Escape

Thump. Thump.

Elysia felt her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing short and ragged. She had been running for over thirty minutes, desperately trying to evade the slave traders. She was fortunate to have found a way to escape at the last minute, but if she were caught now, she would surely be killed.

Her feet hurt like crazy, but she didn't dare stop. The cold breeze brushed her naked body, making her shiver. Thankfully, it had stopped raining, but the night was still cold. At least it was better than running in the rain, which would have certainly made her fall ill.

"Catch that bitch!" she heard one of the slave traders shout. There would be no rest for her tonight, she thought grimly.

How had she ended up in this dreadful situation? It all began three years ago when she lost her parents in a fire that burned their house down. Miraculously, she survived with minor burns, but her parents were reduced to ashes. It was a horrific sight she would never forget. Many suspected a dragon caused the fire, but dragons never attacked humans unless provoked into fighting one another, which led to massive destruction. There was no evidence to prove what had started the fire, and Elysia had to move on. With nowhere else to go, she turned to her last resort: begging her uncle for help. To cut things short, he sold her.

"Where did she go?" one of the men asked.

"Ahhhh! Fuck! She better not escape; she's been sold to Lord Dargan," another yelled.

Elysia, who had successfully hidden behind a tree while the men were busy conversing, prayed fervently that she wouldn't be caught. When she heard their footsteps retreat, she began to run again, this time even faster. She could see the end of the forest ahead and increased her speed.

"There's the girl!" she heard a trader shout to the others, but she was already ahead of them.

She burst out of the forest and spotted two figures standing there. Was she hallucinating from exhaustion? She ran as fast as she could, not hearing the traders' voices anymore, which meant she had a good lead on them.

Two men stood there watching her approach. As she reached them, she managed to speak.

"Please help me," Elysia pleaded, her lips trembling with fear.

One of the men with haunting eyes stared at her, his lazy gaze sending shivers down her spine—not the good kind. "Why would I do that?" His deep voice seemed to resonate through her entire body.

"Please, sir, I will do anything you want," Elysia said, noticing the bored look on his face.

He wasn't buying it, she thought desperately. She was still shaking in fear, her hands sweating profusely. "I can cook, clean, prepare herbal medicine. Please, I will do anything," she insisted, desperation evident in her voice. Her heartbeat quickened as she heard the men's voices in the distance. They were coming for her. "Help me, sire," Elysia fell on her knees in front of the man, her head spinning before darkness clouded her vision.

"The girl has fainted!" a trader said, trying to catch his breath as he spotted her.

"Is that King Azrael?" another trader whispered. The three traders bowed their heads.

"King Azrael!" the leader of the traders greeted with a deep bow. "The girl is a slave, and we would love to take her back to the shelter," he added.

The man standing beside the Dragon King tilted his head to the side, waiting for a response from Azrael.

"I'll buy her," Azrael said in a firm tone.

The traders' eyes widened in shock as silence followed Azrael's command.

"Y-your Majesty, the slave has been bought by Lord Dargan," the head trader said with a bow. He knew not to anger the King of Dragons, the most powerful dragon to ever exist, notorious for his wickedness. He had to choose his words wisely.

Azrael's eyes lazily scanned the girl on the ground. "There's no mark on her," he stated the obvious.

Silence.

"Y-your Majesty, Lord Dargan already paid for the girl," the head trader said, to which Azrael smiled.

"Tsk, oh well, how do I know it's his if there's no proof?" Azrael asked, his voice intimidating despite the smile on his face.

"Y-your Majesty..." The head trader was interrupted by the king.

"1,000 gold coins, how does that sound?" Azrael asked, cocking his head.

Silence.

"That is a generous offer, Your Majesty, but the Dragon Lord has paid for the slave," the head trader said. There was no way anyone would pay 1,000 gold coins for a mere slave. Though he would love to collect the money, it would mean the Dragon Lord would end his life. He wasn't ready to die yet.

"Hmm!" Azrael released a tired sigh, "So 1,000 gold coins wouldn't do?" He questioned quizzically, a frown settling between his brows.

"I don't think we need another servant; we have over a hundred servants in the palace," the man standing beside the king said with a frown.

"Oh hush, Sev, there's always a need for more servants," Azrael said, the frown disappearing, replaced by a sly smirk.

"Your Majesty! We need to take her back, or else Lord Dargan will kill us," the head trader said, shivering at the thought.

"Your Majesty, you have duties to attend to," Sevastian said, not understanding why Azrael would want to buy the girl.

"Your Majesty, you leave us with no other option," the head trader said through gritted teeth, pulling out his sword.

A smile broke on Azrael's face. "How foolish!" he muttered under his breath.

In a blink of an eye, the head trader charged towards Azrael, the blade of his sword making contact with Azrael's hand.

"Huh? Dragon scales?" the head trader muttered in disbelief. How was that possible?

Azrael pulled the sword from the head trader's hand. "The disrespect to use an ordinary sword on a dragon," Azrael scoffed, his eyes blazing with rage. Although his golden eyes reflected anger, he still kept a smug smile on his face.

He drove the sword into the trader's chest, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Huh?" the head trader huffed, watching blood drip from his wound.

"A dragon this weak?" Azrael asked, now facing Sevastian, who looked as confused as his king.

"Tell Dargan I am with the girl," Azrael said. The head trader immediately got up.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty!" the three traders said in unison and disappeared into the forest without a second thought.

"What do you want to do with the girl?" Sevastian ask

ed, looking intently at the Dragon King.

"I don't know," Azrael said, his voice distant.