Dragonborn: Mated to the Dragon king

"Enough, Ares. I decide what happens to her, not you." A deep, husky and commanding voice with a disarming, raw accent spoke calmly.

Emrys, Orin, Xavi, and Silas immediately bowed their heads in respect. Ares turned sharply toward the source of the voice, his eyes widening in shock.

"Y- Your Highness," he muttered in a whisper. Rhysann had held his hand just in time before he struck Aria. "My apologies for my impulsive actions."

Ares bowed his head low to show respect. Aria, stunned and confused about what was happening, lifted her gaze and met those of Rhysann, the dragon king she had heard so much about these past few days.

Their gazes locked. Aria's breath hitched. Those eyes...

They were a deep, mesmerizing blue; icy yet fierce like the vast, untamed oceans, carrying a depth that seemed to peer into her very soul.

In all her days, she had never seen eyes so beautiful.

"Your Highness, we brought the Drakoryte and the girl as an offering to you, just as you demanded." Emrys finally spoke cautiously, breaking the intense silence.

"Good. You may leave." He replied curtly, his words bearing absolute authority.

Stunned by his lack of interest in their explanation, Emrys and his men exchanged uneasy glances before bowing again and exiting the chamber. Ares hesitated, glaring at Aria one last time before Rhysann's sharp gaze sent him retreating.

Once Rhysann and Aria were alone, his gaze softened as he let out a quiet sigh.

"Come with me," He uttered with his raw, thick and accented voice.

Aria stood rooted to the spot for a moment, unsure of how to react. She did not expected such a calm and almost gentle demeanor from the "all-powerful and feared dragon king." Nothing about him resembled the image she had created in her mind.

She had expected an old, grizzled tyrant with a bloated form and eyes full of greed and arrogance. But before her stood a very tall, young, and incredibly handsome man who was completely different from anything she had imagined.

Aria decided not to jump to conclusions yet. He might be young and far more handsome than her expectations, but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous. Could he truly be as cruel as his kind, who had tormented hers for centuries?

He had to be...wasn't he?

Yet, Aria couldn't be certain anymore. The way his gaze softened after the others left... Something about it unsettled her as if her instincts were telling her that there was more to him than met the eye.

Rhysann noticed Aria's stunned expression and calmly walked back to her, holding her gaze with an intensity that pulled her from her daze.

"Are... You alright?" He questioned, his voice low with a rich rumble that resonated deep within his chest.

"I... I'm fine..." she struggled to find her words.

Reluctantly, she followed him out of the chamber and through the castle's labyrinthine hallways.

The castle was grand, too grand, that it was almost like a maze. One could easily lose their way in it. After walking in silence for a while, they reached a part of the hall where the rock walls were painted a muted gray and accented by a long crimson rug that stretched toward an imposing, oversized door.

"You'll be safe in here," Rhysann uttered in a low tone as he opened the doors for her.

'Safe?' Aria thought incredulously.

How could she be safe in a place crawling with dragons who saw her kind as prey?

She hesitated for a while and walked in. Rhysann followed behind her and closed the door, bolting it shut as though trying to hide from something... Or someone.

"Why are you locking the doors? And why have you brought me into this...room?"

Her eyes darted around for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat when she realized he had taken her into a grand, luxurious bedroom.

The centerpiece was an enormous bed draped in scarlet and gold, with valances pulled back to reveal its regal splendor. The floors were covered in a beautiful maroon rug that was so soft underneath her feet.

The walls were painted with a darker shade of grey, and translucent, light red curtains with gold stripes covered the large windows, giving the chamber a subtle dark lighting. The air was warm and comforting, and the sweet scent of an unknown ointment filled the space.

"Calm down, princess," Rhysann spoke in the same low, husky tone. "I brought you here because it's the only safe place in this castle. If the other dragons find you, they'll treat you as a slave. Trust me, you don't want that."

His words were a bit slow, with a deliberate cadence, as though he was savoring each one. Rhysann's voice was naturally low, and it felt like the very air around him thickened whenever he spoke.

He had a thick accent with a raw, seductive edge; an intoxicating blend of rugged Scottish brogue that added a huskiness to his speech.

Aria quickly look away as she tried to resist the allure of his gaze.

"You're the king, aren't you? Just tell your kind to leave me alone."

"I wish it was that simple, but things don't work like that around here." He said, and she raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Then why did you bring me here? What do you want from me? To make me your slave? I won't let you! I have a weapon... And I'm not afraid to use it!" She shouted defiantly, quickly pulling the dragon's tooth from her pocket and pointing it at him like a little sword.

Rhysann's gaze lingered on her 'weapon' for a brief moment and his eyes narrowed slightly. A wave of dread washed over Aria as her heart sank. Thinking he was angry and might lash out, she took an instinctive step back.

Rhysann walked slowly towards her, his gaze fixed on the dragon's tooth. Aria retreated further, her pulse racing and suddenly, her shoulders hit the cold wall.

"Don't... Come any closer...! I'm warning you!" she tried to scream, but her words only came in whispers.

Rhysann took her wrist with a firm yet gentle hold, effortlessly prying the dragon's tooth from her grip. He stared at the object with intense focus, and to Aria's astonishment, it began to emit a faint blue glow. At the same moment, the intricate, dark blue markings etched across his arm and chest pulsed with a subtle light, glowing in harmony before fading away entirely. Aria could only watch in awe.

"W... What was that? Why did that happen...?" she muttered under her breath.

"This...where did you get this?" he asked softly and she gazed at him for a while.

"I picked it yesterday morning when I crossed the border of Eldoria... Why do you ask?"

Rhysann stared at the dragon's tooth longly.

"It belonged to my dragon. I lost it in a battle..."

Aria's eyes grew wide in surprise, but Rhysann kept staring at it worriedly. She wanted to ask what the problem was but decided not to.

"Look, if you want your tooth back, you can keep it. You don't have to ask."

Rhysann looked down at her and chuckled deeply.

"No, it's not that..." He paused when he realized that he was still holding her hand.

Their gazes kept locking, and it was creating an awkward and uncomfortable tension for Aria. She had been determined to hurt some dragons on her way here, but now that she had a chance to get her revenge, Aria felt utterly powerless and... Disarmed.

"Let go of me..." she pulled away from his hold. "It seems I have no reason to be here. Please take me back home."

"I can't do that, Princess," he replied curtly.

"And why is that?!"

"You wouldn't understand..."

"I don't care. I just want out of this horrid place!"

Aria marched toward the door and attempted to unbolt it, but Rhysann moved quickly. He seized her arm and pulled her toward him, turning her away from the door. With steady strength, he pressed her gently but firmly against the wall, securing her arms in his grasp.

"You have to trust me, Aria..."

"Ah—!"

Aria let out a piercing cry as searing pain erupted in her right arm. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Rhysann, alarmed, could only watch as she writhed helplessly.

"My arm...! What have you done to me?!" she screamed, her voice trembling with anguish.

The burning sensation intensified as if molten metal was being branded into her skin. Her cries grew louder, tears streaming down her face as intricate, dark-red markings began to carve themselves onto her arm. They spiraled and twisted, creeping up her shoulder like an ominous spell weaving itself into her flesh.

The agony peaked before subsiding just as abruptly as it began. The wound healed rapidly, leaving behind a tattoo-like design, its once-fiery red hues fading into a deep, dark blue. The markings coiled in detailed patterns across her arm and shoulder, pulsing faintly before settling into calmness.

Aria stared at the markings in wide-eyed disbelief, her chest rising and falling with each labored breath. Her mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"W...what is this...?" she tried to speak, but her words came out in faint whispers.

Rhysann stared in deep shock and worry. What had he done?!

"Aria... I..." He called her by her name for the first time, but she backed away, visibly frightened and traumatized from the painful experience.

"What have you done to me, you monster!" she shouted in rage, holding her right arm tightly.

Aria desperately tried to wipe away the markings, but they remained stubbornly on her skin. It wasn't a tattoo; it felt more like a curse, etched deep into her flesh.

Rhysann, equally baffled, stared at her arm. He couldn't explain how it had happened, only that it had, and the implications were chilling.

His dragon, Rhyssar, had chosen and marked a human for its mate.