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Scene #80
“I refuse to mate with that fiery behemoth, Father!” Grid roared,
flapping her wings. A larger version of her, white as snow, but
male, slithered over to her. “You will do so, Grid. I cannot
believe we named you the word for peace. You have been less than
peaceful to me these past couple years.” Grid stomped her
clawed feet and hissed out a breath of frost. For the last few
years she had fought not to be mated to any of the male dragons her
father had brought to her attention. She used any excuse she could
to remain single. Not that she needed any reason, the males
themselves had provided them so easily. “Father, remember
that Chinese shifter dragon? I think his name was Shen Lung. He
said it meant wise one in Chinese. He had a penchant for my hand
maidens.” “I had caught him in the act with Grunhild one
night in his chambers. I sent that so-called wise and inscrutable
creature back to his Emperor father. Two months later, Grunhild
found she was pregnant with his babe in her belly and I sent her to
him, to do the right thing and take care of her. Male dragon
shifters are nothing but trouble. All arrogant, thinking they are
just like their true dragon ancestors.” Seeing her father glowering
at that last comment, she added, “Except for you, Father.”
But you must have been trouble too, Father. Else why was my mother
always so miserable and just wasted away, leaving me all alone?
There were times alone in her room when she thought of
Grunhild. Had she done the right thing, sending her human servant
to him? But when she wallowed in misery about the servant, she
recalled the look in Grunhild's eye. That, and what Grunhild told
her. “He loves me,” Grunhild said, her chin stuck out. “He's
better with me than ever with you, Princess. You're so arrogant,
thinking you don't need any male. But your kind is dying out.”
Grid tried to make the human see the truth. “He's nobility, and
you're just a human peasant. You'll be nothing more than his
whore.” “Maybe so. But he will always take care of me and our
children. I have no doubt of that.” Then a Chinese messenger
dragon flew the human to China and her reptilian lover. Grid never
heard from her since that day a year ago. Grid stalked from
her father's throne room and made for her chambers. Outside her
room, she shifted into her naked, womanly form as her room like all
others in the palace were human-sized and entered. Because of the
human servants they used, it was easier to make the rooms that way.
And because they had no concept of shame in nudity, the dragons did
not mind if someone accidentally saw them while naked. She
stopped before the large, oval mirror. Though it could also be used
for scrying, today she used it for its normal use. With a frown,
she peered at her reflection in the glass. Her long, dark gold hair
cascaded over her shoulders like a cape and its tips caressed her
buttocks with a teasing touch, irritating her. She really needed to
get it cut shorter. Quickly, she plaited it into one fat braid. She
crossed the room to an ornate chest in a corner and flung open the
lid. Digging among the dresses and chemises inside, she withdrew a
soft, purple velvet gown, trimmed in silver at its sleeves' edges,
the square neckline, and the hem. Grid shrugged it over her head,
not even bothering to grab a chemise and put that on first.
Remaining barefoot, she crossed over to her bed and flopped on the
mattress. She stared up at the rich velvet canopy above, tears
blinding her vision. Why can't Father leave me alone? I don't
want to marry any old dragon shapeshifter. Any male actually. But
no, we must preserve the dragon race or it'll die out. Grid
had been taught by her tutors how the first dragons, on the verge
of extinction, decided to take the form of man like other beasts
that used magic to shift their shapes. This way, humans could not
track them down and kill all of the dragons that remained in the
world. The only place that ever revered dragons was the Orient, and
even there they had shifted to escape detection. Though there were
humans that the dragons trusted enough to let them know the truth.
These became their servants, as the humans believed the dragons to
be gods. The dragons protected the humans. Scattered around
the world, only five dynasties survived. Each represented the
elements: fire, air, earth, water, and ice. Here in Niflheim, the
Ice Dragons ruled supreme. It was believed that the first Ice
Dragons, Drachenstein and Nithhogr, symbolized combined energy and
were a symbol of harmony and stability. Grid sat up. She
sensed something, like a flickering flame. She slid off the bed and
raced out of her room, heading to the throne room. Something was in
there. Whatever it was, it threatened her somehow, someway.
She crashed into the solid, very warm body of an extremely tall
male. Looking up, she caught the dark gaze of the most handsome man
she had ever seen. He had long hair as black as raven's feathers
that fell to his shoulders. Not all black though. She caught sight
of one red stripe among the black, to the left side of his face. He
looked down at her with twinkling eyes and laughed. His laughter
sounded dark and sharp like a dragon's talon. It enticed her, even
as it upset her. “You must be Princess Grid.” Gods, he
had a delicious deep voice. It caressed her body, teased her
nerves, and her scales rose at attention. It melted the coldness
inside her. His arms slipped around her, tightening, as his eyes
gleamed with something more than amusement. Want. He wanted
her.
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