Queen of Dragons

Lady Dana, the huntmistress to the Serpent King, she who was known in the land as the Dragon Queen, blew down the dusty corridor in a powerful stride. Servants scuttled to corners to allow her passage, their heads jerking low in subservience. Guards snapped to attention and prayed she did not have time to notice any lapse in protocol.

"Lady Dana! Truly a pleasure to catch you -- might I trouble you for a moment of your time?" A minor noble, a lad of barely sixteen summers, tried to accost her and was rewarded with her temper.

"Begone Tebid; I've no use for your narrow prick or fumbling hands this day." She dismissed him with a haughty wave that left him crimson. Already she was round the corner.

The young King Theodonis waited in his audience chambers, splayed across his throne. Before him was sat an array of councillors, advisors and generals who vied for his attention.

"We cannot risk the security of our land in this matter," spoke General Harkor. He was a young warrior, newly promoted having proved his battle prowess in the war against Loronia but last year. "Dispatching our armies immediately is our only course of action. Do otherwise and we put in danger our greatest asset and the power of our kingdom."

"We must temper our strength with wisdom," advised Cordonis, head of intelligence to the king. He was a white-haired old man, dressed in simple clothes, with a calm demanour. "Remember always we have enemies waiting for us to make a mistake. Act hastily and we alert our neighbours. We would leave vital borders at the danger of a surprise attack. We cannot risk this on unconfirmed rumours. We must be sure of what we know before we take action. I would suggest sending a trusted envoy to these people, to find out the true nature of this news."

The gathered folk started up in argument, siding with Harkor or Cordonis, throwing accusations of impetuous pride or cowardice. Theodonis, sixty-fifth Serpent King, lay splayed spider-like across the ornate throne, and merely gazed upon the proceedings.

It was at that point that the great doors swung upon and Lady Dana stalked into the great hall. There was none who did not mark her entrance. Arguments hesitated and quietened.

All knew Lady Dana. It was her who bore the title Huntmistress to the King, and with it the command of the Serpent King's greatest and most powerful weapon -- the Dragon Riders of Karne. Only male dragons had wings that allowed them to soar above battlefields, and the feared breath of fire that decimated the Serpent King's enemies. Only female warriors, through a jealously guarded secret, were able to command them. And only the Serpent King of Karne had their loyalty. With this power the empire of Karne stretched across nations. Dana was one of the most powerful women in the land.

She was tall, with black hair that fell to nearly her waist. She was femininely muscled, lithe and strong, light on her feet yet able to topple most men. She was quicker than a snake and her stare made most quaver. Her piercing eyes, some said, had the dragon's fire in it. Despite her dangerous reputation men desired her, for she was considered more beautiful than most, and many thought they could tame the deadly animal. She came to the proceedings in a long gown in light grey, that well displayed her ample bosoms. A powerful thigh extended out as she came to a halt in the centre of the room.

"Lady Dana." Thus spoke the King. He was young, not long out of his teenage years, but already feared. He had a dark complexion, eyes that were like black pits. His features were youthful and though he was not overly tall, he had limbs that seemed stretched somehow. "It is pleasant of you to join our musings. I am glad my message got to you eventually. It was sent out some time ago." His lips curled and his dark eyes flashed. Theodonis's cruel smile made most men fear for their lives, for he had a twisted humour that hid a deadly, quiet anger. Dana, however, met his gaze levelly.

"The duties of a King's huntmistress are many, my leige. I live only, as you know, to serve your pleasure. I eagerly await your command. My king." Dana spoke court officialities with a twist to her words that sounded dangerously close to mocking. Few dared speak to the king such.

"Of course you do, my dear lady. Of course you do. I trust your time was well spent. As it always is. Now, since you are tardy to our meeting, I must have you updated to our discussion. Such was not your intention, I'm sure, to waylay our time thus. Still, these things cannot be helped. Scribe Oridil, please read to our beloved huntmistress the reason for our gathering."

Oridil, a balding elderly man, stepped nervously forward, fearing to step into this dangerous clash of wills. His gaze flickered from the king to Dana. He unrolled a scroll and cleared his throat.

"A missive to His most Gracious and Powerful Serpent King Theodonis, Lord of the lands from the wastes of Azkal to the forests of Nordheim, ruler of all Karne, slayer of a thousand warriors..." a sudden flick of Theodonis's wrist stopped Oridil dead in his speech.

"Oridil, if you insist on wasting this court's time any further I shall have you transferred to our questioning chambers, where you would be asked no questions, but would simply have my displeasure displayed upon your body. Get, dear man, to the point."

Oridil quailed at this threat and bobbed his head. "Yes, my king. Of, of course. Ahem. It has been passed on to us, that is, the intelligence council of his Crowned King's empire, ahem, important news regarding rumours that have spread across the lands of Gestat, far west of Karne, from a realm that has regretfully not yet been bought under the graceful rulership of His Noble Serpent King. Ahem. Tales abound, it is said, of a tribe of people in this place that claim to have, in their knowledge, the whereabouts of a creature equal in form and power to that which is currently under our own command. Specifically, of a dragon. Not a male dragon, but a queen dragon, a matriarch able to lay eggs and hatch forth offspring. Thus, it is said, another people have that which has been our principle power for centuries untold. The ability to produce, perhaps ride and command, dragons. Thus ends our report to the unchallenged Lord of Karne, the noble ruler.... ahem, and so on.... the Serpent King Theodonis. This letter was received by our council but yesterday and was passed onto this court for consideration. Thus do we gather now. Ahem." The scribe looked around himself uncertainly, glad to have finished the report without the king's threat of having the royal torturers practice their art on him carried out. He furiously bowed and retreated to a safe distance.

The king and huntmistress had not broken their stare at one another throughout the speech. Neither had Dana moved her icy expression, nor Theodonis, his curled lips. A small silence blew. The king's gathered advisors looked at one another.

"So, dear Lady Dana. You can see why this intelligence concerns your attention. It does, indeed, bear ill news to all our doorsteps, should these rumours be true. It may be that your ravishing dragon ladies are not the only people in this fair land with your enigmatic gift of flight. What say you to these tidings?"

"How reliable are these reports?" She asked.

Cordonis spoke up. "The rumours are numerous and varied. Some tell of a veritable army of dragons threatening our skies. Others say that they have but one weak, small creature, unable to produce eggs. Some are tales are clearly wild fantasy, that magical beings came to the people of Gestat and gifted them with the creature, or that the dragon escaped from our own brood. Some say that they will sell the beast to our enemies for a king's ransom. Nothing is certain. But we have every reason to think there is something happening in this land and it must be known."

"Hm." Dana finally swung her gaze from the lithe figure on the high-backed throne and into the room, and across the gathered nobility and lords of battle. "No doubt wise Harkor here wants to sweep across the land and bring every sword to battle against phantom dragonlings."

Harkor bristled at the jibe. "This cannot go uncontested," he retorted. "All know Karne is master of the skies. Karne alone. We cannot allow such talk to go on. Surely you should know this more than any. It's your whores that ride those great beasts after all."

Uncomfortable murmurs spread across the hall, for Harkor spoke a sometimes-told rumour, that the dragon riders couple with their mounts in order to gain their loyalty. Dana stared at Harkor levelly. Theodonis curled his lips further. He moved his gaze to Maldin, an older general, a silver haired and battle-scarred warrior. The king's look silently said he waited for his opinion. Maldin acknowledged it.

"It would be rash, at this time, to make a move of our legions," he spoke. "We gained much in our campaign in Loronia last year, and the newly-acquired populace need to be tightened. Rebellions threaten and must be nipped. To weaken our forces at this delicate time would risk that and invite a counter-attack that could see our advances lost. While I fully understand your eagerness to prove your victories were not luck, Harkor, caution should be practiced here."

Harkor crossed his arms and glared. Theodonis himself gave but the slightest of nods. Cordonis chose this moment to make a suggestion.

"Wise king, it is my humble opinion that more needs to be known before we can make any action. Would my liege allow me to send some of my best men to make quiet enquiries?"

Theodonis raised an eyebrow and considered a moment. When he spoke he addressed Dana again. "My dear huntmistress Dana. Would you say there is anything regarding the nature of dragons that is not known to you?"

Dana gave him an odd look. "Of course there is not. It is my duty to learn every aspect regarding the command of dragons. As chief of the riders, none is better informed than I."

"And would you be willing to pass on this knowledge to Cordonis's network of information gatherers?"

She paused. "My king must know full well of the pact between the dragon-riders and the crown they serve. We serve you tirelessly, but the knowledge of raising and commanding dragons must always remain fully our own."

"Indeed, so it has been written since well before your time or mine, Lady Dana. So it was laid down before our father's mothers were humped. So it was decreed by our wise ancestors. As such, it must be passed onto you, to find these people who we are told can breed dragons, and see what threat they offer. I leave it in your own wise council to decide what action to take, if necessary. Thus is the command the serpent-king gives. Do you accept this order?"

Dana stiffened. Theodonis spoke the words every king speaks when issuing an order to his huntmistress. The formality of the ritual binds the dragon riders to the serpent throne. No huntmistress, in the centuries since the pact was formed, has ever refused an order from her king. The question was asked lightly but to refuse would mean the breaking the most ancient agreement in the empire of Karne. She answered.

"My leige, my warriors are yours to command. I accept your order." She bowed stiffly as she spoke the required response. Theodonis gave one of his scanty nods. Still his lips curled and his gaze remained resolute.

"It is so, Lady Dana. I shall leave you in the capable hands of Cordonis and Maldin to work out the details of your journey to Gestat. I shall retire now and leave you to your deliberations."

The gathered hall rose to attention and stood alert as Theodonis made his exit. He unfolded lithely from his throne and left. Only one person followed him as he went; an old woman, bent and dressed in haggard clothing. She had the same dark eyes and sinister expression King Theodonis had.

* * *

Theodonis came to his chambers. His royal guard stood outside, two huge men unmoving as statues. Weapons adorned them like clothing. He went in and the old lady followed him.

"My dear huntmistress is becoming quite waspish of late," Theodonis announced. "I suspect she does not like serving her monarch."

"Like it or no, she cannot break the bond that binds her to the crown. To do so would be unthinkable. Leave her to her tantrums. If she becomes a real problem it can be dealt with."

"I know that, dear mother. I know that. But it distresses me that the commander of my mightiest weapon could become such a problem. My dear father really should have chosen better."

Theodonis lowered his spindly limbs into a chair in the middle of the room. He reached across the table next to him a picked up a small fruit. He began to cut it into pieces with his ornate belt knife, carefully drawing slices into as if performing surgery. Or torture.

"We know us both that there are many things your father could have done better. Gaia rest his mighty soul," she said drily. She herself stood across the room next to a window. Her eyes did not seem interested in anything in front of her.

Theodonis's twisted smile crept back onto his face. "As always you are correct, dear mother." He gestured across the room. At the royal bedchamber, several youths lay on the bed - two women and a young man. They were draped in gossamer togas. One of them, at his command, rose from the bed and came to kneel by the king. He placed a slice of fruit in her mouth and she chewed it.

"I do not like Dana." He said in a rare moment of bluntness. "She walks through court as if all are beneath her. She brings discord into my finely-tuned house. She makes my men and women less focused on their duties to their king." As the girl chewed the fruit in her mouth, Theodonis moved his hand to her breasts and caressed her through her scant gown.

"You do not like her, Theod, because she was lover to your father. You do not like her because she stays distant from the happenings of her crown, holed up in her dirty dragon's aerie. You do not like her because your people call her the Dragon Queen, and because they speak as if she was equal, or even greater, than your rule." She stood unconcerned next to the window. She drew out a heavy pipe and filled it with a foul-smelling herb.

Theodonis nodded slightly. His face was now blank. One hand reached into the girl's dress and bared a small, soft breast. His fingers continued to work their exploration, pressing into her dark nipple. The other hand continued to feed fruit to both his own mouth and that of his servant's.

"There is that also. You know, my spies tell me that she has now turned her attention to Machil, the captain of my honour guard. I cannot have his attention diverted at such a vital time. The threats of those shadow-worshipping blind druids continue to bring an unsafe atmosphere to my royal personage. They want nothing more than an opportunity to put an assassin's knife to my throat, and their cursed black magics may very well give them that ability. Why do I continue to have such untrustworthy individuals watching my back?"

The old woman sucked on her pipe, filling the room with heavy smoke. Now it was her who twisted her face into a small dark smile. "Those heathen cultists? Those impotent old cunts? They could not possibly present such a dire threat to your health, Theod. I suspect you resent anyone who is given Lady Dana's attentions. Could it be that she has denied your demands once too often? You want to hump her, hm? Mount her as one of those beasts she rides? Is that it?"

Theodonis did not alter his perfectly neutral expression. Instead he casually tugged at the servant's robes and they fell to the floor. Both her pale breasts were now bared and his hand fondled them still. His rising prick was obvious against his trousers. "Machil is welcome to the vapid whore. He should enjoy her while he still has the opportunity. If she returns from this sojourn I fully expect Dana to change her ways, or..." he picked up his knife again and held it to the girl's throat. The servant did not change her similarly blank expression. She merely opened the crotch of his breeches and began to caress his cock.

"Careful, Theod." She scowled. "What you suggest is no small matter. The removal of a huntmistress is a dangerous thing. She is supported by the loyalty of her warriors. Risk their wrath and you risk the power of your whole kingdom. She has allies within your own court, you know. Such an act could spell your end."

Theodonis spoke to the old woman as the serving girl's head moved up and down on his lap. She made small sucking sounds as she worked. He continued to press his knife against her neck. "That is the very reason why she needs to be tamed. Her power cannot match that of the crown. Such a thing is unthinkable, dear mother. Those dragon-bitches must be muzzled or they would be a danger to my rule. The pact was a foolish bargaining by idiotic old men and I do not see how it still bares credence today."

"You are the fool!" She hissed. "The pact has stood for centuries! It is the one thing that binds them to you! If you tear it up then the Serpent throne will be castrated!"

"I am king, mother. I am not bound by pacts. I will not have my hands chained by the laws of ancient fools. Their subservience to my will must be absolute. If I perceive it to be less than so I will make steps to remedy it." By now his eyes were closed. With his free hand, he grasped the girl by her hair and forced her movements over his prick. He pulled up her head sharply and down hard, to make her throat seize and tighten round him. She squirmed but did not get up.

"This is idiocy, Theod. I shall leave you to your deliberations. I suggest you study some tomes until I see you next. I recommend The Serpent Throne's Power by Hardin, it goes into great detail regarding the specifics of the dragon rider's pact and how it is necessary to our empire's rule. No serpent king can retain his throne without it, Theod. Every king before you knew it; it is time you realised that also. I bid you think hard, Theod. Think hard indeed." With that she swept the door open and was gone.

"I never stop thinking, dear mother. Never." he said to the closed door. He pushed the girl's head down a final time. She struggled and made a small sound as he forced his seed down her throat. He held her down still. "Swallow it, dear girl. Swallow it all. There you go." Finally he was spent, and she fell back, heaving in wet breaths. "You poor little thing. Let me help you." He pulled her to her feet, drew back his hand and smacked her face, hard. She fell to the hard ground, and blood welled from her lip. She continued to pull in ragged breaths but otherwise did not move.

He walked across to his bedchamber, the girl on the ground forgotten now. Two more servants waited calmly on his bed -- another girl, smaller and darker than the last one. And a young man. Their expressions were as neutral as the first girl. He pulled down his breeches and stepped out of them, his semi-hard cock waving in the air, drops of semen still hanging from it. He pulled the other girl down the bed by her ankles and buried his face between her legs. His tongue explored inside her, his eyes locked onto the young man's face. The youth stared back, seemingly seeing nothing.

* * *

Dana had left the audience chamber immediately after the king. She had gone first to the training courtyard, where guards practiced. The day was bright, fresh from last night's rains, a good spring morning. Dana's mood was not bright.

The courtyard looked over the hills below Kamildan, Karne's capital and seat of the Serpent King's throne. Kamildan was an enormous city that rose high above tall, steep hills. Concentric walls ringed the palace proper, and were said to be unassailable. No one was yet fool enough to try. Between each set of enormous walls were further habitations. The most important nobility lived closest to the palace, and the common folk of the city, furthest out. Outside the last walls were a sprawling mass of buildings, the town of the very poorest. From the training courtyard you could not see these dirty slums, only the plains which spread out around Kamildan. A network of roads strung out across the land, connecting Kamildan with the far edges of the empire. The city sat like a spider at the centre of its web.