The Virgin Sacrifice (Closed for Emstar303)

[Emstar303]

When the dragon asked her to come back and visit, Lily realized she hadn't even got so far as to contemplate leaving yet. She also wasn't sure if she had anywhere to go.

"Of course!" she said honestly. "You've been very kind to me, after all." She forced herself to smile slightly but the sadness that had been churning inside her since her exile began was starting to bubble to the surface. She looked into Fen's kind yellow eyes and admitted her worries.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure where I can go. The guards they - " Her voice broke. "They killed my father when he tried to stop them from taking me. I hope they didn't just leave his body there on the hearth..."

Lily started to cry then, not loud, sobbing wails, but silent, painful tears that stung her eyes and stained her cheeks. Her dad had been her only family. Now she had no one.

"I am not sure where I belong anymore," she said solemnly, staring into the dragon's eyes as she fought a pointless battle trying to hold back her tears. She gave up quickly and allowed the tears to obscure her vision as she finally let her guard down in front of her new companion.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen was so happy when he heard her say that she would come visit, it was hard to stop smiling when she explained her situation.

Lily had lost her father. Fen knew that pain. His heart leapt anew at her distress earlier when he found her in his cave. She had just seen her father killed, and then she’d been dragged, unwilling, up his mountain.

Lily started to cry. He thought he should say something, but he didn’t know what to say.

He couldn’t think of anything else to do, so he walked up to her and pulled her into his warm, scaly chest.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily was surprised by the softness of his scales as Fen pulled her into his light green chest. He held her in his arms tenderly and didn't say anything, but he didn't need to.

He was comforting her. A dragon was comforting her. Lily could have laughed at the absurdity of the situation if she wasn't crying so hard. She let out all her emotions in Fen's arms, allowed her tears to fall freely, allowed him to soak up all her sadness.

One hand curled against his chest, the other held onto his forearm as she sobbed. Again she was surprised at the softness of his skin. He didn't feel exactly like a lizard, which is what she'd always figured a dragon would fee like, but he didn't have the smooth, squishy skin of a human either. His scaly skin was somewhere in between. It didn't really cross her mind that he was still naked. She was taking comfort in his embrace.

After a long while, her tears finally started to slow and she raised her gaze to his. She wrapped her arms around his torso, being careful not to prick herself on his shoulder horns, and hugged him tightly, chest to chest. "Thank you."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen felt inadequate. He had nothing to provide except his touch, his embrace. He held Lily and let her cry into his chest. She wept until she ran out of tears, and then she looked into his eyes and wrapped her arms around him. He looked back into her hazel eyes, bright in the firelight. Her scent was bitter and earthy, like the loss she felt.

He could feel her hands on his back, and her cheek against his chest. Her skin was so unlike his own. The velvet of her dress was rough compared to the silky softness of her skin. He could feel her chest bumps through her dress, his mind was drawn to the surface of his scales where her bumps pressed into his chest. He wanted the hug to last forever.

“Thank you,” she said.

Fen was confused. “For what? I haven’t done anything. I wish I could. I’ve felt that pain before, and if I could take that tearing away from you, I would.”

 

[Emstar303]

Lily had embraced a few men in her life, but never one with a bare chest. Even through the rich fabric of the beautiful dress he'd given her, she felt the hard muscles of his chest pressing firmly against her soft breats and stomach. She admired how strong he was. A gentle giant, so far.

When asked why she was thanking him, she explained, "I'm thanking you for holding me. For comforting me as I cry." She gave him another small squish. "For not eating me," She finished with a little smile, laughing lightly at her last comment.

The way he spoke was like he understood her loss personally. Tearing was certainly one way to describe how she felt - like she'd lost a part of herself. Having grown up without a mom her father and her were especially close. He'd been her protector and guide for years and it was hard to face that she'd never see him again.

The way Fen spoke told her he knew her pain. "Have you lost someone too?" she asked softly, gently. She looked into his soft yellow eyes flickering in the fire light.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

A burst of sweetness filled his nostrils when she laughed. The joy of it made him laugh more than her joke, although it hadn’t been a bad joke.

What he liked even more was the small squeeze she gave him with her arms wrapped around his torso. He was loving feeling this close to her.

She asked, “Have you lost someone, too?”

He nodded his scaly head. “My parents. It was a long time ago, but I still feel that part of myself missing. It does get easier, though. The pain of it lessens. Even though the loss is still there, you get stronger; strong enough to bear it. You realize that they would be happy to see you live your life well, and honor their memory. That’s part of why I left my old home, and came here.”

 

[Emstar303]

At hearing he'd lost his parents as well, Lily nodded solemly. He told her it would get easier, not because you ever get over the loss, but because you get strong enough to bear it. She thought that was good advice. He was very wise. She wondered how old he was if he'd left home after his parents deaths a long time ago.

"I guess we're both orphans then," she mused. "My mom died giving birth to me. I still feel guilty about that sometimes, but I think you are right - they would want us to be happy." She ran a hand up and down Fen's back tenderly, being careful around his wings. His back was only a little courser than his front. She liked the slight bump of his scales and their velvety softness, admired the transition of pale green to striking blue from his chest to his shoulders.

Still holding him, Lily spoke again. "Where did you live before? How long ago did you come to this cave?

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen understood Lily blaming herself for her mother’s loss, even though it was ridiculous. He, himself, had often wondered if his parents would still be alive if he hadn’t needed to eat. Maybe they wouldn’t have left to get food, and maybe they would still be alive. That was ridiculous, of course, but he still felt himself wondering it sometimes.

Lily ran her soft, slender across the scales on his back. It felt really good. Then, she hit a spot near where his wings joined his back, and it felt really good. He purred, a bass rumbling deep in his chest.

He hoped he hadn’t scared her. He didn’t want the hug to end. “Sorry, that just feels really nice.”

She smiled. "Where did you live before? How long ago did you come to this cave?”

“There’s a hidden valley deeper in the mountains. I lived there from when I was born until about ten days ago. It was beautiful, although you might think it was too cold. In the summer, though, it was so green and lush, it was like a storybook.”

 

[Emstar303]

The rumbling in Fen's chest when she neared his wings didn't scare her, but it did surprise and somewhat excite her. It was almost like a cat's purr, but at the same time nothing like that at all, for he was large and imposing and manly and the sound had been almost guttural. He was at least 5 inches taller than her, so she could comfortably rest her head just around his chest, and she felt the rumbling on her cheek from his chest as he purred.

He told her it felt really nice when she touched him there and Lily blushed, wondering just how nice it felt. She had no idea of the anatomy or sensitivity of dragons - but the tone of his voice told her it felt more than nice.

He told her where he came from. At hearing he'd only left ten days ago, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Fen had only just eaten her father's sheep a few days ago.

She did not blame him for the death of her father, despite the direct connection of him eating their sheep and her winding up here. Her blame lay solely on the King. Although she did wish Fen hadn't eat her sheep. She knew they were just animals, but she'd given all the animals on her farm names and did feel bad for Sleepy and Angie that they'd been eaten, though she knew Fen only did it for survival.

"That sounds wonderful," she told him when he described where he'd come from. she grinned even wider when he compared it to a storybook. Lily loved stories. She was curious about Fen's collection of books. "Have you read all the books you have? I've never seen so many in my life! It's like you've got your own personal library." She smiled up at him, still enjoying their embrace, the feel of his warm flesh against her velvet gown.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen wanted to go and grab a book right now to show it to her, but not as much as he wanted to just stand here and hold her in his arms. He loved his books, and he hoped by the excitement in her voice that she did too. “I have! I...I had a lot of time on my hands,” he admitted. “I don’t know where they all came from, but I’ve read most of them several times.”

He looked down at her warm smile. “You have to borrow them! One at a time, though, to make sure you have a reason to come back and talk to me about them.”

 

[Emstar303]

Lily couldn't help but wonder where these books had come from. If they'd come from his parents, had they taken them from humans? Surely not, for how could Fen be so kind? She wondered what had happened to them, but it was too soon to ask her new friend all these personal questions.

"Okay," she agreed with a smile, her hazel eyes staring into his golden yellow eyes. "I promise."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

It made Fen so happy to have helped her change her scent. The sweetness he breathed in when she smiled was better than anything he’d ever smelled. He was also doubly excited about loaning her his books. He would get to talk to Lily again! And, he would get to talk to someone about his books!

He almost asked her what she wanted to do next, or if she was hungry. He knew he should ask. The knights probably hadn’t fed her, after all. He decided to ask her soon, but not yet. He wanted to just make her smile again. Maybe he would try a joke? He hadn’t had anyone to joke with in decades.

“Be careful, fair maiden, promises made to dragons are always binding,” he said with a smirk on his toothy jaw.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily let out a twinkling laugh at his joke. If not for the funny smirk on his face and tone in his voice the statement could come out threatening, but she'd already decided to trust that he wasn't a threat to her, so she laughed freely.

"I'll keep that in mind, too," she said. She removed one hand from his back and tapped him playfully on the snout.

At long last she pulled away from him, but she didm't let go completely. She took one of his scaly hands in hers and pulled him along with her towards the bookshelf. "Which is your favorite? I want to read that first."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

He was putty in her hands. He was a dragon, capable of burning down an entire forest or toppling a castle, but all he wanted to do was follow her, his powerful, clawed hand in her soft, pink one, and do whatever she said. The smile on his face was wide, and it wasn’t going anywhere.

She led him over to his bookshelves, and asked him about his favorite. With his other hand, he pulled off a thick, hidebound book.

“This one’s probably my favorite. It’s about a man that wants to become a knight so badly, that he just decides he is a knight. He picks a woman that he’s never talked with, and decides he rides in her name, and convinces a man to be his squire. At one point, he even pretends a windmill is a giant and charges it on this old, broken down mare. It’s a little bit sad, but also funny.”

 

[Emstar303]

"That man sounds very ambitious. Perhaps foolishly so. Does he ever meet this woman who he rides for?" she asked, excitement in her eyes as she met the eyes of her new friend. "Wait - actually, don't tell me. I wish to find out myself."

She led him further along the bookshelf, examining the varied tomes, running the fingers of her free hand over any titles that caught her eye. Her other hand still held Fen's, resting delicately in his hand, gently rubbing his palm but careful not to prick herself on his claws. Her gaze rose up and up and up until they fell on a book on the very top shelf.

"Can you get that one?" she requested, pointing to a large, dusty book with a picture of a dragon on the spine. To be honest, she wasn't so interested in the book as she was at witnessing him fly again. The book was too high for her and even him in his humanoid form to reach. She wanted to see him spread his elegant wings. She was very curious about them.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen was about to open his mouth and spoil that scene for her, saying “He does, but it doesn’t go well. Not like it’s going for me.” But, he didn’t. He didn’t want to spoil it for her, though.

She walked her dragon down the line of bookshelves, caressing the books, his favorite part of his hoard. Lily pointed to a book on the high shelf, asking him to get it for her. He reluctantly let go of her hand and jumped, pushing his wings toward the floor, generating a powerful thrust of air to stabilize him until he could get his claws on the requested tome. He landed next to her, her hair mussed by the gust he’d generated.

He opened the cover of the book. “I haven’t read this one in a long time. It’s...not my favorite. It’s a story about a kingdom menaced by a bloodthirsty dragon. Mostly, it’s about the knight that gets sent to fight him. The knight gets to have all these adventures, and the people love him, and the dragon is just this unspeaking evil.”

Fen dipped his head, handing the book to Lily.

“My parents used this book to show me what some humans think of us. They taught me to always pay for my meals if I took them from human lands, to make it less likely I would be hunted.”

His voice caught in his throat. He didn’t want to tell Lily the rest. He didn’t want her to see him saddened. He wanted her to always see him strong. He knew a friend would tell, though.

“It reminds me of them, and it makes me think that if people didn’t think this way, maybe they’d still be here.”

 

[Emstar303]

Lily watched in awe as Fen leapt off the ground and spread his beautiful azure wings, sending a gust of air in her direction, tousling her long brown hair and causing her to shiver slightly. She wished the book had been even higher so she could watch his wings flap more, but soon enough he returned to the cave floor.

She noticed his dejected expression as soon as he landed and handed her the book. He explained the book was not his favorite due to its portrayal of dragons. Lily instantly felt foolish for requesting he bring her the tome with the fearsome, menacing dragon on the side. She could hear the sadness in his voice as he told her the book reminded him of his parents and their warnings to him about humans. Lily forced the book back onto the shelf and returned her hand to his, giving it a tender squeeze.

"Do you have any books with good dragons?" she asked, but before he got a chance to answer, she continued quickly, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she spoke, waiting for her words to click. "I read one once. It was about a misunderstood dragon who lived all alone high up in the mountains, and a plain young maiden who was sent to him as a gift. The King hoped the dragon would take the girl as his plaything in exchange for leaving the Kingdom alone, but instead of taking her for his own, the dragon and the girl become good friends. They eventually even get revenge on the evil King and his wicked sorceress, and lived Happily Ever After in a hidden valley in the mountains."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen blinked in surprise at her question. He didn’t have any books with good dragons. Humans didn’t write about good dragons. Dragons were always the monster killed by the hero. Before he got too far along that trail of thought, though, she was telling her story: their story.

He didn’t miss her mentioning the idea of the two of them living Happily Ever After. His heart sang at the thought, but he didn’t think he should comment on it. Surely she was just adding an upbeat ending to the story to cheer him up.

“That is my new favorite story,” he said with a smile.

He also noticed that her story suggested they get revenge on the king and a wicked sorceress. The idea of a sorceress gave him a fright, but if she and her king had been the reason Lily was stolen and her father was killed, Fen would be happy to burn them. Stopping them from causing more harm may have ended up that way, anyway.

“You’re right, you know.” He smiled at her, gently rubbing her hand with his scaly thumb. “I won’t let them hurt you again, whatever it takes.”

Fen was feeling bold after hearing her story replace the traditional role of the hero-knight with his draconic self. “I would also like to show you my valley someday. It really is beautiful, but not as beautiful as you are.”

 

[Emstar303]

Lily was so happy to see Fen smile; she was glad she'd been able to cheer him up. She hadn't meant to make him feel sad simply for existing... but she had to wonder why humans believed dragons to be evil beasts. Perhaps the human perception of dragons was wrong, or Fen was just one in a million. Either way, she liked Fen very much.

When he basically vowed to protect her Lily warmed at his kind but fierce words.

She looked at him earnestly as a dark thought passed through her mind. Would he help her get revenge on those who'd wronged her? Would he kill the king and those guards if she asked? She decided it was too early in their friendship to pose such a question.

His compliment made her heart soar. She hadn't thought of herself as beautiful, but she was glad he thought so. Lily gently rubbed his hand in return. She met his eyes and leaned a little closer.

"Thank you. I'm glad you think so! And I would consider it an honor to see the valley where you grew up. Would I get to ride on your back?" she grinned, excited at the thought.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen’s hand felt warm where Lily rubbed it with hers, her soft smoothness sliding over his scales. She leaned in and then it was his face that warmed.

Fen was excited to show her his valley, but he hadn’t thought about the trip. She would definitely need to be warmly wrapped in some furs. They might also need to figure out some straps. He could carry her in his hands, but she might not enjoy that as much.

Fen nodded excitedly. “Yes, of course you could ride on my back! We should probably go on a quick trip nearby so you can see how easy it is to hold on, right?”

 

[Emstar303]

Fen seemed just as excited for her to ride on his back as she did. Lily was looking forward to the ride, but she was sure she wouldn't be able to hold on tonight. She was still exhausted from her journey here, though imagining what her tiny village would think to see her flying in on a dragon with the morning sun did give her some energy,

"Okay! Maybe you could take me to my village in the morning?" she asked hopefully. "I'm starting to get hungry but right now I'm also feeling sleepy. You don't mind if I take this book and lay down to rest do you?" Lily gestured to the book he'd said was his favorite with the hand that was not holding his, still tenderly rubbing her hand against his, fingers exploring the texture of his palm.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen hadn’t thought about how they would spend the night. He had forgotten that humans slept every night. He usually slept for a couple of days straight once every two or three weeks. He knew from his childhood that older dragons had even more irregular sleep schedules. His mom slept for a month straight once when he was fifty.

Even if he’d been sleepy, he probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight. He had made a friend! He was just too excited to sleep.

Fen reluctantly let go of Lily’s hand, feeling the cold, empty lack of contact once again. He held up a finger to gesture for her to wait.

“Of course! Just...hold on a second--”

He turned and jumped over his pile of gold with a small leap and two heavy flaps of his large wings. He didn’t usually do that, and almost tripped on the way down. It was almost twice his height in this form, after all.

He rummaged in some of his chests for a selection of thick, heavy, soft furs. It was probably enough for several people, but he wanted his friend to have choices. There were bear furs, wolf pelts, and deer hides in addition to a bunch of smaller, decadently soft furs and one very large white fur that Fen didn’t recognize.

He lifted them all in his arms. It was lucky that he still possessed the strength of a much larger creature. It took four flaps this time to make it back over the pile to Lily’s side. He tossed the furs next to her on the stony floor.

“I’m not sure what arrangement of these would be the most comfortable for you. I’ll keep the fire going tonight, so it’ll be warm. First, though, I’ll go get you some food! I might need help cooking it, though. I don’t know how humans like it.”

As Lily contemplated the furs, Fen grabbed a small handful of coins, and ran up the slope out into the night air. He transformed as he took off, huge wings beating the air down the mountain. He was going to pick up another sheep, but he saw a deer much closer to the mountain path. He quickly, mercifully broke its neck, and lifted its carcass in powerful hands. It barely slowed him down as he flew quickly back up that mountain, a toothy smile on his powerful, draconic face.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily watched Fen leap up and flap his brilliant blue wings to fly over his treasure. She didn't miss his little stumble on the way down, but his form was still something to admire. It took four flaps of his elegant wings to make it over his treasure when he returned, arms laden with a bundle of various animal furs. Lily was once again flattered by his effort.

She thanked him for the furs and then before she knew it he was off, flying off into the night to get her something to eat. Lily was very grateful for his kindness, though she had noticed him take some coins before he left and knew he intended to trade for his meal again. She just hoped he wouldn't take any animals from her kingdom's lands again, only because she did not want the king to send more of his men to attack him, or worse, another virgin more beautiful than her.

Lily scolded herself for the ridiculous thought and set about making a bed out of the furs several feet from the fire. She heard the rush of his wings and knew he was returning. The thought made her happy and she once again marveled at the surreal sight of a dragon flying in to greet her.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen landed to see Lily arranging her bed the way she liked. He had stopped just outside to carve off a leg of venison. It was probably more than the girl would want for a single meal, but it was better than bringing the whole animal. The rest would keep for a night in the mountain cold.

He picked up a long, thin sword in his other hand after dropping the coins he didn’t use. He held the meat and the blade and looked at the young woman.

“I usually just breathe on it, so that the outside chars. You probably wouldn’t like that, though, would you?”

Fortunately, the fire was available to cook with, but Fen wanted to know how Lily would like it before he started cooking.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily was relieved when she saw Fen drop the coins on the floor when he returned. It meant he hadn't had to pay for his meal, so he must have found an animal wandering along the mountain trail.

He asked her how she'd like her food cooked, and she wasn't completely sure. "Um, well usually we have something to put over the fire for the food to rest on. I guess - you don't burn do you? If not, maybe you could just hold it by the fire for a while to cook it?" she asked hopefully. "If you do burn, perhaps we could spear it on a stick and hold it over the fire to cook it."

"Either way, come sit next to me so I can get a better look," she requested, really just wanting him close to her.