The Virgin Sacrifice (Closed for Emstar303)

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen hadn’t known if Lily would want to cook the venison herself or not, so once she asked him to cook it he tossed the rapier aside. It would be easier for him, especially since, as she pointed out, the dragon was immune to fire. He walked over and sat next to Lily. Partially in the edge of the fire, holding the leg closer in his claws as it began to brown and sizzle. The smell of cooking meat began to fill the cave.

He looked at Lily. She smiled at him, but she wasn’t paying attention to his cooking. He smiled back. He wanted to be able to handle it for her entirely, but he was also nervous. He hadn’t just never cooked for a human before, but he hadn't even seen human food in person. He knew they liked their meat cooked more evenly than dragons, but he didn't know what that meant, practically. He just really wanted her to have a good meal. He wanted to do a good job for her.

“I’m just guessing here, so if it ever looks done to you, let me know.”

 

[Emstar303]

"I'll let you know when it looks done. It'll probably take a little while. Occasionally flip the meat around and rotate it slowly, like this," Lily said. She placed her slender, delicate fingers over his muscular upper arm and guided him into making slow, even rotations. "

Lily instantly felt warm and safe when she touched his arm to guide him. She wasn't sure why his closeness was making her feel this way, but she wasn't going to question it. He was all she had at the moment and she wasn't going to feel ashamed for taking comfort where she could find it with an incredible dragon for a host.

She noticed he was staring very intently at the fire, taking the cooking very seriously, but she wanted to see his golden eyes again. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the food."

"So tell me, am I the first human you've met? You're certainly the first dragon I've met," she informed him, laughing lightly. Her hazel eyes flashed to his for a moment before returning to the fire as Fen spun the meat in slow circles.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

There was definitely a part of Fen that was really enjoying the feel of Lily’s soft, slender fingers on his upper arms. Mostly, though, he was just glad the fate of her meal didn’t rest solely on his blue, scaly shoulders. He hoped she wasn’t getting burned, being this close to the fire.

He stared at the food, watching it brown more evenly now that it was spinning. It didn’t look like it would be to his taste, but he had to admit that the smell was even better than the way he usually seared his meat.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on the food.”

Fen turned to Lily in relief to see her beautiful hazel eyes shining at him before she quickly looked at her dinner.

"So tell me, am I the first human you've met? You're certainly the first dragon I've met,"

He laughed, a deep rumbling sound that belied his smaller, transformed state. “I’m not surprised. I haven’t met many dragons either, actually. But, as far as humans go, I guess it depends on what counts as meeting one. You’re the first one I’ve spoken with, and you’re by far my favorite human. I’ve been near three others here in my cave, but they were knights trying to kill me. Most humans I’ve seen from further away seemed nice, at least for a tiny circle of hair with two arms sticking out.”

He smiled at her, hoping his mention of the knights wouldn’t ruin the closeness of her touch on his scaly skin.

 

[Emstar303]

Fen's laugh was low and deep, almost scary if you didn't know what it was, but Lily did know what it was and it made her smile. She was glad to be the cause of that deep, rumbly laugh. She liked his description of humans from far away - little circles with hair and arms sticking out. She laughed along with him.

"If I'm the only human you've spoken to, how can you know I'm your favorite?" she asked him playfully. She gave his arm a squeeze then said, "I think the meat's about ready now." A touch reluctantly, she removed her arm from his and picked up a nearby flat rock. She held it out over to him. "Put it on here for a while to cool down."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

“I’m a dragon. I’m made of magic. That’s how I know.” Fen smiled at her.

He set the leg of venison down on Lily’s proffered rock, and scooted away from the fire, just in case she wanted to sit close to him.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily laughed lightly at his response. She couldn't argue there. He certainly seemed magical.

She moved the rock with her meal so it was within reach and scooted over to be closer to him. She was not feeling shy or nervous anymore - Fen had proven himself a friend and she felt comfortable with him.

They sat in comfortable silence, waiting for the meat to cool. But without Fen's conversation to distract her, she began to see the horrors of yesterday flicker to life within the dancing flames. She shook her head to dislodge the image of her father bleeding out on the hearth and reached for her meat. It was still a bit too hot but Lily didn't care. She was so hungry, so much so that even when she burned the roof of her mouth a little on the meat, she still moaned softly at the primal joy of eating.

When she realized she'd been devouring the meat for a solid minute or two without saying a word, she swallowed what was in her mouth and faced Fen. "Thank you for this. It's delicious," she said honestly, then promptly returned to her meal.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Watching the young woman eat, Fen began to think maybe they had more in common than he’d thought. She was probably just starving, though. Humans ate so often that they had different words for meals at different times of the day. It had been most of the day since he’d awoken to find his cave inhabited, so she must have been quite hungry.

Fen enjoyed the happy silence as Lily ate. He enjoyed it even more when she said it was delicious. “I’m so glad! I can try to make it better next time! And we can find those other things humans eat! Plants? Plants!”

 

[Emstar303]

"Plants? Ohh, you mean like vegetables. Yes I can show you our... well, my farm now. My father and I grew all kinds of vegetables there in addition to raising cattle." The thought of home made her sad but she knew there was no avoiding it. She couldn't stay here, no matter how great a host Fen was.

"Fen... Do you think you could come with me when I return? I - I'm scared of what I'll find," she said, giving him a hopeful, pleading look. She needed a friend with her when she returned. Surely her father's body was no longer there. But the blood stains and the memories would be. She hoped the animals were all right.

She had just about finished her meal and placed the remains back on the rock, no longer ferociously famished.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The idea of going with Lily to the place she lived brought out a lot of conflicting emotions in Fen. Humans lived there! That was scary! It was one thing when the knights came here. Only so many of them would make the journey. In the villages and cities, though, there were so many humans! What if they all tried to kill him?

On the other hand, he wanted to go with her. He didn’t feel ready to be alone in his cave again. He also wanted to learn about where she had grown up, and what she was like when she wasn’t in his cave.

On the other other hand, what if going with her put her in danger? If other humans saw her with him, would they want to hurt her? Was their hatred for dragons that strong?

In the end, he decided to go with her. The king had abducted her and sent her to die, so she was in some danger regardless, and he couldn’t stay in his cave knowing she was out there where they could hurt her again.

Fen looked over at Lily, sitting next to him with hope and fear warring on her face. He reached for her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze with his own large, scaly hand. “I will go with you. Whatever you find, we will find it together.”

 

[Emstar303]

Lily couldn't quite make out the mixture of emotions on Fen's face when she asked him to go with her, but the most important thing was that he agreed in the end. She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze in return. "Thank you. Our farm is a couple miles outside the village, and the kingdom is even further than that, so I don't think we'll run into anyone..." She trailed off, thinking. Her eyes landed on his chest of clothing and displays of armor. "...but just in case, maybe you could put on some of the clothing or armor with a helmet on when we get there? We can land in a clearing in the woods and you can shrink back to human size and put on a disguise. Just as a precatuion."

Lily was fairly certain she could convince the villages not to harm Fen, but she didn't want to take any chances of the king finding out. She brushed his hand absentmindly and yawned, her excitement at their upcoming adventure not quite enough to keep her wide away. her eyes flashed to the bed of furs she'd made for herself.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen sighed in relief to learn that they were unlucky to see another human. He began to think about how to make a disguise work with his horns and wings. He would have to think on that point during the night.

He saw Lily’s yawn, and he reluctantly stepped away with a light pat on her shoulder. “I’ll look for a good disguise. You get some rest.”

 

[Emstar303]

"I'm sure you'll make a very handsome knight," she said with a grin. She stood up and made her way to the warm furs Fen had given her. She snuggled inside the warm, soft furs and sighed happily. Even though she was on the floor of a cave, the somehow the furs were even softer than her bed back home.

"Good night, Fen," she said. She pulled the covers up to shoulders and then carefully opened the book he'd given her about a man who pretended to be a knight, but she only got a few pages in before she fell asleep. the book slipped from her fingers and rested against her chest, slowly rising up and down in time with her slow, deep breathing.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

“Good night, Lily.”

Fen left his new friend, dozing off in a bed of fine furs, to look through his treasures for some suitable clothing. His eye was initially drawn to an ornate, highly polished set of armor, but he discarded that option for being too impractical. He’d never be able to get it on with his horns and wings. He also rejected an ivory robe decorated with gold trim, and a hooded black robe. He settled on a thicker, more complete ensemble that might be able to hide his wings if he pulled them in, but he decided to bring along the hooded robe in case he figured out a way to keep his horns from poking out the top. He stuffed all of it into a decorative bag he found.

He transformed back into his larger, natural form, and coiled onto his pile of coins for the night, periodically tossing a new log onto Lily’s fire to keep her warm.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily slept comfortably and soundly for the first few hours, but as she fell into a deeper sleep her dreams became darker, and soon she was reliving the dark reality of yesterday in her sleep.

The guards were at her door again, but this time she was alone in her small cottage. She was wearing the beautiful dress Fen had given her, reading a book by the fireplace when they broke down her door. They held her father between them by what remained of his upper arms. He was bloody and his body was mangled. He had a deep gash on his receding hairline that continuously bled onto the floor with no signs of stopping. Lily tried to get up from her seat and run to him, but as so often in dreams, she found her movement slow and sluggish.

The guards accused her of stealing the elegant dress Fen had given her, and told her her father would pay for her crime with his head.

"No..." she whimpered softly, anxiously. She thrashed to one side and then the other in her effort to unparalyze herself and free her father.

She'd just managed to get out of her chair and turn towards the guard when the scene changed abruptly, as they so often do in dreams. She looked to the walls of her small cottage home around her as they fell away to reveal a beautiful landscape. They were in a valley, Fen's valley, she realized. It was the hidden valley he'd told her he had come from. After a fleeting moment of admiring the scene, Lily turned back to the guards and found her father was no longer captured.

Instead of her father, the guards had their crossbows pointed at Fen. "He's a beast. He has to be put down," they said simply, no sympathy or kindness in their blank human eyes.

"No!" she shouted, even louder this time. "Please, don't hurt him!" She started tossing and turning wildly, as if her own body was trying to wake up her mind to save her from her night terrors as the guards let fire on her new friend. She was sweating quite a bit now and the book she'd had resting on her breast had winded up on the cave floor in her chaotic movements. Her long brown hair was getting tangled as she tossed and turned, gripping the furs tightly and desperately.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen heard grunts of anguish and saw furtive movements from his human friend. The poor girl must’ve been having nightmares. Fen wasn’t surprised, with the day she’d had. His nightmares after the loss of his parents had been the stuff of legends, and he hadn’t even seen anything happen to them.

He should go over to her, shouldn’t he? He would need to transform first, though, to avoid giving her an extra fright. He shrunk down, scales sliding under scales, and knelt next to the frightened young woman.

He put a warm, scaled hand on her cheek, and softly whispered. “Safe, Lily. You’re safe. You’re safe, Lily.”

 

[Emstar303]

Lily felt a soft, scaly palm on her face and soft words echoing in the distance. But the Fen in her dream wasn't talking - he was hunched over trying to protect himself from the guards. It took several more attempts for Fen to wake Lily up with his soft, reassuring voice and gentle touch on the side of her face. When he finally did, she blinked around in confusion for a moment as she regained her senses.

"Oh Fen," she sniffled, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on as if he were her anchor. "I'm sorry - I hope I didn't wake you," she breathed into his neck. Lily shoved off a layer of furs and scooted over. "Would you mind...?" she patted the space behind her. "I just... I think maybe the nightmares will go away if you're here with me," Lily said softly to her new draconic friend. She lightly dragged her hand along his arm and angled her face, taking comfort in his touch.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen chuckled softly at her suggestion that he had been asleep. He forgot all about it when she suggested that he lie next to her. The idea of her sleeping comfortably and safely in his arms filled him with joy. Yes, he would keep her safe, even from her nightmares. He folded his wings and lay on the soft furs next to the prone young woman. Fen lay his arm over Lily’s side, as chaste as he could manage to be with his unclothed cock resting against the soft curve of her body. He squeezed her gently, willing her to sleep safely and soundly.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily let out a soft, contented sound as Fen settled in beside her. His touch did made her feel comforted, but in her haste for this comfort, she hadn't really thought about what exactly that would mean. Fen was still very much naked, and when he laid down beside her and turned on his side to pull her closer to him, gently draping his arm over her, she was all too aware of his cock pressing against her hip. Lily did her best to ignore it and the tingling sensation between her legs as she rolled over to face him.

She met his kind, yellow eyes, filled with concern for her, and smiled. He was so sweet. There was some distance between their hips, but she was still tingly all over from being this close to him. Her heart beat fast at their closeness, feeling his naked torso through her velvet soft dress. She lowered her body slightly so she could rest her head against his strong, scaly chest and listen to his heart. Lily sighed contentedly, gave a little hum of pleasure as she attempted to fall back asleep even though she was hyper aware of how close Fen's body was to hers.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen was relieved when she turned and moved her hips away from his dragonhood. The feelings he had been experiencing were new to him. He enjoyed them; he was intrigued by them, but now didn’t seem like the time for them. He loved the feel of her hair against his chest as she lay her head against him. He could feel the rise and fall of her body as she breathed. She was so fragile compared to him, but strong in her spirit to have survived this day. She was quickly becoming precious to him, more so than any treasure.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily liked the feeling of his arm around her side as he held her upper body against him. Comforted by the rhymthic thump-thumping of Fen's heart and his surprisingly soft but scaly touch, Lily felt sleep start to claim her again in time. Though she was feeling alert to their closeness, she was also exhausted from the day. She fell asleep pretty quickly, and this time, no nightmares invaded her dreams as she felt safe and calm in her dragon's embrace.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen wouldn’t be sleeping that night, as much as he loved the idea of dozing off with Lily in his arms. His thoughts drifted happily to showing her his home valley, and unhappily to visiting the human world with her. He felt his friend’s breathing slow, and movements still. Being a natural predator, it particularly touched his heart that she would be comfortable, even comforted, in such a vulnerable state with him. He vowed to be there for her, not just in climactic events when she might need his protection, but also smaller events, when she just needed comfort.

He kept his eyes open, but he did his breath to still hid body and his breath, to avoid waking the woman in his arms. He lay there with her, waiting for morning.

 

[Emstar303]

Lily slept for a long while, exhausted from the physically and emotionally draining day she'd had.

When she finally awoke, the sunshine of a new day was streaming in from above. She found herself in the exact same place she'd fallen asleep in - right in Fen's arms. She nuzzled her head against his chest to let him know she was awake. Then she leaned back and looked up at him with a smile. "Good morning. Thanks for keeping away the nightmares."

It was so nice to lay there with him and forget, even for a little while.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Fen felt Lily stir in his arms. He was a little bit stiff from laying still for so long, but moving was the last thing he wanted to do right then. He felt her nuzzle into his scaly chest

"Good morning. Thanks for keeping away the nightmares."

He smiled at her. “Anytime.” He leaned his snout forward and briefly kissed the top of her head. Suddenly it occurred to him that that might have been too forward. He hoped she wouldn’t be upset about it. He froze, afraid to draw attention to what he’d just done.

 

[Emstar303]

"Anytime," he told her.

Lily returned his smile then went back to snuggling for a moment, basking in the warm sunshine and Fen's embrace.

She was surprised when he kissed the crown of her head, but not bothered by it. He was showing her affection. It was nice. She felt him stiffen against her and gave his chest a swift kiss to let him know it was okay.

After a moment of holding him, Lily stood up and stretched. The sun flooding into the cave shined on her long, dark hair and lit up her young, pretty face. She smiled at her dragon and asked, "Shall we get going soon?"

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

When Lily kissed his chest, he relaxed, but it also sent tingles all along his spine. The dragon hadn’t realized how starved he was for that kind of affection and warmth.

Lily looked beautiful in the morning sunlight, her eyes and hair sparkling against the rising sun.

She asked him if they should leave soon, and he nodded. “Whenever you’re ready. We’ll land close by just to make sure you’re holding on okay, and then we can go to your farm. Unless you want to try to tie yourself on with some ropes beforehand? I’m sorry--I’m not sure how easy it will be to hold on to my back,” he clarified sheepishly. “I’ve never seen it.”