The Dragoness and the Swordsman
#1 of The Dragoness and the Swordsman
This story contains material that may be unsuitable for young audiances. If you are not of legal age or offended by such materials then leave now and read no further. This story is a M/F relationship around a man and a dragoness. Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions.
Daniel had been riding for hours when he came across the lake. It was a small lake with water that was fairly clear and slightly warm, attested by the steam rising off the surface in the brisk wind. At the eastern end of the lake nestled into the base of a rather small mountain was a cave under a rock outcrop with smooth stone seemingly bore into the earth by a finger of some unknown giant pushing a finger into rock as a child would soft sand. Deciding that this would make a perfect homestead he lead his horse over to the cave and tied it to a tree nearby within reach of the lake and some of the wild grasses growing around the bank.
Taking his sword he headed into the cavern finding it ran far back into the mountain and had obviously been occupied by animals in the past by the amount of disturbed sand and dust on the floor of the caves entrance. ^I'll just get my gear and camp in the cave here till I get the cabin built.^ He thought as he set his sword down and started bringing his gear in and set it in the largest cave he could see without using a torch and gathers a bit of wood and starts to make a fire feel strangely as if being watched until he notices his sword is missing. "I just put it right here I thought?" He muttered to himself searching around only to hear a clang and look back to find his sword behind his pack and shrugging he started a fire. ^I must of just knocked it over with my gear.^ He figured to himself as he gathered up his bow and went to hunt leaving the fire flickering in the cave seeing it was getting dark.
Oriana watched as the strange human who'd invaded her den made his fire and settled his things. Oriana took this chance to inspect his sword, until he noticed it was missing, then she hurried it back behind his gear when he wasn't looking; the pommel making a slight ting as it struck the stone floor. Which forced her to retreat back into the dark of the other caves knowing his eyes wouldn't let him see her within the dark shadows, if she held still. ^He's strange and smells of horse and leather but I don't smell any blood on him or his sword.^ She watched as he left to hunt taking a long piece of curved wood and a few arrows as she realized it was an unstrung bow. She was searching through his things as quietly and carefully as she could when she found a small felt sack containing a few gold coins and inside it a smaller sack containing a plain gold ring. "He travels with so much gold!" She marveled seeing he carried as much as she had when she'd first started her hording centuries before.
She was wondering as to the rings meaning and origins when she heard his returning footsteps and hurriedly re-packed his things and put them away, keeping a single gold coin from the felt purse admiring the lovely image upon it. That of a dragon head roaring and hurried into the shadows clutching her precious rent from this new tenant. ^I should drive him out but he has done no harm and he doesn't even know that I exist yet.^ She thought to herself as he walked in and put a deer over the fire to cook making her mouth water as she toyed with the coin unconsciously. ^Maybe he'll leave on his own soon.^ She thought as she laid down to watch. Seeing him cut off the cooked meat as the rest roasted and hung it up for later. ^Surely he'd not miss a few bits of that if I were to repay him. Cooked meals are so hard with only talons...^ she mused as she watched him.
Daniel sat watching his kill as it cooked all the while feeling as if he were being watched but never saw or heard anything when he'd look. So he just unrolled his bedding and after eating, and stringing up the rest of the meat for another day, he laid down to rest. He'd just begun to sleep when he heard a soft clang and woke grabbing his sword and searching for the source of the sound; expecting perhaps robbers or thieves. It wasn't until he looked where he'd hung up the meat he'd seasoned and cooked that he noticed the source of the noise. Hanging from a pair of leather straps, that once held two strips of the meat, he saw a rather expensive looking shield baring a golden dragon upon it's face. It was made of iron as fine as that of a dukes finest armors. He looked around but saw no-one and sighed lowering his sword. "What thieves take meat and leave fine armor in it's place?" He asked himself as he untied the shield and examined it finding it to be in fair shape.
She watched as the man examined the shield not knowing it's origin as she silently chewed on the savory meat she'd traded it for. Apparently he'd seasoned it with some spice while she was making sure she was well enough hidden. She watched as he replaced the broken leather tong on the back that braced the arm. Then he placed the shield with his other things, and she was surprised when he stood and called out cutting down two more of the larger pieces of meat. "If your still out there, I accept your trade and consider these a fair addition. Help yourself to these as fair trade." Then he placed the two pieces of meat on a clean stone near the caves entrance and went back to his bed and waited and eventually fell asleep once more as she moved up and took the meat rushing back lest he be faking his apparent slumber.
^Perhaps humans are not as hard to deal with as mother once said.^ She thought as she considered the meat and then retired to the back of her cave to eat and slumber herself, leaving the small human to rest.