Keeper of Bane
Prologue
Delia watched her children playing in the stream near the cave entrance, she stretched her bluish gray form out in the sunlight, it was the first nice day in weeks. She was suddenly reminded of when she was young, when she had first met her beloved husband.
Bane, her best friend and most beloved husband, splashed water at the three baby dragons, he looked up at Delia and purred at her from the short distance. Delia nodded her head at her darling husband and he came up to lay on the stone next to her, both dragons sunning themselves and watching the children in play. Delia's memory floated to her mind as she dozed softly.
-Part one-
The sun was warm, a welcome feeling since the past two weeks had been nothing but gray skies and a down pour of rain. An elven form stared up at the clouds idly. Even at the young age of ten winters, Delia lived alone. Save for a stuffed rabbit that her father had given to her before he disappeared. Delia never even named the doll, she just talked to it on a regular basis to keep from getting lonely. Right now, Delia was stretched out in the tall grass, staring up at the sky she so badly missed over the past two weeks. She hummed softly, singing aloud when the mood struck her. A cloud cut in front of her vision, cutting the warm light from the sun out of her line of site. It was a very odd shape for a cloud, Delia thought as the odd cloud suddenly streaked to the left and plummeted towards the ground. Delia screamed when she realized it wasn't a cloud falling, but a dragon, tumbling to his death just south of the field that she now lay in.
"No!" Delia screamed and sat up, she got to her feet and ran south, towards the falling dragon. "Fly beast! You got wings! Use them!"
Delia skidded to a grinding halt, a beast of great size, easily four times her size, lay sprawled out on the field. Delia dropped her doll to the ground and approached the unconscious dragon, full of aw and then pain as soon as she spied the shaft protruding from its' back. She recognized the lance as one from a sentry from a nearby village, maybe an hours walk from her cabin. Delia gently put her hand on the beasts muzzle, it still lived, still breathed but just barely.
"Such a beautiful beast should not die on a lovely day such as this." Delia whispered, more for her own benefit then the dragons.
Delia ran back to her satchel and picked it up, inside was the medicine kit she always carried with her and a blanket. She quickly returned to the dragon and set up camp, she started a fire and boiled water, to help sterilize the beasts wounds. He, she learned shortly after draping a blanket over the dragon, was going to be in great pain once he awaken.
"You're going to be hungry as well aren't you?" Delia asked the sleeping form.
She sighed softly and got to work taking the lance out of the beasts back, using a strip from her skirt to stifle the bleeding and help bandage the wound. Delia sung a lullaby to sooth the sleeping beast, she doubted he even heard her.
Delia set a pot to boiling water again, this one would hold stew for the dragon to eat once he had awakened. He would need to regain his strength after the fall, Delia smiled softly. It would be a long night, yes, but she was going to make the best of it.
Bane shifted in his sleep, the piercing agony from the flying lance had drifted out of his back. He was a little sore, but that was all. Bane opened his yellow eyes and lifted his head slightly, looking around the small camp. Bane suddenly felt a hunger in his gut and he looked about again. A small child, a human maybe an elf, slept soundly. Leaning against a log. Bane nudged her softly, knowing instantly the child to be an elf and to be female. Bane nudged his snout against her side again, the child shifted slightly and softly wrapped her arm across Banes' muzzle. Bane found the soft touch oddly comforting. But, he was growing impatient. He exhaled loudly and nudged the sleeping form again. Delia slowly awakened, it was either very late or very early in the morning.
"Oh," Delia sat up and looked the dragon over. "You're awake!"
Bane snorted softly and turned to leave.
"Wait! Don't leave!" Delia got up and stopped in front of the dragon, she held her arms out to her sides. "You are not healed yet, you took a pretty bad fall and an even worse blow to the back. Please, stay the night and I will let you leave come morning."
Bane looked the child up and down. "You," he said in a deep voice. "do not fear me?"
"Why should I?" Delia asked as she shrugged her shoulders. "I have seen dragons before, they do not scare me in the least. Used to, I would run errands for the visiting Dragon Lords in the north, but then I moved here."
Bane nodded his understanding, this child was the first he had ever come across that did not run from him. He was_ glad. "I am Bane."
Delia bowed deeply. "I am Delia, pleased to meet you. Now, will you please stay? At least long enough for the wound to fully set."
Bane was silent for a few moments then nodded. "I will do as you ask young one. But I am unable to stay for long."
Delia smiled softly and took Bane by the talon. "Come, I made you some stew if you are hungry."
Bane followed and settled down next to the log that Delia had been leaning against in her sleep. She dished him out a bowl of the stew and checked over his dressings while he ate silently.
"Feeling better?" Delia asked as she yawned.
Bane nodded to his little keeper and watched her lean against her bed roll.
"Excuse me, I'm just," Delia yawned again. Falling asleep, she never finished the sentence.
Bane smiled softly and curled his tail around his little keeper, pulling her blanket up and over her, he felt as though he should keep an eye on her. Bane picked up the doll and set it in Delias' arms. She, instead, wrapped herself around Banes tail. Bane gently nudged his snout against Delias' side and joined her in sleep.
-Part Two-
"Bane!"
Delia called her friend from the porch, the sun was just starting to set, it was tradition that she and Bane go flying as the sun was setting. The sky was a beautiful orange and purple color. A warm breeze picked up and Delia breathed in deeply, the sent of autumn drifted in the air. Two years had passed since she had come across Banes nearly broken form.
"Bane, where are you?" Delia asked the breeze.
She shrugged slightly and walked back into the cabin, maybe Bane was just busy or he fell sleep, Delia thought with a sigh as she began to cook supper, it wouldn't be the first time he fell asleep and lost all track of time.
"Ah, I love the smell of roast venison." Bane's deep voice said as he came into the cabin on all fours.
"There you are!" Delia hugged Bane and kissed his muzzle. "I thought you had fallen asleep again."
Bane looked away slightly. "I_ uh_."
"You did!" Delia laughed softly. "Dinner will be ready in another hour or so."
Bane nodded, he smiled softly and pressed his snout against Delias' side. Delia laughed softly. Bane smirked at his little friend and trotted to Delias' bed room. Delia tilted her head curiously and followed the beast. Bane had been reading many of her books, she always kept them in a bookcase in her room. She smiled softly and walked to the bookcase, scanning through the titles and picking up a heavy red leather bound book.
"Is this what you seek?" Delia asked holding up the book.
Bane snaked his tail around his friends waist and pulled her towards him, softly pressing his snout into her side. Delia stroked the horns on Banes temple, softly massaging the little ridges he was unable to reach. Bane purred deeply.
"I'm guessing you aren't seeking the company of books." Delia whispered softly.
Bane shook his head. "I want a companion that happens to be alive."
"Bane,"
Bane looked up at his little friend, she seemed sad. "Delia? What is it dear, is something wrong?"
Delia nodded slightly, sighing. "Bane, there's something I need to tell you,"
Bane let go of Delia and stared down into her oddly yellow eyes. "Then please do," he smiled softly. "Please, my young friend, do not keep me in the dark!"
"Bane," Delia sighed softly, "always the perky one, aren't you?"
"Come on Delia, tell me." Bane pressed his muzzle against her neck softly. "You know you wanna."
"Not 'want to,' Bane, I have to." Delia leaned against Banes chest.
Bane hugged her gently, after a minute, she seemed to be holding her breath. She whimpered softly, Bane hadn't a clue what was going on, his little friend seemed to be in pain.
"Delia? Darling, what's wrong?" Bane held Delia out at arms length. His eyes widened with shock.
Two small horns protruded from Delias' temples, her skin shifted from her normal golden tint to a bluish gray color, her small form shifted to a more draconic body, great wings tore from Delias' back and she screamed. She screamed in agony, pain rippled throughout her body as the transformation took place. She panted softly, breathing in air into her now draconic lungs. Her true form was once again.
"Bane," Delia asked while panting. "this is my true form. Please, do not hate me for not telling you before hand. I'm sorry Bane, it was the only way I could be safe from the hunters in the village. Have you not noticed, in the two years we have been together, that none of the guards have ever come this far? They fear me. That is why I asked you to stay, because in their fear, you would have been safe_ and I would have someone to talk to."
Delia picked up the stuffed doll, the little bunny she had for years. "Dolls, after all, do not speak to little girls." Delia looked up at Bane, she was unable to read his eyes. "Bane, I'm sorry_."
"Don't be," Bane interrupted, picking up the small dragoness and setting her in his lap. "I understand why you did it all. I, too, had to do such a thing, only, it was a very long time ago."
Delia nodded and curled up in Banes lap. Bane nuzzled his snout against Delia shoulder, he held onto the little dragoness tightly. He suddenly had an overwhelming urge to ask Delia to be more then just his friend. But he didn't know how to ask her that. Bane simply picked Delia up and gently set her on her bed, pushing her back against the pillows, kissing her softly.
Delia wrapped her arms around Banes' neck, pulling him towards her. Bane crawled onto the bed, spreading Delias' legs gently as he did so. Bane gently pressed his abdomen against Delias', pressing his genitalia into Delias' virgin vagina. Delia bit back her gasps of surprise; what they were doing hurt, but it quickly slipped to pleasure. Bane gently thrust his abdomen against Delias' own, they quickly fell into rhythm with each other and Bane gently spilled his seed into his young lover. Delia suddenly sat up, making Bane fall off the bed.
"The stew!" Delia crawled off the bed but tripped when Bane wrapped his tail between and around her legs. "Hey! Bane, I have to finish supper."
Bane picked up his little lover and pushed her back onto the bed. "I think supper can wait while we play, don't you agree?"
Delia smiled softly as Bane wrapped his tail around her waist, the tip pushing up and between her legs gently. Bane picked up his young lover and gently put her back onto the bed, spreading her legs back out and pushing his organ back into Delias' vagina.
-Part Three-
Delia awoke early, she gently placed her hand over her belly, it had grown nicely in the past six months. Bane, her husband, slept soundly next to her, his arm was wrapped gently around her enlarged belly. Delia smiled softly, Bane had asked her to marry him seven months ago, and now she was expecting her first litter. Delia sat up but found she was unable to get up; she was wrapped around the pelts on the bed and both hers and Banes' tail were wrapped tightly around the two.
"Can you guess how many children we're gonna have?" Delia mused to herself.
"Easy," Bane whispered in Delias ear. "we'll have three. Three beautiful baby dragons."
Delia smiled softly. "Care to tell me the gender of our children?"
"Nah," Bane smiled. "That one, we can wait on. All we have to do is come up with the names for our children."
Delia nodded and sunk into her beloveds hug. "That part can wait as well. I want to name them after we learn about them, that way their names will fit their personality's."
Bane and Delia lay together in bed for a long while, just simply hugging each other. After a time Bane got up and made his beloved pancakes for breakfast, fresh juice and fruit. Delia had gotten a very strong desire for fruits since she had first gotten pregnant and found she rather liked them. Bane shook his head as he watched his beautiful wife eat a verity of fruits this morning.
"I will never know how you can eat those things," Bane sighed, he smiled and kissed his wife on the neck. "but if you like it, I'll do my best to bring you some."
Delia smiled, her mouth full of chunks of mango. Bane thought she glowed with a purity and happiness that couldn't be found anywhere else but in an expectant mother. Bane suddenly hugged his wife, he was so overwhelmed with desire for this beautiful creature sitting before him. Delia hugged her husband, his face was pressed into the crease between her belly and breasts. She gently tugged on Bane's ear while he kissed her belly softly. Delia softly hummed a lullaby she had learned long ago. Delia suddenly put a hand on her belly. A slight twinge of pain vibrated inside her.
"Bane_"
"Delia, I can hear them moving!"
"Bane_"
Bane looked up at Delia, she sounded slightly worried and looked like she was in distress. "Delia?"
"Bane." Delia said again, she sighed raggedly. "Darling, I think its time."
Delias screams could be heard for miles, or so Bane thought. He tried his best to help his beloved get past the birthing. Since it was her first, Delia was more then a little stressed. But she had been around other dragons before, so she knew what was to come. Delia, being an oddity in and about herself, only birthed three eggs, where as most other dragons birth somewhere between one-two hundred eggs at once.
Delia was exhausted, beyond tired, and just wanted to sleep. Bane moved the eggs to a bed of blankets and pillows and joined his beloved in sleep. Come the next morning, the eggs would have hardened and hatched. Bane was curious as to the gender of his children, as any new father would be. Even as curious as he was, Bane was the last to awaken, Delia had woke up first and helped her off spring hatch. Delia and the three hatchlings lazed about in the sun. Bane walked out of the little cabin and joined them.
"Bane, these are our children," Delia smiled and called the children over.
A pair of orange and red twins tripped over each other to win the race to their mother. The smaller of the three, a little dark blue beast, walked slowly to its parents.
"Bane, they named themselves," Delia nodded to the twins. "baby girl is Arena, her twin brother is Styx."
The twins stepped forward and examined their father, they both smiled and tackled him. Delia laughed softly and called the last of her children over.
"Bane, this is Thorn." Delia smiled softly.
Thorn rubbed against his mother and walked over to Bane, he smiled as well and helped his siblings tackle their father. Bane learned much about his young children in the one morning, they would grow up to be strong and brave. Delia curled up in the sunlight to nap, Bane followed suit next to her, draping his muzzle over her neck. After a while the hatchlings wore themselves out and curled up around each other in the sun to rest as well.
-End-