The Samodiva And The Dragon

8. The Plan

-Trak-

“I’ll enjoy that task more than you can imagine.” My best friend - may be the only genuine one I have, said chuckling. I looked at his happy face and couldn’t get where that came from. Isn’t he supposed to be disgusted and repulsed?!

Last night, after leaving the clearing and the girl that would become mine very soon, I flew above the forest and the village in circles till I came up with a plan. I landed in a secluded area near the castle grounds, making sure no one could see me. I shifted back to my human form, put some clothes on and walked to the gates, determined to pursue my friend Yassen who was sent here with my father's advisers to establish better political relations between the two kingdoms. He would help me execute the yet developing idea in my head.

As soon as I was checked thoroughly by the Augusta guards and my identity was confirmed, I asked to be let to his room. He opened the door with a sleepy look, but as soon as he saw me, a playful smile appeared on his face. He knew me well and already suspected I was up to something and he would be taking part in it. He is always so cheerful, but also full of mischief that clearly even waking him up in the middle of the night would bring him joy.

My plan is very simple.

Yassen would be regularly meeting with the princess, to make sure that she understood what her future role as my wife would entitle. In casual conversations he has to slip in information and stories about how ruthless and cruel I am. What a heartless man-w***e and savage barbarian I am. So, in short, his job would be to let her know that I’m the worst possible choice for a husband. And being my wife, she would be treated badly by my vicious sadistic self. Pretty much if she married me, she would be the most miserable person on earth.

Meanwhile, I have to try to blend in with the people in the town and find my angel. It can’t be that hard to find such beauty in a small town, right?!

“Can I talk bad about you while seducing her? She is gorgeous! So innocent and adorably naive, that I would enjoy playing with her for a while and tainting that pretty little body of hers.” That statement made my dragon stir uncomfortably in my mind. Why would that affect him? She is a nobody to us. I just ignored it and laughed at my friend’s eagerness. My plan doesn’t include him taking her to his bed, but who cares if it will help to get rid of her.

"Did you talk with her already? What did you tell her?"

"Nope, didn't have the chance to talk, because a tiny old lady literally threw me out of the window after wiping the floors with my pride.” He sighed tiredly, as if those things were done to him for real, and he wasn’t exaggerating as always. After a brief pause, he continued:

“Anyway, I would have to go through the official paths of the palace policies to actually be able to talk to her. But I saw her, and the trouble is worth it." That big smile and dreamy look appeared on his face once again. What just happened?! She is a monster, right?!

“Come on, she can’t be pretty at all! Are you sure you met the princess, not one of her maids? They have hidden her, because of how hideous she is, so that can’t be her.”

“Oh, believe me, she is more than pretty, she exudes some kind of allure that you can’t resist. They hid her so monsters like me and you can’t get to her.” He winked at me and continued. “I’m definitely attracted and want a bite of that cake. She would be one very yummy cake. She looks so delectable and delightfully inexperienced. Can’t wait till I make her cream herself and just can’t stop imagining what it would be like to..."

A loud growl escapes my throat and Yassen looks at me in shock.

"What's wrong with you? Since when are you such a prude?!"

"I'm not a prude, but your words are driving my dragon crazy for some reason. He is not happy that you want to have her and taste her, and whatever else you have in mind.”

I don't know why he is acting that weird. But I feel highly aggravated and all that talk makes my blood boil. What the heck?! I take deep breaths, exhaling through my mouth, trying to calm down my dragon. He keeps grunting and growling in my mind that a piercing headache is taking over me.

"Wow, stop right there. You have to figure out what is going on with him. I'm not getting in his way a second time, he almost killed me once. Not going there again."

I massage my temples and lift my eyes to meet his. A smirk slowly forms on my lips, as I see my friend's face. He is genuinely concerned about his well-being.

I clearly remember when Yassen and I became frenemies. It was for about a week. Every year there is a big tournament in the Zmey kingdom as part of the summer solstice celebrations. It is all about fighting skills, archery and swordsmanship. It is a big honor to win it in your age group. It was our first year of taking part in it at the age of fifteen. Of course, all the pressure was upon me as the crowned and only prince of the kingdom. But it wasn't the only force that drove me to keep pushing myself to win it. I'm very competitive, my dragon as well. Whenever we set our eyes on something, it has to be ours - no matter the price. So Yassen was very close to paying that price with his life. It was me against him in the final round - bare hands fight. We kept punching each other relentlessly, but none of us was tipping the scales in his favor. That irked my dragon to the point of taking control over my human body. It is something that isn't really supposed to happen. The dragon would share its body with its human counterpart, but it would never be the other way around. So, when that happened, it left me startled and took me some time to react. At that time, he had Yassen pinned to the ground with a big cut on his abdomen and choking the life out of him. I did win the tournament, but haven't taken part in it ever since. My father ridicules me for it, but I can't afford to lose control again.

Yassen cleared his throat, reminding me of our current conversation.

"There is nothing to figure out. I haven't even seen the girl."

With an annoyed groan, he says: "Well, maybe you need to see her so you clear up things with him."

Even the thought of princess Diva of the Augusta kingdom frustrates me. I do not want to talk with her! With a deep frown, I look at my best friend and tell him:

"Keep her as far as possible from me! She needs to reject my offer, so I can claim the girl I want."

He looks at me with wide eyes. I haven't told him about the angel I met in the forest. He smiles smugly and gestures for me to keep spilling, so he can find out the whole story. In short, I tell him how I saw her and how I felt around her. For a minute, he has a distant look and in the end, says:

"What if she is a nymph and she used her charm on you? You know your family has bad blood with them."

I think for a little about that, but it just does not add to it.

At first, she didn't know I was there. Second, it is said that nymphs dance in a group, not on their own. And third, nymphs don’t come to this real anymore. We might be living in the human realm, but we are very aware of the portal to Zmeykovo and all the living creatures there. Many years ago, my great grandpa gathered his clan and left, because he didn’t want to give his only child as a snack for the lamia. So he established a little kingdom on the shores of the Northern Sea in the human realm.

With a grin on my face, I look at Yassen and say:

"No, she is just a goddess that I needed to find and show her what it means to be worshiped!"