[ She'd been afraid of that at first, hadn't she? Of being a bauble, a trinket thoughtlessly added to his collection that could be thrown away as and when he pleased. Even to Fragaria, she was nothing more than an asset, a frivolous decoration who could be tossed aside when it became more trouble than it was worth.
But a treasure is something different. Especially for a dragon. They guard them so jealously, protect them so fervently - and when a dragon treasures something, that's forever.
She turns. His hold on her is loose enough that she can face him properly, fully flush against each other in the water. Her expression is so tender that it looks almost pained and that only softens when she reaches to cradle his face and then closes the remaining distance between them with a kiss. ]
[ For a moment, he's surprised by her lips pressing against his. Even after all the times they did that last night, it still catches him off-guard... but he slowly relaxes into it, holding her to his chest. He notes once again just how small she is...
Honestly, sending someone of such small stature into a dragon's den on her own... and they call him twisted. Still, he'll take this offering... this offering of a treasure that they so foolishly threw away.
...That gives him an idea, an idea that he immediately acts on. As her lips are pressed against his, his hand trails up her back... trails up until his claw rests on her neck, right on the darkest mark peppering her skin.
There's a brief flash, a small spike in magic, and a brief and light stinging sensation not unlike when his teeth were on her skin. It spreads... until on her neck, high enough to be perfectly visible, is a dark purple mark... a symbol of possession.
She is his now. Both body and soul belong to him, proven by a mark as though to drive away any who would dare to lay claim to what is his. ]
[ She thinks, briefly and foolishly, that it's another bite at first - even though their lips are pressed so firmly together. But then it flutters against the side of her throat and she realises what it must be - part of her duty as the Saintess had been to understand all sorts of magic, after all, and trying to understand the dragon she was being sent to was her first attempt at making all of this less terrifying. She knows what a dragon's marking is. She knows what it means.
More importantly, she knows that it can't be taken back. No matter what.
Their lips part. Ai stares at him with a sort of trembling desperation on the verge of tears, torn horribly between wanting to settle into this newly imprinted sense of security and ownership and being terrified that it might be taken away even so. It always has been before. When has anyone ever wanted her as she really is?
But she's a treasure now. A precious addition to the Mors King's hoard that nobody can make him relinquish.
She swallows hard. ]
... I told you I wasn't pure even before I became the Saintess. But it's worse than that. It's not just that I wanted to be happy as the Saintess, even though I wasn't worthy, but...
[ A slow, trembling breath. Her eyes slide away from his. ]
... I wanted happiness as a mother at the same time.
[ It's more than just a mark, it's a promise. A promise that for as long as he lives, she belongs to him. He wonders if it's any better, really, to be treated as a treasure than a fancy bauble... but what the hell, as if he cares about that.
What matters is that she's his. If she has any complaints, she should've thought of that beforehand. ]
...
[ For a moment, he's silent... cold blue eyes locked onto her own as she gives him his admission. Earlier than she intended, earlier than he expected, but hardly the worst time to do so.
For that brief moment, with his expression unchanging, it's hard to tell exactly what her revelation makes him feel... until— ]
Hah... hah...!! So that was it all along, then?
[ He laughs... and strangely, it doesn't sound like his usual jeer. ]
Hah... ahh, I see now... to think that it was that simple all along. How very human of you.
[ A flurry of emotions pass over her face - confusion, alarm, even hurt for just a moment... but then it all settles into something unsure but... hopeful. Disbelieving because she can't quite bring herself to accept what's being so clearly placed in front of her to take.
He's not human and never has been. So of course his standards would be different. And yet... ]
You don't... mind? [ In a trembling voice, still. Said as if she has to apologize for this. ] It's one thing for me to not be pure anymore, but... ever since back then, I...
[ He slowly stops laughing, looking down at her. ]
Well... I'll admit it's surprising, and it cements just how ridiculous it is that you were ever a Saintess...
[ He frowns. Now that he's thinking about it, it's not like it doesn't matter... but it doesn't matter in the way that Ai thinks it should. In the first place, for him—and most dragons for that matter—the concept of parenthood is rather foreign. Not that there aren't exceptions, he himself being one to most draconic norms, but dragons are typically solitary creatures by nature.
In this regard, the human attachment to their offspring is foreign to him, but not so much that he doesn't comprehend it. ]
...Ah, right, you humans and your purity. That hardly matters in a place such as this, no? If anything, shouldn't warming my bed be an even greater sin? Willingly at that.
[ She may be a trinket, but she's tarnished now. She might belong to him, but someone already laid their claim before and there's proof of it that runs even deeper than the mark on her neck. She'd thought that would ruin her shine.
But it doesn't matter. He's hardly even batted an eye.
Something surges up in her chest, intense and longing and sweet. It leaves her feeling dizzy and a little weak and as it fills her body, her thoughts narrow into pure clarity; Ah. I really don't want him to ever let me go.
She sinks into him. All the tensions goes out of her body and she melts against him, her face pressed into the side of her neck. The position they're in should be all sorts of scandalous, but there's nothing lewd about this sudden desperate need for touch, to proximity. She just needs to be held. ]
If I'm yours... then maybe none of it matters anymore.
[ He feels the way she relaxes, the way she melts into him. It makes it feel so much more intimate, but... not in a way that makes him want to devour her all over again.
It just... reminds him of simpler times. Her relaxation is contagious, and tension leaves him as well, simply wrapping his arm around her and holding her close.
Honestly, all this over... children. Being a mother. He supposes... if there were other dragons like him who took women as treasures, they might consider her less valuable for having been laid claim to already.
But to him... that which is already tarnished just feels... right. Better. Rather than the fragile illusion of being untouched, the ugly dirty truth that never goes away no matter how much one scrubs...
It suits him better, he thinks. ]
...How many? One?
[ He can't imagine more than one fitting into her tiny body, but then again, he isn't really one to talk considering how much he filled her just hours prior. ]
[ She shakes her head, nestling her face into crook of his neck even more insistently. ]
Two. They're twins.
[ Which makes it all the more impressive she'd kept it hidden for as long as she had, even before they were born. She's always been small and she was even tinier and more petite back then, so the change what that much more dramatic. Really, she wonders now how nobody else ever took notice. ]
I didn't have anything else but them back then. They were my precious treasures so... that's what I called them. Aquamarine and Ruby.
[ Silly, frivolous names. Exactly the sort a young girl might choose. But still... ]
They aren't allowed to stay with me. Right now, they're living at an orphanage... I can visit them sometimes but never enough. If the Saintess was ever spotted at a place like that, then...
[ Sheesh, two? Her body must be sturdier than it looks... though then again, he proved that himself last night, didn't he? He'll keep that thought to himself, though. ]
Hah... and now you yourself have become a treasure.
[ He could say more, but as he holds Ai to his chest, his mind drifts. Two children, an orphanage... hm, doesn't quite narrow it down, but... ]
[ Her voice softens a bit. Not pained exactly but tender and quiet. Fond and hurt all at once. ]
They don't even know I'm here. I didn't tell them what was happening the last time I saw them... I didn't want them to be scared. I hoped maybe if I was gone long enough... they might forget about me and be able to start over with a proper family.
[ Ah. There are her tears again. At least his skin was already wet from the bath. ]
[ Shit. He had been thinking of whether it'd be worth it, whether it was even a good idea to bring two young children to a place as dreary as this. There aren't exactly others here, it'd just be them and their mother and an evil black dragon.
But in the face of her tears, there's really only one thing to do, isn't there? What's two more gems to his hoard anyways, right?
He doesn't say anything, just caresses her head with his scaled hand. Perhaps she's expecting him to say something, to offer something...
...but is it cruel of him to want it to be a surprise? ]
[ They stay like that for a long while. Longer than she means to - it's been so long since she let herself properly shed tears in this way that it's hard to dam them back up. But Oberon's holding her and his hand is sweeping so gently through her hair that even though she's crying, it somehow doesn't hurt.
Eventually, she pulls back enough for them to see each other's faces again. She doesn't bother wiping her tears - but she flashes him a smile, small and warm. ]
You really do love to hoard things, huh. You've stolen all my secrets to keep for yourself, too.
[ He huffs. Honestly, he had never considered himself a particularly hoarding dragon... but she's not wrong. ]
Hmph... I can't help it when treasures fall so readily into my lap.
[ Look at her. Look at the way she smiles. He wonders what look she'll have on her face once he finds those precious gemstones of hers? There's only one way to find out... though with how annoyingly big her country is, it's bound to be a hassle.
...He could simply ask her for more details, but no. He wants to surprise her, so damn it that's what he's going to do. ]
Is that so? [ Even with her lashes still sparkling with tears, her smile turns fond and a little playful. ] In that case, you'd better be prepared to treasure me.
[ She closes the space between them again with one last kiss before she pulls back and turns so she can settle back in that familiar position. Even though they're both still completely undressed, it's oddly comfortable like this... Maybe she's just gotten so used to being held by him. ]
Will you... spend today with me, then? [ Her voice is a little hesitant and even though she's facing away... it'd be hard to miss her blush when her ears have gone so red. ] I know you have your own duties usually but... just for today, would it be alright if I stole you instead?
[ He sighs. Such a bold treasure he's added to his hoard, he thinks... but he doesn't mind it. Inexplicably, he just can't help but like this feeling... ]
Oh, very well...
[ He leans down, whispering huskily into her bright red ears... ]
[ She really wasn't prepared for it this time, so when his breath puffs into her ear, Ai squirms a little. The very, very last thing she should do after last night is encourage him in this regard in the least but - her ears are kind of a weak spot! She can't help it. ]
[ She absolutely should've seen that coming, shouldn't she... even so, she can't help it. She squirms again and a hot, breathy noise comes out of her mouth. ]
I-I mean it, you know...! Wasn't last night enough?
[ She's trying to pull away from him without getting entirely out of his lap... but of course, all that does it bare more of her neck to him. You'd think she'd be more aware of her vitals while she's this close to a predator... ]
[ He wasn't planning on attacking further than that, but if she's going to just bare her neck to him like that...
It's already marked up from last night, but with such a delicious opening presented to him, his head drops down... and his teeth come down on her neck just like he'd done last night. ]
[ She's doing her best to keep herself quiet. Really, she is! Her body's still so sore and worn out that a repeat of these last two nights is absolutely not something she could handle a third time. She's got her limits, even if Oberon clearly hasn't.
And yet - when his teeth come down on her neck and she feels the sting of them across all the other marks he's left... well, the noise she lets out isn't not a moan. ]
I-it was more than enough! I can't handle any more than what you did, not so soon...!
[ She stays a little tense in his arms for a moment like she doesn't quite trust him not to go back to touching her as soon as her guard's down. Then she relaxes. ]
So you do have a little self control.
[ Her fingers trail up to tentatively skim the fresh bite on her neck. Sh-she's sort of worried what a mess she's going to be when she finally gets a chance to look in a mirror. ]
[ He would say that he was tempted when she let her guard down again... but honestly? Not this time. ]
Hah... of course I am. I'm the vile dragon... the Mors King.
[ So he says... following it up by poking her cheek with his claw. How truly terrifying, yes... but fortunately for him, it's not like she can ruin his reputation or anything. ]
The awful, awful creature... who you now belong to.
[ Such an awful creature... well, really, he's not wrong. Just because he's being kind to her now doesn't change all the terror he's inflicted on Fragaria in just her lifetime alone. By all means, she should still be terrified of him - the idea of being owned by a monster like the Mors King should be a fate worse than death.
... But she finds herself laughing. Maybe he wasn't wrong when he called her a Saintess of Ruin. She's really fallen far, hasn't she? ]
Better you than one of the knights or nobles back home. If I went back now, chances are good they'd just marry me off to someone who needed a trophy. If I'm going to be part of someone's collection, I'd rather it be someone who takes care of their things.
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no subject
But a treasure is something different. Especially for a dragon. They guard them so jealously, protect them so fervently - and when a dragon treasures something, that's forever.
She turns. His hold on her is loose enough that she can face him properly, fully flush against each other in the water. Her expression is so tender that it looks almost pained and that only softens when she reaches to cradle his face and then closes the remaining distance between them with a kiss. ]
no subject
[ For a moment, he's surprised by her lips pressing against his. Even after all the times they did that last night, it still catches him off-guard... but he slowly relaxes into it, holding her to his chest. He notes once again just how small she is...
Honestly, sending someone of such small stature into a dragon's den on her own... and they call him twisted. Still, he'll take this offering... this offering of a treasure that they so foolishly threw away.
...That gives him an idea, an idea that he immediately acts on. As her lips are pressed against his, his hand trails up her back... trails up until his claw rests on her neck, right on the darkest mark peppering her skin.
There's a brief flash, a small spike in magic, and a brief and light stinging sensation not unlike when his teeth were on her skin. It spreads... until on her neck, high enough to be perfectly visible, is a dark purple mark... a symbol of possession.
She is his now. Both body and soul belong to him, proven by a mark as though to drive away any who would dare to lay claim to what is his. ]
no subject
More importantly, she knows that it can't be taken back. No matter what.
Their lips part. Ai stares at him with a sort of trembling desperation on the verge of tears, torn horribly between wanting to settle into this newly imprinted sense of security and ownership and being terrified that it might be taken away even so. It always has been before. When has anyone ever wanted her as she really is?
But she's a treasure now. A precious addition to the Mors King's hoard that nobody can make him relinquish.
She swallows hard. ]
... I told you I wasn't pure even before I became the Saintess. But it's worse than that. It's not just that I wanted to be happy as the Saintess, even though I wasn't worthy, but...
[ A slow, trembling breath. Her eyes slide away from his. ]
... I wanted happiness as a mother at the same time.
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What matters is that she's his. If she has any complaints, she should've thought of that beforehand. ]
...
[ For a moment, he's silent... cold blue eyes locked onto her own as she gives him his admission. Earlier than she intended, earlier than he expected, but hardly the worst time to do so.
For that brief moment, with his expression unchanging, it's hard to tell exactly what her revelation makes him feel... until— ]
Hah... hah...!! So that was it all along, then?
[ He laughs... and strangely, it doesn't sound like his usual jeer. ]
Hah... ahh, I see now... to think that it was that simple all along. How very human of you.
[ Is he... amused? ]
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He's not human and never has been. So of course his standards would be different. And yet... ]
You don't... mind? [ In a trembling voice, still. Said as if she has to apologize for this. ] It's one thing for me to not be pure anymore, but... ever since back then, I...
[ A convulsive swallow. ]
It doesn't... matter?
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Well... I'll admit it's surprising, and it cements just how ridiculous it is that you were ever a Saintess...
[ He frowns. Now that he's thinking about it, it's not like it doesn't matter... but it doesn't matter in the way that Ai thinks it should. In the first place, for him—and most dragons for that matter—the concept of parenthood is rather foreign. Not that there aren't exceptions, he himself being one to most draconic norms, but dragons are typically solitary creatures by nature.
In this regard, the human attachment to their offspring is foreign to him, but not so much that he doesn't comprehend it. ]
...Ah, right, you humans and your purity. That hardly matters in a place such as this, no? If anything, shouldn't warming my bed be an even greater sin? Willingly at that.
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[ She may be a trinket, but she's tarnished now. She might belong to him, but someone already laid their claim before and there's proof of it that runs even deeper than the mark on her neck. She'd thought that would ruin her shine.
But it doesn't matter. He's hardly even batted an eye.
Something surges up in her chest, intense and longing and sweet. It leaves her feeling dizzy and a little weak and as it fills her body, her thoughts narrow into pure clarity; Ah. I really don't want him to ever let me go.
She sinks into him. All the tensions goes out of her body and she melts against him, her face pressed into the side of her neck. The position they're in should be all sorts of scandalous, but there's nothing lewd about this sudden desperate need for touch, to proximity. She just needs to be held. ]
If I'm yours... then maybe none of it matters anymore.
no subject
[ He feels the way she relaxes, the way she melts into him. It makes it feel so much more intimate, but... not in a way that makes him want to devour her all over again.
It just... reminds him of simpler times. Her relaxation is contagious, and tension leaves him as well, simply wrapping his arm around her and holding her close.
Honestly, all this over... children. Being a mother. He supposes... if there were other dragons like him who took women as treasures, they might consider her less valuable for having been laid claim to already.
But to him... that which is already tarnished just feels... right. Better. Rather than the fragile illusion of being untouched, the ugly dirty truth that never goes away no matter how much one scrubs...
It suits him better, he thinks. ]
...How many? One?
[ He can't imagine more than one fitting into her tiny body, but then again, he isn't really one to talk considering how much he filled her just hours prior. ]
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Two. They're twins.
[ Which makes it all the more impressive she'd kept it hidden for as long as she had, even before they were born. She's always been small and she was even tinier and more petite back then, so the change what that much more dramatic. Really, she wonders now how nobody else ever took notice. ]
I didn't have anything else but them back then. They were my precious treasures so... that's what I called them. Aquamarine and Ruby.
[ Silly, frivolous names. Exactly the sort a young girl might choose. But still... ]
They aren't allowed to stay with me. Right now, they're living at an orphanage... I can visit them sometimes but never enough. If the Saintess was ever spotted at a place like that, then...
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[ Sheesh, two? Her body must be sturdier than it looks... though then again, he proved that himself last night, didn't he? He'll keep that thought to himself, though. ]
Hah... and now you yourself have become a treasure.
[ He could say more, but as he holds Ai to his chest, his mind drifts. Two children, an orphanage... hm, doesn't quite narrow it down, but... ]
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I guess that makes us a set, then.
[ Her voice softens a bit. Not pained exactly but tender and quiet. Fond and hurt all at once. ]
They don't even know I'm here. I didn't tell them what was happening the last time I saw them... I didn't want them to be scared. I hoped maybe if I was gone long enough... they might forget about me and be able to start over with a proper family.
[ Ah. There are her tears again. At least his skin was already wet from the bath. ]
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[ Shit. He had been thinking of whether it'd be worth it, whether it was even a good idea to bring two young children to a place as dreary as this. There aren't exactly others here, it'd just be them and their mother and an evil black dragon.
But in the face of her tears, there's really only one thing to do, isn't there?
What's two more gems to his hoard anyways, right?He doesn't say anything, just caresses her head with his scaled hand. Perhaps she's expecting him to say something, to offer something...
...but is it cruel of him to want it to be a surprise? ]
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Eventually, she pulls back enough for them to see each other's faces again. She doesn't bother wiping her tears - but she flashes him a smile, small and warm. ]
You really do love to hoard things, huh. You've stolen all my secrets to keep for yourself, too.
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Hmph... I can't help it when treasures fall so readily into my lap.
[ Look at her. Look at the way she smiles. He wonders what look she'll have on her face once he finds those precious gemstones of hers? There's only one way to find out... though with how annoyingly big her country is, it's bound to be a hassle.
...He could simply ask her for more details, but no. He wants to surprise her, so damn it that's what he's going to do. ]
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[ She closes the space between them again with one last kiss before she pulls back and turns so she can settle back in that familiar position. Even though they're both still completely undressed, it's oddly comfortable like this... Maybe she's just gotten so used to being held by him. ]
Will you... spend today with me, then? [ Her voice is a little hesitant and even though she's facing away... it'd be hard to miss her blush when her ears have gone so red. ] I know you have your own duties usually but... just for today, would it be alright if I stole you instead?
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Oh, very well...
[ He leans down, whispering huskily into her bright red ears... ]
Just for today...
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[ She really wasn't prepared for it this time, so when his breath puffs into her ear, Ai squirms a little. The very, very last thing she should do after last night is encourage him in this regard in the least but - her ears are kind of a weak spot! She can't help it. ]
G-give me a little warning before you do that...
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[ They're such a delightful weak spot, her ears... he grins, but his lips remain so close to her ear... ]
Very well, very well...
[ And yet despite that, he then proceeds to nip at her ear. What was that about giving her a warning again?
Well, he IS a liar.]no subject
I-I mean it, you know...! Wasn't last night enough?
[ She's trying to pull away from him without getting entirely out of his lap... but of course, all that does it bare more of her neck to him. You'd think she'd be more aware of her vitals while she's this close to a predator... ]
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[ He wasn't planning on attacking further than that, but if she's going to just bare her neck to him like that...
It's already marked up from last night, but with such a delicious opening presented to him, his head drops down... and his teeth come down on her neck just like he'd done last night. ]
Mm... you tell me...
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And yet - when his teeth come down on her neck and she feels the sting of them across all the other marks he's left... well, the noise she lets out isn't not a moan. ]
I-it was more than enough! I can't handle any more than what you did, not so soon...!
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Alright, alright... if you insist.
[ She really is... so fragile. ]
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So you do have a little self control.
[ Her fingers trail up to tentatively skim the fresh bite on her neck. Sh-she's sort of worried what a mess she's going to be when she finally gets a chance to look in a mirror. ]
You're awful, you know.
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Hah... of course I am. I'm the vile dragon... the Mors King.
[ So he says... following it up by poking her cheek with his claw. How truly terrifying, yes... but fortunately for him, it's not like she can ruin his reputation or anything. ]
The awful, awful creature... who you now belong to.
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... But she finds herself laughing. Maybe he wasn't wrong when he called her a Saintess of Ruin. She's really fallen far, hasn't she? ]
Better you than one of the knights or nobles back home. If I went back now, chances are good they'd just marry me off to someone who needed a trophy. If I'm going to be part of someone's collection, I'd rather it be someone who takes care of their things.
(no subject)