*3 years later*
Elric sighed loudly, his feet were pinned down by the horse sized creature at his feet. The 5 year old Sottises hung messily off the bed, his long tail hardly short enough to stay on the platform and his large paws hung off the edge of the bed.
“Sottises.” Elric groaned as he tried to pull his feet from underneath him, “You’re getting too damn big! You cow!” The animal simply purred at him happily. “No more!” Elric scolded, “you’re going to break my room!”
The dragon stood and stretched, he had recently had a growth spurt and had filled in with muscles and a more matured face. At 17 hands at his withers he was close to surpassing the working horses of the palace, he now had to duck his head slightly to avoid hitting his head on the rafters above the loft space.
Elric had grown equally, he broadened with well built shoulders and a trimmed body that was tall and well tanned from his time working outside with Sottises. His previous adolescent pudge and child like features had quickly faded the harder his training with the tarragon got. He needed the strength to push around the beast, the bigger he got the more hot blooded he behaved. Some days, the only one who could console him when he became aggravated was the Princess.
Just as he went to curse the dragon for pinning his legs the stable door swung open and early morning light flooded over the floor. Sottises chirped happily as he jumped from the ledge and glided down to the floor to meet the person entering the stable. Elric stood over the edge and watched the creature trot up to her and pressed his forehead to hers as she reached her hands up to his neck and rubbed his scales gently.
Princess Maëlle had grown into a true beauty, with long auburn hair and bright golden eyes. Her skin was flawless, and her hair always well kept around her. She hadn’t grown out of her mischievous acts though, and Sottises only encouraged her pranking and mischief in the palace.
Elric pushed his hand through his dark hair and watched the princess greet the dragon. He saw the warm sparkle in her eyes and she giggled while he licked her cheek.
“Good Morning Elric.” She sang up to him, grinning slyly as she watched him. He blushed, realizing he was still shirtless and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Good Morning your Grace...”
“How did you sleep?”
“Sottises doesn’t let me sleep. He’s as big as a horse and still wants to sleep in the bed with me…”
Mae giggled softly, sending a warm wave tingling over his spine as he heard her. “He is quite cuddly isn’t he?”
“He is too big.” Elric pouted softly. “My bed will break if he keeps it up!”
“Elric, would you mind if I kept Sottises for today? I am set to leave for my schooling tomorrow and I desperately want to spend the day with him today…”
“Schooling?” He asked as he turned back around to fetch a shirt.
“Yes, mother is sending me to the neighboring kingdom to study medicine with the doctor there. And I fear I will not be able to visit often to see my Sottises…”
Elric turned to climb down the ladder as Mae looked lovingly into Sottises’ eyes.
“I suppose he could stand for a break.” Elric said with a nod as he approached. “I don’t see one day being a problem.”
“Thank you Elric.” Maëlle said with a grateful smile. “Why don’t you join us? You could use a break as well I feel.”
Elric smiled thankfully to her and shook his head, “I couldn’t, I’d interfere on your time with Sottises.”
“Please join us Elric, at least for the morning.” She insisted.
“Alright your Grace…” He nodded.
“Meet us in the garden.” She said, turning, “And, my name is Mae.” She winked as she led Sottises from the stable and slipped away from him. Elric looked after her before he returned to his loft and pulled on a pair of boots and a brown wool cap then he grabbed his sketchbook and followed out to the garden where the princess and Sottises always escaped to.
Sottises leaned back against a hedge and curled around Mae. She leaned back against him, reading allowed to the dragon while he rested his head on the ground. As Elric neared he raised his head and peered silver eyes at him protectively. Elric put a hand up to him.
“Calm down Sottises, I’m not taking you. Just joining.” Elric said as he sat on a stump opposite of him.
He watched the princess for a moment as she read to her dragon calmly. Her hair fell back over the dragon's side and her sparkling eyes trailed the page slowly as she read.
“Princess Maëlle…” he began.
“Mae.” She responded.
“Mae…” he repeated, “If you’d like me to sit with you. Would you allow me to draw you and Sottises together?” He asked as she peered from behind her book and looked at him suspiciously.
“Draw?”
“Yes.” He responded, “I draw often, and if you’d like me to sit here with you I’d love to have permission to draw you both.”
“Only if I can see it after.”
“Of course.”
“Then yes.” She grinned happily as she returned to her book and heard him scratching against the paper as he drew. He spent the morning sitting there quietly, listening to her soft voice read aloud to the dragon.
Her reading had improved 10 fold, as a young woman she now read flawlessly, she was incredibly well spoken and educated. Her lips flowed effortlessly over difficult words that the 12 year old princess would stumble over.
He had to admit, drawing her was a privilege as typically he would draw strangers and animals or the dragons during the day. She was the first drawing of a person he knew, and the first royal he had drawn. She was a perfect subject to draw, her soft curves were easy to follow. His heart raced while he watched her read and traced her features. He nearly forgot to draw the dragon behind her; he was so caught up in her image. As the morning rolled into the late morning he quickly sketched in Sottises behind her so that he could show her without showing he had been primarily focused on her.
She finally sat up and stretched with a yawn and smiled at Elric as she stood. She walked to him and around his back to peer over his shoulder. He shifted the pad to face her and she admired the drawing he had been working on.
“Oh wow Elric!” She exclaimed, “that’s so beautiful!”
“Thank you Mae…” He responded with a blush, “You and Sottises are wonderful subjects to draw.”
“I am flattered that you chose to draw me, this drawing is simply gorgeous.”
“Thank you.”
She leaned further over, her long hair fell messily around him, tickling his arm and hand as he watched her. She plucked the book from his hand carefully and pulled it up to her face looking deep into the picture and scanning each detail. A gust of wind kicked up and blew her hair into her face and she struggled to push it back from her eyes.
Elric laughed as he stood, pulling the cap from his head, he faced her and carefully fixed the hat onto her head, tucking strands behind her ears beneath the hat so they stayed put. She smiled shyly up at him, her brown eyes sparkled under the early morning sunlight, they looked like golden pools of honey.
“You should go though, I’ve kept you all morning, I’m sure you’re wanting to get to your work for the day.” She said warmly as she passed the book back to him.
He nodded as he closed his book and tucked it beneath his arm. “Please keep Sottises as long as you’d wish today.”
“I appreciate you allowing me to spend the day with my tarragon Elric, you have no idea how much this means for me.”
“I’ll see you when you return him.”
“Oh, you’re hat…”
“Keep it, it’s windy, your hair is much longer than mine.” Elric gave a wink from his blue eyes.
Mae nodded with a shy but thankful smile. Elric waved as he turned away from her and returned to his own day. Mae twisted her hair carefully and placed the cap over her head, pinning her hair beneath the cap.
Without Sottises at his side Elric had the day to spend by himself. He and Carter decided to go for a run on the route that he and Sottises would typically take. The men ran the winding trail around the palace and made a race of it. The older butler was in shape and Elrics goal was to surpass him in physical fitness and he had been getting close since beginning his runs and training with Sottises.
When they finished their run Carter applauded his progress by patting him on the back. Elric groaned in exhausted pain and leaned over, propping his hands on his knees while he took in deep breaths of air as Carter laughed.
“Still got a little ways to go, Kid.”
“Be careful, Carter. I’m this close to passing you.” He pinched his fingers together and exhaled a deep breath.
As Elric returned to the stable he opened the door and was hit by a rush of air before his sweaty body was covered in a bucket filled with chicken feathers. He screamed from fright as he paused then he coughed as he spat out feathers that stuck to his tongue
“Mae!” He screamed, as he turned. The mischievous princess was across the yard giggling helplessly near the chicken coop. He took off in a sprint toward her and she ran the opposite direction with Sottises following close behind her. He chased them around the palace, she was surprisingly fast in a dress but she darted into the hedges of the garden and disappeared around a corner. He listened carefully and then saw the tip of Sottises’ comb and followed it until he snuck up on the princess in a dead end. He jumped from behind the corner and grabbed at her arm, catching her as she tried to bolt away.
They both giggled but Elric grabbed a handful of stuck, sweaty feathers from his chest and pressed them over her face as she stumbled back. Their laughs built as they wrestled with the feathers. Her hands pushed at his bare, feather covered chest and she fought playfully with him.
“You are so mischievous!” He scolded with a laugh.
“I couldn’t leave for three years without playing one more prank on you, Elric.” She chortled playfully.
“You truly wish to leave me with a sour taste of a prank?” He teased as they laughed.
“Yes I do!” She responded as she pulled away and rubbed feathers from her face and off the front of her dress.
“I’ve begun to see why they still call you the Mischief Princess.” He scoffed with a smile.
“Such a sour term.” She pouted at him and stuck her tongue out as Sottises pressed his head between the two protectively.
“I am returning to my work Princess.” He warned, still a playful tone about him as he turned away and exited the hedge.
“You are no fun.” She called back to him.
“I have work to do Princess. Please enjoy your day.”
She pouted as she looked up to Sottises and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. Then she got a devious idea and the mischievous smile which was well known among the staff played on her plump lips.
(Part Two in next Upload)
Comments (0)
See all