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Oh no... Sweet, merciful gods no! He was outing Amaris in front of /everyone/! Horrified beyond belief, he stared out at the crowd and felt the blood drain from his face. No... Nononono... The pup took a step back and encountered Vaelin's wing instead of the escape he sorely desired.

The glare in a Amaris's eyes said it all. Anger, confusion, and a bit of misery. This had cut Amaris deeper than any knife or claw ever could...

*

The dragon smiled as the crowd began to cheer and clap and call out to the king and his prince. Finally, Vaelin looked down and smirked. "Smile. Spread your wings. Wave. They need to know you are not an angry soul, they need to know they can trust you."

*

"I can't even trust /you/, can I?" He growls. Gods above he felt so stupid, especially up here in front of everyone! Well, Vaelin would learn Antairus wasn't always as forgiving as he seemed. Still, he put on a clearly fake smile and waved while his wings spread. He might as well play the part.

*

Vaelin, while still smiling in a much more practiced way, smirked at the boy and shook his head. Speaking so only the boy could hear, he said "What did you expect, hm? That we would do this all in secret and upon my death, you'd emerge from nowhere to take the throne? That isnt how it works. Think!" He looked up at the crowd, still waving and smiling for several more moments before he turned and motioned back to the enormous main doors of the castle. "Back inside."

*

"I'm thinking." He mutters, hiding in his wings as he hurried back inside. That stupid, stupid dragon just /had/ to invite the whole town, didn't he?

*

When the doors were closed, Vaelin turned, quirking an inquisitive brow at the boy as he folded his arms over his silk tunic. "Then what was the look for? What are you so upset for? I mean really," he spread his arms to either side, "what were you expecting, pup?"

*

"You didn't have to do that! You could've sent word out, or, or anything else besides invite every single fur within a hundred miles! You taught me how to use a fork for that bread stuff and think I'd be ready for /that/?!" His wings flare angrily as he limps away only to fall to his knees holding his stomach.

*

He followed after the boy, helping him carefully back to his feet. "Congratulations. You're growing up." He said flatly and strode past the boy, if only to calm his own nerves.

*

"Why are you so mean?" He asks shakily, not moving from his spot. "You're doing nice stuff one minute and then making me upset the next! What happened?!"

*

Vaelin blinked, then openly laughed. "I'm sorry the world seems to be upsetting you!" He turned, starting to walk past the stubborn boy. "Perhaps if you began looking at the bigger picture instead of just your own desires, you would be less dissapointed when life does not go your way!" And he dissappeared up the spiral staircase, ascending deeper into the castle's labarynthine corridors.

*

His red eyes narrowed. His question was ignored, and he let Vaelin get a few more seconds away before he turned and limped/ran his way towards the secret hatch that opened up into the crawl space above the kitchen. It was too small for Vaelin to get into, maybe, and Amaris planned to hide out there for a while.

*

Vaelin set about putting together his son's new bedchamber. Ironically, the one directly across from his own. Perhaps not so ironically. Everything had been removed and a new bed had been brought in. New shelves, new storage, everything was replaced with something more befitting a child prince. Perhaps tooo befitting a child prince. A crib waited in the corner! By late afternoon, Vaelin was once more coming into the dining hall where he took his place at the head of the table. The servents had all been instructed not to give the boy any food. The guards were, as to be expected, on the lookjout for the pouting boy and bring him to Vaelin if and when he ws found. Beyond that, Vaelin went about his business as normal.

*

This plan had not entirely been thought out, as the crawling led to more pain from the boy's abdomen. He couldn't sneak down into the kitchen and with his body so sore, but he knew he'd be caught if he left the space...

*

The king had several people out looking for the boy by the end of the day ewhen still he had been missing. It was well into the evening when Vaelin decided to check the one place a child would obviously be hiding! He had made mention of the secret passages that morning. It stood to reason that the boy wanted to try them out as soon as possible! He checked the one he had mentioned in his story first, followed the channel to it's conclusion before he moved to the decorative base on the suite of armor he had mentioned. He pried open the seldom used doorway and was surprised to find it still so easy to open. He ducked his head in and growled deeply. It was so small in there! He remembered when it had been so open. "You in here, pup?" he called out.

*

He was not, of course, in that particular secret passage. He was peeking into the kitchen, hunger making him seriously consider dropping in through the stove vent, seldom used as it was, and grab food before making a run for it and try to hide again...

*

He stood slowly and folded hsi arms over his chest. Best to check the outlets of that passege then. He sent one of the servants to the stone wall outside where one of the forks in the passage led to while he himself meandered toward the kitchen. He came to the door in almost the same instant Amaris tried to rush out with an arm load of food. His brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Moping all day is one thing, but petty theft?"

*

He skids to a halt and growls softly. He'd been so close! He takes a step back before saying anything, tail lashing behind as a show of agitation. "I thought I'd follow your example," he spits, "and just /take/ what I wanted."

*

"There is a difference between taking what you want," he said, motioning the boy to walk down the hall, "and failing an attempt to be a sneaky thief. Now come to bed since you've elected to skip dinner. You'll sleep in my bedchamber tonight, since you insist on sneaking about."

*

"I get the feeling I'd be doing that anyway." He mutters, quickly stuffing food into his mouth and eating it. At least he wouldn't go to be hungry, and Vaelin clearly hadn't found his hiding spot so much as getting lucky, so all in all this wasn't terrible. Maybe just eighty percent terrible. "You never answered my question."

*

"And it will remain that way until you learn to behave like a civilized person instead of some petty beggar thief." He said, glaring down at the boy. "And what question? Furthermore, what gives you any kind of clue that you even deserve an answer after this, hm? You think I owe any kind of courtasy to a thief, especially if he's my own son?"

*

"Better a thief that steals food than one that steals virginities, lives, and friends." He counters quickly, meeting Vaelin's gaze unwaveringly. "And my question was why are you so mean? If I felt you actually gave a pile of scat about me, Amaris the boy instead of Amaris, the boy with the girly bits I'm making the prince, more often I wouldn't /want/ to hide all day! I wouldn't feel /safer/ in a secret passage than with MY OWN FATHER!"

*

He snorted at that and rolled his eyes. "Right now you sound like 'Amaris the Fool'. I did answer your question. Just because life does not go perfectly does not mean those around you are being mean." He sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a moment. "You are only a child so i will try to be patient with you, but you are going to need to grow up at some point, Amaris, and realize there are more concerns to the world than 'he's being mean to me!' or 'I want another cookie!'. You need to lose the cubby egocentrism before you can start learning how to live up to your title!"

*

"Says the guy who seems to make everything about what you want or get! You went out of your way to make sure everyone in town knew what I was after I asked you not to! I begged!" Angry tears start to form in his eyes. "Why do you want to keep me from the people who treated me like I was just another kid? Now they won't care about a few days ago when I was normal! Now I'm a prince and they're gonna avoid me so /you/ don't hurt them!"

*

He shook his head. "You never asked me not to. You expressed skepticism that it would not be a pleasant thing if I told of your new office. I explained that it would not be so bad and you seemed to have accepted that. Besides which, you've had your first heat now," he said, glaring back at the boy. "You're starting to grow up. If you want me to treat you like a young man your age, start acting like one."

*

"Then let me make choices about myself! I already agreed to learn to be a prince and.. and..." He trailed off as he turned and started walking away. He'd how to the servants quarters. Amaris didn't like his mother as much as he was used to, but she still cared. He hoped.

*

"And tell me, as a boy who has frequented the city streets. Does the butcher's apprentice wear an apron?" he asked as he moved to follow the boy, determined to prove a point as it were. This brat was starting to prove more troublesome with every passing moment!

*

Amaris almost didn't answer. "That's different. He doesn't get cut off from everyone, and can choose to bed the person he loves more than once!" He stops and claps a paw over his muzzle. He hadn't meant you say that. He hadn't even /known/ he'd felt like that! Was it true..?

*

He stopped and turned to look at the boy. Amaris might have expected anger to lash out, another jealous rage. Instead, Vaelin threw his head back and roared with laughter. "You dont know what love is boy! You still think love is something that tastes really good, or something thats really fun!" He shook his head and smirked amusedly at the boy. "You constantly act like a spoiled child, which contradicts your former status in life. You refuse to use rational thought or think of anything but your own foolish desires or happiness... and you think you love this servant boy?" He shook his head in amusement again. "He was your friend and you lust after him. Nothing more." Waving a dismissive hand, Vaelin sighed heavily. "Regardless, he is a servant and you are a prince. Such relationships cannot exist."

*

"Spoiled? Yeah, I guess I was spoiled, not being raped and still having friends! More children should go through that, so they don't grow up thinking the world can be a good place! Would you do the honors? You sleep with the servants enough, what's one more child begging you to stop?!" He snaps, wings flaring as he snarls. Even angry, he was still afraid of what Vaelin might do, and it showed in his eyes. "Love is being around someone and feeling better even if your sad. Love is looking at someone who could find out your worst secret and hurt you, but you want to tell them anyway. Love is being with one person and only one person! /I/ know what live is, you horrible old dragon, but you don't! That's why yo bed anyone no matter how they say no! Because you're trying to feel what you can't! You don't even love me, and I'm your son..."

*

He felt somewhat foolish, following the boy back into the same old song and dance, but if Amaris was so determined to stay in that place, so be it. He stepped toward the boy and knelt down. Reaching up, he curled his hand about the boy's neck to grip his scruff tightly, making it so he couldnt look away even if he wanted to. "Since you want it so badly, I'm going to give you an ultimatum. Either play nice. Follow the rules and live as a prince is expected to live... or I'll give you exactly what you are accusing me of." He growled darkly then stood up. "Put the food back and go to bed. Your chambers are those across the hall from mine." The choice, laid out so clearly. Do as he was told and be the prince he was expected. Or run and hide and bring upon himself Vaelin's wrath? And laid out so clear as day by the dragon walking away without another word.

*

"I'm going to my mom first." Amaris says as he stares after Vaelin. He was right, of course. Or at least he thought he was. The dragon didn't love him, and now the pup was trapped into doing exactly what Vaelin wanted, much to his despair. If only he could go back and stop himself from going to the baths...

*

Vaelin growled and looked back just before he rounded the corner. "You will put the food back and go to your chambers, Amaris. I will have your mother brought to you. Now do as you are told." It was a flat demand. His voice didnt rise, he didnt yell. Merely said it and was gone. Let him defy the king, Vaelin thought. He'd do what Amaris seemed to want so bad of him. And he'd make his mother watch.

*

Something rose up in Amaris that scared even him. Like when he vomited fire, but... controllable. Like he could do it on purpose if he wanted. "If you touch her, you'll regret it." He growls, a strange twinkle in his eyes. He kept this strange feeling inside as he dropped the food off and went to wait at the door of 'his' room.

*

The dolphin woman who guarded the king's door watched him in silence for several long minutes before smirking to herself and rolling her eyes in amusement. "It's unlocked, your highness." she said, standing statue-still except for her eyes which watched him idly, full of amusement and humor at his waiting.

*

"I know. I was told to come here, not go in. I'm waiting for my mom..." He starts to say it angrily, but calms down as he talks to her. "My name is Amaris. You don't have to call my 'your highness' when it's just me. I'd like it more, actually, but I understand if you don't."

*

"Whatever you say, Your Highness," she said and smirked. "Your mother will not be brought to you this evening. We were told you would burn anyone who touched her, so she has not been fetched. You have instructions from His Majesty to go into your room and sleep." She shifted her weight lightly and subtly reached behind herself to rest her knuckles just above the door, ready to knock at a moment's notice.

*

"He lied. Again." This wasn't surprising anymore. "You can go now." He tells her as he starts walking off. "I'm going to my see my mother. Go ahead and tell him if you want, but since I plan on going into my bed and sleeping, I'm following his 'instructions'."

*

"He didnt lie, he is acquiescing to your threat. If anyone touches your mother, they will be hurt. So, no one went to fetch her because of YOU." She said, rasping her knuckles on the door. A moment later, Vaelin openned it and peeked out. When he saw Amaris walking away, his brow knit together and he started coming down the hall, a bit of diamond-studded leather in one hand. "Boy! I told you to go to bed!"

*

"And I told you I wanted to see my mother!" He growls, whirling around to stare daggers at the dragon. "My threat was aimed at you and you KNOW that! How dumb do your guards act that they can't fetch someone without touching them anyway?!" Something had changed in the boy, that much was clear, but what it was is unclear.

*

"They are not dumb, they are following my orders!" he came to the boy and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck once again, this time much more tightly. With his free hand he lashed the studded collar onto the boy then began to drag him back toward his own bedchamber. "I gave you a choice, and now you've made it! If you want to see what it's like when I truly itemize a person, then so be it!" His red scales practically glowed with the rage broiling in his heart.

*

"NO." He slashes at Vaelin's arms as the moonlight coming in through the window seems to grow brighter and coalesce on his claws and let them go through scales and muscle like a hot knife through butter. This wasn't like the previous times they'd fought when Amaris flailed widely and hoped to get free. These were calculated and vicious attacks made to cripple with predatory efficiency.

*

Vaelin howled in pain and threw the boy to the side, weakly against the wall. Even as he skidded to a halt, Vaelin extended both of his hands and threw his wings to either side. An invisible force wretched the boy from the ground and slammed him against the stone wall. "You ungrateful little wretch! I will make you suffer for that!"

*

"There is nothing you can do." He laughs, ignoring his wounds. "You think I'm ungrateful? Give me something that doesn't benefit you, like seeing my own mother! Not whoring around when I'm forced to bed you or no one! Show you FUCKING CARE about me!"

*

"I did and you spat on it!" He said, throwing the boy down the hall to skid to a halt just outside the royal chamber. Then the invisible force grabbed him again and threw him against the ahrdwood door, pinning his limbs sread eagle against the portal. he strode forward and stood before Amaris, his eyes glowing red. "He wants to see his mother. Fetch her." He instructed the guard. She nodded and scampered off quickly.

*

He screams and the moonlight pours from his mouth like his fire, slamming into Vaelin with raw, unrestrained power, knocking him back. "You didn't! It's all been to make things better for you! Even my days to be me was just so I'd agree!" He breathes moon fire again, managing a shaky step away from the door. "I never wanted a king! I wanted a dad! I told you that and all you've been is a king!!!"

*

He wrapped hsi wings around himself and the golden webbing therein began to glow. When he threw them open once more, they threw the unrelenting energy right back at Amaris. This time, coupled with his rage, Vaelin slammed the boy into the door ahrd enough to break it ajar. The wolf pup slid across the floor to the foot o the dais upon which sat the lavish bed. Vaelin growled down at the boy and curled his fingers around his throat. "And all you see is a rapist when I try to be your father, so why bother being anything but what you want to see me as?"

*

"Be..cause... I c-can't f-forget it.." He gasps, trying to free his throat. "H-How can I? Bedding me is all you want because of my heat! You don't.. don't want me!" He cries, kicking out at Vaelin's chest with both feet. "A-Always threatening to.. to.. rape me...!" His wings hung behind him at an odd angle, broken and useless from his collision from the door.

*

"And when I give you something anyone in this kingdom would die for, when I compromise to make it more enjoyable, you spit in my face!" he bellowed, tightening his grip. One final choice, pup!" He growled, leaning down close to whisper into the boy's ear. "Prince or pet."

*

"Son." He answers at first, defiant, before the light leaves his body and he goes limp and just hangs there in the dragon's deadly grip. "Prince... Please g-get my mom?" He chokes out, asking shakily as his rush faded and the pain rushes in instead.

*

He loosened his grip on the boy considerably, but still held him still. "If you want me to treat you like my son, then act like my son in every way that applies!" He growled darkly. "The son ofa dragon. The son of a King. The son of a male with a short temper." he growled again and ropped the boy at last. "Go to your chamber, pup. Now. I will fetch your mother." He said and turned. Thankfully as he came out the door, the gaurd was already returning with the shewolf servant.

*

He bit his lip as he fell and a grinding sound comes from his wings. He struggled to his feet and limped slowly towards his room, fumbling to push it open.

*

When Amaris fumbled with the door, Vaelin reached over to push it open then held a finger up to the shewolf. "Keep him in his chambers. Explain to him what is expected of him." The wolf nodded and picked up her son, gingerly carrying him to the large, soft bed in the middle of the suite. Vaelin growled ten looked at the dolphin. "Fetch the healer. He will need his wings fixed." He held up the collar that had been discarded in the scuffle and held it out. "And take this to the court mage. Have it enchanted to surprsess the boy's.. abilities." The dolphin woman bowed deeply then turned to hurry off and carry out her king's wishes.

*

Amaris practically fell apart in his mother's arms, hugging her tightly despite his pain and babbling about he forgives her just wants to wake up and find out it's all been a dream and that he never wants her to go away again. She was all he had left in the castle, and losing her would be terrible.

*

It wasnt long at all before the healer came into the room to, humming happily all the while, splint and wrap the boy's wings up. Vaelin watched from the door, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He in the blazes was he supposed to do anything for the child when everything he gave him, the little bastard twisted around into bribery instead of kindness? It was truly getting frustrating, but he made his mind up right then in that moment that there would be no more second chances. The next time the pup elected to throw a tantrum or goddess forbid, attack him, he would make him int his own personal fuck toy, his pet to use as he willed. Unless the brat attacked him again. Then his castle gate would have a new decoration.

*

Amaris's scream as his wings are set echoes through the halls and he ends up crying again as he holds on to his mother until he finally falls into a troubled sleep. He keeps crying even while he dreams of terrible things happening all over the kingdom on a moonless night. He physically cried out each time some unknown enemy soldier killed someone he knew. He knew a lot of people...

*

The dragon watched all while the healer mended his wings and made sure everything else was healing properly. He left a phial of fowl tastin green stuff on the bedside table and instructions to drink it every morning until the bottle no longer refilled itself. Then he left. when he did, Vaelin growled thoughtfully and said "I want you to be the boy's handmaiden. If I cant teach the brat how to be a prince, I want you to." The shewolf looked rather surprised at that, but Vaelin already turned to leave. Before the sun rose or the boy awoke, the guard captain would return with the collar and Vaelin went to fasten it about the boy's neck gently. It wasnt tight, but it wasnt loose enough to merely pull the seamless collar away either. By that time, the shewolf lay asleep with the little pup clutched agaisnt her bussom. Vaelin admired the sight for a moment, then turned to leave, returning to his own room despite the nausea that welled inside of him. He forced himself back into bed and ignored it.

*

The little pup whines briefly, pitifully as he's collared, but in his state he doesn't even wake up. He just stays there, silently drawing comfort and love from his mother. In his dreams he fought to the death several times, but he couldn't ever save her. He wasn't good enough, and his broken psyche dreamed up more and more ways to die before he woke in the morning, begging "them" to stop.

*

When he did finally wake, his mother was there, humming to herself idly as she knit idly at some rather expensive looking cloth. When he awoke, she lifted her eyes and gave a sad smile. "Good morning, sweet." She said,then pointed with one of her needles. "Drink all of that before you get out of bed." The phial was there, waiting at his bedside.

*

He very nearly stabbed himself on that very needle as he lunged over and hugged her tightly. "You're ok, You're ok, You're ok, You're ok!" He repeats over and over, hiding his face in his clothes and thanking the gods that it had all been just a horrible dream. It felt so real his ears hurt from all the screaming and laughing and... splattering. That had been the second worst thing.

*

She smiled sadly and nodded. "They were just dreams, sweet." She kissed the top of his head then nudged him gently. "Drink your medicine and stop wrinkling your new clothes!" she said with a forced little laugh in an effort to calm him. "Princes dont wear wrinkled clothes!" She tapped his nose gently when he sat up.

*

He smiled weakly at her, but it vanished when he looked down to see his clothes and felt the color on his next rub on his scales. He immediately believed he'd been lied to and made a pet anyway, the choice from last night. He starts trying to pull the collar, growing increasingly desperate.

*

She smiiled, shushing him as she took both his hands gently in her own. "No. It cant come off unless the King takes it off." She leaned down and kissed his nose gently. "It's for his protection and by extension, yours." She smiled and tapped his snout with a finger. "You really hurt him, sweet. He told me you won't be able to hurt him again while you wear this and as such, he wont get upset and try to hurt you back."

*

"Yes he will! He l-lied! H-He said I had a choice and he put this thing on m anyway!" He wails,holding on to her again, when he finally calms down he just stares, having retreated into his mind, one place he knew was safe.

*

She shook her head. "No, he has not made you his pet." She kissed the top of his head and hugged him agaisnt herself gently. "If he had, you would not be in your own room! With all of these nice things!" she said, looking around the lavish accomodations. She sighed heavily. "Despite the bad that has happened, I am happy for you. You will not live a life of want..." She looked down into his face and her brow met. That blank stare. He'd thrown tantrums like that since he was a baby. When he didnt get his way, he'd just clam up until he did. She had learned to be patient, though, had learned to wait it out and carry on with what she was trying to say or do or teach him.

*

But he would live that life. The things he wanted were being taken one at a time and he felt like he'd never get them back. Who cared about nice things when they weren't what he wanted? He wanted such simple things too, but they were al but gone now. It was better to stay in his mind and enjoy his memories.

*

And still his mother waited, knitting away at his new princely clothes.

*

Amaris did not change. He remained quiet and listless, unlike his pervious tantrums or fits. He had just... given up. He didn't care anymore. He knew princes didn't wear collars...

*

His mother waited silently, humming to herself as she worked. It was nearly midday when the door openned and Vaelin stepped in. He was dressed rather regally, if simply. While his green tunic and leggings were simply when compared to the more lavish clothes he wore in the castle, his horns had gold rings upon them, his fingers bore several large gemmed crests and about his neck, a jewel studded collar very similar to Amaris except that it bore many different colored gems in an assorted patttern, rather than simply diamonds. THe dragon's right arm had been bandaged, but it seemed to have it's full range of motion back. He cleared his throat and the shewolf looked up inquisitively.

"Is the boy up to..." The catatonic stare made him furrow his brow, however and he sighed heavily. "I suppose a ride around the lake is out of the question then." The boy's mother simply gave a sad smile and nodded.

*

Amaris did look up after a few moments, his blank stare shifting to bleak betrayal. He didn't say anything though, knowing anything he wanted to would just make things even worse for him. Everything he did made things worse. Keeping everything bottled up, he slowly got off the bed and stood up stiffly, briefly smoothed his clothes, and waited with his eyes down on the floor.

*

When Amaris moved, it got the rapt attention of both adults. They stared at him curiously and Vaelin tilted his head. He folded his arms over his chest and eyed the boy. He took several calming breaths and said "If you dont want to come, you dont have to. I'll go by myself." He tried to sound as understading as he could be. 'Put yourself in his shoes' his new captain had said. 'You would react the same way if it happened to you,' she said. She was right, of coures, but it didnt happen to him. Still, he was making the effort.

*

Amaris slowly shook his head before carefully draining the phial. He watched it refill before putting it down and walking over to stand near Vaelin, ignoring the horribly ache coming from his wings. Still he avoided looking up, not wanting anymore ire coming his way.

*

Vaelin watched the boy for a moment then looked up at the shewolf in the bed knitting away. "Are his clothes ready? " he asked idly to which she shook her head.

"Not just yet. Soon."

He nodded at that and smiled at the boy convincingly. Many years practicing a fake smile rendered it indistinguishable from a real one. "Why dont you and I go down to the tailor's on the way through the city and pickup something more..." His brows knit together and his muzzle hung open slightly. The shewolf stopped what she was doing and eyed him almost worriedly. In the next moment, he rushed into the washroom and wretched. The wolf blinked in surprise and eyed the curtained doorway. "Majesty?"

*

The pup just stood in place as he watched Vaelin's feet suddenly leave his field of vision and his ears twitch at the sound of vomiting. What was going on? Even knowing he'd done nothing, Amaris still feared he'd be somehow blamed for whatever happened and punished, and thus began to shake.

*

After a few minutes, Vaelin walked back out into the main room, wiping his mouth on a towel. he set it on a nearby table and sighed. "I'm sorry, I... dont know what came over me." He smiled sadly then moved back toward the door. "Are you ready to go buy some riding clothes, pup?" he asked, albeit far more subdued.

*

Amaris just nods that same, slow nod, waiting for Vaelin to go so he could follow. He didn't like the thought of being paraded around the town on the way to and from the tailor's, especially with this gods-forsaken pet collar around his neck, but wouldn't argue. Not anymore. Not after last night.

*

Vaelin nodded and licked his lips for a moment. "Well, let's get going." he said, rubbing his belly to calm another bout of nassea as he turned about to stride out into the hall. What was that all about? Was the boy poisonous? He doubted it. Had some pretty weird magic going on, but he was sure the pup wasnt poisonous!

*

Amaris followed as quietly as he could, staying just a few steps behind Vaelin's tail. That seemed like a good distance, letting the dragon know he was following without making him think he was going to try and run and hide again. He dreamed finding out what the king would do then, and his wings seemed to ache more in agreement.

*

Vaelin wandered somberly throughout the castle, ignoring pretty much everything as they came down to the stables. It was only then that, rubbing iddly at his belly, that he realized someone ws talking to him. He blinked up at the bear and asked. "Hm?" The stablehand gave him an odd look and asked. "Which horse would you like me to prepare for his highness?" The bear gave amaris a little nod of his head and Vaelin looked down at him. "Oh... um... Whichever he wants." THe stablehand's brow furrowed and he asked "Is everything alright, your majesty?" Vaelin stared at him blankly for a moment then nodded. "Yes. Fine. Just thinking."

*

The pup finally looks up, just not at his father or the stable hand. No, he kept his eyes on the horses. His blank expression turned to fear as he realized he was standing next to one of the best stallions in the noble stables. He all but fell backwards trying to get away as fast as he possibly could. The only reason he stops is because he's hit the door to another stall, this one holding a fine mare no more than three years of age. She put her head down to sniff at him and he glanced, very briefly, to the bear to show he picked her.

*

The bear laughed lightly and nodded, moving forward, as well as other stablehands, to begin saddling both horses. "Your stallion's as intimidating as ever, Majesty." Vaelin gave a small smile and nodded, moving to the black beast to pat it's cheeks. It nuzzled at his face and chest gently, an odd sight for the black furred, red eyed horse. "It's why I like him."

*

Amaris couldn't think of anything anyone could like about stallions after what he'd been through, and he gripped the mare's reins so hard his hands hurt, and even that wasn't enough to stop the trembling inducing image of the now dead ex-captain of the guard. He nearly wretched himself, but swallowed hard to keep it down. He didn't want to hurt the horses after all, and he'd vomited nothing but fire the last few times.

*

Once the horses were saddled, Vaelin swung up into his own saddle, feeling a little more like himself as the nausea passed. He smiled at Amaris lightly and cleared his throat. "Alright. Come on. Once around the lake before dinner, hm?"

*

Another nod, but also a silent question. Dinner? That made no sense at all. How long had Amaris been asleep? How long had he laid on the bed just staring? The day had passed without his knowledge and he found that unsettling to say the least.

*

Vaelin nudged his big stallion into a walk, moving gently through the door of the stables and toward the inner wall's gate. He hummed to himself a surprisingly soothing tune as it rumbled in his chest. He glanced about, smiling to the townsfolk who all seemed so happy to see them, albeit puzzled at the young boy's rather depressing visage. The looks he got were full of confusion and wonderment, but Vaelin paid it no mind. Instead he led the boy's mare to the royal tailor's shop near the inner gate and dismounted. He loosely lashed his reins over the hitching post and moved toward the door. "I'm thinking yellow for you. What do you think?" He asked as he politly pulled the door open for the pup.

*

Having dismounted on the side of the mare away from the stallion and hitching her to the pits as well, Amaris makes his way into the shop and stands near the boor, once more watching the floor. "If that is what you want." He whispers, just loud enough to be heard. He didn't think yellow would go with with his natural coloration though. Dark blue would be best, though as melancholy as he was black was suitable.

*

He quirked a brow at that then shrugged his wings lightly. "It isnt about what I want, but... if you insist." he said. He stepped through and smiled at the little mousette behind the counter. "Ah, Majesty! And the little Highness!" Her look turned to bewilderment at his look, but she shook it off as best she could and asked "Um, what can I do for you both?" The king smiled and indicated Amaris with a nod of his head. "THe boy needs some riding clothes. Something clean, regal, but simple." The mousette smiled and nodded. "I will have to take measurements!"

*

Anger rose up and was forced back down quickly. He couldn't let it out. Not here. Not anywhere. His eyes lift long enough to look at the tailor. She didn't seem so bad, but he wouldn't trust looks ever again. "Please... be careful of my w-wings?" He asks her, whispering still.

*

She smiled and nodded. "Of course, your Highness!" She offered him her hand hesitently and another kind smile. "Come into the back and we'll get you measured up and I'll fix something up for you in a jiffy!" Vaelin watched the two, then began to mosey about the shop, looking at all the shineys and pretties strewn about here and there.

*

He took her hand shakily and followed her, eyes barely staying up to look at the cloth and clothes. He'd never been in one of the royal shops before, and it intrigued him enough to fight for his attention. Now if he'd only ever stepped into a regular tailor's shop he could compare the two!

*

The mousette took him into a small back room and smiled down at him. She helped him up onto a little pedastool and folded her arms over her modest chest. "Alright, highness, would you please take off your... clothes... so I can take your measurements?"

*

A strange, highly uncomfortable feeling starts to fill Amaris from head to toe, but he strips down slowly, mechanically even, and puts his clothes aside. He just had to stand here. In his underwear. Hoping he got to keep doing that and the mousette had a stuffed nose.

*

As he undressed, she hummed to herself and milled about, getting various measures and bits ready to size him for his excellently crafted new clothes. When she turned about and he stood in his undergarments, she smiled and shook her head. "All of it, Highness. We dont want anything getting in the way of sizing you up!" she said rather bubbly.

*

Oh gods.. Was this really happening? Instead of falling when his legs inevitably gave out, he decided to sit down instead of fighting gravity. He wrapped his tail around himself and stared down at the floor. "Please... g-get the.. king..?"

*

She blinked at that reaction and tiltd her head. Her round ears perked lightly and she moved forward to the little cub to kneel in front of him and take his hands in hers. "I can smell you're in heat and I can bet you're really nervous I'm going to try something!" she smiled and leaned forward to kiss the top of his head encouragingly. "Trust me, highness... I will not take advantage of you in any way."

*

"...you know." He was stupid to think people wouldn't figure it out anyway. Stupid to think bringing Vaelin into a room he was expected to be naked in. A room full of his heat. He shuddered at the thought and stood up, unable to stop embarrassment and maybe even a little shame from making his entire body 'blush' in front of the tailor after he took off his underwear.

*

When he stood and removed his underwear, she looked him over and blinked in genuine surprise. "Oh." She reached her slender fingers up and gently brushed it over the fur surrounding his immature cunt. "Well, not what I was expecting... but we'll work with it!" She sprang up and started wrapping her tapes all around his form, humming excitedly to herself all over again as she worked.

*

And now he'd been wrong about her knowing about his... condition, and the fluttery feeling from where she had touched him was not helping him stay calm. A tiny bit of the opposite, actually. That was a much hard feeling to bottle up, but the mousette's humming was relaxing, and he even recognized the tune as one he used to sing along softly with his mother. He didn't even realize he was doing that now. It had been a few years since he'd consciously sang.

*

She measured and wrapped and marked and fitted him for several minutes, humming all the while. Finally after several long minutes, she stepped back and looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm thinking... Red. What do you think, your highness?" Her brow quirked curiously and she tilted her head at him.

*

"He said yellow though..." He whispers, shifting uncomfortably. He felt like hiding under a bed or in a closet. Still, she was nice. "But.. you're the expert."

*

She shrugged her slender shoulders lightly and winked one of her big eyes at him. "He's not the one who'll be wearing it, is he?" She tapped her chin for a moment and hummed thoughtfully. "I think red, but what do you think?"

*

"Do you have dark blue?" He asks, slipping further out of his catatonic state. "My scales give my fur a sh-shine and I like the way it looks... I think it would be n-nice." He says slowly, talking /just/ above a whisper.

*

She smiled at him and nodded. "Dont move!" she said then rushed away, coming back moments later with a bolt of the most beautiful dark blue silks. So light, so soft, and it absolutely shone in the sunlight! She smiled and started to cut pieces with practiced care, stitching and sewing. After several minutes, she turned to him with most of a tunic and said "Here we go, arms in the air!" When she pulled the tunic onto him, she smiled and tilted her head. "I'm going to tell you a secret you must never ever repeat to anybody. Ok?"

*

He nods slowly, admiring the rich, deep blue that settle over his fur like air. It looked great! "I-I will not tell." He promises quietly. "I like you. You're the nicest person I've m-met since becoming the prince..."

*

She laughed and tapped his nose. "We're not all bad! But watch out for the rabble in the lower city. They gobble up little princes!" she said with a playful wink."The king? Your father?" She looked toward the door to make sure the dragon wasnt there then leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "He's a lot like you. Except he has a penis too." Her brow met. "I mean he's a lot like you down there." She said, tappin the soft fur of his groin just beneath the hem of his shirt. "You aren't so different as you think, little princey snack!" she said then rushed away to start cutting and sewing and knitting and putting together a pair of matching leggings which she brought back for him.

*

He shakes his head slowly. That couldn't be true! He'd have seen it, right? Or Vaelin would've said something... It didn't matter. Amaris was the one in heat and without a penis, not Vaelin. He steps into the leggings and smiles just a tiny bit again. "It looks so nice... Thank you, miss..?"

*

"Squeek, you highness." she said and smiled. "Buck up! You look a fright all down and gray like this!" She tapped his chin then started sewing about his form, tightening here, hemming there. Finally she stepped back and spread her arms to either side. "And done! Now go back out and show his majesty what a handsom little man you are!"

*

"Thank you, Miss Squeek. You can c-call me Amaris." He looks down at his clothes again and his smile fades. Back to the dragon already, it seemed. He managed to give the mousette one last smile before he went back out to show Vaelin his riding clothes. He owed Squeek that much.

*

"Of course, your highness!" she said cheerfully and followed him back out into the shop. When they emerged, Vaelin turned and smiled at the boy. "Wow! A bath and some new clothes and you turn into quite the looker, dont you!?" He smiled at the cub and tilted his head. "The blue suits you."

*

"Yes." He whispers, shifting his wings and wincing. "Miss Squeek is really good..." He wished he could turn invisible under Vaelin's gaze.

*

"Yes she is." He winked at the mousette who blushed furiously beneath her white fur. He turned and moved to hold the door open for his dear son. "Alright, let's get to riding, then. We dont have an eternity of daylight to work with!"

*

"Goodbye, Miss Squeek." He tells her before he leaves the shop. Maybe his mother would like his new clothes too. She always liked seeing him in the ones she made. He got up on the mare and petted her neck slowly as waited for Vaelin to mount that horrible stallion so they could leave.

*

Vaelin climbed up onto hs mount and nudged the big black beast into motion. "Isnt it nice to have clean clothes that didnt used to be a table cloth?" he asked with a smile as he walked the horse gently down the street toward the main gate.

*

"My mother made my clothes." He says quietly, still petting the mare as he follows Vaelin. "She took her time and I knew she loved me when I'd wear them..."

*

He nodded at that. "Yes, I'm sure, but from now on you are going to have clothes made of the finest silks, the softest and lightest garments you could hope to have." He said, looking across at his son curiously before he glanced about at the rabble watching them ride past.

*

Amaris made no attempt to argue, knowing it was pointless. Vaelin had already made up his mind after all. He didn't know or even care that even though this set of clothes looked and felt nice, Amaris still preferred the ones his mother made.

So he kept his head down and followed quietly. He wished the collar was softer though. It was... irritating, to put it nicely. Probably by design, so he couldn't forget what he was now.

*

As they rode in silence and neared the gate, Vaelin again quirked a browridge and eyed the boy curiously. "You arent inspiring much confidence in your people, pup." It was an observation more than it was an accusation.

*

"I am sorry." He replies quietly, lifting his head and forcing himself to smile for the few remaining people that would see it. He wondered if they knew as much about their king as he did, and what they'd do if they found out. He quickly discarded the thought out of fear for his mother.

*

He watched the boy warily for a moment, especially as they wandered out the gate and he no doubt drooped again. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He wouldnt point out the obvious as always he did. He knew exactly where it would go from there. 'You're only bribing me for sex, you are not really being nice, you're being mean taking me outside and trying to treat me like your son' blah blah blah. He pushed down the rage even the thoughts brought on and offered a smile to the boy. "I thought I'd take you and see if my little hiding place is still there."

*

He did indeed 'droop' when it was just the two of them and the horses again. He does, however, seem to pay more attention when the hiding place is mentioned. He'd remembered his plan. "I.. I was gonna go get the rocks you talked about so I could..." He trailed off, worried Vaelin would think him a liar.

*

He perked lightly, both in mild jealousy that someone would touch his old sihneys, then in interest when he remembered how not-shiney they were. Useless things, really. But they were his. He tilted his head at the boy, genuine interest and curiosity written on his face as he watched the worried pup.

*

He looked away and was quiet for a few moments, afraid to talk once more. He did though, briefly. "I was gonna bring them to you.. as thanks for the d-days I wasn't gonna.. I wasn't gonna be a p-prince..." He shut his eyes to contain the tears he got from thinking of the days he'd thrown away last night.

*

He blinked at that then smiled and nodded slowly. "We'll go get them together." He said, reaching out to take one of the boy's hands gently in his own. His nostrils flared lightly and he smiled. "Your heat is diminishing. It isnt nearly so strong as it was last night or the previous."

*

"It's not the same now." He whispers. "Let's just leave them were childhood belongs. In the past..."

When Vaelin takes the shaking hand in his own, Amaris nearly stops the mare to avoid it, but he resisted the urge. It wouldn't do him any goof, but at least he'd be safer as his heat diminishes

*

"No, it's not the same, but still. I want to." he said, giving Amaris hand a gentle squeeze. He cleared his throat and his eyes dropped to the boy's belly. He hoped the boy's first heat had been a short and... well not so sweet... one but a thrill filled his belly at the idea the pup's belly could be swelling in the coming months!

*

"Okay." He was probably the youngest of Vaelin's children that could be used anyway. He definitely didn't wanna try.

*

Vaelin shrugged his wings lightly at that and sighed heavily. He looked to the lake as they approached and gave a longing smile. "I dont come out here often enough. Too much time is spent taking care of the kingdom, taking care of her citizens. But such is my duty. Maybe, in the years to come if we can share the load, we can both take more rides like this." he observed, both talking to Amaris and no one in particular at the same time.

*

"Why would I matter?" He asks tonelessly, still believing Vaelin had changed his min and was just showing off his new pet. At least he wasn't on a chain somewhere.

*

"Because as the crown prince, you are going to have to take over when I am gone." He said, shaking his head slowly from side to side. "I thought you understood that."

*

"Princes don't wear pet collars." He replies quietly, resisting the urge to touch the wretched thing. He doubted he could cut through it, even with his claws.

*

He quirked a brow at that and nodded. "Neither do kings," he said, lifting his chin to.. conveniently look at the clouds above to reveal the similar jewel studded collar about his throat.

*

"I am not a king." He mutters, not even looking up. Moving his neck made the collar shift irritatingly through his fur and over his scales.

*

He shook his head. "No, you're a blind pup. But you will be king." He said, rolling his eyes. You cannot make someone see what is before their eyes if they choose not to, he thought. Let him mope. Let him feel sorry for himself. He was done caring. The pup would only make one person miserable.

*

"Then why collar me..?" He asks, now more confused than anything. What had happened last night?

*

He eyed the boy for a moment then shook his head. "For your protection." He nodded slowly and tilted his head. "You will not hurt me or anyone else accidentally again and in turn... I or somebody else will not kill you to protect myself or themselves." He shrugged his wings lightly and lifted a hand to gently touch at the studded collar he wore. Such delicious pretties felt so smooth, so delightful under his fingertips.

*

"What?" He finally looked up at his father, an expression of confusion clear on his face. "I can't hurt you! I've tried, but your scales are too strong and I'm.. I'm just a bastard hybrid."

*

He shook his head. "No, last night you did something, you delved deep into your dragonblood and your tie to magic and you cut me all the way to the bone." Not that he could have done much more than that. There were few things in this world that could even scuff dragon bones.

*

The expression remains largely the same. If anything, Amaris seems more confused. "What? No, we started fighting, and then I was being thrown a d-door... I don't have magic."

*

Quirking a scaled browridge, the king extended a hand and lifted the boy's chin so he would look at him. He [pulled back his sleeve and showed the bloodied bandage there. Though the mass of his arm was the same, it was clear something had torn flesh from bone. "You held my arm and your claws tore through them with magic born of dragonblood... and something else. No dragon has ever slain another, but you very nearly could have."

*

Amaris stares. He had done that? Then why..? "I don't remember doing that." He tells Vaelin truthfully. While he did remember the fighting last night, his memory held only a mundane scuffle.

*

Vaelin qiurked a brow at that and nodded slowly. "Indeed." He looked forward again then pointed to one of the creeks ahead that fed into the crystal clear lake. "There, see that inlet?"

*

"Yeah." He says quietly, still trying to figure out what Vaelin was talking about. It made no sense! He'd never shown any magical talent before, but then again he'd never shown the ability to breath fire either.

*

Vaelin nodded, a sad litttle smile spreading over his muzzle. So many years ago, so many trips out to that little stream in the dark. So many fond memories he would cherish until he died. He looked out over the calm lake, watching several flocks of fowl flapping over the mirror-like waters.

*

"Pretty.." He murmurs mostly to himself. It looked like a nice place to swim, or at least to watch his ex-friends swim anyway. If he ever could again.

*

The dragon king nodded his argeement in silence, watching the ducks and geese froliicking above the lake. Finally as they came to the stream, he slid from his horse and started to wander toward the stream. His eyes roamed the steep far bank and he hummed to himself. "It should be just about..."

*

"There." Amaris says, pointing half-heartedly. He got of the mare and walked over slowly. "I can't get over there though. Too far to jump and I can't swim." It didn't need to be said that he couldn't fly, not with his wings broken. He missed flying already..."

*

He looked over where the roots of a tree had grown over the small opening. "Oh!" He strode forward and looked down into the water curiously. "It isnt that deep. Come on." He said, wading across the knee-deep water. "A little cold!" he said with a laugh and knelt down the start prying apart the roots to reveal the small little tunnel.

*

"But Miss Squeek just made these for me..." He replies, looking down at his clothes. His mother had told him over and over again his whole life not to get his best clothes dirty, and these were the best clothes he'd ever had! What if he slipped and they got all muddy? The mousette had worked so hard and even tried to cheer him up.

*

He shrugged his wings and looked back at the boy. "Then the servants will clean them." he said simply then started to push carefully into the tunnel. "This used to be a lot bigger!" he called, his voice muffled behind the mud and root.

*

For the first time today anger showed on the pup's face. He got back on the mare and thought about just staying on this side of the water, but he knew Vaelin probably wouldn't like that. So, instead, he carefully had the horse take him across. He got down, ignoring his sore legs, and patted her nose in thanks as he waited.

*

The king rummaged around for several long minutes then came back out, pushing through the roots with his wings curled around himself, carrying several shiney polished stones in the golden webbing. When he came back, he looked up at the mare and the boy and smirked. "Saving the servants some work are you?" He looked down at the white mare's muddied legs and shook his head. "Do you think she cleans herself?"

*

"I'll do it myself when I have my playing clothes on." He says resolutely. "You may not care about how much they work, but I've seen it and helped them." If he hadn't left his other clothes at the tailors, something he sorely regretted now and would apologize to his mother later, he'd have simply changed right then and crossed himself.

*

He smirked at that and nodded. "You're right. How cruel of me to have employed the servants. I think I will put into effect a new law. No more servants in the castle. All of those rooms, all of that work. It will go unattended. No one will clean, no one will tend to the king, no one will cook, no one will give housing and board to the multitudes living in my halls. In fact, I will not imprison them in the castle anymore." He leaned close to the boy, a very serious expression on his face. "All of them will live on the streets without jobs, without means to sustain themselves or their families. Would you prefer that, your HIGHNESS?"

*

"No, I wouldn't, which is why you're twisting my words to try and guilt me into making more work for them that can be avoided! Do you pour wine on the floor so they'll have work? No! Do you throw dirt on the walls? No, you don't do that either, and if you did you'd have unhappy servants, wouldn't you?"

*

He smiled at that and nodded. "I have designated clothes washers, pup. If I went out of my way to keep my clothes clean, they would be out of work, they would be put out of my castle, and they would live just as I said. On the streets without a means to support their families." He shook his head slowly. "This is how I live and I do not have unhappy servants. You yourself said so. 'You'd have unhappy servants' is not the same as 'you do have unhappy servants'." He winked slyly. "If you've watched them, you'll have seen the comradery they share with one another. The only time much of them get to see eachother and socialize is while they do their work. If we do not give them something to do, they will become bored and lonely." His tail slowly lifted to his side and gently rubbed the mare's rump. "So you tell me, highness. Which one of us is lacking in kindness to those souls who maintain the citadel's upkeep?"

*

"Just wearing clothes day to day is enough to wash them. It's how we did it. Mom made several several sets of clothes and I'd wear one each day while working, then my playing clothes after. At the end, they're washed. Simple as that." He'd not be baited further, even if he was temporarily out of his poor mood.

*

He smirked and tilted his head. "Do you think this is your only set of clothes? Is that the problem?" He roared with laughter. "You have wardrobes being filled as we speak! Drawers and drobes full of clothes!" He smirked at the boy and shook his head. "They will wash full baskets full of silks as easily as they washed your baskets full of cottons while you were but a servant's son." He winked and slapped the mare's rump with the spade of his tail. She reared up, pitching Amaris into the cool, clear water. She trotted back up onto the bank to hide behind the big stallion. Vaelin laughed, falling backward into the water himself. When he sat up, he playfully splashed the boy with a grin on his muzzle.

*

Amaris was not in the mood after being bucked off the horse. In fact, his eyes were closed tightly and he was shivering more than he should be from just the water temperature. He thought over and over "Don't cry" but it was getting harder and harder to avoid crying when you landed broken wings first in a river that was shallow enough for you to hit the riverbed.

*

And then strong arms wrapped around him and drew him against a surprisingly warm chest, despite the cold water. Vaelin was still laughing as he hefted the boy to his feet. When he set Amaris down, it was upon the grassy shore beside their horses. He let go of the boy and the next thing Amaris heard was "Here. For you." If and when he openned his eyes, it was the largest rock of the bunch. A hunk of pyrite, actually. To a child younger than Amaris, it must have been the most precious find in the world.

*

"G-G-Gold..?" He whispered painfully after cracking one eye opened. It was all he could manage through gritted teeth. His wings hurt so much now it almost felt like they'd been broken all over again.

*

An arm draped loosely around Amaris's shoulders, careful of the wings Vaelin still hadn't realized, or considered, had been hurt when he pitched the boy into the water. "Close. Very close. I found this when I was two years younger than you. It was there, gleaming in the bottom of the lake," he turned, pointing. "I dove in, swimming through the blackness of the night time. Swimming, swimming, swimming. It never seemed to get any closer and I stubbornly refused to go up and take a breath. Just when my lungs were starting to burn, I grabbed it!" He smiled and tilted his head. "I swam as fast as I could to the surface and almost passed out on the way, but I made it." He smiled and again held it up in front of the boy. "And I want you to have it."

*

Shaking hands take it and grip the pyrite tightly in an attempt to distract from the pain. He looked at closely and wondered how anyone could see it at night at the bottom of the lake. It seemed impossible! "Wh-Why..?" He asks, looking up and once again remembering the horrid collar he wore.

*

"Because," he said. "You're my son." He winked slyly and tilted his head. "And my heir. I can't give you my kingdom yet, so a shiney rock will have to do." He smirked and stepped away. "I'm going to take Ronin out to graze." He stood up and strode toward the big stallion, who pranced away worriedly. Vaelin blinked and spread his arms. "What?" A shriek behind him caused him to turn quickly, wings still laden with shiney stones. A gryphon burst from the trees, talons outstretched and beak spread. Vaelin gasped in shock, his muscles braced. But the grphon was upon him. It's talons and beak thrashed against him, tearing at his clothes and scales in an attempt to get at the meat below. Vaelin yelled and roared as he was attacked by the hungry beast. He struggled against the ravenous monster, his tail slamming against it's sides until with one lucky blow his spade pierced the beast's flank. The great golden monstrocity roared in agony, and staggered away. It managed three steps before it collapsed and was motionless. Likewise, Vaelin collapsed battered and bloody. None of his scales had been pierced, but many had been ripped away. And he was absolutely covered in his own crimson blood.

*

Amaris had been stunned into by the creature's sudden appearance, and sat on the riverbank frozen and clutching the pyrite tightly. When a snort from the mare finally shakes him out of it, he cries out wordlessly and scrambles over. So many thoughts raced through his mind, on of which being that if the King died, he'd be free again, no longer a prince to fear other males, but a king to command them! But then another thought banished all the others as he fell to his knees by Vaelin, asking him fearfully what he should do.

Did he really want to lose his father again..?

*

Vaelin laid there, groaning and gasping. Blood washed from his form, oozing from the holes in his scales torn by the slain beast nearby. There was no response to any of the boy's pleas, no reaction to any of the shaking or prodding. He merely writhed ever so slightly, barely enough to call it movement.

*

The pup was at a loss for what to do. The horses were spooked by the attack and they weren't fast enough to get back in time for help, and his wings were nigh useless in the condition they were in! He couldn't do anything except sit ther and watch Vaelin die...

*

While the mare might have been spooked into staying well away from it all, the well traind roan was there after a moment. He gave the gryphon a wide berth, but he stood vigil over his fallen rider. It was his purpose. His kind were trained from birth. Never leave their rider's side.

*

This did little to calm Amaris down. He didn't like the stallion, or any male horses for that matter. The only thing that might of worked would be the magic the collar thoroughly suppressed, and Amaris didn't even remember having any. He didn't even believe that was what the collar was for. "Please d-don't die..."

*

While the magic might have worked, Vaelin had taken precautions to stifle it. The horse, though, stared down at Vaelin for a moment then turned his head to nudge the boy almost expectantly before he nsed at the king's bloody clothes.

*

Amaris flinches and scoots away, staring at the black beast with a mix of fear and confusion. "I don't know what to do!" He says desperately, trying to explain. He was just a boy, a prince with little knowledge of anything but his previous job as a servant.

*

The big beast threw his head lightly and pawed at the ground then nudged the king again. Then he turned his blood red eyes on Amaris and just stared at him. he stared and watched and waited. He could not leave his master at all. But the boy could.

*

It took several moments before he understood and then he took off running, getting on the mare and urging her to a gallop back towards the gate.. and the guards stationed there. He hoped he hadn't left too late to help Vaelin. This was bad. Very bad.

*

The horse waited all the while,, waiting by his rider's side. He would not leave his rider, no matter the cacaphony around him. He was a war horse, after all.

*

"THE KING WAS ATTACKED!" He shouts as soon as he's close enough to the guards he believes they can hear him "FERAL GRYPHON! HE'S HURT BAD, GET A HEALER DOWN TO THE LAKE!" As soon as he sees them mobilize he's turns the mare around and rides back to Vaelin's side.

*

The guards all rushed after little Amaris and not long after priests of the cloth were riding with all due haste. The priests met the guard half way back to the castle, as indeed the guard had scooped his Majesty up and were gringing him back. In a matter of hours, the King was unconscious, but clean and in his bed, wrapped in many now-stained bandages.

*

Amaris made sure the horse were stabled before going up to Vaelin's room, even if the stallion freaked him out. He stayed by the king for a few minutes before he went to his room and yanked the dirty clothes off. He got the bath going until he remembered his wings and gave up on that, crawling into bed instead.

*

The days would roll by and the King would remain still. Poor Amaris still had to learn how to be a princeling, but it was his mother teaching him manners and etiquite and so on and so forth. It was only after a week or so that the king finally awoke. It was at one point when Amaris was actually in the royal suite. There was silence and then the gentlest stirr. And his head turned. And his eyes openned. A soft moan. A little groan.

*

Amaris's ear twitch. He'd heard phantom noises before. But this one sounded more real than the others had. He tentatively looks up from his seat at the table he'd been resting his head on with his arms acting as pillow. He hadn't really been paying attention to his lessons this past week, to preoccupied with the fate of his father, even if the pup did think he was far from a good person...

*

When the ruby eyes spied the pup staring at him, his hand gave a twitch and lifted ever so slightly toward him. He hissed and groaned, but finally a faint whisper sounded through his sore throat. "You're alright!" It hurt to speak. Vocal cords to long unused had grown tight and the faintest breath of air over them was as but fire in his throat.

*

Amaris got up fast enough the chair was knocked over and he nearly fell getting over to the bed. Luckily he was getting used to using broken wings to balance. He grabbed the hand and squeezed. "You're alive!"

*

He smiled weakly and held the hand as tightly as he could which, admittedly, was not that tightly. "You didnt get...?" he asked weakly then gasped for breath. "The beast did not get you?" His eyes closed again and he relaxed back into the bedding heavily.

*

"No. It went at you and you hurt it enough it left. The hound master hunted it down. It's, um.. feathers made a cool cloak..." He says, trying to lighten things up a little. He didn't feel better, just.. not worse. Vaelin was still hurt pretty bad.

*

He smiled at that and nodded almost imperceptibly. "I'm sure it will look..." he took a wheezing breath, "...great around your shoulders." He opened his eyes and looked at the boy. "Do you still have all of my old stones?"

*

Amaris looks down and frowned. "I only have the pyrite. I.. dropped the others when the gryphon attacked. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose the others..."

*

He shook his head again and slowly lifted his hand to pat Amaris's own. "No, no. They haven't sprouted legs and run away. We'll fetch them when I'm... when I'm..." He sighed and waved his hand. "Now you have treasures of your own, hm? A bit of pyrite, a new gryphon feather cloak. You made off..." he wheezed again, "...like a bandit!"

*

The pup shakes his head. "I gave the cloak to my mom. It was to.. to thank her for everything she's done. Everything." He murmurs, feeling embarrassed. "She deserves it more than me..."

*

He shrugged lightly at that and immediatly regretted it. He groaned then took a calming breath. "That is good. Your handmaiden needs a little thank you now and again, hm?" he winked slyly then laid back. "I feel so weak. I dont like it."

*

"She's my mother." He says firmly, remembering why he didn't exactly like the dragon. "At least you know how others feel sometimes. It's no fun having to be bandaged up, is it?"

*

He smirked and pulled his hand away from the child. "That didn't take long." He wheezed and groaned before slowly waving his hand dismisively. "Go on, away with you." He groaned and laid his arm back down along his torso on the bed.

*

"You act snooty and I'll act mean." He says calmly, stubbornly going nowhere. "I'm not leaving, 'cause you need help just doing easy stuff, like moving." He didn't want to be far away in case something happened and he had to get the healers again.

*

"I make a joke," he weezed, "And you fall right back into your usual song and dance." He openned his eyes and stared at the boy. "You say I dont change. It's you, Amaris. You are the one so set in your ways." He shook his head. "I made the effort to be nice and it obviously hasn't worked. Begone if you wont put forth your own effort."

*

"I've barely left your side, helped change your bandages, and put wet cloth on your head. You bit my finger when tried to give you your medicine. You'd be a lot worse if I was set in my ways." He replies gruffly. "I already told you I'm not leaving, and you can't make me."

*

He rolled his eyes. "Then stay, but the next time you issue an accusation without provocation, I will have you removed." he weezed, then sighed heavily and closed his eyes. In the next moment, he was asleep, exhaustion took over with ease.

*

"Stupid old lizard." He mutters. The guards wanted what was best for their king, and that meant letting Amaris stay to help. Let Vaelin wave his supposed power around. He needed it now anyway.

*

Vaelin would sleep again for another several hours. When he awoke again, it was a quiet thing. His lids slowly parted and his head barely turned. He merely looked around his room. The pain was incredible, but it had died down to an agonizing ache instead of the searing fire it had been. His blue hues gazed about. What time was it? Was he alone? And then his stomach gave a loud rumble. He glared at it accusingly.

*

He was not alone. Amaris, dressed in night clothes, was under the covers next to the dragon, he wasn't touching Vaelin, and he was facing away, but he was still there. He'd been sleeping in the room every other day or so to keep an eye on Vaelin and be close if something happened he could help with.

*

When he spied the lump next to him, he slowly smiled and closed his eyes again. It was the dead of night, then. He would rest more. Rest would be good. He carefully lifted his wing and draped it over himself. It hurt, but he was sure it would be fine once he was done moving. He draped the wing over himself and over the pup at his side. He smiled and breathed a heavy sigh. Better... Slowly, he drifted back to sleep.

*

The wing trapped in more heat, and that kept Amaris toasty warm as he slept. Unconsciously he knew his father was feeling better and that made him smile softly. He didn't want Vaelin looking so... helpless.

*

He slept soundly for the rest of the night. All through the night, his body continued knitting itself back together. His scales would take longer to grow back, but the wounds were closing and the muscles were rebinding. It would be days before he would be more or less rehealed completly, at that pace. These were the wonders of an ancient glory.

*

The next morning Amaris received a bit of a shock, being curled up next to Vaelin and covered by the big wing. He started to tremble until he realized his heat was long over, and he didn't have to worry about his father, as Vaelin had explained, going crazy from the smell. So, in true spontaneous fashion, he decides to stay were he is and enjoy being next to a parent.

*

Vaelin would sleep for a good while longer. It was ultimatly the loud rumble coming from his belly that roused him. His lids openned and his brow knit together as another gurgling protest sounded. He smirked to himself and withdrew his wing from over Amaris. His body was still very sore, but... well he wanted food. Needed food. He was going to go get some, damnit! He gave a mild groan as he sat up and glanced around.

*

Amaris rolled on to his back and looks up at Vaelin curiously. "Are you okay? You shouldn't move yet!" The pup sits up and stretches, wings straining against the bandages. "Um.. Thanks for the wing..."

*

Vaelin snorted and groaned. "I'm hungry." He said simply and, despite being quite naked, threw the blankets off of himself, deliberatly throwin them onto Amaris's head. He turned and set his feet on the cool velvet carpeting and wretched himself up. His muscles screamed in protest and he lost his balance. He reached out and grabbed one of the posts for support, then very carefully started down the step toward the washroom. Amaris might, if he were paying attention or even cared enough to, notice that Vaelin's hard pecs were showing a little big of pudge to them. No doubt from laying in bed for a few days!

*

Amaris yelled as he's suddenly trying to struggle his way to freedom. By the time he's out of the sheet Vaelin has already started towards the washroom. "That wasn't nice, you know!" He shouts after the dragon, a little mad at him. "I'm gonna tell the kitchen you just want rice!" He threatens ineffectively.

*

"And I'm going to tell them I want a massive helping of honey ham with grape and strawberry slices all over it," he countered before he slipped between the curtains of the washroom and waved his hand over the empty basin. As always it did, it began to fill with hot, perfumed water. He slipped down into the basin with a sore groan and settled his back against the mosaic wall. As the water slowly rose up over his naked form, he gave a pleasant moan and nodded. "That feels so good..."

*

"You don't put fruit on ham, that's gross!" He replies, getting dressed for the day. He was gonna go ask his mother if she'd take his bandages off today. He wanted to stretch his wings again! He'd been so depressed about not being able to fly, and there was still a bit of bitterness towards Vaelin for breaking them in the first place.

*

"It's delicious!" he called from the bathroom hoarsly. He grumbled and shook his head. Silly pup had no idea. He smirked lightly and relaxed into the water as it finally stopped at his neck. He spread his wings around the edge of the basin and gave a content sigh. "Ham and honey and grapes and strawberries. Maybe a little bit of spiced juice with it." He smirked and again gave another contented sigh.

*

"It's a waste of ham! Strawberries are bad!" He shouts back, looking for the new shirt his mother had finished making for him. She'd been so happy when he had gotten her cloth to work with that wasn't second hand he took her to see Miss Squeak. The two of them got a kick out of using him as a model, much to his embarrassment. He'd sworn them to secrecy immediately.

*

Vaelin merely chuckled and shook his head. "More for me then," he said simply to himself and folded his hands over his belly. He gave a soft sigh again and his brow met. He looked down at his belly and shook his head. "Amaris, how long was I asleep?" he called.

*

"Um.. A week, I think. Why?" There it was, on the chair by the door. He smiled as he picked it and the pants under it up and changed out of sight of Vaelin. He'd surprise him with the dark red with white trim today before going to his mother.

*

Vaelin smirked and pat the slight bulge of his usually taut belly. "You really got a kick out of stuffing food down my throat, didnt you?" he asked with a chuckle rumbling deep in his chest. The boy probably got a sick satisfaction shoving a hand full of food down his gullet to keep him alive.

*

"Not after you bit me!" He admits, rolling his eyes. He hadn't gotten a kick out of it before the bite either, but he had been a little.. over worried about the dragon's health. Once dressed he walks to the entrance of the washroom. "I still can't believe you're gonna mess up ham." He says incredulously.

*

Vaelin's brow met and he glared thoughtfully down at his belly curiously. "When did I bite you?" he asked, sliding his hand from his naval to the bottom of his chest and back. Firm like he'd just eaten a good sized meal. But if Amaris hadn't been feeding him... Well that was a puzzle, wasnt it? He still hadn't looked up at the pup either as he muddled through the reasoning for his oddly pudged belly.

*

"It was while you were asleep. I was trying to get some stew in you and you kind of lunged forward and got me. My hand is fine though." He adds, shifting his wings in their bandages. Soon they'd be free, and that made him smile.

*

"Yes, but when did this happen?" he asked, turning to look. He blinked and slowly began to smile. "Well look at that," he said softly and reached a hand out beckoningly. "You're starting to look like a prince. Soon, you'll be every bit the heir I deserve." he winked mirthfully then seemed to remember his puzzle. His brow creased and again he glanced down to his belly beneath the water's surface.

*

"The second day after the gryphon." He says as he reluctantly walked over to the washtub. He'd keep the fact his mother made these clothes a secret for now. Something reveal later, maybe.

*

His brow met again and he shook his head. "That doesnt make any sense..." He said and stood up. He turned to face Amaris and shook his head. "If you havent been feeding me for four days, why do I look like you've been feeding me more than my fair share?" he asked, poking at the faintest curve of his usually taut tummy. Not to mention the pudge of his chest he hadnt quite noticed yet.

*

"I have been, I just wasn't getting a 'kick' out of it." He explains, taking his right hand in his left and rubbing it. "I'm glad my scales are as strong as they are, or I might need a new hand..." What was Vaelin doing now? Why gesture for him to move closer but then ignore him? It made no sense.

*

Vaelin watched him for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Oh. Good, then thank you." He winked and hugged the boy tightly against himself. He stared down at the pup and gave a soft sigh. "Your mother is doing well with her new duties, I see." He winked again then stepped out of the basin. Slowly he led Amaris back into the main chamber and over to a wardrobe. "Red and white.. I'm sure I have a match in here!"

*

"How'd you guess?" He asks, somewhat frustrated that Vaelin had figured it out so quickly. He'd thought he'd have a secret for once! Well, beside who his crush was. Amaris stopped as he realized what he'd done and frowned. Why had he done it? He felt so confused now he didn't know what to do.

*

He laughed lightly and shook his head. "Because you arent the first prince in this kingdom. I had a handmaiden too." He shrugged his wings and plucked out a red tunic and matching surcoat, each trimmed in white and gold. Simple red leggings to match seemed appropriate. He dressed then smiled at the pup. The look on Amaris face confused him though. His brow knit and he tilted his head. "Something wrong?"

*

"Hmm? Oh, no, nothing.." He says quietly, thinking. He tried to wave it off, to explain to himself why he'd done what he had and finding himself still without answer.

*

Vaelin shrugged at that and slowly moved toward the door. "Well, in that case let's go get some honey ham." He grinned inwardly at the thought and gave a rumbling chuckle at the bubbling gurgle in his belly. It would be nice to eat food himself!

*

"Hopefully before you mess it up with fruit." He replies, making a face as he puts his confusing thoughts away for later when he might be alone. "Oh, I wasn't going to the kitchen first though. I've got something else to do first."

*

His brow quirked and he tilted his head. "Oh? And what could you possibly have to do that is more important than breakfast with your father, O Prince in Training?" he asked, a smirk on his red scaled muzzle. He was in a strangly good mood, all things considered. He wasnt sure why, but he didnt want it to end any time soon.

*

"When breakfast is messed up ham, does it need to be important?" Amaris replies as he walks for the door. "It's not like every guard in the palace won't be on even higher alert now that you're awake, and you know a hiding spot of mine."

*

"A hiding spot," he echoed and smirked. "But yes. It does need to be more important. I almost died. I assume. You dont want to eat breakfast with me without risking your hand?" he asked and stepped out into the hall. "You wound me."

*

"You wounded me first." He counters, holding up his hand as he goes across the hall. "I'll be there soon, don't worry your scales about it so. They'll fall out."

*

His brow met at that and he pointed a finger. "I hope it hurts less than having them ripped out." he said and grumbled. "Where are you going anyway?" he asked, quirking a brow. "You cant tease a dragon's curiosity like that and not sate it."

*

"Yes I can." He replies, opening his door just enough to slip in without his wings catching on the door. Without checking to see if his mother was in the room, he closed the door and stepped back to wait. He figured it wouldn't be long before Vaelin investigated.

*

Moments later, his mother would emerge from the washroom wiping her mouth. She smiled at him and tilted her head to the side curiously. "You arent with your father?" she asked and smoothed her rather pretty gown out along her ample chest and belly.

*

"Not yet." He replies, walking over and hugging her. "He got up to eat just a bit ago. I was wondering if you'd like take my bandages off and then join us for breakfast..? You could wear the cloak and the dress Miss Squeak made you. You're really beautiful in it."

*

She hugged him tightly against herself and gently stroked his hair. "He's awake? Thank the gods!" She leaned down and kissed her son's head. "Thank you, Amaris. That means a great deal." She smiled and turned toward the wardrobe. "Come help me put it on, hm?"

*

"Sure, Momma." He agrees easily enough. He'd helped her dress many times when she'd been in a hurry or tired, and it didn't bother him to see her naked like some others boys might be around their mothers.

*

She smiled at that and indicated her comparitively small wardrobe with a nod of her head. "Fetch it for us then." she said, then began to slip out of the gown she was wearing. When she stood naked, she smiled and waited patiently for her little princeling to get her dress and cloak.

*

Without pause Amaris went and collected his mother's dress, a fine piece that he felt was worthy of her, and brought it back to help her dress. "Here it is, Momma. Not even a crease or anything either."

*

His mother smiled and nodded, reaching to take the dress and carefully pull it onto her form. Once she got her fur smoothed out beneath, she turned her back to him and reached out to grab one of the posts of the four-poster they shared. "Ok, lace it up now. Nice and tight!"

*

"I you sure that won't hurt or make it hard to breath?" He asks, a little worried, as he grabs the laces and starts to pull them, getting the dress to be form-fitting slowly in case she wanted him to stop at a certain point.

*

She laughed and shook her head. "A little, but that's hardly the point." She looked over her shoulder and winked slyly at him. "You'll see someday. Making a good impression can be a higher priority than one's own comfort." She smiled at him and rolled her shoulders. "As tight as you can, Amaris."

*

"If you're sure..." He says warily, lacing her as tight as he dared to. He didn't want to ruin the dress before it could even be worn! "I'm glad the cloak doesn't have to be tight." He tells her as he finishes with the dress.

*

She smiled at him then turned around when he had finished and leaned down to gently kiss his snout. "Dont you worry your pretty little wings off!" She said, then spun her finger about in the air. "Alright, turn around. You want them off, let's get those bandages off then."

*

He smiled as he was kissed, thinking how little things had changed now that he was the prince. And then he had an idea that made his tail wag happily as he turned around. "Thanks, Momma. They've started to itch, and it's hard to really wash with them like this..."

*

She smiled at that and started carefully pulling the bandages away. "Dont scratch them." She said simply. After several minutes when she had pulled the bandages completly away, she gave a little gasp and a small giggle. "Well... You deffinitely have your father's blood in you." She ran her fingers over the pristine scales of his wings then over the soft webbing. "As good as new!"

*

"Really?" He asks quickly, stretching them out and admiring the way his fur caught the light and made his wings shine a deep red. He nearly cries. "It feels so good to have them out again! Thank you!" He exclaims, spinning around and hugging her tightly.

*

She laughed and hugged him back tightly. She smoothed his fur out a little then straightened and moved to wrap the feathered cloak about her shoulders. She admired herself in the mirror of a nearby vanity, then smiled at Amaris. "Good! Now straighten your clothes, Amaris. Chin up! Let's go show His Majesty what a fine little prince you're becoming!"

*

"He said the same thing when he woke up. Well, almost." He tells her, taking her hand in his own and leading her to the dining hall like a gentleman. He'd remembered that part of her lessons at least.

*

"Then it's probably true." She said, following her prince and son with a smile on her wolfen muzzle. When they came to the dining hall, she broke away from Amaris to pull his chair out for him, the seat to Vaelin's right. The dragon was already seated and their platters already placed. One Amaris was seated, she took her seat to his right as well, so he was between she and Vaelin.*

*

"I'd like to.. ask something." He says nervously, looking at Vaelin briefly before his eyes drop to his food. Now that he was in front of the dragon, his idea was more anxiety inducing that it seemed just minutes ago.

*

Vaelin smiled at the pup and nodded. "You can, of course." He smiled again and reached to pull his lid from his platter,revealing indeed the very ham he had requested! Under his mother's own was a more traditional pancakes and eggs.

*

"Well... If you're the king, and I'm the prince..." He starts, trying to keep his voice calm as he looks under his own platter: ham and eggs. He smiled a bit at that.

*

He grinned and immeeiatly began to cut into the fruity honey ham. When Amaris trailed off, he quirked a brow and tilted his head to the side curiously. "Yes?" he asked, then resumed shovelling meat and fruit into his muzzle.*

*

Amaris played with a small chunk of ham before eating it and looking at his mother. Gathering his courage, he looks at Vaelin and lets out a calming breath. "I was just wondering why my mother couldn't be the queen." He says, voice just barely shaking.

*

"Because she is a servant," he said and shook his head. "She has no royal blood in her. Thusly, I cannot marry her." He shook his head slowly. "Politics, a lesson for a later time, I think." He quirked a brow then scooped a large hunk of meat into his mouth.*

*

"I wasn't a legitimate heir and you made me royalty." He protests, frowning. "And I know baby furs have something connecting them to their mom when their born, so we shared blood!"

*

He nodded. "You share her blood and mine. You have royal blood. She does not." He said, eying him for a moment more. "Your claim is stretching it, but since I have no royal heir, you will have to do." His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "No use arguing, you cannot change the way things are."

*

'Yet.' He thinks, his good mood gone. He ate in silence and kept his face blank. He knew what he'd change first when he could...

*

He watched Amaris's brooding expression and shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I will not risk this kingdom's credibility with it's allies to sate your twisted sense of social justice." He shrugged his wings and threw a grape into his mouth."You will have to learn to accept the world for what it is or be doomed to a life of misery."

*

"If you say so." He replies neutrally, flexing his wings slowly to try and sooth the itching. He ate quietly, wishing he hadn't thought of his mother as queen. She should be, he knew it, but he couldn't do anything about it.

*

He shook his head. "I do say so, but only because I've got the experience you do not yet have." He shrugged his wings lightly and started poking the fruit he had missed and scooping them into his maw. After several minutes, he leaned back and smiled at his empty platter. "Delicious!"

*

"It was good." He admits as he finishes off his eggs. He wondered briefly if he should feel weird about eating eggs as a dragon. He wished he could do more for his mother though...

*

"Quite good!" his mother agreed and delicately pat her muzzle with the tablecloth. Vaelin smiled at them both and breathed a content sigh. The dragon watched as the servants came to wisk their platters away, as well as the table cloth. Once they were left with the bare table, he leaned forward and looked to Amaris. "I dont think I want to go for another ride for a very long time. Instead why dont you and I pay a visit to the master at arms today?"

*

"The what?" He asks. He'd heard the title before, but had never figured out what it meant. Since he still wore the hated collar, the term 'master' was currently quite unsettling to the little pup. He really wish Vaelin would take it off...

*

"The master at arms is the man responsible for all of the arms and armor throughout the castle. He outfits the royal guard and such, as well as my personal armory. Now," he said, spreading his hands lightly before folding them upon the tabletop, "he will be responsible for yours as well. As well as your training with it."

*

"So... He teaches you how to fight?" He says, putting it simply. At least Amaris didn't have one weak spot most males did between their legs. It made fighting safer! "Why do I need to know how to fight? If you weren't bigger I'd have gotten you.. back.. when.." He trails of as dark memories return unbidden to his mind.

*

He smirked at that and inclined his head. "So you do remember. That is interesting..." He growled thoughtfully and shook his head. "Size is not always the deciding factor of a fight, and the Master at Arms will teach you how to nullify that advantage with speed, guile, finesse."

*

"It's hard to forget being t-taken like that." He whispers shakily, glad he can wrap himself up in his wings once again. He wasn't really listening anymore, just trying to calm down and force the bad memories back into the little box in his mind.

*

Clearing having misunderstood what the boy was referring to, Vaelin quirked a brow and shrugged his wings. "There is more to being smaller in that instance. Your body was decidedly rebelling." He waved a hand dismisively and shook his head. "It's neither here nor there."

*

"I didn't want to do any of that." He sighs, wrapping his wingers tighter around his body. He felt more secure that way, and felt he kind of understood the whole lacing dresses tightly thing now.

*

"Your mind, no. But your body knew what it wanted." He spread his hands lightly again. "Nothing to be ashamed of. Just one of the gods little gifts to us mere mortals." He smirked and slid his chair out. As he stood, Amaris mother did as well, as expected.

*

The pup followed suit and got up, ready to follow Vaelin even if he wasn't comfortable around him anymore.

*

Vaelin turned and started toward the great hall at a leisurely pace, smiling all the while. It was nice to be out of bed. He only remembered very little of being in bed, always in pain. Now he was still sore, but it was nice to be on his feet. He hummed to himself then glanced at Amaris and his mother behind him. "What do you think you might like to learn how to use properly?"

*

Amaris looked up at him and shrugged. "I don't know. I've never even been to the master at arm's before.. I've seen the guards with swords, so I guess those?" He seems pretty neutral about learning how to fight. He didn't see much use in it except to escape pins and stuff like that.

*

He nodded and smiled at the boy. "Then the sword it is. Let him know and you'll be able to ocus primarily on that," he said and smiled, starting to walk along slowly toward the great hall and the courtyard beyond.

*

"Are there other weapons?" He asks, following next to his mother. She comforted him again, just being there. He still hadn't worked up the nerve to ask why she'd lied about his father, but he wasn't mad about it anymore.

*

The king gave a chuckle and nodded. "Of course there are. You will see them when we get to the barracks. Cudgels, polearms, blades, bows. You name it." He smiled lightly and shook his heac. "Maybe in the coming years, you may even learn to be my equal in the sword. Maybe even best me. We shall see."

*

"Why would I want to do that?" He asks curiously. "I don't wanna beat anyone, I just wanna know how to use a weapon to keep myself safe from bad people."

*

"You arent going to get to that point unless you learn to beat other people in the practice ring." He said and eyed the pup curiously. He had some very strange views on the world. He hoped the boy would mature soon. Such views were dangerous.

*

"Well... If I have to, I guess." He says slowly, thinking about how he might look holding a sword the size the Knights used. "What's a polearm and a cudgel?"

*

"A polearm is a long weapon like a pike or a halberd and a cudgel is a blugeoning weapon. Like a morning star." he smiled aagain and shook his head. "Each one is used differently for reasons that should be easily apparent once you see them all."

*

"So polearms are like spears? Why not call them spears then? That would be a lot easier." He replies, flexing his wings again to relieve the itching. He'd wash them as soon as he could and see if that helped. If not... Well, he'd fly.

*

He shook his head as they approached the barracks. "Because spears arent the only pole arms. There are pikes, lances, halberds, poleaxes, javelines, and some others." He considered the boy for a moment and shook his head. "There are reasons for things in the world beyond what you see as 'should be'."

*

"Should be? I'm just asking why there aren't called spears because I don't know anything about weapons besides 'hit the other guy'." He responds with a bit of frustration. "It's not like anyone ever thinks to teach servants how to defend themselves."

*

"No, but you're going to learn how now, arent you?" he countered with a wink. "It's not necessarily prudent to complain about not knowing how to fight on your way to learning how to fight." He grinned again then nodded his head politely to the guard who pulled the door of the barracks open for them. Stepping in, they were greeted with a small lobby and a little desk. Behind the desk, several hallways split off in various directions and there, standing behind the desk peering down at the map atop it was a rather muscular looking bear. The man looked up and smiled. "Majesty." His brown eyes turned to Amaris and he inclined his head lightly. "Highness."

*

"H-Hello." He says quietly, trying not to hide behind his mother. Another man too big to be believed. " Are.. Are you the weapon master?" He asks as calmly as he can manage.

*

"Quartermaster, yes." The bear smiled, then glanced to the dragon king. "Is there something I can do for you, Majesty?" The dragon smiled and nodded. "Yes. My son here wishes to learn how to defend himself. I was hoping you could teach him a thing or two." The bear grinned and glanced down to the hybrid thoughtfully. "Daggers then?"

*

"I was thinking I'd use a sword, like the guards or knights." He replies, looking up at bear. "Why do you think daggers?" He asks curiously. "Aren't there enough swords?"

*

"Oh, there are plenty of swords, buy you're a little... small." He smirked and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We'll start you with a short-sword, then." He nodded and turned to walk down one of the halls with a beckoning wave of his hand. Vaelin grinned and looked down to Amaris expectantly.

*

"Do I go with him then?" He asks, looking at Vaelin and his mother. "How's he going to teach me?"

*

"Yes, go!" Vaelin urged mirthfully. He reached down and nudged the boy's back, gently pushing him in the direction the bear was walking. His mother merely smiled, standing silently beside and behind Vaelin. She watched her son with the same prideful gold eyes as always.

*

"Okay then." He says quietly, reluctantly following the quartermaster. He'd thought Vaelin would be there as well to keep an eye on him. Still, he hurried on to catch up and learn how to fight.

*

Vaelin smiled, watching the boy go. He grinned at his mother then winked and motioned her to follow him. The quartermaster led Amaris back into the armory that was absolutely filled with every weapon imaginable! The bear walkd to a rack nearby and plucked a small buckler and a short sword off. He turned and handed them to the pup and smiled. "There, try these."

*

"Do I just hold the buckler like this?" He asks, gripping the punching shield almost correctly. "It doesn't strap on like bigger shields?"

*

The bear leaned down and adjusted the strap so the small shield was fastened against the back of his hand. "There. You can use it to block, punch, or back-hand." He grinned and got another similar buckler, albeit larger, and a hand-and-a-half sword from a nearby rack. "Come outside, let's get started." He led the boy out to a ring or sand and dirt lined with various different dummies. Standing off to the side was Vaelin and his mother, patiently waiting.

*

"But.. I don't.. We aren't going to be fighting, right?" He asks cautiously, gripping the sword hilt tightly as he steps into the ring and looks at Vaelin and his mother nervously. He didn't even know how to use a sword!

*

"Is there something else you would like to be doing with a sword?" he asked, then pointed to one of the dummies with a wooden sword and shield. "There, that one. Have at it, Highness," the bear growled lightly, a grin spread across his muzzle. He tilted his head to the side lightly and put his sword tip in the dirt so he could lean on it somewhat comfortably.

*

"What do I do besides swing it though?" He asks, lifting the sword experimentally. "I only asked because I don't know what to do at all." He explains as he looks back to the trainer.

*

The bear shrugged his shoulders lightly and offered a mirthful grin. "Let's start with swing the sword." He said simply then nodded his head toward the target dummy. "Go ahead. Teach that one a lesson." Vaelin watched where he stood, alwayss watching, always patient.

*

Amaris nods, though he's still confused, and looks at the dummy closely. It looked like a person, or at least close enough. With a calming breath, he swings the shortsword at the dummy's arm, knowing he'd like to keep someone from using their weapon.

*

As the sword thunked dully against the wood, the bear smiled and nodded. "Just one swing? Come on, I said teach that thing a lesson, so do it!" Vaelin smirked and stepped away from the ring. He headed into the barracks, leaving the bear, the cub, and the shewolf out in the sun for the time being.

*

Amaris looked at the bear and then back at the dummy. Hitting it to teach it a lesson? It was just a dummy though! Well... Unless it wasn't. After moments he swings the sword with all his might and as fast as he can as much as he can before he tires out. And then he punches it once with the buckler for good measure.

*

The bear laughed heartily at the final punch from his buckler. He grinned at the boy and nodded. "Not bad. You need to flow from one strike to the next." He tilted his head to the side and hefted his sword up. He approached the wooden dummy and very slowly started to swing his sword at the thing. Each movement flowed naturally into another. "You arent chopping wood, you dont hack and pull back, hack and pull back. Your strikes need to move from one into the next without losing momentum."

*

"I don't know how to do that though." He replies, looking frustrated. "I don't know anything about fighting with a sword!"

*

Still swinging very slowly at the dummy, letting his movements flow from one attack into the next as he had the minute before, the bear quirked a brow and looked at the princeling. "Then you must be blind. Learn to watch, observe. You can learn a great deal with your eyes, Highness. Use them."

*

"Watching someone write doesn't mean you get it immediately." He retorts, looking at the dummy again. "I don't get why you have to flow."

*

"Because you will attack faster with less effort," the bear said then stepped back. "Now try doing what I was." He said leaning on his sword again. Behind him, Vaelin silently stepped out onto the pitch dressed in rather ornate looking armor with a gem encrusted sword strapped to his hip and a similarly ornate shield on one arm.

*

He tries, he really does, but something about it just feels weird to the young pup, and he can't seem to get it right no matter what he does.

*

The bear smiled when the young pup was finished and stepped forward. "Good, good. Try not to hack, then pull the blade down along where you've struck though. It's less about painting and more about simply always staying in motion." Vaelin walked up on Amaris other side and nodded. "Why dont you and I show him, Quartermaster, what fighting actually looks like instead of hacking away at a carved log?" The bear looked at his king and smiled. "Of course, Majesty." The two of them stepped into the center of the earthen ring and Vaelin drew his sword. He spread his wings wide and leapt forward. The ursine quartermaster leapt at him as well. Their blades flashed in the sunlight and, as the big bear had instructed, each of them moved fluidly, every attack or parry flowed into another. There was really no hacking, only finesse and practiced footwork. It wasnt until Vaelin tripped the bear with his tail and the big ursine landed heavily with Vaelin's blade pointed at his chest that the two stopped.

*

Amaris had watched this with a mix of fascination and fear. This was fighting? Really fighting? He'd never get used to it! "I can't do that..."

*

Vaelin glanced at Amaris, then helped the bear up. "Not right now, no." Vaelin agreed. The big bear brushed himself off and smirked. "With practice, you'll be a nimble little cuss." Vaelin nodded his agreement and stepped aside. The quartermaster moved toward Amaris again and started to very slowly swing and strike at the target in the same fashion as before. "See how I'm always drawing the blade across the target? I never let the blade stop moving. Steel cuts as it glides over flesh, not as it's coming down on flesh." He stepped back and nodded to Amaris. "Try again. Slowly this time."

*

"It's like claws." Amaris thinks as he watches the bear. Claws he could understand. But the sword in his paw didn't feel much like a claw. Still, he stepped forward and mimicked the bear as best he could. When he was done he'd done it all correctly, but it didn't feel quite right. "Like that?"

*

*The bear grinned and nodded. "Perfect! We'll work on form later, but you should get this down first. It'll be the basis on which we build your skill." THe quartermaster winked and nodded to the dummy. "Feels like you're petting it now, but wait till you've got the concept down and you start doing it fast. You'll be cutting that dummy to ribbons in no time!"

*

"What's form?" He asks, letting the sword lower to his side. "And how do you cut something that's made of wood into ribbons?"

*

The ursine thought for a moment then smiled. "Firstly, it's a figure of speech, Highness, and secondly, Form is the style of fighting you utilize, the way you stand, the way you hold your sword and shield. It's a catch-all term for a type or way of fighting."

*

"Oh. And the form is what everyone uses?" He asks. "That doesn't seem right, cause then they know what you're going to do."

*

"Do they?" He asked, then glanced back at the armored dragon. "Then how did your father best me? I taught him everything he knows, I taught him his form and style..." He trailed off and spread his arms to either side. "You have to remember ingenuity, imagination, intuition." He smiled and shook his head. "Form and style are the basis of learning. True fighting masters build on it, adding their own personalities into how they move, how they react."

*

"Well then why not just say that?" He asks, looking exasperated for a moment. "Wouldn't that be easier than making me think the wrong things about fighting?"

*

"I just did. You still need to learn the basic forms, Highness." The bear glanced back at Vaelin who merely shook his head lightly. He looked back at the cub and offered a smile. "You arent going to learn to be a master swordsman overnight."

*

"I'm not expecting to. I didn't even know I was going to learn any if this until just before I came here."

*

"Good," the quartermaster agreed. "The last thing you need are delusions of granduer. It's better to see things as they are instead of how you wish they could be." The bear grinned but didnt hear Vaelin chuckle lightly. Indeed, the dragon was rolling his eyes and thinking 'if you can teach him that lesson, you're in for a promotion'. The quartermaster glanced to Amaris and then the dummy in turn and nodded his head slowly. "You need to keep practicing that basic movement excersize repeatedly until you do it without thinking. Then we'll move on."

*

"Over and over?" He asks with slight despair in his voice. "That sounds really boring though..." He sighs, looks at the dummy, and starts practicing again.

*

The bear gave a chuckle and nodded. "You could do this right and learn something or I could give you a training sword and put you in the ring with one of the privates, let the bruises motivate you to learn." Leaning on his sword again, the quartermaster quirked a furry brown brow and ttilted his head to the side curiously. "It's your choice of course, Highness."

*

"I'm already on the dummy." He replies, slowly going through the motions of the attacks even if they felt off for some reason. What was wrong though? He'd figure it out and fix it himself...

*

He shrugged at that and smiled. "I see that. Good choice." Vaelin cleared his throat and the bear turned. The dragon king had already assumed a defensive stance and was grinning wickedly. The bear smirked and hefted his sword up. He rushed toward the king and again the two of their weapons sang a chorus of rings and dings until with a yelp, the bear found himself on his back again and the tip of Vaelin's sword burried in his fur. The quartermaster laughed and accepted the king's help in standing, and they were at it again.

*

After his arms grew tired again he turned and watched the pair for awhile, eyes darting back and forth between the bear and the dragon, watching as best he could each attack and parry, block and counter. It seemed so.. intense.

*

After sparring a good three or four more times, Vaelin helped the bear up and sheathed his sword between his wings. He grinned at the bear and nodded toward Amaris. When the quartermaster turned and eyed the young prince, his brow quirked again and he pointed toward the dummy. "Ready for something that fights back then, highness?" As the bear questioned, Vaelin walked back toward the castle and waved to Amaris's mother. "Natalia, please come with me."

*

"I-I was just watching." He says quietly, walking back at the weapons to look them over. "What are all the other ways to fight? What if they use different weapons?"

*

"It's not so much what they are using as it is what you are using," the bear said, moving to stand near the prince and look at the assorted weapons displayed. "You have to move differently for every weapon, you have to adjust your stance, the way you think, everything. When you're fighting with a sword, it oft times varies little between whether your opponent has a spear or an axe."

*

"Why are some if the swords different?" Amaris asks, checking them out more closely. "You said mine was a shortsword, right? I'm guessing that means I have to fight closer? Spears probably work really well against it."

*

"Not as well as you might think. While spears work well at keeping your enemies distant, what are you going to do if someone gets here?" He stepped close to Amaris, far closer than any spear or halberd would be remotely effective.

*

"Punch them." He replies. "Or keep a dagger? You said what you have is important, so why not have a second weapon in case the first isn't any good, like my shield?"

*

He smiled at that and shook his head. "You can do that, and should. One weapon has it's weaknesses and it's strengths. If you come against somebody who bears your weapon's weakness and lacks what it's strong against, you're in a bit of trouble arent you?" He smiled and knelt down. "You arent stuck with your choice, Highness. If you would prefer to learn how to use a dagger, or a spear, or a blugeon, you need only let me know."

*

"I'd learn them all if could, so I could use anything." He replies, looking at all of the weapons. He swings his sword a little and frowns. "Um... I don't know what it is, but the shortsword doesn't feel quite right." He admits, deciding to tell the bear.

*

Quirking a brow thoughtfully, the bear's ears perked and he looked down at the prince. "Oh? In what way?" he asked and looked down at the weapon intently. The thing looked solid, for a training weapon. A bit chipped and of course very dull, but.. Perhaps the prince choose poorly then.

*

The wolfling shrugs. "I don't know. I can't figure it out. It feels fine until I swing it, and then it just doesn't feel right. Is it because I'm just starting out with a real weapon..?" He asks, looking both curious and confused by this.

*

"That may be it, but instead of repeating 'it doesnt feel right', why dont you tell me what doesnt feel right about it?" he asked, leaning on his sword lightly as he stared expectantly down at his prince.

*

He frowns and looks at the blade again as he gives it a few more swings. "Um... I don't really know how to describe it, it's like it's not the right.. shape?" He tries, looking at the bear again.

*

"I see," the bear said and began rubbing his chin. "and what shape do you think it should be?" That could mean anything and didnt really help, but it was a start and the bear would rather pursue it than continue grasping at straws.

*

"Um... Longer maybe?" He asks, looking back to the swords on the wall and picking up a small curved saber. "What's this one called? I'll try it first and see if it's better."

*

"It's a riding saber," he said with a nod. "Rarely used on foot, but it can be. You wont need your buckler anymore. Now you'll block with the back of the blade, here," he reached out and ran his finger over the flat edge of the blade with a smile. "This one is more cutting than the other one, so you will need to amplify what I told you earlier."

*

"What's amplify mean and how do I block with it?" He asks, thinking about the blade. "If I turn the blade around to block, wouldn't the sharp edge get me? That doesn't sound very good..."

*

He shook his head. "You wont block. Not in the same way you do with a shield. Instead of giving the opponent something hard to hit, with this you catch the attack with the back and pushed it aside. It's called a parry." He winked and took a saber from the wrack and held it up. "Swing at me."

*

A bit worried about that, he swings slowly at the quartermaster like he'd been told to when practicing on the dummy. If the bear was just as slow, Amaris would be able to see how it was done that much easier.

*

He had been expecting the boy to swing fast, but the slowness surprised him and indeed made him smile. Good, he was either nerovus, or knew what would be better for learning. In any case, The quartermaster swung the sword pointed down toward the ground, the hilt at the top, and snatched the blade with the back of his own as he had said. "Now instead of just stopping here, you want to push the blade out of harm's way using it's own momentum." He kept Amaris's blade going in somewhat the same direction, but instead it arced slowly up and away from himself.

*

Amaris watched carefully, definitely a slightly more visual learner. "Would the ground be better, to try and get it stuck?" He tries to get into the stance the bear used in case it was his turn to parry.

*

"Maybe" he said and as Amaris's blade finally soared up and out of harm's way, the bear's was already descending toward his neck. "But when I do that, my blade is alread in motion and I can use that momentum and movement to attack you." He winked and stepped back. He dropped his arms to his side and nodded toward the saber in Amaris hand. "This sword requires more finesse than a typical sword-and-shield."

*

"And finesse is..?" Why all the words he didn't know, and then not explaining what they mean? It was really annoying. "You never said what amplify was either." He adds after a second.

*

"Amplify means to better, finesse means do... fancier..." His brow met and he sighed lightly. "You are going to need to broaden your vocabulary, Highness." He winked slyly then pointed at the dummy. "Go ahead, see if it feels better."

*

Fancier? Amaris had to think about that as he walked back to the dummy. Did he mean like how Vaelin and the Quartermaster fought? He could try that. He got into a stance that felt right and started swinging. Then he started to move around as he practiced, moving faster and even darting past the dummy. Well, he tried once. Tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground hard put a stop to that.

*

When Amaris tripped and fell on his face, the quartermaster laughed and shook his head. "No, I think you need to get the idea before you start trying the style." He winked and folded his arms lightly over his chest, saber still in hand. "Keep doing what I told you. Tomorrow we'll work on something a little more advanced, and the day after more advanced, and so on." The bear nodded, then turned to head back inside the barracks.

*

"Is a day going to be enough?" Amaris thinks to himself as he gets up and dusts his clothes off as best he can before stepping back up to the dummy and trying again, intent on getting it right as soon as he could.

*

The bear would leave Amaris be for another hour or so. When finally he came back, the big quartermaster smiled at the prince and nodded. As the pup finished attacking the dummy once again, the bear winked and nodded. "Looking better. Keep it up until you dont have to think about it." He smiled again then nodded toward the castle. "Now go on. Until tomorrow, your highness."

*

Amaris had, briefly, tried other weapons, but the resulting fatigue was all the same no matter what he'd done, or the aches from falling. He'd finally gone back to the saber for the familiarity. "Oh.. Okay, sir." He says between panting. "You're gonna call.. me that.. no matter, aren't you?"

*

The bear smiled and nodded. "Of course, your highness. I do not wish to show you anything but the respect your title deserves." He bowed lightly and turned to walk back toward the barracks. "Until tomorrow!" he said again and once more dissappeared into the barracks.

*

"I'm never gonna be me again." He sighs sadly, putting the weapon away before he leaves as well, slowly wandering the halls. He didn't look at anyone, didn't speak. He didn't feel like he'd earned any of the 'respect' the bear had mentioned.

*

*If and when Amaris finally came to his quarters looking for his mother, the guard posted outside would tell him she was across the hall, in the king's chamber. When he openned the door, only the softest moan and gentlest growl would fill his ears. There upon the large bed, Vaelin laid on his back. His mother straddled his waist, slowly rising and falling on his thick, ridged rod. She stared down into his eyes and gave a tender moan and again when his Majesty's hands lifted to caress her ample, furry bussom. Neither one noticed Amaris, instead far to intent on eachother and their gentle mating.

*

Amaris quickly turned and left, going to his room and jumping off the balcony again. This time it wasn't a suicidal jump though, merely a take off. He flapped his wings hard and caught a wind that took him high enough to land on the roof. He hoped the guards wouldn't bother him, since he wasn't trying to leave the grounds.

*

It would be several hours before a voice would call from somewhere below, a deep call of his name. From his window? Indeed, Vaelin stood on his balconey, leaning on the granite railing. The guards had said Amaris had not left the castle walls, so.. Where was he? He called out for the boy again, a small smile on his muzzle. Poor lad probably walked in on he and his mother. When, though? When they had been talking? When they had been mating? He was sure the truth would come out very quickly.

*

The boy stretched, groaning with how stiff his body had become, and crawled over to look down at the balcony. Honestly, Amaris was doubly surprised. He'd expected the guards to tell Valien he was up here, and that Valien would come up after him.

*

Vaelin stood, oblivious of being watched, and stared out over the grounds. He sighed heavily and called out loudly once again, adding "I would like to speak with you!" After several more moments, assuming Amaris didnt glide down to the balconey, Vaelin would sigh and hang his head. He straightened up and turned, heading back into the bedchamber slowly.

*

Of course it was hard for something so large as Amaris to fly about the castle and not be seen, but he hadnt been leaving so none of the guards called out. When the sound of claws on stone filled his ears, Vaelin turned and looked at Amaris. He offered a small smile and folded his arms over his robed chest. He and Amaris's mother had bathed after fuckin. And fucked after bathing. Then bathed again, so all he wore was a crimson silk bathrobe. "There you are." He said simply, hoping Amaris's first words would clue him in a little as to what the boy had seen or heard. Never mind the smell permeating Vaelin's being, which in fact was the start of the discussion between the shewolf and the king... and that led to their gentle fuck session.

*

"Did you think I wouldn't come?" He asks softly, tone as neutral as it could get. "Trying to stay away hasn't been the best idea either." He flinches, thinking about his previous escape attempts, and he forced the memory down so he could prevent shaking.

*

He shrugged his wings lightly. "You seem to have a trouble with acceptance, I thought perhaps you would refuse to accept that you can't just run away." He said, then smiled and moved to sit on the soft bed. He turned and smiled at Amaris again and gently pat the matress beside himself. "Why dont you come make yourself comfortable?"

*

"You have the same problem with rejection." Amaris thinks softly, going to sit on the bed. He sits there quietly for a few long moments before finally talking. "I'm not going to run away and leave my mother alone. Not here."

*

Vaelin rolled his eyes. That, at least, answered his curiosity. "You say that like this is the most horrible place in the world. What horrors has your mother suffered here? If you were to take her away, do you think the world would suddenly be all flowers and butterflies?" He sighed heavily and shook his head. This was pointless. The boy would never understand, so why bother trying to play nice?

*

"I don't know, but I know she'd be sad if I just left. I can't really just up and leave my mother, can I? I love her." He says this all quietly, tail swishing back and forth on the sheets slowly. "I can't make her sad like that..."

*

Nodding slowly, Vaelin pondered something. He rubbed his scaled chin for several moments then offered a small smile. "Then I have a proposition for you: You and your mother will be put out of the castle. You will be free to go with all the possessions you had before I named your my heir," which was practically nothing, "and you can see that the world isnt what you think it is. You'll have to scrape and struggle for every bit of food, for every inch of purchase and every minute of life. But you'll be out of what you like to believe is the worst and hardest place on earth." He paused and held up a finger. "Or you can pretend not to be so closed minded for once and trust me. I can show you the comodities you take for granted here, keep you safe, make sure you never go for want and," he dropped his finger, letting it land gently on the boy's thigh, "I will keep my promise to you, to show you on your terms what a wonderful little thing you have between your legs. No tricks, no lies. All on your terms, as I promised yesterday."

*

Amaris kept quiet, hating the way Valein made these types of things sound. He always made it sound like his way was best simply because he was the king! Because he had the most gold! He knew people were happy living without castles with gaudy paintings of old kings.

"You're not giving me a choice." He sighs. Angry as he felt inside, just agreeing kept him from being hurt when he tried to vent.

*

He quirked a brow at that and tilted his head. "Dont you? You keep making it very clear that you do not want to be here, no matter the cost." He spread his hands to either side and stood up again. "I'm giving you what you want and you still paint me to be the bad guy, dont you?" He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Hopeless, it was truly hopeless. "The choice is yours, and you complain. I force you to do something and you complain. Why dont you tell me flat out what you want, hm? And do give it some serious thought before you answer."

*

"I don't know." He answers. "I hate you for what y-you did, but..." The little hybrid trails off, starting to shiver. He felt cold all of a sudden. Cold and confused like he'd never been before.

*

Vaelin openned his muzzle to snap, but snapped his muzzle shut instead! He took a breath then knelt down in front of Amaris and lifted a hand to lift the boy's eyes to his own. "You know something? You're right. Do you know how many wonderful women and girls I've fucked? How many of them do you think have been in heat? I'm a king and more than that, I'm a dragon. I should have more self control." He sighed and dropped his hands to Amaris lap again. He pondered for a moment and took Amaris hands in his own. "I do want to make it up to you. Why do you think I've made you the heir to my kingdom, taken it upon myself to teach you what I can, give you what I can, make you as happy as I possibly can. I want us to be friends and someday..." He leaned up and gave the pup a gentle, tender kiss upon the muzzle. "...maybe something more. Sure, you can hate me all your life, you can assassinate me in my sleep when you're ready to take the throne, but first..." He gave Amaris's hands a gentle squeeze. "Open your heart just a little, let me try to make it up to you."

*

The boy hadn't expected anything like this. Anger, more bitter not-choices given, yes, but not.. this. He felt his resolve weaken slightly, resolve he didn't even realize had been up. Vaelin seemed to be actually genuine about this.

"Do.. Do you f-feel bad?" Amaris asks slowly, looking into the dragon's eyes as if searching for something. "I.. I didn't want any if this. I didn't want a king, or to become a prince, I just.. I just wanted a father!"

*

The dragon watched the pup for a moment and smirked. "Didnt I just say that?" he asked, ignoring the second comment completly. No sense being baited. Again. "Do you remember the promise I made, Amaris?" he asked, his hands gently rubbing the boy's thighs in what he hoped was a soothing motion.

*

"I.. I don't know." He says quietly, not sure what to think now. He leaned forward and gave Vaelin an awkward hug for a few moments before letting go. "I'm.. sorry I k-keep making you, um... upset..."

*

"And I accept." He smiled and waved his hands. "I have an idea: Let's put the past behind us, okay?" He smiled and reached down to begin unlacing Amaris's leggings. "We'll start over. From the beginning." He hooked his fingers in the boy's waistband and started drawing his pants downward. "Let me show you what you have here." He smiled at Amaris and tilted his head. "If at any time you want to stop, I will. Without question. But keep an open mind, okay?"

*

The boy's first thought, as he grabbed his pants to hold them up, wasn't entirely his fault. It was too soon after the choice to forget the past and he immediately thought this had all been about getting to mate again. "Can.. Can it be later? I just got done practicing and I'm tired." If the dragon agreed, he'd know Vaelin was serious about the offer.

*

Frustration flashed across Vaelin's face for a moment, but he forced a smile on his muzzle and nodded. "Of course." He said and stood up. "If you need anything, your mother and I will be in my chambers across the hall. Please knock first, we have a great deal to discuss away from prying ears." He smiled again and turned to leave.

*

Amaris grabbed Vaelin's hand and holds him in place for a moment, a small smile on his face. "Thank you, F-Father." The word felt weird on his tongue when he called someone that, but.. he felt that maybe he should get used to it.

*

He turned and looked at the pup and smiled. "You are welcome, Amaris." He nodded toward the bed with a smile and small wink. "Get some rest. You had a busy day." he said then once again turned to leave. He did in fact have quite a bit to discuss with Natalia...

*

The young prince watched him go before getting up and changing into clothes more appropriate for being in bed. He hoped for a moment that his parents were actually going to talk, then decided it was best not to think about it and laid down to rest.

*

Vaelin moved across the hall into his chambers where Natalia waited, already quite naked and laid out on his bed. He smiled at her and removed his robe so he could crawl into bed with the beautiful shewolf. He leaned down to kiss her deeply upon the muzzle and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her hand on his taut tummy and asked "Did you tell him?" He sighed and shook his head. "He didn't overhear us. I'll tell him later..." She nodded and smiled before rolling onto her back. He rolled atop her and between her legs. As he eased himself into her waiting body and began to slowly take her again, they did indeed begin talking, discussing the future, discusisng Amaris. It wasnt until a good while later that he rutted her like a bitch in heat.

*

He didn't know when he fell asleep, only that when he woke up he was restless and hungry. He was still cold, but he figured a good bit of flying would warm him up and settle him down. He started for the window and paused. He should probably ask first. Or do something else.

His wings itched, and he knew he wanted to fly.

Biting his lip, his changed back into his clothes and went across the hall to tentatively knock on the door.

*

By the time he knocked gently at the door, Vaelin and natalia were finished. But hearing the knock, Vaelin sighed lightly and climbed out of bed slowly to draw his robe on. Outside, the dolphin woman who had taken the stallion's place turned and considered him for a moment. She smiled lightly and tilted her head. "You're up early, Highness."

*

"Did I sleep that long?" He asks, regretting not asking how late it was now. Maybe he shouldn't have knocked. "I didn't know..."

*

She smiled and straightened up as the door openned and the smell of sex, perfume, and Vaelin came through the door. He gently closed it behind himself and knelt down to Amaris's level. "What is it? Is everything alright?"

*

Amaris cringed at the scent and took a small step back. "Um.. I woke up and my wings itched, so.. so I thought I'd go flying, but then I thought I should ask first."

*

He smiled lightly and nodded. "of course. Why dont both of us go for a little flight? I havent been out in the cool night air in a good long while." he stretched his wings lightly and refolded them against his back. "I think it's a full moon tonight, we'll have plenty of light to see by."

*

"Mother says I was born on a special full moon." He tells the dragon, looking at her and waving a little before looking back at his father. "Can we eat afterwards..?"

*

"Of course," he said, closing the door gently. "Come on, let's go. Off of your balconey?" he asked, already moving across the corridor to open Amaris's door and step on through. Hopefully this meant things were looking up! He was so very close to just bagging the entire idea and turning the pup into a toy! This, he hoped, would be better in the long run and with a little luck, might yield a little more intimacy between them. The deliciously tight boy was a wonder on his cock!

*

"Sure." He says quickly, running on ahead to open the balcony doors and climb on up to sit on the railing and wait, this time for vastly different reasons than his previous night waiting on a balcony.

*

Vaelin moved more leisurely to the balconey and stepped up onto the marble railing. He spread his wings and leapt off to glide silently on the night wind. The cool air felt so good, though as a downside he found he had to flap earlier than he would have if it were during the day. By the same token, it was easier to catch updrafts above the smoking chimenies in the town below.

*

Amaris just leaned forward and let himself fall for a good hundred feet or so, his wings only snapping open at the last possible moment to avoid smashing into the lake water. The momentum he'd built up shot him back into the air without even needing to flap his wings. The air bit through his fur and scales, making him even colder, but he ignored it. His flight to the roof earlier wasn't nearly as enjoyable as this!

*

Vaelin circled over the city once then looped in a wide arc back toward the lake where he spied Amaris flitting about. He smiled and gently flapped his way over. When he came close, he looked over and grinned. "I havent done this in a very long time!" he called excitedly and glanced around at the moonlit world beyond.

*

"Flying or flying at night?!" He shouts back, pushing himself to go faster and faster, darting down to speed through the forest. He sped through the trees like it was second nature, going above the trees online when his wings started to ache.

*

He grinned. "At night!" he said then watched Amaris rish into the trees. That was dangerous, very much more so at night when visibility was poor! He grimaced and waited... but when the pup burst from the tree tops, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Good. He would have been very upset if the boy had gotten himself hurt! He turned, gliding leisurely toward the wolf with a smile on his muzzle.

*

"Wish.. I had a pack to do that with." He pants, gliding lazily now, relaxing. "Can you do that? It's really fun!" He laughs, easing his wings into a rhythm he knew helped relieve aches like the ones he'd just developed.

*

He just gave the boy a glance and a sigh. He'd grow out of it. All little boys do dangerous things without thinking it through. He was no different. He breathed a gentle sigh and tilted his head to the side. "What had you wanted to eat?" he asked, turning to look back at Amaris again as they glided through the chill night air.

*

"Anything, I guess. I'm just hungry. And cold. And feeling great!" He laughs again, flying higher and then closing his wings so he free falls with a loud howl. He snaps his wings open again and flies back up to glide at Vaelin's level.

*

He watched the boy and smirked inwardly. He was certainly an odd thing when he was in a good mood... but it was better than the alternative! He smiled when Amaris rejoined him and gently banked to bring them back toward the castle in a wide, gentle arc. When they once again came to rest upon his balconey, he smiled at Amaris and tilted his head. "You better think about what you want before we get to the dining hall, because it's up to you!"

*

Amaris landed and immediately wrapped arms and wings around himself, shivering. "I-I d-don't kn-know." He said with chattering teeth. "I-Is there a s-soup or st-st-stew?"

*

Vaelin nodded, then turned and eyed him curiously. "Why dont we take a hot bath and have some soup delivered to your quarters?" He winked and peeked his head out the door to speak with the dolphin. When he returned, he pointed toward the baths and smiled. "It'll be up shortly."

*

Amaris nods, biting his lip again. This was it, wasn't it? This was going to be letting Vaelin touch him. He'd kind of hoped they'd eat first, but he felt so cold and a warm bath sound so good...

*

Vaelin stepped past Amaris into the baths and let his robe drop to the floor near the door. He smiled at the ever-steaming basin of clean water. He stepped forward and gently stepped down into the basin. As the hot water touched him, he gasped and moaned pleasantly. Warm water felt so good after a flight in cold air! He settled down up to his shoulders and glanced back toward the door. "Coming?"

*

Nervous, Amaris takes off his clothes and hides in his wings, quickly climbing over to get in the water with a content sigh. "Finally warm..." He murmurs, closing his eyes.

*

Smiling across at his modest heir, Vaelin smirked and nodded his agreement. "Feels wonderful, doesnt it?" he asked, leaning back against the in-floor basin's edge comfortably. "I will admit, I'd forgotten how good it felt to go for a late night fly then come back and soak in the hot water!"

*

"Did I wake you up?" He asks slowly, getting down further in the water until just his head was above. The heat soaking into his body felt glorious, and he savored it.

*

He nodded and rested the back of his head against the rim of the basin. "Yes, but that's okay. I'd only just gotten to sleep." he said and gave a content sigh. A wonderful night of gentle fucking, a brisk flight, and now a deliciously warm bath with his heir. So far, everything was picture-perfect.

*

"I'm sorry." He replies, actually genuinely sorry he'd woke the dragon up just to go flying. Still, Vaelin didn't seem upset about it, so maybe it had been a good idea after all. It /had/ been nice having a flying partner that wasn't a feral bird! "I just thought I should ask if I could."

*

He grinned at that and closed his sapphire eyes. "I'm glad you did. I thuroughly enjoyed that." He was silent for a moment then opened his eyes and stared at Amaris for a moment. Was this a good time? It was as good a time as any, wasnt it? They had plenty of time before their soup arived, and they were both very comfortable and even better, very naked. "I dont suppose you would want to do something with me now? Perhaps you will allow me to fulfill my promise to you?" He smiled, staring at his son questioningly, almost pleadingly even.

*

"Wh-What was it?" He whispers, squirming slightly in his side of the tub. He had said later, he remembered that, but he doubted saying he was tired, which was just as true this time, would work again.

*

"That I would show you the pleasure you are capable of," he reminded the pup. He smiled and tilted his head to the side. "I promised I would please you in every way I knew how and at any time if you asked me to stop that I would. Without question."

*

The pup looked down, forgetting he was already chin-deep and getting a nose full of water that's makes him cough and sputter for a little bit. When that was done he looked highly embarrassed and hide his face with his wings. He felt so stupid!

*

When Amaris looked down and sighed, and the resulting coughing-fit came to an end, Vaelin laughed and shook his head. "Be careful, I cant fulfill my promise if you drown yourself!" he teased and scooted around the tub to draw the poor embarassed pup into his arms. He kissed the top of his head and smirked. "Be a little more careful next time!"

*

The boy just sat there, sulking. He'd done so well flying and then just.. messed up. "I didn't mean to do it!" He mutters, his face at least heating up. Even in the hot water, Vaelin could tell Amaris was colder than usual.

*

Vaelin grinned and nodded. "I dont think anyone means to drown himself!" he teased and grinned mirthfully at the little pup. "Doesnt mean we can't laugh about it. If you can't laugh, what can you do?" he asked, giving the boy a toothy grin.

*

"I feel dumb now." He mutters, trying to sound mad. Vaelin had a point though, and if it had been one of his few friends he would have been laughing too. "I don't know what I can do. I haven't really felt like laughing while you were hurt..."

*

"No, because my life was on the line. Yours, on the other hand..." he smirked and mussed the boy's hair. He shook his head lightly and leaned back against the edge of the tub again. All the while, he kept the boy gently held in his lap.

*

"I was fine! You scared it off." He replies, moving his wings so he could try and get his fur straight again. Why did people always do that?! "You kept me safe."

*

He shook his head. "I'm talking about right now and why I'm laughing at you compared to your not laughing when I got hurt." He smirked and lifted his head to stare down at the pup curiously. "Dont over think it, Amaris."

*

"But... How does that even work?" He asks, getting the exact same curious look on his face as his dad, even cocking his head to the side similarly. "You got hurt, I just.. got water up my nose..."

*

"Exactly why I'm laughing at you and you werent laughing at me. You dont have to keep defending your own argument when I'm agreeing with you." he said and rolled his eyes mirthfully. "But anyway, back on topic. Are you willing to let me keep my promise to you?" He tilted his head to the side and eyed the pup patiently.

*

The pup shifts, thinking fast about his answer. "If.. If I a-am... What would you be d-doing?" He asks nervously, successfully fighting the urge to hide. It probably helped that he was being held like he'd imagined his dad would hold him if he'd been around, except not naked of course.

*

"Nothing you wouldnt want me to," he said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed Amaris's snout gently and gave a gentle sigh. "I'll please you with my tongue. Maybe a finger or two." He wanted to add that maybe if Amaris liked it, he'd fuck him gently, but he somehow doubted that would happen. Not yet anyway.

*

"Wh-Why did you sigh just now?" He asks, feeling funny as he remembered the last time Vaelin had sought to fulfill his promise. The was his tongue had wiggled around in the boy had been... nice. Very nice.

*

"Just taking a breath." Truth be told, it was nice that Amaris was being so open minded, that they were enjoying a cuddle in the bath, that maybe, just maybe... he'd get the life he envisioned for the boy that first night... though his vision had obviously been clouded, but he tried not to think about that! "What do you say? Are you up to it? I'll go as far, or as little as you tell me to."

*

"Well.. I.. I did like what you d-did last time. The tongue thing." He admitted quietly, eyes going down to look at the water. "Then Mother... said what she did and I left..."

*

He smiled at that and nodded. "Fair enough." He smiled at him and tilted his head. "Then we'll start with 'the tongue thing' and work our way up from there, how about that?" he asked with a toothy grin.

*

"I.. I'd like that. But I have a question f-first." He adds, wringing his hands a little bit under the water. This was something he had to ask, even if he didn't quite get why.

*

He nodded at that with a smile. "Of course, Amaris." He smiled and started to climb from the tub with his son. Best to dry off and take the interaction to the bed.

*

"I heard its n-not okay for kids to do this stuff with their p-parents. Is that.. Is that true?" He asks warily, watching Vaelin get out.

*

He shrugged his shoulders lightly at that and tilted his head. " It's said that quite a few things are 'not okay' to do. Flying through trees at night at full speed, for example." He shrugged his wings and carried Amaris out into his own bedchamber. He gently laid the pup on the bed and knelt on the floor beside it. He set his hands on Amaris's thighs and gently spread them so he could eventually lean down and muzzle the deliciously small pussy there. "Staying up too late. Eating too many sweets. Sex out of wedlock, or sex with certain people are no different. Besides," he winked. "You're a prince. I'm the king. The rules are different for us."

*

Amaris wondered if they really should be so different, but the thought was out of his mind as he looked down at his wet, shivering body and saw his little slit on display. He had known something like this was going to happen, but tonight had somehow still surprised him. "M-Maybe just a finger first..."

*

His scaled brow lifted and he tilted his head. He watched the boy for a moment and smiled. He reached out and gently traced an outline around his slit slowly. "A finger it is." He lifted up lightly and leaned down to kiss Amaris deeply upon the lips. His tongue slithered itno Amaris muzzle and as it did, he pressed his finger deeply into the pup's body.

*

The pup yelped in shock, not expected, even if he should have, such an aggressive start to this. The tongue alone felt weird enough in his mouth that he didn't register much of the sensations of the finger now knuckle-deep inside of his body.

*

Slowly, Vaelin began thrusting his finger in and out of Amaris's little body. His lips left Amaris's own and started trailing little nibbles and kisses down along his neck. His tail lifted and curled upon itself. There wasnt really anything else to do, not really. So he plunged the tip of his tail deep into his own pussy hidden behind his scaled sack. He gasped and began to growl pleasantly against amaris's neck and his finger began to move a little faster. His thumb slowly slide around until he found the pup's clit. Once he found it, he began rubbing gently. At first.

*

The finger had made him start panting softly, then the nibbling and kissing had sent tiny little waves of pleasure through his body, but when his clitoris is rubbed a slightly embarrassing moan fills the room and Amaris unconsciously tightens around Vaelin's finger. " Ah.. Wh-What was that? It.. It's so good!" He gasps, rocking his hips forward a bit.

*

Vaelin merely grinned at that and continued rubbing at the boy's little nub with his thumb as his finger, and soon after another, pulsed into his dripping slit. He wanted to tell the boy 'I told you so' but refrained. Best just keep going, have Amaris begging for more, make him want it in ways he never even knew possible.

*

"Please.. I.. I want to know.." He moans, gripping the sheets as he struggled to stay sitting up. He really didn't want to ask his mother what was going on after this was over. "Please tell me s-something..."

*

He grinned at that and lifted his free hand to gently lay the boy back on the bed. "Why dont you tell me what it is? You know better than I do what youre feeling." Make him say it, maybe then hearing it in his own voice would Amaris really accept that his biggest fear was nothing to be afraid of. He leaned down and closed his scaled lips over the boy's clit and suckled eagerly on the nub. He raked his teeth over the sensitive bud and his forked tongue danced over it, tasting and touching him with wild abandon.

*

"But I.. I don't know-know what you're l-licking..." He groans, falling back on to the bed and biting his lip as his tail thrashes on the bed. His body was, in the sexual sense, mostly a strange thing.

*

He smiled at that and lifted his muzzle to stare down at Amaris. "I'm licking you. Is there any more to know than that?" he asked and shook his head slowly. "Calm down, I'm not casting a spell on you or anything." Not that such an assumption would be to far out there for Amaris. He was sure the boy was frantically searching for some explanation, some clue of foul play.

*

"I d-didn't even think of that." He admits. "I don't know m-much about wh-what's down there." He gasps, slowly growing wet as he's pleasured by the older dragon.

*

He smirked at that and shook his head. "Well, maybe you should accept and explore yourself instead of hating yourself, hm?" he asked, then leaned down to continue his suckling as his fingers pulsed and wiggled inside him much more quickly. His free hand slithered down his own naked body to gently stroke his engorged black length and his own dripping slit in turn.

*

"N-never had a reason." He replies, yipping as he clenches hard around the fingers, back arching just a little. How could fingers feel so good, but mating always hurt? It made no sense, but it seemed questions would be going unanswered at the moment.

*

He chuckled against the boy's clenching body and his ministrations increased. He wanted to drive Amaris higher and higher until the boy squealed! A third finger joined the first two, stretching Amaris a little as they clustered together and thrust into him quickly.

*

The whine that escapes is less than pained then Valein probably expected and Amaris claps his fingers over his muzzle as his body /finally/ started feeling a little warmer, and little more ready. After all, what was a few fingers compared to a cock the size of his arm or the knot on said length?

*

The dragon grinned when Amaris whined and shook his head slowly. He lifted his muzzle away from Amaris, rubbing his clit with his thumb instead. He leaned down and nuzzled the boy's neck affectionatly. "Feels good doesnt it? Having something thrusting into your body, feeling your clit stimulated so mercilessly." He grinned and tilted his head to the side. Slowly he pulled one of his fingers away, leaving only two in the boy. Moments later, there was but one still thrusting into him.

*

Clit? Was that the funny part Valein touched? As the fingers withdrew one at a time the pup started to calm down until he was was only breathing fast as he laid there before his father. "Your fingers.. feel good."

*

Vaelin smiled and nodded slowly. "I'm sure they do." He leaned up and gently kissed Amaris upon the lips. "Fingers are only the beginning, of course." He grinned and pondered for a moment. "Do you want to explore my body? Learn a little more about me before we go further?" he asked and crawled onto the bed beside his son. He laid beside Amaris and in doing so laid his throbbing dick against the boy's furry tummy.

*

Amaris looked down at the penis on his stomach and the apprehension on his face was clear. "I don't know." He whispers as he looks up into Vaelin's eyes. "I've never wanted to touch anyone like that. Well... except o-one, but I.. I don't think I ever will."

*

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Maybe not, but I'm sure there's some curiosity after what we just did, hm?" He winked and rolled onto his back. He folded his arms behind his head and said. "I wont do anything you dont ask me to."

*

"And if I asked you to do something?" Amaris slowly asks, treading carefully now. He expected a no, but he felt he had to try.

*

"Then I'll do it." He said with a shrug of his wings. "That's the way the game works tonight. You're in total control and I will respect that." He grinned at the boy then glanced to his throbbing, neglected length.

*

Amaris wasted no time sitting up and scooting closer towards Vaelin's upper body. "Can you take the collar off of me? Please? I-I hate it and it rubs my neck and makes me dry heave sometimes!" There was no malice or hidden intent, Amaris truly just wanted the wretched thing off of his body.

*

Vaelin pondered for a moment then smiled and nodded. He reached up to remove the collar slowly then took his hand and gently albeit firmly fastened it about his wrist. He smiled and tilted his head. "There. Now it's a bracelet." He winked at the wolf pup and laid back once again.

*

For the brief moment Amaris wasn't wearing it he felt a lot better, and a pleasing surge of warmth went through him, his body returning to its regular temperature again. All that went away when it was put on his wrist and he goes cold again. He looks at the collar and seems to deflate, sighing as his mood wanes.

*

When Amaris's form drooped, Vaelin quirked a brow and shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, but you have to keep it on. Being a bracelet isn't choking you, stop looking so glum." He held up a finger before Amaris could counter and pressed on. "When a horse kicks you in the stable because you walked behind him, do you scold the horse and continue to walk behind him to get kicked again? No. You hobble the horse for your safety, dont you?"

*

"I don't know what hobble means, but I bet.. I'm just so cold now." He says instead of trying to start something. It wouldn't have helped, and might even have gotten the collar back on his neck, a thought he disliked more than it being on his wrist. "I don't even remember what happened."

*

He watched the boy for several moments then smiled and scooped him up. He carried him over to the soft rug before the fire and laid him down. Vaelin carefully stoked the fire until it was an inferno on the hearth. He smiled at the pup then laid back down again in the same possition he had been when he offered himself to Amaris. "When you hobble a horse, you can do it a few different ways. When you hobble a mare for breeding, you put a bar between her backs legs so she cant kick the stallion and it hold her legs open. Or, in the instance I described, you would fasten his back legs criss-cross to his front legs so he cant jerk any of them. If he does, he's liable to stumble and fall."

*

The pup suppressed a shiver as he felt the length rest on his stomach again, and concentrated on the warmth of the fire for now instead. "Why would they kick? Most horses have always seemed nice to me. The feral ones, anyway..." He couldn't suppress the shudder he got from /that/ memory.

*

He shook his head slowly. "It's instinctive. They cant see very well so they percieve anything they hear behind themselves as a possible threat and their bodies take over and they protect themselves." He nodded and offered a smile. "It was just a metaphor though." He breathed a soft sigh and shook his head. So eager to be pleased but wouldnt reciprocate it. Somehow, he mused, it wasnt as surprising as it should be.

*

The boy laid there for a moment, thinking, and then moved to be closer to the dragon. Valein was warm, and he'd grown a little used to being near him when he was recovering from the griffon attack. "Do.. Do I have to touch it?" He asks after a few more moments.

*

He shook his head slowly and offered a smile. "You dont have to, but you cant pretend it doesnt exist for the rest of your life." He watched Amaris for a moment and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "You know, in a few months you'll go into heat again. When you do, I'd very much like to give you the experience you really deserve to have had for your first heat."

*

"As long as it's you that does it?" He asks, pretty sure he already knew the answer. "I still don't want to have kids. Everyone will know what I am if I start.. showing.. and I'm treated differently enough all ready. I don't like it. I'm not Amaris now..."

*

He just stared at the pup. Slowly, a smile began growin on his muzzle until he looked at Amaris with a toothy grin. "If you dont think you are Amaris, then you are the only one who thinks that." He breathed a soft sigh and nodded slowly. "Go ahead. Explore. Touch where you want. Do what you want. I'm giving myself to you to get comfortable with."

*

"I'm 'your Highness' to everyone now. Just royalty, not who I am." He looked down at the member on his belly and wondered again how it ever fit. He was afraid to touch it. He'd done a little in the tub before, and he pulled it out of him, but both times he hadn't just.. explored it. Hesitantly, he reached for it with a paw.

*

Even as Amaris reached for his throbbing cock, Vaelin rolled his eyes. "If that's what you think, then you are the only one. You can either accept it and live with the respect and kindness that comes with the title... or you can keep complaining and accept my offer of your mother and you being distanced from the castle so you dont have to worry about it." He shrugged his shoulders lightly and closed his eyes. He was tired of the constant pity-plea the pup put out there. And being a dragon, his patience had its limits. He worked hard to keep it in check, though.

*

Amaris ignored the repetitive argument to, more or less, 'get over it' and puts his paw on the cocktip. It felt.. well, really hot in his hand. Of course, the pup's paw was really cold in contrast as it wrapped around to explore the hardened flesh slowly. "I still can't.. it fit in me..?"

*

He smiled and gave a deep growling purr. "Yes, it did. With minimal damage." Indeed, other than some slight tearing, the former guard-captain was to blame for much of Amaris's physical damage. Vaelin smiled and gently rocked his hips for a moment before he finally regained control.

*

"You should've told me I'd bleed." He murmurs, trying to keep his hand from shaking by holding on to Valien. He was sure he could feel the dragon's heart beat. "Would've.. helped, maybe."

*

He smiled at that and lifted his head to stare at Amaris. "Well, it wont bleed again." He hoped his voice sounded as assuring as he intended it too. He smiled at the boy and breathed a soft sigh. "Touch wherever you want. However you want to. This is your night. You're in control and I wont do anything unless you tell me to."

*

"You've said that last bit before, you know." He points out, feeling all around the length to spend his time more... Carefully, the underside felt softer, and he could tell where the knot would start to form later. A thought occurred him and his head tilted curiously. "Anywhere?"

*

He smiled at that and nodded. "Anywhere. I haven't lied to you yet." He smirked lightly and his heartbeat quickened. What was the boy up to? If he was growing bolder, then it was really only a matter of time until he found... Oh, he was aquiver with anticipation and excitement!

*

What was it the mouse had said? Valein wasn't so different? There was only one way he could think of, and that mean he had to move something. Steeling himself, he moved down in the bed and carefully lifted the large pair of orbs to peak under then, gasping when he saw what hid behind them.

*

And as Amaris lifted his scaled testicles out of the way, Vaelin grinned and lifted his head to stare down at the rather startled looking pup! He smirked and tilted his head. "Now you know where you get your genitals from." Vaelin winked and tilted his head. "Now I must ask you... am I less a person because I have a pussy? You seem to think you are because of yours. I must be so very different than I was a moment ago, by your logic." He winked. "Our bodies are one thing, but they do not determine who we are. No matter what parts you have or what title is bestowed on you, you will always be Amaris. Like I have always been Vaelin."

*

This.. This wasn't fair. Amaris let the balls ago and sat back in a mix of shock and anger at the injustice visited upon him by the gods. Why was he so different?! If he'd been like the dragon at least he could've hidden his slit enough to swim with his friends! Even with his father being like this, Amaris still turned out wrong. Luckily the collar was still in effect and the bed wasn't set ablaze.

*

Vaelin rolled his eyes and laid back. There we go, he thought. Another temper tantrum. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I guess I'm wrong. I am sub-person because I'm different and so are you. Why do I even go on living?" He threw his hands into the air and let them land heavily on the bed. "Why do I embrace what I am and celebrate it when I should hate myself for it and live a life of misery?" He lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat. He was at the end of his rope. No mattter what he did to try and make Amaris feel better, the boy was stubborn: determined to remain miserable and see a cloud in every silver lining.

*

"Why? Why am I different?!" He whispers angrily. "Y-You're my father and I'm not even like you! Did.. Did I just get half of you in every way? I can't.. I can't understand why... I'm not even like you! It doesn't make sense!" He never gets louder than a rough whisper, but he's clearly getting more upset about not being similar even to his father.

*

"You arent a copy of me, Amaris." He said and heaved a sigh. "Do you think my father had a pussy? No. Instead, the gods chose to make me unique, one of a kind. So are you. You are a gem among the pebbles, but you're too damn blind and stubborn to see it." He growled in frustration then sighed heavily. "As long as you continue to hate yourself, you're going to be miserable and unhappy. The minute you start accepting yourself for who and what you are," he sat up with an aggitated scowl, "you'll be happy. But what do I know, right?"

*

"I don't want to be different! I'm a boy! At least you can be both! I don't want to be miserable, I don't want to be stubborn, I just want to be normal and not scared to swim in front of my friends! You've got the wretched bracelet and you can't do anything to make me even like you..?" He'd lost much of his vigor already, his whole body droopping as he sighed. "I just wanna be normal, sir..."

*

"No one is normal," he said as he stood up and strode away from the rug. "And you arent listening. The only person who can make you happy is you. Celebrate what you are instead of feeling ashamed of it and you wont be miserable." He left it at that, striding through the curtained doorway that led to the ever-steamy bath. He slipped down into the hot water and rubbed his temples. For someone who didn't want to be stubborn, the boy went ouf of his way to maintain it.

*

Amaris sat there for several minutes, soaking up the heat of the fire as he fought hard to not cry. He couldn't help hating being different. The first time Valein had even met him he'd treated him differently because he wasn't normal!

He got up soon after that thought and went across the hall to get a thick blanket and a pillow before returning to the king's room. He set the blanket and pillow neatly on the end of the bed and slowly climbed into the tub, still naked as the day he was born. The guards, unlike his friends, had to know about him already, right?

*

When Vaelin felt and heard the water shift with a newcomer, his eyes opened and he stared at Amaris for a moment. Giving a soft smile, he gathered the boy into his arms and hugged him tightly against his chest. He sighed heavily and kissed the boy tenderly upon the lips. "People are going to find out eventually. You can either spend your life in fear of that moment, fear of what they will do when they find out... or you can choose to just say 'fuck em' and go on with your life. If someone chooses to shun you for your body, then they werent your friends to begin with." He offered a reassuring smily and kissed the boy's snout again. "I will love you no matter what's between your legs. And so will your mother. What you dont realize is since you are the prince and someday the king, people have no choice but to accept how different we are. It's not like they can choose not to hire us, right? Or choose not to be our subjects."

*

"They could, um... Leave the kingdom or rebel?" He tries, knowing the argument is a weak one. "I'm not fit to be a king anyway. I can't make children with queens..." He sighs and curls up against the dragon, just wanting the warmth again. Did Valein really love him, or was he just saying that? He'd been more patient than normal so far...

*

"Maybe, that's true," Vaelin agreed. "Then again, you dont see a queen in this kingdom now, do you?" He smiled at his son and shook his head. "You can carry young, though. Or worst case scenario, your queen can carry somebody else's child or..." He gave a shrug. "I'm sure you have siblings floating around here somewhere."

*

"I just.. don't want to have children." He admits. "It's just not something that I won't to have happen to me." It was, to be honest, something he was scared of because of what had happened to him. The thought of being raped and forced to carry a rapist's child...

*

"Not now, certainly. But people change. You never know, you may find in the future you do indeed want children." He smiled again then shrugged his wings. "But that may be a long time coming, if at all. No one knows what they'll think in twenty, fifty years." He grinned at him and tilted his head.

*

"You're going to try for them next time I'm in heat though." He whispers, looking down at the water. "Maybe not on purpose, but it will still happen if you try to give me the experience I should've had. I want to feel good d-during, but.. it scares me."

*

He nodded slowly and smiled. "It's instinct. We cannot change what we are. As for being scared, that's natural. Everyone is afraid of new things. It's whether we go through with them or avoid them that makes us brave men or cowards." He shrugged his wings lightly and took another deep, calming breath.

*

"The babies c-could die, or.. or i c-could." He whimpers, curling up into a tight ball. "I don't want to die like that! It'll hurt and then everyone will be mad because the babies are dead or sad because I am!"

*

"Is it not the risk we run every day?" he said with a hearty laugh. "Every day we risk death and dismemberment. For all you know, you can slip and crack your skull getting out of the tub, or trip going down the stairs, or choke on a chicken bone." He eyed Amaris mirthfully and shook his head. "Regardless, you will never be able to please everyone. Never. Stop worrying about what everyone thinks of you and your circumstances and start worrying about how you feel about it."

*

"If I hit my head or choke, I won't be in pain for hours trying to push something out of my body and die whether I managed to do it or not... Please d-don't make me do that, sir." He pleads, the fear clear in his eyes as he looks at the dragon. "Please ...."

*

He chuckled again and shook his head. "And still you refuse to listen. Yes, you can be in pain for hours if you choke or hit your head. You can be in pain for days, weeks if you trip." He stared at Amaris and clamped his jaws tightly shut. No matter what he said, he was wrong wasnt he?

*

"Just... Just promise you won't let me die." He whispers, shaking slightly against the dragon. He really didn't want to die anymore, not like he had on that first night. That felt like it happened so long ago yet somehow like it had happened yesterday. "Can y-you do that?"

*

"I can certainly do my best." If it would calm the boy down and keep him sane, fine. He would say whatever it took. He truly hoped the boy grew a backbone at some point, and hoped his skull would thin a little. Then again, he was about at that age where he knew best and no one could tell him otherwise, wasnt he? Soon enough he'd start thinking he was invincible, as well. Vaelin wasnt sure if it would be an improvement or make the pup that much more agrivating to deal with! He hoped the former rather than the latter. "You can't live in fear all the time, Amaris. It's life. You are going to get hurt. You are going to feel pain. You dont know when, but you will. If you spend your life worrying about pain from other people, or pain of death... you wont have a life at all."

*

Amaris thought about this briefly as one of his wings wrapped around Vaelin in a close approximation of a hug. Did he have a life? He'd been afraid of so much he wasn't sure. He thought he did have one, or at least had had a life before his world was smashed to bits. The few parts that were whole seemed far more important than before.

*

He smiled at the gesture and wrapped both of his own wings around Amaris in turn. He kissed the boy's head and gave a gentle sigh. "We dont know what life will bring. It is totally out of cour control. Instead of worrying about what is around the next corner, live in the moment, enjoy everything life gives you." He grinned and tilted his head slowly. Once he was certain Amaris's rage would not be directed at him anymore... perhaps he'd get rid of that bracelet too. Ween the boy back into normalcy.

*

"Life hasn't given me much that's good. It's.. starting to, I guess." He admits, relenting a little of his stubborn view. He felt smaller than ever now though, and though he hadn't noticed it yet, he actually was smaller than before. "I.. I am learning how to use a saber." He tells the king, wanting a new subject to distract himself with.

*

"Maybe, but you are still very young. You have many many years left for Life to give you as much good as you can handle." When Amaris told him about learning how to use a saber, Vaelin grinned and nodded. "Is that so? A saber is a fine weapon. Very deadly in the hands of those who know how to use them!" He smiled and kissed Amaris again, this time gently upon the muzzle. A show of good faith. One more 'good' thing for him to focus on, then? "Can I make a deal with you?" He asked. Before Amaris could answer, he lifted the boy's wrist and started to remove the bracelet. "Try to trust me, try to take pride in what you are. Please?" he pulled the bracelet away and tossed it onto the floor beside where his shoulder rested. "Deal?"

*

Amaris closed his eyes and let out a shuddering gasp as his normal body temperature returns, his fire filling him from wingtip to tail. It felt wonderful, even if part of that feeling he was embarrassed to admit to. Even the small amount if size he'd lost had return. He turned his head and coughed a bit of fire up, making steam billow around them as it hit the bath water. "D-Deal... C-Can you help m-me do that?" It certainly wasn't fear making the boy stutter at the moment.

*

He blinked at that and quirked a browridge. He smiled and took a calming breath. "I have been." He said, then hugged the boy tightly. "And no more blowing fire. It scares people. And hurts like hell." He grinned again and tilted his head. "Are you feeling better?" He certainly was. Indeed, his arrousal, that hadn't really gone away as unsated as it was, was once again throbbing against their bellies.

*

"M-Much better." He answers, laying his chin on Vaelin's shoulder. "I'm not cold anymore. I don't always mean to blow fire.. I'm not even sure how I do it." He paused, stomach twitching as it feels the throbbing, and he resists the urge to.. do nothing. He didn't feel the need to pull away again.

*

He smirked and nodded. "I imagine it's your dragon blood peeking through. I hope in time you will learn to control it." Or more pain and suffering would be dealt back upon him in ways Vaelin didnt want to think about. "Since you're feeling better, do you want to continue our exploration?"

*

"I.. don't know. I kind of just want.. want to relax here with you right now." That had been a bit difficult to admit, but feeling good again had its perks. "Didn't i explore it all already anyway?"

*

He laughed lightly at the question and shook his head. "Not even close. But we can finish later." He winked and kissed the top of the boy's head. "So? What do you think of me now that you know what I've got between my legs?" he asked, though it was plainly clear he was not referring to his cock and balls.

*

The boy was silent for what seemed like quite a long time before he spoke. "You should've told me first. I shouldn't have needed to get a hint from Miss Squeaks saying I wasn't as different from you as I thought. It makes what I say that night in the baths make sense, I guess."

*

"You're right, maybe I should have. But I didn't. No one goes around telling everyone else that they have a penis, or a pussy, or both. I'd thought you of all people would understand that." He smiled at Amaris again and tilted his head to the side. "But now you know. Now you can honestly say you arent so alone, can't you?"

*

"So first I'm supposed to proud of it, then I'm supposed to hide it? That's confusing." He sighs. What was it Vaelin wanted? He'd say two completely different things sometimes and expected it to make sense! "Are you sure I'm not so alone? You've got the right stuff for a boy. We've just got something else in common."

*

"Did I say hide it?" he asked then shook his head again. "You still. Arent. Listening." He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I said nobody goes around saying 'I have a penis!' or 'I have a pussy!' didnt I? Did I say 'everyone hides their genitals because they are embaressed about what they have' or anything even remotely similar?" He again took a deep breath. "But you go right back to being ashamed of yourself. Forget everything I've said tonight if you think it will make you happy."

*

"I am listening, it just didn't make sense! Did I sound like I was ashamed saying i had something in common with you just now?" He counters, wondering if he'd managed to confuse Vaelin unintentionally. "And if forget everything you've said tonight, that includes your deal and your promise. There's no way I'm doing that! You aren't getting out of either of them easily."

*

"Are you sure, because it seems like you're doing everything in your power to twist my words now." He tried not to glare and instead looked across the room. "I did not say hide it. At all. You may want to have heard that, but I did not say that. I said dont walk up to everyone you meet and say you have a pussy." He rubbed his temples and inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his muzzle. He did it repeatedly, struggling not to get upset.

*

Amaris watches for a moment, tail tip twitching idly in the water as he enjoys the bath and wing hugging, then wraps his arms around Vaelin's neck. "I'm sorry."

*

He looked down at Amaris and gave a heavy sigh. He rested his chin atop the pup's head and closed his eyes. "I did not mean to confuse." He made a note to try and remember that Amaris thought very differently than he did. Something that made perfect sense to him would make none to the pup. He licked his lips then kissed Amaris between the ears. "Take pride in what you are, but dont go shouting it to the world for no reason at all."

*

"I'll try the first part more, I promise." He whispers. He meant it. He knew Vaelin was right and being proud of himself would mean he'd eventually be happier. Maybe he'd even make more friends... if he ever met someone from outside of the city that didn't know he was a prince. "Will.. will you be watching tomorrow? The quartermaster said we were gonna try without a dummy..."

*

Good, a subject change. That seemed to be exactly what they needed. "Do you want me to watch tomorrow?" he asked, gently rubbing Amaris back from his rump to his neck.

*

"Well... I'm not very good." He admits. "But I've never done it before. I'll probably just look silly and end up sore all over from getting hit. If you wanted to watch though.. I guess I wouldn't mind."

*

He smiled at that then nodded again. "Then I will be there to watch you get bruised and sore all over from being hit." He winked and breathed a heavy sigh. Damnit, he thought to himself. My cock's not going to appease itself! Still, his outward expression betrayed none of his sexual frustration.

*

"Ok. I think I'm done soaking now." He says slowly, glancing at the bed. "If you're not mad about earlier, uh... I-I don't know..." Truth be told, now that he wasn't cold, Amaris had been fighting the urge to touch himself too. Probably why even listening he hadn't quite heard things right.

*

Vaelin blinked at the boy's words and tilted his head. "Hm? You dont know what?" he asked as he lifted Amaris from the basin and set him on the tiled floor. He stepped out a moment after and retrieved two towels. He dried Amaris as best he could then began to dry his own red scales.

*

"You s-said i hadn't explored everywhere." He says sheepishly, ears folding back as he bites his bottom lip. He busied himself with smoothing out his fur, liking it to be neat and hide his scales underneath better.

*

He blinked, then smiled at that and nodded."That you didn't." He winked at the boy and moved back toward the bed. Once he'd scaled the dais, he laid out flat on his back and spread his legs wide. "There is a deep cavern to be plundered, after all. Or a spire to scale, depending on your mood." He said with a playful little wink.

*

"Huh?" Not quite understanding innuendo at his age, Amaris is left confused again as he carefully joins Vaelin on the bed. "Why are you talking about caves?" He asks innocently.

*

He laughed at that and reached down to spread his scales and reveal the pink flesh within. "I'm talking about this, pup." He smirked and tilted his head. "We've got a long way to go!"

*

"Wh-What am I supposed to do down there?" He asks, blushing under his dark fur as he realizes what Vaelin meant. "T-Touch it? I know what it's like."

*

He nodded at that then shrugged his wings beneath himself slightly. "Well, what do you think you would like to do then? Remember, I said I would do nothing you didn't ask me to."

*

"Is.. Is there anything else?" He asks, shifting on the bed. Anything you could.. show me? I don't know what to do..."

*

He pondered for a moment then nodded. He wrapped his digits around his gloss-black length and held it straight up in the air. "Come here. Use your tongue and your mouth and suckle on this. You might find you like the taste."

*

"What?! You pee from there!" He exclaims, shocked, as his wings flare just a little. "And.. And you put it in people too!"

*

He nodded. "And you and I just took a bath, so you know it's clean." He said and tilted his head to the side. "How do you know you wont like it if you don't try it?"

*

He hated that argument. His mother kept saying that about vegetables, and surprise suprise, he rarely liked them. "And if I don't like it after I've tried..?"

*

"Then you won't ever have to try it again." He smiled and folded both arms beneath his head. "But let me ask you this instead: what if you do like it after you've tried it?"

*

"I don't know." He answers truthfully, not sure what the king was getting at. "It's not like I can eat it."

*

He grinned wickedly at that and shook his head. "You'd be surprised. Go ahead, give it a try." He smiled and winked once more. "See if you can get to the cream filling!"

*

"Why are you saying weird things?" He asks, scooting closer to Vaelin's side cautiously. "How can I twist your words if they're already weird?" He says in an attempt to tease.

*

He opened his mouth to snap but stopped himself and eyed the boy curiously. He smirked and shook his head."You'll see. It's a surprise, one I genuinly hope you'll enjoy." Because if he didn't, no more blowjobs from the wolf pup!

*

"So I just.. lick it?" He asks, still a little grossed out by the idea. Still, Vaelin /had/ licked him before, and it had felt really good, so maybe he should at least try it once.

*

He nodded. "Lick it, suckle on it, swallow as much of it as you can. Use your imagination." He smiled and tilted his head. "It will feel very, very good for me. Like how I made you feel." Maybe the boy would feel a sense of fairness and thusly feel obligated.

*

Scrunching up his muzzle, Amaris took the obsidian member in his paws and leaned over to give it an experimental lick. It didn't really taste like anything right now, just bland.

*

After Amaris paused to process the sample lick, Vaelin laughed and reached up to scratch behind the boy's ears. "It's not poisonous, I promise!" He chuckled and winked. "Only three people have died from it! I think your odds are pretty good!"

*

"That's not funny!" The pup replies, frowning as his ears go down and he scooted away. "Either it's a mean joke or it's true, and neither makes me wanna keep trying!"

*

Vaelin chuckled and shook his head. "Well, you were staring at it like you were waiting for something to happen, the only thing I could thinkof was that you were waiting for some poison to take effect or something." He smirked and folded his hands beneath his head again.

*

"Don't joke about something I just licked killing people!" He growls, grabbing the pillow he'd brought from his room and smacked Vaelin with it playfully.

*

Vaelin yelped then burst out laughing and spread his arms to either side. "It's funny and you know it!" he said and poked his tongue out at Amaris. "Keep going, you wont die. I promise."

*

"I'd better not, or you'd break your promise." He scolds, a little more at ease. He put his pillow within striking distance if needed and gripped the penis again before giving it another tentative lick.

*

Vaelin smirked and closed his eyes. Let him get used to it before urging him on further. This was still a strange concept to the boy. He breathed a soft sigh and began to purr thunderously, a deep growl in his chest that was more soothing to the ears than it was aggressive.

*

Slowly, Amaris started to lick more and more, until he was told to stop or his jaw started to hurt. The purr helped a little.

*

After a while of the simple licks, the dragon lifted his head and stared at Amaris in mild amusement. "Try suckling as much of it as you can. It's easier, trust me. It takes much less effort to suck than it does to lick it like an icicle."

*

"And what happens when I do that?" He asks, looking up at Vaelin curiously. He wasn't sure how much he actually wanted to do.

*

"Well, you breathe through your nose and you keep licking with your tongue while you suckle on my cock," he explained. "Then after a while, you get my spunk in your mouth and you decide whether you like it or not." He grinned. "Then I end up feeling really good and then I return the favor."

*

"And spunk is what made me swell, isn't it? Getting it in my mouth won't get me pregnant, will it?" He knew it could if it went in between his legs while he was in heat, but that was pretty much it.

*

He chuckled and shook his head. "No. No, only if it goes in your pussy." He smiled and reached down to caress the pup's scalp with his gentle fingertips. "You needn't fret."

*

"Does it taste bad?" Amaris asks, looking down at the hole the stuff was sure to come out of when it came out. "It's gonna make a big mess..."

*

"Probably, but that's ok. And I dont think it tastes bad. That'll be up to you when you make me cum." Vaelin grinned and gently rocked his hips against Amaris's gripping palms. "Take your time with it. I dont expect you to be able to take the whole thing your first try."

*

Amaris thought carefully, then leaned down to take just the tip of Vaelin into his mouth to suck and lick, keeping his lips over his teeth. If clawing at it had been bad, he didn't want to bite.

*

When Amaris closed his lips over his length, Vaelin grinned and nodded. "That's good, just watch the teeth." he urged. His hand lifted, gently massaging the boy's scalp as the pup licked and suckled.

*

He nods out of habit and keeps going, trying not to think about the stuff that comes out of what was in his mouth. He prayed Vaelin didn't have to go as he licked again and tried to get more in his maw.

*

Vaelin growled and purred deeply. He tried not to rock his hips, tried desperatly not to scare the poor boy as he felt himself growing closer and closer to his end.

*

Which was good for the pup as his jaw was starting to ache. He gripped the cock in his hands tighter and speeds up unconsciously.

*

Vaelin groaned and growled deep in his chest as the boy's tight muzzle dragged him over the edge. He arched his back lightly and his knot swelled at his base. In the next moment, his essence spilled into the pup's muzzle, flowing seemingly without end!

*

The boy couldn't help himself, and started coughing after the first blast hit the back of his throat, making him pull back to keep from accidentally hurting the big dragon while he tried to clear his throat.

*

Since Amaris pulled back, the hot essence rushed out and splashed over his face and bare chest. After several moments, he was quite coated and Vaelin began to come down from his high. When he lifted his head and saw Amaris, he chuckled lightly and tilted his head. "You need another bath."

*

"You could've warned me! My fur's a mess!" He laments, frowning at the goop he was covered in. It was warm and felt sticky, but the smell was what getting to Amaris. It was very... strong.

*

He chuckled at that and nodded. "You're right, I could have. But it's a little late now." He winked and glanced toward the curtained baths. "Come on, back into the water with you!" he said playfully as he stood up and moved to hold the curtains aside for the gooey pup.

*

Nose still wrinkling, Amaris carefully makes his way over, trying not to make a mess of his room. He didn't want to sleep in here if it meant he'd wake up smelling like this! He quickly climbed into the tub and sat down.

*

Vaelin smirked and moved into the tub with his son, grinning at the feeling of the always-steaming water soaking through his scales into his flesh beneath. "Dont look so grumpy," he said. "You enjoyed that as much as I did."

*

"I didn't get you dirty." He grumbles, already starting to run his claws through the fur, trying to get the seed out as quickly as he can. It felt so weird, but he scrubbed fast. "At least there isn't any on my bed..."

*

"Well, that's not entirely true," he said, then waved his hands. "But the servants will take care of that well enough." He smiled at Amaris and reached across the basin to help the poor lad scrub.

*

Amaris swore under his breath. His poor bed! He'd have to take the covers off and use the ones he'd set aside for something else instead. At least Vaelin was helping him, the pup thought as he worked. He hoped he didn't always have to bathe this much, even if the water felt nice.

*

He smiled when finally the pup was all squeaky clean and leaned back against the edge of the basin. "There. Let's next time try to keep it all contained, hm?" he reached out and poked his belly with a wink.

*

"It was bitter and kinda gross though!" He protests, looking at his belly. "And too fast... There too much for me to even try..."

*

*He shrugged his wings lightly and smiled. "Well, practice makes perfect, and there are other ways to keep it from getting all over." He gave a toothy grin and tilted his head to the side. "Thank you. That did feel quite wonderful."

*

"If" Amaris emphasizes, "we do that again." He dunks his head and scrubs his muzzle clean before trying to scrap his tongue clean too.

*

Vaelin smirked and shook his head. "Please, it wasnt that bad." He spread his arms against the round rim of the basin and relaxed against the mosaiced tile with a content sigh.

*

"It was gross. When was that last time you did that?" He counters, relaxing against his end of the tub and using his tail to make swirls in the water's surface.

*

The dragon lifted his head and smirked at Amaris. The last time he had done that? "Probably when I was an adolescent. Before I realized I could have anyone I wanted. I had to do something to please myself and my hands werent always the best options."

*

"So you knew how slimy it was and made me do it anyway." The pup says as he starts to run his claws through his fur. He was already clean, but he liked the feeling.

*

"Well I had hoped you would have been able to swallow it all as quickly as possible and besides," he winked slyly, "I didnt think it was that bad. Maybe everyone just likes their own stuff, though." He gave his wings another gentle shrug and laid his head back against the edge of the basin once again.

*

"I'll take your word for it. I can't bend that far." Amaris explains, moving on to run his paws over his tail in search of any tangles. Say what you will, he could be meticulously neat when he wanted to be.

*

Vaelin smirked at that and nodded. He lifted a hand from the water and tapped two fingers against the side of his long neck. "This has it's advantage, sometimes." He winked again and tilted his head. "Starting when I was about your age, I would swallow a good load every night."

*

"Well I'm not a full dragon, am I? I took more after my mother in regards to my body. No long neck, not as long tongue. Um... Black fur. Her eyes." Okay, so maybe that wasn't a lot, but still. At least he wasn't pointing out one very big similarity he shared with his mother. For once.

*

He smirked and shrugged his wings again. "Aye, that's true. Maybe you just haveny practiced enough?" he tilted his head then lifted himself up so he could set his rump on the floor and dangle his legs in the tub. He smiled down at Amaris and lifted a hand to glide it over his slits. Within moments his arrousal emerged fro within his body and bobbed between his legs. He smiled at Amaris and bent over with practiced grace. He closed his lips over his own tip and started to slowly descend until his muzzle pressed against the red scales of his own groin. He moaned gently then slowly began to move his lips up and down the full length of his arrousal, from tip to unswollen knot.

*

The pup watched, slightly uneasy, as his father started to fellatio himself. He'd never really thought about licking himself 'down there' before, and to see it happening now... He forced himself to admit it was at least a little interesting.

*

His head bobbed up and down with a gradually increasing speed along his own throbbing length and his growling moans increased. After only a moment of suckling upon himself, pair of fingers lifted and sunk into his own dripping slit. They gently pulsed in and out of himself in perfect time with his own bobbing. Every time his scales and pink flesh parted and his fingers dissappeared, Vaelin would give a deep, lustful moan.

*

Interesting was slowly becoming a word that didn't fit Amaris's description of Vaelin's little show. In fact, given the way his body was reacting, he was tempted to start running his tail over his own slit. The thought startled him. Should he? Did he really want to, or was he only thinking about it because Vaelin was doing it? "I-I think I'll dry off and watch..."

*

Vaelin's eyes openned and peered up at Amaris. He pulled his lips away from his cock long enough to say "You are welcome to join or please yourself too, you know. There really isnt anything secret between us anymore is there?" And besides, he thought, I'd just ate you ate. With a little luck, they'd be fucking in no time!

*

"It's okay." He says, wrapping his wings around himself. "I'm not good at it, and you sound, uh.. like you like it more." He stood up, looking slick and shiny as water ran down his bare body, and stepped out of the tub.

*

He lifted his head and smiled at Amaris. "I stopped because it's much more enjoyable with someone else than it is alone." He tilted his head again and watched Amaris with eyes brimming with desire. He had always been eager to seek pleasure from either his guard captain and another male or two here or there, and female servants and guards alike. The boy standing before him was like the perfect mixture of both. Well, almost the perfect mixture, he thought. Put a horsecock between those legs and he'd be a gift from the gods. "You dont have to be embarassed to explore your own sexuality or my own, Amaris."

*

Amaris reached for the towel and ended up dropping it he was so nervous. He gripped the edge of the tub with one hand and took a deep breath to calm himself. Just like swimming. Deep breath in, then out. "I know that, it's just... I never have. I didn't want to risk someone smelling it on my paws or tail. If I had and they did, I wouldn't be here watching you, would i?" No malice, no bitterness. Either Amaris was coming to terms with his uniqueness or he simply didn't care about it right now. He kneeled to pick up the towel and spied the collar. In a spur of the moment decision he hid it in the blanket as he he stood and went to his clothes. "And I explored you earlier, didn't i?"

*

He smiled at that, his fingers still exploring his own depths. "You did, at that." He paused with a smile still nspreading his lips and then asked "And did you enjoy it? Other than your first taste of my seed, I mean." It was a genuine question, one he was most eager to hear the answer to. Still, his cock wasn't pleasing itself! He kept his eyes on Amaris and lowered his muzzle to his length again.

*

Vaelin smiled around his length at that and gave a little moan at the idea. He lifted his muzzle away and tilted his head thoughtfully at the boy. "What if you licked my slit, hm? I promise it doesnt have the same taste." He wouldn't force the boy, of course. But the idea of his own muzzle on his cock and the boy's tongue in his nethers... The mere idea made him spurt a little bit of delicious pre- onto his slender tongue.

*

"O-Only if you'll brush my fur out after." He says quietly, trying to bargain. He picked up his princely shirt and slipped the collar in the pocket careful before putting it on. He liked the dark green a bit more. He could focus on it for now.

*

Vaelin pulled his muzzle away from his length then smiled at that and nodded. "I think that sounds like a fair enough trade." He pulled his fingers from within his sopping slit and stood up. He carefully climbed out of the basin in the floor and retrieved a towel to dry himself as well. Once he was satisfied, he took one of Amaris hands and led him back into the main bedroom and up onto the dais-mounted bed. He helped the boy up onto the soft sheets then climbed on as well. He spread his legs wide and beckoned the wolf toward him. "Take your time. You dont have to do anything you dont want to." It was a gentle reminder, one he hoped he didnt have to repeat too often.

*

"You're sure it's not like the seed?" Amaris asks as he gets on the bed and bites the inside of his cheek. He knew it felt good to be licked there thanks to Vaelin, but to be the one doing the licking, and so soon after getting messy from the blowjob? He wasn't taking chances.

*

He smiled and nodded. "Very sure." He again curled his finger beckoningly and idly stroked his length with a hand. "If you dont like it, you can stop." Maybe that litttle assurance would be enough to persuade him.

*

It was. With one last, worried glance at the dragon, Amaris leaned in and used the back of his hand to lift the balls out of his way and reveal the hidden slit beneath. He pushed a finger in like he'd seen Vaelin do, careful of his claws.

*

At the pup's probing finger, Vaelin gave a pleasant moan and nodded. He didnt say anything, he didnt have to. Instead, he leaned down and started to gently bob his head along his own length again. With luck, Amaris would carry on to the end and he'd have one hell of an end to the arrousal he'd kindled!

*

Vaelin felt incredibly warm like this. Wrapped around Amaris's finger, the flesh felt like wet velvet. He sank a second, the a third finger in, just exploring, before he took them and carefully, slowly, gave the hidden nethers a lick.

*

When the smooth, wet tongue caressed the velvetty flesh behind his red scales, Vaelin gave a gasp and a little quiver. To say he had ever felt a tongue down below his dangly bits would be a lie. He moaned gently and let a hand settle upon Amaris's furry head. His fingers and claws gently massaged the boy's scalp and he nodded in wordless approval.

*

Amaris couldn't see the nod from where he was, but since Vaelin had gasped and was now rubbing his head, the pup decided he'd done something right. He kept licking, trying to get used to the funny taste the sex left on his tongue. His hybrid tongue, mix of long dragon and wide canine, slid over the older dragon's lower lips slowly.

*

Vaelin's chest rumbled with a deep, pleasant growl. He again nodded and a smile spread across his muzzle. "That feels wonderful," he breathed. He openned his mouth to tell the boy he was the first to do such a thing, but all that came out was a low, wanton moan.

*

A compliment was enough to just get Amaris's tail swishing back and forth on the bed as he remembered to push his tongue in and try to get it deep, just like Vaelin had done to him.

*

When the long, slender tongue delved into him, Vaelin actually arched his back off the bed a little. He gasped once more and clutced desperatly at Amaris's head of fur. His chest rumbled near constantly, broken only by a particularly pleasure filled growl. He clamped his eyes shut as he rapidly shot toward his climax. Part of him desperatly wished Amaris had a dick! Then again... "Your hand! Please put it in me, Amaris! As deep as you can!" He'd had a horsecock in him, what was a child's arm?

*

For once Amaris didn't seem confused, but maybe he was just feeling a bit more compliant than usual. His tongue came out and he sat up so he could watch as his hand, then the rest of his arm, disappeared into his father's pussy. "Feels weird." He murmurs to himself.

*

Vaelin was in no possition to respond coherently. The more of Amaris's appendage that sunk into him, the more he writhed and arched against the bedding. He growled deeply with every centimeter that stretched him wide. When Amaris's elbow neared his openning, Vaelin arched his back and cried out loudly. His body squeezed and milked Amaris's arm and hand rhythmically, desperate for what he could not give.

*

Amaris yelped softly as his arm was pulled in deeper by the inner walls and tried to free his arm. For a moment, he actually though he'd be sucked in! It passed when he realized what was happening, and wiggled his fingers around to see what would happen.

*

The squeezing and pulling only increased and Vaelin arched his back even more violently off the bed. He gripped the silk sheets tightly against his palms and cried out again! That was the most bizare and wonderful thing he'd ever felt! He'd had dicks in him before, but none that could come apart at the tip and wiggle around like those fingers!

*

A tiny little power trip overcame the pup as he pulled his arm out as much as he could before pressing it back in quickly with his fingers spread wide to rub along five places at once. To see such a big dragon almost helpless because on him was.. interesting.

*

Like the last time, When Amaris decided to try something new, Vaelin was just coming down from his ecstatic high when he was plunged right back into an intense orgasm! If he were anybody else, he'd be squeeling in that moment, but instead another loud roar split his muzzle wide.

*

The boy liked this reaction and started to repeat what he'd done, even if his ears started to ring from that roar. What else could he do while Vaelin was curled like this? His eyes fell one Vaelin's pussy once more and his free hand came up to rub the previously neglected clit. After all, in this way Amaris had something the same as his father, and his father had shown him just how good that little nub could feel.

*

The gasps, roars, and growls increased tenfold when Amaris began towing with his little nub. He was an absolute mess on the bedsheets! The only thing that could possibly have made that better was a nice tight pussy squeezing his own cock, but such things were far from his mind as his body desperatly tried to cope with what the pup was doing to him!

*

How much could Vaelin take? Amaris could only wonder, trying to figure it out. Maybe he wasn't going fast enough! Yes, that must be it. Why else hadn't Vaelin asked him to stop? So, further developing his technique, Amaris did his best to pump his arm faster.

*

The dragon's reaction seemed to have peaked, however it didnt slow down this time either. The increased pace had him plataeu out both in pleasure and in body. His back arched his belly and chest into the air and hold it there. He gasped and growled and moaned and whined. The lack of any real breathing eventually caught up to him, however. After several minutes of intense orgasm, he passed out!

*

The sudden lack of reaction and general limpness of his father both shocked and frightened the pup, and he pulled his arm free quickly and dunked it in the bath water before yanking on his pants and running across the hall to his room, hoping his mother was there. Surely she would know if he'd hurt Vaelin, right?

*

His mother was there, idly knitting and sewing various things when Amaris burst in all apaniced. Indeed, she'd do everything she could to keep from laughing and comforted him to the best of her abilities. It would be some time later that Vaelin woke up feeling... well, empty but well sated! He sat up and looked around. Now where'd that pup get off to so instantaneously?

*

Feeling stupid and incredibly embarrassed, Amaris had long since gotten dressed and retreated up to the roof, where he hid and hoped no found out how he'd thought he'd hurt Vaelin.