Athy's Explorations

Drake was sat outside, his glorious black and blue dragon lay sprawled on his back in front of Drake. He was rubbing his tummy. Pen's leg furiously scratched at the air, meaning Drake had hit the perfect spot.

Drake laughed and Pen huffed smoke at him. "You're so cute. For a dragon. You know?" he said, getting somber then. "You're like... My favourite." he said breathing out as he said it.

Pen paused then, twisting his head around to look at Drake. He heard a sadness in his voice and it worried him. He nudged Drake's forehead. "I love you too," Pen said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's not wrong. It's not like that." Drake said and stood up, as Pen rolled over. He wrapped his arms around his dragons neck. "You've been my best friend, always. You know that don't you?"

"Yes and you are mine. My master. My everything. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Pen said and wrapped his neck around Drake. "You saved me."

"I know, I know." Drake said and started to cry then. "you'd ruin a marriage and ignore a kingdom to make me happy."

"Well, I would try to not..." Pen said then, confusion wreaked his dragony face. "Drake what's wrong?"

Drake struggled. But then he let go of Pen, wiping his face on his sleeve. "I release you." He said.

Pen changed into his human avatar then. His face shocked. "No! Why? What did I do wrong." he asked, his heartbreaking.

"Nothing! I want you to be happy. I want you to have a good life. I'm not saying we aren't friends any more. You're just not my fiend any more. Okay?" Drake said, though obviously he was just distressing Pen all the more.

"I have a good life, I am very happy." Pen said, tears rolling down his face. "but not if I don't have you."

"you will always have me."

"it won't be the same."

"it will. We can still do all of this." Drake said, gesturing to the garden that Pen liked best for fuss and care.

"Don't. Don't release me."

"Any other fiend would be glad to be freed!" Drake said frustrated. Because it was breaking his heart, but he wanted to do what was best for Pen. Kyria.

"I'm not every other fiend and you are not every other tamer!" Pen argued, stomping his foot and breathing smoke from his human nose.

"I release you!"

"I deny it."

"I release you!" Drake said again, hot tears pouring down his face.

"Still no." Pen said, tears appearing for him.

"Pendragon! I RELEASE YOU. YOU ARE FREE TO GO AND BE A HUSBAND AND A KING. NOW GET THE FUCK OUT." Drake yelled.

Pen didn't answer but the sound of wings could be heard and Drake's hair got tousled. He didn't see anything, his vision had long since blurred because of tears. He fell to his knees and covered his face. He felt like he'd just lost an entire arm. Or a leg. Or a chamber in his heart.

Jester was four years old. He wore grubby clothes, his face smeared with dirt and his tiny body was far too slim for a child his age.

He'd learned long ago that whimpering or crying for food didn't get him any more than a cane across his back. His mother and father were careful enough to not scar the child, for his soft skin was worth far more when smooth.

He did not get baths, he did not get regular meals. He did not have toys, unless his visitors were kind enough to bring them. But even those only lasted so long as the visitor did. For when they left, his parents sold them to someone else, or threw them out when Jester was not a 'good boy'.

But having visitors weren't so bad. His parents would let him bathe, put on fresh clean clothes and feed him up for that.

Living in a constant state of hunger made him sad, but he still knew better than to ask.

Right now, he was sat on the bathroom floor, his mother was running the water to bathe him. She did not talk to him.

Until he looked up at her and quietly asked, "mummy, why did you call me Jester?" it wasn't because he was very funny, he thought to himself. He never could make mummy or daddy laugh. They were always sour faced when with him. But he heard them laughing through the closed door sometimes.

Oddly, his mother smiled then laughed. "Because everything about you and your life is a joke, boy." She said to him, before roughly pulling his clothes from him and dropping them in the hamper quickly. As if the smell offended her.

"What does that mean, mummy?" jester asked, his head tilting to the side as he considered what she'd said, his arms went up and she picked him up and plopped into the too cold water.

"You'll learn when you're old enough," she replied as she got a rough brush and started to scrub him down.

~~~~

Jester was now six. He looked at the costume his mother had provided for him to dress in. He was clean and his tummy for once full. "Mother?" He asked as he looked at it, it was rather ridiculous.

"What?" his mother snapped as she pushed him towards the costume.

"Why do I have to wear this?" He asked, it looked so stupid. It had pointy things on the hat that had bells on. Bells that jingled and shoes with pointy toes. It was white and black, in squares. It was weird.

"Because lovely Mr. Greenham has requested you wear it for him. He thinks you'd look lovely in it. Don't you agree?" his mother replied.

"I guess..." Jester replied, but he was obviously not enthused. He took his towel off and headed for his underwear drawer.

"Ah, no." his mother said and directed him back to where his clothes were. "He doesn't want you to wear those today."

Jester immediately blushed and looked away from his mother and the clothes. He froze up. "Why?"

"Because he doesn't now get dressed!" his mother yelled, her hand grabbing at his hair and shoving him forward again. "He will be here in 15 minutes, so make sure you're ready." She said, before leaving the room.

Jes stumbled and caught himself on the bed. He didn't fully understand why anyone wanted him to do anything as embarrassing as not wearing underwear. But if his mother said he shouldn't... Well, then he wouldn't. If he was good, she had promised him a new book and desert.

He got dressed and then sat on the bed. The little hat jingled and it annoyed him. The shoes were uncomfortable and the material of the pants so scratchy that it made him wiggle and fidget unintentionally.

The door opened and a tall man with dark rimmed glasses entered the room. He smiled at Jester when he saw him fidget. "Are you a naughty boy, Jester? Wearing no underwear..."

Jester immediately blushed and looked at the floor again, he heard the door shut behind Mr Greenham. His footsteps were soft as he approached, but the familiar sound of a belt being unbuckled was loud to his ears.

Nel had been living with Wolf for a year now. They had freed Bryna and so she also lived their with her mum. It was nice to have people in their house, Wolf thought.

But, it was also time for Nel to actually get out there and date again, he felt. Otherwise she'd get too used to being alone.

He knocked on her door, "come in," her reply came fast, which meant he wasn't going to see any breasts or whatever. Gross, much?

"Hello, princess." He said as he went and sat down on the couch in her room. She was doing her make up, but she still smiled at him. "where's Trent?"

"Not here." Nel said mischievously. Which meant the cat was either here, doing something he shouldn't, or somewhere else doing the same.

"Good. I wanted to have a chat with you. About you know. Boys." Wolf said, clearing his throat and being a bit awkward.

Nel laughed, "I know about sex. Thanks. It's okay, don't hurt yourself."

"No, not like that." Wolf said and thank God. He didn't want to have that chat with anyone. Ever. "it's just... I mean... Look, straight up are you ever going to try again with a guy? Or are you just giving up and going lesbian?? Either is fine. I just think it's time."

"I was actually thinking about my shaving my hair off, switching my shirts for camo three quarter lengths and my corsets for wife beaters..." Nel said thoughtfully, tapping her lips as if she was seriously considering it.

"Butch Princess? Well, that'll be interesting." Wolf said, trying to be supportive while his face scrunched up in protest.

Nel cracked up laughing. "I like being pretty. It's okay. Though, as for the rest? Most of the guys in school are younger than me. Though, I am not against girls either. I don't know what I'm doing. The only two people I could trust enough for that, don't really seem..."

"if you tell me some guy isn't interested in you, I'm going to break his legs and take him to the opticians. He'd have to be stupid." Wolf cut her off, because he wasn't having that. "You're so beautiful, kind, intelligent and you will do anything for someone you care about. You're virtually perfect."

" Virtually?"

"Yeah, you brat out too much." Wolf grinned. And then they both laughed. "No, but on a serious note... I watch you and Trent together. I know it's probably not like that, but you always seem to be flirting. Or you just have really good banter. Ever think that could work?"

"He's a fiend that I think isn't attracted to humans." Nel shrugged as if that was pretty much where it started and ended. "I'll be honest though, I have feelings for him. But I don't know if that's because of all he's done for me or if I have feelings for him."

"Ohh, yeah. With the situation, I can see why you'd be confused. It's okay. Take your time. You have a whole life to figure things out." Wolf said and then, looked towards the pictures of her and her friends. "What about Vale?"

"I think he's gay, but damn he is so, so pretty now. I would." Nel said with a wistful sigh.

"Same, tbh if he was ten years older." Wolf laughed and Nel gave him a high five. "Sirius is definitely gay, you ain't getting any of that."

"They're also my friends and that can cause tension or whatever. I don't want to ruin it." Nel said, it was really lovely having friends.

"Yes, but... I trust them. With you. Which means I'll ask if there is a chance. You know? Besides, you trust them. Which says more than me touching them." Wolf said and paused, then blinked. "Wait you said you only have two people you'd trust with you, you meant Trent and Vale, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that's right now. I'm meeting new people all the time." Nel reminded him. So it could always change. "But if Vale is gay, that's why I trust him and that's also not going to work."

"Are you telling me I can't grill guys yet? Or girls? Really? Why are you so mean. That's part of the fun, you realise. Of all of this. Is torturing your boyfriends or girlfriends." Wolf complained and just looked grumpy.

"You can, one day. Just not today. Maybe not even in a year. We will see." Nel said and ruffled his hair. "It's okay, dad. You'll get to be a meanie, I promise I won't be a nun."

"I ain't raising no nun," Wolf said.

"Damn straight, "Nel said and then looked at the mirror before looking at Wolf again. "Was that it? You wanted to tell me I'm amazing and should date so you can razz my date?"

"Yeah I guess. No. I mean. Kinda? I don't want you to be lonely." Wolf said, that was important to him.

"I'm not. I have you, my friends, Trent. I'm never lonely. "Nel said.

"that's different. You're a princess. You have all that fairy tale romance thing." Wolf said, which was usually true.

"Not me, I don't think. Dark doesn't deserve such things sometimes. Don't you think?" Nel said and looked at Wolf again.

Who looked like he might cry. "Don't you ever think you don't deserve a happy ending, Nel. Don't you ever. You deserve whatever you want. Everything. The world. It's yours. Romance? Happy endings? Also yours if you want it."

"Maybe," Nel said and then gave Wolf a hug. It wasn't that she'd given up. She hadn't. It was that she didn't think she'd get it. That as a dark princess, she didn't quite believe in love at first sight or falling madly in love with a handsome prince or princess who would love her forever and a day.

She got what she got. Which was varied on a dice roll by some people who controlled her destiny, she figured. Some days were good, some days were bad.

There were never as bad as they used to be either. To her, maybe, this was her happy ending.