The Dragon Queen

The End of Crime

"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" a voice called, interrupting Lucia's cuddling Ragal, and she turned away from her beast in time to see a guard bow to her, his eyes nervously darting to the beautiful dragon.

"Yes?" Lucia replied. Could she never take a break with her dragon?

"Prince Thomas of Assar has arrived and is waiting for you in the throne room" the guard informed her.

"Is he?" Lucia growled yet she couldn't help her smile. Of course he had taken it upon himself to wait in the throne room, the ruling place of all the Ten Realms. The delusional prince. "Thankyou, William" Lucia replied "I'll be with him shortly".

"Yes, Your Majesty". He bowed and quickly retreated back into the castle. Lucia smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to the hard scales of Ragal's face. "Parardy yungkinda. (Silly prince)" she chuckled to herself. He probably thought she had finally conceded to his constant requests of marriage. Oh no. She had a very different task in mind for him.

When Lucia entered the large Saltarion throne room, she found the young Assar prince casually draped across her throne as if he owned it, yet the mischievous smirk he wore made it difficult to be angry with him. "Tris air sana gos-inga, Thomas? (What are you doing, Thomas? )" she asked him sharply, her footsteps echoing in the spacious, unusually empty throne room, though Lucia had to admit that she rather liked it this way. Normally it was filled with disgruntled council members, angry riders or men who were desperate for her hand. For once she could see the dragon patterns that were carved into the walls. "Lesurali-inga. (Sitting)" Thomas replied sarcastically and he lay a possessive hand on the arm of the glorified chair.

"Utres ditrute honaris? (On my throne?)" Lucia barked.

"Gos sog illsor, sug kyanic bes ditrute honaris timune sana tumbles doweg wondaring frendil I. (Do not forget, it will be my throne when you fall in love with me)" Thomas replied cunningly. Lucia rolled her eyes. Would he ever relent? Did she want him to? Of course, she did. It didn't matter that she liked their game. She came to stand directly afore him, hands on hips. "Delgada. (Move)" she commanded firmly, in the way she would order a battalion before a battle. Soldiers had been known to shake at her words but Thomas simply smiled. "Forana I. (Make me)" he retorted.

"Conford. (Okay)" Lucia accepted. He should know by now not to challenge her. Without hesitation, she seized a lock of that gorgeous ebony hair and held a ridiculously sharp blade to his scalp. That teasing smirk of his vanished, only to move onto Lucia's blood red lips in turn. "Y-you wouldn't" he breathed, but to her delight he shook as she was used to people doing. Clearly he cared about his hair more than his life. "You know very well that I would" Lucia growled, lying through her teeth "Regalos delgada. (Now move)".

"Oh, conford, conford. (Oh, okay, okay)" Thomas sighed, conceding defeat, before he slowly heeded her, as if it was the most painful thing in the world for him to do. As soon as he had stood, Lucia took her place on the throne that was rightfully hers with a smug smile. "Misigrasana. (Thankyou)" she thanked him innocently.

"Trisfiaris, Ils Godara. (Whatever, Your Highness)" Thomas sighed, folding his arms over his armoured chest with such an offended frown it was as if she had tried to fatally wound him. "Sayis usont sana requita I isaris? (Why did you summon me here?)" he questioned sharply.

"Sana rian gogulay betir-inga sana? (You mean besides threatening you?)" Lucia teased. She laughed at how his gaze hardened warningly and sat perhaps a little taller upon her throne. Her throne. "I desperata sana. (I need you)" she told him.

"I noleg deg- (I know that-)".

"Sog doweg deg etara. (Not in that way)" Lucia snapped, rolling her eyes. He would never stop, would he? Thomas' smirk returned and he nonchalantly leaned himself over her, one hand on either arm of the throne. To some he may have seemed intimidating. Lucia merely enjoyed the view. "Doweg tris etara nectures? (In what way then?)" Thomas growled curiously.

"Ug sana cataris noleg, diborda egas elvato pasar ditrute robardo's relsayin. (As you probably know, crime has risen since my father's death)" Lucia began.

"Tris targ sug? (What of it?)" Thomas barked, like it was inconsequential "Air ils montargros sog hiara to haltaris-inga nosat betaruvs? (Are your beasts not up to stopping mere criminals?)".

"Sog wakares I desirum to scol satar targ ditrute golaring. (Not unless I want to burn most of my kingdom)" Lucia retorted.

"Rig var gos I movorais doweg to craxes? (So where do I come into this?)" Thomas asked.

"Potifa... (Well...)" . Lucia gently cupped his smooth face in her weather beaten hands and only just suppressed a smile when he leaned into her touch, as if he really loved it. Part of her wished that he did but as she knew, he was brilliant at playing the game for her crown. "Potifa? (Well?)" he purred.

"I mayad darma wondaring sug min sana mayad ruletsa a powresg targ bitras satres et otrego craxes golaring orijonata betruvs. (I would really love it if you would lead a force of two thousand and free this kingdom from criminals)".

"Oh? Et sayis mayad I gos deg? (And why would I do that?)".

"Sana desirum ditrute alegyance, gos sana sog? (You want my favour, do you not?)" Lucia asked teasingly. She may want his game to be true, but that didn't need mean she couldn't play. She laughed and leaned in close, as if about to kiss him, mocking him with her lips, but paused seconds away from his sweet touch. "Craxes mayad bes a wushni etara to brailong sug. (This would be a good way to earn it)" she whispered.

"Darama? (Really?)" Thomas laughed, his breath tickling her skin "Treduning I isodona regato sug nectures. (Perhaps I may consider it then)".

"Wushni. (Good)". Lucia pressed a grateful kiss to his lips. "Exedor sana air fartara arona chillonisa mal rag tremsora. (Because you are far more terrifying than any dragon)". Perhaps it was her imagination, or maybe a trick of the light, but she could have sworn that those pale cheeks turned pink. If they did, she knew why. Her faith in him was not only priceless, but as foreign as the lands across the sea.

Speaking of which, sat in his tent, guarded only by his powerful dragon, Prince Dominic sat, scowling at the scout that had just returned from the Saltarion castle. His fists were clenched in his lap, shaking with fury, but his face remained passive, as did his dangerously calm voice. "The queen has done what?" he hissed at his quivering scout, hoping that his ears had deceived him. The scout gulped. "Sh-she has appointed Prince.... ahem, Prince Thomas, the younger son of Assar, to be the leader of a force of two thousand, designed to rid the realms of crime-".

"How is that fool still alive?!" Dominic suddenly roared, standing up so he could pace off his reckless fuming energy. The last time he had seen that stupid prince had been when he was nothing more than dust beneath a pile of rubble. He shouldn't have been able to survive that! And even if he had by some miracle he shouldn't have been able to lead a force of two thousand people! Well, if he wouldn't concede defeat through death, he would have no choice but to concede it through the one thing that he apparently cared for, but had no right to at all. The formidable Dragon Queen. He looked to the pale scout. "Get me a dragon egg" he ordered.

"B-but the only eggs nearby are in the palace-".

"Then steal one from the palace!" Dominic snapped "Now go!". And the scout instantly bolted from the tent.