A Poor Dragon!

Lucia felt a chill run down her spine as she considered the sinister intentions of the evil dragon, Lance. Could he truly be planning to groom her still in the form young dragon he had found to become his mate in the future?

"How could he even contemplate such a thing?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with disbelief.

It wasn't unusual for a dragon, especially an evil one, to seek a mate. But to raise a young dragon from infancy with the intention of making her his consort seemed both excessive and morally dubious.

"This is almost like grooming," Lucia thought, her brow furrowing in distaste. "In the human realms, there are nobles who engage in arranged matches with the young, but even those are within reasonable age differences. Maybe a decade at most."

But dragons were different. Their courtship and growth spanned millennia. "To nurture a young dragon into a mate, Lance would need to wait a centuries or even more. Does he even possess that kind of patience?" she wondered, skepticism lacing her thoughts.

Peering discreetly over at Lance, she saw him counting a small hoard of coins, mere pocket change by her standards, but clearly a fortune to him.

"Well, if Lance is set on this twisted plan of 'development through this play', he can very well proceed," she resolved quietly, her mind already plotting her escape. As an imperial princess, she had no intention of spending her fleeting human lifespan in the lair of a dragon.

"If I don't manage to escape," she considered with a grimace, "I'll be part of his ill-conceived grooming project for merely a few decades, hardly a blink in the life of a dragon."

She knew her life expectancy as a human. Seventy, maybe eighty years. Some humans did live longer, centuries even, but those were exceptional individuals endowed with extraordinary powers.

"And after he's raised me for decades, only for me to die of old age, would that affect him? Surely, after decades, even Lance would feel the sting of loss," she speculated.

"Sixty-eight gold coins," he noted silently, a stark reminder of the mundane concerns that occupied the mind of a creature as ancient and formidable as a dragon.

Lance eyed his modest stash of sixty-eight gold coins, a paltry sum by any measure. "This won't suffice, not if I need to provide for someone like Lucia," he mused, his mind turning over the financial implications. The young dragon, so innocent and endearing, could have fallen prey to less scrupulous humans, perhaps even become someone's mount, had their paths not crossed.

"It's fortunate she met me instead of someone with nefarious intentions," Lance reflected, the thought reassuring him as he considered her safety under his wing. "For now, she'll stay with me, at least until I figure things out."

Out of the blue, Lucia, seemingly perturbed by his gaze, blurted out, "Lance, why don't you find a girlfriend?"

Her question caught him off guard, his sharp golden-red eyes narrowing slightly. The intensity of his gaze often felt overwhelming to others, a fact he was painfully aware of.

"I have no such intentions at the moment," Lance replied, his tone serious yet polite. "Finding a companion is not something to be rushed. It should happen naturally, with mutual feelings and consent."

He paused, a hint of melancholy in his voice as he added, "In over a thousand years, I've yet to meet another pure-blooded dragon. They all reside on Dragon Island, which vanished from the mainland ages ago. Its whereabouts remain a mystery even to me."

Lance's life had been a long series of solitary ventures and quests. "Before assuming this human guise, I roamed the human world out of sheer boredom and in hope of encountering another of my kind. I even guarded numerous beautiful princesses with the same hope, that perhaps, a pure-blooded dragon might come seeking them."

However, his efforts often ended in misunderstanding and expulsion due to his aggressive demeanor. "I've heard tales of pure-blooded dragons dwelling in the sanctuaries of great temples," he continued, his voice tinged with regret. "But despite my searches, I've never seen Dragon Island, nor have I met another dragon outside those tales."

Lucia listened, her earlier discomfort easing as she realized the depth of Lance's solitude and his complex life amongst humans.

In his youth, Lance had never dared to challenge the formidable sanctity of major temples. But at the age of 2,300, curiosity got the better of him, and he ventured into the holy grounds of a revered temple. The escapade ended abruptly when he unintentionally roughed up a priest, sparking the ire of powerful temple staff. "Luckily, I was quick on my feet," Lance chuckled, recounting the near-disastrous encounter to Lucia.

"Are you really an adult and still not thinking about finding a mate?" Lucia probed, her curiosity piqued by his solitary nature.

"I only reached adulthood recently," Lance explained, a hint of defensiveness in his tone.

"And you're not fond of princesses?" she pressed further, trying to understand his preferences.

"No, not particularly."

"So, your interest lies solely in dragons?"

"For now, yes," Lance affirmed succinctly.

Lucia realized that she needed to make her escape from Lance sooner rather than later. But for the moment, she would settle for finding a safe spot to rest within his lair.

Lance's cave was unexpectedly spacious and well-lit, a stark contrast to the dark, grim abodes often depicted in human legends. After surveying the area, Lucia approached a cozy nook near the wall. "May I sleep here?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course," Lance replied graciously.

"Thank you," she murmured, relieved. The gentle glow from bioluminescent plants illuminated the cave, ensuring a night free from the discomfort of sharp rocks or muddy patches.

Lucia was astonished at the cleanliness and warmth of the lair, far surpassing many human dwellings she had seen. It was then that Lance posed an unexpected question, "Lucia, can you speak the true dragon tongue?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Ah? The real dragon language? I, uh, I don't think I can."

Being human, Lucia lacked the innate ability to speak the complex, rich language of dragons, a linguistic feat that even the most gifted human linguists could only dream of mastering without a dragon's direct tutelage.

Lucia's mind raced. Had Lance somehow sensed that she was not a true dragon? This revelation could change everything about her precarious situation.

"Why would you suddenly ask about the dragon language?" Lucia mused aloud, her apprehension clear in her voice.

"Don't worry. It's no trouble at all if you can't speak the true dragon language. I'd be happy to teach you," Lance offered, his smile gentle. He could tell that Lucia's nerves were frayed, likely fearing that her inability might make her less valued in his eyes.

Lucia wasn't a pure-blood young dragon. If she were, she would have inherited the ancient memories and linguistic abilities typical of her kind. Moreover, the fact that she was away from Dragon Island suggested that she wasn't from the pure-blood lineage, for such dragons were closely guarded by their families.

"But it doesn't matter," Lance continued, a reassuring tone in his voice. "Even if you're not a pure-blood, there's still a path for you. Lesser dragons have been known to evolve, to purify their bloodlines and ascend to true dragonhood. With some effort, you too could achieve that status."

Lucia hesitated, her thoughts a whirlwind of royal duties and new, draconic responsibilities. "Do I have to learn it?" she asked, the weight of yet another obligation settling upon her shoulders.

As a princess, she was no stranger to rigorous study and strict etiquette, but this, transforming into a dragon, learning an ancient language, was beyond her usual scope.

"No," she sighed reluctantly, realizing the futility in resisting. "Then, I'll learn."

Gloomily, she lay down on the soft, lush grass within Lance's cave, a stark contrast to the harsh realities she faced. She felt defeated, unable to refuse, powerless in shaping her current predicaments.

"I suppose I could use this knowledge for something... maybe even get back at Princess Athena when I return to the Faloran Empire," she thought slyly, planning to unleash her new linguistic skills in a torrent of draconic insults.

But then, a spark of inspiration struck her. "Lance, since you've offered to teach me dragon language, perhaps there's something I can teach you in return? Is there anything you'd like to learn? Maybe something to eat?" Her mood lifted slightly as she considered the exchange of knowledge.

She paused, remembering Lance's tales of his human guises and adventures. "You've probably learned much already, given your age and experience," she reasoned, a hint of self-deprecation in her tone.

Amidst her musings, Lucia couldn't help but feel a twinge of inadequacy, how had she, the capable and learned princess, come to feel so out of her depth?