The Dragon Princess!

"Have you truly never experienced love?" the evil dragon inquired, his voice echoing with a mix of curiosity and gentle teasing.

"Why does such a young dragon yearn to understand love?" he continued, his own heart untouched by the flames of romance despite his age. "Even I, seasoned and wise dragon, have yet to surrender to such tender emotions."

"Don't mistake my intentions as cruel, I have no desire to consume my kin," he declared solemnly.

Waving a golden, sizzling barbecue skewer before Lucia's wide eyes, Lance chuckled, "My question concerns whether you'd like some barbecue, not whether I intend to feast on you, young one."

"Really? You're not... planning to eat me?" Lucia's voice trembled slightly, her fear palpable.

Legends of his kind spoke of evil dragons that defied gods and devoured whole cities. Surely, even among dragons, there was reason to fear.

Lance grinned, revealing sharp teeth that somehow didn't seem so threatening now. "I assure you, I've no taste for dragon flesh," he said, amused by her timidity. "Can you believe it? An amethyst dragon who dares to snatch princesses in broad daylight, yet cowers at the thought of her own kin!"

"And what might your name be?" he asked, softening his tone.

"Lu—Lulu... Lucia. My name is Lucia," she stammered, her initial fear waning as she realized Lance might not be the monster tales made him out to be.

Lucia reminded herself to stay calm; this dragon, this Lance, had vowed not to devour his own. As long as he remained in his draconic form, she was safe.

Observing the succulent roasted meat in Lance's grip, Lucia couldn't help but let out a slight, almost greedy chuckle. It wasn't hunger that moved her but the irresistible aroma of the perfectly cooked meat.

"Don't be so bold next time," Lance advised with a wise air. "Snatching princesses isn't as simple as you might think. Today you were lucky I was here; those gryphon knights might have not only captured but also delivered you to the imperial princess. Imagine being kept as a pet, or worse, used as a royal steed."

"Eat up, you're far too slender," he added as he stuffed the roasted meat into her mouth.

Lucia, the young amethyst dragon, indeed looked undernourished. Her form was very small, her limbs lacked the robust strength typical of her kind, emphasizing her need for nourishment and a lack of food.

Her slender form betrayed her youth and solitude. Young dragons nurtured by their parents often boasted plump, well-fed bodies. In stark contrast, Lucia's lithe frame spoke volumes of her early independence and the hardships of fending for herself.

As she savored the roasted animal leg Lance had offered, Lucia was struck by the rich flavors, surpassing anything the royal chefs could dream of crafting.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she replayed Lance's earlier words. Steal a princess? Captured by Gryphon Knights if not for him? Absurd! She scoffed inwardly. If Lance hadn't swooped down unexpectedly, those knights wouldn't have stood a chance against her.

And why would she, a princess herself, need to steal another? Disguised as a dragon, surely this fearsome dragon hadn't mistaken her intentions? Could he believe she aimed to abduct a royal princess and claim her as her own? If so, he was only half correct. Her haughty royal sister wouldn't be a gift, even if offered freely.

Why hadn't Lance seized the opportunity to take the obnoxious princess himself? And there he was, blaming her own timidity, startled by his sudden appearance. Had he been bolder, perhaps now that despised princess would be clinging to her tail, both shivering together in fear and cold. What a missed opportunity!

"Eat slowly, there's more where that came from," Lance's voice broke through her reverie, his tone surprisingly gentle compared to the haughtiness of the princess she detested.

Lucia finished the meat swiftly, her appetite that been built up due to all of the royal conflict. Just as she thought to rest, Lance, interpreting her pause as readiness for more, replaced the cleaned bone with another juicy leg, pushing it towards her mouth.

In this simple exchange, Lucia realized that Lance, this so-called evil dragon, showed a kindness and consideration that her royal sister had never once offered.

Lucia felt a twinge of discomfort as she pushed herself to accept another piece of roasted meat from Lance. Though slightly overwhelmed by the generous portions, she couldn't bring herself to decline the kindness extended by the formidable dragon before her.

After devouring the second serving, her belly protested with a series of loud hiccups. A paranoid thought flickered through her mind, surely Lance wasn't fattening her up for some sinister end?

"Are you full?" Lance's voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.

"Very full," Lucia managed to respond, her voice slightly muffled by fullness of her mouth.

"Do you wish to return to your previous home, or would you prefer to stay here?" Lance inquired, his tone neutral yet carrying an undercurrent of interest.

In her heart, Lucia screamed for the familiarity of the imperial capital. Yet, the fear of revealing her true identity as an imperial princess to Lance, who she still wasn't sure she could fully trust, kept her silent. What if he decided to imprison her, or worse, upon learning of her royalty?

She pondered a safer lie about living in a remote forest but quickly dismissed it. Imagining herself abandoned in some monstrous woodland made her shudder.

"May I stay here?" she asked, her voice small.

"Yes," Lance replied, a simple affirmation that seemed to carry a weight of sincerity.

"Wow, you are so kind," Lucia responded, her words dripping with a sarcasm born of desperation. Inside, her spirit rebelled. *I don't want to stay here, I need to return to the imperial capital and reclaim what's mine!*

As her internal resolve crumbled, tears began to spill. She felt trapped, a prisoner to circumstance and to the evil dragon's unexpected benevolence. The dreams of ruling the Faloran Empire seemed to fade before her eyes, replaced by the stark reality of a life confined among dragons.

Lance, perhaps sensing her distress or misinterpreting it, sought to lighten the mood. "My name is Lance. You can call me by my name from now on."

"Lance?" Lucia echoed, her voice trembling slightly. "The evil dragon, Lance?"

Her question hung in the air, laden with a mix of fear, curiosity, and the faintest glimmer of hope that perhaps this dragon wasn't as evil as legends claimed.

Lucia, her belly satisfyingly round, delicately touched it with her claws as she pondered the legacies of notorious evil dragons throughout history. Their fates were often grim, marked by battles that ended in death or a life of servitude as the mount of some daring hero.

"Evil Dragon Lance," she mused aloud, realizing she'd never heard of an evil dragon by that name in any legend. Deimos, yes, but Lance?

"It seems there is no dragon named after you in the legends," Lucia remarked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Do you think just anyone can claim the title of an evil dragon? To be a dragon of renown, one must first possess strength, power, and a formidable lineage," Lance lectured, his tone both stern and informative. "Dragons lacking in might or heritage barely survive; they're killed the moment they cause trouble. You're fortunate to have ventured into the human world and met me. Otherwise, you might have ended up as the princess's mount, or worse, her armor, boots, or even a weapon."

He continued, almost tauntingly, "Your dragon's blood could have been a luxurious addition to the princess's bath. Remember, while you might covet the beauty of a human princess, humans equally lust after the treasures a dragon's body can provide, scales, teeth, blood, and more."

"That's not right," Lance paused, scrutinizing her, "You are a female dragon, yet why mimic the adult male dragons who capture princesses merely to satisfy their egos? What gain do you seek in kidnapping princesses?"

Lucia, increasingly frustrated, wanted to retaliate against the misconceptions Lance held about her. It was he who had first accused her of trying to abduct the princess.

"I never intended to rob that dreadful princess. I simply wished to drive her from the imperial capital," Lucia clarified with growing confidence. "A sword is matched with a hero, and a dragon with a princess. Is it so strange that I aspire to be a dragon remembered in history? To kidnap a princess and make a name for myself?"

Lance fell silent, taken aback by her passion and reasoning.

"So, your dream is to become a notorious evil dragon?" he finally asked, searching her expression for sincerity.

"Yes, yes, indeed!" Lucia exclaimed, her eyes alight with fervor. "To be an evil dragon, celebrated and feared across the ages, that is my dream!"

Internally, though, her heart held a different, more profound aspiration. 'Woohoo, my true ambition is to ascend as the empress of the Faloran Empire.'