No More Nightmares...
Coulda been a lot better. But Meh, this is not really supposed to be my highest quality work, but I hop eyou will enjoy it. If you are gonna fave or vote, please tell me what you liked. I need to know this stuff if I am gonna improve. Same goes for if you didn't like it.
Rated adult due to themes per usual.
SSC: Love
"Really, do we have to go to a ball in order to get into your damned palace?" an angered voice growled as gold eyes briefly turned red with black slits in the darkness below a large ice castle.
"Well, you could just run in and murder him and have everyone go after you," an English voice responded sarcastically, "Even with your demonic powers, I doubt you can take the entire country. Especially since you are not at your full strength."
"Tch...I hate dracidons."
"Well, not all of them are particularly fond of you either, Aurgal."
"I hate you more than ever, Shiva."
"I don't doubt it."
Sounds of movement could be heard as two figures stepped out of the darkness into the icy light of the palace. Both were dragons, but they had polar opposites in just about every way. Aurgal was a blood red dragon with black devil-like horns and claws. He was very muscular yet he wasn't bulky. A black spine ran the course of his spine, ending at the end of his tail.
Shiva, on the other claw, was a slim and lithe white dragoness with ice growing on her. The shoulders were a spot indeed, as ice started to form multiple shards that started to go down her front limbs. Royal jewelry covered her neck, went through her crystalline horns, and reflective bands of blue topaz curled around her tail. There were some scattered on her other limbs, but those drew the most attention.
The only real similarity that they had was that they had 'Pure' eyes. Pure was the term for lacking pupils. Aurgal's were a bright gold color and had red tinges to it. Shiva's were an icy blue color with no hints of any other color.
"Being a queen, you'd think you could just put him to death instead of running in and posing as someone else," Aurgal growled, although out of irritation or the fact that there were guards now standing outside the door, Shiva couldn't tell.
"Let's not forget that I was eighteen when anyone last saw me and three years have changed me a lot," Shiva whispered back, starting to crawl lower to the ground and sneak up to the guards, "Also, I don't deal with my problems by stabbing someone."
Aurgal flicked his brutally spiked tail. Shiva didn't dare go near them lest she wanted everything ripping out of where he stabbed her, "He asked for it."
"Everyone did according to you..."
Shiva was about a yard away from the guards when she realized two issues. One was that there was no way she could possibly get behind them unless she could stick to the walls like Aura could. She envied her and while she had a rough understanding of how to do it, there was no way in the frozen heart of hell would she try it now. It'd be too risky and she didn't want Aurgal to burst out laughing.
The other issue was that if she was hit or if she killed them, she would have their blood on her claws. Literally. Her icy claws or her tail would not work well for simply knocking out. The damned ice on them didn't allow her to have more movement for the tail-spikes to move to a non-lethal stage. Both of the spikes were a couple inches away from the tip and were pointing away at a forty-five degree angle.
Just as she was about to figure out a plan, one guard suddenly had black eyes and stabbed with a spear at the other guard, impaling the gecko with it. The bipedal lizard, the one who had the spear, then began to violently butcher his comrade and the liver landed right in front of Shiva. Normally, she would have been freaked out to see this, but being near Aurgal for about a year got her used to it.
It also allowed her to know who had caused this.
"Was that necessary, Aurgal?" Shiva spat, watching as he strode forward, standing on two legs. A maniac smile crossed his muzzle. The fact that he now was about three claws taller than her didn't exactly help get rid of the creepiness.
"Maybe not to you, but I get off to this stuff," Aurgal snapped his claws and suddenly the lizard stabbed himself, droplets of blood hitting him. The green blood on his red scales made it fairly obvious. Again, he succeeded in scaring her by actually licking the blood that splattered on him.
"Can you keep those urges of yours under control while near me? Some of us have terrifying images of their past that they are trying to forget and that dismembered gecko is not helping," Shiva jumped over the puddles of blood and into the castle.
"Well, maybe if you actually told someone what the hell happened...."
"If I did, you wouldn't stop."
"No, I wouldn't."
Shiva paced on ahead, her mind a wreck now. It made her think back to what she did, but no matter how many times she tried to convince herself that it wasn't her fault, the guilt wracked her. Damn it all, she was really starting to lose her mind and at the worst time; she was about to claim her throne back! Not that her rule would have lasted long regardless...
Some random ice dragon had taken her throne. While he was one of the remaining ice dragons, there was no way she would allow him to simply take over. From what she had read on him, he didn't even search for the royal family, simply passing them off as dead. Today was likely going to be the worst day of his life as now she really did have hell's wrath to back her.
Glancing back at Aurgal, who was still on his hind claws and dragging his left claw on the wall, she remembered when she found out his true identity the hard way. He had transformed after an overdose of those Blood Crystals and wiped two towns off the map. It took his sister, Fenris, Isia, and herself to take him out. While most of his new powers fled, he retained the ability to transform one of his limbs into a tentacle-like whip that can extend to about five times the normal length.
Soon, they reached the end of the hall to see it was quite packed with others. Quickly scanning over the crowd, Shiva found nothing that resembled the ones she mentioned before. They were the first ones here it seemed...
"That him?" Aurgal spoke from behind her, jerking his head towards a figure on the frozen throne.
"That's my guess," Shiva replied, "He's just out in the open, but considering that he can move anything in ice, a head-on charge wouldn't be wise. You may be able to take it, but I certainly can't, and you need me alive if you want the support you need."
"So working with demons to gain back your throne...you amuse me," Aurgal laughed, sadistic bloodlust spilling out.
"You'd be surprised what other 'mortals' would do to gain something," Shiva said darkly, starting to move through the crowd. Aurgal seemingly got what she was trying to do and went back on all fours.
"You don't seem like the type that would whore herself," Aurgal then smiled cruelly, "Have you even taken a male yet?"
"Had I not been used to you and not known where you were from, Wrath, then I would have frozen you," Shiva growled, baring her icy fangs.
"Well, if you didn't, time is running out for you..."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Soon, Shiva stopped by the refreshment table to get a nice cold drink of water. Though she would never tell Aurgal, she had been parched ever since they first landed near her palace. This place had changed since she was last in here. The chandelier that hung from the ceiling now had water in the crystals, the main room seemed to have expanded, and there was a new door behind the throne. Getting a closer look at him, she recognized him.
She thought he had been one of the ones who had died! She remembered seeing him fall, how could he be alive? This really complicated things. How could she hope to harm the one who was related to her former mate?
"Judging by your facial expression, you know him," Aurgal stood beside her, looking at the king with new interest. Though she had some issues reading his expressions, she could see that the whole scenario was actually one of the few that he was thinking about rather than running and unloading everything had had.
"....Yes," she said meekly, her mind reliving that moment.
"How very interesting," He looked at her, "You must tell me how you know him. It...ah...may allow this to go a bit smoother."
Aurgal looked like he was about to continue, but if he said anything else, Shiva never knew. She was shaking visibly and the memory of what had happened kept getting worse and worse, constricting her breathing and she collapsed, gasping for breath. No air came to her rescue, and she couldn't even scream for help. All she did was relive that painful moment. Everything else faded and the vision, as much as she didn't want it to, came to life.
--
"It's a trap!"
Five minutes after that shout was made, a few survivors struggled out of the crushing walls of the ice cavern that had seemingly come to life. Shiva waited for them as they walked into the narrow tunnel, her thoughts filled with malice. Beside her was the one that had given her comfort for the past few months.
His name was Ephiral.
"Ah, there they are," He said, the cloaked face of her friend looking at the other side. They had not noticed them, "You know what to do. Kill the traitors, Shiva."
"Of course, Ephiral," Shiva said, her black scaled muzzle curled into a smile as icy veins coursed through her entire body. The tips of her appendages were covered in blue and a thin layer of ice seemingly shielded her scales, "The punishment for treason is death."
"Then carry it out, my queen," He said, bowing as he teleported away in a beam of light.
"Oh, I will," Shiva started to move closer to them, using the dark blue shading of the ice as her cover. Since they were injured, she doubted that there would be any time to check the walls for every little threat. One was lagging behind with a broken limb. Not by far, but at least a yard. Surely one broken limb wouldn't have done that. That was until she saw that the limb had been completely crushed.
Waiting until they had passed her, she crept out behind the back dragon and readied her claws to pounce. Crouching, she went a bit faster than him and when she was within leaping distance, she lunged at him, stabbing him through the chest and taking him down.
It was so...sweet....
"Awake now?"
Aurgal's voice cut through her unconsciousness like fire through ice. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was in the guest room in a bowl. A wet cloth was on her forehead and she felt really warm and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Great, she had a fever, and in the worst possible time. Looking at Aurgal, she saw something that even surprised her.
Concern.
"Thankfully. How the hell did I get a fever?" Shiva asked, feeling her forehead. This confirmed that she wasn't making a wild assumption. They were so close to their goal as well.
"How should I know? I'm not a doctor," Aurgal said. However, the question he asked was one that she really hoped that she didn't have to answer to; "Why didn't you tell anyone you have PSTD?"
"I didn't feel it was necessary," Shiva mumbled, her mind clouding. She fought to stay awake lest she have to watch how the event happened again, "Did he...?"
"No, only I and the nurse know who you are. She recognized you and I forced her to keep quiet about it. And it was something you should have told us. Congratulations, I can't even take you anywhere considering that I have no idea what caused it. You'll have to remain in your bedroom like a trapped princess until you die, which shouldn't be long regardless." Aurgal snapped, his long fangs showing off.
This scared her for all the wrong reasons. First off, Aurgal was actually showing signs of a real dracidon. Secondly, he is actually giving a damn. Third was, despite him wanting to sound cruel, he wanted to protect her. She could see it a lot clearer now that she was ill.
Aurgal felt an attraction to her.
This certainly explained a lot of his motives. Despite his protesting, he actually went with her with less complaining about going anywhere than normal. Another thing she had noticed before was that he picked on her a lot more than anyone else. It was all him trying to strike up something between them. The issue was, he had no idea how.
"How old are you, by the way? You look no older than eighteen," Shiva asked. In all the time she had been with him, he had never once said his age. It always changed between sixteen and twenty two when he went anywhere and all he would answer to her and Isia was 'young enough'.
"I fail to see how my age has anything to do what we were talking about," Aurgal growled, pacing.
"Just answer the damn question for once..." Shiva pressed, coughing. She really hated being sick. Other warm-blooded creatures got colds, but for ones of ice, they got something similar. Having a cold as an ice dragoness would sound weird. It would seem like a good thing. The only difference is that it only affects their type and the warm bloods would be fine and vice versa. Although dragons were considered to be reptiles...
"Three hundred and twenty one, happy?" Aurgal finally lay on the ground in the corner. The moonlight shone on him.
However, Shiva was too busy hanging her jaw to really notice, "That hardly counts as young, Aurgal!" she exclaimed, dumbstruck. Was she really considering giving him a chance when he was exactly three centuries older than her?
"Right, I had forgotten that living to a hundred was a miracle on the mortal plane. Thank the furnace of hell that I am immune to aging, eh?" Aurgal gave her a twisted smile, knowing very well that she thought that hell was an icy wasteland.
"Right...I had forgotten about that, too," Shiva rubbed her temples, trying to process her thoughts. Maybe her sick mind was playing tricks on her.
"So who is Cyrno?" Shiva's heart felt like a raging volcano had erupted in it, "You mentioned his name along with Ephiral. Although this Cyrno was mentioned just before you woke up from having a seizure or something."
"...He was...." Shiva swallowed, her anxiety threatening to overtake her as a picture flooded her mind, "He was...my former mate..." There, she said it. Now Aurgal was going to make an insult about how he likely killed himself because she was annoying or something. Funny how courtship works.
"He's dead, isn't he?" Aurgal asked. When she nodded, he gazed off a bit, "He's a part of your past, and is likely what is causing your anxiety attacks. Did he rape you?"
The look he gave her likely revealed more than he wanted to. The way he asked if she was raped was as if he knew how that would feel or saw someone who was raped. He didn't casually throw it out there, either; Aurgal was greatly disturbed by that question. Aura had mentioned once about his past, but she wouldn't give more than saying he'll tell when he's ready. Maybe she could squeeze it out...
"No, it wasn't like that. I'm no virgin, but I allowed him to take it. I'm not ready to talk about the entire detail, but he was a part of why I am like this. What about you, though? Why go to rape?" Shiva inquired, half tempted to shut her eyes just in case that he blew up.
Instead, he walked over to the balcony for a moment. Shiva could only see his shadow and tail, but she heard him sigh and then he returned, "I have a ghost of my past as well, Shiva. You aren't alone in that."
Wait a second...is he TRYING to connect with me outright? Yeah, I am still under alright... Shiva knew that this was real as she had nicked herself while he was out on the balcony. It hurt.
"I see..." Shiva went quiet for a moment, her mind actually thinking straight. Beneath all of that hate and uncaring, there was definitely a dragon with emotions. Demon or not, he didn't shed all of his emotions. But why her? Did he already have an inkling of what happened? Fenris was the only one who knew what actually had happened, so did he let something slip?
Still, he deserved a chance. Maybe not a clean slate, but maybe if she brought out that other side of him a bit more, she could actually deal with being with him. After all, she did need a bit of warmth to slow down her condition. Who knows, maybe she would actually fall for him.
Shiva blushed at that thought and turned her head, "What now?" Aurgal asked as she coughed dryly.
"Oh nothing...but, you think you can teach me to stand on two legs? It seems interesting," Shiva replied, trying to change the subject. Yet, she left it lingering in the air for him to take the hint.
He got it, "Fine...not like we are doing anything else and I can't murder anyone," Aurgal said, walking over to her and helping her stand.
Folding her claws around his, she stood on her hind legs, but was really off balance. It was taking all of her strength to stand. How the hell did he do this so easily? Then again, he was alive for quite some time, so likely had a lot of time to practice. Now that she actually got to touch him, she really could feel the metal limb under the fake scales. How far did it go?
Suddenly, she felt backwards onto the bed and lay there for a moment, startled. Then, she heard Aurgal snickering and shot him a glare. "Not fair," Shiva sounded angry, but she did have to admit that he did catch her off guard by slowly loosening his grip on her.
"This is what you get for not paying attention," Aurgal replied, malice in his grin.
"Whatever, now help me up. I can't move."
"No, you are going to rest there. I am going to need you at full strength if you are to be any use to me."
"Define use."
"Well telling someone who is pure evil that you can't move and are perfectly exposed to him isn't a good idea. Never know when someone may take advantage of you."
"Then it's a good thing you are here to protect me, right?"
Aurgal made a short laugh, but nevertheless walked over and lay down next to her. Just before she could ask, he folded his wing around her like a blanket. Shiva blushed again, but understood that this was his way of showing feelings. She had no wish to stop him, as his black membrane actually made her a bit tired.
To make him feel uncomfortable though, she snuggled closer to him and she could feel him glaring at her. She didn't care though. For the first time in a while, Shiva actually felt like there was going to be no more nightmares...