Archive of Our Own ^beta

Title: Yardbird for a Dragon

Jensen kept his eyes closed as he heard the approaching footsteps of yet another wannabe-slayer; perfectly aware that he was nearly indistinguishable in the dark of the cave save for the glittering emerald of his eyes.

The jaunty tune the approaching quarry was humming a pleasant departure from their usual attempts at silence. He bit back a smile at the non-imaginative cursing when the man rounded the corner and abruptly discovered the waiting darkness and was not surprised when instead of withdrawing, the man chose to press onward.

Jensen frowned at the irritating song but held still; accustomed to lying in wait- not that it took long for the human to bump into his side. However, unlike its predecessors, this one seemed to find his scales to be something of a novelty. After a few brief minutes of rubbing against his side (which Jensen greatly enjoyed) the man seemed to conclude that he was some sort of wall and began to climb- the human’s tiny hands pleasurably massaging as they carefully chose one hand-hold after another; the annoying song at his lips again.

The man had not reached even halfway up when he lost his footing and fell; and for the life of him Jensen would not be able to answer why he twisted his tail to catch the man and save him. But having saved him, he couldn’t deny his curiosity any longer and carefully brought his tail forward so he could see this strange slayer who was clumsy enough to tumble off his scales ...and sang.

“Whoa!” The man shrieked when he noticed the giant green eye observing him, letting go of the precarious hold he had on Jensen’s tail and falling off. Again.

Once again Jensen caught him, a smoky exhale escaping his nostrils as he watched the man hang from the narrow part of his tail.

“I-I warn you, Mr. Dragon... you’ll not enjoy trifling with me!”

Mr. Dragon?

“You have no idea who you’re messing with, Sir... I-I’ll...”

Jensen raised an eyebrow and the man must have understood because he gave out a bark of nervous laughter, “Well, obviously I can’t do anything right now seeing how my hands are otherwise occupied; but the minute they are free; you’ll be in trouble. Oh yes, Big Trouble.”

And for the first time in years, Jensen was amused. Curiosity had him bringing out a paw to drop the man on and ‘freeing’ up his arms to see what he did. And the man did not disappoint. He reached into his side and drew a... wooden sword?

Jensen let out a snort of laughter which had the unfortunate side-effect of setting alight the ‘sword’.

He watched as the man stared in dismay at his flaming sword before walking to one side of Jensen’s (admittedly HUGE) paw and throwing it away. His clumsiness may have ensured that he succeeded in throwing himself off too had not Jensen brought up a clawed ‘finger’ to act as a barricade.
The man gaped at the clawed finger (the claw itself was bigger than half his size) before walking back to the centre and sitting cross-legged.

“Guess you’re going to eat me, huh? Dragon meal; what a fitting end to Dragon- Slayer Vostok’s son!” He grumbled, not sounding particularly put off by his fate.

He glared at Jensen when the dragon simply continued to stare at him. “What? Go on... I know I’m Dragon chow... its okay; I-I forgive you or whatever.”

Jensen stared at the entertaining human for another moment before deciding that he wasn’t going to kill this one outright- at least not till it continued to amuse him like this.

Jared squawked in an undignified manner when a pair of pointed claws closed gently around his torso.

“Hey!” He protested as he was pulled up; but was careful not to struggle too much because despite his jacket he could feel the sharpness of the claws holding him. To his dying day he would deny the girlish scream which left his lips when the dragon tossed him straight up- much like a father did while playing with his toddler- the claws effortlessly closing around him again even as his hands instinctively reached up to grasp the scaly ‘fingers’ holding him.

He scrunched his eyes tightly shut as the giant beast took flight; hands tightening as he clung desperately- rather pathetically- to the creature holding him prisoner between two (massive) clawed fingers.

The sound of shouting had him opening his eyes and staring in dismay as the dragon flew in a low arc over the soldiers. He had no doubt that everybody had seen by now just who the dragon’s prisoner was. His guess was confirmed a moment later when the loud voice of the Outer-walls’ Captain ordering his men to hold their arrows lest they pierce the prince. He groaned in embarrassment and closed his eyes as the creature abruptly climbed higher- cool air caressing his cheeks at the altitude.

He opened his eyes when he felt solid ground under his feet again after what felt like hours- his face already numb from the constant assault of the cold air during the flight. Teeth chattering in the gathering twilight, he looked around cautiously; arms wrapping automatically around himself to preserve whatever little warmth he could.

It appeared that he was on some sort of cliff. Glancing cautiously behind him at the dragon he walked to the edge, bracing himself against a rocky out-crop and peering down.

The view below nearly shocked the breath from his lungs because unlike the barren bleakness of the mountain-ledge he was on; the cliff overlooked a wide meadow of rolling green which stretched as far as the eye could see. There was a cluster of trees to one side- which continued right up to the base of the mountainside he was on, and though it was dense and maybe would be considered a forest from the ground; from this height he could see that it wasn’t.

Glancing back he could see those disconcertingly green eyes studying him and from this close, he could have sworn that there was a sentient being behind them.

Jensen watched with some apprehension as the slayer ventured to the edge of the outcrop and peered over: despite stumbling twice- one of which was over thin air as far as he could see; the man made it without falling off. He held his breath as the man looked at the field below; expression widening in clear disbelief at what Jensen assumed was the lushness of the valley.

He heaved a sigh of relief when the man made it back to the centre of the outcrop without further mishap (at this point, Jensen was discounting any non near-fatal mishap occurring because of the man’s clumsiness.)

“So, Megon;” the slayer began.

Jensen’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t suppose you can understand me, but ...” a shiver went through the man at the sudden gust of wind, “damn, it’s cold!” he muttered to himself; wrapping his arms tighter around himself.

His scales protected him from the biting wind but the poor slayer was definitely not as safe; Jensen thought to himself, feeling an unexpected frisson of sympathy for his prisoner and in an uncharacteristic move curled his tail around the shivering figure in an effort to block the cold north wind.

The man glanced at the scaly ‘wall’ in surprise before reaching out a hand to pet him gently, “Thanks, Meg.”

Jensen grumbled low in his throat, not appreciating being called ‘Megon’; but it must have come out more threatening than he intended because he saw the man flinch. Sighing, he scratched his name into the nearest rock he could find big enough for him to use as a make-shift writing board.
‘JENSEN’

The man peered at the letters he had scratched before glancing up in surprise, “Y-you are Jensen?”

He nodded, pleased that the man seemed to catch on so quick...but then the slayer’s eyes went impossibly wide, “You understand me???”

Jensen snorted, a plume of smoke escaping his nostrils.

“Holy shit! You understand me!!!” The man gasped, clambering backwards and bumping into his tail. Almost reflexively Jensen curled the appendage around the figure to steady him. The man stilled.

“I-I’m Jared.” He offered after a moment and Jensen offered him a dagger-sharp clawed finger to shake.

The slayer hesitated briefly before grasping the tip of his claw with both hands; the careful- tiny movement of the finger nearly lifting the tiny human off his feet.

Jared shifted on the hard rocky floor trying to find a comfortable position- the dragon had very considerately plucked a boulder from the rocky cliff-side and placed it at an angle to create a small alcove protected from the biting wind for him to sleep in; but being more used to a down-mattress, he was finding his sleeping arrangements to be rather underwhelming.

Teeth chattering as he stepped out of the protected alcove, he wrapped his arms around himself and walked to the edge of the cliff and peered into the darkness below to try and locate his dragon. Since sleep was nowhere on the horizon he set his sight on climbing down the rocky mountainside, sighing in displeasure as he peered into the unwelcoming darkness below.  He took one last look at his alcove and stepped off.

Manoeuvring the steep incline would have been an arduous task in broad daylight; in the near-pitch blackness it was quite literally a life-endangering endeavour.

Undaunted, Jared persevered: his father- the mighty Vostok had crossed the treacherous snow-covered mountains and travelled far more dangerous terrain before slaying the bronze-horn tailed dragon (whose forked tail was now a part of his father’s crown) to rescue his mother- the princess Valerie (whose rescue attempts had cost the lives of more than a score knights before his father had succeeded).

He may not have a princess to rescue; but he could sure as unfaltering North-Star save himself. His only obstacles were the impenetrable darkness shrouding the mountainside and the hazardous landscape. Unfortunately, the rocky slope was proving to be even more difficult to conquer than it looked. Hoping to distract himself from the certain death that awaited him if he slipped and fell; he began humming low under his breath:

The song cut off abruptly when his foothold suddenly shifted just as he was changing his hand-hold; unable to control his yelp when his fall came to a sudden halt just a few seconds later.  Slowly blinking his eyes open, he was greeted with a gust of fetid breath right on his face.

“Dude, get a breath mint!” He grumbled, waving a hand in front of his face to dispel the foul smell.

Apparently Jensen- the dragon found him funny as the dragon snorted; this time a few sparks spewing forth along with the smoke which had Jared hurriedly patting his hair to put out the flames that had erupted in a few places on his head.

“Dude!” he grumbled; but obediently wrapped his arms around the clawed finger which the dragon extended towards him. He was taken aback by the starling suddenness with which the ground disappeared from under his feet- the dragon having taken off with a smoothness unexpected from such a gigantic creature. Although he logically knew that Jensen would not allow him to fall, Jared still heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the solid earth beneath his feet again.

Safe on terra firma again; the dragon proceeded to disregard him completely, circling twice on the soft heather (like a cat) before curling down to sleep.  Jared would have found himself insulted by the complete disregard the creature had for him had he not been busy gawking at how the mighty beast pulled it’s limbs close to his body as he prepared to slumber- the tail wrapped loosely in a sort of perimeter as one wing came down over the curled body like scaly blanket.

Jared considered slaying the slumbering fire-breathing monster for the briefest second before dismissing the idea; unable to contemplate a world without the majestic beast. If the bronze horn tail had been anything like Jensen; he wondered how his father had even had the heart to kill the dragon, princess-to-rescue or no; these creatures were meant to be worshipped, not killed.

All his extensive planning- made from the cliff, on how he would evade detection and escape if only he could reach the meadow lay forgotten as he slid in between the gap left between Jensen’s wing and stretched; the slender part of its tail serving as his pillow. A put-upon sigh left the dragon, but the wing shifted to cover Jared better as man and beast both settled in for the night.

Jensen woke to the sound of a soft rumbling; the sound pitched low enough that human ears would fail to pick it up. Snapping one eye open, he peered around his surroundings; trying to ascertain whether they were in any danger. Finding none, his eye was drifting shut again when the sound came again and this time he managed to track it to his human. Lifting his head, he regarded the prostrate form; wondering if the puny man was hurt, but finding no sign of injury; he decided that the sound must have come from the human’s stomach- the tiny creatures needed periodic feedings after all. Having eaten nothing since yesterday evening; he guessed his human was hungry.

Taking care not to wake the slumbering man, Jensen carefully moved away to locate food. When he returned an hour later, his human was still where he’d left him; except he was awake. The man glowered at him, but Jensen had not missed the wide grin that had been his first reaction on spotting Jensen in the distance.

Knowing humans preferred the smaller herbivores as their food; Jensen dropped the clutch of rabbits before the man, proud of his find.
“Bunnies!” The would-be slayer gushed; moving forward to cuddle the white balls of fur.

Jensen snorted; guess he should have known his hunter would find his meal ‘adorable’. Shaking his head in dismay, Jensen dropped the sack of vegetables and pots he had stolen from a random villager along with a knife- the metallic vessels clanging loudly as they hit the ground.

Jared looked up in surprise at the pot and knife, blinking endearingly before understanding dawned, “You want me to eat them?”

Jensen nodded vigorously, glad that the human seemed to be catching on.

“Oh hell no!” Jared shot up, still cradling two of the rabbits. He peered into unblinking emerald eyes, “C’mon Jen; they’re so cute! How can you even think of eating them?”

Growling in frustration, he sat down; tail swishing in annoyance as he watched Jared play with the fur-balls instead of making a stew out of them like he had imagined.

“Guess I’m not much of a hunter...” Jared murmured after a moment, looking completely at home with five rabbits crawling all over him; “I’m more of a gatherer, I suppose.”

Jensen watched the human feed his new-found pets the last bit of carrots from the sack before coming to a decision and using his tail to (lightly) smack Jared’s shoulder to get his attention. When Jared looked up askance, he tilted his head towards the fruit-laden plum tree to the far side of the meadow.  When Jared stared back at him blankly- human eyes apparently too weak to make out the fruits on the tree, he unceremoniously wrapped his tail around the human’s torso- the rabbits scattering with high pitched squeaks at his sudden movement. Paying no attention to the human’s flailing, he deposited him on his back with as much gentleness as he could muster.

Hold on, he thought to himself; hoping the young prince had enough sense to grab onto him tightly as he leaped across the meadow ion two bounds.
Repeating the steps (this time in reverse) he brought the man back to the ground and waited for Jared to catch on.

“Some warning next time?” The prince muttered, annoyed; before looking around and brightening at the sight of the plump red fruits.

“Thanks,”

Jensen sat back and watched the prince’s unsuccessful attempts to climb the tree and reach the fruit  for a full minute before he gave a gentle nudge to the trunk of the tree, a veritable basketful of fruits falling from the impact.

He watched the man begin eating before taking off again.

It was on day eleven that Jared noticed his father’s troops appear on the far end of the meadow from his spot on the cliff where Jensen had dropped him on that first day and continued to return him to every time he left.

By now, he’d developed quite a collection of items that the dragon kept getting for him: a few blankets gathered from where some nobleman’s family had hung it out to sun; a few pots and pans and even a trunk of books that Jensen had raided when a shop was shifting locations.

Busy peering into the distance where Jensen was battling the troops; he nearly fell over in surprise when a unpleasantly familiar voice called out directly behind him, “My Lord!”

“Captain.” He returned with as much poise he could, considering he had been sprawled on a boulder cheering his dragon just seconds ago.
“If you follow me, My Grace; we can be on our way...”

Jared gritted his teeth, knowing his father had promised money (and probably his hand in marriage) to anyone who rescued him. “Aren’t you worried about the dragon, Captain?”

“There’s nothing to worry about, My Lord; my men have him distracted.”

Jared felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips as Jensen alighted; soft-footed as ever just behind the Captain, “I wouldn’t be too sure of that, Captain.”
“Wha-?” The Captain managed just as Jensen’s razor sharp claws neatly plucked the brave-heart off the ground, dangling the man a score or more feet above the ground as he stepped onto the cliff.

One bone-racking jerk had the man’s helmet tumbling off and a quick swipe of the dragon’s claw had his sword (still sheathed in its scabbard) following suite.

Jared suppressed a laugh as he watched the Captain’s face turn green from all the juddering around, “He’s going to hurl,” he warned moments before the Captain barfed.

Twin plumes of smoke escaped Jensen’s nostrils; the dragon’s expression uncannily resembling a smirk as the dragon held his prisoner over the side of the cliff to avoid the vomit- sending the man into another bout of retching as he registered the unforgiving rocks he was being dangled over.

“Don’t kill him?” Jared ventured when the Captain had calmed some; the man staring incredulously at him when Jensen twisted his neck to peer at Jared.

“You won; the captain knows that... he’s going to head straight back if you let him go.”

A low rumble emanated from the dragon’s throat, making Jared add, “Yeah, his men will leave as well.”

The other ‘hand’ moved forward to gently nudge Jared with a claw.

“Of course I’ll stay.” Jared nodded.

“My Prince; you don’t have to barter your life to spare mine. Please-!”

Both the dragon and the Prince huffed at the interruption; silencing the man mid- sentence.

“Well?” Jared questioned after a moment when he could be certain that no more protests were forth-coming from their prisoner.

The dragon huffed, but obediently brought the man around to drop him on the hard, rocky ground- not exhibiting even a fraction of the gentleness as he’d done with Jared.

“Jensen!” Jared growled in frustration as he rushed to check that the fall had not critically injured the man.

Fortunately for him; the man was too disoriented to pick up on the slip. He hurriedly explained that the Captain needed to tell his father to leave out weekly rations of food in sacks on the topmost tower of their castle if possible to avoid Jensen’s raids on his subjects because the dragon was only thieving to feed Jared. The Captain was still blinking dazedly when Jensen grabbed him again; taking off in an effortless glide to land on the other side of the meadow and drop the man with the rest of his troops.

Dragon and human watched from their vantage perch as the humans- tiny specks in the distance; retreated as rapidly as they could manage with the majority of the party injured in some form or another.

Jensen watched with some amusement as the human’s fled from his turf; and although he had not given any indication of understanding; he had not missed Jared’s murmured instructions to the Captain. He bit back a smile as he realized that given his concern for the general populace, the young prince would have made a rather good administrator had he been given a chance to rule rather than sent to capture dragons.

He was both surprised and taken aback at the murmured ‘thanks’ that the man sent his way as they watched the last of the troops disappear.

At his quizzical look, Jared explained; “Father must have placed a reward for my ‘rescue’; and the Captain has always been after me. I’d figured if a rescued my own princess from the clutches of a dragon, I would be able to ward off his advances better... guess my plan failed spectacularly; huh?”
Jensen patted his back sympathetically for the lack of a better response.

Jared soon grew used to his life with the dragon; bickering with the hulking beast over little things and laughing at the playful antics of the creature. Indeed, he sometimes forgot that most people considered a dragon to be a fearsome creature and not an overgrown pet.

However, given that the hulking beast was for the most part a frugivore;( although he seemed to relish the occasional ladles of stew Jared fed him from his own meals ) and would spend hours playing with Jared, he supposed it was not hard to mistake Jensen for a pet. It rarely bothered him that Jensen couldn’t speak; understanding the dragon’s gestures without any trouble, even though he pretended at times to not understand just to frustrate the creature.

He soon discovered that he was not averse to flying; and although Jensen tended to indulge in aerial acrobatics in an effort to show off, the dragon was always careful of his human charge. And despite common misconception, his favourite times were not when they were in the air, but when Jensen would sprawl in the sun and allow Jared to give him a good scrub-down; purring like a pleased cat all the while.

Once he idly commented he could do a much better job on Jensen’s scales if he only had some oil and rags; the next day when the dragon flew off, he returned with a whole barrel of oil and collapsed on the hearth expectantly.

Jared laughed as he set to work; admiring the way the sunlight seemed to bring out the green hues in Jensen’s scales; complimenting the dragon’s brilliant emerald eyes. By the time he was done, the dragon was snoring softly and his scales were gleaming like jewels.

Having grown accustomed to  having the human around; Jensen gradually grew complacent...rarely flying out in search of new conquests now that he had something...someone worth staying home for. It became a game for them, playing the roles of prisoner and guard when the occasional knight came their way in the hopes of rescuing Jared and winning his hand in marriage.

So, when he found himself in a net; struggling futilely against coarse ropes that chaffed his scales as the victoriously made his way to Jared, it was an understatement to say that he was honestly surprised. He roared in helpless fury; a shower of sparks landing on the net that had him trapped; but being made from metal, did nothing more than burn his own scales.

The only positive side to his heat-and-flame display; it turned out, was having the knight’s attention back on him firmly as he abandoned his efforts to scale the rocky mountain-side and veered around to march back to Jensen, spear extended threateningly.

Watching the man approach, Jensen only lifted his head, refusing to surrender even as he privately admitted that for once the knight had gotten the better of him. Knowing no rescue mission was complete without slaying the dragon, he held still; not wanting to cower in his last moments as he waited for the spear to pierce the tender under-scales of his body. Wishing for one last look at the young Prince, he ignored the advancing knight; turning his head towards the Prince... his Prince.

When he found the overhang empty, he let out a frustrated snort- guess he wasn’t going to be allowed even that much.

And so he was completely taken aback by the belligerent ‘No!’

Twisting his head in surprise he watched as the Prince scaled down the rocky mountain-side with surprising grace and swiftness; making him wonder if Jared had been pretending to be clumsy all this while for his benefit. When the Prince stumbled twice- falling and scraping his palms but refused to stay down, rising to his feet again as he continued to move down at a break-neck pace; Jensen heaved a sigh of relief: so maybe Jared hadn’t been pretending all that much...

He let out a roar of dismay as he watched the man step into a loose portion of rocks; stumbling and sliding down the rest of the way along with the small rock-slide only to land face-first at the base of the mountain; every instinct had him struggling to break free and rush to the obviously injured man. A frustrated roar left his lips as he only succeeded in entangling himself further; before aggravation turned to relief as Jared gingerly first sat and then climbed to his feet- bleeding minorly from two places along his high cheek-bones.

It was only when he was sure of the human’s safety that Jensen realized (with some surprise) that the knight too had been waiting for Jared instead of delivering the killing blow.

The puny armoured creature bowed when Jared came forward; making the dragon’s eyes widen in surprise as he noticed for the first time that even though Jared seemed tiny next to Jensen’s bulk; his Prince was actually a towering giant among humans.

“My Lord,” The knight murmured in a surprisingly high voice.

Jared nodded absently as he stared up into the dragon’s emerald gaze which had not moved from him.

The knight offered him the spear, explaining when Jared raised an eyebrow; “I understand that his Lordship wishes to slay the beast himself after everything he has had to suffer at the hands of this monster.”

Jensen’s eyes narrowed when Jared accepted the spear- well, so much for their friendship. Disappointed and resigned, he lifted his head higher; baring the literal chink in his armour.

Which was why he was surprised when Jared moved within striking range and then swiftly pivoted on his heels to face the knight; the spear pointed outward.

“No one hurts Jensen without answering to me!”

“My L-Lo-Lord?” The knight questioned, bewildered.

“I haven’t been his prisoner for a long time; probably right from the first... I tried to explain it to you all; but do you ever listen?” Jared shouted; spear still pointed at the knight. “Jensen hasn’t hurt me; he has never done anything I didn’t want him to! And I sure as hell am not going to allow you to kill him.”
Jensen peered down in surprise- his gentle human had suddenly turned into this frightening warrior without warning; and he found- much to his surprise- that he enjoyed this spitfire version as much as he did the docile one.

The knight undid his mask- and turned out to be a ‘her’... her cropped-dark hair fluttering it’s bristly ends in the wind as she turned wide brown eyes towards the prince, “Lord, it ... it must have enchanted you... you have been its prisoner for far too long...”

Jared laughed; the feral, manic sound echoing through the high mountains above them, “Are you deaf???” He shook his head, “I am not a prisoner, brave knight; I could have-can,” he amended, “Leave anytime I wish. Jensen would not have stopped me; Hell, if I know him at all, I’d say he would have willingly taken me to my destination himself.”

“Then why din’t you?” The knight challenged without thinking- as the spots of colour that bloomed on her cheeks suggested, “Leave, I mean.”
“I had no reason to.” Jared shrugged, “I stay with him because I like it here... because I wish to.”

And Jensen was writhing on the ground without warning. Tremors seizing his immense form as he collapsed with a resounding ‘thud’.

“Jen!” Jared gasped, turning swiftly but unable to reach the dragon as he thrashed.  He watched in helpless disbelief as the dragon seemed to dissolve into thin-air before their very eyes; crashing to his knees in distress  when there was nothing left but the empty net- now a tangle on the grass with nothing to hold it up.

“Jensen...” Jared murmured brokenly; unable to believe that his dragon was just...gone.

And as though in response, he heard a soft groan.

Rising to his feet swiftly; he moved towards the sound, surprised that it came from somewhere within the net. Poking around with the spear still clutched in his hands, he literally stumbled on the prone form of a naked human inside the net. Sawing through the thin metal mesh that made up the net hurriedly to reach the individual, Jared slipped off his own coat to cover the man, trying to preserve what dignity he could.

“Jared?” The figure groaned, eyes opening in tiny slits as he curled closer to the crouching Prince.

Jared nearly fell back in surprise as he recognised the green of the man’s eyes. “Jensen?!”

The man hummed softly before surrendering to exhaustion and slipping into unconsciousness.

It was gathering dusk by the time Jensen came to; still huddled against Jared’s chest. He shifted slightly in an effort to sit up, blushing when he realized that Jared had moved to help him but he hadn’t required it.

“Jen?” The Prince whispered uncertainly; staring at the dragon- former, Dragon.

He nodded, “S’me.”

“You’re human.”

He shook his head, “Dragon.”

“But...”

“I can shift within forms... Was trapped in my other form by a curse.”

“It’s gone now? The curse, I mean.”

Jensen nodded, “Needed to have someone choose me voluntarily.”

Jared nodded, idly plucking a blade of grass as he stared into the distance.

“What about the knight?” Jensen asked after a moment.

“Sent her to fetch her medical supplies from where she’d set up camp.”

 The dragon glanced up at the high cliff he’d ‘imprisoned’ Jared in before sighing, “Guess you can head home now.”

The Prince shrugged, “What about you? You are planning to head back to your own home?”

The dragon-turned-human shook his head, “My family passed on long ago. Don’t have anywhere to be.”

“Come with me, then.”Jared offered.

“You’d want that?” Jensen returned, surprised.

Jared nodded eagerly- an idea taking form, “You could be my Consort.”

Jensen’s brows drew together, “Jared... are you-?”

The Prince shot up to his feet, “Hell yes, I am! Will you...?”

The dragon nodded hesitantly. “If you’re sure.”

“Let’s tell Father!” Was the exuberant response.

“Now?”

Jared shrugged, still smiling maniacally, “You can still shift between forms, right?”

Jensen nodded, a slow grin spreading on his face; as he effortlessly melted back into his immense Dragon-self again (the transformation painless now that it was no longer inhibited by the curse); one clawed hand plucking Jared off the ground to place him on a high enough boulder so that he could use it as a platform to step onto the Dragon’s back.

What happened after, you ask?

Well, Dragon-slayer Vostok’s son- the Prince Jared finally got his Dragon Prince... and no one questioned it if the Prince Consort’s eyes occasionally flared unnaturally bright at times.

And like most fairy tales, our Prince and his dragon lived happily ever-after to the end of their time.