by Angel Black
Falon had heard talk that dragons used to get a say, but that had ended many, many years ago. He felt anger and embarrassment flush up inside him at the mocking tone of his companion.
“Everything is going exactly as planned, thank you very much.” Falon’s tone was short and sharp, and he turned on the dragon. “You would do well to focus on guarding the portal and stay out of other dragons’ marital affairs.”
Falon turned to leave Valonis, and started walking away.
“If it makes you feel any better,” Valonis said, “She’s terrible in bed. Lays there like a fish.”
Falon felt the fire rise in his lungs, literal fire the temperature of magma. Even in his human form, his fire would hurt. Well, if it’s a fight he wants...
Chapter 5: Regret and Freedom
Valonis, to his credit, did not scream.
Even as the fire burned his flesh, leaving him incinerated as a walking crisp, the cocky dragon simply smirked. As his skin blackened and bubbled, and his clothing melted into his flesh, the dragon was fierce enough to avoid even a grimace.
It only took him a few minutes, but Valonis was able to fully heal from the fire, and he smiled on, if somewhat sheepishly, at Falon.
“My apologies, brother,” Valonis said. “I did not mean to offend you, I was insulting her.”
Instantly, Falon felt regret at his outburst. Even Valonis, who wasn’t even that much older than Falon, still treated Falon like a younger brother. Any other dragon who had breathed fire upon Valonis would have found themselves in a duel. But like everyone else in the Pax Gloria, Valonis saw Falon as a junior.
“I lost myself,” Falon said, awkwardly, looking down at Valonis’s feet. “I don’t know what’s come over me lately. I’ve been snapping at people.”
He could feel Valonis’s amused grin on him, even as Falon avoided looking at him. “You’re about to be married to a woman you hate. I think anyone would be stressed under that. One thing I don’t understand, Falon… Why have you stopped dating? You clearly don’t care about her, so why not see other people? You would not be the first person in an arranged marriage to seek companionship elsewhere.”
Falon looked up then, at his naked friend, and smiled back at him. It was Valonis’s way of saying Falon’s apology was accepted. “Thank you for the advice. I’ll take it under consideration.”
Valonis rolled his eyes. “Fine. I guess I’ll be on duty, then. Naked, thanks to you. Hmm, I wonder if I should call one of my lady friends here…”
Falon left him to it.
* * *
Falon headed back to his room, deciding to take some time out to relax and settle, before he attended to his other duties. He was feeling tired, but he couldn’t sleep yet. He stepped into his room, shutting the door behind him and taking it all in.
The room was very comfortable and spacious, with plenty of room to move around, high, dramatic ceilings and a huge chandelier that hung from it. It was big, wide enough for him to stretch out and sleep, even if he was in his dragon form, which he did in here from time to time. A lovely, big bed gave him room to rest as a human, with soft sheets and extreme comfort.
In short, it was a room that was fit for a king in a human realm. Falon loved it, but not because of the luxury. Sure, as a dragon, he was naturally drawn to luxury and the finer things, naturally drawn towards gold and the accumulation of wealth, but what he really enjoyed was the view. His room was situated right on the border of the dome itself.
In fact, it did not have any windows. Its windows were part of the dome itself, and the room was built right against it. He loved it, absolutely loved it. When he opened up his curtains, he got the full view of the deep, deep ocean, and it was splendid.
The curtains were thick, plush, and luxurious. He made his way over to them and pulled them back, drinking in the view. As always, it was beautiful. He could look down, as his room was high up, but he could also look upwards and outwards, seeing the ocean from every level.
Here, deep in the ocean, Falon could see things that humans had never before had the pleasure to witness. Twisting past the window, Falon could see a school of fish, strangely luminous and stunning, with scales that looked mottled and like a glowing rainbow, all at once. It was gorgeous, and breath-taking.
A moment later, a pod of whales swooped past the window, sending shivers of delight through him. These creatures had travelled to the bottom of the ocean, as well as to the surface of the ocean, where the humans lurked.
These animals had seen it all. They had seen more of the human world than he had. Falon sighed, feeling longing tug at his heart, leaving him breathless. He wanted that. He wanted to be able to visit the surface, to see the human realm for himself and experience everything that it had to offer.
Falon turned, wandering to his desk. He lifted up an old book that had place of pride on his desk and flicked through it moving to sit in one of the large chairs in his room. He smiled as he flicked through it. The book itself talked about human love, in the poetic form. It is not something that Falon could understand completely, but it was something that he had found himself drawn to time and time again, leaving a longing in his heart, but also, an odd sense of satisfaction and peace.
He settled down to read it, but he didn’t get more than a few moments alone, before the door was thrown open. Elemanias barged in, not bothering to knock or to announce herself. She slammed the door behind her and turned to Falon in a rage. “I hope that you are happy!”
Falon sighed and shut the book, looking at her with confusion. “Happy, about what? Our union?”
Elemanias scoffed, “Don’t be stupid. Obviously, you’re no happier than I am about it.” She looked at him with contempt, but Falon could see fury burning behind her eyes. She wasn’t an unattractive woman, with long blonde hair and gorgeous curves. The problem lay entirely in her horrible attitude. She was elitist, hated humans and had no time for dragons who she considered beneath herself. Unfortunately, she considered Falon to be beneath her too. Technically, he was, at least in station. When he had been born, Aedan granted his family a new title: transforming them from Barons to Dukes, due to Falon being the first dragon born in a hundred years or so. Elemanias’s family had been Dukes for generations, with more influence and power than Falon, the last living being of his family after his parents had died. While he was a Duke in name, Elemanias and her father were Dukes from training.
“Then what’s wrong?” Falon frowned.
“You know full well what’s wrong!” She burst out, pacing in the room. “How dare you appeal our union to Aedan!? How dare you send such a horrible request!?”
Falon was surprised and taken back. “You’re angry about that?” He shifted in his seat and pushed himself up. “Elemanias, you flat out told me that you couldn’t stand the thought of being with me.” He frowned deeply. “I mean, we hate each other.”
“No, of course you don’t see it!” Her tone was scathing and her nose wrinkled. “You haven’t thought any of this through, have you?”
Elemanias looked at the book that Falon had just put down, and scoffed again. “Really. It’s no wonder. I mean, instead of reading up on court politics, you spend your days with your nose buried in that horrid thing. Tell me, how are we going to climb the ladder together if you’re just fantasizing about human girls all the time.”
“It’s not horrid, Elemanias.” They had had this conversation before and Falon was tiring of it. “You know my opinions on the matter.”
Elemanias shook her head. “You’re probably contaminated just by touching it.” She looked at him in disdain. “Really, you know that the reason we’re in crisis at the moment is all to do with the humans and their filthy contamination…”
Falon frowned at this. It was a rumor that had been spread through their region, the Imbris kingdom of Pax Gloria. The rest of the Pax Gloria seemed to have mixed feelings on the theory, but a lot of people in Imbris kingdom seemed to give it weight. Many believed that the humans had somehow
contaminated them, through a disease of some kind, which was preventing the birth of more true dragons. So far, no one had been able to prove a thing, and yet the theory persisted.
Out of the four major kingdoms, why did I have to be born in this one? The most prejudiced kingdom of them all.
Elemanias didn’t give Falon time to argue. “And have you seen the state of them lately? It’s terrible. They’re practically destroying themselves and they have no sense of order.” She scowled. “Why would you want to get yourself involved with that mess, Falon?”
“It’s just a book, Elemanias.” He looked at her. “So was there anything else that you wanted to discuss with me?”
Elemanias shook her head. “No point bringing anything else up with you. Just drop the request with Aedan. It’s not like I haven’t tried to get out of this union, myself, you know. But the fact of the matter is, neither of us have much of a choice.”
She made her way to the door, turning. “You’re the last true dragon born, Falon, and all the females in my kingdom have already been mated. Quite frankly, we’re running out of possible mates. Just put up with it.”
She opened the door. “It’s not like we’ll even have to talk after the ceremony, let alone see each other. Just cancel the request so that we can finish this as quickly as possible.” And with that, she slammed the door behind herself, leaving Falon to stare out of the window, at the pod of whales.
He had to make a choice, and he had to make it soon. His future depended on it and Falon was no coward. Now he just had to figure out what the right choice was.
* * *
He had spent several hours reading, getting lost in the phenomena of humans, again. The work he read was explaining why humans loved something called Reality TV and sports. Shows like “The Bachelor” and events like the Superbowl seemed to appeal to the humans the most. Sacrifice. Falon noticed that both shows seemed to have horrible consequences: physical injury for the sporting event, and scandal for the reality show. But both shows offered opportunity: fame, wealth, and success.
His door burst open again. I swear to Higher Power, I shouldn’t even have a fucking door.
Valonis, still naked, but definitely drunk now, stumbled in. “That bitch called me small.”
Falon frowned in confusion at first. But then remembered that Elemanias would have had to pass by Valonis to get to Falon’s chambers in this section of the barracks. Falon involuntarily glanced down at Valonis’s member.
“We all know she’s lying,” he said, trying to comfort his friend.
“No shit!” Valonis screamed. “But that’s still rude.”
Valonis made a grin, a grin Falon knew all too well.
“What?” he asked.
“I know how we can get her back, and how we can get you some freedom.”
Chapter 6: Farewell, Brother
The next day came slowly for Falon. He had spent the night either lost in thought, or planning and preparing. Falon had made his decision and now he was filled with nervousness and a million thoughts racing around his head. He left his apartment with a bag slung over his shoulders and nothing more. He walked towards the portal, where the change of guard was due to happen very soon.
He had guarded that portal day in and day out since he was old enough to be put to work. Now, he was making his journey to the portal for the last time. He took a deep breath, feeling a shudder move through him. It was all such a big deal. It sent flutters through his stomach, but he pushed any doubts aside. Valonis said he would cover for him, making sure no one would find the portal unguarded when Falon left.
“Change of guard,” he announced, confident and cool. The dragon who was currently guarding the portal looked upwards and smiled. “Good. I thought the time would never come.”
He stood up and stretched out the kinks in his body. “Good luck, Falon.”
“Thanks.” Falon smiled and settled into position for guarding the portal. For the longest time, Falon did nothing. He stared into the portal and thought about what he was about to do, the choices that he was about to make. He was under no illusion about breaking the law and the potential consequences that it could have on him, and his life. Still, Falon had a feeling that it would be worth it.
Once he was sure that he was alone, Falon pulled the bag from his shoulders and fished out a bag that was hidden within. He pulled the string of the pouch and had a look inside. The jewels glittered inside, shining like the sun, promising great riches.
Falon knew that humans prized these treasures greatly, and that this was a sure way to be able to get whatever he needed in the human world. Falon knew that he would need the basics, and transport and more, if he was to explore the human world. He didn’t know everything about how that worked, but he had a suspicion that some sort of currency was needed and he was sure he could get whatever he needed with these jewels.
Falon shifted into his dragon form, shaking out the kinks from his wings and his tale, letting the light shimmer across his scales. He knew that changing into his dragon form was forbidden in the human world, as he would clearly be spotted, but it was always good to shake out the kinks and stretch before staying in human form for extended periods of time. The blue of his scales shimmered silver, before Falon decided he really did need to change back.
As he did, his twenty-foot dragon-self shrunk back to a human size, with striking blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Double checking himself again, Falon moved towards the portal.
He thought, again, of what he was trading in order to do this. Here, he was high ranking. He was a Duke. He had power. He also had a horrible arranged marriage and an empty existence. It was worth it.
Valonis, wearing another under armour outfit, this time a brilliant neon green, came striding up to him.
“You’re drunk? You’re fucking drunk, now?” Falon asked.
“Moreso, hung over.” Valonis studdered back. “Shhh, keep your voice down.”
Falon stared at his friend in disbelief. “Ok, so I’m a little drunk. You think it’s easy to say goodbye? Go fuck yourself.”
This is it. They both knew what he was going to do could lead to banishment. If Falon was lucky, he would spend the rest of his life on the run, in the human world. That’s if he was lucky.
“Valonis,” Falon started.
Valonis cut him off. “Goodbye, old friend. How many years has it been since we last saw each other? Always getting into trouble, the two of us. We meet up for less than 24 hours, and already we’re getting into shit again.”
“When you get off of your shift,” Falon said, smiling, “Make sure you have your memory wiped of this. Make sure you get the best hypnotist and neurosurgeons too. King Imbris himself may get involved in trying to track me down, and he’ll stop at nothing.”
“Understood, old friend.”
The two embraced, for the last time, before Falon turned to face the portal.
He had no idea what to expect, but he had to take that first step. Falon steeled himself and took a step through the portal, feeling the portal close around him like cool water, enveloping him before he stepped out on the other side.
Falon hadn’t been sure what he had expected, but this definitely wasn’t it. He looked around and found himself in a beautiful, ornate room. The room was gorgeous, with finery wherever he looked. It was only after another moment of looking carefully, that Falon realized that everything was covered in layers and layers of dust. This was not a room that was used often.
Looking around, Falon noticed a door and decided that was the only way to go. Stepping through it, he found himself in a small clothing store with rich clothing from Turnbull & Asser, as well as Viberg. Falon turned, only to come face to face with a human. The man at the counter was old, aging well out of his working age, and looked absolutely shocked to see Falon.
He opened his mouth and then shut it, frowning and struggling to find words, find anything to express the shock that was moving through him. Falon cleared his throat, equally shocked and
fascinated.
“Uh, excuse me…” Falon started, and the man immediately snapped to action.
“Clothes! You need appropriate clothes!” He jumped from his chair and raced around the room, grabbing things off the rack, flicking the sign at the door to ‘closed,’ and shutting the blinds.
Falon, still not sure what was going on, glanced down at his own clothes. They were fine clothes, synthetic material that clung to the body like a second skin. However, looking at the older man, he supposed that they might not fit into this world.
“I never thought this day would come!” The man was muttering to himself as he came over. He looked at Falon with awe. “I was always told to just stay at this shop, and stay open for business. That if anyone came through that door, I should dress them and give them any help they might need…”
The man trailed off and shook his head. “I always thought it was crazy, but the checks always came through… and now you’re here!”
Falon nodded, a slow smile moving across his face. Of course, this was all planned. He wasn’t surprised, now that he thought about it. The dragons were a very organized race and this was exactly the kind of stunt they would pull, to make sure that they were kept secret and had everything ready for them.
The man pushed a few items of clothes into Falon’s arms. “Take these. You can change in the room, or we have changing rooms this way.”
“Thank you.” Falon smiled, taking the clothes and heading back into the spacious room.
He looked at the arrangement of clothing he had been given and tried to work out what piece went first.
By a process of comparison and elimination, Falon worked out what went first and how to wear the outfit. He slid into the undershirt and the shirt first, appreciating the crisp white. Navy pants went next, a matching navy waistcoat, and then a navy jacket. The shoes were easy enough, but what was really stumping Falon was the long piece of cloth. He stepped out of the room, and passed the cloth back to the shop keeper.
