The Frozen Heart

In the dark corridor of the Dragon Castle, Thunder stood behind Sienna's door in a daze of unbelief at himself. He could hear her taking off her vet chemise, panting as it was stuck to her body, mumbling something as she covered herself in the blanket, and then the rattling of the chair as she sat at the table to eat. He listened to her gobbling up the food and drinking water. His senses were attuned to her presence and he could not let it go somehow. So, he stood there immersed in her experience. Then he heard her shuffle to bed, adjusting the covers, her soft sights and deep breathing as she fell asleep. It sounded mesmerizing to him, her presence was pulling him in almost involuntarily. He wanted to stay in the darkness and listen to her but forced himself to sober up.

"What I'm even doing here?" Thunder murmured to himself, shocked when he realised he was standing there for a few hours!

"She is so sweet..." his dragon was purring.." She likes me..." She thinks I'm cute...so great!"

"What I just did?"Thunder ran his hand on his wet sleeves and vest. He was soaked in water and he did not notice somehow...

"Did she...what did she...how did I...what I was doing?" He tried to replay it in his head."How did she make me do it?" he felt a freezing sensation over his body, which was very unusual as he was a pretty hot dragon!

"Come on! You offered to help her first! Stop staring and move along before you sprout roots here...standing like a tree." The Black Dragon chuckled."I told you she is great, she can teach even such a dummy as you." he noted.

"Shut up! I'm a King. Dragon King!"Thunder hissed upset.

"I know what you are..." the dragon growled."A monster..." he scoffed angrily.

Thunder shook his head and rather walked fast to his quarters, the water steaming from his heated body, he was boiling inside! He felt confused and used! He wanted to put the biggest distance between him and that room! That damned room where the wild Queen resided for now...

The Dragon King barged into his bedroom and breathed deeply. He roared in frustration and looked into his cracked mirror set in the black wooden frame."Protect and Serve," the flag, that carved wooden dragon on the mirror frame was holding was irking the King's fragile nerves.

"The Queen! She is dangerous...she can mess up my brain! I need to keep away..." he said to himself...staring into his golden eyes with red flames in them till the Black Dragon appeared between its fire lines.

"Do not fight it! You should use the opportunity and wow her till her mate is not here, hm? We can have a cute happy Queen, a little fire in the bed..." the Black Dragon licked his scaly lips. "And we can live happily ever after like in her fairytales..." he chuckled.

"Shush!"Thunder shook his head and wiped his forehead. He was sweaty and boiling within himself because he got flashes of her in his mind...predominantly pictures of Sienna's nipples under her wet chemise were stuck in his head together with her dreamy looks and softness of her voice...the big bouncy breasts moved as she was squeezing the water. Thunder would never believed that clothes squeezing could look so attractive!"I need to cool off!!!" He called to himself disturbed by his dirtied mind.

"Have a bath to cool off. It is long overdue." his dragon noted."You need to wash anyway to smell good for her." he smirked cheekily.

The King shook his head and went for a bath just to shush his dragon. He lay in the round bath full of cold water even after the boiling bubbles came up unable to shift his focus from her body till he fell asleep after his very hard day, feeling that taking care of that Queen was indeed troublesome!

Just then, in the wild thing room, Sienna awoke in the middle of the night. She shuffled to the window, watching if Sarcos would come maybe now, any moment...to save the girl and take her away from this strange King.

Sienna shook her head at the thought of the Dragon King."He is not that bad, but a bit of a gloomy dummy!" she thought."But mostly a mystery, hard to decode..." she sighed in her mind as she watched the glittering snow from her window, the moon was bright, almost at his full glory, just a tiny slice was missing from its circle...

"I'm stuck in a freezing country..."Sienna sighed."I will be not able to run by myself at all! I would fall through the deep snow at my first step and freeze to death!" she shook her head."It is so good he will let Sarcos come." she nodded as she stared at the snowflakes falling before she went to bed and fell asleep again.

Meanwhile, in another frosty land far from Dragon Castle, in the freezing icy maze, one brute brown tiger was getting crazy from the cold. He was staring at the bloodied white tiger which lay in front of him as an unwanted but eagerly awaited meal...

Just a mere week ago, Lord Ziran was travelling in his big brown tiger form to the south. He felt so weird and hurt to leave his Queen behind in Sand City even though he wanted to do it! He ran till he was exhausted just to shush his screaming mind and ruffled pride, so he settled almost at midnight under the big tree in the hot forest and fell asleep only to wake up in the cold freezing maze after an extra weird dream!

It was one of those nightmares you can not awake from; Ziran felt as if he was falling into the neverending darkness...

"Where are you, bodyguard?" He heard Sarcos's voice echoing in his head." Did not you ask yourself to be my Queen's protector and now you are running as a little kitten?"

"He is hiding as a little puppy...not able to swallow his pride for once..." the tall bluish ghostly man was smiling wickedly at him!

"So, let's see your crystal powers if you are so good..." the scorpion engulfed in orange flames grunted.

"It will be not just crystals...it will be icy..." the tall bluish man chuckled." to help out strong tiger to cool off!"

"How long till he dies?"Sarcos asked coldly.

"How long do you want?"The tall man asked sneakily.

"I want him to suffer slowly for the coward he is!"Sarcos hissed.

"But Sienna doesn't want him dead..."The Flaming Scorpion said carefully.

"Hm, a sporting chance then..."Sarcos grinned.

Sarcos chuckled wickedly as he drew with the white smoke into the darkness and Ziran watched as a huge crystal dome grew around him...glowing and twirling into a spiky icy cave! He tried to wake from his nightmare but he could not even move! He was stuck in the cold dark and sharp icy dream maze!

"This will help you to cool off! Find the way out or die, you useless bodyguard!"Sarcos said coldly."I do not care! Nobody will be rude to my Queen! Remember it..."

"This will teach him manners for sure!"The Flaming Scorpion pointed.

"If he will survive!"The tall ghostly man chuckled.

"Hey!Wait!"Ziran tried to call after them but as he moved his hand they disappeared into his dream.

"You can beg me for your life if you lose your proudness..."Sarcos's voice chuckled wickedly in the cold passing wind.

Ziran shook his head and awoke but the cave was still there...all around him! He breathed out the cold air and saw the soft smoke coming out of his mouth."Steam! It is so cold that I steam!" he called disturbed."What is this...magic...?" he was walking around in awe."What? I need to wake up"...he tried to pinch himself to wake up.

"You are awoken!" his tiger growled.

"What?"Ziran asked looking at his hands.

"We are in big trouble because of your big mouth!!!" The Brown Tiger growled...

"Did not you want to kill that eagle too?"Ziran furrowed his brows.

"In secret! Yes, in secret! But you are too proud! You had to boast how strong you are in front of our Queen!"

"She is not my Quenn anymore! "Ziran bit his lips."She humiliated me publicly! I can't stand it!"He growled.

"But we live!"The Brown Tiger shook his head."I'm not ready to hunt with my ancestors yet! I want to feel her under me and fuck her hard!" he growled.

"You are right! She will pay me for this even more!"Ziran grinned rather wildly.

"Sure, so get us out, so we can start our revenge! Hurry up, I'm hungry!!!" the tiger growled.

Ziran felt his heart in flames, he was angry inside and felt betrayed, he knew that Sienna did not send Sarcos to revenge on him, but still, he blamed her for his situation and started to resent her even more...

"If not for her, I will not be here!" He grunted as he ran around the maze but he could not find any way out! He has already fallen into a few ditches and had a few traps trample him with huge icy stones. If not for his tiger's fast reflexes he is dead!

"Stop feeling so sorry for yourself! I want to try now! You are failing us the same as you failed our Queen!" his Brown Tiger growled frustrated at him.

But even the Brown tiger took over and ran the maze, climbed the spiky walls and avoided the traps skillfully, Ziran was stuck for days, starving, his head clouded with anger and sorrows, his tongue rugged from licking the ice for water and cold blisters forming on his normally smooth paws. He was not meant for cold weather for this long!

Ziran changed into his human form to give his tiger a break. He crouched and held his head. He had enough. He ran the maze again and again and nothing! Just circles of icy crystals, snow and desperation. He was going in circles, always appearing in that cursed dome where it all started! But this time it was different! Ziran noticed red splodges in the snow! He stood up as he saw something big on the ground and came closer.

"White tiger?"He asked surprised furrowing his brows.

Ziran stared at the white tiger's bloodied body. He would not normally eat wild tigers as they were his allays. But he was so hungry...

"Is it dead?" He turned the tiger on its side when it transformed into a woman! She was naked and bloodied all over! Ziran watched as the new scars formed quickly on her pale body...

"No meal then!" he chuckled satirically and covered her in his cape. The look at her nakedness enraged him somehow.

"Hey wake up!" he growled and shook her shoulders not gently at all!

"What? Who are you?" she looked at him awoken."Let's hide, they are after me!" she stood up fast on her trembling legs and wanted to run...

"Who is after you? " Ziran asked her curiously.

"The ghouls, killers! All army of them! They are hunting me down." she called with an urgent tone but was somehow unsure where to run, so she stared at him and adjusted the cloth on her body.

"Thank you."She looked at him and bit her lips, knowing it must be his cape.

But the warrior just nodded and did not stare at her body at all, he was thinking."If she fell here, so can they and I will find the way out!" Ziran felt the new power and hope enter his body. It circulated in his veins making him restless.

"Are they big?"Ziran asked hungrily. He was starving.

"Shh, talk quietly, they may hear us!" she shook her head worriedly.

"I hope you left big tracks behind you, I need some food," Ziran growled.

"Food?"She asked surprised. Nobody will consider eating ghouls. They were like monsters...

"Yes, I've been trapped here for ages and I need food so I do not eat you." he grinned brutishly." You did well to change," he noted coldly.

The female watched the strong warrior, he looked mad but was not aggressive to her.

"What is your name?"He asked her thinking.

"I'm Vallerie." she smiled carefully. He looked so hungry and it made her a bit unsettled.

"Great Vallerie, so can you scream, please, I need that ghouls to find us. Louder the better!" he grinned and took his sword into his hand. He was so hungry for blood...killing something would be such a good plaster for his hurted pride...

"Who are you?" she shook her head in disbelief. Eighter he was crazy or enormously strong!

"Ziran, I'm Lord Ziran and I will find my way out by myself! I will not ask for help even from you Scorpion King! Screw you! I will take what is yours and fuck it hard!"He laughed manically. He already resent Sienna for his situation and hatred grew in his heart. She walked on his pride and now he was getting crazy! His tiger missed her too, but no, he could not have someone to affect him this much, so he started to hate her!

"Fuck who?" Vallerie was looking at him in a daze and then she screamed! The ghoul was falling through the icy ceiling, then another and another. Ziran was slaughtering them at enormous speed remembering the opening. He started to build the stairs from the dead bodies which kept falling on the icy floor.

"What are you doing?"Vallerie looked at him disturbed. He looked like a maniac.

"Stairs! It is a miracle of freshly killed architecture with ancient decor." he grinned crazily."Follow me if you want to live!" he growled as he was building his killer masterpiece. Ziran was so excited that he might get out, that he forgot how hungry he was! He was standing on his makeshift stairs and killing more and more monsters who fell by him..."Come on, climb up!" he got the woman to follow him...

"How can you be this strong?" she looked at him in shock. "I never saw someone like you," she whispered appreciatively.

"Sure you did not!" he grinned as they were almost at the top. He was covered in blood standing at the mountain of killed ghouls and was bending his back just under the maze's icy ceiling. Ziran figured out that the icy maze was able to be opened from outside only as a trap door, so was waiting till someone fell through, so he could push himself out!

He pulled Vallerie with him to crouch when the hole opened and Ziran finally stretched his back under the white sky as he killed the ghoul who was about to fall inside! Ziran pushed the female up with him and ran down from the maze greeting the running ghouls with his sword. He stopped only when he killed the last of them! He was already far away from the bloody maze and Vallerie collapsed into the soft snow under the trees.

"I won, I live!" Ziran was shouting drunk on blood and adrenalin. If he was not getting so crazy in there, this was quite an awesome bloody game for him!

"Please, will you take me to my tribe?" Vallerie looked at him pleadingly.

"Where is that?" he asked not sparing her a glance.

"Frosty Tigers!" She looked at him."My father is fighting the ghouls, but we are losing so I run for help."She bit her lips.

"And ?" he looked at her bluntly.

"You are the help! Please, help my father!" she stared at him in expectation.

"I have work to do."He muttered.

"Please, then come for the sake of Tiger tribes, you are one of us, my father is old, and we need help. "she bit her lips." You help us, and then we help you with whatever you need." Vallerie used the ancient Tiger's Law of Survival to persuade the brutish man.

"Hm, lead on then," he nodded."We hunt on the way..."

 On a new morning in the Dragon Castle, the grumpy Dragon King awoke in warm water! He furrowed his brows and realized he slept so well, no nightmares, no screams...

"What happened? "Thunder looked at his hands.

"You look like a wrinkled baby!" his dragon chuckled..."Put some perfume on to impress her..."

"How could I sleep so long?"Thunder shook his head.

"Because you forgot to be miserable for a few moments."Black Dragon noted.

"My son.."Thunder bit his lips.

"Do not feel guilty about it, she will fix it for us..." the dragon said hopefully.

"I hope so..."The King sighed.

"I feel calmer next to her...and I want her to paint me that portrait. Finally, someone appreciates my good looks!" The Black Dragon noted.

"Don't be unfaithful..." the King bit his lips.

"You have been living by yourself for ages! Our Queen lost her life because you thought you could act as a midwife and healer in one! F-off!I want to live again!" the black Dragon called upset.

"I need our son to get better first..."Thunder noted."This is the only thing on my mind!" he bit his lips."I own it to her memory!"

"I was thinking you love our son..." the dragon scoffed.

"Yes, I do!"Thunder nodded eagerly.

"So get yourself together and be the father he needs."The Black Dragon shook his head...

"Am I not...?"Thunder furrowed his brows confused."I do everything I can...I go against the law...I..."

"King Sarcos is here!!!" The loud horns sounded thru the castle!

"Shush!!! You wake her up!!!"Thunder called from the open window angrily. The petrified feeling of the wild Queen being awoken almost stopped his heart till he sobered up and shook his head."What is wrong with me?"