Roommates

by Valerie Reyes

  “Rasenth, wait!” Syrenth shouted, panic enveloping his voice as he ran towards the two older dragons. In his claws were the three eggs, safe and sound, and almost ready to hatch. Syrenth didn’t want to stay here much longer, but he certainly didn’t want his father killed. He couldn’t allow Rasenth to kill him. Not if they could just escape. Syrenth didn’t want to feel responsible for the death of his parent after all.

  “Please, don’t. Don’t kill him!”

  When Rasenth heard his lover’s plea, he lowered his claw. He wasn’t about to kill Tazour if Syrenth was against it, even if he thought that Tazour would be nothing but trouble should he choose to try and track the two of them down and rekindle this conflict.

  “Let’s go,” Rasenth said, leaving Tazour on the ground, and waiting for Syrenth to take flight. Rasenth planned on following Syrenth, just to keep a close eye on him, and look out for him. He wouldn’t allow anything to happen to his mate on his watch, after all.

  Syrenth was happy to go, but there was something he had to do first. He went over to his father, who was struggling to get back to his feet. It was awful. Rasenth really had done a number on him, but Syrenth understood why.

  “I’m sorry father,” He spoke softly, and nuzzled him gently, but didn’t stay long. He didn’t want to risk further confrontation. Before Tazour was even able to speak, Syrenth handed an egg to Rasenth to hold, as it was difficult for him to keep three in his claws. He was terrified to drop them, but once he knew all three eggs were secure, he took flight, ready to be lead to his new home.

  Rasenth wasted no time in getting Syrenth to their new nest, and getting everything settled as best he could. During the time that he was waiting for the full moon, he had made a nest for the eggs of soft moss he found in the forest, and he got the eggs nicely situated there. That done, he went over to Syrenth and nuzzled him affectionately.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t have been there for you when you actually had the eggs. I was thinking about that the other day. It must have been really hard for you. This whole ordeal probably hasn’t been the best, what with you leaving your home and all. But, I promise from here on out, I will be there for you, Sy,” Rasenth said softly.

  Syrenth was glad to have the affection. It was so nice to feel loved again. Over the past number of months, the young dragon had missed his lover. Sure they had only been together a short time, but that had meant the world to him. It was just nice to feel like someone in the world actually cared for him, and loved him in a way that no one else could. He had missed that. It was hard to believe he had that back.

  As Rasenth nuzzled into him, Syrenth smiled and just held his lover closer, snuggling into him and closing his eyes as he savoured the moment. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he was sure they would cope.

  “It was really scary. I didn’t know what was happening when they came out. It hurt… but… I’m sure it will be worth it. It means we can have a family together and that we don’t have to hide anymore. I would like to start over with you again, and have a proper relationship with you now,” Syrenth said softly, looking up at the older dragon with such an innocent glint in his eyes. He wanted to have a big happy family with Rasenth. Anything to keep his lover close by and interested. This would be his first proper relationship, and he hoped it would stand the test of time.

  “I would like that. I’ve wanted a family for a very long time, but being the elder in a clan means you have to put the good of the clan before your own wants and desires. Now, I no longer have to worry about that, and I can just focus on what I really want to focus on, which is you, and our babies,” Rasenth replied, giving Syrenth a short kiss before he went over to their bed and patted on it for Syrenth to join him. It had been a rather long flight, and Rasenth was tired after coming all this way after the fierce battle.

  Syrenth was happy to go to bed. He was tired as this had been a long and confusing day for him. So, he made sure the eggs were settled, nice and warm in their moss, then changed into his human form so he could snuggle into bed with his lover. He crawled under the blankets and nuzzled into Rasenth’s arms, resting his head on his lover’s chest as he closed his eyes.

  “This feels so wonderful,” Syrenth cooed softly, just enjoying the warmth and love that he could feel emanating from Rasenth right now.

  Rasenth gave Syrenth a kiss and played a little with Syrenth’s wild red hair. “It most certainly does. I have to ask you, though. What do you intend to do about your tribe, and your father?” Rasenth asked, as he wondered if Syrenth would ever try to make contact with Tazour again, or with the Inferno tribe. With the sad and solemn goodbye that Syrenth gave Tazour before departing, it did make Rasenth worry that his young lover wanted to go back to his father at some point after things had cooled down. The only problem with that was that Rasenth doubted Tazour would ever forgive either of them for their transgressions.

  “I do want to see my father again. I can’t leave him completely alone there… I’ll give him some time and see if he comes round. I don’t want to abandon him completely,” Syrenth replied, as he felt too loyal to completely give up on his father. The man had always been there for him, and he betrayed him. Syrenth would probably try and write to him, ask a bird to send a letter, and try to be a good son again. He didn’t know if it would work, but he felt that he needed to try.

  Rasenth wasn’t happy to hear that, and just frowned at Syrenth for saying that. He wanted Syrenth to stay away from his father, that way no more harm would come to them. The battle that he fought with Tazour was a hard won battle, after all, and though Rasenth didn’t believe he would lose in a rematch, the fight was still close enough that Rasenth didn’t want to jump back into it. “Just be careful, if you do decide to reconnect with your father. He was ready to kill our children without a second thought when we last spoke to him,” Rasenth replied.

  “He was just upset. He thinks I have betrayed the tribe by being with you. I just want to give him time so he can see reason,” Syrenth said, as he really was a naive and hopeful young dragon. He tried to see the best in everything, and the world. He wanted there to be a nice happy ending, no worries about his father or about the clan. Granted, they were technically making their own clan now but Syrenth still felt guilty for leaving the old clan behind.

  “I feel as though perhaps we should draw a line between someone who is upset, and someone who threatens to kill newborn hatchlings because their scales are the wrong color,” Rasenth said, just voicing his detest for Tazour. The man was irredeemable in Rasenth’s eyes, and he couldn’t believe that Syrenth still would attempt to reach out to him. Granted, Rasenth wouldn’t stand in Syrenth’s way if Syrenth really felt the need for maintaining contact with his father, but he was weary of the prospect.

  “He could change his mind in a few weeks. And if they are Infernos he’d be happy to accept them. I know this isn’t ideal, but he’s still my father. I can’t just completely abandon him,” Syrenth replied, as he completely understood where Rasenth was coming from, but he didn’t want to lose his father either. He felt too young to be without a parent’s guidance, and he had always had his father looking out for him. It would just seem strange for him not to be there anymore.

  “Just don’t be too hasty. I don’t want him near my children unless he will be able to behave himself,” Rasenth said. In his mind, he was thinking that if Tazour did pose a threat to his children, he would finish the dragon off no matter what Syrenth said, but he wouldn’t mention that now. All that would do is needlessly upset his lover, which wasn’t a goal that Rasenth had in mind.

  “I’ll give him a few weeks, and I’ll fly down alone so he won’t be anywhere near the hatchlings. Everything will be fine. I promise,” Syrenth replied, and just held Rasenth close to try and convince him otherwise, and just give him a little moral support. He wanted his lover to believe everything was alright. Sure, Tazour hadn’t made that easy, but there was always going to be problems with their relationship. They could get through this t
hough, as long as they worked together.

  Rasenth wasn’t overjoyed to hear Syrenth’s insistence on visiting Tazour, but he didn’t say anything and just gave Syrenth a kiss on the forehead. “Let’s get some sleep now, love,” Rasenth replied, meaning to end the conversation there. He didn’t want to talk much about the whole thing with Tazour after all.

  “Okay,” Syrenth said, and cuddled into Rasenth’s chest and closing his eyes. He could feel the coldness coming off of Rasenth, though. That was something that Syrenth hadn’t experienced since when he told Rasenth that he was going to be leaving. Syrenth was a bit concerned to say the least.

  “You aren’t mad at me, are you?” Syrenth asked softly.

  “No,” Rasenth replied coolly.

  That no was clearly a yes, and Syrenth knew it. What he didn’t know is how to win Rasenth over to his position, and so he just held his lover closer. He wanted everything to work out. “I just don’t want to lose my dad. He’s been through a lot, but he’s always been there for me,” Syrenth said. “Not to mention, he lost my mother to an Ice dragon, and he probably just doesn’t want to lose me as well.”

  “It’s quite a different matter for someone to be killed as to be in love with another,” Rasenth replied, feeling almost insulted that such a parallel was being drawn between himself and Syrenth’s relationship versus someone being cut down in a battle.

  “I know it’s not the same, but he still feels like he’s losing me. I’m not with him anymore. I’m not even going to be a part of the tribe. In a sense, he really is losing his son,” Syrenth replied. “It just doesn’t feel right for me to abandon him, after everything he’s done for me.”

  “Very well. I understand why you’re reticent to lose contact with him, but I want you to approach him with due caution. He may be your father, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t an enemy,” Rasenth replied.

  “My father is not an enemy, Rasenth,” Syrenth replied indignantly, but when he saw Rasenth’s unfaltering expression, he knew that it was best not to have this argument. “Okay, okay. I will be careful, Rasenth.”

  “That’s all I ask. Now, go to sleep, love,” Rasenth replied, giving Syrenth a gentle kiss before falling off into the land of dreams with his loved one.

  Chapter 9

  As the weeks past, the little eggs hatched healthy young dragons. There were two ice dragons and one fire dragon, and though their elements weren’t the same, all of them were as rambunctious and playful as could be. Rasenth could hardly keep up with them, but Syrenth proved himself to be as good of a playmate as he was a mother, which was to say very.

  Still, as time dragged on, Rasenth noticed that more and more often Syrenth was writing on little scraps of paper and sending them off on whatever bird he could find to carry his message along south to the fjord that the Inferno clan resided. That made Rasenth a little uneasy, but he didn’t stop his mate from keeping up connections with his father.

  Given these circumstances, it didn’t surprise Rasenth when Syrenth pulled him off to the side while their three little hatchlings were playing in the meadow near their nest to speak with them.

  “Rasenth? You know that I’ve been sending my father letters, right?” Syrenth asked, lying his head down on Rasenth’s large taloned feet, just to be close to him, and hope that the physical intimacy would help to win his mate over a bit.

  “Yes,” Rasenth replied. He knew full well what Syrenth was leading into, and he had to admit that he simply wasn’t terribly excited by it.

  “Well, I think I’ve finally won him over, and I’m going to meet him in the sycamore grove,” Syrenth said, flinching a bit has he heard Rasenth’s unconscious growl of disapproval. Rasenth soon stopped the noise, though, and sighed.

  “If that’s what you want to do, Sy,then that’s what you shall do,” Rasenth replied, but Syrenth wasn’t ignorant to the annoyed flicking of his mate’s tail, or to the distinct change in his breathing that always occurred when Rasenth was less than happy with the way that things were proceeding.

  Syrenth just nuzzled into his mate and kept watch over the kids until they’d tuckered themselves out. Then he and Rasenth scooped them up and flew them back to the nest, Rasenth helping to get them all settled on their beds of soft sand and moss while Syrenth held the ones that weren’t yet being tucked in by their father.

  Once they were settled in their downy beds, Rasenth turned to Syrenth. “Well, you can head out whenever you please,” he said.

  “Will you be okay here watching them?” Syrenth asked.

  “I think I can handle some sleeping hatchlings,” Rasenth replied, a bit annoyed at the question. That being said, Syrenth just took his leave and went to the sycamore grove. He was running a bit late, but his father was still waiting there. He still bore injuries from his battle with Rasenth, but nothing debilitating.

  Syrenth didn’t know what to expect from his father, and so when he landed, he just lowered his head timidly without saying anything. His father couldn’t have surprised him more when he came over to him and wrapped his wings around Syrenth in a warm embrace.

  “I’m so glad you came back to me,” Tazour said softly, keeping his son close. This was something Syrenth hadn’t been able to feel in quite some time--the warm embrace of a fire dragon. Rasenth’s hugs were nice, of course, but being hugged by his papa after such a long time of going without this comfort was just wonderful.

  “I missed you, papa,” Syrenth said, resting his head against his father. “I was afraid you’d never want to see me again. Since you said that I disgraced the family name,” Syrenth said.

  “Perhaps I was a bit too hasty. I was just upset that you’d chosen an ice dragon as your mate, of all things. I have hated them ever since your mother’s passing,” Tazour replied. “I refuse to lose my son and my wife, though.”

  Syrenth just relaxed and enjoyed his father’s presence for a while, and chatted with Tazour about news and gossip around the clan. Once Syrenth had learned what was going on in the tribe since he left, he decided to share some things with his father about the babies, and about Rasenth. Though Rasenth had been very reluctant to let Syrenth visit his father, in all other respects he was a wonderfully considerate and kind mate in every way, and Syrenth made sure to emphasize that to Tazour. Granted, his father wasn’t too impressed by anything Syrenth said, but before Syrenth left they decided to make these meetings a monthly occurrence so that they didn’t fall out of contact completely with one another.

  Once Syrenth relayed that he would be meeting with his father on a monthly basis, Rasenth was less than impressed, but he didn’t stop his mate from making contact with his family. The only stipulation that Rasenth made, and that he was absolutely adamant about, was that under no circumstances was Tazour to come to their nest. If Syrenth wanted to meet Tazour, then he would have to do it in the fjord or at least close to there.

  Nearly a year went by with Syrenth visiting his father every month before he finally managed to talk Rasenth into letting Tazour meet his grandchildren, and even that was with the utmost trepidation on Rasenth’s part. He had to relent, though, as Syrenth absolutely wouldn’t stop pestering him about it.

  When the day did come for Tazour to meet the grandchildren, Rasenth was anxiously pacing the nest, making all of the children a bit weary. Their father, though not a particularly upbeat person, wasn’t normally so anxious either. So, by the time that Tazour did get there, the nest was a bit uneasy, and Rasenth was acting as a barrier between himself and the babies.

  “Hello, Rasenth,” Tazour said, trying to sound friendly enough. The tension was clearly high coming from Rasenth, but Tazour figured that he would be able to reach out to his son’s mate.

  Tazour’s confidence dropped a few pegs when he heard a low growl coming from Rasenth.

  Still, he wasn’t going to let that keep him down, and so he waited where he was for Syrenth to usher the little ones over to him. He noted with a slight frown that unfortunately two of them were blue an
d white scaled little monsters, while only one of them had the red and black scales of a fire dragon.

  Regardless of the fact that unfortunately two of his grandchildren were ice dragons, Tazour had come all this way to play with the little ones, and so he did. He couldn’t help but be surprised at how well the fire and ice dragons got along, though. They seemed to make no difference amongst each other whether one had red scales or blue scales. They played and fought and slept with one another all the same.

  When Tazour finally went to take his leave, before he left the ground, he heard Rasenth and Syrenth both following him out.

  “So, dad, what did you think of your grandchildren?” Syrenth asked.

  “I think that they’re great. Full of life and happy little buggers,” Tazour replied. “I’d love to come see them again some time, in fact,” he added.

  Rasenth was quiet for a moment, but he was starting to trust Tazour’s good intentions a bit more. “Well, I’m sure the little pups would like to have their grandfather in their lives,” he said, and let Tazour go.

  Dominated by the Vampire King

  Chapter One

  In the more glamorous times of history, empires seem to always collapse because of one fatal and grand strike at the heart of it all. However, in August's experience, he saw more empires fall thanks to steady decline and slow deterioration. The general peasantry seemed not to notice the declining state of the Romanian empire at this stage. To the nobles and the aristocrats, the decline was all too clear.

  No one thing was responsible for this decline, but the fact of Gothic invasions from the west being a pestilence to his country, the crops failing for two consecutive years, and a withdrawal of support from the Roman Catholics in the country, among other things, fed into the deterioration of Romania's glory. Perhaps their architecture and art was above the bar for standard, but not all the art in the world would save them from falling into a bloody war with German tribes and crumbling.