Bella

The Beginning

I am Midnight, the long reigning King of Dragons, residing in Planet Earth. My ruling goes on for more than 2000 years. To humans, that’s longer than a generation’s lifetime but to our kind that’s some mere years.
Our existence begin with the sacrifice of thousand scaly creatures led by the benevolent spiritual kind, unicorn and phoenix. The ransom for not wiping off all the creatures from the Planet had to be a cost placating the wrath of Sun, who burnt down the existence of countless ruthlessly. The rage blazed on for more than a hundred years until the ransom was gathered by the kingdom of Phoenix and Unicorns, led by their Queens. Without any disinclination, valiantly both the Queens marched towards the biggest inferno, followed by their fellow Unicorns and Phoenix. The living animals at the era were all spared as they stood witnessing the roaring violent and rusty red flames engulfing the end of Unicorns and Phoenix.
The wild inferno kept the summer long-lasting, but never was another life touched by the flames. A pile of flesh gathered amidst the fire never giving up to the glare. For months the flesh was licked murkier by the exasperated flames, initiating a dead dusky shell.
As the fire soothed down to blue-black smoke, the shell grew more and more prominent bearing the scalding signs of the Sun.
After a never ending summer, the parting song of summer assembled the reptiles of the forest, amassing around the shell. The aura calmed as the reptiles witnessed the crack of the shell with emerging twin creatures shakily crawling their way out.
Mesmerized with the new borns, the Lord of Firwyrms bent down to take a sniff. Widening its eyes, it bowed down screeching to the forest about a beginning.
A beginning to our kind: The Dragons.
***
I emerged into the throne arena, amidst my clan of Dragons. The scorching Sun seemed to ignite the sense of power stronger in me. The hoard of dragons bowed and waited for me to settle down on my throne. As I watched the dragons shift to humans, I pinched my temples preparing for just another boring day.
“Your Majesty, we have not found any trace of Esthero and his Echinemons clan. It’s time we relaxed our hoard there,” Numayr, the Lord of dragons residing in East, declared.
The air got heavy with silence as everyone waited. I have been avenging on the ruthless murder of my love, Eronica and our unborn child since last 700 years. Not a single Echinemon and the humans helping them were spared with compassion. I shall not rest until this pointless creation of nature has been wiped off this planet.
“Kill the Echinemon and feast on the humans who empathized with it. Warn their King on such puny act of his people.
Because next time, I won’t be so thoughtful in ignoring my dragon’s craving of feasting on the human king,” I spat coldly, measuring the look of my people.
None dared to oppose me. Good.
The echinemon boy of age maybe 7 or 8 had no part in the heinous crime his kind have committed; but the child did pledge to the biggest delinquency in my eyes by being one of the kind.
Eronica was not my mate. I have stopped believing in mates and I did not have to wait for one ever since I met her. The grey eyed, soft hearted dragon was my strongest strength and intense heat to my fire. Without her today, I am nothing. To my clan, I am known as the cruelest king of the era but I am still needed … for reasons, I smirked at the thought.
I marched my way out through the bowing dragons who clearly were disappointed, once again, at my execution orders.
Sigh, they force me to. I stopped in my tracks.
“Are you not happy, my clan?
One of you come here, please” I sang sweetly.
The dragons exchanged looks of fear.
“Now,” I snarled, barely a whisper, as none of them dared to move a muscle.
Eugene, always the bravest, stepped forward standing infront of me. I took a step towards him, resting my hand on his shoulder as I smirked at the clan.
“I asked a question, didn’t I?”
“We are content with your order, Your Majesty,” Eugene declared looking ahead, still in his posture.
I turned to look at him.
“No, you are not and you have forgotten whom you doubt these days,” I smiled as I abruptly twisted Eugene’s arm aiming to rip it off.
My pity was unyielding as I summoned the scalded heat in my bare hands touching his arm.
“Your- Majest-!” Eugene choked between his labored breathing.
Dragons are of course unaffected to fire but when it’s the touch of rusty red and violet flames, the burn is incredible.
I enjoyed watching the terror in everyone’s eyes as they watched Eugene’s face etched in pain. Afterall, my clan needs a lesson. Right at that moment, a pain shot up body and I jerked away. I held my head in my hands as my mind went restless from a pain I could not comprehend.
The silence broke into confusion among the dragons.
“Your Majesty, is everything alright? Should we call the healer?”
“Go get the healer, NOW!”
“Your Majesty?”
The chaos around was making it hard to concentrate. Something is wrong and I need to be there. I thundered from an unknown pain, as I shifted into my massive midnight dragon. I could feel others shifting aiming to take my lead.
“STAY BACK!” I bellowed as I took off the flight, not knowing where I am headed to.
“LET THE ECHINEMON LIVE, BUT LOCKED AS MY PRISON! SPARE THE HUMANS, WARNING THEIR KINGS,” I roared at Eugene as I flew higher.
Something reformed in that moment and I had a change of mind for the first time in a hundred years. But why?
I spiraled aimlessly as I watched everything below me. The flight went on until something caught my eye.
A mind blowing beauty was running away at the speed of wind as the soldiers chased her on their horses. I rolled my eyes as I considered the cowardice of human men. No wonder, their King is equivalent to an insect to me. As I focused on my excruciating pain once again flying higher up the sky, I heard a voice in my head, begging for death than being raped. I craned my neck to find the girl to be the source. I sped down, as anger boiled in me. From the height, I watched the man strike her before groping her painfully. Dragons never interfered in puny human lives but this was something different. They were touching something that was mine, I growled as I landed quivering the earth beneath me.
My blood seethed as I heard them yell at the soldier to throw the girl at me. In no time, an excruciating pain spill through me as I watched the girl being thrown away like a rag doll. Surprising me, my phoenix stirred for the first time letting me know about its existence. Slowly, it started soothing the pain from her as a horse stomped on her knee splitting the bones into pieces. Her agony kept driving me crazy.
I roared in anger, promising to destroy every single one of them today.
Once again, I sensed her dread.
Wait, what was that? Is she frightened that I will eat her up?
I just lent my phoenix sense to stop her from being engulfed in more pain and she is scared of me! God bless the puny woman,
I rolled my eyes as I struck my teeth at the fleeing soldiers.
I avenged on them one by one, saving her captor for the last. As I kept feasting on the humans, I heard Bella- I paused as I realized I know her name.
She was looking for a hideout, I smiled inside as I noted her determination in not giving up yet.
Ending up with my dessert, I toyed with his flesh until nothing was left of him. Once done, I howled a mouthful of fire at him. Instantly, the phoenix once again stirred in me as I turned to watch Bella wincing in fright.
My heart cried out as I scrutinized her limp body fading slowly; I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and rest the pain. As I closed near her, I watched her fearfully eye me with her large blue doe eyes. She was dazed, I could feel it. I noticed her vomit made it difficult for her to breathe. Straightaway, I opened my mouth to lick it away just to clear the area. But s soon as I opened to do so, I started hearing her endless pleas.
Please God! Have mercy! I’m in so much pain already! Give me an easier death!
Seriously, woman? I rolled my eyes, hurt at her outburst.
“Bella. Calm down. I’m here now. It’s over,” I pled as I brought my snout closer to her.
In no time she calmed down to unconsciousness. Sooner clawing her fragile body softly, I took off to my kingdom. Our kingdom.
I smiled to our beginning as I flew with my soft mate in my claws.