Children of the dragon 1: The crimson knight

Maria

"Maria, is that Leon?" Misa asks. Maria looks at the young man at the front gates of the school. He has lost weight, every step he does is confident, his hair looks different, and his expression confirms it.

"Whatever, he's the same loser," Maria replies with a demeaning motion. Misa giggles.

"No, he's not," she continues. "Oh! Brad and his guys are going to say hi. This is going to be interesting."

Maria looks at Leon. She remembers the day that Brad, Samson, and Rodney, nearly killed him. It was all because Leon told her that he loved her and because she rejected him. She feels bad for an instant. She was cruel that day.

Leon keeps walking. The other students have their eyes on him as he approaches the wall of three on his path. Brad and his friends don't move. Maria holds her breath, the world gets silent and the tension grows. Leon changes the position of his briefcase, it ends hanging from his hand on his back, in a good position to strike. He keeps walking and Brad moves out of the way. Leon doesn't look at him, not in the least.

"Wow!" Misa says, and Maria breaths again. "He was definitely going to hit them if they didn't move."

Maria is about to deny it, but she looks at him again and she knows that Leon is different.

The classes are monotonous as always, but she is always paying attention, taking notes, and getting the best grades. She is one of the best students in the school and her parents are proud.

"So…" Misa begins, playing with the long threads of her beautiful black hair. They are returning home, crossing one of the four bridges that link the east and the west sides of the town. The river below them is beautiful and big. Maria stops and looks below, bewitched by the majesty of the waters. "We… we did it!"

"What?!" she asks, unable to understand.

"Last night... I and Samson…" Misa continues, blushing. "He was gentle… but it hurt a little…"

Maria can't believe it.

"Wow!" she lets out, reminding the lips of Samson. They were together yesterday after classes, at the back of the school where the young lovers kiss each other for the first time. He said many beautiful lies to kiss her, and Maria believed him. "How- how long have you been together?"

"Ah- I don't know? Three months?" Misa replies. Maria laughs.

"Congratulations, I guess!" she says, amused. Samson has been hitting on her for five months, she was even considering him as her boyfriend.

"Thanks… I guess?" Misa replies, ashamed.

It was a dirty hit of Samson, and Maria is a bit jealous, but her curiosity is bigger. She wants to know.

"How was it?" she asks, her eyes meeting Misa's. Misa smiles and begins the tale.

The moon is full, beautiful and its light goes through the curtains. Outside is cold and silent, but she can't sleep. The graphic descriptions of Misa don't let her sleep. She is jealous, angry, curious, and… eager. Her dreams of Samson are passionate.

When she wakes up in the morning she remembers all the things Samson said, and all the descriptions of Misa. She gets angry, and at the same time, agitated. She lets her feelings lead her, and when she realizes the absolute joy hits her. Then comes the guilt.

After she has taken a long bath and dressed up she goes to the backyard and there he waits, enjoying the sun, next to the pool while waiting for her breakfast, while her maid takes care of her nails. It's Sunday.

"Miss Carey is here, my lady," the butler announces.

"I'm on my way. Thanks, Arthur," Maria answers. Freya is there to take care of her.

"Miss, I should remind you that your father is not pleased with the amount of money you spend on vanity," her maid says. Maria rolls her eyes.

"I know, I know, Ana," she says, tired of the same, and enters the house.

Freya gives her a massage, gives attention to her skin to keep it soft, beautiful, and smooth; and makes sure her golden mane is always stunning.

"Your father keeps saying that you should stop wasting money?" Freya comes out.

"Yeah… and I keep telling him that it's not a waste of money," Maria replies, Freya giggles.

"How could he understand? How could men understand?" Freya says. "Though…"

"What?" Maria asks.

"Whose is that house, the Drako's?" Freya changes the subject. Maria looks outside the window. They are in her bedroom, on the third level of the house. They have a beautiful view of all the town down the hills from there. One of the houses she can see is the house of Leon. "Leon called me last week. Can you believe it?"

"You did a great job with his hair," Maria admits.

"Not only with his hair…" Freya adds. "It was weird…"

"What? Why?" Maria asks, curious and a bit preoccupied for her. Leon was a bit creepy.

"Oh, nothing truly weird," Freya answers. "He just asked for the whole service and I have to admit it. Now he looks great. Whatever changed him, it did it for the better."

Maria is surprised.

"What do you mean with the whole service?" she asks.

"Well, you know, wax, massage, nails, hair, skin, all the service," she explains. "And I agree with him. Men should take care of themselves a little more."

"I guess so…" Maria agrees.

"And now he's training it seems," Freya adds.

"Leon?"

"Yes, look, there he is," she points at the backyard of the Drako's house, at 70 m from her house. Leon is there, sword in hand, dancing under the trees, from one side to the other, precise, and elegant, covered in sweat.

"Maria, Maria!" Freya snaps.

"Ah! What?" Maria answers, she didn't realize when she got mesmerized by the dance of Leon.

"Turn around," Freya says, giggling, Maria obeys.

The next week is the same story, and the next month, and the month after that, and so on.

"Why do you think he trains?" Freya asks.

"I don't know, but nobody messes up with him at school, not anymore," Maria replies. "He's even defeated the teacher of fencing with an unknown technique, and apparently, he's the best athlete and one of the best students now, and the girls are hitting on him all the time."

"Oh! You too?" Freya jokes.

"No! Why would I? He's just another loser," Maria responds.

"Is that so?" Freya replies, amused. "Look at him, fighting with two guys at the same time and- damn! Did he?"

"He did," Maria confirms, rolling her eyes. Leon just defeated his opponents.

"You should definitely start to hit on him, Maria. I've heard he likes you," Freya says. "He's hot now and for the gods, he's not a loser anymore."

Maria rolls her eyes again.

"Leave me alone, I can choose anyone I want, and he's definitely not my first option," Maria replies. Freya shrugs.

"I was just saying," she says. "He is a good guy and you need one of those, girl, believe me."

Maria sighs.

"Anyway, I hope you enjoy the party tonight," Freya says.

"You are not coming?" Maria replies.

"My husband has just arrived and we…" she begins.

"I understand, don't worry," Maria replies.

"I knew you would," Freya adds.

"I love you, dear, have a wonderful night with your man," Maria says. Freya hugs her.

"And you, don't be naughty, okay? Take care of yourself a lot, and remember not to fall on their tricks. They only want one thing."

Maria smiles.

"I know, I'll be careful," she replies.

It's the harvest party, the night of the masks. Most of the population are in the center of the town, and Maria is hidden, in the alley, behind the town hall, searching for something she left there the day before. She finds the bag and retrieves its contents.

It's a dress, the red dress she would never wear if not for the mask, just two pieces of fabric linked to each other only on the shoulders, and she ties the front and rear against her tiny waist with a belt; it's a dress of low cut, very popular in the ancient age, an enticing piece that allows everyone to see her perfect and smooth legs.

Why is she wearing this? Because she wants to know how it feels, and because she is going to lose her virginity tonight.

She puts on her silver sandals, her luxurious necklace, a gift from her father, and her bracelet of pearls. She looks stunning.

The alley stays behind and she joins the laughing crowd that stinks to body odor and alcohol. The party has just begun, and her bodyguard and her friends have given up trying to find her.

Everyone that joins the party is a stranger during that night.

Good that I changed my hairstyle, she thinks. When she passes next to her friends they don't recognize her, but they do look at her. Everybody looks at her. She smirks under the mask, satisfied.

A man grabs her hand and takes her to the center of the crowd where the dancing is happening, and she follows and dances with him, she teases him with her sensuality and her graceful movements, and he can't avoid losing the rhythm, allowing the next contender to take his place. She dances with the next man, she teases him again and makes him lose the pace too, the same happens with the third and the fourth. Then she goes to the closest bar for some water. There she meets him.

His clothing is elegant, his perfume is expensive, his mask covers all his face and his hairstyle is the same that all men wear that night.

"May I offer you a drink, my lady?" he begins.

Maria smiles behind the mask, deciding. The man is different from all the others she has met.

She is there for water.

"Wine, please," she says. She hates wine.

"Your best wine for the lady, please," the man asks the owner, putting a coin of gold on the table.

"The best of the best," the owner declares, serving the cup with a drinking straw so she could keep her mask on.

The wine burns her throat and her stomach.

"Hm... Good enough," she declares and drinks another sip.

"Agree," the man says.

The fire of the beverage is in seconds in her veins, she feels happy, alive, and takes him to dance, wild, encouraging him to set himself free, while laughing, knowing that he's struggling to restrain himself. She enjoys and feels amazing, the world is hers. The only bad thing is that she loses him in the crowd.

But there are others.

Another man dances with her, and then another until she is tired. More than one offers her a drink. They all leave her alone when she mentions a husband that doesn't exist, and walks to the town hall, avoiding the dark alleys.

Tonight is not the night, she thinks.

"Then there is a husband," the amused voice says and she recognizes him.

"I had lost my noble knight, it was the only way to get rid of them," she replicates.

"Is that so? I owe you an apology then," he says, two men are with him. Bodyguards. "If you honor me with your company I can redeem myself…"

They are in a cheap hostel, the closest they find, and Maria is smirking behind the mask. Her parents are going to be mad at her, but she doesn't care. His mask is off and she recognizes him.

"Now show me your pretty face, naughty girl," he whispers, anxiously.

"No," she defies, putting her index on his lips. "I'll show you something more…"

She unties her belt and the shoulders of her dress. It falls, beautifully, revealing the angel that she is. He loses his breath.

Between pain and pleasure, holding his stare, she breaths heavily as he firmly grabs her breasts. She is laying on the table, rocking back and forth, and he is between her legs, reaching her depths, repeating how beautiful and naughty she is, thirsty entering in her, insane because of her beauty, and because Maria encourages him with her sweet moans. And when she starts to enjoy it, he groans, and that action ignites her fire and raises the volume of her last moans. She thinks, she knows he is married, he is touching her with the hand that has the ring. Everything becomes too much for her, her senses are overwhelmed and all that she knows as her precious body convulses with violence is the ultimate joy.

"You are so young…" he murmurs between her breasts, recovering his breath.

Maria smirks, caressing his hair, with the guilt stabbing her heart.

What have I done? she thinks.