Submitting to the Dragon

Chapter 2

I woke with a gasp quickly pushing my covers away and leapt from bed. Wait. Bed? When did I go to bed? The last thing I remember is seeing that man outside the window. I crept quietly over to Karie and found her sleeping soundly. I don’t understand it seems like something important just happened but I can’t seem to remember. 

My body was sore as I moved back to my bed and into my warm covers. i felt sleep overtaking me again as I relaxed into my covers and suddenly I was back to that place again.

It was HOT fiery hot in this place. Sweat beaded across my face as I looked around the room. It seemed like a palace from ancient times. A huge brightly lit throne room lay in front of me. Flames danced around the outer perimeter of the room but didn’t consume the walls or the floor. it was almost like they weren’t real. The throne room was cavernous I could see the end of it with a massive throne but it was all covered in shadow. The flames seemed to try to reach the throne but couldn’t get past an unseen barrier. Long glisteningly white pillars ran from the floor to the ceiling that was barely visible. They were huge in diameter it took many steps to circle an entire one. I guessed with a room so large the pillars were needed to hold up a heavy ceiling. 

I was drawn to the darkness at the end of the throne room. As I walked between the pillars towards the throne I was suddenly aware that there were hundreds of people sitting silently in the room staring at me from rows of seats along the sides of the room. The flames were behind them making it difficult to see anyones face.

“Hello?” I asked timidly. Immediately every eye turned away from me and looked straight ahead without expression. Uneasy, I turned to go back the way I came only to find a barrier in my way. I pounded my fist against it but I might as well have tried to take down a stone wall with my fist. It didn’t budge. 

Turning again to the darkness I moved forward slowly looking at all the faces in the room hoping someone would approach. The room became more and more uncomfortable as I continued to walk. All at once I became aware that the room was filled with screams of agony! How could I have not noticed? Still I saw no one moving, no expression, no one alive it seemed. I knew the only thing to do was move forward. 

My body began to fail as the heat increased. My throat was burning with heat as if the very air I was breathing was turning to fire in my lungs. I tried again to leave but the barrier followed me forward. The throne seemed so far away as I sunk to my knees. 

“I- I can’t reach you. I- can’t…” I felt tears spilling down my cheeks. Why was I crying? 

The figure on the throne stood slowly a hand reaching forward as if to plead for me.

My body began to move on its own. As if I was watching someone else life happen through my body. Slowly the throne seemed to come closer and the screams became louder until it hurt my ears to hear. 

I was sobbing now. I felt the agony of my own feelings at this point. The figure became more distinct and I could see it was a young man. His arms and legs were chained to the throne and a huge shackle was placed around his neck going up towards the ceiling. Another shackle on his waist was attached to a huge chain bolted to the floor. The chains had to be so heavy how was he even standing?

Golden eyes gleamed from the darkness. “You came for me.” His voice was soft

“Who are you?” I said through gasps of pain. The fire was burning every place on my skin. I could barely hear him through the screams. “Where is this place?”

He smirked “Isn’t that obvious? This is Hell.” He spread his arms gesturing around him

I shook my head dumbly. Hell? I mean how likely is that?

His face was sad. “I thought you came for me, but you don’t remember. You don’t have the key to remove my chains. Without your memories I’m trapped here forever. You have to remember, tiran-sa. Go back and find me.”

I felt the tears again and my heart felt like it was being torn to shreds at his words “tiran-sa.” i sobbed “Cant I help you now? Who are you?”

He reached his hand to me. “Its too soon for you. I called you too soon. We haven’t even met in your time.” He suddenly roared the sound seeming to shatter everything around me. The room began to shake and the floor rumbled with the sound. How can such a man make a sound like this? Somehow the sound of the roar make me understand his suffering. It was pure agony that he was sharing with me. I needed it to stop. It was too much. It was undoing something inside of me and I felt my very sanity teetering on the edge.

“Stop!” I screamed over and over. 

I gasped loudly and pushed at the hands shaking me. “Mel! What is wrong? Wake up!” karies voice filled the throne room. I saw the figure in front of me slump to the ground. The shackle around his neck keeping him from really touching the floor. Utter defeat was on his face. 

“Mel! Wake up!” 

I reached out to the man. 

Sunlight hit my eyes and I groaned in pain. 

“Karie stop yelling you are hurting me head”

Karie was terrified. “You- you were sobbing and your skin was absolutely burning up. What is happening to you? What kind of dream was that?”

I pushed her away not wanting to think about what happened much less tell her. “Im fine. I think I might just have a cold. Go take care of your chores if I am sick you shouldn’t be around me.”

I dressed quickly under her concerned eyes and splashed water on my face. I hissed at the sensation. My face felt raw and pained. That was just a really odd dream. There is no way that was real, so why does my face feel burned?

I quickly forgot about the dream as the day moved on. The house was in uproar because Lord Valis and the General had requested a meeting with several important war council members. They would be staying at the manor and it was important to ready the rooms. 

I was sent to serve dinner to the guests in the hall and stopped short. The Young Master was back. I quickly ran back out of the room. “Karie!” I ran to her. “I can’t go out there. Robert is back. I can’t— I just can’t.”

“Girl! Get in the hall now!” The headmaster yelled and grabbed my arm. 

“Jon. Let me switch with her!” Karie said quickly trying to grab my tray. 

He grabbed her arm “And get punished for allowing a pregnant woman out there? No way.”

I stumbled slightly as the headmaster pushed me forward. I hung my head and prayed that Robert wouldn’t see me. He absolutely hated my existence and always made sure to punish me for it.

grasping the tray tightly I began to move around the room over refreshments to the guests. I heard Robert laugh and I turned away from the sound offering another guest refreshments. “Father!” He yelled suddenly and I jumped accidentally knocking a ladies glass spilling some of the liquid on the ground. 

She shrieked at me “You stupid useless slave! How dare you touch me!” She slapped me harshly on the face. “Clean this now!”

I knelt quickly feeling the eyes of the room on me. 

“Lady Nelson. I apologize for my slave. She has not been trained properly.” Roberts voice came from above me. I shrunk closer to the floor quickly trying to clean the spill. He grabbed me arm and drove me from the room as soon as we left the space he threw me up agains the wall my breath leaving in a gasp.

“Meliana. You’re still alive. Pity that.” He suddenly started to look at me in a way that made me very uncomfortable. “And you’ve certainly grown up haven’t you? How many years has it been? You must be old enough now.” He pushed himself against me and started to pull at my shirt “Ill spare you some pain if you go to my room tonight.”

I struggled against him. The weight of his body pushing me into the wall. I tried not to think about his c*** pushed up against. “No. You disgusting pig!!” I hissed at him trying to push his hands away. My shirt tore open exposing my breasts to him.

He sneered at me. “I dont need to ask. You are mine tonight. how much pain you are in is up to you. Come to me on your own and i’ll treat you nice. Make me find you and you will regret it.” He grasped my breast painfully in hand and squeezed it harshly before pushing away laughing.

He left me there as I slid down the wall, crying. 

When the shock wore off I ran quickly to my room. No one stopped me when they saw my torn shirt that I held together with my hands. They averted their heads not looking at me. Everyone was familiar with the way that Robert treated me in the past and no one wanted to take his anger for me. 

I grabbed new clothes and snuck out the kitchen. There was no way I was going to wait around for him to find me. I knew he would never follow me to the Grove.