you? To know you're not the wicked monster they think you are? If you truly do not wish them to come down here with me one day, I won't bring them. It's up to you, Lovely Dragon."

Valrym glanced away, but not before Alia saw a flicker of pain across his eyes. "And if they find that I am exactly the monster they think I am?"

Alia gently cupped the dragon's chin and pulled his head back towards her. "They won't. Because you're not. Even if you were a monster once before, you're not anymore."

Valyrym pressed himself against her hand a little, growling. "Very well, Alia. I shall endeavor to...behave around them."

"Good!" She smiled, then leaned in to kiss his nose. "Now, no one likes a sulking dragon, remember? So cheer up."

"I seem to recall you just said something about helping me to cheer up." The dragon purred a little, nosing at her breasts through her blouse.

Alia bit her lip, and giggled a bit, her face reddening. "Alright, Val, a promise is a promise. But only quick as can be this time."

"Very well, I shall not complain about pleasure in any form, even swift and to the point." He glanced down towards her crotch. "Remove your breeches, then."

"Much as it might frustrate us both, I really haven't got time," Alia said, running her hand over his neck spines. "So you'll have to save that lovely tongue of yours for another time."

The dragon flexed his wings in a shrug, then shook his head. "Come now, Warden. Whatever tasks you must complete without me can surely wait a few more minutes." The dragon lowered his head, and pressed his muzzle firmly beneath her thighs. He gave a loud, rumbling purr, and Alia shuddered as she felt the vibrations between her legs. "Come, Warden. At least lower your breeches so that I can access you and give you the pleasure you deserve." Valyrym tilted his head back to smirk at her. "I'll let you hold my horns while I tongue you, if you like."

Alia bit her lip, glancing towards the stairwell. There was a guard that had followed her down, one she wasn't familiar with. She sent him away, but, she never knew how long they might spend poking around the dragon's main chamber. From the tub area, she couldn't really see the doorways, so she supposed it didn't matter too much if the guard hadn't gone back right away. Besides, he had his own duties to attend so it wasn't as though he was going to linger all afternoon.

"Very well, Dragon," Alia said, grinning. She reached down and deftly undid her breeches. She tugged them down over her wide hips, revealing the lightly puffy lips of her sex and the short curls of dark, downy hair. "But only because you said I could hold your horns."

"Of course," the dragon murmured, nuzzling his snout between her exposed thighs. "Pull them down further, I can barely fit my nose in here."

"That's fine, because your bandage is already tickling me," Alia laughed a little bit, running a hand back over the dragon's muzzle. "And now that you've got them all wet I shall have to replace them later."

"Lower your breeches the rest of the way," Valyrym insisted, lifted a dripping paw from the water. "Or I shall do it for you."

"Fine, fine," Alia giggled. She eased her gray and black breeches down the rest of the way till they pooled about her boots. Then she spread her legs out a little more, as far as her dropped trousers would allow. "Happy? I feel like a fool standing here in some dungeon with my pants around my ankles."

"And you look like a fool, too," the dragon purred to her. "But what a sexy fool you make, Alia."

"You're such a horny old beast, Val," Alia said grin, stroking his muzzle.

"Says the one eager to have a dragon tonguing her sex," Val replied.

Before Alia can say anything in return, the dragon rolled his tongue across her folds. Alia gasped and bucked her hips a little, pressing her sensitive lips against his snout. Valyrym smiled at her response. Her skin felt warm and soft against the pebbly scales of his muzzle. He liked the way her thighs felt around his snout. Encompassing in such an intimate way, wrapping around his muzzle even as the very lips of her sex were pressed against his nose.

Valyrym swiftly began to tongue her. Much as he would have enjoyed taking his time and really making her moan again, he knew they did not truly have that option at the moment. Instead, he would take a more direct route, something akin to the first time they'd pleasured each other. Then the next time they shared pleasure, he'd take his time and really wear her out.

Valyrym shook his paw a few times to try and dry it. Then he grasped her posterior, he loved doing that, and Alia seemed to love it too. He pulled her forward till her sex was completely flesh against the pebbly scales of his snout, till her feminine scent filled the dragon's mind. Nuzzling up and down against her folds, the dragon penetrated her with his tongue. He pushed it inside, rolling it around deep within her.

Alia moaned for him, and her head lolled back against her shoulders. With one hand, she reached down and began to stimulate her own clitoris, rolling her finger around it in a small circle. Her other hand roamed up the dragon's head, and soon locked around one of his ridged horns. She did not usually feel dominant around him, at least not in the way Valyrym had simply hoisted her up and put her on his chest, or "forced" her to have two orgasms in a row. But Alia found a certain thrill to taking the dragon by the horn, holding him possessively as he pleasured her with tongue. It was not unlike the feeling of power she'd had when she first held his testicles in her grasp. Both were amazing feelings, as if she had some sort of control over such a powerful, legendary beast.

Alia's moans grew louder, and rose from deeper in her throat as she began to work her hips against the dragon's snout. Were it not for his injury she'd consider actually sitting on his muzzle and letting him support her with his powerful neck while he worked that amazing tongue deep inside. But she didn't want to cause him any pain, so she kept her movements relegated to thrusting against the very end of his nose, with her thighs lightly closed around him.

Holding his horn, Alia guided the dragon's head a little bit, pushing him away than pulling him back. He took the hint, and began to pump and roll his tongue in and out of her, simulating the feeling of being thrust into again and again. Each "thrust" made Alia gasp a little louder then the one before it and sent a new wave of warm bliss washing through her. As the dragon worked his muzzle back and forth along with his tongue, his pebbly scales slide against her flesh, providing an amazing array of textural sensations.

As Valyrym enjoyed the endless taste of her sweetness, he began to touch himself, as well. The dragon was already quite unsheathed from the thrill of pressing his snout between a human woman's thighs and sliding his tongue inside her. The fact he was coming to care more deeply for Alia than perhaps either of them had yet realized only made it all the more erotic to the old dragon. Settling upon his haunches in the tub, with his neck curled down to keep his head between Alia's legs, Valyrym wrapped a paw around his arched red shaft and began to stroke himself.

The dragon's maleness was very hard in his paw, and quite hot against his pads. Soon Valyrym began to grind his paw pads against his penile ridges, and the pleasure made him moan, his tongue shaking lightly against Alia's sex. She moaned right back to him, her hand shaking around his horn. The dragon found himself enjoying having her hold his horns when he pleasured her this way, he'd have to let her do it more often. Soon he began to stroke himself in full, rubbing his paw from his ridged base to his pointed tip, and back again. Water sloshed around his front leg, and he moaned again as he twisted his tongue inside Alia's most private place.

"Are you...masturbating?" Alia asked, a laugh squeezed between throaty moans.

"Yes," Valyrym moaned back to her, rocking his hips against his own paw as pleasure rolled through him.

"Good boy," she murmured, grinning down at him.

Valyrym grinned at that. It was a silly thing to say, and yet he found himself liking it. "Move your hand. Hold my horns when you cum!"

Alia nodded, grinding herself against the dragon's nose again. He was still cupping her rump, and showed no signs of releasing her just yet. She pulled her hand away from her clit, stroked him across his muzzle, then over his cheek and eventually to his horn. Alia twined her fingers round that ridged horn as well, now holding them both. With her handholds, she gently eased his muzzle up just a bit, guiding him towards her clit. A silent command to pay more attention to it now.

It was an order the old dragon was happy to obey. Even as he continued to stroke himself in a paw, Valyrum pressed his snout just where the folds in her flesh began. He slipped his tongue into the area at the very top of her slit, just beneath the dip below her mound and its cutely curled hair. Pressing in, he found the little bead of pleasure, hot and engorged, and began to roll his tongue around it. The movements of the dragon's hot, wet muscle were swift and forceful. They brought with them waves of hot, almost too intense pleasure, and soon Alia was crying out.

"Ah! AH! Oh! Val! Val!"

Val could feel her tensing up around him. Her breathing picked up, and each little cry she gave was louder and sharper than the one before. Part of him desired to ease back and tease her a little while, not let her cream his snout just yet. But he knew she had things to do, and as she'd offered to get him off only if she could do so swiftly, it was only fair he return that little favor.

So he did just that. Purring in a way that caused his tongue to vibrate against her clit, Valyrym licked Alia in swift, strong circles. She kept crying out, her hips jumping in near frantic rhythm with the movements of his tongue. When she came, she screamed out her bliss, her hands clutching his horns in white knuckled delight. Her back arched and her hips trembled. She pressed herself against the dragon's bandaged snout while he rolled his tongue again and again. Alia's legs buckled a little and soon she flopped forward against the dragon's head and neck. She hoped she wasn't pressing on any of his wounds but when her orgasm shook her, her legs just wouldn't hold up anymore. Val did what he could to lap up the little flood of juices that accompanied the woman's release as she moaned and writhed atop him. After all, she'd said herself she had clean breeches, he wouldn't want to be responsible for staining them.

Alia spent a few moments leaning forward against the dragon's head and neck as she came down from her release. She stroked his neck, still careful not to put on weight on any bandaged areas. It took her a few moments to catch her breath. When she realized just how completely she'd sprawled out atop him, she giggled.

"Sorry, Val," she said, moving back from him. She crouched down and began to ease her breeches back up. "Didn't mean just collapse on you that way."

"That's alright," Val purred, licking his muzzle. "I was enjoying the view anyway."

Alia laughed as she buckled up her breeches, still breathing heavily. "You know, Valyr, you and that tongue consistently amaze me."

The dragon pulled his head back a little, smirking. "Nice to know, given how out of practice I am."

Alia smoothed out her breeches, trying get some of the dirt out of them, and decided it didn't much matter. She glanced up at the dragon. "I know it's difficult for you to speak of, but..." She hesitated a moment, and then moved to rub the dragon's neck. "You were with her a while, weren't you? Amaleen?"

"Not long enough," the dragon replied. He glanced away and closed his eyes. "But a while, yes."

"I'm glad," Alia said softly. "You deserve to have had time with someone who made you happy."

Valyrym slowly returned his gaze to Alia. Sorrow and hope roiled in his golden eyes like oil and water. "You are..." He paused, struggling with words that were hard for him to say. "...Increasingly the one who makes me happy, Alia."

The dragon's words caused a new blossom of warmth to grow within Alia's heart. She leaned forward, and kissed his nose. She held her lips against his pebbly scales for long moments, and gently stroked his neck. Then she pushed his head to the side, so she could whisper into his ear. "You make me happy too, Valyrym."

" I am heartened to hear it," the dragon smirked. "But if you dally so long I lose my erection I shall be profoundly disappointed."

Alia felt she should be angry with him for saying such a thing, at such a moment. And yet, she simply couldn't. It made her laugh. Perhaps that was one of the things she was coming to like about him so much. His sardonic mannerisms always made her laugh, they seemed to share much the same sense of humor. She ran her hand down his neck over his shoulder, and since he hadn't turned his head yet, she bit the end of his ear.

"Ow!" Valyrym yelped, flicking his ear a few times. "What are you doing?"

"Seems the way a dragon would punish you for ruining the mood," Alia said with a giggle. "Now, present yourself you wicked thing."

"Present myself?" The dragon flared his spines a bit, grinning. "You make it sound as though I'm some animal on display."

"If you're going to reply to me baring my feelings by suggesting I get you off before you go limp, I think that's how you deserve to be treated."

Valyrym chuckled to himself. It seemed neither of them could really rile up the other any more. He rose up, twisted around a little bit, and then settled back on his haunches just against the side of the tub, so that she was now facing the side of his body, rather than his chest. In that position, only the very tip of his pointed member poked up above the surface, the rest of his tapered tool remained veiled by the hot water.

"You're going to make me lean over the tub? I thought you might step out and give me easier access." Nonetheless, Alia leaned over the tub, rubbing the dragon's pointed tip with a single finger.

Valyrym shuddered, and the action caused little ripples to wash across the water away from his scaly body. "I rather thought I might as well enjoy the benefits of the hot water." He turned his head to gaze down at Alia, sheepishly baring some of his fangs. "It should not take much, I don't think. "

"It rarely does for a male."

The dragon gave a derisive snort. "Perhaps for human males! I only say so because...well, as you saw I was stroking myself rather enthusiastically."

"One of these days I should like to watch you finish yourself off, I think," Alia giggled, leaning a little further over the railing.

"Kink of yours, is it?"

"Something like that," she murmured, wrapping her fingers around the dragon's spear-like flare just beneath the water's surface. "If I fall in you're in serious trouble, Lizard."

Just as Valyrym had done to her, Alia cut off any potential reply by using pleasure to silence the dragon. She squeezed the dragon's spear tip just enough to make him squirm in delight, then began to swiftly stroke his tip and the flare just behind it up and down, the water splashing around her hand. Val sucked in his breath, groaning loudly. Alia slipped her hand further down his length, and the dragon lifted his hips a little bit, thrusting into her tight hold beneath the water.

Alia felt the smooth section of the dragon's shaft slide through her grasp, and when she felt his ridges she squeezed them, stroking those. Val grunted happily, and began to rock his hips against her hand, rolling his ridges back and forth through her fingers. By now, she was already soaking one sleeve of her blouse so she decided she might as well soak the other, too.

As she sunk her other arm beneath the water, the dragon chuckled, forcing words through sharp teeth grit in pleasure. "Told you...should have gotten...naked."

"No, you said I should take my breeches down, and I did." With her newly introduced hand, she found the old dragon's balls. They were loose in the hot water, the heavy eggs floating freely beneath the dragon's arched erection. She began to roll them playfully around in her grasp, loving the way it made Val's moans shudder along with the rest of him. "Like having your balls played with, do you?"

"I should think by now you know I do." The dragon smirked down at her. "Dirty girl."

Alia smirked right back at him. "Can I make you cum just by rubbing your ridges?"

Valyrym dipped his wedge shaped head in a nod. The inside of his own black ears had flushed scarlet with excitement. "At this point in my arousal, certainly. Why do you ask?"

Alia giggled a little bit, twisting her fingers back and forth around the dragon's ridges. Each twist sent a wave of pleasure through his trembling, dark scaled form. "Because, I want to watch it jump and shoot. And I don't want my hands in the way."

"Shouldn't be hard now," the dragon admitted.

"Oh, Val, it's very hard right now," Alia said, grinning. She began to pump her hand up and down against the dragon's ridges in quick, firm strokes. "But it won't be much longer!"

Val's snout quickly scrunched up, a dragon's ridges were very sensitive! Almost too sensitive to be stroked so forcefully. Though Valyrym wasn't sure Alia had picked up on it yet it was actually possible to use those ridges to over-stimulate a male dragon into a much swifter orgasm, should she ever desire it. And playing with a dragon's testicles certainly helped. With all that armor everywhere else, it was very erotic for a male dragon to have such tender and exposed organs played with gently. Gently being the operative word, of course.

Alia did both, and did them with seemingly expert care. She stroked the dragon's ridges swift, hard, and ceaselessly. She kept rolling the dragon's hefty balls around in her other hand too, massaging the big black eggs till she could see the creature's orgasm coming on. She saw the dragon's face scrunch even further, his golden eyes squeezed tightly shut as he bared his fangs. Valyrym's spines flared all at once and he suddenly roared his explosive ecstasy as the dragon began to ejaculate.

Valyrym's cock jumped in her grasp, its exposed tip cut a V through the water as it pulsed and spat a thick burst of white hot dragon seed into the air. The pleasure-wrought globule arched through the air and splashed into the water a short time later just as the second burst was flung into the air. The way the dragon's tool continued to leap with just its pointed tip above the waters surface caused it splash a little with every spurt, miniature waves rolling across the tub.

And each pulse flung another white arching burst into the air, the second and third rising the highest before they fell back and landed in the water where they seemed to take firmer shape at first before beginning to dissolve just a little. At least one eruption of dragon cream splattered the black plates of Val's chest as well, running down his body towards the water.

Even as Val came Alia kept pumping his ridges hard and fast. Though his balls tightened against his underbelly, she kept working those too until the dragon's pulses began to fade. Soon the dragon began to whimper for mercy. Valyrym was suddenly too sensitive after release to stand having his ridges tormented with overly intense bliss.

"Enough, enough," he finally whined, laughing at the same.

"I must say, Val," Alia said, pulling her hands back, rising them in the rub. "It's quite a show to watch a dragon cum."

"Thank you," the dragon murmured, then shot her a glare, wondering if she was teasing him. "I think."

"Welcome," Alia said, trying to wring some water from her sleeves. "I couldn't tell, did your hind paws curl up again this time? That was so cute before."

Valyrym snapped his jaws, too satisfied and temporarily exhausted to bother telling her dragons were not cute.

Alia leaned forward and stroked his shoulder while the dragon caught his breath. "You really are magnificent, Val. In every way."

A smile slowly spread across Valyrym's muzzle. As a dragon who had once considered himself something worthy of great fear, that was perhaps the nicest thing she'd yet said to him. He turned himself a little, lowering his head to lick her hand as she stroked his scales. "Thank you, Alia. You're a beautiful thing, yourself. You should get going."

Alia smiled, cupping his large, pebbly black-scaled cheek a moment. Then she rose up, and did what she could to make herself look presentable. Given that her breeches were now dirty and her blouse was half soaked, she'd look a mess when she ventured into the city unless she put on yet another clean pair of clothes. Nonetheless, it had been well worth it. It always was. She waved goodbye, and made her way away from the tub, pausing just to glance back at the dragon.

"I'll have Enric bring your lunch, and I'll see you again tonight myself for at least a little while."

Valyrym nodded. "Tonight, then."

The dragon watched Alia go, and then eased himself back down into the still warm waters. Once more he sprawled out upon his belly in the tub. He lay his head down on the tub wall, smiling to himself. No sense in letting a good afterglow go to waste. Between that and the warm, soothing waters, it was time to return to his nap. Feeling more content than he had in many years, Valyrym thought about Alia until he drifted back to sleep.

---

Alia could not stop smiling throughout her trip into Illandra. Alia knew she must look like a madwoman. She strode down the cobblestone thoroughfare in a soaked blue blouse she hadn't bothered to change, grinning like an idiot. Yet she did not care, for Alia was happier now than she had been in years Through all the hard times and darkness she had faced in her life growing up an outcast in her own city, she had never given up hope. It was something her mother taught her long ago, that no matter how difficult life became she must never lose hope. The moment she lost hope was the moment she'd die inside. Now, all those years of hoping and all those years of working till her body nearly broke down had brought her something great.

After years toiling in darkness, the dread sky was finally beginning to lift.

Remembering that old phrase made her wish she knew more of Aran'alia. Beyond the origin of her name, Alia knew little of her ancestral homeland. Nonetheless she cherished her name as a link to a land most Illandrans had never heard of, save perhaps as the place their servants came from. Alia could hardly blame them for not knowing the name, given that even many of her own people had started to forget it.

Alia's mother however, had not been one of them. She had been born there, and filled Alia's childhood with tales of their stolen home. The stories made it seem an amazing place to Alia when was a child. It sounded so unlike Illandra. Vast and wild and filled with a rugged beauty that the towering stone buildings all around her could never match no matter how many colorful banners they strung from them or how they painted the walls in an attempt to add vibrancy to an otherwise drab place. These days, aside from her name, the land of her people's birth was merely another notch on Illandra's belt.

None of that was going to ruin Alia's day now, though. Nor would the displeased glares sent her way by a well-to-do Illandran couple who didn't seem to like seeing one of Alia's people strutting about in fine clothes and beaming like a fool. She paused, and watched them whisper to each other. The woman made a face, and the man shook his head. Alia was in far too good a mood to let that bother her. In fact, she was in such a pleasant mood she decided to show them just how little she cared for their opinions.

"Something like you'd like to say to me, perhaps?" She asked, as jovially as she could, as if she expected them to compliment her blouse.

"I should think not," the woman replied, turning her nose into the air.

The man, dressed in an exotic looking silk overcoat, offered his agreement. "We've nothing to say to some out-of-realm servant girl who looks as though she's just stolen someone's laundry from the wash!"

Alia smiled at them. "Ah! Well, in that case..." Alia flashed them the rudest possible gesture she could, the sort of thing that might make even Valyrym blush under his scales.

The woman gasped and turned away, pressing herself to her husband as she exclaimed her horror. Then the man growled at Alia, raising a fist. "I should give you the back of my hand for that, you little wench."

Alia merely continued to smile. "You're perfectly welcome to try. Then after I'm done pressing your face into the nearest pile of horse manure, I shall have you tossed in jail for assaulting a Royal Warden."

Alia turned just enough to let the two of them see the official patch of the Royal Warden's Office sewn into the shoulder of her slowly drying blouse. Both of them stared in amusingly-stunned disbelief, their eyes bugging out till they looked like ugly frogs getting the shock of their lives. Laughing, Alia moved on towards her destination.

Even if not for her recent encounter with her dragon and his tongue, she'd still have been smiling. She always smiled when she set out to buy things for Val, and that was what she was doing today. She chuckled a little when she caught herself thinking of him as "her" dragon. She seemed to do that a lot lately despite her best intentions not to. Then again, if she could think of him as her friend, why couldn't she think of him as her dragon? She idly wondered if the dragon had come to think of her as "his" human.

Alia turned onto a street lined on both sides with towering oaks. The trees were ancient and rose above even the stone buildings behind them. Their boughs met over the street, providing a lovely shaded lane in the summertime. Some of the neighborhood taverns had converted their roofs into patios where patrons could enjoy a drink and a meal while savoring the shade and the breeze on a hot day. Quite a few vendors had set up shop beneath the trees as well, from enterprising youths selling painted acorns to a man offering carriage rides and a woman selling beautiful dresses. Scents of roasted vegetables and grilled meats filled the air. They wafted from a large, wraparound food stall set up nearby with a few wooden tables crammed into the shade of a single tree.

Alia made her way to a tavern near the end of the street, just where it abutted a less traveled road. The tavern itself was not as tall as the other buildings, but it sprawled across several lots. Alia had been there a number of times before, though not for what felt like ages. Alia hoped that the owner was still the same woman who'd always been amiable enough to her. Otherwise she might not be able to drink there any more. Alia's ever-present grin twisted into a devious smirk when she realized if someone new owned the place and did not want to sell to non-Illandrans, well, she'd just flash her official emblem and ask them if they preferred a trip to meet her dragon.

Alia opened the old wooden door, noticing it barely clung to its hinges. Glancing around the inside of the tavern as her eyes adjusted, she could see the rest of the place barely clung to life just the same. Then again, that was hardly a change fro before. A long wooden bar ran nearly from one end of the place to the other, the wood now home to innumerable scars, pits, stains and patron-carved initials and phrases. A mismatched collection of oddly shaped tables and battered, creaky chairs filled most of the room, with a single row of booths with tattered cushions ran along the far wall. The few patrons in there at this afternoon hour were nearly as old and creaky as the furniture. Wooden beams ran up the walls, then stretched at an angle towards the ceiling and met nearly at the center of the place. The preserved heads of various animals sprouted here and there from the wall like macabre trophies. Some of them more vicious looking the others, monsters from faraway lands. Or just as likely, she supposed, well-wrought replicas.

At the far end of the bar, there was a green dragon's head mounted on the wall. Alia felt her stomach lurch the moment she saw it. Her smile vanished in an instant and she felt like she was going to heave if she kept staring. And yet she could hardly tear her eyes away from it. That hadn't been here the last time she'd stopped by. She walked down the bar, staring at the dragon's head. It certainly looked real. If she could touch the scales, she'd know if it was genuine, but she wasn't going stand on a chair just to reach it.

Alia stood at the end of the bar, gazing at the thing. She pressed a hand to her belly, doing her best to quell her nausea. Up close, it was all too easy to tell the dragon's head was very real. Not that she could have told the difference before meeting Valyrym, but now it was obvious. The pebbly green scales around the dragon's nose, the soft look to the nostrils, the spiny frills behind the ears. Where it not for the fact that this dragon's head was a dark green shade rather than black and gray, it could easily have been Valyrym's head up there on the wall. The thought made bile rise in Alia's throat.

"Alia!" Came a woman's voice.

Alia turned around to see Jena, the woman who'd run the bar since long before Alia used to stop by to try and make a little extra coin late at night. Jena was a kindly enough woman, she'd never treated Alia badly and if she had any disparaging thoughts about Alia's heritage she kept them to herself. Age had smoothed off the older woman's curves and added a few more as well as a few more wrinkles to her face, but she still had a twinkle of warmth in her brown eyes. Her once vibrant, auburn hair was slowly being infiltrated by gray, and she had it pulled back in a bun behind her head. She held a wash rag in her hands, and wore a stained green apron over the top of a matching green dress. In some sick way, her outfit matched the newest addition to her collection of dead trophies.

"Hello, Jena," Alia replied, forcing a smile back to her face. Jena gave her a little hug that was as much out of old familiarity as it was genuine affection, but Alia was happy to return it anyway. "How've you been?"

"Still in business," Jena said, gesturing around the place with her wet washrag. Little droplets of what Alia hoped was just soap splattered her blue blouse. "Place hasn't burned down and I've not been murdered yet! So, I've been well enough."

Alia grinned. Jena always did have a particular way with words. "That's good to hear!"

"Yes, not too bad!" Jena looked Alia over. "Are you sick, Child? You're quite pale."

Alia hadn't realized just how much color had drained from her face staring at the dead dragon. She shook her head, and tried to brush it off. "No, just a bit tired is all."

"Ah, fair enough." Jena tossed her wash cloth over her shoulder a moment. "So what brings you by? Judging by that emblem on your shirt I'd say you're not looking for work. Though, judging by how wet that blouse is it's also possible you've just stolen that from some court officer's laundry basin."

Alia laughed a little bit. It was a funnier suggestion when coming from an old acquaintance than some bigoted fool. Though it was hard to find anything especially amusing with some dead dragon's head looming over her. "No, I've more work than I know what to do with these days."

"Good!" Jena smiled and walked around behind the bar to start scrubbing at stains that clearly weren't going anywhere. "You always were a hard worker, I'm glad someone finally noticed that. What can I do for you then? Hungry? Can I fix you up a plate of roast rabbit? Got a little bit leftover from lunch."

"No, thank you," Alia said with a smile she had to force. Truth was she was starving, but she couldn't eat here. Not now. Not with that green-scaled thing staring at her as though she were implicit in its death. Alia found herself staring back into the dead dragon's glassy eyed gaze. "Not this time, anyway."

"I see you've noticed our new addition," Jena said with entirely too much pride in her voice for Alia's liking. "Just got that thing in here a few months ago. Sounds as though that vile monster was out attacking villages, burning crops, eating people." She waved her cloth around. "You know, as dragons are want to do. Thank the Gods some brave dragon slayer finally put an end to it. Cost a pretty penny to procure that head and have it preserved but it's certainly been worth it. Quite a few people have stopped by just to have a look at it, and now that the festival's getting near, this place will be packed with people wanting to see an actual dragon's head! Going to be the best place of all to celebrate a dragon's death, I'd like to think. Given that we've got the only actual dragon head in town!" Jena giggled as though that were some private joke. "At least, that's what I'm telling people."

"Dragon's capture," Alia murmured, glancing away and running her hands back through her hair. "The festival celebrates his capture, not his death."

"Ah, is that what it is?" Jena shrugged, laugh lines highlighted on her face as she chuckled and smiled. "I suppose when that old monster finally draws his last breath then there's really going to be a celebration! Perhaps we'll have two festivals, one for his capture and another for his death." She stroked her rounded chin. "Wonder if they'll let me buy his head, too?"

It took every fiber in Alia's body to keep from striking the woman hard and repeatedly. She grit her jaw till she was afraid her teeth were about to shatter against each other. She tried to force some jovial reply through her lips, but nothing came out. Both hands balled up into fists at her sides. How dare she joke abut something like that. Val didn't deserve this dragon's fate, Val didn't deserve to be the object of some woman's scorn, Val didn't deserve to be some sick trophy on someone's wall. What did Jena know, she didn't know Valyrym at all!

"Are you sure you're not ill, Child?" Jena tilted her head. "You've gone quite scarlet in the last few moments. I hope you've not caught a fever." Jena took a small step back. "I shouldn't like to catch it myself, actually."

Alia took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She forced a small smile to come to her ruby lips. "No, I'm fine. I'm actually just here to buy a bottle of Rum, and place an order for a barrel of it as well."

There was one other thing she'd always liked about this particular tavern. Despite the shabby, ill-maintained appearances, Jena always maintained an excellent stock of extremely high quality spirits, ales, and wines, which she sold both by the bottle and by the barrel. In fact she kept her finest stock hidden away in the back, selling only to those who knew enough to ask or whom she'd come to know. Jena was also good enough to sell them at a fair price, unlike many other locations.

"Ah," Jena smiled. "What can I get for you, then?"

Alia produced a little list she'd scribbled down earlier that day. As she was hardly the finest judge of rum herself, she'd asked around the castle for recommendations. After giving some of the guards and castle workers an idea of her budget and what she was looking for, they gave her enough selections to put together a decent list and then trim that list down. She handed the list to Jena, who looked it over and hummed to herself. Her brown eyes widened a little and she began to murmur to herself.

"My," Jena said slyly. "Someone's moved up in the world."

"A little ways," Alia replied with a laugh she hoped wasn't too forced. "Working with a budget I'm allowed, it's not all my money. I'll take the bottle today, and have the barrel delivered to the lower floor entrance to the guard quarters. Whoever delivers it can ask for directions at the front gate. Any time in the next few days is fine."

"Planning a party, are we?" Jena asked. She dropped her washcloth on the counter. It was just as well, from the looks of it it wasn't doing anything more than spreading spilled ale from one part of the counter to another anyway. "I

"Something like that," Alia murmured, glancing up at the dragon again. "I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry, though I'd love to stay in chat."

"Oh, of course," Jena said, sounding just a little put out. She always did like to chat. "I've the bottle in stock, so I'll go and fetch that, but I don't have that particular rum in stock in barrels. I'll order one from my supplier and as soon as it's brought round I'll have it delivered right away."

Jena disappeared into a back room, and Alia was left alone to stare at the dead dragon. Much as Alia liked this place and much as she was thankful for Jena's kind treatment over the years, she knew now she'd never be back. While she doubted Jena had anything to do with the death of the dragon, she simply couldn't stand to be in a place with something like that on its walls. If not for the cruelty of wanting Val kept alive to suffer for a lifetime, that could easily be his head mounted on some tavern's wall. A living, thinking creature once, now little more than a vile trophy of some dragonslayer's pathetic accomplishment.

Alia found it a little strange to think that as recently as a few weeks ago, she would have marveled at the thing. She'd have wondered who the brave man was that had finally ventured forth to kill the damn monster. She'd have wondered how he managed to slay it, with a sword, or a spear? A single lucky strike or had he worn it down over time until finally thrusting into it with the killing blow? Now those thoughts made her sick, and all she could think about was the dragon itself. Had it been male, female? Had it truly deserved its fate? Did it have friends, family? Had it once cared for anyone the way Valyrym did? Alia hoped that whatever the dragon had really done, that it hadn't suffered in the end.

Jena soon returned with a large glass bottle. The stopper was coated in red wax and had the distiller's emblem stamped into it. It certainly looked like quality rum, Alia just hoped that the men hadn't lead her wrong. Not that Valyrym would know the difference. That stuff he'd been drinking tasted like it had been distilled in a latrine. Alia had a feeling that even if the dragon couldn't taste the difference in rums, he'd appreciate her bringing him some even more than he'd want her to know. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she delivered him an entire barrel of the stuff.

For now, though, she couldn't wait to get out of his damn tavern. It was sad in a way, a place she used to enjoy coming would now bring her nothing but sorrow to return to. Such was the way of life, she supposed. Nothing could last forever, despite how tightly she might cling to it. She paid Jena for the rum, bid her a swift farewell and ventured back outside carefully stowing the bottle in her pack.

Alia made it only a little ways down the street before she felt her emotions overwhelming her. She quickly walked to a small shadowed alcove between buildings. She leaned up against a mossy stone wall, and took a deep breath, setting her pack on the ground. Alia slowly slid down the wall till she was seated on the ground, that dead green dragon's head filling her vision. What if that was Valyrym some day? No one but Alia would even care. Her breath trembling, Alia hid her face in her hands and began to cry.

---

By the time Alia returned to Valyrym that night her mood had improved only slightly. It was rare for her to sob that way and yet she could not help feeling a little foolish for her outburst. Even in her darkest times it was unusual for her to simply give in and cry, especially once she no longer had her mother's shoulder to cry upon. For a time after her mothers death, the shoulder she wept into belonged to Thomas. Yet Alia no longer felt it fair to come crying to Thomas anymore. Instead, she returned to take her solace in the old dragon who meant more to her with each passing day.

Alia did not cry or mention her earlier tears to Valyrym. After all, she did not want to have to explain the source of her weeping to the dragon. Instead, she simply wrapped her arms round his neck and held herself to him. Despite her best efforts to hide it, Valyrym seemed to sense that something had upset her. He did not press her on the issue, merely curled himself around her atop the furs in his sleeping chamber as if to shield her from the very world itself until at least it was time for her to retreat to her own quarters.

As Alia lay in bed, alone, she found herself longing to spend another night curled within the dragon's grasp. The large bed that once seemed so comforting now seemed strangely empty when she was the only one in it. Yet as Valyrym himself had said it was not wise to press their luck. Alia decided to let a few more days pass before she considered spending an entire night in the dragon's chambers once again.

To help the days pass more swiftly, she kept herself as busy as possible. There were errands to run, meetings to hold with guards, an audience to take with the treasurer in order to go over expenses related to the dragon, bloodstains to scrub away in the dungeon, and she still had to secure Thomas and Kaylen an evening off together. After all she'd hardly been in the mood to bring visitors to the dragon the day she bought the rum.

She finally had a chance to get a little cleaning done in the office near the dragon's dungeon. Though as she discovered, an hour or two a day for several days hardly made a dent in the monumental mess left in that place. That was alright though as it gave her an excuse to spend more time with Val beyond examining his wounds and changing his bandages. She even discovered a few more books she thought might be of interest to the dragon, and made a game of gently tossing them at his snout while he lay with his head poking through the carved doors.

Finally a day came when Alia herself was free for the evening, and thanks to her efforts Kaylen and Thomas were free as well. Alia was a little disappointed that the barrel of rum she'd ordered had not yet arrived, but at least she still had the bottle of it to surprise her scaly friend with. Perhaps if Valyrym did not hog it all there would be enough left for her not-so-scaly friends to drink some, too. Alia couldn't help but think even a dragon might be able to make friends over a few shots of rum. Or in the dragon's case, a few mug-fulls. Come to think of it, just how much rum would it take to get a dragon drunk? She wasn't sure she really wanted to find out, but she imagined that would be nearly unavoidable when the barrel of it finally arrived.

Alia decided since they'd only have a single bottle of rum to share, she could make up for it by finally delivering the dragon the chocolate cake she'd promised him. Dressed once more in her blue blouse, now dry and clean, Alia headed for the bakery, shouldering her pack. Without any other destinations it was a short enough trip and before long the scents of fresh bread and pastries filled her nose.

Alia paused outside the bakery's doorway, struck by another thought. Perhaps she should look for that Urd'thin, just in case. After all, she had promised to get him something else to eat if she saw him again. And she had intended to return earlier, yet as often happened, life simply kept getting in her way. Now seemed as good a time as any to try and fulfill her promise to the rather unkempt creature. Assuming of course, he hadn't decided to rob anyone else or gotten himself hanged or anything.

Alia hooked her thumbs through the straps of her pack as she began to search for the little runt. Given that she was not in the nicest distract of Illandra she wouldn't venture far beyond the bakery. First she looked down the alley behind it, but saw no one lingering near the back door or dumpster this time. Thinking back, she tried to remember which way they'd run off when she confronted them. Soon she was retracing their steps. She passed a side alley that she recalled them venturing down, and turned onto it.

The alleyway itself was filthy. Older, wooden buildings that looked half rotted surrounded it. Mold and moss covered sagging walls she hoped they weren't about to collapse on her as she passed them. The ground was covered in mud and filthy puddles of what she tried to tell herself was water. The further down the alley she ventured the more it stank, and just as she was about to turn around, she heard chattering voices ahead.

Alia pushed on, her eyes flicking to every darkened recess. She wouldn't do Val any good if she got her throat cut by venturing down the wrong alleyway, after all. Alia followed the sound of the voices till the alleyway rounded a corner. She peeked around it, and spotted a group of Urd'thin lounging around in a shady alcove. An old tree rose from the center of the alleyway alcove, its thick trunk surrounded by cracked and crumbled bricks, many of them now covered with thick green-gray moss. From the looks of things, this alley had probably once been a nice shady little side street, but decades of deepening disrepair meant the tree was now the only nice thing about it. The bricks had likely once been stacked around the tree in a decorative planter that it had long since outgrown.

Two of the Urd'thin were leaning against the walls of the enclosing buildings, while a third was standing nearby, and a fourth seated at the base of the tree, in between piles of brick. Alia watched them a moment, and when one of them caught her gaze, he chattered to his kin and pointed her out. She couldn't tell if they were the same group from before, but their filthy clothes and matted fur certainly seemed a match, and they weren't that far away from the bakery. None of them had their hoods up as they had last time, but she was hardly familiar enough with Urd'thin features to easily pick out one dog-faced, big eared, small horned creature from another just yet.

One of them growled at her, and Alia rested her hand on the hilt of her knife, just in case. For a moment, no one moved, and Alia felt she may as well be the one to break the stalemate. "Hello. I'm looking for..." She looked from one to another, wondering if they understood her. The one sitting at the base of the tree, he looked...well, perhaps familiar wasn't exactly the right word, but he did have holes in his pants and mismatched boots. With her free hand, she gestured to him. "You. You're the one who tried to rob me, right?"

"Urrrh?" The creature made a quizzical noise, his eyes widening. Slowly he got to his feet, and tilted his head.

Alia thought it was him, but she couldn't be certain. So, fixing her eyes on him, she made a show of lifting her booted foot as though planning to walk over there and kick him squarely in the crotch again. The other three tensed at the movement, but the one in question whimpered and hunched over a little to cover his crotch with his dirty paws. The sight made Alia laugh. Yes, that was definitely him.

"It is you," she said, smiling. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to kick you. You remember what I told you?"

"Urrhh?" He straightened up, still wary.

Alia huffed, taking her hand off her knife blade to show she meant no harm. "Oh come now. Don't play the fool. I know you understand me. So unless you've been off robbing people I intend to keep up my bargain, and buy you some food. Come along, then."

With that Alia turned around and made her way back down the alley. She realized she was taking a rather sizable risk turning her back to a group of creatures that might just as soon plunge a knife into her and take what coin she had left than let her buy them their next meal. But lately boldness seemed to be paying off. She'd never have truly met Valyrym if she'd simply left him his meal and returned to the stairs as swiftly as possible. Might as well continue that trend. Though she didn't hesitate to glance over her shoulders when she heard footsteps behind her. He was following but at distance that lead her to believe he was even more wary of this deal than she was.

When she got back to the area behind the bakery, she turned around to find that not one, but all four Urd'thin had followed her. For a moment her heartbeat quickened, thinking they'd all decided to rob her together. But that was foolish. If they meant to do that they'd just have done so where no one could have seen them. No, it seemed the Urd'thin she planned to feed had in fact translated her offer to the others who wanted to join in on it.

"We food now?" The one she'd encountered before tilted his head, one ear perked up and the other flopping down.

The quizzical expression was so silly looking Alia couldn't help but giggle. "You're pretty cute for a little thug." She placed her hands on her hips, looking down at him. "Have you done what I asked? Or have you robbed people?"

"No rob!" He held up his hands as if to show her they were empty, his palms towards her. "No rob."

Alia had no way to tell if the creature was lying to her, but she supposed it was a bit late to consider that particular aspect of this deal. "Alright, then I'll buy you something to eat. But our deal was for you, not for you and your friends."

The Urd'thin glanced back at them, his matted tail swishing. Then he looked at Alia again, tilting his head the other way. Soon his ears had reversed positions. "They no rob too?"

Alia smirked. "Clever little bastard, aren't you."

"Clever bastard," the Urd'thin replied, though Alia couldn't tell if it was in smug agreement or amused mockery.

"Alright then. I'll buy you all something to eat, then." She started to walk off again but paused when the Urd'thin began to follow her. "Wait here." She pointed at the ground. "Here. Understand?"

"Here, wait." He nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Alia smiled.

Leaving them behind the building, Alia rounded the corner and made her way into the bakery. Somewhat to her surprise, the baker not only remembered her but also remembered she'd bought a chocolate cake. He seemed a bit surprised she wanted another one so soon so Alia simply told him she was buying this one as a gift. She was hardly going to tell him she'd dropped it on the floor. She also bought four large mincemeat pies, and carefully placed them all in her pack. After all she didn't really want the baker to realize she was going to be feeding Urd'thin just behind his establishment.

When Alia returned to the little group of creatures waiting behind the bakery, the lead Urd'thin immediately reached for the cake. She had to hold it up over her head so he couldn't reach it. "No, no, no. This is mine. Your food is in my pack."

Of course as soon as she said that he went around behind her and started trying to dig into her pack. Alia laughed, spinning away from him. "Stop that! I will get it, but you have to promise not to touch this cake. It's not for you, it's for my friend."

The lead Urd'thin huffed, but he took a step back from her, rubbing his hands together, eyes gleaming. Alia set the cake down nearby, making sure to set it upon the parchment in which it was wrapped to keep it clean. The Urd'thin followed her, but the rest stayed where they were, seemingly a little more cautious around humans. The one she'd made the deal with seemed a little bolder.

That made her smile. As Alia pulled her pack around, she grinned at the creature. "You're a bold thing. Val would like you."

"Who Val?" He asked, half curious and half impatient.

"He's my friend," Alia murmured, digging out the first meat pie. She handed it to the Urd'thin "He's the one that cake is for."

"Fat friend eat whole cake?" The Urd'thin sounded as amused as he was jealous.

Alia laughed, they probably thought Val was some especially rotund human man. One of the other Urd'thin chattered something, and the one holding the meat pie waved for him to come over and take it. The second creature looked at Alia, and quickly shook his canine-like head, chattering something else.

"What's his problem?" Alia asked, digging out the second meat pie.

"Not want get kick in natta."

Alia laughed even harder, shaking her head, black tresses swaying. "I remember that word. That's what you call your balls, right?"

The Urd'thin blinked, then glanced down towards his crotch when Alia gestured in that direction. "Urrh. Natta. Yes. Balls."

"Well tell him I'm not going to kick any of you in your balls unless you try and rob me." She flashed the only one who seemed to speak the common tongue a smirk.

The Urd'thin gave a little whimper, and he pinned both large ears back in a gesture of sheepish embarrassment. He translated for her, but the other three still didn't want to approach any closer despite all three sets of dark eyes being locked on the food she was handing their leader of the moment. The one serving as translator finally gave a growling sigh, and took the second and third meat pies from Alia. When he got near them they greedily came and snatched them away, though Alia was glad they only took one each. It seemed hunger made them covetous, but not so much so as to turn on their fellow...well, Urd'thin.

Alia pulled the last meat pie out, but when the head of the band of creatures came to take it from her, she held it away from him. "First tell me your name."

The Urd'thin chattered something irritable and incomprehensible, stretching for the meat pie. Alia moved back. "No. Tell me your name. You have a name, right?"

"Vatch. Give food now!"

"Vatch? That's your name? Well, I'm not sure I would say it's been pleasant meeting you," Alia giggled a little, handing him the meat pie. She grinned as he snatched it in his furry, matted paws and dashed closer to his fellows as if afraid she'd take it away. "But it has been interesting. My name is Alia, by the way. If you care to know it."

Vatch glanced back at her with a mouthful of meat pie, and crumbs coating his muzzle. "Alia," he murmured through his food. "You bring more food, yes?"

"If it keeps you and your friends from starving and out of jail, I'll certainly consider it." She shouldered her pack again, grinning. "I'll try to be here again tomorrow around this time, alright?"

Vatch nodded. "Yes yes. Be here. Bring food!"

Alia giggled. Single minded, these Urd'thin were. She picked up her cake again, carefully wrapping it in the parchment. "Don't expect me to feed you every day, or I'll go broke. Now, as much as I'm enjoying seeing you stuff your little snouts, I've got to get this cake back home."

"Yes," Vatch said, tilting his head. "Not want fat friend go without cake!"

Alia couldn't tell if he was making a joke, or suggesting something about how hungry they went while her friend got a whole cake to himself. "For your information, my friend is not fat, and he could eat this whole cake in one bite. He could eat you, actually, and not yet be full."

Vatch frozen, half eaten meat pie clutched near his muzzle. His dark eyes went wide and his ears pinned back in alarm. "He eat Urd'thin?"

"No," Alia giggled. Silly thing had completely missed the humor. "He does not. I was just saying he's large enough to so do."

"Urrrh?" Vatch tilted his head back, as if imagining himself staring up at a giant human.

"You don't know what this sigil means, do you," Alia dipped her chin towards the patch on her shoulder.

"Work for...castle?"

"That's right," Alia smiled. "More specifically, I take care of a special prisoner, and this cake is for him."

The urd'thin seemed confused, but slowly he put things together, nearly dropping his meat pie. "...Dragon?!"

"Yes, the dragon," Alia smiled. "He and I have actually become good friends, and I'm bringing him this cake. I'd take you to meet him but I don't think he'd appreciate being called fat."

Alia was joking of course, not that the Urd'thin would know. He gulped, shaking his head. "No, no, that okay. See enough dragon through hole in ground." He gestured with his hand to the others and they started up the alleyway. "We go now. You bring more food tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'll try," Alia chuckled at the way the other three began to scramble away. They had an odd little gait when they ran.

"Good. I be here. No tell dragon I call fat, right?" The Urd'thin grinned at her, and she was glad to see the thing had a sense of humor, as well.

"No, I won't tell him you called him fat." She turned and began to head off.

"Alia?"

"Yes?" She glanced back.

The Urd'thin held the remains of his meat pie up a moment before dashing off with the others and calling back to her. "Thank you!"

---

Alia giggled at the exuberance with which Kaylen bound down the stairs. She seemed as excited as though she'd been invited to some fabulous ball, rather than going to meet some old dragon. And to her credit, Kaylen seemed to share little of the fear that Alia herself had felt upon first descending the long and winding stairway. Thomas on the other hand, seemed to have been struck with even more of that fear. Even in the bright orange torchlight his face seemed pallid and drawn as though he thought he were surely marching to his own death.

"Oooh, Thomas," Kaylen said, turning around to tease her friend for what was at least the third time since Alia had collected them. "I bet he's going to eat you first! After all, they say monsters and beasts can smell fear, and you're positively oozing it!" She stuck her nose up in the air, and made a show of sniffing about. "I bet it smells like rich gravy to a hungry dragon."

Alia giggled to herself. This was already fun. While Thomas had been hesitant to venture into the dragon's dungeon, Kayleen was nearly giddy. It was no real surprise to Alia. After all when alone with her friends Kaylen tended to leap first and ask questions...well, usually she just leapt. Sometimes that led her to small victories in her playful rivalry with Thomas given that she'd do things he often wouldn't dare even before she had time to think better of them.

Like meeting a dragon.

"Kaylen," Alia had asked her. "Would you like to go with Thomas and me to meet the..."

That was all she had time to ask before Kaylen cut her off. "Meet the dragon? Yes! Can we go tonight?" It wasn't long before she was practically bouncing with gleeful delight. And later, when she spotted Thomas, her first question was, "Oh, Alia, do you think the dragon will eat Thomas?"

It was a theme that continued even now as they descended the stairs together, as Thomas just muttered under his breath. "Oh, get stuffed, Kaylen."

Kaylen was a little shorter than Alia, and a little bit plumper. She often worked kitchen duty and was quite shameless in her habits of stealing bits of food here and there that were otherwise meant for the nobles. Not that the cooks and chefs minded. They knew well enough half the food prepared for the nobles and royalty was going to go to waste anyway. They were happy to see it eaten by someone who truly appreciated it, and often times prepared a little extra for Kaylen to take and share with the other servants. Despite that, Alia always found it a wonder that Kaylen wasn't skinny as a sapling in a drought. She had more energy to burn that just about anyone Alia had ever met, and yet she always retained a gently soft plumpness to her form.

Like Alia and Thomas, Kaylen too had lustrous, raven hued hair. Kaylen's skin was a bit paler than Alia's, as Alia had often spent more time working in the sun while Kaylen spent more time working indoor servant jobs. Thomas fell somewhere in the middle, though he was definitely far more on the fit end of the spectrum than Kaylen, as was Alia. Not that Kaylen's extra softness came from laziness, as she was certainly as hard working as the other two.

Regardless, Alia thought Kaylen looked beautiful in a soft, flowing purple dress. Different shades of purple cascaded across the skirt in wavy stripes of lilac, grape, and lavender. Kaylen had sewn it herself from scraps and swatches of purple cloth she'd picked up here and there. Kaylen made an excellent seamstress though it was always more of a hobby than an actual job. She'd sewn together several such dresses and Alia knew the purple one was her favorite. It neither hid nor emphasized her womanly curves. Rather the dress simply flowed across her body in a cascade of purple hues. Kaylen wore it not to attract anyone's eye but rather simply because she loved the dress. Which made Alia all the happier to see she'd worn it to meet the dragon.

Thomas, for his part, had dressed as formally as he could. He wore a pair of black breeches and his best pair of shoes, also black and with silver buckles. He wore a slate gray tunic with buttons fashioned from some manner of shiny oyster shell, and he fidgeted with it constantly on the way down the stairs. Alia thought he was garbed as though he was expecting to interview the Servant Master for new position.

"Quit fidgeting, Thomas," Alia finally told him.

Thomas huffed and hung his hands at his sides. Soon, he began to twist and tug at the hem of his breeches, instead.

Kaylen, carrying the torch, bound ahead of down the steps them till she'd nearly left them in darkness. Again. She paused and turned to watch Thomas fiddling with his breeches. "Have you got a rash, Thomas?"

Thomas glared at her and folded his arms over his chest. Soon, he was pinching at his sleeves. "Of course not. And quit leaving us in the darkness. If one of us stumbles on all these damn stairs, we're going to come toppling right into you."

Kaylen waited for them to catch up, grinning. "No rash? Ah, so you've got lice down there, then. Well keep away from me, you filthy boy."

"Oh, very funny! How'd you like a twisted a ear?"

"How'd you like kneed balls?"

Alia beamed. She loved her friends, even if she sometimes felt she had to play mother to the both of them. "No one's kneeing anyone's balls or twisting anyone's ears. We're here to have fun."

"We are having fun," Thomas said, flashing Alia a brief grin that told her he enjoyed his little spats with Kaylen far more than he let on.

"You're fidgeting, is what you're doing." Alia passed him the cake wrapped in parchment. "Here. You hold this, and don't you dare drop it. If you do, I'll leave it to you to explain to the dragon what happened to it. He's quite looking forward to that cake."

Kaylen continued down the stairs at a slower pace than before. "Does this dragon have a name?"

"Apparently so," Thomas answered. "Alia says it's V-"

Alia cut him off. "I said nothing of the sort." Then she amended herself. "Alright, so I did. But he doesn't like it when I give people his name, and I only did so to Thomas by accident. You'll have to ask the dragon himself what his name is."

"Oh!" Kaylen giggled to herself. "Perhaps he'll let me give him a name if he doesn't wish me to know his real one. I think I should like to call him, Death Killer Fire-Burner!"

Alia grinned. "He might like that, actually."

At the bottom of the stairs, Alia lead them to the large, carved doors. Kaylen held up her torch as she and Thomas examined the intricate carvings. Alia let them make their own assumptions based upon the image of the dragon in chains, and the wreath of fire as well as the rose wrapped spears. She only suggested to them that Valyrym was not quite as big in real life as he appeared in the carvings. She also let them have a peek into the office she'd started to tidy up a little bit.

Then she pushed the doors open, revealing the massive dungeon itself. There was no immediate sign of its only resident, and Alia knew by now he had plenty of places to conceal himself. When she'd come down a few hours earlier to ask if he minded if she this evening would be a good time for her friends to visit, she'd found him carving along the wall. Now she couldn't spot him from the entryway, which meant he was probably lounging in the tub again, or perhaps taking a nap in his sleeping chambers.

She pursed her lips, and glanced back at the others. "I'm going to go and find him. You two wait here."

"Shouldn't we come with you?" Kaylen asked.

Alia shrugged. "If you do, you're just going to give him a chance to jump out and startle the ever living hell out of you."

Thomas grinned. "We can't have that. Kaylen would ruin her favorite dress when she wet herself."

Kaylen punched Thomas in the arm. "I would not wet myself!"

"Nonetheless, we'll wait here," Thomas said with a grin, rubbing his arm. Then to pacify Kaylen, he suggested, "Let's have a look at one of these carved pillars Alia mentioned."

Alia smiled and walked them towards the nearest one. She'd had a chance to look at more of them now, though she was hardly familiar with all the dragon's work. Alia thought they might like the one nearest the entry, though. It was simple yet beautiful, a depiction of a rolling meadow with a brook that cut through it, and a field of stars in the night sky above, a full moon shining with lines of light.

After guiding them to the pillar, Alia left them behind and swiftly made her way through Val's chamber. She no longer needed a torch to navigate the place unless it was nighttime. As Valyrym had already been in the tub once that day, she did not think he'd be there again. So Alia headed straight for his sleeping chamber. Old beast was probably taking a nap.

As she passed beneath the pointed arch, Alia heard heavy panting, and labored breathing. For a moment she feared that Valyrym might be sick. She had no idea what kind of illness what might befell a dragon, nor did she know what remedies might best treat a dragon's maladies. Though as she peered around the corner, she swiftly realized it wasn't something she had to worry about, at least not this time.

The dragon wasn't sick, nor was he napping. Rather, the old dragon was masturbating. Vigorously. And not just laying on his back, having a stroke, either. Instead, he was on his belly, with his haunches rolling in the air, and his front paws partly tucked beneath his body. Valyrym had gathered up a few of his sleeping furs, and was now heartily thrusting himself against them. He looked a bit like an oversized dog unable to control his lusts and forced to take them out upon a pillow.

Alia quickly stepped back before the dragon spotted her. For a moment, she thought about simply waiting around until he was sated. No sense stopping the poor lustful beast now. After all if she forced him to stop before he was finished he'd have a hard time greeting her friends. But she didn't know how long it would take. Perhaps with another peek she could see just how close he was to finishing his lewd task.

Alia slowly peeked around the stone wall again, hoping he wouldn't spot her. It took only a few moments of watching the beast eagerly working his hips as though thrusting deeply into a female dragon for Alia to decide she wanted to watch this little show all the way through its climax. She bit her lip to avoid giggling at her own pun.

Judging by the way the dragon's breath was coming in labored pants, and the little groans and snarls of pleasure that escaped him, Valyrym wasn't too far from finishing anyway. Alia moved a little further from the corner as she realized Valyrym's attention was anywhere but on the entrance to his chamber. More importantly while the dragon's wedge shaped head alternated between being pressed against the furs and tipped back into the air, his golden eyes remained screwed shut in pleasure the entire time. From the way his entire face was scrunched up in bliss he was certainly enjoying himself.

Quiet as she could, Alia moved a little further into the room while his attention was so thoroughly elsewhere. When she got nearer the side of the dragon, she paused, enjoying the angle. From there she could see both the blissfully scrunched up look on his pebbly snout, and the lovely, lewd way the dragon rolled hoisted hips again and again. She also caught flashes of dark red between his belly, and glimpses of ridges as he thrust himself into the furs. From the side she could see he wasn't thrusting atop the pile as it first appeared, but rather had wrapped at least one of the furs around his shaft, and held it in place with a front paw. His black balls swayed and bobbled between his hind legs, now and then smacking lightly against the furred hide. Alia wondered if that fur tickled the dragon's scrotum.

Alia also found herself curious if Valyrym was fantasizing about something while he pounded away into the slick, soft fur. Part of her wished it was her he was fantasizing about, though she was not so selfish as to presume it was. For a creature who'd lived as long as he had, he could have just as easily been fur-humping to some memory of his time with Amaleen, or a female dragon he'd known before. Or his mind might simply be a blank slate awash in pleasure. One thing was certain, if she ever did let the dragon try and penetrate her he wouldn't be able to thrust that vigorously. As he neared his peak and thrust harder, she half expected his pointed maleness to punch a hole right through the fur that wrapped it.

As the dragon reached the edge of his peak, Alia was worried she was going to need time before rejoining her friends just so her heated face could return to its normal shade. By now she imagined she must look damn near purple she was blushing so heavily. Not that she had any intention of looking away or even letting him know she was there until Val was quite thoroughly spent. How often would she get to see an old dragon masturbating in such a fashion, after all? Well, come to think of it, she probably convince Val to do it just about any time. But it was different when he didn't know she was there, it was much more feral, she imagined.

Alia beamed when she saw the dragon hit that special, blissful point of no return. Valyrym gasped through sharp teeth, and began to thrust with wild abandon. The dragon powered himself into the furs with short, swift thrusts to stroke his spear-flare heavily against the furs he clenched around his length, maximizing his stimulation. His body tensed, his plump black eggs tightened up against his body. Alia could even see Valyrym's thick black tail began to flag in time with the dragon's ejaculation. Alia couldn't see his member as he buried it deeply in the hides as he could, frantically pumping the fur around it with his paws. But she could still count the spurts of his release with the jumping movements of his tail. As he came, Valyrym's spiny frills all flared out around his head and down his neck. His snout somehow scrunched even further, baring fangs in the dim light. Though he did not roar this time, it clearly took effort. Alia could see his jaws clench, holding his usual roar to a guttural snarl of pure, feral, sexual bliss.

Finally Valyrym simply let the rest of his body drop, collapsing against the furs. From the way that made him moan, it was clear he still had his organ wedged inside one of the bunched furs, and trapped beneath his weight. He even gave a few more weak thrusts, and lay his head down on its side, tongue lolling out between parted jaws. Alia giggled to herself, she just loved the expressions the dragon made when he came.

Alia didn't want to totally ruin his afterglow, but they didn't have all day. At least he'd nearly been finished when she found him. So she waited till his spines began to settle, and he started to catch his breath before she finally spoke up. "Do all dragons look so adorable when they orgasm, Val, or is that just you?"

Valyrym's golden eyes shot open and his head jerked off the floor followed swiftly by the rest of his body. His head whipped towards Alia in an instant, and he gave a low growl. "Gods, Alia! How long have you been watching me, you dirty little voyeur!"

Whatever anger Valyrym might have been attempting to project was lost on Alia when she saw that the fur he'd been thrusting into still clung to his member. The dragon's maleness hadn't yet retreated, and the brown animal hide was now draped over the red organ like some ill-functioning loincloth. Alia burst out laughing, and Val glanced under himself.

"Oh, shut up," he muttered, reaching beneath himself with a paw to yank the fur away. That only made things funnier for Alia as the action caused the dragon's slowly softening mating spear to bounce and bobble a little, a whitish dribble falling to the remaining furs beneath Valyrym. "It's not funny. You should have told me you were there."

"Oh, don't be grumpy," Alia giggled, walking forward to stroke his scales. "You looked like you were so completely into it, I didn't think you'd want me to interrupt you."

The dragon licked his muzzle, glancing alongside his body at her. "You would be correct. I was...in the moment, as they say."

"You see? Now stop complaining. You certainly enjoyed yourself, after all." Alia crouched down to retrieve the furs he'd just splattered with streaks and smears of white. She folded them up, making a face. Then she set them aside as if afraid they'd infect the cleaner things that made up the dragon's bed. "Tomorrow I'm going to make you wash these."

"Very well," Val murmured, flopping down back onto his belly, then rolling to his side. For a moment, he peered at his own retreating length, then glanced up at her, grinning. "If you'd been here a little earlier, you could have helped."

"Considering as I brought Thomas and Kaylen with me, if I'd come any earlier, you wouldn't have." Alia grinned, she thought that was a nice little bit of word play. Even if the dragon was too startled by what she'd said to notice it.

"What?" Valyrym lifted his head, craning his long neck to peer back towards the archway. "They're not here, are they? I mean, they're not right here, watching?"

"No," Alia said, laughing. "And thank the Gods. They're not quite ready to get to know that particular side of you, Val. So make sure that thing is put away before you come meet them."

Valyrym glared at her, baring a few fangs. "It will put itself "away" on its own time."

"Let me help it," Alia said, moving down to her knees. She shoved her hand roughly between Valyrym's hind legs, and grasped at his semi-retracted sheath, then began trying to tug it forward over the red flesh that remained exposed.

"Ow!" The dragon yelped, squirming as she pulled at sensitive skin. "It doesn't work that way, Alia! Ow! Stop it!"

Alia stopped tugging at the dragon's sheath, and patted his head leg. "Don't be a baby, Val. And look, I did pull it back up, now just your little spear tip is sticking out."

Valyrym growled, lashing his tail spines against his bed, though the menacing clatter was muffled by the blanket they thumped against. "You'd better not have stretched it out."

"It's not a shirt sleeve, Val."

Valyrym ignored her. And Alia glanced around. She stroked the dragon's back leg a little to try and soothe him. He lay his head back down, and for a few moments just rested and enjoyed the lingering moments of relaxation and contentment following the release of his seed. Soon she had him purring just a little, and when he seemed nice and relaxed again she rose back to her feet.

"You know, you really shouldn't do something like that in front of poor Val Junior."

"What?" Valyrym lifted his head, glancing towards the stuffed black dragon. "Oh. I think he likes it."

"That's terrible, Val," Alia said with mock horror. "He's young, and impressionable."

"No he's not," the dragon shook his head. "He's a dirty, filthy little cotton-stuffed pervert." Valyrym pushed himself to his feet, grinning at Alia. "He likes to watch, just like you."

Alia giggled to herself, hoping some of the blush had faded from her cheeks. "Come along then, you old beast. Come and meet my friends."

"If they see how red your face has gone, they're going to wonder just what kept you."

Apparently it hadn't faded as much as Alia hoped. "Then I shall tell them you said something highly inappropriate that caused me to kick you in the balls. Then I had to wait for you to get back up again."

"You do and I shall tell them what really happened, and just how much you enjoyed watching it."

Alia laughed again, and Valyrym walked with her all the way across his prison. She was glad to see he wasn't limping as much as before, but at the same time, hopefully the fact he was limping wouldn't go unnoticed by the others. As they walked back towards the entryway, they passed near the long wall that Valyrym had been carving. Alia tried not to stare, but she couldn't help her eyes flicking to it now and then. Flashes of images sprang out at her. Pillars with a dragon carving them. A dragon chained to a wall. The same dragon dragged behind horses. She glanced away, it was clearly a timeline of Valyrym's life, and it felt almost like she was invading his privacy to be looking at it without his permission. He hadn't stopped her though, and as they walked she glanced back at it now and then. A few more images stood out in quick glances. A building in flames. A vast meadow in a heavy rain. A human woman smiling. A small dragon that looked to be a child. Or did they call them hatchlings? Pausing for only a moment, Alia glanced back the way they had come. At the far end of the carvings there were new lines starting to form a woman's face.

Alia's face.

Alia put her hand on Val's shoulder, smiling the rest of the way across the prison. Kaylen and Thomas had changed locations and were now standing in front of one of prison's long walls, across the way from where the old rusted chains were still bolted into the stone. Alia had noticed that area before, and though she'd never asked Val about it, it seemed obvious it was the section they had walled up after chaining him inside the dungeon. The stone there was fresher, though that was a relative term. The wall there was more noticeably comprised of obvious stone blocks where in other areas some of the walls looked as though they might have been cut from solid stone. The sections of granite were so ancient in some places that any differentiation between them had gradually been worn away, or covered in layer upon layer of grime and mossy fungus.

The walled-up exit was also a slightly lighter shade of gray than the rest of the place. Valyrym had carved it as well, though as far as Alia could tell it was more of an artistic, abstract design than any specific image. In the center block Val had carved a large circle, and inside the circle sat something resembling a four pointed star. It looked a bit like a compass, really, one point touching the circle's very top, another its very bottom, and the third and forth touching the left and right sides. Carved lines radiated out from the compass-like design in the center. Some of the lines were straight, others formed carved arches that bent together towards the edges of the walled up section.

Alia called out, and Kaylen and Thomas turned around. Thomas' face drew up even tighter at the sight of the dragon walking towards them, and even Kaylen was stunned into silence for a moment. Alia kept her hand on Val's shoulder as they approached her friends, and when they'd neared them, Valyrym came to a stop. He peered down at the two other humans. He sniffed at them from a distance, his bandaged nose scrunching.

"Kaylen, Thomas," Alia said, gently stroking the dragon's neck. "This is my friend..." She stopped herself before she said his name aloud. She knew Val wouldn't like that. "The Dragon. Dragon, this is Kaylen and Thomas." She gestured to each of them in turn as she made the introductions.

Valyrym growled low in his throat, looking back and forth between the two of them a few times. "Which of them do I get to eat?"

Alia grinned wickedly. Thomas gave an audible gulp, and Kaylen quickly moved around behind him. "Him! You can eat Thomas."

"Not on their first day, Dragon," Alia playfully chided him. She moved between the dragon and her friends and gently put her hand on his nose. "Now, remember what I told you. Behave yourself. And no whacking them about with your tail, either."

The dragon snorted. "You're no fun sometimes, Alia."

Thomas narrowed his eyes, glancing at Alia. "He hits people with his tail?"

"Yes," Valyrym said, swinging his tail around. "And it has spines too, see?" He clattered them against the floor, and bared his fangs in a grin. "I try to impale their skulls."

"He does no such thing," Alia said, swatting the dragon's neck. "If your nose were not already injured I should give it a good swat for being a brat." Then she glanced back at her friends. "He actually just tries to bowl people over with the thicker section of his tail, when he turns around."

"Oh..." Thomas said. That was only a slightly preferably alternative.

"Of course, if you're quick like me," Alia said, taking hold of the dragon's ear to try and keep him on his best behavior, even while she teased him. She grinned at her friends. "You can duck beneath his tail and give him a little smack in the testicles."

"Alia!" Valyrym said, his golden eyes widening as he pulling his head away. "Now I tolerate that from you, but I have no such compunction to tolerate that from anyone else. Anyone else hits me in the balls, and they're likely to get kicked across the chamber."

Kaylen slowly came out from behind Thomas again, grinning a little. "He has balls?"

"Of course I do," the dragon muttered, lashing his tail in annoyance. "I'm male."

Kaylen scratched at her head, then giggled a little. "I thought perhaps they'd be inside you, somewhere. Aren't you a lizard?"

Valyrym lifted a front paw, rubbing his head just between his horns. "Alia, I'm going to get a headache if this continues. You seem to be telling them all the things I'd rather you not without telling them any of the things I'd have liked them to know already."

Kaylen, meanwhile, walked around the side of the dragon to peek along his underbelly. Soon she gasped, and giggled again. "Oh, my! Thomas, he really does have balls!"

"Do you really think Alia would make that up, Kaylen?"

Kaylen waved to Thomas. "Come and see! He's really quite a pair."

Valyrym gave a growl, flaring his wings a little bit. "Shall I roll onto my back for you? Maybe spread my hind legs out to really give you a good peek at my privates?"

Kaylen waved her hand dismissively. "No, you don't need to do all that, but thank you for offering. You're more polite than Alia lead on."

Valyrym glanced at Alia, hissing. "My sarcasm is wasted if she doesn't get it."

Alia came around to take Kaylen's arm, grinning and guiding her back towards Thomas. "Come along, now. You're embarrassing the dragon by looking at him that way."

"I should think if he's embarrassed when people see his balls, perhaps he should wear some pants." Kaylan laughed to herself at that mental image. "Oh, wouldn't that be something. A dragon wearing enormous pants!"

Valyrym snorted, peering down at Alia. "Be honest, Alia. ...Has your friend been hit on the head a number of times?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you," Thomas quickly replied.

Valyrym glanced at Thomas, flicking an ear back. "And you, perhaps, are not as daft as I thought."

Thomas wasn't sure how to take that, but after a moment he shrugged and smiled. "Thank you, I think."

"I'd wager he wouldn't dare to touch you, though," Kaylen said to the dragon, grinning. "But I would! If you let me, of course. I wouldn't want my hand bitten off or anything."

Valyrym gave a weary sigh, rustling his gray-edged wings. "What is it with new visitors to my prison always wanting to touch me? Next you shall be asking to give me a bath."

Kaylen blinked. "Why should I ask that?"

"From the way things seem, you'd do it simply because your more sensible friend would not." The dragon gestured at Thomas with a paw. "What about you, boy, do you want to touch me?"

"I suppose I am a little curious." Thomas fidgeted with the buttons of his tunic. "Alia says that the scales of your face are quite soft near your nose, and almost pebbly across the rest of your face. That does sound, interesting, you could say."

Kaylen smirked. "He's only saying that because he doesn't want to admit I'll do something he won't." She lifted her hand towards the dragon's face, then froze when Valyrym glared at her. "Do you...mind?"

"Ask nicely, or I shall bite anything that ventures too closely to my face."

Both Kaylen and Thomas looked at Alia as if seeking confirmation. Alia merely shrugged and waved her hand at them. "Well go on them, ask him nicely. Remember, you're the guests here, this is the dragon's home."

Kaylen nodded. She did a little curtsy with her dress as though greeting one of the many nobles she often served, and then smiled to the dragon. "May I touch you, Sir Dragon?"

"Sir Dragon?" Valyrym murmured. "I rather like that. Go on then." He lowered his head for Kaylen, licking his nose. "Do mind the bandaged areas though, they're still rather sore."

Kaylen nodded, and gently lay her hand upon the dragon's muzzle. She rubbed him a little along the top of his snout, and then across the side of the dragon's cheek. "Oh! He really is all pebbly. Warm, too. Thomas, you should try this." She smirked at him. "If you dare."

"Of course I dare," Thomas muttered, glaring at her. Then he turned his attention to the dragon, and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Sir Dragon. May I also touch you?"

"For a moment."

Thomas touched the other side of the dragon's face, gently running his hand back and forth against the small pebbly scales there. Then he ran his hand down the dragon's neck where the scales grew broader. Thomas stroked Valyrym's neck a little, and then patted it heavily as he might a well behaved horse. The context was not lost on Valyrym, who twisted his triangular head slightly to glance at the man.

"I take from your manner that many of your duties involve horses." The dragon tossed his head a little as if emulating an equine. "That is fine. However, if you should refer to me as Good Boy I shall hurl you into my tub."

Thomas chuckled a little, nodding in understanding. Somewhat to his surprise, he rather liked the feel of the dragon's scales. "I don't think I'd call you anything but Dragon unless you told me to do otherwise."

"Wise man," Valyrym said, grinning.

Kaylen spotted Thomas rubbing the dragon's neck, and soon she was doing the same. "Alia says you have a name."

"All thinking creatures have names," the dragon muttered.

"Then what's yours?" Kaylen moved from the dragon's neck to touch his wing a little bit. She stroked the edge of the slightly leathery membrane it a few times. "It's nice and soft here."

"Yes, it is," the dragon said, murmuring to himself. Then he turned his head to glare at Kaylen through a single eye. "And a dragon's wings are sensitive, as well, so be gentle. Oh, and you don't know me well enough to know my name," Valyrym said.

"Then what did Alia do to get you to tell her your name?" Kaylen asked, ignoring the look the dragon gave her.

Valyrym rumbled in mirth, grinning at Alia. He waved his paw at her. "You shall have to ask her that."

"He certainly didn't tell me his name right away, that's for sure," Alia said folding her arms under her breasts.

Thomas made his way down the opposite side of the dragon's body to begin stroking Valyrym's other wing. If Kaylen could do it, so could he. He even stretched out and gently touched one of the claw-like vestigial fingers that tipped the dragon's wing. Though when he tugged on it a bit to see how flexible it was, the dragon shook his wing, swinging his head round to glare at Thomas instead of Kaylen. Thomas quickly pulled his hand back.

Kaylen, not wanting to be outdone, walked towards the dragon's tail and began to stroke the scales on the side of it. Valyrym's tail swayed back and forth in a slithering motion. As Thomas wasn't about to let her best him he followed her to Valyrmy's tail, and took hold of one of the spines that tipped it. Valyrym gave a rumbling growl of annoyance but did not pull his tail from their grasp.

"Have you given up on your childish attempts to best me at touching a dragon yet, Kaylen?" Thomas grinned at her across the dragon's tail.

Kaylen pursed her lips, walking back up the dragon's body. Hmm, what could she dare to grasp that Thomas wouldn't? Ah! Grinning wickedly to herself, she slipped her hand beneath the dragon's belly, feeling around for something. "Bet you won't touch this, Thomas!"

"Touch what?" Thomas asked, suspicion in his voice.

"Yes," Valyrym growled at her. "Touch what, exactly-AAAAH!" The dragon gave a startled and embarrassingly high pitched yelp when Kaylen suddenly grasped the fleshy tube slung between his hind legs. "Unhand that at once!"

Thomas' jaw dropped in stunned silence when he realized what she'd grasped. "Kaylen! You can't just grab his...his..."

It took a few moments for the realization of what she was actually holding in her hand to dawn on Kaylen. Sure, in the back of her mind she knew all along. But in her haste to outdo Thomas, she got a little carried away trying to grab something she knew he wouldn't dare to touch himself. Blushing, she swiftly pulled her hand away, and offered the dragon a sheepish yet highly amused grin.

"Umm, sorry about grabbin' your pride, there."

Valyrym shook himself, twisting his hind end away from the two humans as if expecting them to try and snatch up his genitals a second time. "I should hope you'd have a stronger apology than that! Were you not Alia's friend I would tear off that arm, hurl it across my prison, and let you fetch it like some dirty street mongrel."

Alia meanwhile had been laughing like crazy from the moment Kaylen first grabbed the dragon's sheath. She doubled over to clutch her suddenly aching ribs, shaking her head a little bit. Poor Valyrym. Alia knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to hurt Kaylen unless she actually hurt him first, but that must have been quite embarrassing for the old dragon. It was probably a good thing he'd just spent himself in his furs, or it might have gotten doubly embarrassing.

"That's not funny," Valyrym hissed at Alia, who kept laughing. When he saw Kaylen had gone quiet wide-eyed and pale, he turned back towards the girl as she backed away. "Oh...never mind. I shan't hurt you, girl. But should you meet any other dragons, I should advise you against grabbing their sheaths." Then he smirked a little at her. "Without permission, of course."

Kaylen blinked, unsure if the dragon was teasing her or flirting with her.

Which only made it that much easier for Val to press on. "And should you grasp mine again, I won't actually hurt you, but I shall make you finish anything you start."

Kaylen looked back and forth between the dragon and Alia. The dragon merely smirked at her, flaring up his spines, and Alia kept laughing. When Alia finally caught her breath, she merely shrugged at Kaylen, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, don't look at me like that Kaylen, you're the one that grabbed him. What did you expect a horny old beast to say to an action like that?"

Valyrym growled at Alia, stomping a front paw, half unsheathed claws clacking against the stone. "I am not old." He tossed his wedge shaped head. "I think I prefer the term, in my prime."

"No argument with those other two things, huh?" This time it was Kaylen with the line he half expected to hear from Alia.

Valyrym snarled a little, though it was a playful snarl. Glad to see Kaylen's fear had not lasted long once she realized he had no real intention of harming her. Amusement flicker in his golden eyes. "Not as such, but keep that attitude up and you shall never hear my name."

Alia moved forward to circle her arm around her friend's pleasantly soft waist as if to reassure her she wasn't in any danger. "Don't worry about him, Kaylen. Sooner or later he's sure to tell you that he finds you bold, and he actually bold things." She smirked at the dragon who did his best to act as though he was ignoring her. "Perhaps after cake he'll know you well enough to feel comfortable telling you his name."

"Cake?" Valyrym lifted his head, a grin spreading over his muzzle. All his mock outrage was quickly forgotten at the mention of the chocolate treat. "Ah, I'd almost forgotten you said there would be cake. Where is it?"

"It's over there, near the entrance," Thomas pointed towards the entryway as he came around to join the others. They'd set the cake down there in the parchment to keep it clean.

"Excellent," the dragon murmured. He moved away from the others, and made a show of twisting around towards the carved doors, intent on stuffing his muzzle with sweet deliciousness.

"Duck," Alia said swiftly, just as the dragon turned around. Thomas and Kaylen both followed her advice, and his tail swept harmlessly over their heads.

Valyrym glanced back at Alia over his wings, hissing. "Spoilsport."

The dragon started towards the cake, and Alia latched onto one of his tail spines. "Oh, no you don't. If I let you help yourself you'll stuff that whole thing in your snout."

"Yes," Valyrym said as if simply agreeing with her. "I will."

"Which is exactly why I'm not letting you." Alia kept her grip on the hardened spine as the dragon tried to flick his tail from her grasp. She knew he wouldn't yank it too hard as long as she held onto him. "You go and take Thomas and Kaylen somewhere nice, maybe where the sunset's going to shine down through the vents, and I'll fetch the cake. That way the three of us will get a slice before you gulp it all down so fast you don't even appreciate it."

Valyrym flared his spines and hissed at Alia again. "I appreciate the things I gulp down!"

"Just do as I ask, Dragon. Before I give Kaylen your name."

Valyrym muttered under his breath like an old man cursing the children at play in his garden. "Very well." He slowly turned back around, and began to make his towards one of the ledges covered in patches of light from a cluster of air vents. The dragon limped a little as he walked, his tail sinuously undulating behind him like a snake slithering through the air itself. "This way, then."

Kaylen followed him first, and Thomas held behind a little bit. "Has he always limped like that?" Thomas asked.

Alia nodded. "As long as I've known him. I'm not sure where he got that scar but it still pains him." She nudged her friend, grinning. "Still think he's out to get me somehow?"

Thomas scowled a little, then sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure. He seems...a little bit more like a grumpy codger than I'd expected."

Alia laughed to herself. That made her think Val needed a cane he could wave at all the youths out after dark, making too much noise. "He's a lot of pain inside him, Thomas, and most of the time he's very good at covering it up. I think he could use a few more friends, though he'd never admit it." She gave him a little shove. "Go on, now. Get over there before Kaylen drives him so insane he decides to eat her, and I shall have to blame you for her untimely death."

"There are times I don't think I'd blame the beast," Thomas said with a grin, following Kaylen after the dragon.

Valyrym climbed atop one the of ledges, the same one he'd eaten the first meal Alia brought him upon, the same place he'd first let her touch him. He liked that ledge now. The dragon settled down upon his haunches with a soft sigh, curling his tail around his paws. Kaylen clambered up behind him, and slowly walked a circle around the dragon. Valyrym did his best to follow her with his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Just looking you over. You're quite a magnificent beast, actually."

Valyrym smiled a little bit. "Thank you. Perhaps I shall come to like you after all."

Kaylen cradled her elbow in one hand, with her hand cupping her chin, her fingers splayed along her cheek. "Not as large as I expected though."

Valyrym narrowed his golden eyes, flaring his spines. "Or perhaps not."

Thomas climbed up onto the ledge and quickly tried to deflect the conversation away from anything that might upset the dragon. Such as disparaging remarks about his overall size. "We looked at some of those carvings, Dragon. They're quite beautiful."

"Rrrhhmm." Valyrym's only reply was a odd little growling sound that Thomas couldn't quite discern the meaning off.

"If I may ask, how long has it taken you to carve all that?"

"Decades," the dragon replied quickly. He glanced away, and Thomas thought he saw a hint of sorrowful regret flash in the dragon's piercing golden eyes. "Some longer than others," Valyrym added, waving his paw. "Admittedly I have not kept count of the time it took for any of the carvings, much less the entirety of them."

Kaylen pointed back towards the area they'd walled up to seal the dragon in. "That's the bit they stuck there so you couldn't get out, right?"

Valyrym tensed. So did Thomas. For a moment the man was afraid Kaylen had struck a nerve with the dragon, and he gently pushed Kaylen out of the way, taking her place. If the dragon was going to lash out in anger while Alia wasn't there, Thomas wanted her out of the way. If the dragon struck him down, Kaylen would have time to get away. Then much to Thomas' surprise, the dragon began to laugh. It was a low, guttural sound like a clattering growl, but a laugh none the less.

"Yes, Child," Valyrym said, shaking his head a little. "That is the "bit they stuck there" as you put it."

"I'm hardly a child, Dragon," Kaylen said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Alia's only a few years older than I am."

"And yet your act is so convincing I could have sworn you were not long finished nursing at your mother's teat." Valyrym canted his head as he regarded her, his eyes once more pools of unreadable gold.

"The way I see it," Kaylen said, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "Is that after I spend all day slaving away for a bunch of ungrateful nobles and stuffy royals, I should be allowed to act however I want upon my free time. All day, I find myself curtsying and kowtowing to people who think they're better than me and who are just as happy to whip me as they are to thank me..." Kaylen paused a moment, watching the dragon. She tilted her head as if imitating his own gesture. "After that, I think acting a bit childish and whimsical and playful when I'm alone with what few friends I'm allowed should be damn near mandatory! And not just for me." She smirked at Thomas, and tried to pinch his arm but he squirmed away. "It certainly lightens my spirits, and as rarely as I get to spend time simply enjoying myself with Thomas and Alia I do try to take full advantage."

Valyrym murmured a little bit, and a smile slowly crept across his pebbly scaled snout. "You're not as dense as you act, are you."

"No," Kaylen said, smiling as though they suddenly shared some sort of grand secret. "I'm not."

Thomas burst out laughing, shaking his head. "First I've heard of that."

"You shut it, Thomas!"

"Why've you two such a rivalry?" The dragon waved at them with a fore paw.

"They've no idea," Alia said as she arrived with the cake. She set it atop the ledge and then carefully climbed up. "They've been like that as long as I've known them, and I've known them since we were all children. I think it started when we were all working dead end jobs..."

Thomas grinned at Alia. "Kaylen and I still are."

Alia giggled a little as she moved the cake and set it down in front of Valyrym, before easing herself down to sit cross-legged across from her scaly friend. The other two followed her lead and settled down around her as she went on. "The three of us have been friends most of our lives, and, the way I remember it, they used to compete to see who could get their jobs done first. Basically, as a way to add some measure of enjoyment to the most menial of tasks. It just sort of spiraled out of control from there."

Alia drew her knife, and began to cut slices from the cake. It dawned on her that she hadn't brought plates or anything. "We're going to have to just eat this with our hands, I think. I should have brought some plates but it didn't even occur to me until just now."

Valyrym laughed to himself, rustling his wings. "Yes, I'm afraid I'm just out of fine silverware."

"I eat with my hands often enough when I'm in kitchen duty anyway," Kaylen said, smiling. She accepted a slice of the thickly frosted chocolate from Alia and took a bite out of it, getting frosting all over her face in the process.

"One bite in, and you've already gotten it on your face," Thomas said, laughing. He took a slice next and though he was much more careful with his own bite he managed to get crumbs and frosting on his face, too.

"Better her face than her dress, I should think," the dragon said, licking his muzzle to try and keep from drooling as he watched Alia slice and distribute the cake.

"Oh?" Kaylen brightened even more, though Valyrym wasn't really sure just how that was possible. "You like my dress?"

"Actually, yes," the dragon murmured, glancing over at her. "It's quite beautiful. Usually I think human clothes are little more than an excuse to hide the parts you all seem so ashamed of. But between that purple you've got on, and the blue thing that Alia wore when she was patching up my nose, you might yet win me over."

"They're called dresses," Kaylen said, unable to help giggle. She licked frosting from her fingers. "And I'm glad you like mine. I sewed it myself, and it's my favorite."

"Industrious thing, aren't you." Val lowered his head towards the cake when Alia gestured for him, but she put her hand on his nose to stop him. "Yes? I was told I was going to have cake. Everyone has cake but me. Is it not my turn?"

"One piece at a time, Mister Greedy," Alia said, giggling. "And take it with your paw, not your face."

Growling low in his throat, the dragon slowly pulled his head back till his neck had curled into an S-shape. But he held out a paw, palm pad upwards. Alia gently deposited a slice of cake atop it. Glaring at her the entire time, Valyrym shoved the whole thing into his mouth. Chewing it up, he held out his paw for another, grinning. Alia just laughed, shook her head, and set another piece atop his paw.

"Don't eat it all so fast just to make your point, or it'll all be gone before you've even enjoyed it."

Valyrym was actually thinking that very same thing. That first slice of cake had been so heavenly he scarcely even wanted to swallow it, lest he lose that wonderful array of sweet flavors. The next slice, he simply licked at some of the frosting, pulling it from the rest of the cake with his tongue and into his mouth. Valyrym moaned happily. Soon the dragon was purring over the cake like a cat purring for a bowl of milk.

"What's that noise?" Kaylen asked.

"Sounds a bit like rocks rolling around in a barrel," Thomas said.

"That, my friends," Alia replied, grinning. She had them now. "Is the sound of a dragon's purr."

"He purrs?!" Kaylen beamed at the thought, and even Thomas found himself smiling.

The purr cut off immediately. Valyrym shoved the rest of the cake in his snout and glared at Alia as if she'd just revealed some long held secret he'd trusted her to keep to herself.

"Yes," Alia grinned even wider. "He does purr. Though, when you point it out he always stops, as you can see."

Valyrym busied himself licking the frosting from his paw. He pinned his ears back, trying to hide the fact they'd gone a bit scarlet on the inside. He glanced down at the rest of the cake, but decided to wait for now. Besides, if the others wanted more and he'd hogged it all he'd never hear the end of it from Alia.

"So that bit over there," Kaylen gestured with one hand, holding a half eaten slice of cake with the other. "That they walled up. You were carving on that, too, but it didn't really look like any of your other carvings. Is that one not finished yet?"

"Hmm?" The dragon glanced towards the stone wall, and chuckled a little. "Ah. I suppose that's one way to put it."

"What was that one going to be?"

Valyrym grinned at the plumper of the two women, then shot Alia a playful glare. "An escape plan."

Alia giggled, knowing well enough the dragon was just teasing her. "And how's that working out for you?"

Valyrym gestured around them with a wing. "Well I'm still stuck down here, so I'd say not so well."

"Well as least you have us to keep you company," Kaylen said, smiling up at the dragon.

Valyrym found himself smiling back, if only for a moment. "Yes, I suppose I do." He turned his gaze to Alia, offering her a little purr, almost wishing he could hide the noise from the other two so that only she could enjoy it. "Alia has done an admirable job of that lately. It is...nice...to have someone who actually seems to care for your well being." Then, as if he simply couldn't let himself sound too soft, he added, "Even if I know she's faking it just so I don't eat her."

Alia giggled. "Careful, you bratty lizard, or I'll throw the rest of this cake at your head."

"You have proved your aim is deadly, yes," The dragon rubbed himself between the horns, grinning. "Though that would be an awful waste of cake."

Thomas leaned back onto his hands after finishing off his own slice of cake. He grinned to him. There was something...unexpected about this dragon. It was hard for him to believe that Alia might have been right about such a creature. Yet seeing the way they interacted, seeing the way the dragon seemed to enjoy her very presence had the young man thinking perhaps Alia hadn't been mislead. If the dragon was somehow manipulating her perhaps it was just to get her down here more often.

Thomas smiled a little bit more, glancing at the dragon. "Does she often throw things at you?"

"Yes!" Valyrym said as if in protest.

"Only soft things," Alia offered, feeling she should defend herself from the unspoken charge of dragon abuse. "It's not like they hurt him."

"Tell that to my testicles," the dragon muttered. He hung his head and let his spiny frills and ears droop as if moping.

That had all three humans laughing for a while. Even Valyrym laughed with them, if only for a moment. When Alia had her breath back, she grinned. "That wasn't my fault, dragon. You told Val Junior to kiss your stones, and he did! I just tossed him in that general direction, he aimed himself from there."

"Who's Val Junior?" Thomas said, glancing at Kaylen as if he expected her to know the answer.

"A stuffed dragon toy I bought him," Alia said. She was going to add more but Val cut her off.

"A little monster she always uses to abuse me!" He snorted. "And she likes to set him up in odd places so that whatever I'm doing, I feel watched."

"I'm not the one who put him in your bedroom, Val," Alia laughed. "Remember, you took him there not me."

"I told you, Alia, that was only because he's soft. Thought he might make a good pillow."

"You have a bedroom?" Thomas asked.

"Your name is Val?" Kaylen asked, almost at the same time.

Valyrym grumbled, raising his neck spikes. He glared down at Alia a moment, golden eyes narrowed. "That's two secrets you've spoiled in one fell swoop. One more, and I shall be hurling you about the way you fling Val Junior around."

"Oh, so that's why he's called Val Junior," Kaylen said, giggling. She leaned forward to peer around Thomas at Alia. "Does it look like him?"

"It does, actually! Other than the horns." Alia smiled. "Want to see him?"

"Oh, I'd love to."

Alia beamed, and shot to her feet. She dashed off to go find the little soft toy, and Val gave a frustrated, growling sigh. Without Alia, an awkward silence fell over the small group for a moment. At least until Val spotted Alia's pack. He reached forward and carefully plucked it off the ground.

"Let's see what else she's brought me, shall we?"

"Should you really go through her things like that?" Thomas didn't try to stop the dragon, but he felt he should at least raise a complaint on Alia's behalf.

Valyrym flexed his wings in a draconic shrug. "She's in my only private chamber, going through my personal belongings right now. Why shouldn't I go through hers?"

"Makes sense to me," Kaylen giggled.

The dragon smirked at her. "Every time I try not to like you, you say something that impresses me." He waved his paw at her, unsheathing a few claws for emphasis. "Perhaps you could continue that upward trend with more of your occasional moments of hidden brilliance, and less of your surprise sheath-grabbing."

"Is that what you call it?"

"Yes," the dragon muttered absently. "It's called a sheath."

Kaylen giggled, adjusting the purple striped hem of her dress. "I was actually referring to that comment about my hidden brilliance, but that's a nice fact to know, as well."

Val fiddled with Alia's pack a few moments. The pack itself was drawn tightly shut via drawstrings, and the black and gray cover flap was buckled snug over the opening, as well. He tried to get the buckle open but couldn't quite get a good grip on it. It was just too small to be easily operated by a dragon's paws. Finally, he hissed in frustration and passed the bag to Thomas.

"Open this for me," Valyrym said as Thomas took the bag. "You can tell her I did it myself if you wish, but I've terrible luck with bags. She likes that one and I don't want to ruin it as I do the average goat-sack."

Kaylen burst out laughing.

"Oh, grow up," the dragon muttered. "I meant the sacks in which she brings me goats to eat." Then he found himself laughing a little as well, a halting, growling sound that burbled up his throat. "Erh erh erh. Goat-sack."

Thomas deftly undid the bag, opened the drawstrings, and against his better judgment, handed it back to the dragon. "I must admit, Dragon. I'd not have expected a dragon to have a sense of humor, much less a dirty one. You're not what I expected."

"I seem to get that a lot," Valyrym replied, opening the pack as carefully as he could. "Amazing what people might discover when they take the time to learn about something themselves instead of just believing everything they hear." He reached into the pack, and pulled out a large glass bottle with a rather ornate looking sigil stamped into the melted wax that coated the stopper. "Oh! It's rum!"

Valyrym couldn't help himself. He began to purr even as he worked a single unsheathed claw through the crimson wax, breaking the stopper free of its enclosure. Then he tried to get a good grip upon the stopper, hissing in frustration before finally handing it back to Thomas. This time Thomas took it without complaint, opened it up, and handed the bottle back to the dragon. Valyrym sniffed at it, his tumble-stone purr growing louder.

"You really like your rum, eh dragon?"

The dragon glanced at Thomas, grinning. "Yes. I like all spirits and ales and wines and things, really. Rare as they are for me now, I think I've grown to enjoy them even more."

Valyrym tipped the bottle back to his muzzle, pouring some of the golden hued liquid into his mouth. As he gulped it down, he realized to his annoyance that Alia was right. That last stuff he had was garbage compared to this. Lousy urd'thin smugglers and their cheap rum. This rum was slightly sweet and filled with spiced sugars and exotic flavors. It also burned his throat considerably less going down. After his drink he set the bottle down, then waved his paw to Thomas and Kaylen.

"Go on, then."

"Huh?" Thomas glanced at the bottle, then at the dragon, then at Kaylen, and back to the bottle. "Oh, that's alright, Alia might not want us to have any. I think it's yours."

"And I'm sharing it with you. You shouldn't want to insult me by refusing to share a drink with an old dragon, would you?" Valyrym's tone made it clear he wouldn't appreciate such an insult. Just for emphasis, he thumped his tail against the stony ledge, making sure to clatter his spines nice and loud.

"No, we wouldn't," Kaylen said.

Thomas snatched up the bottle before Kaylen had a chance to go first. He put it to his lips and took a small swig, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath in and let it out slow, then murmured. "That's actually pretty good rum!"

Thomas passed the bottle to Kaylen, who snatched it away from him. "That's not how you drink rum, this is how you drink rum!" Kaylen tried to take a big gulp from the bottle, only to end up coughing so hard she spit half of it into the air in a golden colored spray.

Thomas and the dragon both burst out laughing, and Thomas took the bottle back from her before she could try again. "Nicely done. Not exactly the pirate Queen, are you."

Kaylen coughed a little while longer. When she'd caught her breath, she glared at Thomas a moment. "Thomas, you can shove that bottle up your-"

"Hey!" Alia called out to the group as she returned carrying her stuffed companion. "That was supposed to be a surprise for Val!" She climbed up the ledge and plopped herself down alongside Thomas, setting Val Junior in her lap. "Some friend you are, Thomas, ruining the dragon's surprise."

"But I...He wanted..."

Valyrym contemplated letting Thomas take the blame. It would be rather amusing to watch him squirm under Alia's glare, after all. But he'd been nice enough so far, so the dragon supposed he might as well tell the truth. While Alia glared at Thomas, he reached for the bottle and took another swig. Then, casually as he could, he mentioned something about it being his idea to go digging through her pack and quickly took another swig of rum.

Alia immediately turned her glare to the dragon. When she hoisted Val Junior into the air like a weapon ready to be hurled, the dragon quickly girded himself. He held the bottle of rum in front of his face, and quickly covered his testicles with a paw, coiling his tail around himself for added protection. "Truce! Truce! I'll admit your taste in rum is better than mine, alright?"

Alia giggled to herself, hoisted the stuffed dragon even higher, then simply tossed it over to Kaylen. As the somewhat plump girl dressed in purple caught it, Alia held out her hand towards the dragon. "Of course it is, you're a dragon. Now, if I'm to forgive you for digging through my things I should expect a swallow of that rum."

Valyrym handed her the bottle, and Alia peered at it. "It's half gone already!"

"That was Kaylen's fault," Thomas said, grinning. "She tried to down the bottle by herself and only ended up coughing it all over the place."

Kaylen ignored him, choosing to focus on Val Junior instead. She turned the stuffed dragon over in her hands, rubbed his soft form, and tugged at one of his curled ram's horns. "Aww, he's so adorable. Now I want one! Wish they'd let me go into the city so I could buy one."

"They don't let you into the city?" The dragon cocked his head.

"Not often," Kaylen said, shaking her head. "I mean, it's not as if they chain me up or anything."

"Though I sometimes think they should," Thomas snuck in, grinning.

Kaylen glared at him, and made a fist. "You're asking to get punched in the balls, Thomas."

"Oooh," Valyrym half groaned, half laughed. "Now you sound like Alia." He waved his paw towards the black toy. "Use Val Junior. It gets the message across without the searing pain and resulting anger."

Alia grinned, holding the bottle in both hands. "Nice to know my methods work so well." She sipped at the rum, then gave a little groan. "Mmmm, this is lovely rum."

Kaylen held up the toy as if about to hit Thomas with it, then simply cuddled it against her breast instead. "Anyway, I don't get to go into the city much. None of the servants do. For the most part it's because we're usually kept so busy during the day we haven't time for anything but work, work, work. Then, when we're finally done with all our tasks, we usually just want to eat dinner and crawl into bed just in time to get up again and start all over." She moved Val Junior out to arm's length, and giggled. "He's just so cute! The next chance I get to venture into the city, after I've saved a few coins, I'm going to buy myself one."

"I could pick one up for you, if you like," Alia offered. "After the festival I'm not sure how long they'll be around. Of course they'll discount them heavily but you'd have to choose from the leftovers."

"Oh, would you?" Kaylen smiled, hugging the little toy again. "I'd pay you back as soon as I could save the coin."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Alia said. She set the rum bottle down and waved off the idea of repayment. "They have others as well. There's a red one, a green one, they all look a little different beyond the color, too."

"I should like one just like Val Junior here, I think," Kaylen said, smiling. "Though perhaps I'll get a chance to go out after the festival when they're on sale, and select another, as well."

Alia watched Kaylen dote on the stuffed dragon for a moment, and decided she was going to buy her friend one of every stuffed dragon design she could find. Perhaps she'd surprise her with them. She could ask Kaylen for the key to her room to borrow one of her dresses or something. Then she could arrange all the different stuffed dragons across her bed like a little rainbow of cottony adorability. Yes, that sounded like an excellent idea.

"So you're servants, then?" Valyrym's question held a thoughtful tone Alia hadn't heard from him since he friends arrived. He reached for the bottle of rum and tipped it to his muzzle, taking a longer swig. He licked his muzzle clean, setting the bottle down, then gestured at both Kaylen and Thomas. "The two of you I mean?"

"Yes," Thomas said, leaning forward to take the rum bottle. It was good enough he didn't want to miss out on it. He had no intention of getting inebriated, but how many chances would he get to drink expensive rum, much less share it with a dragon. He took a small drink of the warming liquid, sighed in satisfaction, and passed it to Kaylen. "Carefully this time."

Kaylen set Val Junior in her lap. She took the bottle from Thomas, with every intention to drink it in just such a way. "Alia is, too," Kaylen said. "A servant, I mean." She took a slow, careful drink from the bottle, this time murmuring to herself. For such a potent spirit it certainly went down smoothly. Or at least it did when she didn't try and quaff half the bottle in one go just to impress Thomas. "Or rather, Alia was a servant before she got promoted in order to take care of you."

"I see," the dragon rumbled to himself. Slowly, he peered at each one of them in turn, gazing at their faces. They all held remarkably similar qualities about them, the dark hair, the gently rounded features, and he had a sneaking suspicion their each person's skin would take easily to a tanned color without ever growing too bronzed. "You're all from Aran'alia, aren't you."

Alia jerked her head up in surprise. The other two glanced at each other, then at the dragon. For a moment they didn't know what to say. They certainly hadn't expected the dragon to know their heritage.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Valyrym chuckled. "So what did they do? Capture you as children, drag you back here and make you into their servants?"

Thomas and Kaylen both looked at Alia. Alia glanced back at them, then peered up at the dragon. "No, Val. We were all born here. It's just that..." Alia tried to decide how best to explain it to the dragon. "...You see, most Illandrans don't much like people who aren't from Illandra. They don't seem to care, or perhaps they simply don't understand that they're the ones who displaced our ancestors in the first place."

Valyrym snorted in disdain. He leaned forward and reached for the last of the cake. Hefting it in a paw, he began to alternatively lick and nibble at it. He was clearly trying to avoid getting frosting on his muzzle, but ended up doing just that. "I suppose that's no surprise. Illandra has been doing that sort of thing for ages. So...servant is about the only job you can easily get."

"We could be whores, if we wanted," Kaylen giggled, glancing at Thomas. "But Thomas didn't like the hours."

"Oh, very funny."

Alia tried to hide her scowl by joining in on the laughter, but Val caught it anyway. He saw no need to bring it up, but it was clear to the dragon that Alia had once considered becoming a servant for the castle a considerable step up from some of the other things she'd done just to survive. No wonder she tended to throw herself into every task she was given.

"So, your parents, they came here from Aran'alia? Or where they born here as well?" The dragon carefully ate the last bite of cake. He licked his paw clean, then reached for the rum and took a swig to wash it down with. By now, the dragon was starting to feel pleasantly warmed by the drink.

"My mother and father did," Alia said. She rubbed her hands together. "My father took ill though, and, he died when I was still a babe. I never really knew him, but my mother always spoke fondly of him."

"Ah," Val said, softening his tone. "I am sorry to hear that. And your mother is..."

After he trailed off, Alia nodded. "A few years back, now. A shame. I think she'd have enjoyed meeting you, Valyrym."

Valyrym smiled. It was a touching sentiment, and he made no mention of the fact she'd just given away his full name. The others seemed to share the feeling, and neither of them spoke of it. "I should think I would have enjoyed meeting her as well, Alia."

After a time, Thomas spoke up. "My parents were born here, in fact, I'm practically Illandran." He laughed, as did the others. It seemed like an inside joke to the dragon. "Not that it makes a difference to anyone in this wretched city."

"Forgive me for asking, then," the dragon said, tilting his head and flicking his ears back as he peered at the other two humans. "But if it is so difficult here, why do you not consider leaving?"

"Where would we go?" Kaylen asked. "It might not be much but, but Illandra's still our home."

Thomas continued her line of thinking. "And even if we really wished to travel far enough to get a new start, how would we do so? We could certainly not afford any sort of carriage or even horses. We'd have to go on foot, and we'd barely be able to afford bread for the trip. We'd have to go far enough from Illandra's influence if we wanted a better job, and there's just as much likelihood we'd not survive such a rigorous journey anyway." He leaned back onto one hand, gesturing with the other. "It's not so bad, really. Yes, we're looked down upon and we're not paid very much. But we do get room and board, we've a few friends always close by. Honestly it's much better than some of what our parents endured just to try and raise us."

As the two of them spoke, another question was growing in Valyrym's mind, and he was starting to fear the answer. "Have any of you ever considering returning to Aran'alia, then? I realize you're not technically from there, but you understand my meaning. Would it not treat you better than Illandra?"

The three of them exchanged a look that sent shivers down Valyrym's spine. Oh. Oh, no. He supposed in the back of his mind he had known as much, but had always held out hope for a better outcome. Alia confirmed his fears.

"Aran'alia's gone, Val," She said softly. "It's been gone for ages. My mother clung to what was left but, even she realized things were only getting worse."

"What...do you mean?" Valyrym's voice began to tremble a little.

Alia turned her head. Why would Val care? Unless..."Amaleen was from Aran'alia, wasn't she."

Thomas and Kaylen both stared at Alia as she rose to her feet. Both remained silent, feeling as though they'd accidentally stepped into the wrong room to overhear the wrong conversation at just the wrong time.

"What happened?" Valyrym asked Alia as she put her hand on his neck. "What happened to your homeland?"

"Illandra happened," Alia muttered, more bitterness creeping into her voice than she usually allowed. "They conquered it ages ago. What our people used to call Aran'alia is now the Twenty-Fourth Province of Illandra. The land itself is still there, so are the villages, but Illandra's turned them into stone monstrosities like this place. At least, that's what my mother told me. I've never seen it, myself."

"It was beautiful." Val's voice was soft, and mournful. He closed his eyes, and lowered his head to press it against Alia. "How long ago?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long ago did they..." How to measure it? From the moment the Illandrans first set foot? From the time their conquest was inevitable? Alia wouldn't know those things. "How long ago did they make it...official. When they made it part of Illandra?"

"I'm not sure, exactly." Alia began to stroke the dragon's neck. "Fifty years, perhaps? Maybe more. I think it was technically part of Illandra even before my mother was born. The change happened during her parents lifetimes, at least the official change. From what I've heard, my grandparents refused to submit to Illandra's rule, refused to call it anything else. And they raised my mother a proud Aran'alian. But, the time came that, even in our homeland they were starting to discriminate against us. Drove us from our land in many parts of the realm, took it for themselves, barred us from jobs to try and make us leave. At least, that's the knowledge passed down to me. I'm not sure exactly why we started moving here, but, I suppose if the choices are no job and no roof in your homeland or shelter and a few coins in the lair of your enemy, it's an easy choice to make."

"Fifty years..." Val pulled his head away from Alia. "It's been gone for fifty years?"

"I...I think so..." Alia moved towards Val again. "That's...where they took you from, wasn't it."

The dragon rose to his feet, pulling away from her. "I'm sorry, Alia," Valyrym said, his voice trembling. He stepped down off the ledge, and began to slowly limp away. "I'm sorry."

"You've nothing to be sorry for, Val." Alia glanced back at Kaylen and Thomas, who rose to their feet. Alia gestured for them to stay where they were, and trotted after Val.

"I am sorry for your people, Alia." The dragon glanced back at her. Alia could see the walls behind his eyes crumbling by the moment. "They deserve better. You deserve better."

Alia caught up to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Val, whatever you-"

"I should have helped them," Valyrym said, glancing back at her. His eyes shone with wet golden light as he tried to hold back tears. "I should have stayed with them, protected them. Maybe things would be different. But I was angry..." He turned his head away, exhaling a heavy sigh. "So very angry. Blood for blood, Alia. I could not let it go."

"Valyrym..."

Again the dragon cut her off. "I think I should like to be alone, now."

"No." Alia strode around in front of him, and took him gently by his snout. A couple of tears ran down the pebbly scales of the dragon's snout , and he quickly tried to pull away. "I want to be here for you, Valyrym. I...I..."

She trailed off. Tears. Valyrym was actually crying. Alia racked her brain, had she ever seen him cry before? There were only a few tears, and yet, she felt if it were not for the fact he wasn't alone he'd be sobbing. The strength she felt when she first pledged to protect him welled up in her again.

As he tried to pull away once more, she snatched at his muzzle and forced him to meet her gaze. "I want to help you, Valyrym! Whatever pain you have, whatever burden you bear? Let me help you bear it!"

"Alia..." He pulled harder, but she refused to let him go. He'd have to shake her free. "Not yet..."

"Then when? Do you still not trust me? I care for you, Val, deeper than I dare admit. I told you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, and I won't let you continue to hurt yourself, either." She reached out to wipe one of the dragon's hot tears away. "Whatever this is inside you Val? It's like a plague, it's devouring you from the inside out. You have held this pain inside yourself for fifty years, at least!"

"Longer."

"Then let it out!" She shook the dragon's muzzle. "Let me help you."

"I don't want you to know what I've done," Valyrym said, his voice a broken, trembling whisper. "I don't want to lose you."

That was it. Alia understood, then. more than anything, the dragon was afraid if he bared his soul to her, whatever he'd done to get himself here would push her from his life. It wasn't simply that he did not enjoy talking about his past, or that it was so painful it was difficult to discuss. more than anything else, as Valyrym's feelings for Alia deepened, so did the terror he felt when he thought about losing her. She could hardly blame him. After so many years alone, she couldn't even imagine the pain he'd experience having finally found someone to care about, only to see them walk out on him because of some sin from his past.

Alia pledged to herself, then and there, that she would never let that happen. She pulled the dragons head against her chest, embracing him as tightly as she could. She lay her head down against his neck, and for a few long moments, she simply stroked his scales. The dragon's body shook a little as he fought off the sobs that threatened to explode from him if he didn't keep them tightly under control.

"You won't, Val," Alia whispered to him. "You won't lose me. Whatever you've done is behind you. Whatever it is, however horrible it might be, you have suffered enough. I promise you, I promise you, it will not push me away. No matter your sin, Val, I will help you bear the guilt. I will stay with you as long as you want me, and I will help you shoulder your burden for the rest of my life." Alia sniffed, unable to hold back her own tears now. She lifted a hand from Val's neck to wipe away a few tears. "But you have to trust me, Val. You have to tell me what's in your heart."

"A lot of blood, I should think," the dragon replied, his voice still hoarse.

Alia managed a small laugh. Valyrym did not share it. Alia slowly pulled back from him, and slipped a hand beneath his chin to lift his head. She leaned in and ever-so-gently kissed his nose, just below his bandage. Then she stroked his muzzle, and smiled wistfully at him, blinking away tears.

"You have to trust me, Val. Please."

Valyrym stared at her a long time. Alia felt herself pulled into his eyes, the golden pools bore her deeper into his soul than ever before. Behind all the sorrow, all the pain, she saw guilt. An ocean of guilt. In his heart, the dragon believed he deserved to be buried here, beneath this castle. Entombed alive for the end of his days. Yet Alia did not share that belief. Whatever he'd done, he had paid his penance. Beyond that guilt, Alia could almost see the dragon's psyche, like the cracked mortar of a crumbling tower. Alia knew if she left the dragon now because of his past crimes, that tower would finally come tumbling down and no one would ever be able to piece it back together again.

"So be it, Alia." The dragon pulled his head back from her arms, and she did not try to stop him. "I should still like to be alone for a little while, please. Come back tonight, and I shall tell you about the land your people once called home, and how I came to be imprisoned beneath this gluttonous city...and about Amaleen." He trailed off, and stared down at his paws. Without lifting his head, he added, "And about my son, Valaranyx."

So he did have a son. That carving on the wall must have been him, then. Alia wondered if he was still alive, or if the dragon had lost him, too. Then again, given his imprisonment she supposed Valyrym had lost his son either way. She hugged his head once more, and gently wiped away the tears that coated his black scaled cheeks. She leaned in and kissed him on his head, between his horns.

"I'll be back in a little while, Valyrym."

Valyrym merely sighed. But as he pulled his head back he licked her cheek, a silent gesture of thanks for simply being there for him. "I shall try to collect myself in the meantime."

"Alright. Oh! A moment, please." Alia swiftly dashed back to the ledge.

Thomas and Kaylen had already gone back towards the entrance, sensing that they'd only be intruding now. Alia was glad she didn't have to explain that. And, as much as she felt horrible to use Val's pain as leverage, she hoped it would show them the truth of the dragon. That the monster that may have once lurked inside him was long gone, and in its place lingered only a lonely old soul in need of someone to help him bear his pain. Someone to care for him. He had that, now, in Alia, and she supposed Thomas and Kaylen were going to figure that out eventually. Better they learn it seeing her great concern for her friend than hear it second hand from some gossipy guard who couldn't separate rumor from truth.

Alia fetched Val Junior from where Kaylen had sat him on the ledge. The positioning made Alia smile. Kaylen had rested the toy against the rum bottle so that it appeared Val Junior was trying to get himself a drink of something entirely too strong for little hatchlings, let alone the stuffed variety. She snatched the toy back up, and quick as she could returned to Valyrym.

Feeling a bit foolish, she held it out to her scaly friend. "Here. Take Val Junior with you. He'll help you bear your burden till I return."

Val slowly reached for the toy with a trembling paw. His voice shook just as badly. "I do not know how I have come to find a friend as caring as you, Alia, or what good thing I must have done during my long imprisonment to deserve your kindness."

With nothing further to say, he took the toy from her and as tenderly as he could, put in his jaws. As Valyrym walked away, he seemed to carry the little stuffed dragon in his mouth the way a mother lion might carry her cubs from one place to another, the many sharp teeth never once endangering the young life. It was sweet, in a way, to see him carry the toy like he might have carried his son.

His son. Oh, by the Gods! Realization hit Alia like a physical blow, doubling her over a little, and for a moment, she couldn't breath. Her throat slammed shut, tears came to her eyes, and she almost fell to her knees. When she'd named the toy Val Junior, she'd done so as a joke. At the time she didn't even realize the old dragon had a son. Only now as she watched him walk away with the toy in his jaws did the name of the dragon's son truly dawn upon her. Valaranyx.

Val.

Now Alia knew the real reason Valyrym had taken Val Junior back to his chambers the very first day. She could only hope that the reminder was a pleasant one.

---

Enric scowled beneath his helmet as he leaned against the stone wall, near the entrance to the dragon's stairwell. As if his head didn't ache enough already. He was supposed to be asleep right now. He wouldn't have had so many mugs of ale the night before if he'd known his day off was going to get canceled. It did not help that the loud, argumentative voices of the men in the guard's common room nearby were getting louder and louder. And as if just to make matters worse, this was the second time he spotted that idiot, pig-headed noble glancing down the hallway, looking to see if Enric was still there. As if any other guard was going to let him down to see the dragon after what he pulled last time.

"Yeah, well, I actually saw her do it!"

Alright, that got Enric's attention. He'd never liked gossips. He knew who they were discussing, and he knew what they were talking about. In all honestly, Enric himself didn't care what she did or who she did it with as long as no one was getting hurt. What the noble had done was far worse than anything she might do. But he supposed it just wasn't the same to some people.

"You didn't see nothing, ya drunk bastard." The sound of sloshing ale accompanied the other man's voice, hinting that there were at least two drunken bastards engaged in the conversation.

Enric sighed to himself. He pulled away from the wall and began to walk down the side corridor towards the common room. After all, Alia and her friends were visiting the dragon so he wasn't worried about what the noble might do. In fact, he almost wished Lord Prissy-Pants The Third would sneak down the stairs with his woman while Alia was down there. Somehow he didn't think it would be Valyrym who'd end up bloodied this time.

The thought made him smile. Having gotten to know the dragon a little bit over the last few days told Enric all he needed to know about who really deserved to be whipped. The dragon wasn't so bad, really. Enric would hardly call him a gentle soul, but he seemed to have a fair nature about him. That is, he would not hurt another unless they hurt him first. Or so it seemed, anyway. It was hard to be sure but if that was the truth of it, then he could hardly fault the dragon for that.

Enric reached the common room. The wooden door was half ajar, and voices echoed entirely too far down the hall beyond it for Enric's liking.

"I mean it! She was at the side of the tub, with her pants 'round her boots, and the dragon's snout wedged right up in there."

Enric froze. There had been rumors, to be sure. After all, some men were naturally quick to assume things about a woman, especially a woman they didn't like. True enough, all the guards were respectful to her when she was around, but Enric knew many of them resented her. A servant girl, suddenly plucked from the gutter and made their superior? Rumors were to be expected at that point, even if they were only born out of malice and a desire to discredit her. But this was different. This man seemed to think he'd actually seen them in the act. Enric paused at the door to listen in a little longer.

"You're drunk," the other man muttered.

"I am drunk," the second guard confirmed. "But I weren't then. The old lizard was in his tub, right? I was headin' back to the stairs, and I thought I'd have myself a look at some of them carvin's. So, I'm lookin' around, and I hear...sounds like a moan. So, I go and have myself a lil' peek, and what do I see? Her bare ass. Nice ass she's got, too, nice and round."

"You liar." Enric heard a mug slam against the table, and more ale sloshed out.

"I ain't lyin'. I seen that dragon's paw wrapped around her, too, squeezin' her ass while he's givin' her the tongue."

"You know...if you're serious...it ain't right. Cavortin' about with a monster like that."

"Maybe...maybe not. Ain't my lot, I suppose. Who knows who those dirt-farming servants do with what. Hear they used to bed their horses, too."

That was about enough. Enric slammed the door open with an armored fist. It crashed into the stone wall with a loud clatter, and Enric strode into the room. "That's enough! Listen to you lot! Gossiping in here like a buncha laundry washin' wenches! Whatever you think you saw, you keep to yourself. You're so damn drunk half the time we never know what the hell you're talking about."

"Yeah, but, I saw this..."

Enric folded his arms. "You also swore up and down that you saw the Queen herself flash you her tits."

"I thought she did," the other man muttered.

"I know you did! We all know you thought that, and we all know it turned out to be a whore someone was paying to dress like the Queen!"

The second guard burst out laughing. "That's right! You spent a week trying to convince us the Queen wanted to have you in her bed! Then that whore came to visit Jonathan again and couldn't keep her mouth shut!"

"Exactly." Enric slammed a fist against the wooden table, rattling both mugs. "And that whore wasn't even half the Queen's age. The point is, your eyes obviously can't be trusted. So whatever you think you saw probably wasn't even close. Now I'm tired of this gossip! No one says you have to like the woman, but you still have to treat her like a superior officer. Because that's what she is!"

"Technically," the drunker of the two guards muttered, hoisting his ale mug. "Only damn officer who gets to boss us around without ever pickin' up a blade...Most useless damn position the whole system has. Shoulda never opened the Warden's Office up to civilians, let alone servants."

Enric slapped the mug out of his hands. It splashed its contents all over the guard's clothing and then clattered across the floor. "Technically or not, she is your superior officer! And if I hear you disparaging her character like that again, I'm technically gonna have you drawn up on charges! Got that?"

The two guards glared up at Enric. Much like Alia, he "technically" outranked them, so there was little they could say. "Yes, sir," they muttered.

"Good. Now I think you two have had enough ale for one night." He fixed his glare on each of them in turn. "If you're going to keep drinking, do it in your own damn quarters, by yourselves."

Enric turned on his heel, and slammed the door shut. Hopefully that would keep them from spreading any more rumors about Alia. Enric sighed. The man was probably right. He'd see the way she looked at the dragon, and the way the dragon looked at her. At first he thought it was all in his imagination, but now? Now he was starting to think it wasn't. Still, he didn't care what Alia did with the dragon. That was her business. And he rather liked Alia, she seemed sensible, and willing to stand up for what she believed in. He'd been unsure about her at first, but the moment she came up and enlisted his help dealing with the dragon's wounds Enric decided he liked her. He especially liked what she said about the nobles.

Nobles. The idiots thought just because they ran some of Illandra's conquered provinces and funneled coin back to the kingdom that they were automatically just as important as the royals. They certainly seemed to think they were better than everyone else. It had been nice to see Alia put his thoughts into her own words.

Speaking of Alia, Enric was a little surprised to find her waiting for him at the small desk set up just outside the dragon's stairwell. Her arms were folded against her blue blouse, and her face was set with hardened lines. She looked worried, pained over something. It quickened Enric's heartbeat. The last time she'd looked like that the old beast downstairs had gotten his face all sliced up.

"Alia!" Enric called out as he neared her. "Is everything alright? Is...Valyrym alright?" He still felt a little awkward using the dragon's name. But Alia used it around him, and the dragon himself allowed Enric to use it, so he supposed there was little reason to feel unsure. "He's not hurt, is he?"

"Not physically," Alia said, then shook her head. "I'm glad you're here, Enric. Are you here all night?"

"Unfortunately yes," Enric said, rubbing his forehead. His hangover pains had abated a little while yelling at the other guards, but now they were returning twofold. "And hung over as all hell." He chuckled to himself, but Alia managed only a little smile. "So, what do you mean, not physically?"

"I mean he's in a bad way, emotionally, and I'm going to stay down there tonight." Alia wrung her hands a little. "I don't want anyone to come down, though, not even to bring food or check on me. Is that alright?"

"Of course, Ma'am," Enric replied with a smile. Given what he'd just heard the men discussing, the timing wasn't the best but then again, he wasn't going to tell anyone she was still down there. He wondered if she'd heard the rumors, too. Somehow he didn't think she was worried about those right now. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"No, just..." She trailed off a moment, then sighed. "Do you know where I can get some really good rum in the castle? I can pay for it."

"Didn't you just buy a bottle?"

"It's almost gone, and...he's going to need more than that." Alia scowled, muttering under her breath. "Should have ordered that barrel earlier, it'd be here by now."

"A whole barrel?" Enric laughed and shook his helmeted head. "Yeah, anyway, the guards have a few good bottles stashed away for our days off. If you want, I can get you one."

"Oh, that would be perfect, Enric. I don't have my coin purse with me, but I'll pay you back for it, or just replace it as soon as I can."

Enric smiled and nodded, then glanced down the hall. "Actually, let me do that in a minute. I see Lord Feather Fingers The Limp-Wristed down there again."

"Lord who?" Alia giggled at the name.

"The one who whipped your dragon," Enric said. "Think he's been trying to get a chance to admire his handiwork lately." Enric regretted telling her as much as soon as he'd said so.

Alia's face went blank. She blinked, and Enric saw something change behind her green eyes. She balled up her fists, and her cheeks flushed darker than they already were. She slowly turned to survey the hallway, gritting her teeth. When she spotted the noble loitering near the end of the hall, she began to walk towards him. Enric cursed under his breath and followed her.

"You!" Alia called out, and the noble slowly turned towards her. "Yes, you! Are you the one who whipped the dragon?"

The noble was a thin young man, no older than Alia. Light, wavy hair topped his head, and had the sort of face that probably only seemed handsome because he was so wealthy. He had a wiry frame, and he'd draped it in the sort of colorful wear that seemed to exist only to proclaim its owner had enough money to waste on garish clothing. He wore a silken, ruffled shirt of slate gray, with a green, long-sleeved overcoat over the top of it. Gold threading decorated the overcoat everywhere. He had black and silver trousers, and dark shoes with golden buckles upon them. He wore a long whip curled at his hip, studded towards the end with little fragments of jagged metal.

"Whipped the dragon?" He asked, sounding as though she'd insulted him. "Only for good cause! The beast charged me all the way back to the stairway. I had to defend myself and my woman!"

That was the closest to an explanation he was going to get a chance to offer. The moment Alia was close enough, she drew back and punched the noble in the face as hard as she could. Her fist splattered his nose like an overripe strawberry, blood flew in several directions. He screamed and stumbled backwards, cupping at his nose. Crimson rivulets gushed between his fingers.

Alia shook her hand, it ached tremendously but the satisfaction of smashing his face in more than made up for it. The noble moaned in pain, unable to stop the blood that soon splattered his gray shirt and green overcoat in wet red splotches and lines. Alia knew immediately that she'd broken his nose. In the back of her mind, it felt ever so good to have kept that little promise to herself.

"You bitch!" The noble snarled at her. "I'll open you up just like that monster, you worthless servant whore!"

The noble took a few steps back from her, grabbing for his whip. Alia knew what the so-called noble had done with that whip. She doubted Val was the first. People like him took pleasure from the pain of others. People like him thought because Valyrym was a prisoner, was a dragon, they could abuse him and get away with it. People like him put the heads of dragons on walls and laughed about it. That green dragon's head flashed in her mind, followed by the image of Val with the bloody cloth pressed to his snout. That could be Val's head on some wall if this noble had his way.

As the noble pulled his whip from his belt, something inside Alia snapped. Anger poured through her like water through a burst dam, and she yanked her long knife free from its sheath. Before the noble had even finished uncoiling his whip, Alia lashed out with her free hand and grasped the long leather implement, then drove her blade through it. She severed the noble's whip in one fell swoop, sending the end half of it tumbling to the floor. Just as swiftly, she took another step forward and drove her knee into the noble's crotch, trying to lift him clean off his feet. He gave a tremendous cough of agony, and as he doubled over Alia rammed the hilt of her blade straight into the noble's mouth. She split his lip and broke several teeth, and the man dropped to the floor, screaming.

No sooner was he on the floor than Alia kicked him in the ribs, screaming at him. "That's for the dragon!" She kicked him again, making him cough. Blood ran from his mouth, and nose alike. "And that's for me! You think it's fun to humiliate someone? To torture them?"

She kicked him one more time, leaving him a sobbing, bloodied heap on the floor before she caught herself. Gods, what the hell was she doing? She took a deep breath, afraid she'd already gone too far, though another part of her thought the bastard deserved it. Why the hell was he hanging around here, anyway? Had he be hoping to admire his sick work, like Enric said? Or was he actually hoping to get another shot at Valyrym?

Alia reached down, hoisting the noble's head up by his hair. "Listen to me very carefully," she snarled into his face. "If I catch you trying to hurt the dragon again, I will feed you to him! You got that?" She shook him by his hair, then let him go, and stood up. "You stay the hell away from my dragon!"

Then Alia turned away, and began to walk down the hall the way she'd come, back towards the dragon's chamber. She was shaking heavily. Never in her life had she beaten someone like that. Something inside her had just...burst. She'd wanted to break his nose, true, but her plan had been to do only that and be done with it. But the whole conversation with poor Valyrym only a short time ago had really worked her up. Still, she might have just punched the damn fool once if only he hadn't drawn his whip on her.

"You!" The noble cried out to Enric. "Arrest that bitch! She...attacked me!"

"She did?" Enric glared down at the noble, then shrugged. "I musta missed that. Sorry. Kinda hung over, so I'm not really paying much attention." He crouched down, picking up the end of the noble's whip. "Think I'll hang onto this. Oh, and if I was you? ...I'd do what she says. I don't wanna see you around here again, either."

Enric followed her back towards the guard station. Alia leaned against the little desk there, panting heavily. Enric walked up behind her, and gently rubbed her back. "If anyone asks, I didn't see anything but a woman defending herself against a sadistic man already known to use a whip."

Alia glanced up, still trembling. Her eyes wet, she smiled a little at Enric, and mouthed a thanks she couldn't bring herself to voice.

Enric rubbed her back a little more, smiling. "I'll get you that rum."

---

A short time later, Alia returned to Valyrym's chamber. She wasn't sure how long the dragon wanted to be alone, but she thought if she was early, she could always leave again and wait elsewhere. It crossed her mind to tell him that she'd just beaten the living hell out of the noble who'd abused him, but she realized now was hardly the time. Perhaps she'd tell him later. Or, perhaps she never would. Alia was already wondering if she'd gone too far. Damn that fool. Why'd he have to draw that whip on her? Why couldn't he just take the broken nose he deserved and let that be the end of it?

Alia supposed things were just never that easy. If they were, she could simply take Val back to the tub and wash away all his cares, and let all his pains flow from him with the dirty water. more than that, if things were so simple she could just tell the dragon that she...did she? Love him? Alia was starting to think she did. It did not bother her to imagine loving a dragon. No more so than it bothered her to have a dragon as a lover in the physical sense, and she was long past that little concern. But it was not something she wanted to tell the dragon until she was absolutely sure of it herself. Perhaps some day, he would even love her in return.

Alia found Valyrym curled tightly upon his pile of bedclothes and furs. She'd never seen him curl up into such a little ball before, with his tail tucked around his body and his neck the same. He had his head laying atop his tail, with his wings half draped over his body. His breathing was slow, and measured, he looked to be slumbering. Alia wondered if the dragon had cried himself to sleep. It was a strange thing to imagine a dragon simply breaking down and crying his eyes out. Though Val had certainly seemed to be on the verge earlier.

Wouldn't that be just like him to wait until she left, and only then allow himself the release of weeping.

Alia quietly made her way into the room. She saw Valyrym had Val Junior tucked up against his body, between his chest and foreleg in almost the same way she liked to snuggle up with the dragon when they were alone. The sight made her smile and ache at the same time. Part of her wished she'd come up with a different name. It must have reminded him of his son every day. And yet, perhaps he liked that.

As Alia gently settled down next to Valyrym, the dragon slowly lifted his head. He blinked groggily, and then smiled at Alia. "Hello, Alia."

She smiled back, and gently rubbed his nose. "Hello, Valyrym."

He rolled over a little bit, lifting his front leg in open invitation for her to come and sit against him. It was an invitation she was happy to take. She moved up and leaned against the dragon's body, and soon he had enclosed her in his foreleg, alongside the little stuffed replica.

Alia smiled and set the rum bottle down so she could pat the toy's head. "Hello, Val Junior."

"He says hello," Valyrym muttered, allowing himself a smile.

Alia giggled, just a little. She began to stroke the dragon's leg. "Do you...want to talk?"

"No," the dragon sighed, and lay his head down on the furs. "But a promise is a promise."

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," Alia said.

Valyrym let a smile play across his muzzle as he perked a single ear. "That's not what you said earlier."

"I know..." Alia stroked the scutes of his front leg, relishing his warmth, and comfort. She almost wished she could just spend her whole life with him. She wished..."I wish I could open this place, and let you free, Val."

The dragon smiled a little more. "I know," he said, repeating her own words.

"Some day, Val," Alia said, laying her head against the dragon's side. "Some day the dread sky will lift, I promise you that."

"What...did you say?" Valyrym slowly lifted his head from the furs. He turned it to fix his golden eyes on Alia, both frilled ears lifted in interest.

"I said, someday the dread sky will lift." Alia smiled in memory. "It's a saying from my people, I think. My mother used to say it when I was down."

"Ah," the dragon chuckled just a little. "I thought that's what you said."

"Why do you ask?" Alia turned her face to watch him as the dragon shifted a little.

"Because that is what they used to call me."

"Who did?" Alia furrowed her brow.

"Your people, Alia." The dragon gently enclosed her in one of his wings like draping her in a warm blanket. "They called themselves the People of the Silver Rain. They called me The Dread Sky."

Alia sat up a little straighter. "Silver Rain?" She blinked, laughed, and shook her head. All this time, and she thought only her first name was an allusion to her people's lost home. You're a clever thing mother, she thought, gently rubbing the dragon's arm to encourage him to continue. Alia Silverrain, indeed.

Valyrym shifted again, this time gently plucking Val Junior away from Alia. The dragon set the stuffed toy down in front of himself so that the little thing was peering up at him. Then Valyrym circled his arm around Alia again, holding her snug to his warm scales.

"I shall tell my story to Val Junior," Valyrym murmured, his voice lowering. "But I shall not be angry if you listen in."

Alia giggled at that idea, and Val flashed her the first playful grin she'd seen from him in what felt like ages. "If you don't keep quiet it breaks the illusion, Alia."

Alia tried to remain silent. She twisted a little, and began to rub the dragon's shoulder as he searched for a way to begin his story. Finally, a little smile twitched at his muzzle as an amusing thought came to him.

"It was my road, you know."

Alia giggled again despite herself. It seemed a random way to start a tale that clutched the dragon's heart so tightly, and yet it seemed to amuse him. He shot her a glare as she continued to giggle, glad just to find something to laugh about again.

After a moment, Valyrym turned his attention to the stuffed dragon. He stared down at it, and finally, began to open his heart to Val Junior, and to Alia as well. He knew it would take all night, and he knew they would both listen to every word.

"It was my road. They thought I was protecting them, at the time. But really, I was only protecting my road..."