THE DRAGON KING AND HIS OMEGA

Chapter 2

A knock sounded on Anna's household in the wee hours of the morning. Belle was yet to wake up. Anna, on the other hand, was awake, cleaning. It was her day to do the house chores.

The knock startled Anna. It was clear, they were not used to having guests, not at this time of the morning at least. Nadia wouldn't come now, not when she had a husband and three mouths to feed. Surely, Nadia wouldn't leave her daughter, Danny to visit Belle this early.

She smoothened her grey hair before approaching the door. At her door, was a man she had never seen before. He looked middle aged and strong, judging by his built up body. His green eyes looked dull, yet strong.

"Good morning." The man greeted.

Anna nodded. "Good morning. How can I help you?" She didn't want to sound rude, but she had to ask him his identity. Humans were always threatened because of how powerless they were. They were neither werewolves nor dragons.

The man smiled. " My apologies. I am Paul Lockhart. I am here on behalf of the Royal King. "

Anna frowned. This was certainly what she didn't want to hear. She despised the king, she feared him. Was he going to take away her daughter?

Paul reached inside his jacket and pulled out an envelope with a royal stamp on it. "His royal majesty wishes to invite your family to a ball. " He handed the envelope to her.

Anna took it with shaky hands. This didn't go unnoticed by Paul. He learnt to keep his mouth shut. Paul was a dragon, the closest to the King. He had at least, the sum total of only ten conversations with the king physically throughout his twenty years in the castle. Otherwise, he was just given a scroll with an order and he would enforce. His mother, Catherine is the Kings personal chef. For some reason, he only seemed to trust her when it came to his meals.

"Must we attend?" Anna asked.

"Attend what?"

Just then, Belle appeared at the doorway, in a yellow cotton nightgown. Her hair was a birds nest but Belle didn't seem to care, she was curious. Her blue eyes suddenly widened at the royal seal on the envelope.

"Oh Godness. We received something from the Palace?" Belle shouted in excitement. She was happy, for a second, she let her excitement of exploring the Palace overtake her. She forgot they had no normal King and only a dragon as King. She forgot about his curse.

"The king demands the presence of everyone that receives this letter, ma'am. Please do ensure you come. Good day." With that, the man scurried away.

Belle jumped up and down, a beautiful smile decorating her face. "We need dresses mama!"

But her mothers thoughts were otherwise occupied. Why did the king send this?

"Belle, you never told me who bought you home last night." At the mention of this, Belle smiled, suddenly remembering her saviour.

"I don't know too Mama. He never told me. He hardly spoke a word."

Anna tried her best not to show any expression on her face. A man that didn't speak? Her heart started racing. This was something unique about the cursed king. He hardly spoke two words to someone.

"You don't think I met the king do you? That was a young man Mama. His arm was muscular too. "

Anna nodded. She didn't like this, at all. She continued with her morning chores while Belle went to take her bath. Beth took her sweet time scrubbing her body. She liked being neat, it made her feel good. She wondered about the Palace. No commoner had ever been there. She couldn't wait to be there. She giggled.

"Belle?" Anna called.

"Yes mama?"

"The bread is still warm. Hurry up, the milk is in the jar. I'll be going to see Nadia. I'll make sure Danny comes when I go."

Belle smiled. She didn't want to stay alone too. "Okay mama. Bye."

Belle couldn't wait for Danny to get here. They had a lot of catching up to do. She needed Danny to tell her more about the King. She also couldn't wait to tell Danny about the yellow eyed beast that saved her yesterday.

As Belle sipped the last of her milk and munched on her bread, Danny opened the door. Danny was used to Belle's house. She didn't see a need for a knock. They were family now, at least, she thought so.

Belle ran towards her friend and dragged her down to sit on one of the wooden chairs.

"Danny, I have so much to tell you." Belle said excitedly.

Danny is a beautiful young lady, with her brunette hair and brown eyes, she was okay. She looked just like her mother, Nadia. She isn't that shaped. No one can compare her to Belle, but she is also okay, with that small lips and bronze skin of hers.

"Tell me, it looked like your mother had something to discuss with my mother. They couldn't risk my hearing them, that's why I'm here now. What do you think it's about?"

Belle shifted in her chair. "Well, Danny, we got an invitation to a ball in the Palace today."

Danny opened her mouth to talk, but couldn't, so she closed it up like a fish again. "You don't mean.."

"I mean a real man bought it from the Palace, it had the royal stamp on it, Danny. Mama wasn't happy. I think she doesn't want us to go."

Danny's expression became sad. "Why? No commoner has ever been to the Palace. You should go. I really wish it was me. I would love to see the Palace intricate designs and dark corridors."

"Me too. That's why I want to go. Who cares if the king is a cursed old man without teeth on his sick bed?!" Belle asked.

Danny scrunched up her eyebrows. She wondered what Belle meant. Whoever told her the king was an old dragon? Sure, he is old, but not that way.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

Belle smiled. "You're really clueless my friend. I asked mama yesterday about the King. She confirmed your story but you must not speak of it..to anyone. She said he is cursed and indeed, he needs a human in his life."

This was no surprise to Danny. Her, herself heard it from a confidential person. So of course she believed it. "I'm talking about him being old on his sick bed."

Belle nodded. "Of course, mama said..." That was when Belle realised, mama didn't say anything about him being on his sick bed. In fact, she avoided that. Belle had been the one to talk about that. Because she ..thought...a man who has lived for a hundred and thirty years would..

"Pray, Danny, don't tell me he's still young and very much alive?"

Danny slowly nodded her head. " He is young and certainly not on any sick bed my dear. Do wake up from your dream."

This was a blow to Belle. She thought wrong all these while. She was somehow scared, of going to the Palace now. In her own little mind, she thought the king was old? On a sick bed? Thinking about it now, she wanted to laugh at her stupidity, laugh at herself. How stupid she is, she thought. Going to the Palace which had an old king was much more appealing than one who had a very much alive king.

"And might I add that rumours are he's muscular and very handsome." Danny wiggled her eyebrows.

The fact that he's handsome didn't bother her, she had seen handsome men before. What if he killed them all in the Palace? Was that his plan? Why did he want people suddenly in his Palace?

"Relax, my friend, I'll ask my mom if I can come along too. " Danny offered. This somehow comforted Belle, she and her mom wouldn't be alone.

"I heard only dragons lived in the castle, so be mindful, just in case my mother doesn't allow me to tag along, okay?" Danny offered.

Belle smiled at her friend. She never knew how she got lucky to have a friend like her. She was kind, thoughtful, caring and compassionate. She loved her immensely.

"Okay mother." Belle teased. "Let's go to the dressing shops, I want to check some dresses. Even though I'm not comforted by news that the King is young, I still am excited to be inside the Palace gates."

Danny smiled. "Right. Let's go."

They exited the small cottage and went to the market square, going to the dressmakers shop. They saw beautiful dresses, different shapes, designs and sizes, but these were all for the rich. They could only admire from afar. They dare not ask the prices.

They looked and looked, when they got tired, they decided to go home. Belle walked on the main road this time. She dared not walk on minor roads again. She almost got killed last time. She still remembered it, the wolf's horrified breath on her nape and the protective arm that saved her. She kept looking sideways, a part of her hoping to see the stranger with yellow eyes. She knew he wasn't human, she also knew her mother would definitely not allow her to marry whoever he was, because he was not human.

She also knew that the stranger wasn't a werewolf, werewolves eyes were normal in their human form and even when they turned to werewolves. Their eyes stayed thesame. Did that mean he was a dragon? Didn't dragons have dark green or blood shot red eyes? Why was his yellow? She sighed. Maybe he was another creature then. He definitely wasn't a vampire, vampires were extinct in this part of the area. That was why they moved here, from their old village. Their old village wasn't safe anymore. Vampires kept killing humans, sucking their bloods dry, some vampires turned humans to their own kind. Before it affected them, they moved to this part of the town, where it is safe.

The king forbids any kind of killing of humans, nor turning of humans to other creatures without their consent. So, they found it accommodating.

She swept the thoughts from her mind and continued walking home.

Unknown to her, from the castle, extraordinary yellow eyes watched her every action with interest and mixed happiness. The owner of the eyes knew she is the one.

And he was going to make her his.

"I've decided. We can't say we won't go to the ball, it may be considered as treason, disobeying the Kings command, I mean. "

Belle wasn't sure how she felt when her mother said this. She wanted to go, but she wanted to also not go. She didn't know which one. Part of her was scared, she kept thinking, what if he chose her? The other part of her didn't care at all, it told her she wasn't the only human in the world.She wasn't even that pretty!

She studied her mother's face for a second. Sure, Mama wasn't happy, she was just trying to cover it up.

She nodded her head gently. "Don't worry, Mama. He can't do anything to me because I won't be the one for him."

Anna smiled at her daughters attempt to calm her down. Surely, she would understand why she was worried. Why were they among the lucky families to receive an invitation? Why didn't Nadia receive an invitation? Surely it meant someone caught his eye, right?

"We'll go along with Danny if it makes you feel better."

That made her feel a little bit better. She couldn't afford two gowns right now, so, it was better for Belle to go with Danny. She was sure Danny had a gown, Nadia could afford one for her daughter.

"The ball is in a fortnight. Make sure you go to Mrs. Linda's shop tomorrow to get cheap dresses. You could rent instead, it will be cheaper."

Belle bit her lips. She hated seeing mama stressed. "Okay, Mama."

"I'll be off to bed now my child."

Times like that had Belle wishing she had a lot of fortune to spend. She wanted to treat her mother right.

She changed into her nightshift before slipping inside the warm covers. Before sleep took over, she prayed for a better tomorrow.

*********

"We have this spectacular red gown. It's okay of you can't buy it, I would rent it out for you, my dear."

Relief washed over Belle. She wanted to economise as much as possible. "How much will you rent it out for me?"

Mrs. Linda smiled. She knew Belle and Anna tried so hard to pull the strings. Anna was her friend, but it would kill Anna to admit they needed help.

"Tell you what, you can rent the gown in exchange for something. "

This peeked Belle's interest. She turned to look at Mrs. Linda with interesting eyes. "What do I need to exchange?"

Mrs. Linda laughed. "Your hardwork my dear. I want you to come help me bake some cookies and potatoes this Sunday. And also help me clean afterwards. "

Belle couldn't be happier. She nodded eagerly like an agama lizard, happy he caught a bee. "Agreed Mrs. Linda. I shall try the gown now."

And the gown fitted perfectly. It was a red lacy ball gown with a deep neck. Half of her breasts were outside, but she didn't give it a thought. It was okay, to her since her back and legs were covered. She'll just let her hair down. She prayed Mama would let her wear it.

As the day of the ball got nearer, Belle got excited and anxious. She couldn't wait to be in the castle walls. She couldn't voice out her excitement through, she had a feeling Mama will be very upset to hear that.

On the day of the ball, Belle got up very early, before the florid orange rays of the sun decorated the dark blue sky. She was too excited to sleep. She kept thinking about what the Palace will hold. She cleaned before leaving to get their early morning bread. She hoped to treat Mama to a special breakfast.

Mama was still asleep when she came back. She decided to fry the eggs and make tea. Mama was happy, her daughter was indeed thoughtful. They ate in silence before mama went to the market, to sell the days vegetables.

At four o'clock, Mama came back and started helping Belle get ready for the ball. Anna wasn't in the mood for a chitchat. She was rather in a mood for punches and curses. Belle, sensing her mother's mood, kept quiet. She allowed her mother style her hair in an elegant updo, using pins to keep her hair secured. She wanted to tell her mother that her gown was somehow revealing, so her hair would be down, but she decided to brush it off. What's the harm anyway?

Anna couldn't believe her eyes when she saw how beautiful her daughter looked. She was captivated and when she wore the red gown that complimented her fair skin and blonde hair, words got stuck in her mouth. She nodded her head. She did a good job, she admitted, in giving birth to a beautiful and healthy lady.

She couldn't care less about the deep neck cut, her daughter still is beautiful.

Danny arrived in a mustard yellow gown having a loose French braid as style. She was perfect and beautiful.

The carriage arrived and Anna of course went to see them off.

"Avoid the king, at all costs." She whispered.

Both ladies nodded like obedient dogs.

"Also say nothing to anyone about the King. We wouldn't want ourselves assassinated." Danny offered.

Anna nodded. "That's right my dear. Both of you should not get separated. Be safe."

Anna banged the carriage wooden surface, signalling to go. The carriage soon started moving.

"Can't believe after years, we'll be in the Palace." Danny said.

"My body can't believe it too. My palms have been sweaty." Belle said. "Danny, what would you do if a supernatural being asked you for a dance?" She wanted to have an idea on what to do.

Danny smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. "Why? Of course I'll dance with him if he's a handsome devil. I could do more than that. You know what they say about the supernatural beings."

Belle was confused. What about supernatural beings? What did people say?

Danny gasped. "Don't tell me you don't know!"

Belle nodded. Danny scoffed and sat closer to her. She couldn'trisk the coachman listeningto their conversation. "They say, they do it best."

That made Belle more confused. "Do what best?"

Danny rolled her eyes. "Do the deed best. You know, how to touch a woman...and make her feel..good."

Belle felt the warmth on her cheeks. This wasn't what she expected at all. Her mind didn't even go there yet.

"You can't be serious." Belle whispered.

"But I am. My informant told me that herself. She's been touched by a werewolf."

Belle's eyes became so big, Danny thought it would fall off. "She said it was the best feeling ever. She said they're muscular and big, in all the right places."

Belle's mind went to the yellow eyed stranger she met. She still couldn't tell Danny about it, even though she wanted to. Some things were better left unsaid. She wished she could meet the yellow eyed stranger one more time. Maybe, ask his name.

The carriage came to a stop. The carriage door opened after a knock. A stool was placed and a man dressed in all black stretched out his hand, helping us off the carriage.

"Welcome to the Castle of Gravenhurst my ladies. Permit me to inspect your invitation. "

Belle gave him the invitation letter they received and waited while the man's eyes skimmed over the card. After seconds, he nodded. Another man, dressed in thesame black outfit came forth.

"Please, allow me to lead you to the ballroom."

Belle hardly heard what he said. She was busy, admiring the flowers that decorated the Palace walls. The castle was bigger than they imagined, it's walls glowing in the night with the torches set up in every corner.

Danny pinched Belle on her arm, bringing an end to Belle's admiration. As they walked, Belle could hear the sound of another carriage arriving. She itched to turn and check which family arrived but she decided against it.

They walked into the hallway, their footsteps echoing against the ground. At the end of the hallway, golden giant doors opened, two footmen stood at each side.

The other man turned and walked off, leaving the two ladies in front of the ballroom.

"How shall we announce my ladies?"

Belle didn't know what to say. She looked at Danny who also looked out of words.

"Address us as lady Mirabelle and Lady Danny." Belle provided. No one needed to know they weren't royal. It wasn't a crime to be called a lady, after all, they were ladies not men.

The footman gave Belle a look that could boil water. Belle knew what he was thinking, it was normal. It wasn't her fault she didn't know her father's name. She wasn't allowed to even ask about her father.

Danny cleared her throat. "Please, address us as lady Mirabelle and Lady Danny of Raventhon."

Belle looked at Danny with mortification. Where on earth did she get the Raventhon from?

The footman eagerly nodded and whispered to the other footman who announced their arrival. Danny kept her head high, eagerly skimming her eyes over the people in the ballroom while Belle lowered her eyes and carefully lifted her skirts before walking down the steps. If looks could kill, she would have been buried already. But she reasoned it was normal.

Immediately they came to the center of the ballroom, Belle and Danny became swamped with men and some women.

"Pray tell me which dressmaker sewed your gown?" A lady that was dressed in a pink ball gown asked, her eyes glowing as she looked at her gown with interest.

But of course cat got Belle's tongue. She couldn't say which dressmaker, she was sure Mrs.Linda didn't sew it. So, she kept mute and smiled.

"It's bold and enchanting. " she further commented. "I like it. A lot. "

Belle nodded. "Why, thank you. "

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm lady Hazel of Heartwood. " Just then, the man that delivered the royal invitation to Belle's household, Mr. Lockhart appeared in a black Cape. His hair gelled back, giving him a neat look. His brown eyes and red lips gave him a handsome look. He nodded at Lady Hazel and Belle before looking at Danny.

He looked as if he could eat Danny, his brown eyes became darker as he watched Danny. He wasn't human, he was supernatural. It wasn't normal for eyes to turn this dark.

He turned to Belle. "Please, my lady, introduce us." He gestured at Danny. Belle turned to look at Danny, to see if she was okay with it. She wasn't surprised when she found Danny blushing.

"Of course. This is Lady Danny. " Mr. Lockhart smiled at Danny, who appeared to be staring at him.

" Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady. May I have your first dance?"

Belle smiled, slowly slipping away, leaving the two soon to be love birds. She wondered about alone for minutes before deciding to get fresh air outside.

Once she exited the ballroom through the back door, her legs developed a mind of their own. She took her time, admiring the walls and paintings before she stumbled upon the garden.

The garden had beautiful roses and violets. The flowers looked very beautiful, she couldn't resist plucking one.

Just as she was about to sniff the rose, she felt a presence behind her. She turned quickly to find a pair of yellow eyes staring at her . Her heart skipped a beat before it pounded violently in her chest. She thought her heart would fail from the violent thud.

She found him again, her man, she thought.

His eyes slowly trailed her body, sending shivers down Belle's spine. Delicious shivers. Oh and how she enjoyed it shamelessly. She also watched him, his broad chest and muscular arms. She loved how tall he was. He really had an air of authority around him.

Belle waited for him to talk, but he didn't. Didn't he remember her? Why wouldn't he say anything then? Belle waited for a few more seconds but no no avail. So, when it was clear he wasn't going to say anything to her, she made a choice within herself, her mind to talk to him, to satisfy her curiosity about him and about the little inappropriate thoughts she had once in a while. So, Belle took a step forward, making her way to the handsome stranger.

Just like the Golden Dragoness said a century ago, she would find her way towards him.