A Dragon’s Forbidden Love

How have things gotten so crazy in just three days?

That thought keeps running through Kye's head as he slips down a side alley to avoid any late night stragglers on the main road. The pouring rain and distant rumbles of thunder kept most people home this evening, but if his plan was to be successful,  the werecreature couldn't risk being seen by a single person. If he was caught, the best case scenario would be that Kye would be sent back to his father and forced to marry his fiance. The worst-case case scenario would be that someone would slay him in the middle of the street and drag his head back as an offering to the Dragon Queen.

Why would the Dragon Queen want to see him dead? Well...it's complicated. 

Centuries ago, the area was plagued with war. As one of the few human free cities left in the world, this land was desired by many supernatural species. Vampires faced off against ghouls. Selkies tore territory from mermaids. Every victory  was short-lived as new challengers wasted little time displaying their interest in the land. The fighting continued for decades until the dragons took control of the city. 

The minute the dragons won their battle for the lands, their leader assembled his council to discuss their options for future attacks. When the were clans arrived to challenge the dragons to battle, they were met with diplomats instead of soldiers. The dragons offered control of half the lands as long as they agreed to come together and defend both territories against any future threats. 

For the first couple centuries, the two species lived, worked, and governed in harmony. When one group went out to trade with other species, they always brought back enough goods for both groups. Medical and technological advances were shared freely among the two peoples, and no threat could handle the combined might of the dragons and werecreatures.

However, this harmony could not last, for there are always those who want more. 

The rift began after a battle against the demons. Although the combined efforts of the two groups led their city to victory, the losses were great. However, the werecreatures quickly realized that over two-thirds of the deceased soldiers were their brothers and sisters. Rumors that the dragons were using weres as sacrificial pawns began to flow through the streets. Were businesses refused to serve dragons, researchers hid their notes from their dragon colleagues, and werechildren were told to avoid their dragon peers.

The tenison grew until the two groups decided that minimal contact between their two peoples was best.  So the dragons had their sections of their city and the werebeings had theirs, and the two were never to cross into the other's territory. The only exception to this rule is the night of the new moon. On this night, a grand celebration was to be held at one of the palaces with the other group playing host the following year. Open to the public, this ball is the one time a month when the two groups could mingle without fear of retribution; the hope being that this event could one day lead to the reunification of the city.

Three days ago Kye attended his first New Moon Party, and it was there that he met the love of his life.

"Why did you drag me here," grumbled the young wereheir. A shudder ran down his spine as his gaze swept across the room. A group of giggling weresparrows dared each other to go speak with a trio of dragons. Mixed species pairings flitted across the room,  dancing and flirting the night away. Curious couples snuck off to darkened corners, trying to snatch a taste of the forbidden. 

It was all so fleeting. So fake. So pointless.

"What's the point of all this anyways," Kye continued after he snagged a glass of wine off the tray of a passing waiter. "Tomorrow we are all going to be exchanging profanities and spitting at each other in the streets, so why do we bother pretending to be friends now? Makes absolutely no sense."

"Wait, I thought you were looking forward to this party, " said his friend Lily , a puzzled expression crossing her face. "It's all you've talked about the past three weeks."

Creeping up behind the group, Kye's cousin drapped an arm over the shoulder of the grumpy prince and threw himself into the conversation. "That was before his father found out he and Yuki were planning to run away. The king sent Yuki away to seminary school this morning and told Kye that he will have an engagement arranged for him by the end of the week." Jakob ducked to avoid the slap aimed at the back of his head. "Hey, hey. Don't get mad at me. I'm not the one who was stupid enough to leave maps and forged visas on my desk where any of the staff could see. ” 

"No!" Lily gasped, her hands flew up to his shoulder and began to violently shake her friend. "Kyyye! How could you do something so stupid? You know the King searches everyone's room at least once a week. Why take the risk?" 

"Aww give my cousin a break, Lils. He was just blinded by love." The elder were brought his hand up to ruffle Kye's hair. "Luckily for him, love is fleeting. There's always going to be someone else, and, oh look, there are a lot of people here open to ' love'. "

The were prince shoved his friends away with a growl. "You two suck. The love of my life was torn out of my arms today, leaving a hole in my heart that will never heal. And my friends show their support by mocking me and trying to get me to replace Yuki. Well, screw you." And with a quick turn on his heel, Kye stepped forward and let himself be swallowed by the crowd.

As he pushed and shoved his way across the ballroom, Kye felt his face flush and his stomach churn as joyous couples began to surround him. Lily was right: he had been looking forward to this night for some time now, and, as he watched the pairs sway as they gazed into each other’s eyes, his heart shattered in his chest. One of those couples could have easily been Yuki and him, but now he lost his chance to have such an experience, possibly forever. 

“Excuse me. Would you like to dance?” A soft but cheerful voice piped up from Kye’s side, pulling him back from the dark thought swirling through his mind. “I will completely understand and leave you alone if you say no, but I kind of hope you say yes.”

Even though the logical part of his mind knew that the guy was just being friendly and had no way of knowing about the trauma he has already endured today, Kye could not help feeling a little irrationally annoyed by the stranger’s request. The ball is intended to represent the unity the two races once shared and will hopefully share again one day, and what a better location to express his undying love to Yuki than here, gliding across the floor while wrapped in each other’s arms. But now this newcomer wanted to steal that experience from his beloved?

Kye closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before turning to face his unwanted dance partner. “Listen, I’m flattered, but…"

All the air in the were’s lungs disappeared as he laid eyes on the most beautiful dragon in the world. The man appeared to be carved out of a block of pure ice. His skin was so pale that it was as though a layer of frost had formed over it, while his hair was such a pure white that it almost had a bluish tint to it. On the man’s back rested a pair of pearlescent wings that were so large that they could have probably surrounded both of them. 

But the man’s most striking feature was the pair of eyes so blue that they made the clear noon sky look dull. The same eyes that were now starting to look a little discouraged and defeated.

“I’m sorry,” the stranger said quickly, his voice a little squeaky and cheeks red with embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have asked. I normally don’t actually, but you looked so sad and lonely, and I thought ‘hey, me too.’ So, I decided to ask you to dance but I shouldn’ have, so I’m going to go now. Sorry.”

“No wait!” Kye’s hand shot out and wrapped around the dragon’s wrist, halting his escape. “I was just surprised. I never imagined anyone as beautiful as you would want anything to do with a were like me.”

“‘A were like you?’ What does that mean? I personally think you are gorgeous. You have the widest shoulders I have ever seen.” The stranger ran his hands up Kye’s arms, over his shoulders, and buried themselves in his hair. “Your hair reminds me of the dark inky color of the sea at night. Except for this one patch here. It resembles the light of the moon reflecting off of the sea.” One of his index fingers curled a strand of the white hair by his left ear and pulled, sending waves of desire racing through the were.

“It is…it’s because of my were form,” Kye gasped out, his mind struggling to form thoughts as the dragon’s presence quickly overwhelmed his senses. “I’m an aquatic were, so my hair resem- resems- looks like my whale form.”

“Oh,” the dragon exhaled lightly against Kye’s ear, causing the were to suppress a soft moan. “I love the sea and all of the creatures that live in it. When I have free time, I enjoy sitting out and watching the water, hoping to spot a creature. Maybe… maybe one day I could see your whale form?”

“Anything you want.” Kye may not know who this stranger is, but the were prince was willing to give him the entirety of the were kingdom’s fortune if he asked.

Fortunately, the dragon just let out a little giggle and said “Well, how about we start with a dance and see where the night goes?”

As he was pulled onto the dance floor and into the dragon’s arms, Kye knew that his life would never be the same. This meeting could not be a one time encounter. Even once every month was too little. If he could not see this man at least once a day, he would perish. The longer he spent with his dance partner, the more certain of this the young prince became. So he began to plot out ways to convince his father to start making amends with the Dragon Queen and start lessening the animosity between the two groups.

Time passed by quickly, and as the sky began to lighten with the rising of the sun, the two found themselves huddled in a hidden corner of the courtyard, making the most of the time remaining.

“Let’s meet here again tonight at midnight,” Kye said suddenly, desperate to see the dragon again. “Every business will be closed by then, so there would be no one to see us. Please. I don’t think I can go a single day without seeing you.”

The stranger’s grip on Kye’s hand tightened briefly before he dropped it and brought his hands to his lap. “Kye,” he said so quietly that it was almost a whisper. “Tonight has been magical, and I want nothing more than to see you again. But…” the dragon’s voice broke as tears began to trickle down his cheeks. “I’m afraid you won’t want to see me again once you know who I am.”

Kye slid closer to the dragon so that he could wrap an arm around his waist and pull him to his side. “Hey, hey. I can’t think of anything that would make me not want to see you…wait! You knew who I was?”

The dragon let out a wet laugh before resting his head on Kye’s shoulder. “Everyone knows that the only werewhales are part of the royal family. And you are a little young to be the king. So I just took a guess, and it looks like you guessed right.”

“Or you are just way smarter than me. Which is kind of hot, not going to lie. But I also think everything about you is hot, and I don’t think there is a single thing you can tell me that will change my mind.”

“My name is Talon, I’m the son of Queen Apricity of the Dragon Kingdom. Meaning that your father and my mother are technically enemies.”

“...Okay….that makes things a little more complicated but not any less sexy. Ow!” Kye reached up to rub the back of his ear where Talon flicked it. “Just being honest. Just because our parents hate each other doesn’t mean we can’t love each other. We just have to be careful when trying to meet up.”

“Do you- do you really think this could work? Us as a couple I mean?”

“Absolutely. I know that you are the one for me and I for you. And nothing can stop two people in love.”

And nothing did stop the young couple until two days later when a servant caught Kye sneaking out of Talon’s room. The young couple begged and pleaded, the rival rulers fought, and alliances were threatened until an agreement was reached: Talon was to be wed to the son of the queen’s advisor while Kye would be sent to live abroad with his cousin Jakob.

The lovers were distraught and considered all options to escape their fates. Talon even began to search for ways to procure a temporary paralytic when he received a message from Kye’s friend Lily. The young girl bumped into the dragon prince at the market and slipped a note from his beloved into his pocket. 

As Jakob prepared for the journey with his cousin, he could see that the young prince would not survive losing the love of his life twice in a week. He feared that even if he managed to wrangle him onto the boat that would take them overseas, his cousin was unlikely to make it to their first destination.

So, with the help of Lily, Jakob planned a way for the two lovers to escape. At midnight the night before they were supposed to leave, Jakob would have a horse tied up just outside the city limits. At the base of the tree where they would find the horse would be a bag of food, clothing, and a little bit of money. The two would not be able to live the lavish life they were accustomed to, but they would be free to live and love as a couple. If they could make it out of town before dawn, that is. 

After sneaking out through the servant passages and taking every alley and sidestreet that he could find, Kye finally made it to the city edge. As he spots the horse tied up at the entrance of the wood, the were feels his heart jolt and his feet come to a stop.

Bathed in moonlight, standing by the horse’s side is Talon. 

The dragon prince is tying up their bags onto the horse but his head snaps around at the sound of boots scraping on rocks. His eyes light up and the corners of his lips pull up into a large smile as he spots the other prince standing a few feet away. “I was a bit worried about someone stealing the horse and supplies, so I slipped out as soon as I safely could to make sure everything was secure. I hope you don’t mind.”

Kye rushes over and pulls Talon into a brief kiss before resting his forehead against the dragon’s. “You are perfect,” he murmured softly, his eyes soaking in every detail it could of Talon’s face. “Are you sure you want to give up your kingdom for me?”

Instead of responding, Talon just smiles and places a gentle kiss on Kye’s cheek before leading him over to the horse.