The Dragon's Slave

My New Master

I screamed out loud as the dragon carried me away. I had never been so terrified in my life. It was flying so high that I could see forests and rivers and even mountains beneath me. I wanted nothing more than to escape, but I knew that if he dropped me, I would surely fall to my death. So, despite being completely terrified of the dragon, I clung to his claws and held on for dear life.

Finally, the dragon arrived at the opening of a huge cave and flew to the entrance, dropping me to the floor. I tried to crawl away from the beast, but was horrified to find that inside the cave, there were even more dragons. All larger and meaner looking than the dragon that had captured me. There were scarlet dragons and emerald dragons. Dragons in every color under the sun, and they all stared down at me as if I was the chef’s special on the menu.

Suddenly I heard a loud, rumbling noise like thunder, and the other dragons started to back away. It was then that the most frightening thing I had ever seen in my life moved forward, slowly lumbering towards me. It was another dragon, but unlike any of the others I had seen. This creature was a great, golden giant, far larger than any of the others. And as it moved towards me, it’s shadow was so immense that it blocked out every last shred of light in the cave.

Although the monster didn’t move it’s mouth, I could hear it speak clearly in my mind. “And what have you brought me today, my faithful son?” it seemed to ask the black dragon with amusement in it’s deep, husky voice. “It smells delicious. I’m sure it will make a wonderful snack.”

I was too afraid to even scream. As the fearsome creature moved closer towards me, I lay frozen on the ground, trembling in fear. But when the enormous dragon reared up on it’s hind legs and let out a bellowing roar, I knew I had to escape! I forced myself to get to my legs, turned and darted towards that cave’s entrance, running for my life.

But from the darkness, a strong hand reached out to grab me. The hand was not that of the black dragon though, it was a man, and he clung to my arms with both hands, strong and firm, refusing to let me go. “And just where do you think you’re going, girl?” the man asked. I looked up and was shocked to find that I recognized him. This was the same mysterious stranger that my stepfather introduced me to when I was twelve.

“Please,” I begged, with tears starting to sting my eyes. “Please, just let me go! Please, don’t let them eat me!”

A loud and cruel laugh ran out through the cave as the giant golden dragon looked down on me. “Don’t let us eat you?” he asked. “Ah, little human, do you not understand that you are in the presence of royalty? I am Thunder, King of all dragons. The oldest, wisest and most powerful dragon alive on earth. Any human should be honored to serve as a tasty morsel to ease my appetite.”

Tears ran freely down my eyes now. I couldn’t believe that I was about to die. Eaten alive by a dragon when I was only eighteen years old. But the man who was holding me only let out a frustrated sigh. “The king is toying with you,” he told me, sounding annoyed. “Dragons rarely eats such meager creatures as humans. Why, to a great, colossal creature like King Thunder, a scrawny thing like you would barely serve as a tooth pick.”

“Oh, and why did you have to tell her that?” The great dragon asked irritably. “You have no sense of humor, my poor, stoic boy. It is only natural for dragons to toy with our pets. And the girl’s squeals of fear are so very amusing.”

“To you, perhaps,” the man replied. “To me she sounds like a dying piglet.”

The giant dragon let out a long and weary sigh. “Well, I suppose there’s no point keeping up the pretense. And a gentleman really shouldn’t toy with the emotions of such a sensitive young lady.” With this, the great, golden beast that was towering over me slowly began to fade, and a tall man with long, golden hair, dressed in regal, kingly robes stood in his place. “There, I trust you find this form less intimidating, my dear?”

For a moment a stood in silence, unable to comprehend what I had just seen. “You… You’re the dragon?” I asked the man in shock.

At this, all of the surrounding dragons erupted into laughter. “Oh, she’s sharp, this one!” a large, turquoise dragon laughed, sarcastically.

“Good work Dracus, you’ve brought our father an imbecile,” joked a female dragon with scales red as fire. “Maybe he should eat her after all. She’s far too stupid to be a worthy servant of dragons.”

The dragon king held up a hand to silence the other dragons. “Now now children, don’t be cruel. If I recall correctly, all of your humans were pathetic trembling wrecks when they first arrived.”

It was then that the golden haired king walked forward, gesturing for the dark haired man to release me. My captor took a step back so that the King Thunder could inspect me closer. The Dragon King circled me, looking me up and down, as if I were a piece of meat he was judging. “You found a pretty one, Dracus,” he said admiringly, taking a lock of my hair in his fingers to feel it. “And such lovely, fiery hair. Wherever did you find her?”

“A little village just a few miles north,” Dracus replied. “Her father was a fool and a desperate drunkard. I got her at a very reasonable price.”

“My father?” I asked. I assumed he must have meant my stepfather. But the rest of what he said made no sense to me. “I don’t understand,” I timidly confessed.

“They didn’t tell you?” the Dragon King asked, putting both hands tenderly on my bare shoulders and softly brushing my skin, sending a shiver running down my spine at his touch. “Well you see, my dear, my kind have been at odds with you humans for many generations. Of course, dragons are the natural rulers of the earth. The very top of what you call the food chain. We are so very used to getting our own way. For centuries we simply took whatever we wanted. After all, who would dare to stop us?

And yet, out of nowhere, we found ourselves with a most unlikely opponent. Not tigers or wolves or other fearsome beasts, but you, my dear,” he told me as he lightly brushed his finger down my neck. “Humans. Those soft and fragile creatures somehow worked up the nerve to fight back. Not with teeth and claws, but with swords and spears and arrows. And pathetic as a single human may be, we learned that an army of them was enough to bring even the mightiest of dragons down.

And so, we adapted,” he explained. “Rather than simply take what we wanted, the slaves and the cattle and the treasure, we learnt to barter for it. We learnt the humans language, and how to take on our human forms, and we traded with them. A village might rise up in arms to rescue a stolen maiden… But a maiden that is bought and paid for? What do they care for her?”

It was then that everything made sense. The horrible truth that I had refused to accept or understand. “He sold me?” I spoke aloud. My own stepfather had sold me. In truth, I wasn’t surprised. The man was a monster, and there was no evil he wasn’t capable of. But what hurt more than my heart could bare was that my mother had let him do it.

“There, you see, not so dim after all, are you?” The king of the dragons said, to which the other dragons all laughed in amusement. “You must forgive my children, girl. I’m afraid we cold blooded creatures have somewhat of a sadistic streak running through our veins. Come. I shall explain your situation away from prying ears.”

Taking hold of my arm, King Thunder led me through the cave, away from his staring children, who snickered and mocked me as I passed. I didn’t care. I felt like I was in some kind of trance. I could barely believe what had happened to me. My family had sold me to the Dragon King. I was a slave.

“I realize this must all be strange to you my dear, but I’m sure you will come around,” the king said as he lead me away from the dragons and into a chamber filled with people. “These are the slave’s quarters. Not exactly luxury, but I’m sure they will suffice for a common village girl like you.”

He led me into a small cell that contained nothing more than a bed, a chest of draws and a bucket. I didn’t want to know what the bucket was for. The Dragon King pushed me forward and I heard a loud clang as the cell door closed behind me. I turned around to see that he was locking the door.

“I’ll give you some time to settle, shall I?” he suggested as the tears ran down my eyes. “Ah, no need to despair so, my dear. Despite my earlier little jokes, I believe you will find me to be a fair master. I do dote upon my favorite pets, and I assure you that hard work and loyalty are always well rewarded.”

But suddenly, the Dragon King’s gentle tone shifted and he clenched at the bars of my cell, fixing me was a cold, cruel glare. “But I warn you, little human, disloyalty will not be tolerated. Try to escape, or displease me in any way, and your suffering will be worse than any pain you have ever imagined. You will die, in unbelievable agony, and then your family will be hunted down and they will die as well. Remember my warning, my pet. Be faithful, strive to please me, and you have nothing to fear.” And with those ominous words, my new master turned and walked away.

And so I was left alone, in the silence. A few of the other slaves stared at me but none of them said anything. I collapsed on the bed and wept for hours. How could they do this to me? How could my mother let my stepfather sell me? Why didn’t she stop him? Now I would never see my mother again. I would never see Charlie again. I was completely alone.

Still, despite my sorrow and fear, my mind was also racing with confusion. How did the black dragon know who I was? How did he know where to find me? Where had the black dragon disappeared to? And who was the strange man that I’d met all those years ago? There was a mystery to be solved here, and I promised myself I was going to solve it.