Magenta Monster

Antha was sixteen, the palace thronged with preparations and her father beamed down at her from his golden steed Melock. A thin trickle of smoke laced its way up from the dragons nose and it blinked it’s large jewelled eyes at her. She could feel it’s power and knew the creatures intelligence and loathed it for the bond it had with her father. Only a select few could tame the dragon and it was a bond no child or lover could even create and she was turning sixteen.

‘Good luck Antha I shall see you at the ceremony.’ his tones vibrated off of the dragon and were amplified in echos that seemed to surround her. They ambled out of site.

Her future blazed towards her, she had seen the gilded cage arrive and heard the fearsome roar, her father had no doubt that she would be a Dragon Queen, her mother however, had retired to her chamber already and refused to see anybody especially Antha.

Maids came to comb out her hair, they were gentle and did not speak, stray strands fell to the floor like red gold, her skin was pale something that would alta once… if she became a dragon tamer. She wondered what it would be like to fly. She had vague memories of climbing onto Melock’s back but not of flying.

The maids put her in her golden satins and cream silks and then the heavy gold affect armour, it was a thin layer of foil inorder to actually act as armour and not just a dead weight. With the scroll work on it and fitting, it was worth more than it’s weight in gold. She stared at the woman in the mirror. A server pout and hair tied back with golden rows of pearls. Her time was almost up.

A young groom smelling slightly of singed fabric appeared, ‘My Lady!’ he stammered and bowed, she nodded and followed him, he hesitated as if to say something but maintained his silence and she needed that more than anything. They had been children together, climbing trees and finding caves they never got to explore. He had been sent away to train at Dragon Tending. She almost hadn’t recognised him, the same shock he must have felt seeing her in her Dragon Queen apparel. He may have selected the very creature to kill her. She could tell this was his same thought by the tenseness of his shoulders. Tears burned at her eyes at the sight of her father sitting upon his mount, her mother was pale and closed face holding a leash on the great green beast. Antha had never seen a dragon on a leash before.

The gilded cage contained a ball of fiery rage, fear seized her insides though she carried on to her place. She didn’t know what was supposed to happen, she assumed the dragon would be released at some point. The groom scuttled forward and took a loot out of his waist band – it was to lull the creature to sleep or a more passive state at the least. A sudden rage burned within her – how dare they do this to something so fine and magical, it’s beauty should not be contained in such away. If it was going to kill her then so be it!

She stepped forward shouting commands for it to be released, the groom stood still and looked at her, their eyes locked and he nodded, cooning he reached his hand out to the Dragon and it seemed to calm for him, large amber eyes regarded him as he opened the cage. Martha was beautiful, Antha ran too her sobbing and wrapped her arms around her neck, she was height of a pony but much longer, fine feathered adornments fringed her tail. The Groom laughed, ‘careful not to ruffle them she will not thank you.’ And there he was holding a leash for her, he crouched down next to her and gentle showed her how to scratch the dragon so she purred. She knew all this but the boys warmth was a needed counter point to the slither of the dragon in her mind. He smiled at her as they both stood tether clasped in both their hands.

‘There are two ways of bonding with a dragon,’ he breathed.

‘Two?’ she asked bewildered.

‘Yes once at it’s hatching and once at the onset of puberty,’ he smiled shyly and looked away from her. Melock was nuzzling the young dragon and licking her scales were she had rubbed against the cage so. Her father slide down the side of the great beast and looked the groom over from head to foot and nodded. Her mother hugged her lightly, then her father squeezed her in a bear hug.

‘Come daughter we must talk of weddings,’ her mother almost hissed.

Antha took a step back and the little dragon began to growl. ‘Yes Antha it is part of the ceramony – we will feast tonight and tomorrow you will be wedded and the celebrations will continue until you fly.’

Antha turned to her father, ‘but I don’t want to marry!’ her eyes hit upon the groom as he fought to settle the dragon, his calming thoughts seemed to melt into her and she remembered how they had played.

‘Do I… do I get to choose?’ she asked dangerously quiet.

‘The choice is already made,’ her father said simply, ‘but who would you choose?’ he asked her quietly.

‘Grinda,’ she said simply and flushed as the groom turned from his duties to stare at her.

‘So be it Grinda the Dragon Groom is to be your husband as decreed by the bonding of the dragon Martha!’ trumpets and drums seemed to burst out of nowhere and she wondered how the groom felt about a marriage he had no choice in.

He came to her side, ‘I thought they sent me away so we would not start a relationship,’ he said quietly. ‘When I saw you earlier I could not believe it was you and the thought that you could die hurt me so.’

Their hands entwined and she looked at him, ‘my mother held Melocks leash?’ He nodded and smiled tears rolled down her cheek, ‘what if… what if we don’t like the people we’ve become, climbing trees together is not like running a country.’

He shrugged, ‘only time will tell but dragons… they sort of resonate with people and I don’t think we would both be compatible with her if we were not with each other.’

She smiled sadly, ‘trapped together is still trapped.’

‘You were trapped from the day you were born, nobility always is, I got to choose, I could have said no to the training but I didn’t.’

‘Why?’

‘Because one day I hoped I would see you again and I knew your father planned you to be a Dragon Queen I wanted to make sure you had the best chance.’

She nodded shyly and they turned their attentions to the dragon, the echos of the feast were lost on them, there was only them and the dragon.

Posted: Thursday, June 13th, 2013 @ 9:33 am
Categories: Flash Fiction.
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